Need advice!! Pros and Cons of Lap Band???

I was originally choosing to go the sleeve route because RNY won't work for me due to a medication issue.  SO I thought sleeve would be my next best choice because I am really concerned about the foreign object in my body issue.   BUT apparently original medicare doesn't cover the sleeve and who knows if they will.   I don't want to wait too long and let my health get any worse but I really need testimonial advice on ppl who have experience with the LapBand.   

Please let me know what you Like, Dislike about the Band, If you have had to get a revision, all issues good and bad.

I really appreciate it.  I became so discouraged today. So I am looking here, trying to find answers to keep me moving forward.  

Thank you all in advance. 

Please click on my link below.
This is a lap band failure forum. It is a great place to ask all about the cons.

I'm really too new to give you any advice, but I wanted to jump in and offer some support.  I was banded about 9 weeks ago.  I want to lose almost 80lbs.  As of last Friday, I have lost 23lbs.  I've had one fill.  So far, it appears to be working for me.  I can eat a small meal consisting mainly of protein and some veges and I stay satisfied for about 3 hours (I would love to pu**** to 4 hours but not there yet).  Staying satisified has helped CONSIDERABLY in changing my eating habits (not that they are "changed" yet, but I'm making progress.)  I know longer fantasize about ice cream and candy bars within moments of finishing my meals.

While working to change, I am also "living my life."  I've been able to eat out frequently.  I've had a ****tail here and there and I haven't felt like I had to avoid any social situation involving food (I always did when I "dieted" before).

We are all so different in what we need, want, and expect.  We also all have such different fears.  About your fear of the "foreign object."  I think that's a really reasonable fear.  It is rather odd to think about placing a plastic/rubber tube inside your body.  But I can tell you, I haven't "felt" it, or even been aware of it since surgery.    

Best of luck in your decision.

 Truly, the foreign object is my worst fear. I have committed myself to this. Last year  we went to a "diabetic" diet even though i am not, but my bf is.  So we do pretty good there.  Of course there is always the indulgence but I am commited to with this there will be no more of that.  I am hoping it will be a tool to lose more weight so I can do more, so I can lose more, so I can do more...well you get the idea.  Having cataplexy sucks and for four years after my son was born, we didn't know what was wrong so my weight crept up and up. I have stayed level the last few years, but I just need more help.  I would love to lose 180lbs.  But I am realisic. At this point, 50lbs would be a great improvement.  And after my sleep study results this morning over severe sleep apnea, I don't want to wait any longer but I don't want to rush in either.   

How did the fill go?   Is it very painful?  Also, did you have the band done open or laproscopically?

this question is posed about a bit so if you don't get many responses in the search column write something like lap band good or bad and I'm sure you see a ton of posts.

I had surgery in 09 and best thing I ever did for myself .. 100 pounds down :) 

No matter what anyone on this forum tells you, the bands are the absoute worst options. Statistics have shown that less than 50% of band patients succeed.

The bands are advertised as being safe, but they are not. Having a foreign object in your body can cause infections and it can erode into your stomach.  A sleeve stomach is much safer, because it keeps a normal functioning stomach that is smaller (like a gastric reduction) and has little lost term complications.

Unless you or someone in your immediate family has a history of auto-immune disease, a "foreign object" like the band in your body should not pose any medical risk to you. To be honest, that was never a concern of mine. I haven't had any problems with the other foreign objects in my body (dental fillings, crowns, and bridge), and I wouldn't hesitate to have another one put in (like an artificial hip, a heart pacemaker, a chemo port) if I felt it would save my life, improve my health, or improve my quality of living.

Anyway, to answer your question about likes/dislikes/issues good and bad...

I've had my band for 3-1/2 years and have never regretted my choice. I lost 100% of my excess weight (90 lbs) in a year. I had a band slip (probably cause by my untreated hiatal hernia, & cured by a complete unfill) at 21 months post-op and my port flipped when I was about 24 months post-op (I had outpatient surgery to reposition it last year). I wasn't thrilled with either of those events but neither of them were life-threatening. I regained 25 pounds during that time but lost the regain when I was able to get fills again.

I was mainly a volume eater, so a purely "restrictive" procedure like the band was a good choice for me. I like the adjustability of the band, but you need to know that band fills/unfills and other aftercare can take up a lot of time and money (depending on insurance coverage). Also, the band doesn't necessarily start working as soon as it's put in your body - most people need several fills (over the course of weeks or months) before they achieve optimal restriction and weight loss. As far as I know, VSG starts working immediately.

I have a bandster friend who's been trying to revise to VSG under Medicare - I'll ask her to pop in on this thread in case she can give you some insight.

Good luck with whichever surgery you choose!

Jean

" Unless you or someone in your immediate family has a history of auto-immune disease, a "foreign object" like the band in your body should not pose any medical risk to you. To be honest, that was never a concern of mine. I haven't had any problems with the other foreign objects in my body (dental fillings, crowns, and bridge), and I wouldn't hesitate to have another one put in (like an artificial hip, a heart pacemaker, a chemo port) if I felt it would save my life, improve my health, or improve my quality of living. "

Hi There Jean,
 I have another foreign object in my body too, actually I have two of them. They are plastic rings around my fallopian tubes.

They don't cause me to throw up like the band does.

They don't cause me to experience referred pain to my back because of the bands close proximity to the vagus nerve like the band does.

They don't cause me to become stuck like the band does.

They don't cause me to slime like the band does.

They don't cause me to suffer from night coughs like the band does

They don't cause me to suffer from painful reflux like the band does

They didn't cause my hiatel hernia like the band did

They didn't cause me to have revision surgery like the band did.

In fact I always forget they are there, but I never forget that my band is there.

So it's really not a fair comparison to compare dental fillings, crowns, and bridge) to a lap band.

And I bet you haven't gotten pregnant since you had them placed!!!  Guess they are doing what they are intended to do also, quietly....

My baby box is doing it job