No doubt you’ve been reading far more about lap band surgery, adjustable gastric band surgery and gastric bypass surgery in the past few years than ever before. Although weight reduction surgery ‘s been around for quite some time, newer procedures and techniques have made it safer and much more common. However there are several risks of lap band surgery, complications and unwanted effects to be aware of.

If you’ve been considering a gastric banding procedure to lose excess weight, such as lap band surgery, that is a safer alternative than permanent gastric bypass surgery, you may well be wondering what the health risks are or what possible complications can form from this procedure.

When doing all your research online you’ll without doubt continue reading the lap band websites that are promoting lap band surgery some of the risks and complications nevertheless, you need to find out all the risks and possible complications. You can also want to know what side effects to expect and if it is possible to handle these. And will you lose weight and when so at what pace?

Of course one of the better ways is to read articles like this and to go to lap band forums where you could discuss your concerns. You particularly desire to find forums that are comprised of those who have had lap band surgery and see what they have to say, good and bad, and what testimonials you can get.

Any surgery can be risky and many have more risks than others. In any event elective surgery is always something that should not be taken lightly. As a nurse I am present at many surgeries and although the majority of the surgeries go well, there are those that have complications. If a patient is obese or overweight or are carrying plenty of extra fat tissue, there can be some serious health problems present that could or may not be evident or known about and may have serious health consequences regardless of the type of surgery the patient is having.

Chirurg A number of the risks to take into account are the ones that are general to any surgery and so are influenced by your age, weight, how you respond to the anesthesia and what diseases you may have and whether they’re linked to your weight problem or not. I won’t go into all the risks of general surgery here but focus on the specifics risks and complications for lap band surgery.

The biggest threat of lap band surgery may be the chance for gastric perforation during the surgery, which happens in about one percent of the surgeries. Gastric perforation is really a tear in the wall of the stomach.

Following lap band surgery there are many complications that may develop on the next few months roughly. These can range from the lesser mild to much more serious. Directions after surgery should be followed closely, as solid food eaten prematurily . could cause a medical emergency. This mistake is made if the weight reduction surgery patient eats solid food in the day or two after surgery or if they have traveled to Mexico or a different country and fly home immediately after surgery and think it’s okay to indulge just a little. Be sure you understand the lap band diet and understand liquid food and solid food restrictions.

Side effects make a difference many patients such as nausea and vomiting and some will experience regurgitation. Some patients will see that the band has slipped and it will have to be adjusted and some find that the passage is blocked between your two sections of the banded stomach.

The extended list of risks include ulceration, gastritis, which is irritated or inflamed stomach tissue, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux), which is regurgitation, heartburn, bloating from flatulence (gas), difficulty swallowing, dehydration, constipation, regaining of weight and rarely death but should be mentioned. If the surgery is done laparoscopically rather than a full open surgery then there are other problems that can form such as liver damage or spleen damage (requiring removal of the spleen), damage to the blood vessels, lung problems, blood clots, the rupture of the incision and perforation of the esophagus or stomach during surgery.

Following surgery you can find problems that can form with the lap bad system type of gastric banding plus they include: a deflating of the band causing leakage, which can result from the tubing band or the reservoir, slippage of the band or stomach, an enlargement of the pouch and the stomach outlet can be blocked, or the band can erode straight into the stomach.

Be aware that the cost of lap band surgery may rise for those who have after-surgery and ongoing complications that are not fully covered under your wellbeing insurance plan or affect your pocketbook in case you are paying cash out of your pocket. So you want to research this also.

Although lap band surgery is normally done laparoscopically, in some instances the surgeon may have to switch to a far more open method of surgery, which includes happened in about 5% of the cases as reported in a U.S. clinical study.

Ensure that you completely understand all the risks of lap band surgery and adjustable gastric banding and discuss them fully with your bariatric or weight loss surgeon before undergoing this surgery. Although safer compared to the more permanent gastric bypass surgery it does come with risks, possible complications and side effects. What is not known are the long term ramifications of this surgery. This is true whenever you tamper with nature. So it’s better to be safe than sorry. Make sure you do plenty of research before you commit.