by Pamela Gentry

Created on: February 18, 2009

THE FACTS ABOUT GASTRIC BAND SURGERY

One in fifty Americans are morbidly obese. For this percentage of people, many are unsuccessful at losing weight without medical help.

For these people, losing weight is more than a cosmetic goal. It is about saving their life.

There are two surgical options for the morbidly obese: gastric band surgery and gastric bypass surgery.

I saw a commercial for the Realize gastric band on television, and wanted to learn more about it, so I visited their website, at RealizeBand.com.

Makers of the Realize band state that, "Patients in a 3-year clinical trial lost a mean of 40% of their excess weight at one year, and 43% at three years." They say that weight loss occurs at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week.

What is the cost? It costs around $8900, as compared to gastric bypass surgery, which costs $13,900. The good news is that insurance will cover the cost of it if you meet their health requirements.

What exactly is the gastric band procedure? An adjustable band is implanted around the stomach during laparoscopic surgery. This type of surgery results in less pain and shorter stays in the hospital.

Having this band around the stomach causes it to feel smaller. When food is eaten, the patient feels fuller quicker.

According to the Realize Band website, "The surgery does not permanently change the anatomy of the stomach and intestines, so the realize band can be removed, if necessary." The band is adjusted by the doctor when needed.

Sounds easy? Perhaps not. When I read about the risks and side-effects, I understand why some might not choose to have the surgery.

Immediate side effects of having gastric band surgery include: nausea, regurgitation, acid reflux, constipation, and diarrhea.

The risks of having gastric band surgery are many. The band could leak or become infected around the site. The stomach or esophagus could become inflamed. It could slip off.

The Realize Band website says, "Complications may result in re-operations." However, I never saw any specific percentages listed to show how often these unpleasant risks and complications occur.

Do you know anyone who is considering having surgery to lose weight? There are many ways to lose weight, just as there are as many good reasons to lose it.

It appears that gastric bypass surgery is a successful method of weight loss for the morbidly obese. However, one might wonder if having gastric band surgery is just too large of a risk to take.

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