Gastric Band Milton Keynes

A Gastric Band is a restrictive device that is placed around the upper part of the stomach. The placement of the band will create a small pouch at the upper part of the stomach that will hold about 3.88 to 7.76 ounces of food for each meal. This pouch, then, fills rapidly with food as the band restricts the movement of food from there to the lower stomach. As the upper part of the stomach is filled, the brain receives a message that the entire stomach is full and this sensation helps the person to be hungry less often, to feel full more quickly and for a longer period of time and, to eat smaller portions.

Gastric Band surgery is suitable for people who are between 18 and 55.   The normal patient loses 1 to 2 pounds per week repeatedly, however, heavier patients have often lost weight quicker in the beginning. This represents about 49 to 99 pounds the first year for most Gastric Band patients.

It is important to keep in mind that while most patients drop the weight faster in the beginning, some studies have found that some patients will have the same percentage of excess weight loss and comparable ability to keep it off after only a couple of years. Gastric Band patients may have to work a little harder during the first couple of years, but the procedure tends to encourage better eating habits which, in turn, helps in producing long term weight stability.

 

The UK is one of the most obese nations in the world

Shocking research has revealed that the UK is a nation of overweight people, with many classed as dangerously overweight or morbidly obese.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 24.5 per cent of adults in England were classed as obese in 2008, amounting to an 8.8 per cent increase since 1994 when only 15.7 per cent of adults were classed as dangerously overweight.

As concerns for the state of people’s health in the UK grow, so too does the amount of people who are dangerously overweight sparking fears that the UK is stuck in the middle of an obesity crisis that shows no signs of slowing down.

According to the World Health Organisation, also known as WHO, the UK has featured far more frequently in the their top 10 most obese nations list in the last few years and according to Nation Master.com the UK is ranked as the third most overweight nation only to be beaten by Mexico and the United States.

With 46 per cent of men in England and 32 per cent of women in England classes as overweight and an additional 17 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women classed as obese it is hardly surprising that the NHS has seen an increase in the number of surgical procedures performed on obese patients in the last five years.

Lapband Milton Keynes

The lap band or laparoscopic gastric band is a useful tool that helps to reduce the amount of food you eat.

It is placed laparoscopically, in other words using keyhole surgery, hence the name "Lap" band. This means that there will be very minimal scarring following the operation and recovery time is quicker.

The band behaves like a belt around the top section of the stomach, creating a small pouch. This means that you will feel full after eating only a small quantity of food. The lap band has been used successfully for weight loss since the mid 1980s.

Once fitted in place, the lap band is adjustable which gives your surgeon control to achieve weight loss without creating too many unpleasant side effects.

A lap band operation is fully reversible and this too can be done laparoscopically, leaving no permanent changes to your stomach. The band itself comprises of a silicone ring and a reservoir connected to the ring by a length of fine tube and is sealed closed by a locking device so that it will not come undone. It comprises an inner balloon which is connected by tubing to the reservoir, also called a port.

The reservoir is usually anchored deep under the skin on one side of your abdomen below your ribs or at the base of the breast bone. Once in place, the lap band is Inflated which tightens it, thus restricting the opening between the new small pouch that the band has created at the top of the stomach and the main part of the stomach.

By adjusting the amount of fluid in the lap band the rate at which it food passes through is controlled.