I wanted to add my experience. I will have had my lapband now for almost 14 years come this August. Dr Pedro Kuri in Mexico did my surgery and I will undoubtedly say that because of his experience even back then is testament to his skill and increased outcomes with the band. Back in 2002, the band was barely approved by FDA for a few years and most US surgeons had maybe done a handful of bands. Back then it was all about Gastric Bypass. Dr Kuri had already done 300+ bands when I went in. To date, he has installed 5500 bands. I lost a total of 130lbs over the first 6+ years of banding..don't recall how long it took, but since I was not a "compliant" bandster at all times, it took me longer,but maintained same weight for at least 6 years. What is most important with the band is surgeon's experience with the band and HOW they place the band on YOUR body and the aftercare. I believe now that doctors with less experience with this band probably have higher erosion, slippage rates. Surgeons are "cut and run".. they want to cut you up..be done..move on..the band sucks for them because it requires years of aftercare. Fills, dieticians, etc..bandsters I believe who say they get food stuck or can only eat Soup or liquids get filled too tight with "blind" fills and then live with it. They want to keep eating and thus OVEREAT the band and then you throw up..it basically becomes surgical bulemia. The whole premise of ANY weight loss surgery is to restrict you..magically your brain telling you that you love food will change and you won't want to eat past the point of throwing up. We basically become like dogs who will eat themselves to throw up level if you let them. With our now small stomachs..we cannot mentally wrap our heads around that we now can only eat about a cup of food at a time. Or you resort to liquids and then you think the band sucks and it has failed because you throw up all the time?
I unfortunately did not continue to go to Mexico after the first 3-4 years to get aftercare from Dr Kuri who always does fills under flouroscopy to make sure you are not too tight or have started packing your esophagus like I did..after getting "blind fills" from a more local surgeon. Lesson learned! I have more than abused this poor band for 14 years and and still have it..no erosion, no slippage. Unfortunately I just had to have port removed because of an infection I was most likely given by a local surgeon's office who gave me a fill that lead to a port infection. This was after at least 9-10 fills over the last 14 years by three different surgeons..one finally got me an infection. Port will be put back in once I heal but thankful to know my band is safe. Who knows what my total run with this silicone "noose" will be...will pray as long as possible!
I would not trust a doctor who discourages one surgery over another..surgeons hate the follow up so the sleeve to them makes sense..cut and run..I don;t like that like the bypass..you can expand your stomach and have no way to adjust it. The sleeve was just the first 1/2 of gastric bypass for overly obese patients to lose some weight before the bypass part. I may be missing something but seems like gastric bypass patients, your little stomach can grow..thus needing to go back and add restriction back..revision. Dr Kuri told me he has been banding sleeve and bypass patients because of this..hmm..
The band is not perfect..I would not take this surgery lightly. RESEARCH your doctor..how many bands has he performed and over how many years. What is the aftercare like? I personally would want a surgeon who has well over 1000 bands placed at this point..16 years after FDA approval. Do they always do blind fills or do they do under flouroscopy?
DO NOT go for a surgery based on just what your insurance covers at the moment or your local surgeon prefers. Whatever surgery you end up with make the decision based on your long term future with this surgery. This band has been in my body for 14 years..we have a love/hate relationship..mostly because I love to eat food..and when it is delish I want MORE..but this bitch wont let me eat more.
I tell people I got the band NOT because I wanted to lose the weight ( I did of course) but more important was to KEEP IT OFF. Something that never happens with just diets. You have a 5% chance of keeping off weight you lose..that SUCKS! 5%..yup! So look at a lifelong commitment to this surgery...not just what procedure will get the weight off but which one has higher odds of keeping it off. With the band...there is an art and science to proper fills and hunger satiation..hunger goes away when you are at the right fill..BUT you have to get your head right...you need to know that scarfing down a whole hamburger is not in your future...barely even a slider..or enjoying pizza or other doughy breads is a thing of the past..you mentally need to wrap your head around being different from everyone else that has no extra thought as to what foods or combination of foods they can eat.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best. I will end with if I had to do it over again..now with more options..I still would choose the band. I like the adjustability..it can be removed if anything does go wrong..my head has not always been in the game..I want to outeat this thing all the time..I learned the hard lesson when I didnt go back to MY surgeon for proper followup from a more experienced surgeon who cares about his patients outcomes and not just lining his pockets with the latest surgical procedure.
I wondered about how group dynamics will change. In a group of 4 I'm either the biggest or next to biggest, I think the biggest will have a bent nose if I start losing because the other 2 are pretty fit.
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