People scare me

I know your fears. I was just banded on 6/1/11. Before I had my surgery I would come on the boards to find out as much as I could the good and the bad. Because of course everyone's experience is different. I soon came to realize you must take these posts with a grain of salt. People are going to always put their spins on them. I have read some comments where people have had revisions for BOB ( Band over Bypass) so that tells me that no matter what you choose there is always a risk of things not going well. Whether it's my fault (not following the guidelines, the surgeon or my body couldn't tolerate the band , bypass, sleeve or ds). The choice is yours! I would encourage you check out other sites as well as OH and do your own research. Their have been very successful people living with bands, bypass, sleeves and ds. I know that I'm at the beginning of my journey but I'm willing to see where it takes me. Best wishes on your weight loss journey.
Val

ONe thing to consider is no matter what surgery you get you will have to be complient. You have to follow the rules, you have to exercise, you have to chew, you have to do small portions, you...get my point? No matter what surgery you get YOU have to do the work. Is that what you are really scared of? Band, sleeve, by pass...its possible to fail them all. Now, you can do the things you need to do with support like here at OH and I hope you have people in your life who support you. I hope you have access to support groups. But, the tool of any surgery will work if YOU use it. This is both scary and exciting.

Good luck and I wish you peach. K

Debbie,

Second guessing your WLS decision is quite common, and in a way it's a good sign - a sign that you're taking this whole thing seriously. On the other hand, it's possible to freak yourself out by too much research and reading and wondering and questioning. You might want to take a week's break from all of that and come back to the project with a calmer mind.

Maybe WLS is not for you, but maybe it is. Consider the alternatives. You could lose weight "on your own" (as the saying goes)...keep it off for the rest of your life "on your own"...or you could lose weight "on your own" and gain some or all of it back, and yo-yo up and down causing a great deal of damage to your body, along with acquiring some serious obesity-related medical conditions that could shorten your life or compromise your quality of life...

Jean

I talked to my husband about this, and he said the same as all of u had said... "all surgeries are diffrent, for diffrent people" I want to tank you all for taking the time to read my fears... I'm going to try to stop freaking out now
Thanks again

 Debbie:

If you've evaluated all your options and have decided that the band is the right course of action FOR YOU, then just tell everyone else to blow their opinions out their asses. No one has to walk in your shoes, and no ONE procedure is ever right for EVERYONE, no matter that anyone thinks.



 

Hi Debbie,
It can get so confusing reading posts by so many people with so many different experiences. Each of us has faced the decision to have WLS, and what kind to have. We all know what it is like to be overweight in this society (positively SINful!) - not to mention the risks to our health.

I've read posts by successful bandsters, those who for whatever reason, did not have success with the band, people who had DS, RNY, etc., etc., and each choice has pros and cons. Since none of us can see the future, we really need to consider (with a supportive doctors help, hopefully), which would work best for us. I had lap band surgery and I'm thrilled with the results - and I know I can use this the rest of my life to maintain a healthy weight.

Regardless of your decision, I wish you the best for a successful journey back to health!

 Spend enough time researching ANY wls and you will find that they all have ricks and potential complications. You have to feel comfortable with your decision, so talk to your doctor about your fears and ask about their personal stats. The band seems to be very polarizing. For some reason, people with the band don't hang out on other message boards trying to convert people to the band, but people with other surgeries like to hang out here and try to convert people to their surgery of choice. We're all grown-ups here (I assume), and we all need to come to our own decisions. I personally chose the band because I like to choose the least drastic option first and this gave me the change to try WLS without having anything removed from my body. And should to have some other type of surgery later if needed, it is easier to convert from a band to something else than to make changes after the other surgery types. 

I've read so MAny sucess stories with the Lap-band..weight losses of over 200lbs even..and I've read some HORROR stories! But what about the horror stories associated with obesity..super obesity? it's like ANYTHING in life..there is NOT one standard "cure-all" for everyone. You have to do what works best for you. Become an expert on nutrition, become an expert on HEALINg, and expert on excersize. This is YOUR BODY! I personally DO NOT want my organs hacked up..not unles absolutely neccessary. And as far as the Lap Band being foreign to the body...there's nothing more FOREIGn and unnatural to the body than..perservatives, chemical, Dyes...TWINKIES! ..lol...it's that crap that's KILLING US. I had the choice between gastci Bypass and the Lap Band and I choose the Lap Band. And just like ANYTHING that takes a lifetime committment...it's normal to get the jitters. God bless you on ur journey.

Very true Mahana,

People have to realize to that some folks just might not have a choice on what kind of surgery they have. It could be they could only have the lap band but then it could be they only could have the gastric, or the others that are out there. And dont come back and say everybody has a choice because they dont.  Oh yes they have a choice get the surgery that is offered to them or sit in your house and die.

My parents God Bless them gave me half of the money for this surgery if it wasn't for them I would be 350 pounds if not more and still smoking 2 plus packs of smokes a day .  My dad saw how my aunt is on the gastric and he refused to pay for that one no questions asked and both of my parents didn't feel comfortable with any other surgery and neither did I.

It was either the lap band or nothing . So what do I do ? Do I just say screw it and get nothing and sit and die at my house or have a major heart attack of what I was doing to myself or do I take a chance on something that I could have no problems with ? 

Heck I'm going to get the lap band and take my chance .  That is what it is a chance . Show me one perfect surgery out there .  Nobody can honestly say there is a perfect surgery out there so I did what I had to do so I wouldn't die at the age of 40 or my husband wouldn't have to take care of me the rest of my life because I had a stroke and couldn't take care of myself.

It dont matter what surgery anybody gets the lap band, DS, VSG or gastric they are all taking chances and hoping to God it works for them and they lose the weight so they can live healthy happy lives . That is what WLS is suppose to do  and to be honest that is all that matters , not the damn title of your WLS .

~should I just ignore what some of the negative things said~

Well Debbie if you were buying a new car would you just ignore the negative things about the brand of car u wanted??? There is a reason you see negative things posted..........NEGATIVE THINGS HAPPEN!

Please read on the revision forum BEFORE you get your band!!!