For the extremely obese, weight loss is difficult. Weight-loss surgeries like gastric bypass or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding to lose weight and stay healthy. Adjustable gastric banding, best know by the brand name Lap-Band System, helps close off areas of your stomach, making it impossible to overeat. It can help you lose a lot of weight, but it occasionally needs adjusting.
According to the University of California's San Diego Center for the Treatment of Obesity, the procedure is done without surgery and takes about 10 minutes.
Barium
After the surgery is complete, you will come back after six weeks for your first adjustment. You will swallow barium, a liquid which shows up on an X-ray and helps outline the limits of the stomach.
Band Access Port
The doctor will then find the band access port and add salt water (saline) into the port with a needle. The liquid goes into a ring on the inside of the band, making its diameter smaller. You will again swallow barium while the doctor notes how the barium flows through your stomach.
Adjustment
The doctor will then insert or remove as much salt water from the diameter of the band as needed to keep your stomach at the necessary size.
Water Drinking
After adjustment, you will drink some water to check how well you tolerate water. If you tolerate water, you will be released. If not, adjustments will be necessary.
Liquid Diet
After your adjustment, you must stay on a three-day liquid diet, followed for a three-day soft-food diet. After this period, you can resume your normal diet.
On-Going Adjustments
Adjustments are made periodically based on the amount of weight a patient is losing, whether or not they are feeling "hungry" at their current adjustment level and their exercise routine, according to ObesityHelp.com. Adjustments may also be made to accommodate pregnancy.
