Considering Lap Band Surgery- lots of questions

Caryn,

I encourage you to take Elena up on her offer of help. She's a smart cookie and she knows what it's like to have WLS at a young age.

Jean

I got a band at age 60, lost 70 lb, another 30 due to achalasia like symptoms and I cannot revise at all due to the damage caused by my band.

If I was choosing today it would be VSG first and ONLY.

I can't tell you which surgery to pick, it's your body since you will have to live with it. For me my lap band recovery was very easy and I was back to normal within a week, it took about 1 month before I was totally back to my self, I had no nausea or vomiting, heartburn or reflux.

The band is a tool it requires lots of maintenance the first year, you will need to see your surgeon at least every 4/6 weeks for fill adjustments until you reach a happy medium of restriction. If you go the band route make sure you find a band-friendly surgeon that has great aftercare. Those that have great aftercare tend to do better with less complications and more weight loss.

You need to search for a band-friendly surgeon that has done at least over 500 bands, if the surgeon does more Sleeves and Bypasses than Lap bands you should not go to this surgeon, you need a band-friendly surgeon, many surgeons are moving away from the band because they do not like the aftercare and fills adjustments the band requires.

For most people who have no complications from their band, they live a normal life, there is no sickness or dumping syndrome, your food just go down slowly and you have to eat slowly and chew well to prevent vomiting and sliming.

Please make sure you google how to live with a lap band and google other lap band sites to see how others live with their bands.

I've had a lap band almost 8 years and I had a reband last year, old band removed and new band placed due to a hiatal hernia and I would still do the band over again, it's the right decision for me. I love living with my band and the restriction, I can eat all foods just small amounts and I don't get sick, and yes you can drink alcohol with the band, but, I will warn you, it's not good to get drunk and vomit a lot with the band, it could cause slippage.

Some people with other surgeries like the Bypass and Sleeve report that drinking alcohol after their surgery make them drunk very quick, and dumping syndrome because their stomachs empty quicker than lap banders, and many develop drinking problems after their surgery, but again, you can develop drinking problems with no wls.

I can't tell you which surgery is best for YOU, only you know what is best for you, some people like the band because it is adjustable and you can remove it if something happens. Some people like the Sleeve because there is no foreign object and no fills adjustments and Some people like the Bypass because of quicker weight loss with malabsorption and dumping syndrome.

Good luck.

Some of the posts within this thread have been removed due to violations of our Terms and Service and were off topic.

When you post to our message boards, please remember to keep the posts on topic and not on a particular member. 

Thanks!!

 

How do you consider this off topic?  Sharing our experiences with the band and simply being honest is off topic?

Please clarify!

OH people, what is wrong with us people trying to tell people not to do the band due to complications?

In a way, your parents are right, because surgery alone won't solve all your eating and weight problems, but don't let that discourage you, because weight loss surgery (WLS) is a great opportunity for you to learn healthier eating and lifestyle behaviors while you're still young. I don't think I was mature enough at age 20 to handle everything that WLS requires, but it sure would've been nice to life more of my life at a healthy weight.

But...If you don't want your life to change dramatically, you're probably not ready for WLS, because no matter what procedure you choose, it's going to require a LOT of changes. Better food choices, avoiding liquid calories (like alcohol), portion control, good eating skills (to avoid side effects and complications), exercise, managing emotional eating, etc. etc.

I'd like to suggest that it is possible to enjoy your college years without drinking, partying, eating junk food, and the like. If all that is more important to you than a healthy weight, you might want to wait until after you graduate to make a decision about WLS.  The problem with that is that after a wild, boozy graduation party, you might be tempted to come up with another reason to delay a decision about your weight. And then another reason, and another. Kind of like I always used to tell myself, "I'll start this diet on Monday." That kind of approach is one of the things that made me obese enough to qualify for WLS. 

Generally speaking, you'll qualify for WLS if your BMI is 40+, but your health insurance (assuming you have it) coverage will depend on the particular terms of the policy. You would need to call the insurance company to find out if WLS is covered, which procedures are covered, and what the specific requirements are. Some policies require the patient to do a 3 or 6 month medically supervised weight loss diet before the WLS procedure can even be submitted for approval.

Is the recovery process bad or hard? I guess it depends on your definition of bad or hard. It wasn't fun (especially if your idea of fun is chowing down on a bucket of KFC fried chicken washed down with beer, or something like that), but it was do-able, and it was temporary. Most surgeons require the patient to follow a liquid diet for a certain amount of time (mine was 14 days), then a puree diet (mine was 14 days), then soft foods (that you can cut with the side of a fork) (mine was 14 days) then solid food.

Most of us experience some physical discomfort as new post-ops, with pain from incisions (I had 5) and gas, plus possible discomfort (especially nausea) related to general anesthesia. You would need to time your surgery so that you could recover in between semesters or during summer break. The no work/no school recovery period would be determined by your surgeon.

Good luck!

The band changed my life.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I have no regrets at all.

I started with a 54" waist....now 30".  I still get weighed in every month with my family doctor.  I find maintenance with band very easy.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss:  156 lbs