There are so many places to learn about weight loss surgery.  It can be difficult and overwhelming to sort through the information available in search of unbiased facts.  Since you've found the Banded Living™ community, you may already know that you are interested in lap band surgery, or you may be in the process of evaluating all of your options.

The purpose of this section is to give you an overview of the weight loss surgeries currently available so that you can work with your doctor to make an informed decision in answering  the questions:

1.    Is weight loss surgery for me?

2.    Which weight loss surgery is best for me?

There are no guarantees with any of these surgeries.  All of these surgical procedures have risks.  Be sure to discuss the risks vs.  benefits with your doctor  based on your unique situation.

Most of this information is based upon the National Institute of Health, NIH Publication No.  08- 4006, March 2009 entitled "Bariatric Surgery for Severe Obesity".  Specific information about the LAP-BAND® system comes directly from the manufacturer's website.  You can find links to these sites at the bottom of this article.

According to the US National Institute of Health (NIH), weight loss surgery is an option for patients with extreme obesity for well-informed and motivated patients who have clinically severe obesity defined as:

• BMI greater than or equal to 40 or
• BMI greater than or equal to 35 and serious comorbid conditions

There are four types of operations that are common­ly offered in the United States:  adjustable gastric band (AGB) or lap band, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG).  Each has its own benefits and risks.  To select the option that is best for you, you and your physician will consider that operation's benefits and risks along with many other factors, including BMI, eating behaviors, obesity-related health conditions and previous operations.