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

OT: Are you Italian?? Your wooden puppet is doing the italian "finger"..I like it :)))

I'm not Italian, but an artist! I have these mannequins all over my studio, although I DID NOT pose this particular one. I wish I had thought of it! I just found it funny in its crudeness. 

edited because I meant "pose" not "post." Too much time on computer message boards!

It is good to know how to tell people in foreign countries to F..off with their own gestures, don't you think :: :))))

The really funny thing is that I can count on one hand (one FINGER?!) how many times I've actually ever told someone to F off.  It's ironic... I'm a pretty nice person for the most part. I only use my middle finger to balance my paint brush! 

I'm with you. Usually waving and smiling makes people even madder...But it is nice to know when someone tells you  to go suck an egg in deafmute or swahili..:))))

Lost 48lb in six months.....No regrets here!!

I would never regret my decision to get to a healthier me!  With that being said, as most of us bandster said, it is hard work.  Harder than I had anticipated prior to the surgery.  It is not all fun but the benefits of having the lap band by far outweighed the risks and bad. 
I was 26 years old when I started my journey, pre-hypertensive and pre diabetic.  I am a nurse, on the bariatric unit of the hospital that I work at and I can honestly say that I was risking my patients lives time and time again by not being the nurse I wanted to be.  I felt so bad by the end of my shift that I just couldn't take it anymore.  I finally approached my surgeons a little over 3 years ago and with their wonderful gift of giving me the tool of the lap band, they had given me a life I NEVER KNEW that I could have.  I have more energy than I know what to do with... I'm on a natural high.  I have my battles with my food addiction, I was truly a volume eater prior to surgery but for the most part I win my battles.  I just take it a day and a meal at a time. 

the 1st step is trying to find the right surgeon.  Look at the surgeon's aftercare program and see how successful their patient population is with the band or any of the WLS.  See what their revision rates are, etc. etc.  IF your surgeon has do perform a 2nd WLS on their patients, their aftercare program is not that strong then.

Good luck to you and wishing all the best on making the right choice for YOU!
Jan

As far as I am concerned, there is absolutely no good reason to get the band if you can get the VSG instead.  The band can be a totally unnatural painful experience.  The sleeve is more natural and very little aftercare.

Regain can happen with any WL surgery.  This is where you have some control.  You have very little control over the band no matter how many rules you follow.  It is going to react to your body as it will.  You will have no control over that.  If it is going to screw up, it will, and it won't be your fault.

I love my band.  I have kept my weight off for over 5 years now.  We have all tried EVERYTHING and guess what, it doesn't work.  I have had no problems at all with my band,  I gained about 12 lbs. last year.  I had a minor fill and then lost the weight I gained.  Once you get to good restriction you do not need to get any more fills.  Maybe a tweak if you need it.  This is what I like about the band.  Like the some of the other surgeries the STOMA CANNOT STRETCH.  This is the beauty of the band it is adjustable.  No major organs are cut no intestines are excised or rearranged.  Weight loss surgery is a MAJOR decision and major surgery.  It is not anything  to go into casually as your life style and mental attitude must be adjusted with each kind of weight loss surgery.   If you are a volume eater the band works really great.  If you are a grazer or junk food eater no weight loss surgery will be successful.  There are a few band haters on this sight and every time some one does a post like yours they appear.  I have read their profiles and posts and when you check them out and read between the lines, you see that they either have an eating disorder or are addicted to drugs or have a mental problem.  Don't let them scare you.  I have blocked them, it makes this forum much nicer.  Just do your research and decide on your own after checking out the pros and cons of each surgery.  It has to fit you and your lifestyle, attitude and what you can live with.  The band is not for everyone.  Good luck.

This site ... www.lapbandtalk.com  is all lapband, all the time.

If you want to see what really can and does happen... including, but not limited to, left shoulder pain, constipation and slippage, read this particular forum.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/70-lap-band-complications/ 

You'll see what complications arise most often. You need to know this before making a decision, honestly.