Newbie here: you regret Lap Band? Thinking about getting it....

Hi all. Newbie here. I'm really considering lap band. A few years ago I was to get WLS (RNY), but didn't for personal reasons. Through the years (that was 5 years ago), I've tried EVERYTHING. I feel like a failure. Like I didn't try hard enough. Like I'm selfish for wanting to get surgery instead of just "trying harder". What's wrong with me?? Ugggh.

Anyway, I've decided that the Lap Band would be best for me. I've read mixed reviews on it. Please tell me your personal thoughts and experiences. Do you love it, or regret it?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my band!

I had surgery 15 months ago and have lost over 130 lbs....

I follow the rules and it works!!!!!!

Congrats to you........you are at a very exciting stage!

You will have some who come to THIS BOARD and slam the band.......I guess do to their own problems with it....but I am SURE there are more of us who love our bands and would have the surgery again tomorrow!!!

Good luck,
Steph

 Just to be clear... I followed the rules, as you did, and it DIDN't work.  Following "the rules" is not always a guarantee that it will be successful. 

Would I have this surgery all over if I could, no, absolutely not. Over the last 7 months the band has decided that is it going to get progressively tighter.  I have been completely unfilled since September of last year and as of two months ago the band is slipped.  As of one month ago I started having at least 3 nights a week where I wake up choking on acid and coughing. 

At this point my band experience is a nightmare.  I hit 3 years as of March and if you would have asked me a year ago I would have told you to get the band, but based on these past 8 months I would tell you to RUN from the surgery. 

Take this for what it is, my experience with the band.  This isn't everyones experience.  Whatever you do don't buy into the idea that if something happens it's not the band it's YOU.  

And like the poster right above me said, yes, people will come here and slam the band.  I feel that after the experience I had with the band I am entitled to AT LEAST that.  However, if you check the revision boards and you check for the surgery that requires the most amounts of revision you will find that it is HANDS DOWN the lap band that requires the most revisions. 

Sorry if I am coming across as a bit moody, but I am on night 3 of just about no sleep because of this band. 

~I follow the rules and it works!!!!!!~

That's great that it worked for you! Of course everyone should follow the rules, but following the rules does NOT guarantee the band will work for you! If it did work that way we wouldn't see so many ppl with failed bands!!!

I have no regrets. I love my band, but WLS is not a one-size-fits-all thing. I was mainly a volume eater and I was willing to work hard and make lifestyle changes, so a "restrictive" procedure like the band was a good choice for me. There are 2 things you need to be aware of that doctors often forget to mention. #1: the band doesn't usually start working immediately after surgery - you need a few fills (which may take a few months) for optimal weight loss. #2: the band requires a lot of aftercare and, depending on your medical insurance coverage, considerable expense in terms of time and money to get fills, unfills, and other care.

As for my personal thoughts and experiences, they're too lengthy to put in an OH post. I did, however, write a 572-page book about it (see my OH signature for info).

I know what you mean by feeling like a failure. I think most of us can identify with that. Having WLS is indeed selfi**** represents putting yourself and your needs first, in order to benefit your health and your qualifty of life. That kind of thing doesn't harm other people, so labeling it selfish is neither here nor there. If you have family and friends who care about you and rely on you, your weight loss will benefit all of you in the long run.

Could you lose weight by trying harder? Maybe. Could you keep the weight off for the rest of your life by trying harder? Maybe. And anyway, having WLS is not taking the easy way out. The weight loss and lifestyle changes require a LOT of work.

What's wrong with you? You have a chronic disease called obesity. There is no cure for it right now, but the most effective long-term treatment for it now is WLS.

Jean

kudos! I love your answer! ...and wholeheartedly agree!!!


Von a.k.a.
  Anumrzvee

thanks, Von!

Hi....I'm a newbie too.  Just got the surgery yesterday (I even posted some questions around the same time your post came out).

I experienced similar questions but for me it wasn't about being selfish and trying harder, I instead was asking myself if I tried enough.  At one point about 5 years ago, I lost around 90 pounds on my own between exercise and watching what I ate.  About a year after the weight loss I fell down my front steps early in the morning, on the way to the gym (how ironic!), and about 40 pounds slowly but surely crept back on in time. 

I have tried unsuccessfully to get it back off.  Although heavy, I would not call myself a bad eater.  I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years whose regular diet consists of skim milk, low/no sugar or fat items, vegetables, fruits, grains, etc.  Occasionally I would "cheat" as I call it and have 2 slices of pizza or a fattening pasta dish, but that was every so often.  Food like pizza or fast food just was not in my daily eating between being a vegetarian and knowing what is right for me.  But despite my decent eating, going to the gym several times a week & doing at least 45 minutes of cardio, and hiring a personal trainer, I just could not get the weight that I had gained back off, plus the more that I needed to lose.

I went to my lap band informational seminar back in August 2010, and completed the required nutritional and mental health evals in September 2010.  And then I chickened out and got the idea out of my head.  Had I really and truly exhausted all attempts to lose weight on my own?  I joined WW and the points system and did great writing everything down the first few days, but that quickly went out the window because of my hectic schedule and just not keeping up with the diligence of tracking my days to see what did and did not work for me.  That was when I was just tired of looking the way that I do.  Tired of not being adventerous or going on vacation because of the fear of how I would look in a bathing suit.  I have not worn shorts outside of my house in almost 10 years.  In the hot summer months the least I will wear is capris.  I will only wear short sleeve shirts that are not too far above my elbow because of the fat under my arms.  When will enough be enough?  So in February 2011 I contacted the doctor and said I had lost touch and wanted to reconsider the surgery.  Thankfully, the evaluations I had done in September 2010 did not expire (with some insurance companies they do).  I had medical records from my primary and specialists sent over which documented my weight over the past 2 years, and had my primary write a note supporting the surgery.  The insurance company approved it and I had my surgery yesterday, April 19th.

You said in your post that you have tried everything.  Think back to what you have tried and is it really everything?  If so, then it's worth a shot of just locating a doctor and going to the informational seminar (my doctor required going to the seminar, which was held at his office) to see if this is what you really want to do.

The good thing with the band is that it's reversible....it can be taken out if in the future you decide you want it out.  It's too early for me to tell you whether it was worth it since I just had the procedure done yesterday.  But the majority of the people on this site seem to love it and have no regrets!

I LOVE my band! I can tell you I look forward to the longterm physical benefits...but mentally it has helped me so much already. I had to change my way of thinking and that, in the long run, is going to be the motivating factor in this journey.

The band merely "jump started" me...I had to recognize it is only a tool and to use the tool in the proper manner. As someone on the post said you have to follow the rules of the tool.

If we do that, we will have success...

Hope things work out for you!


Von a.k.a.
  Anumrzvee

I guess everyone is different, but I had the LapBand put in in July 2008 and I had to have the port removed due to it eroding and becoming infected in Jan. 2010 and then the entire band removed July 2010.  I have heard of several people that have had theirs removed.  If you think about it, it is a foreign body and something that your body can reject.  I regret ever even hearing of the LapBand.  Also, I had well over 100lbs to lose and feel like the LapBand is usually only good for around 100lbs or just over.  The complications I had because of the band far outweigh any benefits I ever had from it.  I almost lost my life trying to lose the weight.  Like I started out saying, everyone is different and have different experiences so I wish you well in your journey, I just wanted to give you my feedback.