Is anyone here 18-25 that had the gastric/lap band?

More insurance companies are writing one WLS per lifetime into their contracts. If you got a band now, they'd take it out later when complication**** but they wouldn'tay for a sleeve or anything else. If your insurance has such a clause, use your one choice wisely.

At your age, if you don't have other comorbidities, I'd really recommend looking into the sleeve. I planned on it before my GERD made me have to change course to RNY. I know nine people who got banded between 2008-2012. 8 have had their bands removed due to complications, and the other is about to revise to sleeve due to insufficient weight loss. The band is proving to have been a failed experiment in WLS. And even though the device can be removed, oftentimes the damage it does and scar tissue it leaves behind is permanent.

I would run away from any doctor that suggested the lap band was my only option. It may be considered "reversible," but that is not really true. Even if it doesn't cause damage, removing it is going to make you gain all the weight back and probably more than you started with. I had RNY at 27 because I wanted to get it right the first time. I know the other women in my family have never been able to get to a normal weight and stay there, so I didn't see any reason why I would be different. I decided to skip the years and years of yo-yo dieting and give myself a fighting chance. I couldn't be happier with my choice. My old stomach gave me nothing but problems. I had GERD and so many things upset my stomach all the time. RNY took care of these problems, and I have never felt better.

Please don't get the band. It's so awful.

Read the revisions forum. You'll see SO many posts about the damage the band did to people. I still have damage and it's been over 10 years since I got mine removed. It's my biggest regret, choosing the band.

My niece had Gastric Bypass at 25. For 12 years she has kept off 125lbs of the 150 she initially lost. She gained the 25 after having a baby 4 years ago. She does not regret having Bypass at such a young age. I have to say, I don't understand why you would want something you can take out. I would be worried about regaining all the weight. That is why I had this - I couldn't do it on my own. My surgeon says with the lapband- 1/3 of the people do well, 1/3 lose a little but aren't satisfied with their weight loss, and 1/3 lose nothing. Those aren't good stats and when you add in it has the highest rate of complications of any weight loss surgery.... a little scary in my book. I chose Bypass because I didn't think restriction would be enough.

I know that years ago I considered getting a lap band because I had thought the same thing, if I didn't like it, I could get it taken out, but alas my insurance changed & I couldn't get it.

Fast forward a few years later now ins covered wls & I was still firmly in lap band territory, but once I did more research & got over my don't cut my stomach phase, everything was an option.

I didn't like the rate of complications risk with the band & just because I could get it taken out didn't mean I could get another wls. Some ins only pays for 1 surgery, so I might've had to pay out of pocket, plus if the complications from the band was really bad, I might've not been a good candidate for another surgery which would leave me back where I started.

I also didn't like having to pay for fills/unfills out of pocket. My ins doesn't cover that, so I would have to spend a lot of money trying to find "the sweet spot".

I had the vsg & am very happy with my choice. It reminds me of the kind of surgery that the lap band promises, but often doesn't deliver.

Look into all your choices & pick what's best for you. Oh & run very far away from the guy who just recommends the lap band., or really any 1 surgery over another unless of course it's relevant to your medical condition, i.e extreme gerd. My surgeon performs lap bands, but didn't push any 1 surgery on me. He just gave me the info & the pros & cons of each & let me decide which one to go for.

Good Luck in whatever you choose to do.

Hey,

so I had my lapband when i was 30. I started at 290. My lowest weight was 145. I maintained my weight at 180-190 for years. In the 10 years I had my band I don't think I ever quite learned how to use it. It was easy to manipulate with the adjustments. For years it was too tight so I developed GERD. I didn't pay attention and frankly lived with because I was at my goal weight. Last October my gerd got so bad I ended up in the emergency room. My esophagus was dialated severely . I had a revision a week ago to GB. My experience with the band is mixed. It worked for me but not the way it was intended to. If I had to do it over agin I would go straight for the gastric bypass

Seriously take the time to study all the WLS.  No matter which one you get you will have to change the way you eat and exercise for the rest of your life.  Your BMI is very high so take that into consideration when choosing.  Have you tried a good healthy Weight loss program - at your age, that would be my choice for you.  To really try your best.  At your age, you'd be amazed at how you can feel losing some weight.  You would gain a lot of energy and maybe the momentum to give it your best shot at a healthy active lifestyle that CAN last your lifetime.

P.S. gastric bands suck - especially long-term.  Truly!

Best,

L.

Hi!  I am now 36 but I got my band when I was 27, I have had issue, and ups and downs but overall kept off the 100lbs or so.  I had two children with the band and did not have any complications.

I will say it is not for everyone, and you can do some serious harm to your body if you push your eating it can really damage the band, placement and other organs.  There are also  a whole set of people in my opinion just dont do well with foreign objects in their body so thier body reacts differently (not in good ways).

I would also be real with yourself, ask the most frank close person you know to be honest about what and how you eat. If you are a junk food eater this is not for you.  I like most love junk food but for the most part had good habits but ate way too much, volume wise.  Plus you need to really come to grips with the fact that you will never be able to eat normally, basically you will be on a forever diet, one that is much easier to stick to but I still fight like hell each day!

Feel free to PM me and we can talk more.

I'm not in your age group but I did start my WLS with the lap band.  It worked real good at first I lost about 60lbs but then the weight loss stopped and the pain started.  I went to the E.R many times but they kept telling me there was nothing wrong with my band, now these were not trained WLS doctors but you would think they had eyes and could see the band was either in the right place or not. I delt with this for a few yrs. I stopped going to the E.R as I thought the doctors thought it was all in my head. Well, I finally found an AMAZING WLS doctor and went to see him as my doctor no longer was in this feild. My new doctor did all fills under X-Ray, so I went in and started the barrium (SP), my doc said oh this doesn't look good "see this, this is your lapband, see this? this is the barrium."  I said shouldn't the barrium be on the other side? Yep, I think your band has erroded, was my answer.  They scheduled me for a scope to see how much had erroded.  I was having surgery shortly after to remove the lap band that had more than 50% erroded into my stomach.  After surgery the real situation hit. I ended up with 3 infections, 1 in my stomach cavity which they had to drain and another one in 2 of my incisions.  For the next 3 months my husband played doctor every 12 hrs cleaning and packing my incisions because now they had to heal from the inside out (talk about pain).  I do not wish what I went through on anyone nor do I ever recommend having the lapband. I know some people say they have done very well but NOONE I personally know who has had the lapband has succeeded and none of us still have the band except for my mom, who is fighting to have hers removed but since at this point it isn't a necessity (she only can't eat without vomiting) the insurance is not willing to pay to have it removed.   I have since recovering and having to wait a little over a yr for a full recovery have now had RNY and I am happy to say I am a lower weight after only 5 months than I ever was after lapband surgery.  I am so glad I made the right choice the second time around I just wish I didn't have to go through all the pain I did with the mistake I made.  :) Good Luck with what ever you decide but please make sure you really take time to understand all the surgeries available to you!

Melissa