Why the Band???

Mike-- another thing...

If you go through with the band, be sure to follow the guidelines.  There are foods (aka Slider Foods) that aren't restricted by your band at all, and those foods are the usually the ones loaded with calories, sugar and fats.  NO WLS in the world will help you lose weight,  long term or otherwise if you make crappy food choices.

I don't think it's possible to not have restriction, based on my experience.  I have just over 5cc in my 10cc band and I am very restricted, BUT I normally only eat foods that I know will cause me to feel restriction. 

My surgeon and his staff are the best.  I had a fill a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday, and I didn't feel like my restriction level had changed, so they got me in on the following Tuesday and adjusted the band a bit more.  Now I'm on cloud 9 with the amount of restriction I have!  To top it off, I'm a self pay patient, so they didn't even charge me for that visit because they took me seriously and realized they probably hadn't been as aggressive as they should have been. 

Had I been a bander that hadn't been consistently losing weight and/or  was constantly *****ing about not losing weight and not feeling restriction, they probably wouldn't have taken me so seriously.  But they know and I know I follow the guidelines--right down to taking my vitamins!  I'm a good patient and they're a great staff!!


Good luck!

~I don't think it's possible to not have restriction, based on my experience.~

I know you don't believe it, but there are THOUSANDS of us out there that have not. You have been extremely LUCKY. There are bandsters that have not gotten restriction until 1,2,or more recently I even saw one post that said she didn't get it until 3 yrs. out! There are so many more that NEVER get it! We have no reason to lie about this. What could we possibly gain by aying this??? We mention this b/c we need support also. And b/c we want pre-ops to know that even though their Drs. office has not disclosed this to them............that this is a very REAL possibility with the band.

I hope  your luck continues.

Now Maria, we have had this discussion before and you know I value every word you say--but I have never suggested that someone has lied about not getting restriction.  Heavens NO, I would never say that!  That's almost funny.  I just mean that in my personal experience I don't see how its possible--but I know there are lots of folks who never do.  I hate that for them because there is nothing easy about being banded.  

I appreciate the kind words--have a good week and try to stay out of trouble!! 

I try........but it just keeps finding me! Lol.

HAHAHAHAA Girl!  Its not much fun staying outta trouble anyways, so go on with yourself and have fun!!!

Hey everyone gets into trouble at one time or another............

You'll find a few folks here who make it their mission to talk anyone out of having a lap band, ever. In the end, the decision really needs to be yours, not what a bunch of strangers on a message board tell you. All WLS have risks associated with them, from the risk of not losing much weight or regaining weight to the risk of scary complications, such as intestinal strictures, vitamin deficiencies, slips, and the need for revisions. In the end, you need to look at what the risks are for all of the surgery types you are considering and decide what risks and how much risk is acceptable to you. You also need to consider other factors, such as what kind of eater you are (do you graze? do you eat a lot at once? do you eat a lot of sweets?) as those factors can have a big impact on your ability to succeed with one surgery versus another. You also need to talk with your surgeon to get an iea of what they feel is the best option for you and your health concerns. There's no easy answer that any of us can supply. 
Also, lurk around for a few days at least on each forum and try to get a sense of the kinds of issues that get posted about on each. it's not an accurate reflection of either surgery necessarily (with any surgery, the people having problems are likely to post more often than those who aren't having problems), but it may help you come up with questions to ask your surgeon to further help you arrive at a decision.  

Great advise Dev.