New Alternative to Gastric Bypass
People who are extremely overweight and looking for less invasive or dangerous medical alternatives to the gastric bypass procedure may now have a new option. The fairly new and “experimental phase) procedure is called lap band surgery. A device is placed AROUND your stomach that makes you eat less due to the pressure created and the restrictive force which makes you feel much fuller - much faster. Unlike the gastric bypass surgery procedure, this newer less invasive technique does not actually change your anatomy. Patients who have gotten this procedure have reported seeing some pretty dramatic results. The band is placed around the individual’s stomach, which is attached to another small device called a port. The doctor injects a small amount of saline into the band, which narrows the stomach, so that when the patient eats, it doesn’t take much of anything to feel like they’ve eaten a full plate. Downside (There’s always one, isn’t there?) : You cannot drink water thirty minutes before or after a meal. Excess skin - just like with gastric bypass this new procedure is only performed on obese individuals, so the rapid and dramatic weightloss often leads to slackened, hanging loose skin after the dramatic transformation. Many time this may require additional plastic surgery to remove.
