PLEASE HELP ! NEED HELP DECIDING -LAP BAND

I'm new to this forum, so I'm hoping someone will respond to me before it's too late.

I'm scheduled for Lap Band surgery November 14th. I have gone through the pre op 6 mo supervised diet (which I failed) and now I'm on day 9 of a 3 week liquid only pre op diet.  I have all my medical clearances and the insurance has authorized.

I'm actually doing very well with the liquids, the first week was horrible but now I have kind of lost my appetite and feel pretty good, I have lost about 15 lbs. and some of my clothes are feeling better on me already. With that said I'm having second thoughts about the surgery. Fort start some people I talk to about my "journey" are positive and some are negative. I take all the information in and I process it best I can, but what is worrying me is the potential side effects of this surgery, I'm hearing all kinds of issue from gastro intestinal to heart problems people have had with Lap band. I'm also worried about all the "follow up which I’m pre pared to do but forever? I don’t know about that.

I have learned something from this experience so far, and that is I can’t eat any carbs, my body just stores it as fat I'm seeing that a diet of high protein and very low carbs with exercise does help you lose weight. I'm 5'10 and 280lbs which makes me about 40.1 BMI I would like to drop at least 100lbs I’m now just wondering if I could do that without the band if I just cut out all my carbs and start exercising more? Any thought from anyone would be great. Thank you so much

Kevin

Kevin!

All WLS are mere "TOOLS"!  you can gain with any surgical ( RYN, Sleeve, Band) or Non -surgical (W.W. etc...) I have removed 135 pounds off my body with my Band, I am 5 yrs. out this Oct. I lost the majority of my weight the first year and the last 10 pounds took a whole other year afterward. Why? because of "head games". I have seen just as many  RNY, Sleeves and Banders lose weight as I have seen them regain their weight back. This is an ongoing battle.

The closer I got to my "goal" the more I realized I had a 'food addiction", a "eating disorder". And I would dare to say,if we got honest with ourselves, that the majority of us have it. I began seeing a food addiction couselor a yr after surgery, I ONLY wished I had done so sooner. And whatever decision you make (surgical or non-surgical) definately seek therapy.

Anyone can have WLS or diet and lose weight for periods of time, but, it is making the nessasary lifestyle changes to stick.

Be well rounded no matter your choice, use all the "TOOLS" available to you (surgical or Non-surgical) incoporate exercise , see a nutrionist, attend your dr.s support group meetings, and get into therapy, These are all "TOOLS"! And they all play important parts to recovering from obesity.

Also about the "carbs", carbs are nessasary in your diet ( and I dont mean diet like diet if you know what I mean), it is the processed carbs that are many if not all obese persons down fall. 2 great books to read are The End Of Over Eating by David Kessler & Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. Easy comprehendable books!

Good luck on your decision,

it is YOUR decision to make either way,

Prek3

Hi Kevin, me again, I just posted on this board about Emotional Eating. It applies to everyone, surgical and non surgical persons.

take a look.

Prek3

Kevin,

It sounds as if you are doing quite well and learning about yourself and your eating which will help you in the long run. That is what the wls journey is; the long run.

I will give you the same reply I gave someone else, earlier. I began checking into wls 3 years ago and got my band on May 4, 2010. I lost my weight, 64 pounds, in 5 months and maintained at around 10 pounds up from that first goal. I loved my band and am grateful I was able to get it. My health improved very quickly and my quality of life blossomed.

Unfortunately I lost my band on 8/21 of this year. You see when I researched the band statistics showed complication rates quite low except for those who did not lose all their weight. Reoperation rates were also very low. There were a few people on OH who had problems with their bands but very few. In my case my body decided to start rejecting my band. This is not at all uncommon now. My surgeon is saying their band removal and revision statistics have skyrocketed in the past two years. Problems are cropping up that range from annoying to down right life threatening. Where we were told the band would last for life Allergan admitted to the FDA a while back that it was never meant to remain inside long term. Due to these things I cannot recommend a band for newbies. I loved mine and had I not had problems I would have kept it forever, well probably. I mourned it when I had to revise.

My suggestion to you is to do some more research. WLS is not a magic fix, it is a tool. If you need restriction only go to a sleeve, if you need to add malabsorption go with a DS which has the best overall statistics for weight loss and low regain stats. RNY was the gold standard but now has slipped from favor. The malabsorption of calories it offers ends within around 3 years and at that point a whole bunch of people regain a good portion of their weight. There are those who keep it off, too, but with DS you don't get that end point.

I know you are very close to your surgery date but please do yourself a favor and check things out, then talk to your surgeon. It is far better to have to postpone things than to go into surgery and regret it later. At the main page for each type of wls you can find out more about it. None are perfect for everyone. When a cure for obesity comes around I will be thrilled for those who can get that help. In the meantime I know I need a tool to not only help me lose weight and keep it off for life. Ultimately it is up to me, but I could never go it alone.

I will never bash bands because I really did love mine and it allowed me to have tremendous success. I just have to be honest with the things we are hearing here, and elsewhere, every day.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Sue

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me, these past 6 months have made me realize that I do have a problem with food, for some strange reason being on this pre op liquid diet of protein shakes and 1 sm can of broth a day has made me a believer that if I can change my eating habits and exercise more then maybe WLS is not for me. I’m not worried about the operation itself I think I will do fine ,other than my weight I do not have any major medical issues, however I have been reading more and more about problems with the band and I’m getting a little scared. My Surgeon is so confident I will do well I’m starting to feel as though maybe he’s only thinking about the $$?. Again thank you for your info every little bit helps. I wish you all the best.

Kevin,

Personally I would never suggest the band for anyone, when I got mine they said it was for a lifetime, now the manufacturers are saying it will need to be removed after 5-10 years. Altho most people lose theirs long before that. Most often between 2-4 yrs. the problems start. All the time the band is in you scar tissue is building up under the band and causes all manner of problems! Mine has been empty for over a year now, so basically useless, because of tissue build up that made my band keep tightening even with out a fill which may sound great but isn't because when you are tight your mouth gets full of slimey mucus junk when ever anything gets stuck and that's pretty often! Getting a band was THE biggest mistake I ever made, I wouldn't wish one on my worst enemy!

Please go back and read the posts about the kind of problems people have, even some of the strongest band proponents have lost theirs to problems. I would strongly suggest the VSG (sleeve) if you want a restriction only surgery. Please just research some more because every day we discover more and more issues with the band, which is also the least successful of all the 4 major surgeries. If you have to reschedule the surgery till you are 1000% sure of your choice! Best to you!

What GrannieMedic and HisLady said, My stats Banded 2/25/09 thinking lifetime.  I lost 60/80 and than as Grannie said happened and had the band out 9/4/12. Short version.

You can check out the Revision boards and the failed lab band group by joining. It is never to late do double make sure. You won't be the first to want to step back at this point and be sure. When I had surgery I took the slot of someone that did just that. I now wish I had too.

Good Luck with what ever you decide. We will be here to support and help you through any decision you make.

Thank you so much for your responce

Kevin

I loved my band and can't really give you an unbiased view of it. I just want to tell you that every bariatric surgery procedure has risks of side effects and complications. There is no such thing as a risk-free, perfect, permanent treatment (surgical or otherwise) for obesity. So all you can do is research the different procedures and pick the one that you feel most comfortable with based on the information available to you now. Weight regain is possible for any WLS patient.

If you're feeling very anxious about surgery, there's no shame in postponing it. I don't think I could manage my weight for the rest of my life without a surgical tool, but that's not an impossible feat. At the OH event in Seattle last year, I was on a Q&A panel with a woman who lost a tremendous amount of weight by revamping her eating and exercise. Hearing her speak was very inspiring. When someone asked her how she had found the determination to lose all that weight "on her own" (i.e., without surgery), she said she didn't really know, that it seemed to her a gift from God.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me, these past 6 months have made me realize that I do have a problem with food, for some strange reason being on this pre op liquid diet of protein shakes and 1 sm can of broth a day has made me a believer that if I can change my eating habits and exercise more then maybe WLS is not for me. I’m not worried about the operation itself I think I will do fine ,other than my weight I do not have any major medical issues, however I have been reading more and more about problems with the band and I’m getting a little scared. My Surgeon is so confident I will do well I’m starting to feel as though maybe he’s only thinking about the $$?. Again thank you for your info every little bit helps. I wish you all the best.

Kevin,