If people ask you if they should get lap band what do you tell them?

HUGE congrats oin quitting smoking!

thanks Dev :o)  Quitting smoking is ten times harder then trying to lose weight or it was for me .  I wouldnt want to go through what I did to quit .  It was so hard and I did it cold turkey .

I was a two pack a day smoker sometimes three if it was a bad day .

 Hubby
  was supportive of me getting the band , but part of him didnt want me to get the band because he said the sheer will power of quiting cold turkey of smoking and not picking up the habit of eating to replace the smokes was incrediable .  Instead of gaining weight while quitting I actually lost weight .  I didnt put on the dreaded weight that usually happens when you quit .  He was hoping I would back out of the surgery because I got really good will power when I set my mind to something.  

If I had known my Zumba instructor during this time of quitting smoking there is a good chance I wouldnt be sitting here with the band inside me .

I tell them that they have to look at all the WLS options and look at the potential risks and complications associated with each and then decide for themseleves which risks and complications are acceptable to them and which ones are dealbreakers. I also encourage them to consider what their food issues/eating styles are, because that can make a big difference in their success with a purely restrictive versus malabsorbtive procedure. I also encourage them to consider their own unique situation. For example, I worked recently with one of my transplant patients who decided to have WLS. He asked me about it (I'm his social worker) before he talked to his doctor. We both knew that a malabsorbtive surgery would be out of the question for him because he cannot afford to affect the way his transplant medications are absorbed. I talked about my experience with the band, but also mentioned that, from what I knew of his personality, I suspected he would find the process of getting fills and the variable amounts of restriction to be frustrating and that I felt that it would potentially affect his chances of success. We also talked about the possibility of an increased risk of infection, which would be a big concern since he is immunosuppressed. I suggested that it would be likely that VSG would be a better option for him. When he spoke to the bariatric surgeon, they came to the same conclusion.
SO, there's no SIMPLE answer as to what is best for each person.
I wish that everyone who was considering WLS would have access to the support and information that my patient had access to - a cooperative dialogue that involved him, his primary doctor (a nephrologist in this instance), his bariatric surgeon, and a social worker/counselor with an understanding fo WLS surgery options who KNOWS the patient. I suspect that we'd see a lot fewer complications with ALL surgery types if all patients really had the help and support they need.

i never tell people to do it.  i do tell them about the complications and say "i can only share what my experiences have been".  I do hammer on the fact that if they choose any surgery at all, to investigate and get the very best surgeon.  I share how i picked mine. 

and that said, i point out that yep, i have to admit i have a food addiction.  now it's replaced with a quilting addiction .  at least i chose something healthy, right??? 

What?! You know my answer??? You must be psychic! ;-)

Well first of all...........great post. I have noticed that some of the band cheerleaders are starting to be more open about their struggles and complications, and are taking in all the complications they are seeing and not recommending the band, or telling others to do a lot of research. I have been surprised recently by the number that have said that if they knew then what they knew now that they would not have gone with the band, or might not have gone with the band...............so this post should have some very informative answers.

I'll just skip the band issue since you already know the answer there, but I will say that as pro-WLS as I am, I do not recommend it for everyone. I have a friend that I have known since we were in Jr. high and she is MO. Very sweet person, but she is an alcoholic. As much as I would like to see her get to a healthy weight, I know that she would drink her calories, therefore WLS would not really be an advantage for her, and I have to say the weight issue is secondary to her drinking. It's sad to watch someone go down hill an not be able to do anything to help them. Now that I think about it though............that is probably how some of our loved ones felt about us as we struggled with obesity. We tend to just focus on how obesity affects us, but it affects our families as well.

If someone is asking me for my advice, I figure this is one of their last choices. I tell them my entire story, and my success, but I strongly warn my results are typical, and they need to do a lot of research before making a decision.

I also explain the other opitions, and I remind them none of these operations are 100% flawless; success or failures.  And that the number on the scale isn’t the final decision what it means to be successful.

I also explain, that (FOR ME) since I am an addict, and food is my vice, everyday is a constant battle. There is no easy cure here. They put the band around my stomach, not my head.