The Sussex Newspaper - Great news for a great county!

Laparoscopic gastric banding, sometimes known as "lap banding", is a highly effective procedure to help overweight people achieve substantial and long-term weight loss, by limiting how much food you can eat.

An inflatable band is placed around the stomach to divide it into two parts, creating a smaller pouch at the top which takes less food, to make you feel full. The food then passes slowly through the opening left by the gastric band into the lower part of your stomach. This will restrict the amount of food you eat, and make you feel fuller for longer.

The procedure is carried out laparoscopically under general anaesthetic. The surgeon will make five small incisions through which the procedure will take place, which minimizes scarring.  At McIndoe Surgical Centre we have partnered with Streamline Surgical and all our weight loss surgery is carried out by specialist bariatric surgeons who are all extremely experienced with this type of surgery.

However bariatric surgery is certainly a life changing experience and it is imperative you find out as much as possible about the procedure and what it will entail as well as the after care and how you will need to adapt to start your new journey.

McIndoe’s partners - Streamline Surgical - are one of the UK’s largest obesity surgery units in the UK. The surgeons and team have unrivalled expertise and experience gained from over one thousand bariatric operations.

There is a wealth of information on their website but one of the most frequently asked questions is:

"How Much Weight Can I Lose?" *

Probably the biggest question facing anyone who is contemplating weight loss surgery is "how effective will it be?" In our latest study, we monitored the results of 51 gastric band operations.  The figures speak for themselves:
•After 12 months, the total weight loss recorded was a massive 210 stone or 2,946 pounds (or 1,339kg)!
•The average weight loss per patient was 3 stone - that's 58lbs (or 26 kg)
•100% of patients had lost weight following the procedure
•One of our super-slimmers had lost nearly 7 stone or 96 lbs (43.5 kg) in just a few months

McIndoe Surgical Centre regularly host free Gastric Band Information evenings and if you are interested in attending to find out some more about this operation, please call our helpline on 0800 917 4922 or visit www.mcindoesurgical.co.uk and see when the next available date will be.