Were you honestly Mislead about the Lap-Band?

I am curious, when you did your research about the band, did you honestly know that it does NOT induce weight loss? Did you know the lap band was just an alternative for those who do not want to get their inside rearranged or most of their stomach removed?

Did you know if you want to lose weight with the band you will have to do the EXACT SAME thing you do with a traditional diet? AKA...watch your carbs, limit your food intake and exercise.

The only thing the lap band does is help with portion control to about 1 cup of solid food, even when PROPERLY RESTRICTED, you STILL MUST STOP EATING ON YOUR OWN, the band WILL NOT DO THIS, IT ONLY HELPS YOU STOP EATING and NOTHING ELSE. Some people will argue... why get the band if it does not stop you from eating? Well for those who use it properly it does help dim the appetite and helps with portion control and that HELP MANY people lose weight.

You CANNOT safely get the band SO TIGHT until it slips or damage your esophagus, it is SO MUCH THE BAND CAN DO, it cannot and will never stop us from eating. When veteran bansters used to warn you about being too tight a few years ago, and how to work the band, DID YOU LISTEN?

The Gastric bypass is DESIGNED FOR people that have MORE serious eating disorders and/or need to lose weight quickly with the help of malabsorption, if YOU CANNOT DIET and exercise, PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF grief  and DO NOT GET THE BAND.

But you also NEED TO KNOW, that even with the Gastric Bypass and Sleeve they are NOT MAGIC WANDS either, you will STILL have watch your carbs and exercise for long lasting results and getting to goal.

If I lost my band TODAY would I be disappointed? Yes, would I blame someone else? NO, would I revise to the Sleeve or Gastric Bypass.,  NO, I did not want my stomach cut into 6 years ago and STILL do NOT want it cut into today, I am NOT a FLIP FLOPPER constantly looking for an easy way of losing weight, does that mean the Sleeve or RNY is NOT the right choice for someone else? NO....I respect others who get other weight loss surgeries and I expect them to respect my choice as well.

When did having to get a revision surgery become 'stylish'? If you are looking for a weight loss surgery to stop you from eating cookies and exercsie for you..you will be waiting a LONG LONG TIME....

My doc told me if I thought the weight would just drop off with the band then I'm in for a huge disappointment in my band.

I was told I would have to do the same thing as before I got the band.  Watch what I eat, I have to exercise and drink my water.  I was told if I dont do them three things then I probably wont be successful at this.

I was told everything you was told Nana.

The band is the slowest out there.   I was also told if you expect the band to suddenly tell you to stop eating then you are in for a huge surprise .  I can eat all day long if I want to the band dont stop me from eating it still has to be me that stops myself from eating. It still has to be me that says no to the potato chips and the candy the band does not staple my mouth shut when I pick up them foods .

I would hope any good lap band doctor would tell any of his patients this before the surgery , and the patient themselves ask questions.

I went in every week with questions . 

Steerfan, I honestly think those who have a good support system and aftercare, their surgeons are UPFRONT and tell you point blank the band IS A TOOL, so is RNY and the Sleeve, THEY ARE NOT MAGIC WANDS. The just work differently.

I was told the the malabsorption with RNY would help me lose weight quickly and it would absorb some of my calories IN THE FIRST 18 MONTHS ONLY, and the dumping would DETER me from cookies and candy since there is a "torture" mechanism built into RNY for most people, not all dump. RNY is still a TOOL ONLY just like the lap band but again, it has a torture mechanism to help keep people on track and NOT A MAGIC WAND.

With the Sleeve you may lose a bit quicker too because I hear MOST people have a VERY HARD recovery from getting most of their stomach removed...hence they lose weight quicker than the band also and most lose their appetite and many are nauseated for the first few months and can't really eat, so that in itself will cause weight loss with many....BUT the lap band does not have any torture mechanisms, it does not make us sick unless we get it dangerously too tight, but, we have to be more disciplined with the band than any other weight loss surgery and MANY PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS FULLY when they are getting the band.

My surgeon told me UPFRONT that the band WILL NOT induce weight loss, it will be slower because I WOULD BE DOING MOST OF THE WORK, the band would just assit me in my weight loss efforts. But MANY people get the band and USE IT AS A INVASIVE PROCEDURE.
 
I knew a girl band was so tight, she never ate solid for for a few years, she suffered band slippage and had to be hospitalized for dehydration and kidney failure....ONLY BECAUSE SHE KEPT her band too tight.  She said she did not have the "will power" to eat solid protein and veggies, so she kept her band so tight only to allow sips of protein drinks to go through slowly, YOU CANNOT use the band this way for long periods of time, it is NOT design for that and that is why you have so many unnecessarily complications, I am sure the Band manufacture is tired of this too.

the concept of the band made perfect sense to me.

i was a lightweight - exercise & eating right was never an issue - yeah, made perfect sense.

went to a great surgeon, was referred by a then 7yr & 1 month patient.    they are both still thrilled with their band.    it is my opinion my body rejected the band.   it really never felt right - and it's a very hard thing to explain.  i'm not talking about PB'ing, not be able to eat certain foods, or getting stuck.   from around the port area - into my chest, it always seemed like something was wrong.

and i'm a pesky perfectionist - so i saw my surgeon monthly the first 18 months - had tests done to see what i had been feeling.  still kept regular appts with my surgeon, even after getting to goal within 10 months.
it just didn't want to work.

i normally don't respond to your posts, because i don't share your thoughts that only theses XXXXXX 3 or 4 things are what makes a band slip or erode.   but i'm commenting to you today with regards to you final line.    having revision surgery becoming fashionable/stylish?

there is nothing fashionable about regain, having your lapband migrate into your liver & 3 months later still on medication to protect your liver from the damage done.  

i had revision surgery at the right time, the erosion was not detected on any single test - till i was opened up.   i had revision surgery to keep the excess weight off - the only thing fashionable about that is still being the size i am.  

Redbabe, I am sure many people bodies may reject the band, some people are not candidates for the band, I am sure some people stomach tissues are "softer than others and may be more prone to band migration, I am aware that these can happen -- FROM NO FAULT of the patient, and if they do happen I am sorry this type of complication happened to you, i wish no one complications...but MANY abuse it, and MANY are misled and MANY do not work their tools, so you have a combination of various issues with the band, it's not black and white.

When we sign the dotted line with our surgeon to allow them to perform weight loss surgery on us we take that RISK that complications CAN occur whi*****luded, band erosion, band slippage, esophageal dilation, and even death, these are the risks I WAS WILLING TO TAKE with the band, but I WAS NOT WILLING to take the risk with the Gastric Bypass.

it's not black and white.


and THAT i can agree with you on.


risk - they're there with every surgery & wow i'm agreeing with you twice today.   mark the date & time.

See. I think you are finally understading the REAL ME.

I don't think I was mislead. There was a huge focus on nutirition and exercise. they talked ALOT about changing lifestyles and the amount of determination it would take even with the band.

I think I got the real deal.

 (laughs) Yeah, I was told that I would lose slowly, and the OPPOSITE happened! I lost so fast I was terrified for a while.

 My surgeon actually told me that I shouldn't do the Lap-band and that other surgeries would be better..    But I had done my research and understood that that band is a TOOL and not a miracle device.    I'm absolutely happy I choose the Lapband because I learned how to exercies, limit food intake, etc...   All thething you listed above.

But at this point, I can tell you the #1 thing it is to me is a Limit food intaker device.  :)    

I've lost 260lbs and am definitely happy, that was my goal from day 1.   Now I'm working towards another 40lbs to fini**** all off.    

Was funny, I talked to my folks yesterday about what should I do in the future about my band, and it constantly comes back to the point of...  Leave it in till I die.    If I was to take it out, all my weight would be back within a year I'm sure of it.    Although, I am about 150% more active now, so who knows.

I have friends who have had the other procedures, and all I know is they all have issues and are constantly at the doctors office.  My dr office visits consist of yearly check-ups now, that is about it.