Just curious.

All of the posts I have read so far on here are by folks with RNY.....


Just curious.


Flamingo

Well there are plenty of people with the VSG too, because I am one and I think I post often.  However, RubyEllen is going to get her lap band on 12/15 and she posts often as well so you wont be alone if you want to join us here.  We have a great little group here.  And we have so many different issues as oppossed to the lightweights that it transcends what surgery we had I think.  Welcome! 

No band here.  After reading the booklet my original surgeon gave me, I saw the stats on lapband for people with a BMI over 50.  I wasn't enough of a ****eyed optimist to think I'd be the one in 10 person with a BMI over 50 who would achieve a 75% loss of excess weight.  I had a duodenal switch instead.

I have lapband. I just had my port replaced last month. So, hopefully the weight loss will start now.

 No LapBand here...I researched all of the types of surgery - well the main 4 anyway and saw the stats for the best weight loss and keeping that weight off were with the Duodenal Switch.  So I researched some more and found the lifestyle was by far, for me, the best.  So after researching some more...it was the surgery I went with.

All this said, all people are welcome on this board.  But if you're pre-op and haven't researched all your options - please do before getting surgery.  If after the research you decide on the LapBand, then good for you for making an informed decision!!!!

Welcome - I don't post often but I do try to check in on the posts every day or so to see if I can help anywhere!

Hi everybody.  Thanks for the responses.

I have been researching WLS for almost 2 years.

I am happy with my decision to have lapband.  (surgery set for jan 6, 2010)   

I am a BIG WUSS.   Afraid of all the other surgeries.   I know that with the Lapband I will have to work  VERY hard, but I am prepared for that.

Anyway, it is GREAT to see some other people on here who don't start out weighing in at my goal weight  LOL

Looking forward to getting to know you all.


I live in OHIO, anyone else?

hey ther. i have the lapband i got it oct 19th. and its not easy i promise u. BUT its worth it. my bmi was 54 i think and its 51 now. which i think is pretty good. its rough for me but im working thru it please if u have any questions email me!!
and its not the band thats my problem. my husbands deployed so im juust having a hard time coping!! Congrat on ur decision!

I got the band on 11/6, I have lost 20 pounds since my surgery.  I like it.  If you go to the band board, you will see several who lost 100 pounds in a year with the band.  The band takes focus.  Every calorie you consume gets absorbed.  But it works.

Hey Flamingo,
Yep, I will be a bandster after this Tues. I like the idea of a little inflatable ring on my stomach. Every surgery has positives and negatives. I'm at peace with my decision and like my medical team.

We had local support group tonight. One lady lost 120 in a year. One guy lost 145 in 13 months. This is not usual; most folks do 60 or 70 lbs in their first year. Of course, they were kind of lightweights to begin with.

Saw the surgeon and got final clearance. I'm tootling along on my 5th day of liquids only. Days 1 to 3 were hard and it's not bad at all since then. I'm even over my caffeine addiction. I'm down to one decaf a day.

I bought Gas X, liquid Tylenol, and a bunch of SF pudding, healthy soups and broth today. I think I'm as ready as a person can be. Just need to get things done at WORK. UGH.

I sure wish Santa's elves would come clean my house, wrap my presents and decorate a little.....

 Unfortunately, THIS kind of information was not available when I got my LapBand.  Now it is.  The "tipping point" appears to be a BMI of 46.  

Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2009 May-Jun;5(3):310-6. Epub 2008 Oct 7.

Failure of adjustable gastric banding: starting BMI of 46 kg/m2 is a fulcrum of success and failure.

Snyder B, Scarborough T, Yu S, Wilson E.

Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.

BACKGROUND: To determine the body mass index (BMI) located at the fulcrum of success and failure in a prospective study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. On average, our patients whose percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) was >50% at 1 year had a significantly lower BMI than those with <30% EWL.
METHODS: We prospectively collected the weight loss data for 430 patients who had had an adjustable gastric band placed. We stratified the %EWL within 1 year for patients with a BMI of 30-59 kg/m2. A line was generated for the %EWL over time for BMI groups of 30-39, 40-49, and 50-59 kg/m(2) and compared with the average %EWL over time. The y-intercepts of the resulting four lines were graphed against the average BMI for each group.
RESULTS: The generated y-intercept line had an R2 of .9237. Using the equation of this line and the known y-intercept for the average, we solved for x, resulting in a BMI of 46 kg/m2. Patients with a BMI <46 kg/m2 had a 50% EWL at 1 year, and those with a BMI >46 kg/m2 had only a 33% EWL at 1 year. The %EWL between the groups was significantly different at all measured intervals (P <.0001).
CONCLUSION: A BMI of 46 kg/m2 identifies those at high risk of failure to lose a significant percentage of excess weight after adjustable gastric banding and *****quire closer follow-up. Furthermore, patients who have a BMI >46 kg/m2 should be advised that their weight loss might be suboptimal at 1 year.

PMID: 19136307 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



So with my starting weight of something near 300 pounds, this research would suggest that I could expect to lose about 50 pounds by the one year mark...I lost 60.  But that meant I was still MO.  I lived with that for another year, until I started having problems with my esophagus.  Then it was "soup and ice cream" for almost another year before I revised to the DS surgery. 

If you KNOW--both intellectually and emotionally--that even if you do all the right things, a year after surgery you will probably STILL be morbidly obese and are ready to live with that because you will weigh less than you do now...go for it.  But if you know--both intellectually and emotionally--that you REALLY need to get down to "overweight" or "normal," there are surgeries that are better.

I suspect that ALL of us who are heavier secretly think that WE will be the one to beat the odds...but odds don't work that way.  This explains the latest data:

www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASMBS/14954