Viviparker

When I first had my lap and a fill cost about $225 which was OK. After a year the surgeon would only do the fill using X-ray. The total cost then went to $700! I had no choice but to pay up. On top of this were train and taxi fares to London which is a long way from where I live. In conclusion losing 56 lbs cost me a total of about $25K. Bear this in mind. Also it cost another $7K to have the band removed.

Many thanks Matt z

Well what do the initials RNY stand for? I don’t know this procedure. Thanks.

What is a RYN?

I had a bad experience removing the band as well and have livid abdominal scars to prove it. The most weight lost for me was 64 lbs down from 280. The surgeon refused an instant revision because of the mess I was in with adhesions and embedded band. He then offered me a clip sleeve only. Another surgeon offered me the sleeve or bypass BUT said ALL bariatric surgery is only effective on most people for two years so I refused further treatment. I was fully self- funding throughout.

Since the removal of the lapband I have gained 25 lbs max but on a new diabetic drug have shed 9 recently. High weight gain after removal of the band is normal. For one thing I found a vastly increased appetite. For me the band was a dream that totally failed to deliver.

1 hour ago, Matt Z said:

Be careful, the product is the same no matter which part of the country you are in, I didn't have any "problems" except for constantly getting stuck and pain when eating the healthy foods (leafy greens SUCKED), when I had my band removed, it was completely encapsulated in scar tissue and took over 3x longer to remove than it should have. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I left it in because it wasn't a problem!

I had a similar experience. The band had embedded and the surgeon had difficulty removing it. He said there was so much scar tissue and adhesions he was afraid of a perforation. I have big scars on my abdomen from this and the surgeon used clips as he said there was a high risk of infection which luckily didn’t happen.

If you are considering bariatric surgery the Sleeve or Bypass is better and probably safer. Good luck anyway.

52 minutes ago, nurse4126 said:

Run! Just got rid of mine. Had the nasty puke band for 13 years. If you are a food addict as most of us are, you will soon figure out that refined carbs go down really well and good Protein ( meat, chicken) comes up and out really well. RNY with lap band removal June 11

Honest appraisal but I did lose about 45 lbs with band but my surgeon was not happy with my result. What nurse 4126 says is true.

The Band has to be removed after about 10 years.. I had mine done at 14 yrs and my surgeon had extreme difficulty removing the embedded band and adhesions. Cosmetically the scars left are ugly.

With the Sleeve and Band you get chronic acidosis and long term there is a risk of Osophogeal cancer.. The Bypass causes a clinical pernicious anaemia bypassing the jejunum and you are on B12 shots for the rest of your life. All this should be borne in mind when making decisions. Further I was told that after two years surgery of any sort starts to fail. For the super obese bariatric surgery may be the only option but this whole raft of treatment is desperate measures. Think carefully this is serious stuff.

On 19/01/2018 at 6:54 PM, Elrix said:

What are the chances that I’ll need a revision? My bmi is 32 at the moment. I am honestly a food addict, and my appetite gets the best of me. I’m just tired of feeling like I have no control over my eating habits. I truly feel like the lap band could help me stabilize and take control for the rest of my life. I’m only 21 years old so that would mean my lap band would have to last 40+ years! Is this even possible??

The lap Band I had was in for 14 years.It did NOT control my appetite. I was 280 when I had it and my best ever weight was 210. I had it when bariatric surgery was new and now there are more effective options like the Sleeve or a Gastric Bypass. As you are scared why not try the Gastric balloon? This will control your appetite and restrict eating without surgery. If you have surgery this will not be an option in the future. I had my lap and removed in 2015 and it was embedded,difficult to remove and had caused adhesions, I am struggling to keep my weight down. I need an appetite suppressant but there are none available in the UK. I consider myself too old for a revision.

Personally I would not chose the Lapband again,it is just not very effective. Good luck anyway.