Laparoscopic Gastric Banding – The Preparation Phase
Laparoscopic Gastric Banding – The Preparation Phase
When you have read my previous articles that lead you through my history, my choice to have Laparoscopic Gastric Banding you will gather an insight into who I am and why I made the choice. If you haven’t read the previous articles then I encourage you to do so now before you read this, after all to make an informed decision requires you gather all the facts.
It is imperative that before you embark on any life changing experience you owe it to yourself to research options and understand fully what is associated with each option. Keep asking questions until you are 100% comfortable with the answers. I was lucky that I worked in a wonderful hospital and was surrounded with amazing Nursing staff and Doctors that shared all their knowledge with me, they explained in detail the operation, the complications associated with any surgery, what would happen after and so I was very well equipped to make the decision. If truth be known by that stage it was a no brainer.
As I mentioned in a previous article when I had all the knowledge about the operation and the aftercare I was lacking one crucial piece of the puzzle. The people who had already had Gastric Banding. The people already in their transformational stage. That came soon enough and then the time came to make the decision and commit 100%.
After hearing success stories and seeing the proof I noticed a mental change in my attitude, I took on a more positive aura and other’s started noticing a change in me. My friends started watching me closely and became a serious part of my journey to the extent that they too have decided to have Gastric Banding and within the next few months I will share their amazing journey as well.
Ok, so I made the decision to go ahead with the surgery and the first thing I had to do was to talk to my doctor, my GP about it. He was thrilled with my decision; of course he knew all my medical history and knew that this would be the best thing for me. He wrote a letter of referral for me to take to the specialist I had chosen Associate Professor Peter Nottle, and then I made an appointment to see Mr Nottle.
At my first visit with Mr Nottle we talked about the surgery and he questioned my decision to have the surgery. We went through my medical history. We discussed the pro’s and con’s and he mentioned the complications that could occur as a result of the surgery. Remember that all surgery comes with a risk of complication. He talked about the costs involved and the specialists that I had to see before Mr Nottle was 100% certain that I was a candidate for the surgery. You see is wasn’t just my decision to have the Gastric Banding done, I had to be in the right frame of mind, tests have to be done to determine how you are going to cope with the anaesthetic and the recovery. This is what Mr Nottle has to say:
Adjustable gastric banding: In this procedure, a hollow band made of special material is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the larger remainder of the stomach. The band is then inflated with a salt solution. It can be tightened or loosened over time to change the size of the passage by increasing or decreasing the amount of salt solution.
Firstly I had to visit a Dietitian who went into great detail about the foods and liquids I was to have in preparation for surgery, what fluids I would have while in hospital, then the preparation for what and how much I can eat and drink for the rest of my life.
The following is an excerpt from Dietitian Michael Andrews:
Laparoscopic Gastric Banding surgery is designed to help you lose weight by limiting the amount of food your stomach can hold. An adjustable band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a pouch. The band controls the size of the opening between the upper and lower areas of the stomach. Band adjustment is a regular part of follow up after the surgery and is performed by the doctor. Inflating (tightening) the band will make the size of the opening smaller. This will slow down the release of food from the upper pouch of the stomach, making you feel full sooner and for longer. The result is you eat less food and gradually lose weight.
Expected Weight Loss and Health Benefits:
After surgery you should lose 30-60% of your excess body weight over the first two years and maintain your weight thereafter. How successful you are will depend on your motivation and commitment to your new eating and exercise habits. While the total amount of weight lost will vary from person to person, you will also have improved health and reduced risk of obesity-related diseases.
What I loved was that everything was spelled out in cycles. In the preparation phase the three weeks before the surgery it is imperative that I reduced any inflammation of any organs around the stomach so that the surgeon can comfortably work around the area where they place the band. My surgeon recommended that I use a meal replacement called “Optifast” to replace each of my three meals per day. Over those three weeks you can have 2 cups of low energy low calorie vegetables and a piece of selected fruit per day. Optifast can be purchased at most Chemists. I have to say it took a bit of getting used to but by the 3rd or 4th day I was in full swing and I didn’t feel that hungry. A couple of days I had to have an extra piece of fruit but as a general rule I got through those three weeks without too many problems and I lost 4 kilos so I was thrilled.
While waiting for surgery and before I began my three week preparation phase I started controlling my food intake by eating three small meals from the five food groups and drink two litres of fluids per day. I replaced my dinner plate with a bread and butter sized plate. The key points to consider are take small bites and chew thoroughly, do not drink with your meals instead have a drink half an hour before your meal and wait until at least an hour after your meal before you drink again. You should only drink low calorie drinks. This was a really great learning curve. I am not sure about you but I always drank with my meals and all that ever did was wash my food down quickly resulting in me feeling hungry sooner.
The other specialist I had to see was a Physician, his interest in my surgery was in relation to my heart and respiratory system. He was looking to see if I had sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is when you stop breathing while you sleep; in most cases people jolt themselves awake, but in a select number of people they will be required to sleep with a CPAP machine which gently blows air into your throat.
If the Physician believes you may suffer from sleep apnoea he’ll arrange for you to spend some time in a sleep centre where they will monitor you and determine your risk during surgery.
The physician may request you have an ECG to have an overall rhythm of the heart, just in case they require you to be monitored during surgery. Your surgeon may request you have a series of bloods taken before surgery. Depending on your surgeon they may require you see other specialists.
You will need to fill out your admission papers detailing your medical history and send these completed forms into the hospital you’ll be attending weeks before the operation. Sending this paperwork to the hospital well before your operation allows the hospital to thoroughly prepare for your admission. The hospital may ring you a few days before admission to discuss your general health, your medications or any other concerns they may have. This call is essential in alerting yourself and the hospital to specific medications that may have to be ceased before surgery. My advice is you talk to your GP or surgeon before surgery, they will tell you what medications to take on the day of surgery and what to cease before surgery.
The only other thing I can think of prior to surgery is to pay for the surgeon and the anaesthetist if you are going privately. They generally like you to pay for your surgery a week prior to your admission.
The next article is of course the surgery. I trust that this information has been of value to you. Please leave a comment and tell me what your thoughts are at this stage.
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Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
http://www.laparoscopicsurgery.com.au/lapband.html
Associate Professor Peter Nottle
http://www.laparoscopicsurgery.com.au/peternottle.html
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Rodney & Vicki Williams
