Why did you choose a band?

I chose my band b/c it seemed the least invasive and is adjustable and reversable! If I gain a little I can get an adjustment and get back on board if there are issues the band can get removed  . I also had friends that had had the bypass and DS and had lots of issues and have both gained weight back . EVERY WLS has risks and failures!!!!
However if you are not a fan of the band and your Dr is not a fan I would REALLY think about it. Like Lynn says you will become frustrated fast.It is not an easy way out and takes alot of work on your part and the weight loss is alot slower as well in comparison to other WLS. You also need a Dr that is on board with the band and is educated in its application and functions and its unique , quirky little ways. It sounds if right now you are just thinking of settling for whatever surgery and that is not the thing to do.It is a life changing thing and if you are not ready for it it will fail big time!

Psychomom:
I agree that whatever WLS you choose, you must be in the right mind set for it. The big thing is how well trained is your surgeon and how many band procedures has he done? Those are important questions to ask before you dive in. My insurance would only pay if I went to a surgeon who was part of a "Center of Excellence" for bariatric surgery and had a team of support people for all WLS patients. I think that makes a difference.

I have had the band a bit over a month, and have lost somewhat slowly, but I am losing.... now that I am almost ready for an adjustment, I am starting to feel a bit hungrier, but I have to rely on my own common sense to get me through until next week when I have the adjustment.

I have seen the nutritionist twice as well as the psychotherapist, and attend support meetings regularly. I try to see the band as a tool to help me lose weight, but I must be mindful that I am on a DIET to lose weight... therefore, I just can't stuff myself and eat everything in sight. I don't want to undo all my hard work in one week, and weigh more at my six week weigh in than I weighed at my two week weigh in!!

If you are really against the band, you may want to look into separate finacing... most practices gladly offer it.
Best of luck!
Mary

DO NOT get the band if your head is not with it.  ESPECIALLY if your surgeon isn't.  I got the band a year ago and am thrilled with it.  I am down 75 pounds, but like any WLS YOU have to do the work.  There is NO quick fix if you are not ready to diet and exercise.  Because no matter what WLS you get the bad food will still go in if YOU still make bad choices.  It will be extremely difficult to loose weight with the band if you don't plan on exerciseing REGULARLY.   I have seen dozens of people who have had all the different WLS procedures and there are plenty who have gained all their weight back.

If your not ready in your head to make real life changes than it  doesn't matter what WLS you get.  It does concern me greatly that your surgeon is negative about it.  I would either change surgoens or fight the insurance.

I waffled between the sleeve and the band but ultimely decided on the band and here is why...

While being thinner is going to be great, I'm having this surgery to LEARN.  I'm having this surgery to force me to change my relationship with food and a malabsorption surgery, while effective, isn't going to make me do that as much as the band will.  I'm not concerned about fast weight loss, I'm not trying to lose a hundred pounds in 6 months.

I think that all the surgeries are very difficult and life-changing decisions and I don't think there is an "easy" one among them.  PLEASE, NOBODY THINK I AM CALLING OTHER SURGERIES "EASY".  That is SO not the point.  The point is this.  I WANT to exercise.  I WANT to have to depend on my activity level and my good decisions about food for success.

I do have a friend who had a bypass and he lost 180 pounds and he lost it FAST.  But he didn't change anything.  He still doesn't exercise.  He still eats crap.  I don't want that to be me.  I want the surgery that I have to FORCE me to change my life in order for it to work and I think that the band is the answer for me.

Good Luck!

Any wls requires work and if your heart is not in it, the band will probably not do what you want it to.  I love my band and would recommend it to anyone, but only if they were truly behind the decision.

I lost all my excess weight in 15 + months and, with one major blip (since sorted!), have maintained for more than 3 years.

The key to successful banding is that you understand that all the band does is restrict intake and deaden hunger. It does not stop you eating soft, unhealhy foods. Aftercare is crucial and it seems to be becoming more and more evident that those people who are monitored regularly by their docs have a better chance of avoiding complications and of losing weight than those who have less good follow-up.

I did lots of pre-op research and for me the band ws the only choice. I was not prepared to have the level of surgery involved in other wls. This is not to say they are to be avoided! Just that they were not for me. The band is reversible (not always as simple as that sounds, but possible) and is adjustable to meet specific needs. For example, chemo for cancer can be in oral form; not only are some of the tabs large, they also require unimpaired absorption.

Kate

I chose my band because it was the only WLS that wouldn't rearrange my insides and was reversible.  What I didn't realize is that no WLS is reversible.  The band works by forming scar tissue around it so for a surgeon to remove it, they would have to remove the scar tissue with it, which is usually attached to part of your stomach.

My band got 90% of my excess weight of, but two slips later, I've made the choice to have it removed and revise to the sleeve.  It was a lot of fill/unfills, a lot of stuck episodes where I couldn't swallow my own saliva and to this day, even with no fluid in my band and no restriction, I still can't swallow a capsule or a pill larger than a Sudafed.

I won't knock the band, it works for some people, but if you don't want it then don't get it...save yourself the aggrevation because slow weight loss will be the least of your problems.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 
Be really careful here, many ins co's are going to the one WLS in a life time rule.  When you end up needing a revision you are very likely to be self pay.

The band has the slowest weight loss, the least weight loss, highest regain, and most mechanical problems.

the only operation that does not require my stomach or intestines to be cut and/or resected and/or removed. And FOR ME, it was the perfect decision.

~What I really need is encouragment to believe this will work!~

But it probably won't. :-( Most ppl are NOT successful with the band. It's a real crap shoot with the band. And the odds are NOT in your favor!!!

There are far more ppl out there like your co-worker that have 25 lbs. to show for a year of surgery and hard work than there are successful at goal or near goal ppl.

Explain to your employer that the band has a very high incidence of 2nd operations! Many ppl NEVER reach restriction/sweet spot with the band.

The ASMBS basically stated at their last conference that the band is an ineffective WLS:

www.formerlyfluffy.com/