Tell me what it's like

I'm about to get a band and I found this site. I'm hoping to learn as much as possible about the band so please tell me how yours has worked for you! I want to hear the good and the bad.

Thanks,
Jessica

You'll likely hear a lot of bad, considering that those struggling post more often then those who are successful. I have lost 150lbs with my band and it saved my life. Like any of the surgeries, it's not an easy way out and it takes work. For some, the band is a gift and for some it just doesn't work out. The reasons are plentiful and not always the person's fault. Glad to hear you are doing your research. You may hear a lot of good and bad, but in the end, trust your gut. 

150? You have done great. Elena did you have the lapband or realize band? You said it doesn't work for some. Do you know why? It that just the ones that don't do the follow up care?

I had the Lap-Band. The "doesn't work" is for many reasons. We'd like to think that it's owner error (meaning that we are not following the rules) and that is the case in a LOT of cases. But.... in the same breath, in a LOT of cases.... it's the band. The band causes complications that are really hard to deal with. That is the worst case scenario (meaning, the complications are really painful or hard to deal with). The least case scenario is like mine... where I have no complications, but after pregnancy now I feel no restriction.... and my band is at its max for tightness. Every surgery has good and bad, but slowly, statistically, the band is showing issues along the way. In general, when I decided to get the band... I did NOT consider it to be a forever surgery, because in general, it's a foreign object around my stomach and I could not imagine that being there forever. That's just my personal take on it... others want it to be a forever surgery. There are so many ups and downs. The big thing is to read the facts... from doctors (many many... not just one) and research papers. Patient experiences are good to know, but they vary SO widely, that it's really hard to get a grasp on a true consensus. Good luck! 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4623186/Choice-of- Bariatric-Procedure-A-Philosophy-Obtained-in-20/

please pay close attention to page 2.  Research my latest posts and those of others having problems.

Ok I have a couple of questions. So from the first page, how do you get it not too tight so it doesn't have to be loosed and you regain like he said? and this part I anticipate that over a ten year duration, at best, 50 to 60% of bands will remain in place.  So is that right? It only last 10 years? 

Well I "thought" I had researched the band well enough however Allergan lied about alot of the info they published or left out VERY important information. In fact they are now being investigated by the government. I was told it would be good for a lifetime, people joked that archeologists would find our bands thousands of years from now and wonder what they were, not true. They are only good for 5-10 years for the majority of people, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part at 3-5 yrs people start having issues that eventually require removal.

I was also told it would make me feel full after eating about half as much as normal and would feel satisfied for hours, nope, never felt full and was hungry most of the time. Unless I was too tight then I was stuck and hungry but couldn't eat. That rarely happened because I would immediately get some fill out.

Was told should lose 50% of my excess weight, nope there too, lost an amazing 20 pounds! That was the first year then nothing after that.

At year 3ish my band started tightening for no reason, hadn't had a fill in a year or more, so I got 1 cc removed. Then several months later another 1 cc removed because it was tight again. Several months later it was tight again, well by that time I was totally "over" the whole band nonsense and had it emptied entirely. It seems that scar tissue builds up until it makes the band tighter and then one needs at least a partial unfill. I didn't realize until then just how uncomfortable I'd been those years until I was empty and could finally eat healthy food again. Until then I had a great deal of difficulty eating solid protein which is a staple with any bariatric surgery. I actually lost more when empty than when I had a fill because I could eat normal healthy food again.

I could never in good conscience advise anyone to get a band. Now this is my story, I also know others who have had no or very minimal issues with their bands but I know far more who have had a multitude of problems. My advise is research all 4 major surgeries, the band, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, roux n y (bypass) and the duodenal switch. Then decide what you can live with the rest of your life and go forward from there.

What did they leave out? Is Elana the only one that had a good band?

No, I am not the only one. There are MANY of us out there. Band patients with a good experience have a tendency to fall off the forums because they aren't dealing with any issues. I haven't posted for a couple of years simply because I had nothing more to talk about... no concerns... no big moments to cheer about (because I lost all my weight).... so when you are on any given forum (whether that be WLS or a product review), remember that those who had a bad experience often post more than those who have a good one. That does NOT in anyway discredit the bad experience... that side SHOULD always ALWAYS be heard. But on the flip side, there are MANY good experiences.