Isn't there anyone?

That is very interesting.  I wish mine had taken that stand as I had IBS all my teen/adult life and they knew that!

I have the Realize Band, similar to the Lap Band, except that mine was manufactured by Endo-ethicon a division of Johnson & Johnson. I am really glad I got the band (Sept 2008) and have lost about 100 pounds, I still want to lose more. I should tell you I have had 2 major complications, an obstruction  (Sept 2009) and a dialated esophagus (Oct 2010). My surgeon said if I had another similar complication my band would be removed. If I had the choice to make again I would probably go with the gastric sleeve. It was not as common when I had surgery and I don't believe Blue Cross covered it at the time. I believe the design of the gastric band creates a horrible bottleneck which causes food to back up into the esophagus. Good luck with your weightloss journey.

My insurance didn't cover the band at the time.  Most people were doing self pay.  Our surgery center didn't even start doing them until right after I got my band.

Weight loss with the band after the first year has been a struggle. But, I now can say I like my band. It's been almost 7 years since I've had it put in and a long road. It's taken a lot of getting used to it. A lot of patience. I was mainly too tight, so in 4cc max band I can only have about 1.5 cc in it to have a little bit of restriction. Everyone is different.

MY band has changed my life for the better. I can now walk fast without getting out of breath, I can do so many things normal people do. If you stay away from being too tight of a fill with your band then you should do ok. It's not a miracle worker, it takes a lot of effort, but well worth it in the end.