Lap-Band...Is this the way to go?

I believe you may have me confused with someone else.

I started at 385.  383 day of surgery.

I lost 20 lbs in the first 6 to 7 weeks after banding.  By 7 months out I had lost 100.  The only exercise I did during the first 7 months was walking.

It was after I got to about 285 that I started going to the gym.  And I only started there because we had a week of rain and I got tired of walking and getting wet.  So I bought a weeks membership at a time and used their treadmill (also my dogs hate walking in the rain).

I will admit that I now do go to the gym daily and participate in many of the classes offered, but I lost a LOT  with only walking.  

So, my 200 lb loss is not just due to exercise in the 2nd (and 3rd) year.  I've lost consistently (except for a 3 month stall.. where I was losing inches) all this time.

I am trying very very hard to take the high ground and not respond with the frustration I feel at your seeming denigration of my achievement.

Now off to make a cup of tea and not eat my anger.  :)

I'm sorry about that Lisa! I did have your post confused with another one apparently. I stand corrected!

 Apology accepted.  :)

I'd agree that I've seen alot of harsh criticism directed to those posting negative things about their bands.  Not all, but some bandsters, especially those who have yet to experience issues are quick to criticize the person and not the band.  Granted sometimes it is the person abusing the band, but it can also be the band so I remain open to the possibilities.

I got my band in May 2001 and only just this month had it removed and revised to RNY.  I'm so thankful that the band is out of me.

I personally loved my band for about the first 7-8 years. because I hadn't experienced issues with it. I talked the proedure up to anyone that was considering WLS.  Now, after having experiencing my own horrific problems with the band, I remain a little more emphathatic towards those having issues with it. 

Do your research and then weigh the pros and cons to determine which procedure is best for you.  

Good luck.


 

Well I am going on my sixth year with my first band. So my band has been very successful. I have lost 140 pounds and I have kept it off. I have not exercised 10 hours a day. I am very pleased with my band and thank the Lord everyday for it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. But I have not kept my band tight and I have used my band as it was meant to be used. As a tool. I did not get this band for a quick fix. The Lap Band is a TOOL and you have to use it as a TOOL.

~The Lap Band is a TOOL and you have to use it as a TOOL.~

No. You are WRONG! The band is a "tool" for SOME. MANY of us get NO "tool" at all! A screw driver is a tool also..........but it the plastic handle part of it just turns and the metal part of it stays still when you are tryint go use your screw driver than it's like having NO tool at all! GET IT?!

You have been blessed. And I am glad you have. You yourself have to admit...........YOU ARE ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES! You know full well that most bandsters that got their bands the same time u got yours do NOT have them now! And you know of the few that do, that most have had to have at least a 2nd surgery. You also know that some that have been able to keep a band 5 years out have lost no significant amount of weight. YOU ARE LUCKY! So appreciate the LUCK that you have had with your band and don't lecture those of us with failed bands telling us about that awesome "tool" that it supposedly is!

~I did not get this band for a quick fix.~

I wanted to address that statement as well. I did not expect a "quick fix" and I resent the implications that that is why I am unhappy with the band. I knew weight loss was expected to be slower and also harder to lose than with the other WLS's so that did not concern me. I chose the band b/c I fell for that "least invasive" B.S., so haveing slower weight loss and working harder for it I thought was a fair trade for a WLS that I at the time believed to be "least invasive".

There are far too many of us out there with failed bands. We are not so stupid that we thought it was a "quick fix", "magic bullet", or "miracle" as many of the band cheerleaders claim! If I believe you that your band worked, why is it you have a problem believing that mine did NOT work??? What would I possibly have to gain by coming on this forum and getting BASHED by telling ppl that my band failed?!?!?!

Well I am happy with my band I am sorry you two had bad luck, I don't come on this forum much at all because of this very reason. No I don't know people that had the band the same time I did don't have their band. No I don't know if they have had more than one surgery. I was not bashing no body. I was making a statement. I am so sorry you have had bad luck but there are a lot of us out there that have had good luck. If the band was as bad as all you people state they would have taken it off the market and I have not seen a recall. If you don't like your band get it taken out. But I have seen a lot of the other WLS fail. Lets face it. I wish none of us had to get WLS but we had to. I love my band and I have had good luck and I thank God everyday. But I am not going to feel bad about my success. I have worked very hard, I have not just depended on my band. I have learned to change my eating habits and have learned to eat food that is good for me instead of the bad food that made me fat. So If I ruffled feathers I am sorry.

 Okay here's my new way of looking at WLS

Follow all Dr's insturctions and you will lose weight reguardless of which surgery you have.  EXCEPT if the devise that is wrapped around your organ has a problem then you will need a revision.

In my personal journey I had the band 4 years and revised to sleeve almost a year ago.

They are night and day.

Everyone should get the surgery they feel most comfortable with.  Had I seen all the unhappy people with a band or understood I might NEED to be removed for health reasons I would have made a different first choice.

Happy now and life is great.  Everything is a learning experinece if it doesn't kill you........

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

I personally wouldn't recommend the band to anyone, I regret daily the failure of my band to help me lose weight. I lost 40 lbs the first year and that was it! Then I gained about 10 lbs over the next 2 years. I'm now losing agin but it is because of a medication I have to take for my lungs. Thank goodness it has helped me lose almost as much as the band did because it takes away my appetite completely. It is the slowest and least effective of the surgeries and honestly unless you are a huge volume eater I don't think it works. I would go with the sleeve if I had the opportunity, I hear nothing but good about it.