Your diet is important to maintain good health and for optimum metabolism of the cells. Too much food digested will cause obesity and being over weight which may cause health problems like diabetes, stroke, cancer and other debilitating illnesses. As a result, patients undergo gastric banding to lose weight effectively while continuing to enjoy their meals. Gastric banding can be adjusted to allow more or less food to pass through the stomach.
An average may be estimated to be between three and five fills (where saline solution is inserted into the band via the subcutaneous port) for a person to reach the optimal restriction for weight loss. The amount of saline solution needed in the band varies from patient to patient. There are a small number of people who find they do not need a fill at all and have sufficient restriction immediately following surgery. Others may need significant adjustments to the maximum the band is able to hold.
Bands come in several diameters and sizes and can hold a total of between 4 ml to 12 ml of fill fluid depending on the design. Band size is usually determined by personal preference of the surgeon who places the band together with what she or he is either able to use or what she or he believes to be the most appropriate. It is possible for the surgeon to use many designs. The size of the band used is determined by the surgeon during surgery based on the size and thickness of the patient’s stomach.
It is more common practice for the band not to be filled at surgeryalthough some surgeons choose to place a small amount in the band at the time of surgery. The stomach tends to swell following surgery and it is possible that too great a restriction would be achieved if filled at that time. Clearly, this is undesirable.
