What about Lap Band people???

No regrets other than going through 4 years of fighting my insurance to try to get it done stateside before heading south of the border. I now realize that even if they had paid, I would have ended up owing close to what I paid to go to Mexico. Also my surgeon wouldn't have had close to the experience that Dr. Kuri did. I would do this again in a heartbeat! Laura

I will never regret my decision to have the lap band. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself. I had no complications whatsoever was out of the hospital the next morning and needed nothing more than tylenol for a few days for pain management. I now eat like a "normal" person. I can have anything I want, just not a lot of it. I have always said before banding that I felt like I needed the diet police in order to be able to stay on any diet. I now have the diet police permanently installed and love every minute of it. The fact is I no longer diet. Dieting doesn't work and making good food choices is very easy with my lap band. For the first time in my life I never feel deprived or "different" from those around me.

I sometimes regret getting it, but I know that's because I'm not very patient with post-op stuff. I'm one month out, and I want to be able to do EVERYTHING, and be able to have done it all yesterday! I'm also working on getting stable food-wise. I was on all liquids until a week ago. So yes, right now I sometimes regret having the surgery, but I anticipate that will change once I get to a place where my eating gets closer to normal (+ better choices and smaller portions that is), and when all the incision sites have healed enough that I can enjoy my new lower weight, etc. I think no matter what WLS you get, there's going to be a period of mourning food. We can still eat, but we're not going to be able to do 5 course dinners (unless they're REALLY small courses, grin). It's frustrating sometimes. Sometimes I'm very sad about having had the surgery. Like I said though, give me a few months, and I'll appreciate things a lot more. --Tiggy

Hi Sherry, I love my lapaband. I am 13 months out and I have lost 127 pounds so far. I should be at goal by Christmas. I am still losing steadily 5-7 pounds a month. No complications and I still enjoy my food. I eat pretty much everything I did before, just less of it. It is the least invasive of all the WLS options. I have lost 78% of all my excess weight so far and that is considered successful by all surgeons no matter what procedure they do. 37 more pounds to goal. Woohoo! Babs in TX 334/207/170 -127 6/23/03

My Band is my friend. Like another poster said, I do get impatient, and I do sometimes envy the quick loss of RNY patients, but shoot, that's human nature. I had good reasons for choosing the Band, and they still hold true today. In the interest of honesty, now, my Band journey has been a lot of hard work. I haven't lost one pound I didn't work for. I have been out a year and it is still a learning process for me. I work out faithfully even though I don't always look forward to it. I *kinda* measure my food to make sure I am getting the right portions. I work very hard for my success, but you know what? That's my journey; I own it and I am very proud of it. I needed to learn the lessons the Band has taught me. Had I had RNY and been able to "coast", I would not have learned anything, and very likely would have been a regain statistic. So, at the end of the day, I am very happy with my Band and my journey. Jeanie 7-16-03 327 highest 292/245.5/135

I ONLY regret that I did not get this band 10 years ago! I am afraid I have NOT been a model bandit. In fact in the past four months I have put about 15# back on. But I was doing IVF and getting all kinds of hormone shots and the stress was doing me in - but I am STILL down 51#. In the old pre-band days I would have EASILY put all 66# I had lost right back on - I honestly don't doubt that for a minute. I went in for an adjustment last week and am finally at my sweet spot and the weight will come right back off. Yes, I am kicking myself. Yes, the band is not perfect and you CAN defeat it if you really try. Does any of that make me regret it? NOT FOR ONE MINUTE! This is the healthiest I have been in a good decade. Before surgery I was borderline diabetic, borderline high blood pressure, borderline hypothyroid, and definitely on my way to some SEVERE health issues. As soon as the first 40 pounds dropped off (quite quickly and painlessly I might add) I was a new person. I have just recently had all my bloodwork done and my doctor is astounded at the rebound of my test results! For me the greatest thing about this band is that when I *AM* motivated to lose weight and take charge it is there to help me. And if I need a break from dieting I can take it (ie soft calories) and that is my choice and you have to own that choice to make this band work. Now my IVF treatment is over - no success, need to lose another 30 pounds before they will try again - I am motivated to get back on the diet wagon and behave. I love that my band is adjustable so after I have lost another 30-50 pounds I will probably have them take this fill out so I can eat more again and so I can just be normal. If I start to gain again I can just go back and have them fill it up again. That is something the RNY folks cannot do without surgery. I have rattled enough here. I hope my words can help someone else out there who is on the fence or having second thoughts about their own band. You have to own your choices to make the band a successful tool. And you have to be able to own up to when you mess up and not lay it all on the band. Don't let yourself get tied up on comparison dieting either, that seems to be the biggest single factor in band dissatisfaction from what I have seen. You lose as you lose and everybody is different. Don't beat yourself up that somebody else is losing twice as fast as you are, remember the story of the tortise and the hare! Kiera Banded by Dr. Cadiere on 28 April 2003 299 / 248 / 166 (highest weight was 322)

gotta agree with the ladies!! i love my band...dont regret it for a second, and i wish i had done it sooner! i had surgery on 5-18-04 and i am down...56 pds... started at a whopping 347-now 291...yipee.. like others have said, i do get envious of the quick weight loss of the rny..at times...but i love my new way of thinking now, i eat when im hungry and i make good decesions...not to say i dont get a craving for a rib or too at times..lol but, i would not change my band for the world... thnx aida

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to post because I had mine taken out. After about a month when I got my first fill it slipped and I couldn't eat any solid food. It got progressively worse. I ended up in the hospital with dehydration. the surgeon how did you a bunch of tests on me. they couldn't really find anything wrong so they took out my gallbladder. has given me chronic diarrhea for the past 4 years. at the end of the 3 months I was down to sprite I couldn't even keep water down. finally you had me do another barium swallow and he told me it did slip and he could fix it. I opted to have it taken out. the next day I was eating stea****pt the weight off for a couple of years since I met my husband and he did not like my low carb lifestyle. over the past 3 years I have gained 100 pounds. I am getting DS on Monday.