Tell me what it's like

Things like that it is a limited amount of time that it is good, I read that it was good for a lifetime. That it would dim the appetite and make you feel full. I was hungry a great deal of the time and rarely felt full or satisfied. No it wasn't head hunger it was stomach growling hunger and I even tried drinking more water to help feel fuller (after waiting the 1/2 hr. to hour after eating). That is was oh so safe, least invasive, and nearly fail proof. As we are finding it's not so safe and is very invasive when it does damage to the stomach and surrounding organs when it erodes. Allergan made it sound like a perfect tool. Now the results in Europe seem to have been more successful and for the life of me and others w don't understand why there are so many more problems with U.S. bands. I didn't got to a band mill, I had an excellent surgeon and lots of follow up care that I took advantage of but my band just never seemed to work the way I'd read. I consider myself fortunate that  my only problem is that it never worked, there are so many who have had serious and even life threatening issues or are living in a hell all their own with daily vomiting and heartburn with either an empty band or no band. The band can be removed but the damage is still there.

Elena, as well as others have had great success and that is another puzzler, why some have done so exceptionally well and others have had nothing but pain and suffering. In my opinion that is another reason to be very careful about getting the band because there is no way to tell who is going to have a good time and who is going to have nothing but problems. The longer the band is out the more issues keep cropping up. Not long ago it was reported the band can cause breathing problems and keep the lungs from working as well as they should. Had I known that I again would not have gotten the band because I have COPD and my lungs are impaired to start with. I imagine the inflamation and irritation from the band can spread over into the lung area, they aren't that far apart.

I'm very happy for the folks like Elena, Bette, Kate and many  others who have had such great success. I also will continue to warn folks that it isn't always a succcessful journey for everyone. I don't post these things to slam or bash the band but to make people aware that there are very real problems and they should be aware of that before making the final decision. If a person decides to go ahead with the band I will support them in every way I can!

I can't see what Lisa wrote. 

??

That is what happens when someone deletes their post.  It says:

"Lisa O. has deleted this message."

Welcome Jessica

I have had a good experience with my band. I was banded in 2005 I have lost a little over 100lbs and it has given my a life, one I did not have packing an extra 100 lbs. Yes there can be complications with the band but there can be complications with any of the surgeries. I had to weigh my options and felt I was pretty high risk carrying around an extra 100 lbs. I will say the band needs more maintenance then any other surgery. If you do not have easy access to your surgeon I would advise against the band. But if you have a great surgeon and you are able to get in to him or her when you need to the band is great. I don't have any bad to say,  but I am sure being on this lap band board you will hear enough of that.

Hi Jessica, I NEVER come here anymore, but this site was a lifesaver for me when I was first banded 3.5 years ago... It got a little nasty here for awhile so I quit, but I was intrigued to come back to poke around today after hearing about Gov Christie.

Anyway, I have had a great experience with my band so far. I am 3.5 years out and have had very few complications. I lost the majority of my weight the first 6 months, and gained some back while getting to restriction, but the last months I'm down another 14 lbs, so I am happy with the slow and steady progress.

Here is the scoop from a person with few complications: 

I was miserable after the surgery, It hurt a lot more than I expected.

I am a "rules" follower and never ever did anything they said not to in the first 2 years. I think it helped.

After one month they gave me an "aggressive fill" (i.e. a lot in the band). I was miserable!! I had terrible reflux. I got completely unfilled and since then I have gotten little fills, slowly and regularly. It was not dramatic weightloss, but it worked for me.

I have the typical--can't eat "dry" foods and what is "dry" will surprise you--like scrambled eggs, for example... It's a learning curve and you will definitely choke and gag more often than you want to as you figure it out. But it's never been too bad for me.

Also times of the day matter. There are things I can eat at 6pm that if I tried before 12pm would simply not go down. Again, it's a learning curve, but doable.

I am a teacher and I have exactly 18 minutes for lunch every day. It's a struggle, but I can usually manage some tuna on wheat thins and a handful of nuts, or a yogurt. Yes, I have thrown up at work. Yes, it's miserable and embarrassing. 

If I had never been onto a support group website I would be singing the praises of the band from every rooftop. But seeing the massive amount of complications that my virtual friends experienced, I know that I am lucky, and that I might not stay lucky going forward. I still try to follow rules (except that I eat popcorn like it's going out of style), and I am diligent about keeping up with my regular check-in appointments. I have no idea how long this thing is going t be inside me, but I am grateful so far that it has been kind to me.

Good luck and be well!