Hi Stacy! HisLady is right. Do the research. I had a band put in jan 2007 and lost over 270 lbs. I finally had it removed this past June.  I spent the better part of those 7 years  in the bathroom throwing up, i've seen times when i couldn't even hold down water. Towards the end i didn't wan to lose anymore weight but I could't stop. I had a hard time getting support for fills and defills because i had my surgery out of town. I was vitamin and protein deficient.  I looked like an anorexic chicken. i have put on almost all the weight i had lost, even when i still had the band in.  I thought it was safer then the bypass and i told myself that at least i wasn't permanently altering the way God had created me.  I have no met many people who had great results with their bands. Also, anytime i felt the slightest bit of stress, i could not hold food down. I've had to pull over on the side of the road so many times. Honestly, it seems so harmless, but your internal organs suffer greatly. I would make a list of the pros and cons of each surgery, and i think the results will speak for themselves.  Pray for guidance in your decision, it's also not about pleasing your husband and your son, it's medical decision. My surgery is Jan 16, 2015 and i am looking forward and moving on from that nasty band... it took me many months to heal from the internal bruising. The band was actually growing into me.  Seek sound medical advice, your family mean well, and if they hear the actual truth about the band, they would most likely not want you to go that route. Be blessed!

Millie

Please I beg you to not have either type of band done it is NOT at all safe or non invasive. It is in truth terribly dangerous and nearly always has to be removed because of the damage it causes. We were and still are being lied to about the safety of this product because the manufacturer only cares about money not the safety of the people who fall victim to theirs sales tactics.

 My self I had one put in 7 years ago and finally had to get it out in Feb because of the pain it was causing. I will have to pay for the removal because it is not covered by my insurance. So you know it had to be horrible pain for me to go that route. I am still in constant pain from an ulcer that won't heal because of all the stomach acid the band caused. I also lost only about 20 lbs in the whole 7 years so not even worth the surgery in the first place. My story is so common you wouldn't believe. Go to Facebook and look for failed lap bands and see what they have to say, I am far from being the only one.

The lap band has been proven to be ineffective for weight loss, it is the least effective of all the 4 main surgery types. Yes there are some that lose huge amounts of weight and keep it off but they are the exception rather than the rule. Statistics show that only 50% of people lose any weight at all with bands and even the Mayo Clinic won't put them in anymore because they are so bad. That alone tells you how bad they are, many, many surgeons will no longer even put them in because they cause so much damage. I know of people who have lost their entire stomach because of the damage the lap band does. They are far more dangerous than the more invasive surgeries because the damage sneaks up on people and they don't know about it until it's already done damage.

Please look at one of the other surgeries, one really good one is the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) where they remove 80% of the stomach and the part they remove contains the area that causes hunger. So that reduces the amount of hunger you feel and it is the stretchy part of the stomach so it is less likely to restretch and allow you to eat more. You lose more slowly than with the RNY or DS which have malabsorbtion to them where you don't absorb certain parts of the food. The VSG has been done as a cancer and ulcer surgery since the 1940's so is a very well known and fairly safe surgery (all surgeries have dangers).

What you need to do is read here on OH about what each of the different surgeries involves and then make an informed choice when you know about each surgery but the lap band and realize bands are not a good choice for anyone especially if you have more than 50 lbs to lose, they just don't work. I wish you best just take your time and study all the surgeries. They all require diet and excersize and most of all a total lifestyle change, they aren't a magic cure and they don't change your brain so don't expect a magic cure.

Hello everyone I am Kathy, but everyone calls me Kat.  I am new to this forum and looking forward to getting to know you guys more. I am glad to have a place for christian support through this process.

Hope you all are having a super GREAT week!!!!  Kat

 Everything to me......

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone knows of a good daily devotions or bible study for post surgery folks? I am 11 days post op VSG and anticipate some challenges emotionally and mentally.

Thanks!

Kim