Lap Band for Extremely Morbid Obesity?

After my 6th bout of cellulitis in 3.5 years, 3 of which led to hospitalizations, and the last of which had me severely septic; I've made the decision to look into WLS. I have an appointment with my GP soon and intend to discuss it with her, but I'd appreciate any advice from those who've been through it.

I've heard that Lap Band is much safer than gastric bypass, with a lower mortality rate. I'm willing to accept risk because living as I am now is high enough risk as it is. But I would like to keep the risk as low as possible in regards to the actual surgery.

My question is this: has anyone with a B.M.I. of 80 had any success with Lap Band? Following my doctor's orders to the letter pre- and post-op, would having it generate significant weight loss or is gastric bypass the only option for someone as big as me?

Run, and do not walk, away from any surgeon who wants to give you a lap band. I hate lap bands, and they are inappropriate for people with high BMIs. I have seen more lap band revisions done than you might imagine.

The "best surgery" is relative. In terms of pure weight loss and comorbidity resolution, the duodenal switch is the absolute best for a BMI over 50. However, it requires diligence with supplementing which can also be expensive. It does have the best raw results, however.

Having said that, either the bypass or the sleeve gastrectomy are safer than the lap band long-term, in my opinion. The lab band port and band can move as they are implanted, and I have seen many people with complications. I did a WLS podcast with two of my friends, and one had the port actually flip around. She had horrid consequences from the lap band.

The mortality rate is negligible in the hands of a competent surgeon for even the DS, never mind the gastric bypass. Getting weight loss surgery has a lower risk of mortality than driving on the highway, statistically, in fact. A lot of that is in your hands - how well you do with pre and post-op instructions, particularly.

Forgot to add (it won't let me edit my post) that my surgery BMI was 78 (my highest BMI was 131 I think?) and I have lost ~150 since surgery and kept it off for two years. I have the VSG. I will be second staging to a lap DS. Even with your BMI there are surgeons who can operate on you safely and well.

So, I would definitely look at other options.

Can I ask how much did you weigh with a BMI of 131? In my head i thought it could not go over a 100( dumb i know) But wow you must have felt pretty sick, I feel now is the time for me to make changes as i can imagine the rise in weight happens so fast :)

I actually think at that time I was 720ish. My highest weight was over 750 (the scale at the time did not go that high - it was actually a laundry scale). My BMI is still quite high but is far less.

I survived trauma and developed a severe eating disorder in my case, so most people are fortunately not able to get that high!

The good thing is that it is never too late to change! And progress makes wonderful benefits in the right direction. We all get discouraged so it's sometimes hard to remember, at least for me, but there is always hope especially with support :)

No. Just no. Stay away from the lapband. Do more research to find the right surgery for you.

Find reputable bariatric surgeons in your area and go to their seminars. Find weight loss surgery support groups and ask questions. Read posts here and ask questions.

Good luck to you. I had RNY gastric bypass 9 years ago. It saved my life.

I HAD a Lap-Band. DO NOT even research it. It has quickly fallen out of favor due to it's many complications!

When I started my process a year ago, I asked about the lap band and my team, at a major university medical center said of the 600+ bariatric surgeries they do each year, they do 2 or 3 LapBands and try to avoid them. At this point, most of the LapBands they have done are being converted to VSG or RNY.

While your GP may be able to give you some input, given your other issues and high BMI, its really a question better suited for your surgeon.

Best of luck.

A resounding NO from me on the Lapband. That device has harmed SO many people... myself included. I had mine done in 2003... removed in 2005. It did more damage than I can possibly describe to you. It's a horrible thing to have done. It sounds decent in theory. But in reality, it's a torturous device. Don't harm yourself, please.

I'm so sorry you're going through cellulitis and having such health problems. Please do not compound your issues by having a Lap Band. Best of luck to you.

Have you looked into the DS?

Please go to the LapBand forum and read all the posts of unhappy people looking for revisions. Not sure where you heard it was safer?

The Cleveland Clinic doesn't even offer them anymore due to all the problems/complications -- and it was never recommended for those of us who start super morbidly obese.