Introduction

Hello everyone. I am new to the group, and new to the idea of bariatric surgery. It has taken a long time to get to the point of accepting that this is a positive decision for myself. To be quite honest, I have considered bariatric surgery on many occasions. However, I never actually looked into it because...well frankly I was embarrassed and ashamed. I refused to admit defeat...and that was the thought process that I had going into this. After a lot of soul searching, I have accepted this decision. I've also come to terms and understand that this isn't accepting defeat, but instead a tool to help me reach a healthy weight. In an ideal world, I would have liked to have reached a healthy weight without having to go this route, but having said that I am not in that position and I obviously need a tool to help me reach that goal.

As for me...I am in my mid-30s. I am currently at my biggest at 244lbs. My ideal goal would be to reach around 150-165lbs...maybe. Honestly, its been so long since I was at a more reasonable weight that I don't really recall what it was like. I remember weighing around 165-175lbs before I had my youngest child and I think that I was pretty happy with that weight. I am a military spouse, and I am a registered nurse. I have a husband, 2 boys, and 2 cats. :)

I haven't really gotten much of a start on the process to get approved yet. As I said, I have been going through a lot of soul searching to get tp this point. I have not yet spoke to my PCM about this. However, at my last visit there was mention made of my weight increase. My PCM at that time put in a referral to nutrition services...I have not yet scheduled that appointment. I'm obviously very new to this process. I am leaning towards gastric banding for a few reasons. The first of which being that it is the least invasive. It is also reversible, should something happen. Also, I dislike the idea of messing with the digestive process...malabsorbtion, dumping, etc. As I said previously I am a mother and a nurse. I would like to minimize my downtime as much as I possibly can.

I would love to hear others experiences with gastric banding, and also experience with getting bariatric surgery approved with Tricare Prime. Thank you all for taking the time to read this :)

I can't in good conscience advise anyone to get a band after having one for 7 years. They only work for a small number of people and for most they are very ineffective and cause horrible damage for many of us. I had mine removed in Feb. because of the pain it was causing, even tho it had been empty for over 2 yrs. The problem is they cause scar tissue to build up between the band and the stomach and this causes all manner of problems. Many, many of us end up having to get them removed and revise to a different surgery so not exactly least invasive. They are only good for 10 yrs per the manufacturer, they aren't reversible, they are removable but the damage they cause is not reversible. Yes there are a few folks here who have lost well and haven't had problems but truely more and more surgeons are refusing to put them in, even the Mayo clinic will no longer use them. If you don't want malabobtion or having your insides re-routed you should check out the sleeve (VSG). Only you can make the decision but please read this forum in the past and truely research and study about all the surgeries because there are drawbacks with all of them but the band is not the easy no damage surgery that some doctors say it is and in my personal opinion I wouldn't wish a band on satan himself it is a horrible device of torture!

Please bear in mind that I am a very happy and very successful bandit now 8 years post-op. I do not regret my band, would do it all over again and if I ever have to have it removed, I would hope to have a replacement.

When I was banded in 2006, it was a miracle surgery. And for some people, who accept that they will still have to work hard, it is just that. It was and still is for me. But over the years it has become clear that serious complications necessitating further surgery are much more common than originally thought, some of these are avoidable by careful eating and by not keeping the band tight; unfortunately others are beyond our control.

We used to be warned about band slips, leaks and about ( very rare) erosion into the stomach tissue but it turns out that a build up of scar tissue round the band (causing it to tighten) is quite common. It can be very difficult to get the right level of restriction and some people are tempted to keep it tight enough to physically limit food, in fact it was once thought this was how it should be. But this causes food to back up into the oesophagus and that risks problems such as oesophageal dysmotility which may be irreversible. It can also damage the vagus nerve.

We still need lots of will power. The band makes it easier by dimming hunger, but it does nothing for head hunger and, contrary to popular opinion, it does not and should not physically stop us eating. If it does it is too tight!

Having said all that, I love my band, I know many successful long term bandits in real life. On this board, you will find more people who will put forward the case against the band than in favour of it and I do not for one second question their experiences. But my own experience has been good and so has that of almost all those I actually know and have met.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your reply and information. Honestly, I've seen the negative experiences with the lapband on this forum, and they do raise concerns. Having said that, ideally this is the procedure that I would prefer to go with for many reasons. I've been trying to find a board specifically for banded or future banders...but that doesn't seem to exist. I have several friends who have had various forms of WLS...ranging from bypass to the sleeve, and frankly all of the procedures have drawbacks and potential risks. I have a friend who had the sleeve, and very quickly learned to cheat. Granted she has lost some weight, it hasn't been near what was expected. There are positive aspects and negative aspects to every type of WLS. I'm glad that you have had a very positive experience with yours. Do you mind if I ask you more about your banding experience?

ask away! If you ask specific Qs I can tell you what you want to know!

Overall, banded May 2006. Took a few months to learn that I must not rely on the band to stop me eating, just use it to make me eat slowly and mindfully. Can eat all foods, almost never feel discomfort, very, very rarely bring anything back and if I do it is always because I ate too fast. Leak repaired at about four years post-op. 

About five or six fills in first 15 months. Tow tiny defills at somewhere around 6 and 7 years. 

Awesome! Thank you for being willing to answer my questions. You actually answered a few of them already :) Other questions that I had...what was the pre-op prep like? What was your recovery like? If you worked, how long did you have to take off to recover? I've heard 5-7 days is typical, but I've also heard 2 weeks is typical. I know that you said that if you had to do it all over again, you would still go with the lap band. If you had...say your mother or sister who was seeking to have WLS, would you encourage them to go the route of lap banding vs. gastric sleeve or other procedure? What was required of you prior to being approved for surgery (diet, weight history, etc)?

Using my phone. So excuse typos and also haven't got your Qs in front of me! 

I am in the UK and so some things are done differently. But they vary from doc to doc anyway!

No pre-op diet except for nil by mouth pre-anaesthesia. Very fast recovery. For a sedentary job a week off would be enough for most people, an active job maybe longer. 

I wouldn't recommend any surgery to anyone!!! But if my sister was thinking if it, I would tell her what I saw as possible problems but not advise her against it!

I have no idea why the people I know have better stats than the people who post here! But they do!!!!!

One question for you to answer.  How many times do you want to have WLS? 

Though Kate and some others have been very lucky and had great success and little or no issues. 

The long term findings are showing more than just slipped bands and erosion.  Like Kate said scar tissue is becoming one of the big issues.  I myself and trying to get my band out after 11 years.  I am completely unfilled, but there are days that food still gets stuck no matter how well I chew it due to the scar tissue that has developed around the band and my port.  The daily pain from just the port area sometimes makes me want to reach in and rip the dam thing out myself.  I also have 24/7 heartburn. 

I would work with the nutrition services first and see how that goes.

I have been banded for over 6 years, and have been very happy with the surgery. My husband is also in the military, and Tricare paid for my surgery.

The only negative that I have had with the band was due to moving with the military. Many bariatric doctors do not want to follow patients that they did not due surgery on, and that makes things difficult when you are banded. That being said, I have always found a doctor willing to provide after care for me with the band, but it can be frustrating (like everything else dealing with the military... lol). :)

I had to go through lots of tests pre-surgery approval (psych, labs, heart, sleep study, etc.), but I was able to complete the testing in a matter of weeks. 

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck to you. 

Please please please, I urge you to do more research on the various wls available and covered by your insurance before making a decision. Do as much research as possible on the band, especially, since this is the surgery you're leaning towards, thinking that it is the least invasive. Look up the percentage of success stories vs complications. Very important! All the best 😊