I started researching lapband 4 yrs ago.2 yhears ago I decided to go for it but chickened out after reading some disappointing posts here.After much research I am concerned about LONG TERM failure rates.

I am considering lapband again, after many natural failure attempts....I need words of encouragement from long term bandsters.......LAPBAND failures please dont give ur comments as I dont want to get discouraged again.(i know its not the smartest choice for me but it is a DESPERATE decision for me.

Marieg, I'm right there with you. I did my research 2+ years ago and chickened out too after going to my second seminar. I think "eating with a baby spoon for the rest of your life" did it for me. First I went to Brunswick paid my $300.00, started getting treated differently by the staff and I didn't go back. They had no problem keeping my $300.00 (I knew I wasn't going to get it back and didn't ask for it) but they never contacted me again asking why I haven't come back. A few months later I went to the seminar here in Savannah, Ga and the seminar was great except for the statement above. Now here I am in the same boat as you. I'll be watching the responses you get. :biggrin:

I'm not really a "long term bandster", but have been banded since July 2009. Getting banded was taking drastic measures for me, but I was at my wits end. I have tried everything else over the years only to gain back the weight plus some. I had accepted the fact that I was obese and would live the rest of my life that way. It really made me feel like crap. I know a couple people who got the band and it worked so well for them.

I did a little research and talked about it with the friends. It didn't take long for me to make up my mind.

To be honest, I put very little effort in and still took off 102 pounds! It is a learning process for sure. There are some foods I will never eat again, but at this point I don't really miss them. The "rules" become second nature. Not drinking with meals and taking tiny bites is really no big deal. One of my friends that got banded before me can eat anything, but just smaller portions.

The other friend and I have some foods that we just can't eat. We are both ok with that. There are plenty of other food choices.

IMHO I think you may have researched it too much. There are risks with anything. There is a risk that something bad could happen to you if you leave the house today. Only you can make the choice to be banded or not. All I can tell you is how it has worked for me. Everyone has a different story. This has been the easiest way to take off weight I have ever tried. The nice thing about it is I think I am going to keep it off this time.

I'm not sure whether you want to hear from me or not. I can't remember when I got my band, but I know I've had it at least five years. Maybe more. I had about 110-120 pounds to lose when I started. I lost 80 with no effort whatsoever and pretty much stopped there. I know I could have lost more, but I was satisfied with my appearance and the improvement in my health.

Within the last six months, I started gaining weight again and eventually realized that I hadn't really felt restriction in a while. I went to my doctor and learned that the port is broken and needs to be replaced in another surgery. I'm going to do it because the band is definitely worth it to me.

So yeah, there's been a problem, but for at least five years it was all smooth sailing. I wouldn't try to ignore the bad stuff and pretend that it's not there. I would ask you to keep in mind that I haven't been on this board for several, several years. Why? Because everything was going great. So keep in mind that people come here for support. If they've had the band for a long time and all is well, they might not be here. The board may be a little skewed that way.

Whoops, I guess I started on 2003 so I've probably had the band six years now.