New Member ...Looking for information to have surgery done!

Hello, everyone I'm a mother of 7 (his,mine,ours) I have a very busy life style, Im active,PTA President, Volunteer mom, however I weigh 256 and have been overwieght since the after the birth of my first daughter! My heaviest was 277 I lost 40 lbs in the last 8 months but it is creaping back. I want the lap band because its my understanding it is less intrusive and less expensive. Can someone please enlighten me with the pro's and con's? Thanks so much! Sabrina

Go to the OH lab band forum for all the info you need about the band. I have the band and I love it. I have lost 115 lb in just under 1 year and am 10-20 lb from "ideal" weight. You can lose all the weight you need to with the band. Good luck.

HI Sabrina, I think your smart to want the lap band procedure. My husband (he's scheduled for Monday with Dr. Blackstone) and I'm on the 29th. We checked out both and just felt it was better for us to do the less invasive and if we have to loose a little slower, so what! I think overall it's healthier. Now people that are having the bypass say it's easier to loose with that procedure, but I don't like the idea of excess skin that might require another surgery. The other thing I like is how they can make all sorts of adjustments with the band with an in office appointment. Keep reading about it, and make your own decision, I just felt it was right for us. Good Luck! CaroleM

Hi Sabrina, I'm an Rny post-op who works for a Lap Band Surgeon so I"m explaining the differences often and living the difference daily! You can get a comparision of the 2 surgeries on www.azlapband.com The basics: Rny positives are that you lose weight quickly and you have a reaction that provides consequences for choosing badly called Dumping. Not all post-ops experience this medical syndrome the same; or even at all. The bad....there is a window of losing for most post-ops that winds up at about 18 months post-op. After that, there is a statistically proven chance at regain. Also, because of questionable malabsorption, there is a recommended lifetime regimme of protein and vitamin supplements with many patients having to have iron infusions at about 3 to 5 years post-op. Many patients develop hypoglycemia. Lap Band positives are that your surgery is minimally invasive and is usually done on an out-patient basis with a hospital stay of as little as 2 hours. Patients recover quickly. They do not have nutritional issues as they do not have to deal with malabsorption since their systems are not altered surgically. They can reach and maintain goal weight for a lifetime. as the lap band is adjustable. When a patient experiences a plateau or weight gain, they can get a simple saline injection to reset the effectiveness of the surgery and can continue losing. ... The Lap Band can also have the band "unfilled" if a patient needed more nutrition for a pregnancy or for medical treatments like are needed for cancer. The bad....is that the weight loss is relatively slow with an average of 2 pounds per week. Of course many lose much much faster and some even lose slower. But the tortoise historically does well in the race! Also, some patients will have some vomitting if they do not chew well and/or if they are filled too tightly. Good luck on your search! I hope you find the surgery that is right for YOU! Huggggz, Joyce

I appreciate your wealth of information, It really gave me a true confirmation with what was best for me. I just want to know if you really see any risk with have the sugery done in Mexico. What are the risks involved compared to having the procedure done here in the US where it costs soooo much more. Do insurance companies pay for the procedure of lapband? Thanks so much for your time. Sabrina

Mexico is a touchy subject Sabrina. I "personally" would NEVER EVER let anyone I knew and loved go there for surgery. But, I understand why people consider it after being denied in the U.S. through their insurance and feeling desperate to get their health in order. They most likely get to the point of thinking that it's less of a risk than staying morbidly obese. ..... I feel for them! I know that there have been many successes but I also have seen very sick; near death folks come to Dr Simpson to have their life saved because of a bad surgery in Mexico and then they end up paying more out of pocket expenses than they ever would have had they just paid cash in the first place in the U.S.! Whew! that's a big sentence! LOL! Anyway, some things to consider if going to Mexico. There are only a couple of places that will even consider giving a fill (that's where saline is injected into the lap band port to reset the effectiveness of the band) in AZ and one of them is $375.00 a fill! Yikes! Pre-op and post-op education, nutrition guidance and support groups are not part of the Mexico package. If you add up the trips to Mexico with the expensive after care and the risk........Possibly more expensive in the long run? and YES! Insurances do pay for lap band surgery. United Health Care is the golden one but many many others cover it as well. Keep us posted and good luck with your journey! Joyce

I'm with ya on having surgery in Mexico... NO WAY!!! I won't even drink the water down there, let alone have someone cut me open. I have seen some horrible pictures of botched Weight Loss Surgeries.

I agee. No way having surgery in Mexico. I would even prolong my surgery and save the money till I could get it done in the states. Another good point that was already noted was the extra expense in traveling. All of this has to be taken into consideration. Most important YOUR HEALTH.