Is anyone like me?

The band seems to be a particularly poor choice for self-pay.

Not only can adjustments be costly, but you may need numerous adjustments. The band also has a high post-op complication rate and frequently requires follow-up surgeries for repair, replacement, or removal. Especially with you being relatively young, are you prepared to undergo and fund multiple surgeries throughout your future?

There is nothing sadder than reading posts from those who cannot afford the treatment for painful or dangerous conditions resulting from the band.

I do hope you know there are more successful surgeries out there with less maintenance costs. I've had both the band and the VSG, and for me, the VSG is the hands down winner.

Anyway, make sure you've done your research and if you are comfortable with the stats the band can offer you and choose to be banded, then please maintain a significant emergency fund so that you're never in a position where you can't afford to have it removed if necessary.

Best,
Lindsey

The lap band is entirely your decision. Do your research. Most people never have a complication (I did). Problems tend to show up on these sites at higher than average. The successful people tend to stop using this kind of site after the weight is gone.
The band is a great tool, but you still have to have will power & commitment. It is easier, but it has not been easy. You still have to make good choices. They operate on your body, not your mind. Whatever issues you have today, you will have after surgery. You need to love yourself regardless of what your bobdy looks like....then the band really works for you.

For what it's worth, if I were in your shoes, self paying, young, less than 100 lbs to lose, I would go with the VSG surgery (the Sleeve).  The band only works if you do the maintenence, i.e. fills and anual upper GI's to check band placement, etc.  My Sugeon charges $350 for each fill/unfill.  Luckily I have insurance.  Please have a discussion with your surgeon regarding your other options.  I KNOW weight loss surgery saved my life, but if I had to do it over again and my insurance covered the Sleeve (which it didn't when I had my surgery) I would choose the Sleeve.  I would also be open to some therapy to work through your issues around self image and food, etc.  We all have these issues to some degree.  Only Therapy helped me work through them and my addiction to food and emotional eating still plagues me everyday but I have learned to manage it better and my band helps me with portion control.

Best~

Lisa O.

I really think that you need to do ALL the research before committing to anything.  I was a very determined lapband patient in 2007.  I believed that I did ALL the research there was to do.  I was very successful for the first few (6) months or so.  THEN....  everything seemed to be going good until one day in June of 2008 I couldn't hold anything down, this went on for the entire weekend.  Monday rolled around and I went to my surgeons office (who had moved by then), and the other surgeon in the office took the fluid out of my band and had me do a barium test and showed that I had a herniation above the band in my stomach.  Well, he took all the fluid out of the band and told me that I would be fine.
Why am I writing this now???
Well, 3 weeks ago, I almost died.  I thought that I had a pulled muscle in my back, then same symptoms all of a sudden came back.  Couldn't hold anything down.  After 2 ER visits and the second one they finally noticed my white blood count had doubled since the night before, I was sent to a specialist an hour away from where I was via ambulance.  I was taken into emergency surgery where the doctor told me before hand that he was not sure I was going to make it out because I was in very bad shape and this was a matter of life and death.  I did make it out of surgery, I was in ICU a little over a day, then in intermediate care for a couple of days, then in another room.  All together, I spent a week in the hospital.  I have been home for a little over 2 weeks now and the pain is still almost unbearable at times.  I have a J-tube (feeding tube) hanging out of my stomach, on pain meds, and extremely sore.  They had to take the band out, which had slipped and killed over half of my stomach.  I had the dead portion of my stomach removed, my liver had somehow become entangled in the band, however, it was left undamaged.
I am now left with only part of my stomach.  I have become more or less a vertical sleeve patient, but not being given the choice.  I have no insurance so the medical bills are astronomical, I have no clue how I am going to pay them.  It isn't just the bill of having the band removed of around $21k, it is more like 10-15 times that.  That is MY portion after applying for charity because I don't have insurance.
My surgeon says that when they first noticed the herniation, they should have removed the band, that there is NO way my stomach could heal itself as they had suggested with it there. 
I too, was all for the band.  I thought it would be the miracle cure and just the tool that I needed.  I followed EVERY rule to a tee...  The doctor even called me the "perfect" patient.   This still happened. 
Would I get the lapband again?  NO WAY.... I would not suggest it to anyone...  I thought I had done ALL of my research...  I was doing everything right... I still almost DIED....

 I have been reading all of this too as I too am still 'on the fence' about what to do.  And I see that the band has many after costs that continue... fills, chance of needing repair, emergencies, etc.  How about the VSG? There isn't alot of long term information out there for it yet I know, but anyone that has had it... Do you know what kind of long term issues could arise with it or any long term expenses that you have with that??  Just trying to compare here.  If anyone who has the sleeve knows I'd appreciate the info.  Thanks!

Partial, sleeve, and even complete gastrectomies have been done for many, many years for cancer and ulcer treatment.

People live long, full lives with partial stomachs. People even live long lives without stomachs.

If you are having trouble researching long term effects, simply research gastrectomy or partial gastrectomy.

One main concern is B12 deficiency. This can be resolved with a B12 supplement.

 And Redboots... I can definitely relate to exactly how you feel... Being on the fence.... so sucks!!!  I hate not 'knowing' what I am doing and being confused.  And I have a very poor body image too... no self esteem... practically self hatred.  But now this has become about health problems for me... but I do understand how you feel... all too well.  My weight has kept from doing alot of things because of how I feel about it... and now it keeps me from doing more things because of how sick it is making me.  But yes... not knowing and being on the fence... sooooo frustrating.  I think we both should check more into the sleeve (VSG)  and find out more about it... I hope you get off the fence soon... but no harm in taking your time... Good luck!

 Oh... and Redboots... be happy that you are at least stepping out doing your research and will be taking charge of  your weight and your life very soon!  So now you are about to get to the other side of it... and at least looking into and taking steps... that is something.  And as everyone says it will all still take work and committment, but you will have a tool to help you.  I know you'll make the right choice... and the point is you ARE doing something about it... things will get better... hang in there!

Thank you everyone for your advice, commiseration, and honesty. What a relief it has been to see a community that understands me and shares my struggles. Xo

Like most of the other people, I think that the band is not a good choice for a self-pay patient. Not just because of the risk and expense of possible complications, but because fills and unfills (without which the band rarely works) can be expensive. A bariatric clinic might quote you a price of (say) $9000 for the surgery and 3 fills, or surgery and a year of fills/aftercare, but you'll probably need more than 3 fills and most certainly more than 1 year of fills/aftercare.

As for feeling hopeless and confused, I think we can all empathize with that. I was 54 when I had my band surgery and my weight loss and lifestyle changes have turned my life around from despair to hope and optimism. I hate to think of someone your age having to suffer a few more decades of obesity and the co-morbidities that too often go along with it. I think you're courageous to make this big decision to change your life.

You may be able to find more people you can relate to by attending your surgeon's support group meetings, and of course you have an online" family" here on OH, including a forum for WLS in your 20's (or 30's, since you're almost at that milestone).

As for uploading your pix via a Mac....I haven't used a Mac in about 15 years so am not literate enough to advise you. I use a website called shrinkpictures.com to make my photos OH-friendly, so you might want to try that.

Good luck!
Jean