Before your surgery, talk about the procedure in detail with your surgeon. Your doctor may also want you to meet with other experts who can help you understand what will happen during and after the operation. These experts might include:

• A dietitian
  
• A physiotherapist
  
• A psychologist
  
• Other specialists

You will also have a number of tests before your surgery to evaluate your health. When it is time for surgery, you will be admitted to the hospital either the day before or on the morning of your surgery.

At the start of the operation, you will be given general anesthesia. If your case is typical, the operation will be performed laparoscopically. During the operation, the band part of the LAP-BAND® System will be fastened around the upper part of your stomach to create a small stomach pouch. Part of the lower stomach will then be sutured over the band. The rest of the lower stomach will stay in its normal position. The access port for adjusting the band will be placed under your skin. To do this, the surgeon will slightly enlarge one of the operative incisions.

Click on the image to the right to see an
animation of the installation process>>

Once the anesthesia has worn off, you may feel some pain, which can usually be relieved with ordinary painkillers. The hospital staff will help you get out of bed and start moving as soon as possible to help prevent blood clots, respiratory problems, and bedsores.

On the day after the surgery you will likely have an X-ray. This allows your health team to see that the LAP-BAND® System is in the right place and that the new stomach outlet is open. You may be asked to swallow a liquid that can be seen on X-ray.

For LAP-BAND® System Surgery , hospitalization is usually less than 24 hours. The hospital stay may be longer if there are complications or if the surgeon has to convert to an "open" surgical procedure. If there are no complications, you should be able to resume normal activities within a week or two after surgery.