If you are obese and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of around 40 or higher, you may be an ideal candidate for the LapBand surgery. If it is a procedure you are interested in undergoing, please continue reading on for a few helpful tips.

First, schedule a consultation appointment. You may have already decided that the LapBand system is right for you, but your doctor may have other thoughts. Do not get your hopes up, schedule a consultation appointment first.

Speaking of eligibility, what are your chances of being an ideal candidate for surgery? On average, LapBand surgeons recommend that patients be between the ages of 18 and 60 and about 100 pounds overweight. Not only that, a clear understanding of the surgery and what is expected from each patient is required.

Before your LapBand surgery, you will have multiple meetings with your doctor. You can consider these prolonged consultations. LapBand surgery is more than just a weight loss procedure; it is a lifestyle change. For that reason, there is a lot of preparing before the surgery. This will be done with the guidance of a LapBand surgeon.

In the weeks leading up to your surgery, your doctor will have you restrict your diet. On average, this is two to three weeks beforehand. In addition to restricting your diet to healthier foods, protein supplements will be added. Myocel is the brand most doctors recommend. These dietary chances are important, as it helps to prepare the body for surgery.

The above mentioned preparation involves a small amount of weight and fat loss. Many suffering from obesity have large livers. This is not safe for surgery. When fat is reduced around the liver, spleen, and stomach, surgery is easier and safer.

As previously stated, patients need to adjust their diet to prepare for the procedure. Foods that are high in sugar, fat, and claries need to be eliminated from the diet. Once again, this prepares the body for surgery by reducing fat content and giving you a healthier body that can heal easier.

Your doctor should provide you with a list of approved foods. Despite the possibility of a variance, there is a common list of approved foods. These foods include fruits, vegetables, lean meats, eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal.

For many obese individuals, diet restrictions are hard. Not only will doctors use this pre-surgery diet as surgery preparation, but as a test. If you are unable to avoid junk food, you are not the best candidate for LapBand surgery. To prevent complications during and after surgery, diet restrictions are necessary.

Many LapBand surgeons recommend meeting with a dietician. Even if a healthcare professional does not make the request, an appointment is beneficial to patients.

As for the procedures themselves, they vary depending on the hospital in question. You may be asked to spend the previous night in the hospital or you could arrive the morning of your surgery. Regardless, you will be asked to refrain from eating and drinking before midnight.

When preparing for any type of surgery, time off from work is a must. If your LapBand surgery is successful and complication free, hospitalization should be less than 24 hours. Even still, you may need to wait 7 days before returning to work. If your job duties include heavy lifting, consult with your surgeon first.

In addition to time off from work, you need to arrange transportation to and from surgery. Use the assistance of a friend or family member. You will be able to move before and after the surgery, but pain and discomfort is common. Reduce your stress and movement by arranging a ride to and from surgery.

The above mentioned steps are just a few of the many ways you can and should prepare for the LapBand surgery. Most importantly, schedule a consultation appointment. If you are deemed an ideal candidate for the LapBand system, your doctor will advise you on the next steps.

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LapBand Surgery: How to Reduce the Risk of Complications

Have you received the approval to undergo LapBand surgery? If so, you are well on your way to having a lighter and healthier body. At first, you will be excited about your upcoming weight loss surgery. At some point in time, you may experience nervousness. The LapBand is considered a safe procedure, but surgery always involves risks. These risks, no matter how small, may cause you some concern.

So, what should you do? Take steps to minimize your risk of LapBand complications. As for how you can do so:

Most importantly, listen to your primary care physician and LapBand surgeon. Most patients mistakenly believe their surgery begins at their surgery date and time. Yes, technically it does, but a lot of preparation is needed for the LapBand system. Diet restrictions are necessary to prepare the body for surgery in the two to three weeks prior. For that reason, follow all professional advice given.

As previously stated, diet restriction is necessary in the weeks leading up to surgery. Physicians will provide patients with a list of pre-approved foods. Despite the possibility of small variances, you should be able to eat lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. Protein supplements will be added. These diet restrictions are necessary to reduce complications. They allow for the reduction in fat around the stomach, making surgery easier and safer.

Also at the advice of a LapBand surgeon, patients are asked not to eat or drink after the midnight before their surgery. This is important advice to follow. Not only may you face complications, your doctor may refuse to perform the surgery!

Post surgery, patients have multiple follow-up appointments with their surgeons. At these follow-up appointments or at anytime following surgery, voice concerns. This includes pain and discomfort. Yes, pain and discomfort is a small side effect of surgery, but still mention it. You never know if complications have started or may later arise.

In the 24 hours following the LapBand procedure, patients start moving. By discharge time, patients should be able to walk, get up and down. With that said, it may be uncomfortable and slightly painful to move too much. For that reason, prepare your home for your arrival in advance. It reduces post-surgery LapBand complications by ensuring you have time to fully recover. Stock up on post-surgery liquids, clean your house, and so forth.

Start with a clear liquid diet. This is advised immediately following surgery. A clear liquid diet may include chicken broth, sugar free gelatin, and diluted apple juice. Your surgeon will provide you with a list of approved foods. To reduce complications, slip your drinks slowly. After approval, the next stages include full liquids, pureed foods, soft foods, and full solids. This process can take between one and two months. Always eat slowly, check food thoroughly, and stop eating when full.

Do not return to work without doctor approval. If you work in an office environment and perform easy tasks, such as typing, you are likely to return to work in one week. If heavy lifting is required, such as in the retail or construction industry, extended recovery is recommended.

Finally, attend all follow-up appointments. Unfortunately, many individuals believe they are in the clear if they dont experience LapBand complications right away, but this is not true. Band slippage, stomach erosion, acid reflux, and regurgitation can occur days, weeks, months, or even years after surgery. These all signal complications, which when known can easily be treated with a band adjustment.

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LapBand is one of the most popular weight loss surgeries in the United States. Why? There are many reasons why. With the LapBand, an adjustable gastric band is positioned around the stomach. There is no cutting or stapling involved. Not only is the band adjustable without surgery, but it is also reversible.

If you are obese, the LapBand system may seem like the best option for you. Yes, it likely is. Those who are 100 pounds overweight can greatly benefit from undergoing the procedure, but still it is not right for everyone. To see success and reduce complications, diet restrictions are necessary. Unfortunately, diet restrictions are something not everyone can handle.

Before you assume that the LapBand system is the best weight loss option, it is important to closely examine what it expected of you. Unfortunately, many hopeful patients make the mistake of believing they will automatically lose weight with the use of the LapBand. This is not true. The LapBand surgery involves more than undergoing surgery. It also involves a lifestyle change.

If you are deemed an ideal candidate for the LapBand, you will receive a surgery date from your surgeon. Since diet restrictions are important to your success, you may want to load up on your favorite sweets. After all, these will need to be eliminated from your diet after surgery. This is not the right step. In fact, preparation for the LapBand surgery will begin two to three weeks before your surgery date.

Two to three weeks before your LapBand procedure, you will be asked to eliminate foods that are high in sugar, fat and calories from your diet. Protein supplements will be added. Protein will help to reduce the fat in the stomach area. This makes surgery easier and reduces complications.

In the two to three weeks before surgery, doctors will recommend a diet that consists of eggs, yogurt, lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. This diet will prepare your body for surgery. In addition to reducing fat content, it promotes a healthy body. A healthy body is what will allow for fast healing and few surgical complications.

In addition to preparing the body for surgery, the initial diet restriction will serve as a test. If you are unable to curb your eating habits, you are likely to continue doing so post-surgery. This means that you are not an ideal candidate for the LapBand. If your doctor notices your inability to restrict your diet, he or she may suggest putting off the LapBand surgery until you are truly ready.

As for the surgery itself, you will be asked to not eat or drink anything after midnight.

After surgery, you will be taken through various stages. Your physician will closely monitor your progress on each stage. On average, diet restrictions and LapBand adjustments will be made for one to two months.

The first week or two post-surgery, all patients are on an all-liquid diet. Liquids are easier to digest, allowing your stomach to heal and adjust to its new size. When on a liquid diet, sip slowly.

The liquid diet itself is divided into two categories. To get started, healthcare professionals recommend clear liquids. These liquids include sugar free gelatin, non-carbonated drinks, chicken broth, and watered down apple juice. A few days after surgery, progression is made to full liquids. These include milk, yogurt, pudding, and soup.

The next step is pureed foods. At this point, your body will be craving some type of substance, but it is still important to take it slow. Consuming too much can result in post-surgery complications, including pain, discomfort, nausea, and vomiting. Since pureed foods are still in liquid form, remember to sip slowly.

After one to two months, depending on the healing progress and doctors recommendations, traditional foods can be incorporated into a diet. Remember, it is important to eat traditional foods, not normal foods. You do not want to revert back to your old eating habits.

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Do you want to undergo LapBand surgery? If so, a consultation appointment with a surgeon will determine if you are an eligible candidate. If so, your surgeon will begin to discuss expectations. Not will he or she outline what you can expect from surgery, but they will outline what is expected from you. In terms of the LapBand system, that is diet restrictions.

Diet restrictions are important to the success of the LapBand surgery. The LapBand surgery involves inserting an adjustable gastric band around the stomach pouch. The stomach is reduced in size. This assists in weight loss, but to maximize results and minimize complications, patients must restrict their diet. Diet restrictions are necessary in the pre and post-surgery stages.

If you are severely obese and seeking help from the LapBand, this likely isnt your first time attempting to lose weight. In fact, you may have already tried healthy eating and diet restrictions. If your attempts where unsuccessful, you may be concerned about the LapBand surgery. After all, if you couldnt restrict your diet before, what would be different now? Drive and determination. If you are serious about undergoing weight loss surgery, you do not have any other options. In most instances, surgeons will not perform the LapBand procedure if you cannot restrict your diet.

So, how can you make the transition to healthy eating before surgery?

Get started early. The moment you decide to undergo LapBand surgery is the moment you should start restricting your diet. Not only will you get a healthier body with a reduced fat content around the stomach, but you lower your risk of surgical complications. Two to three weeks before surgery, you will need to eat healthy and increase protein intake. Why not get started now?

Try different foods. As previously stated, two to three weeks before surgery, patients are asked to restrict their diets to healthy foods and protein supplements. These foods may include lean means, eggs, yogurt, vegetables, and fruits. Before your doctor advises you to restrict your diet, you are provided with some forms of freedom. Experiment with healthy foods to find the foods that best curb your cravings. As long as they are healthy, these are foods you can later consume post-surgery.

Start in small steps. As previously stated, diet restrictions are difficult for those suffering from obesity. This is because many have poor eating habits. Many eat too much and opt for junk food. It is virtually impossible for most to stop these bad eating habits overnight. So, start the transition early and do so in small steps. Do you have cookies for snack three times a day? If so, eliminate one of those snacks and opt for a healthier option, such as an apple. Over time, eliminate cookies from your diet.

Plan your meals in advance. Those who suffer from obesity and eating problems are known to eat food whenever it is available. This means that meals and snacks are often last minute decisions. Instead, plan your meals each week. Use your meal list as your grocery shopping list. Reduce temptations by not buying junk food.

Remember your goal. Whether you start to curb your eating habits three months or three weeks before your LapBand surgery, you will have trouble. Those who rely on food for taste or emotional comfort can experience withdrawal and cravings. You may want to give up, but dont. Remember, your surgeon may refuse to perform the surgery if you do not show a true commitment to the procedure, which involves diet restriction.

Meet with a nutrition expert. Nutrition experts come in a number of different formats. There are those who specialize in healthy eating and weight loss. Appointments are available for free or for an affordable fee. Seek help from a professional. That professional can not only give you healthy eating ideas, but recipes and detailed meal plans.

Finally, track your progress. Have a notebook handy and record what you ate each day. At the end of the week, reward yourself. Remember no sweets, but opt for something fulfilling in a different aspect, such as a new book, watching a movie, or a new shirt from your favorite store.

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