Question:
Can anyone give me advice on the Lapband procedure?

I am looking into the Lapband surgery but want to know if anyone has had it and what their experience was like having it done. I really want this surgery because it seems like the most invasive and hopfully something that can really help me to lose this weight once and for all. Ive heard good and bad things about it. HELP Denise A.    — Dee52 (posted on April 4, 2006)

April 4, 2006
I had lapband surgery on October 4, 2005 and have lost 91 lbs. as of this morning. I am very, very happy with my results. Please keep in mind that it is only a tool, however, and you will only get out of it what you put into it. I have days when I don't eat too healthfully, but try to compensate in the days that follow. Other than that, I exercise pretty regularly, drink lots of water, and eat a high protein diet. I have had no complications, but can't eat boiled eggs or drink soda anymore. A small price to pay, though.
   — fleethigh1

April 4, 2006
Of course, there ARE good and bad things about the Band, same as any of the surgical choices. I'm over 2.5 years post LapBand, and going strong. It was the best choice possible for me. Have you posted or lurked at the Band board? http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/LapBand/posts.html It may answer some questions for you. Feel free to visit my profile .. there's a lot of info on there as well. :) Best of luck to you.
   — Jeanie

April 4, 2006
I was told by a woman who knows a lot about weight loss surgery (she runs her own website) not to do the lap band. She didn't think I would be happy with the result. Said it was difficult to lose all the weight. It's been my observation in reading other posts that she might have been right. They all seem a little fustrated with lack of weight loss. I was also told by my doctor that I wasn't a candidate as I have very bad acid reflux. Just an FYI.
   — LaurieH

April 4, 2006
Do it, do it, do it.. I had a Laparascopy LapBand done 2/16/06. To date, I've lost 28 lbs! Some people are complaining of a slow loss compare to RNY, but I'm thrilled that the weight is going down instead of up and no scars! I was afraid of pain, and there was 10 min of discomfort when you first get up, but I goes away fast. I was afraid of being hungry and still eating like a pig, but I eat every 3 hrs and I'm very comfortable. Also I'm nursing some hope that with slow loss and excersice I might not require extensive plastic surgeries in the future. I also think if God had wired us this way, it's not a good idea to mess up the divine design.
   — Rita C.

April 5, 2006
Some people succeed with the lapband; some do not. I will be blunt: those who don't tend to be those, like you, who chose it because they were really afraid of weight-loss surgery, and not because it was the procedure best suited to them. If you are a champion, disciplined dieter, who has lost large quantities of weight in the past and regained it mostly because of the amount of food you ate, and not because of the types of food you ate, the lapband might work for you. That's because the lapband limits volume only. There's no "dumping," as there is with the RNY, to deter you from downing sweet foods; there's no malabsorption, as there is with the BPD/DS, to blunt the effects of high-calorie foods. All the discipline must come from you. Fear of major surgery is no substitute for that discipline. Large numbers of people who are fearful of weight-loss surgery are signing up for the lapband as a sort of compromise, and that disturbs me because that kind of motivation is not what they're going to need to get the pounds off once the band is in place. They'd be better off continuing to diet alone, because, "least invasive" or not, the placement of the band does involve surgery, and it does sometimes involve complications, and if you don't have the eating style to allow it to perform at its best, you've paid a high price for a loss of, say, 30 or 40 pounds that will shortly be returning. Disciplined, volume eater? Try the lapband. Lover of sweets and high-fat foods who's fearful of surgery? Stick to dieting. Yes, the pounds will come back, but at least you won't have scar tissue.
   — Kay B.

April 10, 2006
Hey Denise, Just wanted to let you know, after intense research into the lap band, I did it!!! 2 weeks ago today, I had the surgery and to this day I have lost 25 pounds. The weight lost will decrease soon, but then I'll go in and have a fill done, and start losing more again. No problems with it so far. Loved it and would highly recommend it!!
   — jimeeswife