new to this sight and want to get banded but have anxiety and scared of erosion and slippage of the band. does anyone else suffer from anxiety and still got lap band?

Hi,

I hope you don't mind but I copied and pasted the answer I sent to another poster who had basically the same question. I got banded in April '06. I've lost 90lbs. It was the BEST decision of my life. I was sooooo nervous wondering if I was making the right decision. I was self pay and my husband was reluctantly going along with my decision. I felt a lot of pressure. I have not looked back. It has changed my life. This year I will finally post before and after pictures. I've gone from a size 20 to a size 6/7. Very few complications other than my port practically sticks out now that I'm so thin. That's a small price to pay though. I've had very few complications. No, I don't get to eat everything I want to eat but isn't that the purpose of the band??

Recovery time .... what recovery time? The day of the surgery I recovered in the hotel room and the next day my husband and I were up walking around Tijuana. That was the only recovery time I needed. Afterward I went sight-seeing in San Diego for a couple days before returning home. The 'gas' people talk about is not gas like burping or farting but shoulder pain. I believe it's described as the gas used to inflate your stomach for the surgery or something like that. I bought Gas-X strips to help with the pain and was fine. Be sure to pack those.

I hope this helps you Greeneyed. Let me know if you need anything else. I'd be happy to help!

Lynn

Most people here had some level of anxiety about some complication - the surgery itself, longevity of the band, side effects of the band, etc. Anxiety before a voluntary surgery is expected. If I were you, I'd be a lot more concerned over NOT having anxiety, than having some.

Do the research, see the current numbers. Don't gauge numbers from a "support" board - get the clicnical numbers. Then read experiences, look at numbers, etc. From there, it's a pros vs. cons list.

Rates of incidence have gone up quite a bit over what they used to be - I suspect they will go up higher. But I don't know very many current or former AGB patients who completely regret their decision. They're out there, especially on support forums, but they're still a minority. For now anyway.