A lap band is an adjustable band placed at the top of the stomach, at the end of the esophagus, through a minimally invasive surgery. The purpose of the lap band is to control the food that enters the stomach, making the patient feel full quicker and ultimately to stop over-eating and lose weight. Lap band is only recommended for candidates one hundred or more pounds overweight who have failed to see results with other weight loss treatments.
Vitamin Deficiencies
Following the lap band, gastric surgery the patients will have trouble eating many of the foods that contain the vitamins they will need in order to recover from the surgery as well as the vitamins a healthy body needs replenished each day. Because the vitamins cannot be consumed from certain foods for a while following the surgery, it is important that the patient obtain the vitamins through vitamin supplements. Iron supplements need to be taken after lap band surgery to prevent the patient from developing anemia and suffering fatigue and the loss of hair.
Types
The three vitamin supplements that a lap band patient will need to take for as long as the lap band remains in their body, are: calcium, iron, and a good multivitamin. Read the label of your multivitamin to determine if calcium and iron are included; don't overdose on calcium or iron supplements, as they can potentially be harmful to some body organs. Consult with a doctor for blood tests to determine how much of each vitamin you should be taking following your lap band surgery.
Form
The lap band makes it hard to digest the things a patient used to digest; hence the reason for taking the vitamins. This should also be considered when choosing the form of the vitamins to take following the lap band surgery. Chewable vitamins are the best as they are easily digested and dissolve more easily than other forms of vitamins. Liquid and powder forms are also good. Avoid capsules and tablets, as they take much longer to digest and could become lodged above the lap band causing indigestion and irritation. Consider opening capsules and grinding tablets into powder form and mixing into puddings, soups, or milkshakes to disguise the bitter taste.
Schedule
Lap band patients will need to come up with a plan for taking their vitamins. Calcium and iron interfere with one another and should be taken a minimum of two hours apart in order to work effectively. Also, because access to the stomach is limited, a schedule is needed to keep the lap band from becoming clogged with undigested food.
Additional Considerations
Lap band patients should continue to have their blood checked every six months following the surgery, to keep track of which vitamins need to be increased, and which need to be decreased. In addition to this it is important that the patient keeps their medicine cabinet stocked with vitamins at all time, and should stock up before the surgery takes place to prevent nutrition deficiencies.
Tags: band surgery, calcium iron, will need, band patients, following surgery