When your Lap-Band is first placed, your doctor will inject only a small amount of fluid or leave it empty, which will allow your body to adjust to the band. Approximately four to six weeks after surgery, you will have your first adjustments.
What are adjustments?
Adjustments allow a doctor to inflate or deflate your band to customize the fit in order to best meet your needs and help control weight loss. Using a special thin needle, a doctor will inject or remove saline from the band through an access port.
Common reasons for adjustments
If you have difficulty eating and experience discomfort or nausea, your band may be too tight. Your doctor can remove fluid from the band to alleviate the discomfort. If you can eat without restriction and are not losing weight, your doctor will add fluid to the band to make it tighter.
When are adjustments done?
Your adjustments will be made during routine office visits. They can be conducted in your doctor's office or a hospital and take only 10 to 15 minutes.
How are adjustments done?
Your doctor will either press down on your skin or use X-ray equipment to locate your access port. He will then guide the needle into the access port and use it to insert or remove saline. Though some people report feeling a prickling sensation, most patients describe the procedure as painless.
Cautions
Never attempt to adjust your own band. Allow only medical professionals approved by Allergan to adjust your band.
