Very IMPORTANT FACTS about the Lap Band

The lap band is the ONLY weight loss surgery where:

Each patient DECIDES on HOW TIGHT THEIR RESTRICTION IS.

Each patient DECIDES on WHEN to get their FILLS or UNFILLS, they are in the driver seat NOT the surgeon.

The lap band REQUIRES HEALING, it is A FOREIGN DEVICE, MOST SURGEONS and insurance companies REQUIRE PRE OP DIETS TO SEE IF YOU HAVE SOME WILL POWER and of course to help shrink your liver in some cases, you MUST HAVE WILL POWER NOT TO EAT SOLID FOOD to ALLOW YOUR BAND TO HEAL during the FIRST 6 WEEKS, if your BAND DOES NOT HEAL AND SIT RIGHT YOU CAN KISS YOUR SWEET SPOT and a good banded LIFE GOODBYE.

If you are PRONE TO VOMITING PLEASE ask your surgeon for ANTI NAUSEA'S MEDS, IF YOU VOMIT BEFORE 1-8 WEEKS POST OP YOUR BAND IS AT RISK FOR NEVER EVER WORKING PROPERLY....HENCE YOU MAY NOT NEVER FIND YOUR SWEET SPOT or you may suffer problems other people many not experience. Avoiding VOMITING in your first year is very important also if you can, THE FIRST YEAR your band is STILL healing and forming scar tissue......so you have to be extra careful.

Getting a FILL BEFORE 6 weeks is like committing lap band suicide.....I have seen several post where people are very happy to get a fill at 4 weeks and even at 2-3 weeks post op...if you are PRE OP and still investigating lap band surgery and if your surgeon says he/she will give you your FIRST FILL BEFORE 6 WEEKS YOU NEED TO RUN AND RUN FAST.....there are also studies where there is a correlation between early filling the band and late lap band complications.

Edited to add: lap band complication study...
http://www.freewebs.com/tj69band/11.H.Spivak.pdf

Lap Band Complication conclusion from the article:

Conclusion
Complications associated with the LAP-BAND, as placed using recently described surgical approaches, appear to be no greater than those of other surgical procedures for the treatment of obesity. When problems do occur, they are rarely life threatening if managed correctly. Surgeons cannot completely avoid complications, but if the procedure is performed correctly and follow-up is optimal, one can expect a relatively low morbidity rate.

What you can do at 3 years post op is different than what you can do in your first year, once your band is fully healed your band probably CAN withstand a tight fill under pressure since it is secure as long as there is no daily repeated vomiting.

Of course there will always be cases where the surgeon install the band wrong, this is where you do YOUR RESEARCH and ideally find a surgeon that ONLY DOES LAP BANDS or is a Center of Excellent, there are still no guarantee even with that, but your chances are a lot higher if you do your homework and research before getting the band installed to greater your chance of getting your band installed properly.

I did not get or need my first fill until 4 months post op, since I USED MY BAND as A TOOL, and exercised daily and I was not heavily depended on the band and I was losing weight.

I lost weight rapidly and also needed a lot of fills since due to the fat pad around my stomach shrinking as I lost weight, back in 2005, my surgeon was new to banding, but was trained by the best and had great credentials and is now part of the Center of Excellent with a very low revision rate, there was a lot of going back and forth with fills since I did not like to be too tight, I got a lot of fills and required unfills, but I have since changed surgeons to a BAND ONLY SURGEON.

In 2006 I got a fill where I learned I was too tight and was en-route on a long vacation driving, my band got tighter and tighter while I was in Florida and when I got back to see my surgeon I was so irritated and frothing at the mouth and had weakness and chest pains and extreme burning -- IT HURT LIKE HELL and felt like a torch was lit to my stomach, so I KNOW how it feels TO EXPERIENCE BAND PROBLEMS...this caused a slight pouch dilation ..

Yes I suffered a mild pouch dilation -- a prelude to a slip over 5 years ago -- but it did not require hospitalization since it was caught in time and my surgeon ordered an Upper GI and seen where my pouch was larger and he immediately emptied my band.

I was also put on medication and after 6 weeks of being unfilled my surgeon slowly began to fill by band each month, this also was part of why I've had so many fills. I was finally able to get my band back to working properly and able to obtain my sweet spot and I have never had any more band problems so far.

Now if I did not have access to my surgeon to get my band emptied asap and heal, I am sure I would have been a lap band statistics as well, and I am SURE if I did not allow my band to heal post op, my band probably would have been very easily to slip, and every since that incident I have NEVER kept my band too tight on purpose.

Of course there will always be other types of problems with the band such as mechanical failure and port issues those are the risks you take with the band and ALL SURGERIES have risks, every person is different and have different medical issues some people are just not candidates for the band, their stomach tissues are weaker, some people are diabetics and prone to infections, the band will just not work for everyone, but if you follow the most IMPORTANT RULES you lessen your chance of complications.

I am still thankful for my band and health, I know others who had the bypass and had many problems, unfortunately their problems required hospitalization, some loss jobs from chronic illness and repeated hospitalizations, I am going on 7 years post op and I've never had any chronic illness with my band, it was always easily fixed, at least for me, being too tight has been the only problem I've had with my band so far.


Have a great weekend.

Congrats to you on being 7 years out with little complications!

I am not sure what you mean by no solid foods for 6 weeks? I was able to eat soft solids after only one week of liquids then solid foods by week 3. The only solids I could not eat until week 6 were raw veggies, salad, etc. 
I do however have a long list of foods my surgeon says to NEVER eat for the rest of the time you have your band to avoid complications. The main culprits being white bread, popcorn, soda, and beer...to name a few.

I agree that no surgery goes with out risks and if you have a good dr, they will be honest about that. I had to take a test of my knowledge of complications before surgery. Doesn't mean it will happen, but anything is possible. 

 I also agree about the fills, I am new to banded life, but it has been 9 weeks and no fill yet. Dr. office said that you are still healing at this time and to not rush the fills, but they would do one if I wanted to, but I chose to wait. 

 Anyway, feel like I am just rambling, lol! Thanks for sharing!

I posted a lap band guide in another thread on this board, here is the guide again, below are are some of the recommendations. Good luck!

http://www.laplose.com/Media/Forms/LapBandDietGuideNew.pdf

For the first six weeks you will be restricted to a liquid/soft diet. You will be unable to meet your protein requirements through eating familiar protein sources such as meat. It will be essential that you rely on other sources for protein example milk, yogurt and protein shakes. Below is a list of some of the available protein supplements that are high in protein and also low in sugar. These supplements will be a significant part of your diet during the first 6 weeks after surgery, and potentially for the 10 day liquid pre-op diet. Before buying large cans, we suggest that you obtain samples and test taste them first. A lot of protein shakes do not taste good.

During the first three weeks scar forms around your band. The first three weeks are the most critical and that is why we restrict you to a liquid diet or the “straw test dietÂÂ". During the straw test diet you are restricted to foods that can be sipped through a straw only. If you are unable to sip what you prepared thru a straw you should not be having it. Blender is very helpful. Use chicken broth to liquefy food, and apple juice to liquefy fruits.

During the second three week period the scar matures and strengthens. You will be allowed soft foods or foods that do not require chewing to be swallowed, the “no chew test dietÂÂ". An example of such foods would be mashed potatoes, well ground chili, runny scrambled eggs – foods that you can simply swallow without having to chew them. We encourage eating and drinking at this time to help the food pass by the band as easily as possible.