Diet Tips to Help Keep Your Blood Glucose Stable
Eating a healthy diet can make it easier to control Type 2 diabetes and even reduce your reliance on medications. Learn some quick diet tips you can follow to prevent sudden blood sugar spikes.
Is Gastric Banding Surgery Safe?
Gastric banding is an effective type of bariatric surgery for weight loss. The goal of gastric banding is to help those who are severely obese and unable to lose weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Experienced bariatric surgeon, Christopher Reilly, MD, FACS, offers the popular laparoscopic gastric Lap Band® procedure to assist you on your weight loss journey.
How gastric banding surgery works for weight loss
The gastric Lap Band is a silicone circle that Dr. Reilly places around the upper part of your stomach. Through an attached catheter, he fills the band with a saline solution to expand the band and tighten around your stomach.
As the band tightens, it creates a small pouch that holds the food you eat. Over time, food gradually moves down into the lower part of your stomach through the natural digestion process.
Because the newly created pouch is significantly smaller than your normal stomach, you can no longer eat as much food as you once did. This supports a steady, safe weight loss and prompts you to make the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain a healthy weight.
Based on your needs, Dr. Reilly can adjust the band as needed during follow-up visits, removing excess saline to loosen the band or adding more to create a smaller pouch.
Qualifying for weight loss
As the gastric band is widely used for adult weight-loss As an experienced bariatric surgeon, Dr. Reilly evaluates each candidate. Some of the factors that may qualify a person for this surgery include having a body mass index (BMI) of over 40 and a history of chronic health issues like:
- Sleep apnea
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
What patients can expect from life after gastric band surgery
Any bariatric surgery, including gastric banding, is a life-changing procedure. Prior to undergoing surgery, Dr. Reilly works closely with each patient to prepare for the changes that are on the horizon.
Food changes
To ensure the surgery is a success and that you don’t experience any complications, they will need to build a new relationship with food and drink. As the small pouch only allows so much food at a time, it fills quickly.
You can only eat small amounts of food at a time and must learn how to not overeat. Overindulging in too much food or the wrong kinds of food can lead to persistent stomach upset and vomiting.
Daily supplements
Additionally, because the gastric band surgery changes the way the body absorbs essential nutrients, patients need to take additional supplements of vitamins and minerals daily. This ensures they’re getting the nutrients they need for good health.
Potential for more surgery
In addition to necessary gastric band adjustments, patients should be prepared to have an additional surgery to replace the gastric band if necessary.
If you or a family member is obese and struggling to lose weight, schedule a consultation for gastric banding with Christopher Reilly, MD, FACS online or by calling the office today.
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