BMI of 51 can I get a lap band

So I am over weight and my NP is recommending the LapBand. I have had several weight loss attempts and none have been very successful.My BMI is 51. I have been told by a friend who works on a bariatric floor at Tampa General that most surgeons will recommend Gastric Bypass and not the Lap Band and that it will not be as successful due to my high BMI. I have seen several posts by people with a BMI around mine and they still have the Lap Band. I really want to get banded and not a RNY.At this point I have a consultation with Dr Jawad in Ocala FL on Oct 17. My insurance will pay for either but I feel as if the Lap Band is the only option for me.Anyone have a BMI like mine and still have had a lapband?

If dieting alone has not worked -- then you may really want to think about your options.  The band is a restrictive only procedure.  The DS and RNY add malabsorbtion to the mix to not only help get the weight off but to help maintain the weight loss.  I have been extremely happy with my DS.

Red

Honestly, even as a pre-op I have to echo redhaired's answer.  WLS was highly recommended to me by a GI, with the caveat that the Lap Band wasn't for me.  With a BMI of just over 51, he said it simply wouldn't be effective and long-term studies show this to be true. 

Let me guess what you're thinking:  The band is less invasive, less frightening, less expensive.  It's a relatively easy procedure with fewer hoops to jump through than more involved surgeries and it doesn't take quite the commitment that major surgery does.

That's what I thought, at least.  And then I discovered that the band simply doesn't work for everyone.  No one surgery is a prefect fit for everyone, but I knew that simple restriction wasn't good enough for me.  If it was, why not wear a rubber band on my wrist and snap it every time I thought about eating?  I can defeat any diet plan and I certainly didn't want to be physically punished for making a food mistake, which is why the band and RNY didn't sit well with me.

With the DS, the stomach is made smaller, so there is a restrictive nature to the surgery.  However, it's the malabsorption that seems to do the trick.  Being afforded the flexibility to eat a realatively - and sometimes even naughty - diet and knowing most of the calories aren't being absorbed.

Yes, it's major surgery and yes, it's a lifetime commitment, but then, isn't any WLS?  I've spent a lifetime managing being overwieght.  I can choose to continue that regimen or I can spend my energy maintaining a normal, balanced weight and lifestyle.  As you'll see often on the boards, think twice, cut once.  Talk to people who've had revisions.  Talk to people who have the band and to people who've had the DS.  No matter what choice you ultimately make, educate yourself.  You can't go wrong.

Good luck in your journey.  I hope it's filled with good things.

I know one of Dr Kim's patients who had a BMI over 51 and is very successful bandster having lost over 240 pounds thus far. That being said - choose a surgery based on what matches your lifestyle, not necessarily which one sounds the best. For example, pre-op, I was a sweet eater - a MASSIVE sweet eater. I knew that, with the Band, I would be seeking out and employing ways to get my sugar fix and would defeat the band. I needed a surgery that would make me dump - which is why I chose the RNY.

So you will need to figure out why the Lap-Band sounds so appealing to you now and not the RNY or DS (or even sleeve gastrectomy.)

When I got my lap band my BMI was 53. The surgery you pick has to be more than just those numbers; I think personalities come in to question as well.  I can be kind of controlling (sometimes in a nice way) and needed to learn how to eat healthy. It took me some time to accept the fact that I had a carb addiction but now I "get it" and have learned how to live with it. I no longer have diabetes and just take a multi-vitamin for women 50+ because I am getting older. I feel and look younger than I did 10 years ago but I think its because I take better care of myself and don't eat  much processed crap.

If you decide to get a band, research your doc's aftercare program.  Talk to some of his other band patients. If he thinks WLS is like magic, RUN. Join a support group; those who do are the most successful.  The band is something you have to work with and at for the rest of your life.  Its not fast but it was the right choice for me. I can still eat what I did pre-band but I try to avoid too many carbs.  Birthday cake with lots of flowers is still my favorite but now I need an occasion to eat a piece. (Publix cutting it in single servings is no longer an occasion)

Just to make a footnote to my story.....I have been considering WLS for over 2 years now.I have done research into both the lapband and RNY DS and other procedures.I am an RN and have been for 18 years.I hve taken care of RNY pt in both the hospital and in their homes.I have carefully weighed my options and feel as if the Lap Band is the best option for me.The decision to have surgery is a very personal one. Everyone has reasons for and against all types.A quicker recovery time and less rearragement of my insides are the biggest reasons along with the  fact that it is not permanent and modifications with fills and unfills as the need arises make it my choice.I wanted to see if their were others with a BMI similar to mine who have had the lapband and if I was going to feel pressure by my surgeon to have another form of WLS and if I really wanted the LAPBAND would he do it.
As for why other forms of weight loss have not worked......I am not completely sure.Sometimes I eat for emotional reasons sometimes I just really like what it is I am eating and will eat past feeling full.Other times I graze. Being overweight is a very complex thing. There is not a pat answer as to why.I feel like my biggest obstacle is portion control.I realize that WLS is a tool and I still have alot of work to do on my own......exercise continued dietary changes and a lifelong commitment to these.Nothing is a magic cure.Nothing is going to do the work for me.I am finally at a place where I am atpeace with the fact the surgery is the tool I need to become  healthier and enjoy my life and my kids .

Sounds like you've done a lot of thinking and research on the subject.  And don't beat yourself up about weight.  If it was as easy as putting down a bag of chips or taking a pill, we'd all be size 6's.  Some of us are simply genetically programmed to be heavier.  Add to that poor lifestyle choices and, well, here we are.

I know there are great success stories with teh Lap Band, many of them with high BMI's.  If you haven't already, you might try posting some questions on the Lap Band board and I'm sure there'll be a bunch of poeple willing to help.  Good luck!

You appear to be very thoughtful and intelligent. My surgeon recommends RNY for anyone with BMI>44. Good luck with whatever you chose.

I am also a nurse, I made the choice for rny because of my co-morbidities, I didn't think I needed a foreign object implanted to add to the infection risk. remember the band also requires strict follow up for inflating/deflating cuff. Dr Jawad is wonderful, he will do a band if it is absolutely what you want, he will also be there should it need to be revised at a later date. He discusses in his pre-op sessions the statistics of success with rny versus lap band in his practice. Good luck with your journey!