Are you feeling pretty sure that weight loss surgery is for you? If so, you’re probably at least considering the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, or lap-band. The lap-band is one of the most popular bariatric surgery choices. Do you really know everything you need to know about the band before you make one of the most important decisions of your life?

History of the Lap-Band

The band has a pretty long history, dating back to 1983 when a Ukrainian-born surgeon named Dr. Lubomyr Kuzmak used a non-adjustable band on his obese patients. He developed an adjustable band and began to use it in 1986. He and other surgeons continued to use the gastric band on obese patients and carefully record their results. These are some more key events in the development of the current lap-band.

• By 1991, enough progress had been made so that most gastric banding surgeries were laparoscopic instead of open. The adjustable gastric band became known as the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, or lap-band.
  
• In 1994, the First International Workshop on laparoscopic banding occurred in Europe as experienced surgeons demonstrated their new techniques.
  
• In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the lap-band as a treatment for morbid obesity, or a BMI over 40, and for individuals with a BMI over 35 and obesity-related health conditions.
  
• In 2004, the lap-band VG replaced the original lap-band system. It had a bigger fill volume and could be filled all the way around instead of just three-quarters of the way.
  
• In 2007, the lap-band AP (Advanced Platform) system came out. It’s the current lap-band model and it comes in two sizes. Your surgeon will determine which size is best for you.
  

How the Lap-Band Works

Your stomach is pouch with a J-like shape. The gastric band goes around the narrower, upper portion of your stomach to create a small pouch known as a stoma. The remainder of your stomach, the larger pouch, is below the gastric band. The stoma has a volume of only 15 percent of your original stomach size. Food that you eat goes into the stoma and is held there for a while, above the gastric band, because the band slows down the emptying of food from the stoma to the rest of your pouch. Since the stoma is so small compared to your original stomach, you feel more full after you’ve only eaten a small amount of food – enough to fill the stoma – instead of needing a huge meal like you did before getting the band.

One of the most important things to remember when you’re considering the lap-band or any other weight loss surgery is that the surgery is only a tool to help you. You will still need to be very careful with your diet if you are going to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. The lap-band will not cause you to lose weight if you choose high-calorie foods, consistently serve yourself large portions, snack too much or drink liquids with calories.

The Surgical Procedure

Now, most lap-band operations are laparoscopic. They require smaller incisions and are safer and easier than traditional open surgeries. The following medical personnel are likely to be in the operating room during your procedure.

• Surgeon who is the leader and who directs the laparoscopic tools in your abdomen
  
• Anesthesiologist to administer and monitor anesthetics
  
• Circulator who plays a supportive role by handing instruments to the surgeon and double-checking procedures
  

Details of the Lap-Band

The lap-band system has three components.

• adjustable gastric band
  
• thin connection tubing
  
• access port
  

The band inflates and becomes more restrictive when your surgeon fills it with saline solution (a liquid). To do this, your surgeon inserts a syringe into the access port, which rests below your skin next to your belly button. The solution travels through the connection tubing to band. An unfill, or deflation, is the opposite of a fill. Adjustments in the fill volume of your gastric band are normal parts of life with the lap-band, especially within the first few months.

Chapter 3, “All about the Lap-Band,” in The BIG Book on the LAP-BAND^® talks about all of this lap-band information. You can see diagrams showing the lap-band and where it sits in your body, and get details on things like the surgical procedure. By the end of the chapter, you’ll have a good understanding of what the lap-band is and how it works.

what a great post

i hope the newbies and prebies read this

Great post Alex.. everyone should read the the whole book pre-op. Can you tell I hate surprises. Going into surgery confident in what I was doing made a huge difference to me!

I have learned a lot from this group. I want to know what is going to happen and what to expect.

Thanks Alex, great post!

Amazing job!

People like you Alex make a difference in the world. A sincere Thank you.