Tell me the pros and cons of lap band

I'm thinking about the surgery, have heard good things and bad things...do you have to have fills for the rest of your life?

Seeker,

For me the pros for the lap band were simply that (at the time) it didnt seem like the most extreme surgery.  I was having severe problems with my diabetes and decided that I needed to lose some weight.  I had heard of the lap band and decided to check into it.  My only experience with WLS before that, my mother had the old Stomache Staple Surgery back in the 70's and it was awful.  She had nothing but problems and I knew I didnt want to surgically alter my stomach.  Yes, I know the lap band will alter my stomache but at the time didnt seem as extreme.  I have lost a lot of weight and my diabetes in under control.  I always had problems with portion control and the lap band controls my portions whether I want it to or not LOL!  I have been fortunate enough to not have the restriction, no restriction problem.  I have been too tight, but a slight unfill has fixed it.  There are quite a few cons that vary from person to person.  Me personally, there are days I wish I had never had it done simply because I get tired of it.  But for the most part, I am quite thankful for the changes it has made in my life.

Theresa

Most people do have to have fills. However, I've noticed that a lot of band complications pop up around the 2-3 year mark. I had mine done in '02 and had to have several "corrective" surgeries (they didn't help.) I had severe damage to my diaphragm which caused chronic and intense referred left shoulder pain. (Also a common side effect with banding. The band irritates the diaphragm, causing the pain to refer to the left side shoulder.)

I had to have the band removed, but I still have the damage it caused.
It's not "safer" or "less invasive." 
It's removable, not reversible.

It works for some people, but the majority have problems ranging from no restriction to severe damage.  I am NOT a proponent of the lapband. I think it's a dangerous device, not only from my own experience with it, but the dozens of people I've known personally who have also had less than stellar experiences with it. 

I still have left shoulder pain, on average, about 3 times a week. I have a hiatal hernia, gastritis, and ulcers caused by the band. The diaphragmatic damage takes a loooooong time to heal. If I do an intense workout, I have pain. And if I irritate my diaphragm, I also hiccup and sneeze for hours and hours at a time, nonstop. I've passed out more times than I can count from this.

There are SO many things to take into consideration. I'm not saying that what happened to me will happen to you, but it DOES happen. I never in a million years would have been able to foresee the unfortunate consequences of choosing the lapband. All I can do is share my experience in the hopes it will help someone else avoid the same.

Good luck to you. I hope you research like crazy and make the best decision possible for yourself.

I fart in your general direction!

Oh, Lord. Brock!  

I'm a grown up now. It happened last week!  I no longer quote from classic movies such as "The Holy Grail," or "The Big Lebowski," dude.  Seriously, you won't hear me say, "Ridden?! On a horse?!" everrrrrrr agaaaaaain. It's very sad, no?

NEE!

So no references to  the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers?

Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey.

Don't use big words on the shabbos.

SHOMER SHABBOS!

I converted when I married Cynthia!

I haven’t been on this board much lately. I stopped in today and saw your post and thought I would reply. I am over 3 years out of surgery. I lost about 90 pounds and have been at the same weight for the past 18 months. The pros for me are a minimally evasive surgery and a tool that keeps me from overeating and controls my hunger. The cons are that it takes more commitment than RNY to be successful and you can eat around the band: i.e. high calorie, high sugar and high fat foods with no or very little consequences.

Here’s my perspective on WLS. All of the surgeries can be successful or not. It depends on YOUR commitment to make your surgery a success. Is one better than the other? Again, it depends on your lifestyle. It sounds like you are weighing the options. That’s the right thing to do. WLS is not a magic bullet. You will see this quote lot in these forums, “It’s only a tool. As with any tool, it’s how you use it that determines its value."

I attend my local WLS suport group. I've seen successs and failure on all surgery types. My observation about failures is that peope blame the surgery and not themselves. They lament if they only had the other surgery life woudl be great! Success starts with the person and the person owning that success or failure.

In terms of fills, I have not had a fill or unfill for the past 15 months. Prior to that I maybe had 6 fills total over 18 months and aavery small unfill once. I am at 8 cc in a 14cc band. I see no need for a fill in the forseeable future.

I think I am a successful Lapband patient. I dramatically altered my life and become much more active. My diet is definitely changed also. Now, WLS gave me the push to make these changes. I made a commitment to myself to be healthy and happy guy. I knew that a silicon band alone could not do that. So, my best advice that I can give you is to look inward to yourself and commit to make these life changes in diet, exercise, and metal state. You will find your surgery will be successful with this foundation laid.
  Tom