I am in the process of researching/consulting/etc... and am wondering...

What is the one thing you wish someone had told you BEFORE you got your LAP-BAND®? :smile2:

Thanks so much for any information/help/support!!

Jen

Poppy, in my opinion I think there is way too much emphasis put on fills and restriction. You are absolutely right in thinking if you are losing at a good rate then it's probably not best to get a fill.

Getting too tight is a serious problem and can lead to losing your lap-band® quite quickly. It causes a great deal of problems running the spectrum from acid reflux to very poor eating habits. Absolutely the opposite of what the band was designed for! I personally want to keep my band as long as possible!

One should only consider a fill if, #1 You're SOLID meals aren't lasting 3-4 hours AND it's obvious you can eat too much. When I say too much I don't mean you can eat more than 4 bites. I mean you can still eat a large meal.

Do not consider a fill if you are constantly foaming on your food, if you choose more liquid foods than solid because solid is too difficult to eat, if you can only hold down several bites of food, or if it is too cumbersome to eat at all.

We're in this for health - not the quickest route to size 6.

thanks for the response...I get my next fill March 2, ..so looking forward to getting to that point...

I wish someone would have told me facts not numbers.

I wish someone would have told me of this website before surgery.

I wish someone would have told me everyone around me would expect me to loose weight as fast as gastric bypass.

I wish someone would have told me I would not loose weight as fast as people with gastric bypass.

On a personal note I wish I would have realized that I couldn't use GAS X strips because I am allergic to menthol!!! I had so much gas I was living off them..lol it's over now but it was so bad at the time...lol

How much the gas pains hurt...LOL

Do not consider a fill if you are constantly foaming on your food, if you choose more liquid foods than solid because solid is too difficult to eat, if you can only hold down several bites of food, or if it is too cumbersome to eat at all.

We're in this for health - not the quickest route to size 6.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is "foaming"?

Forgive my ignorance, but what is "foaming"?

Also known as "sliming". Sometimes when food gets lodged in your throat, you produce a really thick nasty saliva and lots of it. It's supposed to help get the food unstuck.

HI, I wish someone would hav told me what a serious mind game this would be. I love my band, and i wouldn't take it out for anything, but it's a daily struggle and i'm 8 months in to this process. Good Luck.

I am in the process of researching/consulting/etc... and am wondering...

What is the one thing you wish someone had told you BEFORE you got your LAP-BAND®®?

Thanks so much for any information/help/support!!

Jen

great question, great answers from everyone here. I'm in my 4th year since surgery and took a hard look back to answer this question, based on what I had learned over the years. Thought it was so important that my mentor and I actually did an interview on this topic. Follow this link to my blog to find it http://www.gloriasbandedliving.com/7-things/.

I hope it's useful.

Also known as "sliming". Sometimes when food gets lodged in your throat, you produce a really thick nasty saliva and lots of it. It's supposed to help get the food unstuck.

Thanks for the info....maybe I was better off ignorant....Yuck!

I wish I knew more about the port and it's placement. 14 days out from surgery and it is uncomfortable still. Sitting up and standing up still a bit sensitive.

I wish someone would have told me the truth about hairloss/ thinning hair. I don't even remember where I heard it, but before my surgery I was under the impression that only bypass patients lost hair. Knowing the fact that many lapband patients have this problem wouldn't have changed the outcome for me, but I would have been more mentally prepared. I have very thin, baby fine, straight hair, so hair loss was probably inevitable for me. I just wish someone would have told me.

I went to a support group recently. There was a gal who has not been banded yet that asked the question about hair loss. The woman who was running the group said, "that only happens with bypass patients, not the lapband." Then all of us that have been banded said, "I lost hair."

On a more positive note, I wish someone would have told me how easy this weightloss would be! I have lost 70 lbs in less than 7 months and have really put in very little effort! It is the easiest "diet" I have ever been on!

I also wish I would have known years ago that I could have had the surgery with a lower BMI.

I wish someone would have told me how hard the last 25lbs was going to be!

I did find this out before surgery---and my preop diet---and I'm glad I did, so I'll share: the source of the best protein powders is bariatriceating.com. Their Inspire line is really good.

I feel bad for all you guys using insurance and jumping through so many hoops but I guess that is insurance for you, huh? They are ever easy to deal with..

Don't feel bad for me! Yes, my insurance required clearance by a pulmonologist, cardiologist and psychologist---but as a morbidly obese person facing general anesthesia and surgery, that clearance is necessary, not time-wasting hoop-jumping.

Spending 3 months making sure the surgery is safe and appropriate (and then having it paid for!) seems like a pretty good idea, to me.

Don't feel bad for me! Yes, my insurance required clearance by a pulmonologist, cardiologist and psychologist---but as a morbidly obese person facing general anesthesia and surgery, that clearance is necessary, not time-wasting hoop-jumping.

Spending 3 months making sure the surgery is safe and appropriate (and then having it paid for!) seems like a pretty good idea, to me.

Hey Betsy!

3 months isn't bad. The psychologist I used took nearly that long to write the stinking letter stating that I knew what the surgery was and that I was ready for it, and that I understood the changes I needed to make to be successful! :thumbup: I had to resort to daily calls. Finally I got a call that it would be done on such and such a day and they'd fax to the surgeon. I told them I'd pick it up. Didn't trust them to actually fax the thing.

Two hours in waiting room later, I had the letter.

Saw him in early September. I didn't get the letter until late October. What was so hard about writing a one page letter, I don't know.

I also had to appeal the denial of my PCP's referral to the surgeon, so that took another month! That was before the psych. debacle.

So, I was 7 or 8 months in process. But for me to have it covered by my insurance, yeah, worth the wait. :ohmy:

I wish I had been told about all the hunger at first. I was starving until my third fill. Also- be aware that fullness does not feel the same as pre-band. It is actually a somewhat uncomfortable feeling- a pain in your chest kinda like heartburn. At least that's been my experience. I am glad I did it though. Down 40 pounds in about 10 weeks.