Looking to get the band in Nov

Hey everyone  I've been trolling around for some time now and finally made the decision to get the band. I'm right now is the process of doing all those fun test for insurance (blood work, psych exam,etc..) and am look to get it done in Nov. I was wondering the people on here who were banded why did you go with the band instead of the bypass? Whats the average expected weight loss the first month? I'm currently 468 and my Dr seems to think that the first month out i'll be down 40-50 pounds, after doing some research online that looks like a pretty high estimate. Thanks Mark

Hey Mark, I had the Lap Band in May of 2005 and only lost 65 lbs, which is about 20% of my excess weight.  I developed one of the possible complications that you can get with the band. I can only get fills up to a certain point and then I get severe reflux which  causes me to puke in my sleep and choke on it when I inhale it.  Pretty gross I know but the reality of the situation. Therefore I have to stay just below that level of fill in my band which isn't enough restriction for me to lose any more weight and I just yo yo up and down 8-10 lbs. I'm not saying that you will have this problems, but it does exist.  I really should have personally done the RNY to begin with because I need to get my health back and another 100 lbs would do just that.  Also, since I need to do this rather quickly, the RNY is the best for reversing alot of the co-morbilities you may or may not be experiencing especially diabetes. If your looking for quiker long term results the RNY is the way to go since the Lap Band takes alot longer to lose the weight.  There really are benifits to both types of surgery, but only you can make that decision. I though I was well informed having done alot of research, but I really kind of lost site of how the surgery would affect me in the long term and what I needed to lose a large amount of weight.  I got caught up in everyone else's success stories and the fact that the Lap Band has less occurances of problems than the RNY.  I think I lost site of the goal before I even started. Anyway, make sure that the Band is what you want to do becasue either way they are only tools and there are many changes in your lifestyle that will need to be made for success. Good Luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Michael, Welcome to the Board! Sorry to hear you got a “lemon” on your ’05 Lap-Band. May you have a Famously successful Revision and a record breaking recovery in November. Glad to see all sides of procedures presented rather than just “Company-Line.” Thanks for sharing your experience. Best Wishes- Dx

 

there are possible problems with both procedures..  you are the only person that can weigh the pros and cons of each.  either one you choose like mike said they are only tools and you need to follow the rules to make them work.   personally i choose the band because i didnt want to be "re routed" and only needed to loose about 85 lbs and didnt mind the thought of something unnatural inside of me.   read all the facts about both and remember most people are bias twords their procedure.  keep an open mind and choose the one that fits your needs and life style. just one mans opinion adam

Mark, I had the band installed about 3 weeks ago. I lost about 27 lbs since then but now ive tapered off. Im getting my first fill in 2 weeks. Right now i barely have a restriction but I choose to limit my food intake until I get that fill. I was 450 when I started this process back in April 2007. I decided on the band because I just didnt want to risk other types of bariatric surgery. It was strictly a personal choice. There are many pros and cons with the band. It is my intention to make it work. Remember, it is only a tool, one which must be used properly for it to work. Time will tell if I made the right decision, but rerouting or full bypass was not in my thinking at the time. One of the plusses is that if something does go wrong, it can be fixed or removed and your stomach will (should) return to normal.   One thing I experienced is a lack of energy. I just tried a chewable vitamin from Walgreens called Optisource or something like that. Its for people who are post op bariatric surgeries. After 2 days of taking them im beginning to feel better.  Whatever way you finally decide to go, I wish you the best.  Jeff    

Mark, Hi, I had the band done on Dec 4th 2006. I was on all liquids for 3 1/2 weeks prior to surgery and I lost about 27 lbs prior to surgery and at this point I am down 80 lbs.   I knew the weight loss would be slower than the rny'ers but I aceppted this going into this surgery. I didn't put on the weight overnight and I don't expect to take it off overnight.. One thing I do like about the band is that there are no restrictions on different types of food that you can eat. The only thing my Dr. told me was that he wanted me to give up carbonation. There is one draw back to this, you have to be careful what you eat because you can eat anything.  I am not starving myself and I know I don't exercise enough ( I have real bad arthritis in both knees) but I am still losing at a slow but steady rate. My knees are feeling better and I can feel the difference already after losing the 80lbs. I am eating a lot less than I was but I'm also making better choices of what to eat.. It does work but you still have to work at it. best of luck on your weight loss journey and I hope you decide on what works best for you. Dan

Banded 30Jan07. I lost approx 30# in the pre-op liquid diet, and about 25 pounds in the 30 days following. loss was steady intil I hit 100# loss, then it slowed down dramatically. I am currently at 6cc's and in desperate need of a fill, but my PCP will not allow it due to nutritional needs from an unrelated medical conditi0on. HTH