The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone band that is placed around the stomach, creating a small upper stomach pouch that prevents a patient from eating excessively. It is only a restrictive device (not a malabsorptive one), and can be adjusted and/or removed, if necessary. The procedure to place the band is done laparoscopically on an outpatient basis, so our patients go home the same day as surgery in most cases.

ObesityCare.com's mission is to provide information about severe obesity and the treatment there of. Our service is informational only. To find a doctor who can do your gastric bypass surgery or lap band procedure, we recommend using ObesityDirectory.com. It is a nation wide directory (United States) and all of the bariatric surgeons listed are members of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

Like every operation, there is a risk. Because you may already have health-related problems, there is an increased risk of complications. Your doctor should thoroughly screen you to make sure that there are no surprises on the operating table.

Put simply, LAP-BAND® System bariatric surgery, when performed using laparoscopic techniques, does not require a large incision like that created in traditional gastric bypass surgery. By using small incisions and long, slender instruments, the LAP-BAND® System avoids cutting the stomach and stapling or rerouting the gastrointestinal tract to bypass normal food digestion.

Yes. The LAP-BAND® System procedure is considered the least invasive bariatric surgery available —offering fewer complications, less pain, less scarring, and a quicker recovery than any other form of obesity surgery. However, you should discuss this directly with your surgeon.

You can either pay for the operation yourself up front (self-pay), or you can try to get the procedure covered by your health insurance plan. If you decide to self-pay for the surgery, we have several financing options to help you manage the costs (please call our office at (972)716-9991, and we will be happy to give you this information).

Self-pay patients have about 8 days from the date of their initial surgical consultation to the date of their surgery. Patients seeking insurance coverage for the procedure, however, generally wait about 3 to 8 weeks between the consultation and their surgery date due to the length of the insurance company's approval process.

After the stomach stapling surgery, most doctors recommend you exercise to help you lose the weight more quickly. Regular exercise can usually proceed after 6 weeks, but consult your doctor. If the lap band surgery is performed laparoscopically, patients typically spend less than 24 hours in the hospital. It takes most patients about a week to return to work and a month to six weeks to resume exercising. In the case of open surgery or if there are complications, recovery may take longer.

We don't disclose that information due to the possibility of people mistakenly thinking of that as being some type of endorsement. Taking that position has allowed us to comfortably represent the patients of practices in every state in the country and so we keep that information to ourselves. So although we get that question alot from people evaluating surgeons and programs, there is no substitute for doing your own homework on the procedure, program and surgeon that suits you best.

Studies have shown that at 5 years the results between Gastric Roux en Y and LAP-BAND® System are within 4% of one another: Gastric Bypass (59%) and LAP-BAND® System (55%). You should focus on long-term weight loss and remember that it is important to lose weight gradually while reducing obesity-related risks and improving your health. Check-ups are a normal and a very important part of the LAP-BAND ® System follow-up.

Usually about 4-5 days. Most patients feel some fatigue and weakness for 3-5 days but are able to return to normal functions after about 5-7 days. If you do manual labor, you may wish to stay off of work a little longer.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass is accomplished with 5 small incisions rather than one long incision. A camera is placed through one of the incisions and long instruments through the others. The operation is performed while watching a video screen. The actual operation on the stomach and intestine is the same with both approaches.

The first step is submit a completed Registration Form to us ,then a member of our staff will contact you to schedule a surgical consultation. If you are approved for surgery after your initial consultation, you will need to complete various pre-operative testing requirements. Once the results of all of the testing has been evaluated and medically cleared by the physician, your surgery date will be scheduled.

Gastric bypass surgery provides an effective tool to limit the amount of food eaten and to change how food calories are absorbed. It must be understood that the surgery is not magic: it works with you, not for you. By working consistantly to make appropriate food choices and behavioral changes, a successful, long-term health impact is possible.