BOB

Any thoughts or suggestions regarding this surgery? I am confused about doing it. I have a date for Aug 23. I need to know the good, bad, and the ugly.
Thanks!!

There's not much good I can say about it. It seems to usually work well initially, however the usual band problems are going to set in after that. I'm sure you've noticed you rarely see a bandster that has made it 5 years out with their band, right?

Anyway...........I would suggest looking onto revising to DS.

Maria,

While I have noticed there haven't been a lot of bandsters on here that have surpassed the 5 year mark, I'm sure they have moved on with their lives and no longer need OH. With that being said, I can completely appreciate that you had a horrible experience with the band and I say that in all sincerity. However, when people come here looking for encouragement and advice, all you seem to do is avoid their questions or requests and negatively talk about the band. While I value any well thought out opinion, it seems to me you have the same one, regardless of what the OP is asking.

Please make no mistake, I have looked into a DS and unfortunately, that surgery is unavailable for me through insurance and costs too much out of pocket. So I did what was within my means. After surgery, I took everyones advice, including those that had bad experiences, and I pushed forward on this journey armed with the knowledge you all have given me. I feel I made the right decision to get a BOB because I have had to work harder with it and for that, I feel twice as good about my weight loss. Let others make their own decisions too. Not everyone has the means to do a DS, nor the desire even after researching.

~
    While I have noticed there haven't been a lot of bandsters on here that have surpassed the 5 year mark, I'm sure they have moved on with their lives and no longer need OH.~

I wasn't talking about OH. I am very active in the WLS community. When I say very few make it 5 years with their bands, I'm not talking about online presence, I'm talking in general. It just rarely happens. Period.

~all you seem to do is avoid their questions or requests and negatively talk about the band.~

I just state the truth. I can't change the band stats. Why is it "negative" when I say it, but not when the ASMBS or HHS says it???

~ I feel I made the right decision to get a BOB because I have had to work harder with it and for that, I feel twice as good about my weight loss.~

If you feel it was the right decision for you then that's great. I hope you still feel that way in a few years, b/c most bandsters don't.

Good luck!

I have had my BOB for 2 years and have lost 102 pounds. I was originally 340 at the time of my bypass 12 years ago and then managed to put it all back on. At the time of my band surgery I was 338. I have had to work really hard with the band. I am in the gym 3-4 times a week and follow a really strict diet. The band has worked well at restoring the restriction I had previously, but now I am making better food choices. If you would like more details, you can absolutely PM me any time.

 Roslin is ANTI-BOB.  He tried to talk me into an RNY revision but he also knows that stats aren't always the true story, there are always outliers.  But, since he is a BRILLANT man, I took what he said and evaluated it and made my own decision.  Still love the dude though.

I only have a band, never had a bypass, so I cannot speak to that part of it.

But I have had an overall very positive experience with my band, though not without some bumps in the road. I am 2.5 years post-op.

Here are some things to consider about the band:

- You could always run into a mechanical failure. It is an implant, these things do happen.
- It is adjustable so you will achieve a feeling of restriction slowly over time.
- It is never good to feel too much restriction. If you are constantly having issue like being stuck or regurgitating food, you are likely too tight and staying this way will jeapardize your results.
- The band will not work the same as your bypass did. You won't lose weight just because you've had the surgery. It depends entirely on what you choose to eat and exercise.

Most importantly:
- What is the reason you need a second surgery? If you did not comply with the dietary changes needed for the bypass and gained back any weight you lost with it, the band may not be a good option unless you're 100000% sure you can now comply. Not complying with the dietary rules will not only lead to poor weight loss but problems with the band leading to removal. I am not making assumptions about your situation but you need to be really honest with yourself.  Can you follow a diet of 1000 calories per day or less? Can you eat only solid proteins and give up sugar, carbs, chips, cookies, whatever your biggest addiction/craving foods are?  The band can help you feel less hungry if you put the right foods in. It will do nothing if you don't.

 I have read all of your posts and ginuinely appreciate them all. After prayer and thoughtful coma ideation I have decided to forgo surgery and work my a$$ off to lose as much weight as I can on my own. My pouch is still small so there is no reason I can't lose. I have to stop grazing. Plain a d simple. It's a habit I have to break. I am not going to be too hard on myself. At least I have kept 100 lbs off. I can do this and I feel like I will feel better about myself by accomplishing this without the aid of a band.  Gonna. E tough but I know I can do it. Also I am going to go see the plastic surgeon and get that started. Fi have really wrestled with this but feel so good about my decision. 

Glad we could help! You can try it this way and if you really need something more in the future, the band and other surgeries will still be there.

Keeping off 100lbs under any cir****tance is a great achievement!