Living With LAP-BAND

One of the keys to success with your LAP-BAND is realizing that your journey does not end with surgery, in many respects it is only just beginning. For the LAP-BAND to help you, it will be necessary for you to make some fairly significant changes in your life.

Immediately After Surgery

You can expect to be in the hospital for about 24 hours and it will be about a week before you can return to normal activities. If you are planning strenuous activity, this will need to wait about 6 weeks.

Nutrition

We will provide you with a nutrition plan to help you through the first few weeks after surgery.  You will start on a liquid diet and slowly progress to pureed food over a few weeks. Eventually you will transition through soft foods until you can once again eat solid food.

Eating requires close attention to ensure that your LAP-BAND System is able to help you lose weight.  You will need to drink through the day to stay hydrated but avoid liquids with your meals.  The LAP-BAND System is designed to restrict the passage of solid food and drinking during a meal will not make you feel full and may flush food through the reduced opening which will make you feel hungry sooner.

Eating slowly and chewing thoroughly are essential.

Because you will be eating less, the quality of your food choices becomes more important.  The Bradenton Surgical Group Nutritionist will give you all of the instructions that you will need about how to plan your meals and what problem foods you will want to avoid.  If you follow our simple 5 nutrition rules you will lose weight and your health will improve.

Getting on the Move

Many people have a mixed reaction when it comes to exercise.  We find most of our patients have led fairly sedentary lives prior to surgery and relish the ideal of finding moving about and even performing some mild exercise quite appealing.  Your bariatric surgeon will advise you when he wants you to start moving around a little more and will even give you a program that you will be able to tolerate.

Fills and Adjustments

The really unique feature if the LAP-BAND system is that it can be adjusted after surgery to control the rate of weight loss based on your specific needs.

Adjustments are performed in our office and are quick and painless.  You will be scheduled for your first adjustment 4-6 weeks after surgery and the frequency of adjustments thereafter will depend on your rate of weight loss or if you are having problems such as feeling uncomfortable or vomiting.

Lifelong Support

The LAP-BAND System is a life changing event.  To get the best results you will need to alter many of the things about your life that have contributed to being obese and these changes are often quite difficult.  There is one thing that you can guarantee though. If  you are committed and willing to make these life changes, we are willing to support you every step of the way.