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I agree with Band Groupie - newer bands and new techniques on how to suture them in have reduced the amount of slippage in lap bands in recent years. Not to say that something can't go wrong...my biggest concern would be a major illness or a bad case of the flu where vomiting is frequent for forceful. Honestly, knowing what I know now - if I had a weak stomach (luckily I don't), but if I did or know of someone contemplating the lap band who had a weak stomach - it is not a surgery I would recommend for that reason. I think it's important to have at least an annual checkup - complete with a flouroscopy/barium swallow to check the band. Also to notify your physician anytime you notice a change in order to stay on top of potential issues. For instance, if you have a bit more than a mild dilation - you may need to have your band deflated for a period of time and then gradually re-filled - as opposed to waiting until you really notice a major problem and the only way to fix it is with surgery. All I know is that life is not certain and while I'm here I want to enjoy it. I don't regret getting the band for 1 second despite the risks/complications, because it got me where I am. Anything you do is going to have some risks, and remaining obese to me carries more risk than the band will ever have. So, try and weigh (no pun intended) the good and the bad, research all other WLS, and see which one is right for you. And whatever you do - I wish you the best!

Maybe I'm doing to much researching about this procedure because now I'm reading about the studies they are doing about people who are having bad complications after 7+ years of having the band....a lot of erosion issues etc. Has anyone's doctor discussed this with them? Has anyone else read about this? I'm driving myself crazy aren't I? The purpose of me getting the surgery is so that I'm healthy and active 10, 20, 30 years down the road, not opening myself up to more complications like stomach erosion?????? How is everyone doing if you have had your band for more than 5 years? I need to get off the internet but I'm really trying to be as informed as possible before I stick out my arm for the happy-go-to-sleep medicine.

Update- So April 8th was the original post I made. I was 273.4 lbs. I fluctuated between that and 274 up until a week ago. I had to start working out. Getting my food plate together with all my macros on it, but most importantly i had to get my sleeping in order I was only getting 4-5 hours a night, which was horrible for my goals. I’m now at 263, so that’s a 10lb loss in 2 weeks. Still in the slow loser club and happy to be here! I’m expecting my body to stall soon but I do know how to get through it now. It is sooooo mentally important to understand your body is complicated especially mine lol and you’ve got to let it go through what it has to in order to accept your decision to change it’s mechanical or hormonal structure.

My concern about this topic is that a couple years ago the band was supposed to be the solution, which is why so many people got one. Now they are finding out about long-term complications with it. Is anyone worried that in five years long-term complications of VSG will start happening, and since the VSG is not reversible we will be stuck with some unforeseen problems? Isn't VSG only a few years old? I'm definitely not getting a band, but it does worry me being an early adopter of new technology. Although, I did get the iPhone 5 on release day...

I'm in HR and I would at least have the paperwork ready to go for fmla. God forbid but if you have complications then he would have to "call off" work and would not be protected.

I had my Surgery Sept. 17th Wed. and I had a complication of severe high blood pressure. I was in the ICU for a night and then transferred to the floor for another night. Doing better now but I had a lot of pain just after surgery. (Not sure morphine agrees with me.) Home now for a couple of days. trying to get my Water intake and starting on Protein shakes.... both are hard. I too have sleep apnea but had no issues in that area. The most unexpected thing after surgery (besides the high BP): was the upper GI before they start you on Clear liquids. I thought it would be a scope... it was not. I stood infront of an xray and drank the worst tasting liquid I have ever had.... Best piece of advice: Walk walk walk... I think that helped me and still helps me as much as anything. I did this from day one in the ICU and still get in several walks.. 5-8 times back and forth several times in my house per day... today I plan to tackle the front steps when the kids get home from school. (I don't want to tackle 13 uneven stairs with no handrail when I am home alone.) Biggest mistake: licking a spoon with hot mustard = diarrhea Biggest win: already notice weight loss

I don't have any different recommendations for soft foods. I pretty much stuck to the basics, egg whites, Greek yogurt, LF cottage cheese. I did eat Fat free refried Beans with low fat cheese which tasted pretty good. As for the belly button, miserable isn't it?! I had a complication and a second surgery that made a question mark around mine. The pressure from that was one of the worst things. Still bothers me from time to time. It helps to support the weight of your stomach with your hand when you move around or with a pillow when you are trying to sleep. They also make an abdominal brace that does that, but I couldn't find one that fit right. Best to you!

Holy Cow! No pills for 6 weeks? I get that doctors all put a different spin on things but that seems next to impossible to me! LOL I can't imagine that all of my meds are available in a liquid form. I could see there being a few meds that truly must be taken in another form for awhile, but ALL pills seems excessive. I would be really interested to know the dr's reasoning behind that. If it is a personal preference for him/her or have they seen a large number of issues/complications as a result of pill swallowing. Interesting stuff!

That is insane! Do you mind sharing tips on how you lost so much? Did you have complications or are you a fast loser? I want to fire up my weight loss. I will be 6 months post op on the 14th of feb. I started at 297...day of surgery I was 286.4... first month I lost 27 pounds. I am currently 232...so overall weightloss 62 lbs, 54 since surgery. Sent from my SM-N910C using BariatricPal mobile app

It's a long learning process complicated by the fact that certain foods will bother you at certain times and go down easily at different times. I had to re-learn my capacity (with lots of tossing up food) when I got pregnant. I felt like I had more room and sure, I do, but that means ten bites of steak instead of six...not fifteen bites. Certain foods make this harder - if bread, Pasta, rice or flour tortillas are involved they swell once they hit the stomach. For me, I can go from perfectly fine to discomfort in just one small bite. So always watch those foods until you learn your limits. Don't be so hard on yourself. I was a fast eater that took big bites for nearly 30 years prior to surgery. I didn't just unlearn that habit in only a few weeks! You'll get there. I'd say lesson learned but sometimes it takes a while. ~Cheri

now i'm, home and "on the other side" and meals so far are in a clear and full liquid diet... with so many liquids i basically am drinking my meal so I guess my fears for drinking while eating will see or fail to see themselves in several weeks when im to a puree or soft food diet. maybe. The good news... the surgery went well, no complications.

It's been an interesting 10 months. I've had some ups and downs along the way. But im happy to say that things are finally coming together. Im getting healthier and Im definitely happier. Im currently down 90 pounds. Trying to it my 100 pound mark by my 1 year surgiversary (April 1St). I am extremely happy I had this surgery. I needed it. My knees and my feet couldn't take my weight anymore. I was having constant pain in my back, I had trouble sleeping. Dieting just hadn't worked for me in the past and my exercising was limited. I was in fear of getting diabetes and most of all dying young. I was tired of being depressed and unhappy. I had my surgery April 1St, 2014. I am now down 90 pounds from where I was (280). And I have 60 pounds left to get to my goal (130). This surgery has been one of the decisions I have ever made. But I am in no way shape or form saying it is easy. Because it sure isn't. The main thing to remember about this surgery and the other surgerys is to reach optimal results YOU MUST DO YOUR PART. Yes you will lose weight but if you don't do your part it will return. I've seen it. My mom and my sister have both had the surgery as well different times. My sister had it a year before me and my mom had hers over 10 years ago. They both struggle with their weight now. My mom was down to 180 at her lowest she lost 150pounds and struggles now a days and fluctuates between 215 and 240. My sister had lost 100 pounds and was down to 240. She's now at 260. The reason why they are struggling is because they didn't adapt and make a lifestyle change. You must eat better you must exercise. Im not saying go run a marathon (unless you want too). But just add a little 30min exercise to your day. It might not seem like a lot but it's an extra 30 minutes of exercises that you weren't going to do. You don't need a gym membership. Squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups, crunches, torso twists, kicks, walking, etc etc etc is all FREE! AND BE REALISTIC! This is the problem my sister and my mom have and it's normal. My mom noticed more that I was exercising more and she got inspired and motivated and that's awesome. So what did she do? She started on day 1: 90 sit ups!!! Really? I don't even do 90 sit ups yet. I mean I probably could but im not trying to hurt myself the point is to progress. Anyway...what happens with the 90 push ups. The next day she's in so much pain she can barely bend down to tie her shoes and what happens next? No more sit ups. The point im trying to make is be realistic. You don't have to kill yourself right off at the start. It's a gradual process. Start small and work toward a greater goal. If she would have done what I suggested start of 25 sit ups and then gradually increase by 5 she would ultimately get to 90 because she wouldn't be in so much pain and she wouldn't give up because your changing it up and your progressing. BE REALISTIC...RESULTS WILL COME. I do zumba at home, I work out at home. Im starting to go to the gym now though. Eating better is important!!! Diet is key. I'm not saying starve yourself. You will get no where with that. Plan your means ahead of time. I started doing this and it's helped me so much I don't have to think about it. I don't get tempted as much. It's great. The main thing is GET YOUR Protein IN FIRST...then your veggies then your carbs. Stay way from sugary things. Fruits will satisfy that sugary craving usually. And there is nothing wrong with giving into your temptation. This surgery is not only physical it is a mental one and it takes your mind longer to catch up to speed. It's going to keep thinking you can eat the things you were and the quantity. Example: my husband had texted me he was going to order pizza for dinner one day. I told him to order a medium pizza. He asked if i was sure amd i said yes. Normally we would have gotten 2 large pizza's.(there is a purpose to this) The whole time I was at work I was literally thinking about all the pizza I was going to eat. How many slices! Yum! I couldn't wait. I decided before I got home I was going to have 2 slices maybe 3! I got home he was eating his pizza. I went to the box. At first I thought im gonna put the 2 slices on my plate. Then I was like no. I'll put only half of one on my plate when I finish I'll get up and get another. I ate the half of a slice of pizza and I was full and content. If I would have put the whole slice of pizza on the plate I probably would have make myself eat it even if I was full. And the point in buying a smaller pizza is...if I would have bought 2 large pies...he would be the one eating it all by himself. Which isn't good or healthy. Medium size pizza smaller slices...he had only ate 4 slices which u can equate to 2 maybe 3 large pizza slices and he was content. food is all mental. Im not in no way shape or form saying pizza is healthy. Im just saying you can treat yourself...because not treating yourself can actually make you sabotage yourself, by binging or over eating. Complications I had along the way: 1. The day after I got sent home I found out I was allergic to the Tylenol and Codeine I was prescribed. My lip had swell like a balloon. Wasn't anything super major but I did go a whole day with out pain medication which was really ok. I did have pain but I still did move around. 2. About 3 weeks after my surgery, I went to the ER. I had a lot of abdominal pain. It felt like a pulling filling right at the incision above my belly button. Turns out it's the stitch that was there on the inside. It tends to kink at times and it was normal by readjusting myself and my position it but have kinked. 3. In September, I had a scare. I was working pretty much everyday 16 hour shift. It was the norm for me. I had 2 jobs. Well one day after I got out of work, I was driving and all of a sudden I began to shake. My body was shaking not like a seizure but like if I was cold. It was weird because I wasn't a cold night. I rolled up the window and proceeded. I was still shaking...teeth shattering cold...and it was painful. I was only 10mins from where I needed to be. I turned on the heat on high but the seat warmer on. I was still cold and my body was in excruciating pain. I was trying not to panic and I was afraid to stop. No one knew where I was and my phone was dead. My vision got blurred by the time I got to the house and my husband opened the door. I told him I wasn't feeling good and I was worried. He helped me up the stairs and I got so cold. I couldn't even hold a cup of Water my hands were shivering so much. He was going to take me to the hospital but I couldn't move I felt so faint when I stood up so he called 911. I went to the hospital. They did some tests. I had some kind of virus like a small 24 hr flu. My Iron, Vitamin D, and B12 levels were so low that I was pretty much running on Empty and my body was trying to reboot. It had no energy to fight off the virus so my immune system was compromised. Afterwards I was so weak and my body hurt. I had to take off from work until my levels were a little better. I was off for 2 months. Vitamin D deficiency sucks really bad. So be sure to be taking your Vitamins. I am now prescribed prescription strength vitamin D and have to get blood work every couple months. My levels still aren't where they need to be but they are a lot better than what they were and im able to function. This surgery is a journey lots of ups and downs along the way. But I believe it's well worth it and I would do it again. My journey isn't over yet....if you have any questions definitely message me!

It's been an interesting 10 months. I've had some ups and downs along the way. But im happy to say that things are finally coming together. Im getting healthier and Im definitely happier. Im currently down 90 pounds. Trying to it my 100 pound mark by my 1 year surgiversary (April 1St). I am extremely happy I had this surgery. I needed it. My knees and my feet couldn't take my weight anymore. I was having constant pain in my back, I had trouble sleeping. Dieting just hadn't worked for me in the past and my exercising was limited. I was in fear of getting diabetes and most of all dying young. I was tired of being depressed and unhappy. I had my surgery April 1St, 2014. I am now down 90 pounds from where I was (280). And I have 60 pounds left to get to my goal (130). This surgery has been one of the decisions I have ever made. But I am in no way shape or form saying it is easy. Because it sure isn't. The main thing to remember about this surgery and the other surgerys is to reach optimal results YOU MUST DO YOUR PART. Yes you will lose weight but if you don't do your part it will return. I've seen it. My mom and my sister have both had the surgery as well different times. My sister had it a year before me and my mom had hers over 10 years ago. They both struggle with their weight now. My mom was down to 180 at her lowest she lost 150pounds and struggles now a days and fluctuates between 215 and 240. My sister had lost 100 pounds and was down to 240. She's now at 260. The reason why they are struggling is because they didn't adapt and make a lifestyle change. You must eat better you must exercise. Im not saying go run a marathon (unless you want too). But just add a little 30min exercise to your day. It might not seem like a lot but it's an extra 30 minutes of exercises that you weren't going to do. You don't need a gym membership. Squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups, crunches, torso twists, kicks, walking, etc etc etc is all FREE! AND BE REALISTIC! This is the problem my sister and my mom have and it's normal. My mom noticed more that I was exercising more and she got inspired and motivated and that's awesome. So what did she do? She started on day 1: 90 sit ups!!! Really? I don't even do 90 sit ups yet. I mean I probably could but im not trying to hurt myself the point is to progress. Anyway...what happens with the 90 push ups. The next day she's in so much pain she can barely bend down to tie her shoes and what happens next? No more sit ups. The point im trying to make is be realistic. You don't have to kill yourself right off at the start. It's a gradual process. Start small and work toward a greater goal. If she would have done what I suggested start of 25 sit ups and then gradually increase by 5 she would ultimately get to 90 because she wouldn't be in so much pain and she wouldn't give up because your changing it up and your progressing. BE REALISTIC...RESULTS WILL COME. I do zumba at home, I work out at home. Im starting to go to the gym now though. Eating better is important!!! Diet is key. I'm not saying starve yourself. You will get no where with that. Plan your means ahead of time. I started doing this and it's helped me so much I don't have to think about it. I don't get tempted as much. It's great. The main thing is GET YOUR Protein IN FIRST...then your veggies then your carbs. Stay way from sugary things. Fruits will satisfy that sugary craving usually. And there is nothing wrong with giving into your temptation. This surgery is not only physical it is a mental one and it takes your mind longer to catch up to speed. It's going to keep thinking you can eat the things you were and the quantity. Example: my husband had texted me he was going to order pizza for dinner one day. I told him to order a medium pizza. He asked if i was sure amd i said yes. Normally we would have gotten 2 large pizza's.(there is a purpose to this) The whole time I was at work I was literally thinking about all the pizza I was going to eat. How many slices! Yum! I couldn't wait. I decided before I got home I was going to have 2 slices maybe 3! I got home he was eating his pizza. I went to the box. At first I thought im gonna put the 2 slices on my plate. Then I was like no. I'll put only half of one on my plate when I finish I'll get up and get another. I ate the half of a slice of pizza and I was full and content. If I would have put the whole slice of pizza on the plate I probably would have make myself eat it even if I was full. And the point in buying a smaller pizza is...if I would have bought 2 large pies...he would be the one eating it all by himself. Which isn't good or healthy. Medium size pizza smaller slices...he had only ate 4 slices which u can equate to 2 maybe 3 large pizza slices and he was content. food is all mental. Im not in no way shape or form saying pizza is healthy. Im just saying you can treat yourself...because not treating yourself can actually make you sabotage yourself, by binging or over eating. Complications I had along the way: 1. The day after I got sent home I found out I was allergic to the Tylenol and Codeine I was prescribed. My lip had swell like a balloon. Wasn't anything super major but I did go a whole day with out pain medication which was really ok. I did have pain but I still did move around. 2. About 3 weeks after my surgery, I went to the ER. I had a lot of abdominal pain. It felt like a pulling filling right at the incision above my belly button. Turns out it's the stitch that was there on the inside. It tends to kink at times and it was normal by readjusting myself and my position it but have kinked. 3. In September, I had a scare. I was working pretty much everyday 16 hour shift. It was the norm for me. I had 2 jobs. Well one day after I got out of work, I was driving and all of a sudden I began to shake. My body was shaking not like a seizure but like if I was cold. It was weird because I wasn't a cold night. I rolled up the window and proceeded. I was still shaking...teeth shattering cold...and it was painful. I was only 10mins from where I needed to be. I turned on the heat on high but the seat warmer on. I was still cold and my body was in excruciating pain. I was trying not to panic and I was afraid to stop. No one knew where I was and my phone was dead. My vision got blurred by the time I got to the house and my husband opened the door. I told him I wasn't feeling good and I was worried. He helped me up the stairs and I got so cold. I couldn't even hold a cup of Water my hands were shivering so much. He was going to take me to the hospital but I couldn't move I felt so faint when I stood up so he called 911. I went to the hospital. They did some tests. I had some kind of virus like a small 24 hr flu. My Iron, Vitamin D, and B12 levels were so low that I was pretty much running on Empty and my body was trying to reboot. It had no energy to fight off the virus so my immune system was compromised. Afterwards I was so weak and my body hurt. I had to take off from work until my levels were a little better. I was off for 2 months. Vitamin D deficiency sucks really bad. So be sure to be taking your Vitamins. I am now prescribed prescription strength vitamin D and have to get blood work every couple months. My levels still aren't where they need to be but they are a lot better than what they were and im able to function. This surgery is a journey lots of ups and downs along the way. But I believe it's well worth it and I would do it again. My journey isn't over yet....if you have any questions definitely message me!

I was the same about complications for the first week after surgery and Co constantly crying and over emotional that somthing would go wrong I'm over it now haha complications are very rare Sent from my A1601 using BariatricPal mobile app

Your story sounds sooooooo much like mine! I was convinced I was only going to do the band! My hubby wasn't thrilled but was ok with just the band...then after hours upon hours obsessively researching my options I decided the bands success rate and limitations were NOT for me! I have decided to make a life changing decision about my health ,happiness,&the way I view who I am..the band while I'm sure works for some...has a VERY high failure rate & complications...if you will really look @ different post on here I think you will see that many people are having revisions from band to RNY...I will finish my 6 month diet in April & should have surgery in the spring (God willing!) I was terrified of the thought of RNY now I cannot wait!!! I have prayed that Gods will be done where this surgery is concerned for me.i have total peace now & am confident it is the right decision for me !Also you will receive so much support here ...it's almost like a extended family ..everyone is supportive and truely can relate to you...if you ever need to vent or ask questions people are always here...I hope that you will find peace in your decision !!! hugs

Prayers for a better recovery this time around. Thanks for sharing your experience. Sometimes pre-ops want to just read about good results but need to be informed about the bad as well. (I am thankful I've had no complications). God be with you today.

Several surgeons across the country have been consults on my case due to the rarity of the complications and no one is 100% sure what caused it. But their best guess has been a combination of me being short 5'3 (short torso, short stomach, shorter sleeve) and my anatomy ( the curvature of my stomach and the way it empties. I have read studies that say short people tend to feel more restriction. Not so sure I could have prevented this one.

I'm 10 days post op. I'll be honest, I didn't expect the pain to be this painful. It gets better everyday but emotionally, I'm sick of being weak from the surgery. It's a huge & life changing decision only you can decide for yourself. Even though I'm sort of emotionally drained, I've already lost 20 lbs since the liquid pre-op diet. I could never lose even that much weight before. If I could, I wouldn't have gotten the surgery. But in your condition, this will be a positive result for you since you need to lose weight. Ask yourself can you do it on your own by sticking to a strict diet or am I willing to go to the extreme with surgery? Complications are low according to statistics I've read. My hospital has 0 fatalities with weight loss surgery. Height 5'0" Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs. Surgery date: 2/13/17 Goal: - 71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs). Current weight: 194.4 lbs My profile picture is not me. It's my "FitSpiration" body.

Hi everyone. I'm 45 years old, 5'8" and pushing my highest weight ever at 295. BMI 44. I was a thin and active child and teen. After college I started a sedentary job and had a baby a year after that. Gained 60 pounds while pregnant and that was 20 years ago! Over last 20 years I steadily and slowly have gone up on the scale. I have done many diets over years with only small early losses but weight always finds me again plus some. My father died at age 43 from a sudden heart attack. At that time I was only 23 and was still at a healthy weight but now that I am obese and older than he was it is a severe fear of mine. In fact I have always had anxiety anytime my heart rate goes up even from daily things like climbing stairs or vacuuming the house. This is probably one reason I don't exercise. Anyway my mom had a few friends that have had some success with Lap Band and she has begged me to consider it but I've kept thinking no way my insurance would ever pay for it. Well recently I called my insurance and they WILL cover it if I meet all their requirements. I do meet them all now except the recent 6 months doctor supervised diet. I did WW within last year but dang it I only lasted 4 months that time before I gave up! My insurance assigned me a case worker advocate and I have my first phone interview on Monday afternoon. I also have a physical scheduled for next Friday with my PCP because I am clueless of my cholesterol or blood sugar. And I will ask for his support and recommendation as well. I have done a lot of research online and read a couple eBooks and I'm actually leaning toward vertical sleeve now as opposed to Lap Band. It seems to have better long term results and fewer long term complications after getting past the initial surgery and leak test. Plus the foreign object inside me forever w LB kind of freaks me out. My husband supports me but has never had a weight issue so he doesn't get why it has to come to this for me. Nobody besides my hubby and mom know yet that I'm considering this. Not even my son yet. Anyway that's my story. Journey about to take off.

I have been considering wls for while. My husband is self employed and we have not had insurance for a while. We have finally caught up on everything and so I went through the very long process to apply for insurance through BCBS of TX for us and our 4 kids. I knew they would not cover the wls and planned to self pay but wanted to have the insurance in case of complications. Once everything was submitted to underwriting I started the process for gastric sleeve, met with the Dr and set a date for July 31st. Then the next week was notified by insurance that I was denied coverage because of the meds I take for water retention. It does not make sense to me why they denied me but my agent said I can appeal the decision and re-apply. I have decided to just wait until after surgery and trust God and move forward my plans for surgery without insurance. Does anyone know how long I will need to wait after surgery until it would be good for me to re-apply for insurance?

I’m 3 weeks post op gastric bypass and these past couple of days I have been extremely nauseous. Zofran isnt helping not are those nausea patches they gave me. How did you guys treat nausea post op. Before the operation I’d have ginger ale, and saltines. But obviously those aren’t an option now. i only started the purée food diet a week ago and have actually put myself back on the liquid diet until my appt on the 27th because I keep having complications (inability to tolerate most foods (severe cramping, vomiting and diarrhea). But now with this nausea I’m struggling to even get in a protein drink or my daily liquid intake. Yesterday I had 20 oz liquid. It’s Sunday so my dr isn’t even in the office.

It is major surgery, but the percentage of complications is very low. You will most likely have an EGD as part of preop diagnostics and be put under for that, so you will experience being put under prior to surgery - then you will get an intro to anesthetic that way. Why did you choose bypass? Do you have reflux? Do you want the 'dumping aspect' as a deterrent to sweets? I am just curious.... Welcome and try to read the forums, and ask questions.

I was allowed to stay on mine. I think I nagged some about it because I'd read you had to be off of it but it was fine. I've had no complications.

How much you lose is up to you. Typically they say about 60% of excess weight but it can be more or less depending on your ability and desire to exercise and eat right. But the battle isn't with your stomach- it's with your mind. We have an addiction and you have to treat it as such. And getting active will help. I took up swimming because I have bad knees and it's been great. For a few weeks to a few months eating will be much different than you're used too. Full very fast. EAT SLOWLY. If you overeat I guarantee you will only want to do it once. Follow the plan your doctor gives you and don't deviate. They have a reason they do what they do. You will gradually be able to eat more but never like you used to. I just had my first ice cream in 4 years. 1 scoop filled me up. And no real desire to have more. The quantity you'll be able to eat will vary depending on what you're eating and how fast. But don't push it. I've had to find other things to replace my eating. I can still eat most things just in much smaller quantities. I don't do rice or much pasta or potatoes as they fill me up very fast and no room for the healthier- and tastier- things. I felt great after surgery. Told the doctor I've had worse paper cuts. No pain, no gas, no upset stomach. But I'm one of the lucky ones. Expect some problems like gas and just have a heat pad ready - it helps. There can be complications- that's true with any surgery but, again, follow instructions for hygiene and type of food. Excess skin? Oh yeah! I've lost about 250 pounds and I look like a partially deflated balloon. But I'm working at losing some more to have skin removal. Need a BMI of around 35 before that happens. How long again is a matter of how much and how fast you lose. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! I wish I had done it 10 years before I did. But fear kept me from trying. I heard a quote bt Will Smith. " God puts the best things in life on the other side of fear." How true! Finally I would recommend a book called Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies. Very informative. Good luck

I agree - Dr. Manigat is a great surgeon and is dedicated to his patients and takes his time with each and everyone so that they understand the procedure before and after. He is very busy and you may have to wait - but it is worth it. I have had the LapBand over 2 years with no complications and have been at goal for a long time.