I've had my band for over three months and I'm very happy with it. I, too, did my research, and, being a self-pay, thought about it carefully. I think any form of WLS will take the pounds off and there are people on here who have lost quite a bit of weight. I liked the aspect of the band as a maintenance tool. If you continue to go back to the surgeon and get your fills (or unfills) you will keep the weight off and the band will keep you in line, no matter how many years out your are from surgery.
But here are some things I didn't know and I was too unknowledgeable to ask about.
1. Fills and unfills are expensive. My surgeon told me he waves his fees for the first year, which he does, but there's still a hospital fee of $140 for me each time. After the first year, I'll be paying $140 plus his fee for $275 each time.
2. If you have insurance, you don't have to worry about paying this....but...
if you or your company changes insurance plans and your new insurance doesn't cover this procedure, you will have to pay it
also, if, for any reason, you lose your insurance...then of course, that means you or your husband is unemployed and you probably won't be able to afford to maintain your band
3. I've seen several times on the various lapband message boards where the surgeon temporarily or permanently leaves town. This can create quite a problem in many cases because new lapband surgeons don't like to take on other doctors' cases.
All this being said, I'm still glad I chose the band for the same reasons others have stated. Not having malabsorption issues and losing the weight slower, means we have a better chance of keeping our bodies nutritionally sound.
Hope this helps!