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

If you want to have a better chance at losing it and keeping it off "long-term" save yourself the heartbreak and DO NOT get the Band.  When it is good, it is good when it is bad, it is all downhill.

If you are choosing the band you are saying, I am going to work hard at selecting the right foods (healthy) and exercise.  I am going to work hard along with my tool.  If you are going to commit to that sort of living for the rest of your life, have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.  It continues doing what the Lap Band said it would do.  The Band does not work long-term and you are taking the risk of having internal damage with the band if you ever need it removed.  That makes it more risky for a revision.  You will find some ppl to disagree with me on this forum but they too have been "victims of the band" - slips, repositioning, tons of port surgeries, dilations, leaks, full band replacements.  If we are honest with ourselves and it is hard to be once we are banded it all just kinda sucks.

I wish you well even if you do choose the Band.

Blessings,
Leila

If you scroll the main board you will see at least 2 posts a day about people gaining weight back.. after 3 or 4 years with RNY ... I really don't know about the sleeve because I never venture to that board but if you check the main board you will see others gain weight back after losing a good portion of weight.. it's just not the band... FYI 

Yes, with the RNY there is a stoma - it can stretch, the pouch stretches AND the intestines grow more efficient with time so basically RNY stop malasorbing after "the window" (6 mos to say at very max 3yrs).  Then the RNY only malabsorbs micro nutrients and not calories.  Hence issues with malnutrition.

No WLS, none is without its risks and complications, but the sleeve is proving to win out longer term especially with people like us who CAN lose weight with just restriction and working hard with exercise and healthy food choices. 

I would not suggest RNY period.  If someone needs malabsorbtion for metabolic issues, weight loss and maintenance, the Duodenal switch is the way to go.

As long as we are responsible and committed to WLS of choice, we should have a chance.  What I am saying is when the Band goes bad we don't have a chance, none.

I hear many people say here if they had to remove their band, they would never have another WLS instead, they would rely on the healthy eating habits that they learned with the Band  (a truth is we don't eat as healthy with the band - I tried and to a certain extent did but . . .).  I want to tell you, I'd like to tell them that that is a crock of ****  We are all here because we had "issues" with food and eating.

It is crushing to have your Band removed and just gain for no particular reason.  Day 2, I was up 8lbs simply by doing nothing different (could have been the ton of water I was not used to drinking).   It is almost impossible to duplicate lowered caloried diet we have with the band when we don't have a Band long-term.  Even eating ridiculously healthy and exercising makes you gain compared to  when we are restricted.  I am living proof.

I am glad for you Hermosa, I was happy for me too.  I want you to succeed.   I know how good that feels and you deserve it.    I am just sayin', you know.  I went over to the other website and was just mortified.  I wept inside not just for me, but for those folks who truly suffered with the Band.  I did not suffer and for that I am thankful.  It is the let down, it is the starting over after you thought you've gotten yourself and gear and life was living the way it always should have been.

Blessings,
Leila

I love my band for the most part! I do hate the stuck episodes, but theyre rare and generally my own fault. Otherwise, love love love my band. Down 115lbs in less than a year, went from a size 20 to a size 2, have SO much more energy, I feel much better...the list goes on. I mostly thank my band for being that push I needed to learn about proper eating and exercise. I know I can eat anything, and I do, as long as I move my butt at some point during the day.

WLS is a really personal decision and just like dieting, exercising, and whatever else, it takes dedication, time, a lot of learning, and an overall lifestyle change. I still often think hmm wonder if I could have done this without the band; maybe I could have, but last May I was tired of being 100lbs+ overweight and went through with it. No regrets even though I do worry about the complications that seem to come later on with the band such as slips and erosion..but I have no fill so I don't think I'm at such a high risk.

Either way, take the time before making a decision, it's life changing, and should be. Weigh your pros and cons, consider your future and if living with the band is doable for you.

I've had my band for over two years and I don't regret it.  With that said, I will also say it's been a lot harder than I ever imagined.  I don't blame that on the band, I blame myself because for the last year I've just not been able to wrap my head around doing the work necessary to lose the weight.  I lost most of my weight during my first year, but since then I've only lost about 15-20 lbs.  I'm just happy to say I haven't gained any back.  For that reason, while I don't "love" my band, I am totally "in-like" with it.  I hope never to lose it to complications and there are plenty of those to consider.  I keep my band on the looser side to try to avoid those.  If I ever lose my band due to complications, I do not plan to revise to any other surgery.  This is it for me. 

You will read plenty of mixed reviews - but every WLS has its problems.  You have to just choose the one best for you.  But no matter what you choose, it's really a mental game.  The saying around here is the band is around your stomach, not your head.  I got halfway through my WL when I got hit with a lot of issue that have caused me to go off track.  I started therapy, but didn't really feel a connection with the theapist and stopped.  A year later, I'm now trying to get in with another therapist who deals with eating disorders.  I have found that I've been binging alot with the band.  Granting, binging is alot more controlled now than before I was banded, which is probably why I'm not gaining, just not losing.  You need to have your head in the game at all times with the band.  That's probably true of any WLS however. 

I'm not trying to disuade you from the band - I would not have had any other surgery - but I just want you to be prepared for all the work.  It is work and there are risks, just as with any surgery, but the work is worth it.  I'm only half way to where I want o be, but I feel so much better.   I believe I will eventually reach my goal.  I'm hoping that now that I just finished my Master's program, I will feel less stressed and more dedicated to working my band by getting back to the gym and giving myself some priority.  I don't think WLS is selfish.  It's just another tool to help you lose weight just like a gym membership or a private trainor or joining an expensive food delivery program like Jenny Craig.  We do what we have to in order to lose this weight.  If we don't, we're just doing a long-term version of suicide.  The band won't do the work for you so it's not taking the easy way out.  Dealing with getting stuck, sliming, etc., is not the easy way out.  Getting stuck with a needle every month is not the easy way out.  Having stress tighten your band so that you can't keep anything down and having to go in for an unfill, is not the easy way out.  But even considering some of the unpleasant sides of the band, to me it was so worth it.  I can do Zumba now and not feel like I'm dying at the end of the hour.  I'm wearing cuter clothes and feel better about myself.  I'm more confident.  I'm happier with myself than I was two years ago.

Anyway, sorry, I've rambled on alot.  I wish you luck with whatever your decide.  OH is a great spot for support and information so keep coming back.

cat

Yes, you will get mixed reviews. My best advice would be to do your homework and make the BEST decision for YOU. It's your personal choice, no one else's. A good surgeon should also be able to help you weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision.

I had my surgery just over 8 months ago and it has been wonderful so far. It's the best gift I have ever given myself.

Does it present some challenges? Yes. There is a learning curve with the band, and I am still riding that curve, 8 months out.

Did I have to do a lot of "head work" with regard to my behavior and perceptions about food? Absolutely. The band is not magic. As the saying goes, the band goes around your stomach, not your brain. You have to deal with what's up there FIRST. Otherwise, NO SURGERY will work.

Good luck, whatever your decision is! And congratulations for taking control and starting on your path to healthy.

I thought about weight loss surgery for years before deciding to do it. I kept thinking I could - should be able to lose the weight without the help of surgery because I thought surgery was the easy way out.  I kept telling myself I needed to try harder, be more dedicated and that I was "bad" for not being able to lose the weight on my own.  I regret that I did that to myself. Finally deciding I am worth the effort, cost and surgical risk of surgery to better my health was one of the most freeing moments of my life.

I had my band "installed" in August 2009 and am very happy with it. And while I truly mean that, I want to let you know that surgery is not the easy way out. I don't think any surgery is.  Sure, this band feels like a miracle gift in some respects (it's easy to forget that the farther out from surgery you get) because it helps me stay satisfied on smaller amounts of food instead of always starving and of course because I am losing weight.

Having the band has forced me to get my head into my eating so to speak.  Now I am "forced" to pay attention to my eating, plan my meals and to eat slowly. Because the volume of food I can eat is quite small, I try to make sure I make nutritious choices most of the time. All of those are very good things for me to do and I probably wouldn't have ever done them consistently on my own without having the surgery.

I always joke that I would love one of those magic wand surgeries (if they existed) where I could eat whatever the heck I wanted to, in any quantity, look great, feel great and weigh 120lbs. But that isn't an option -- for anyone. Take as much time and you need to do the research to find the surgery that is the best fit for you. Best of luck to you on your journey!

Trixie

I love my band

But it's hard work.. you have to put forward the effort with band because we still have FREE WILL we can still eat chips, candy, etc and every calorie we eat we absorb... with that being said the biggest change in me is how I approach food.. tho at time I do give in and eat treats it's not to the quanity I did before and it's not as often.

I think the biggest question to ask yourself is how much weight would you like to lose.. be truly realistic with yourself. I only wanted to lose 100 pounds and anything else was gravy and I have accomplished that.. I have been heavy since geez elementary school.. the lowest weight I can remember was JR high and it was 175... that was after Jenny Craig so for me wanting to be a size 6 or weigh 130 pounds was never a GOAL of mine.. but it's a goal of yours I would look into another surgeries.. I'm not saying you can't get there with the band others have but it will take some time and lots of effort on your part

Good luck

 Regret it? Hell, no!

It was THE WORST decision I ever made in my entire life. And I've been a dumbass on a whole lotta occasions and made some really dumbass decisions.   But, seriously, it wasn't a matter of losing weight or not. I lost weight with the band. Because I COULD NOT eat solid foods, no matter what. My band was unfilled and I still spent every single stinkin' day bent over a sink or a toilet... for hours at a time.

I woke up in pain, I spent the day in pain, I went to bed in pain. I couldn't poop, I couldn't eat solid foods, some days I couldnt' even breathe. I mostly cried and went to doctor's appointments. When the pain got so bad that I couldn't drive myself to doctor's appointments, I had to be a  burden on family and friends to take me. I lost my job because I was in pain so often that I couldn't function.

When the day came that I almost died and I had to have the band removed, I was still so brainwashed, thinking that I'd "gain all the weight back!!!" that I almost chose dying over band removal. TODAY, I've gained all the weight back... but I can run and I can breathe and I would take being fat any day over having a band again. It was THE WORST.