Feeling nauseated or sick on a regular basis may mean you need to follow your new LAP-BAND^® System diet rules more strictly — such as sticking to a liquid diet immediately following surgery or, chewing your food more thoroughly if you’re on solid foods. However, feeling sick could indicate a problem with the placement of the band — so contact your doctor if this occurs regularly.

Remember to chew your food slowly and thoroughly, as vomiting or regurgitation can cause your stomach pouch to stretch, or lead to band slippage. This can reduce the success of the operation or require an adjustment to remove some of the band’s fluid content. In rare cases, it might require another operation.

After your surgery, you may feel some mild pain around the incision sites. This would most likely be under the skin where the access port for your LAP-BAND^® System is placed. Your doctor may give you something to help with it.

You may also experience some pain and discomfort in your joints and shoulders. This can be caused by the surgical gas used to inflate the abdomen during your procedure. You should not be alarmed. While the gas can sometimes linger in the body, you may help it dissipate by walking around after your surgery. Please call your surgeon if the pain persists after a few days.

The average hospital stay is less than 24 hours. Typically, it takes about one week before you can return to work. You can prepare yourself by making sure you get out of bed and move around a bit in the first two days after surgery. After that, walking is usually a safe, simple way to start getting exercise and building up your stamina. While the time it takes to fully recover varies from patient to patient, you should give yourself a full month after LAP-BAND^® surgery before you attempt anything more strenuous, like light aerobics. And always check with your doctor about the amount and type of activity you can do.