Frequently Asked Questions
The LAP-BAND makes you eat less and feel full in two ways – by reducing the capacity of your stomach and increasing the time it takes food to get through the digestive system. After a small meal, the amount of which varies from person to person, you should feel full. If you follow the nutrition guidelines when you choose your food and then chew it well, you should not feel hungry or deprived. Remember that the LAP-BAND is designed to be a tool to help you change your eating habits.
One of the major advantages of the LAP-BAND System is that it can be adjusted. If your illness requires you to eat more, the lap band can be loosened by removing saline from it. When you have recovered from your illness and want to lose weight again, the lap band can be tightened by increasing the amount of saline. If the lap band cannot be loosened enough, it may have to be removed.
Becoming pregnant can be easier as you lose weight. Your menstrual cycle may become more regular. If you need to eat more while you are pregnant, the band can be loosened. After the pregnancy, the band may be made tighter again, and you can resume losing weight.
You may. It’s possible you may not get enough vitamins from three small meals a day. At your regular check-ups, your specialist will evaluate whether you are getting enough vitamin B12, folic acid and iron.
You should be able to take prescribed medication. You may need to use capsules, break big tablets in half or dissolve them in water so they do not get stuck in the stoma and make you sick. You should always ask the doctor who prescribes the drugs about this specifically.
Order only a small amount of food, such as an appetizer. Eat slowly. Finish at the same time as your table companions. You might want to let your host or hostess know in advance that you cannot eat very much.
Alcohol has a high number of calories. It also breaks down vitamins. An occasional glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage, though, is not considered harmful to weight loss.
After your stomach has healed, you may eat most foods that don’t cause you discomfort. However, because you can only eat a little it is important to include foods full of important vitamins and nutrients such as those recommended in the nutrition section of this booklet and as advised by your surgeon and/or dietitian. If you eat foods that contain lots of sugar and fat or drink liquids full of “empty” calories, such as milkshakes, the effect of the LAP-BAND may be greatly reduced or cancelled.
There may be some reduction in the volume of your stools, which is normal after a decrease in food intake because you eat less fiber. This should not cause you severe problems. If difficulties do arise, let us know as soon as possible.
You may have heard the term "Stomach Staple" and wondered what it was and if it’s different from other weight loss procedures that are commonly offered today. A Stomach Staple was once the go-to bariatric procedure for rapid and long-term weight loss. The idea behind the procedure remains, although the procedure itself has changed quite a bit thanks to advancements in surgery and the expertise and experience of today’s weight loss surgeons. Stomach Staple is now also known by another name: Gastric Sleeve.
Old-style stomach stapling refers to a surgical procedure that portioned off a small part of the stomach, stapling it off from the rest and leaving a small opening that connected it to the rest of the stomach. This slowed the passage of food from the new, smaller part of the stomach into the main area. The result was rapid weight loss in patients who were able to eat less and feel fuller sooner. However, widespread side effects and complications such as severe reflux and stretching of the stomach made the Stomach Staple hard to tolerate long-term and at risk of being phased out.
Gastric Sleeve is more than the next generation of Stomach Stapling; it is the fastest-growing of all the weight loss procedures today, popularized for its easier-to-tolerate, procedure that minimizes the complications while maximizing the weight loss. Gastric Sleeve offers numerous advantages for those who are seeking a permanent weight loss solution.
