Band users--would you do it again?

I am curious to know from band users if you would do it again or if you wished that you had done RNY or sleeve instead. I am going for my first consultation next Friday and am getting the impression that banding is not a successful surgery.

I am curious to know from band users if you would do it again or if you wished that you had done RNY or sleeve instead. I am going for my first consultation next Friday and am getting the impression that banding is not a successful surgery.

The band requires a lot of maintenance and post-op follow-up, so if that is going to be a problem for you, the sleeve is a better option.  Also, some people, for whatever reason, are more sensitive to the band, tubing and port and have problems with shoulder pain, reflux and generally do not do well with the band...could be the surgeon, their physiology or both.

So far I am happy with my band and would do it again, knowing what I knew a year ago...today, I think I would explore the VSG just because the follow up is a pain and my doctor's office is 60 miles away.

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your input!

I've had the band now, almost  2 years and am happy I got it. I would do it again. That said, I will now say that your weight loss goals/expectations and potential band experience might be different than mine. For me the band, is allowing me to achieve my weight loss goals in the manner I wanted slow and steady with the capability to tweak the amount of fill to suit my needs.

Sure, sometimes I think it would be exciting to lose everything virtually overnight like people with malabsorption surgeries seem to do, but in the long run that isn't a good option for me.  My surgeon explained that the 5 year % of weight lost with the band is very similar to the RNY.

Thank you for your reply. I will check out your blog for sure.

I'm a sweet eater and the doc I saw said that for a person like that the band will not be effective. I am committed to working out and eating better and am looking at this as an aid more than a "fix". Does that make sense?

I so agree with you. I wanted slow and eassy too. I did not know it was this slow though lol. I am very happy i went this way. I have more control and i hear so much that people fail the others. This way if you go to the dr. and get the fills u have no choice as far as i can tell.

 In one word: YES. It was successful for ME, and that's all that matters to me. Something else may be successful for you, or anyone else, but I made my decision based on my expectations, my wants and my needs and it worked out just the way I wanted.

Thank you! Are you a sweet/carb eater? I am not expecting to lose 100 pounds in a year. In fact if I could weigh 220 I would be happy so I don't feel like I have an unrealistic expectation. I also know that eating right and exercising are essential to any successful plan. Any pointers?

 I was and still am an "everything eater." I eat what I feel like eating now, but I just eat a lot less of it. I wasn't expecting to lose 100 pounds in a year, either, but I ended up doing it in 6 MONTHS!

Hi Jean,

I had the band back in 2002 and it was the worst pain I've ever experienced. The surgeon placed my band incorrectly, causing diaphragmatic damage. I had referred left shoulder pain chronically.

I've watched friends go through surgery after surgery in attempts to fix their bands, repair problems, revise to other surgeries... I couldn't in good conscience recommend the band to anyone.  It's a very painful thing to go through, honestly.

There are those who have success with their bands, but it seems that almost everyone develops problems after a number of years. I just don't believe that stomach tissue can be squeezed without unfortunate consequences. When people speak of their bands "tightening on their own," obviously it's not the BAND tightening, but the stomach tissue becoming irritated to a point of swelling, causing the band to restrict even further.