OK so I have talked to many different people on here that have had the Lap Band!! Most if not all have had good things to say about it.... I want to know if someone has had bad problems or REALLY BAD problems with the Lap Band and if so how long and what was the issues??

I'm sure a lot have seen I'm looking into the Lap Band I'm just trying to find out as much as I can from Real people and not just info out of books...  I hope everyone has had a Happy Hump Day!!!  One more day closer to FRIDAY! WooHoo!


Thanks Jennifer

You can start with the fact that the chance of "success"--which is defined as losing HALF of your excess weight...so if you weigh say 300 pounds and should weigh 150 and need to lose 150..."success" is defined as getting down to 225...and still being 75 pounds overweight....even THAT level of success is seldom reached and maintained for those with a BMI of 46 or higher.

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

www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289%2808%2900747-8/abstract

I am one of the luckier ones on here. Although my band does not work and is completely USELESS..........at least it is not causing me pain as it does for many bandsters on here. Some even continue to have pain AFTER their band is removed. Very sad!

I would stongly suggest you go to the revision forum and read about how many ppl are revising FROM the CRAP-BAND! Also it would be helpful for you to go read on the failed Lap-Band forum.

 Here is my story - 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4419810/I-have-bee n-reluctant-to-share-but-here-I-am/#36528040

 Also, you can check the revision board and the failed surgery board  - 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/a,messageboard/board_id,5360/
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/failed_wls_second_time_aro und/

Hello

I have lost a total of 152 lbs.  I consider myself lucky.  When I started I had a BMI of 54.  I now have a BMI of 31. 

Now if you ask me if my Band was behind the success I would tell you NO.  Why???  Because up until last year I was a complete failure at the band.  I didn't start to lose weight till I totally threw myself into an exercise program.  I exercise 9 hours a week.  I say that is the reason I lost the weight.  Now would I want to get rid of my Band...Hell No!!!  Because my band keeps me from pigging out.  It helps me control my volume.  I was always a volume eater.  It was nothing for me to polish off a package of cookies in one sitting.  Now I can't do that.  I have no doubt that without this band I would go back to bad habits.  So my band does help me curb my appetite but it doesn't help me eat the right foods. 

If you ask me it does more to help me maintain my weight than lose the weight....which believe me I am internally thankful and would never ever want to lose this Band.  My life today is so much better than it ever was before.  I would never want to go back to the old me ever again.  So to that I thank the Band for helping me maintain what I worked so hard for.

I agree with Cmagouirk on this.

With any WLS it comes right back down to eating right, eating the right portions and exercising .

I can sit here all day long and eat Ice Cream, chips, cakes , and so forth and trust me the last six weeks I have been no angel during this and its very easy to do this .  You can do this with any WLS if you want them items bad enough nothing is going to stop you from eating them foods.

The band dont chose the foods for me, the band dont make me get up and exercise.  I still have to do all them things for me to lose weight.   Its a diet just like we did before we got the WLS done .  Now, I just have a easier time watching my portions.

Alot of people go into thinking oh I get WLS done the weight is just going to come off and I dont have to do a damn thing, I can still eat what I want and let me tell you if you go into thinking that then you are going into that operating room already a failure because you will fail. No ands ifs for buts on that one .

For the rest of my life I will have to watch my portions, watch how many carbs I eat, exercise, dont eat so many bad foods its for life not just till I lose my weight.  Once again this is with any surgery you have .

I know people with every type of surgery out there expect for the DS nobody does that surgery around my area.   I  know a person in my support group that lost over 200 pounds in two yrs with the band and he did this without a single fill !!! I know people with the lap band that just plain out refused to change their eating habits and they have lost no weight.  I know people with gastric that have lost all their weight and in turn I know people that has put on all their weight plus some . Same thing with the sleeve.

Each surgery you get no matter if its the band, gastric, sleeve , you have to be ready to make the choices in good foods, exercise and y ou have to be ready to do this for life .  You do those things you will be a success.

.

We must have been writing at the same time! K

I am 6 years out and lost 100 pounds.  Since I have broken my hip and and one other surgery I have gained  about 30 pounds back.  It is my own fault.  I am making really bad choices and not exercising.I needs a boot to get back on track.  I only know if I didn't have the and I would be 500 pounds by now.  It does stop me from eating to much.  It is the ice cream and cookies!!!!

The band was the only choice for me the by pass just was to extreme for me.

Good luck.

You can find good things and bad things about any WLS procedure, diet, book or movie. Any WLS procedure is a TOOL but you still have to do the work. I've had my band for almost 4 years. I have had GERD, a port leak, my port detaching, weight gain and a difficult gall bladder attack and surgery. I WOULD NOT GET RID OF MY BAND UNLESS UNDER MAJOR DURESS. Because, see, I've finally started to figure out how it works with the help of Jean McMillan's Book, Bandwagon (its often advertised on this site). I still have to work. I still have to make good food choices, change my lifestyle, exercise. I still have to fight the times my head says, "I'm hungry" when my body says I am not.

One of the reasons I chose the band is because you need to follow up with the doc. I need that accountability and follow up. One reason I've seen why people don't succeed at WLS, Chemical Dependency treatment, Weigh****chers or anything is because they don't do the follow up care- that is vital.

I've read of some of the scary unfortunate things posted here about the band. I've had my share of difficulties with the Band. Nothing is easy in the fight of obesity. I suggest you talk with your bariatric nurse and surgeon. Unfortunately, studies have shown that there is NO good way to predict which procedure is best for a person. I defy the stats because I have lost more weight in year 3 than in year 1. Its because I've had more understanding and commitment then I've had before.

As I write this its Thursday- We're almost there to a long weekend!
K