I wonder why the lap-band isn't mentioned in the article........I know the cover says it's about by-pass, but, they have a small article about a device similar to a pacemaker that's planted under the abdomen, which they say is promising........but not available to 2006. Although on the flip side.......maybe if they did publish in People the folks who are now in the process of banding may have to wait longer.....hmm. Which would not be good. I stumbled across the lap-band while researching the by-pass on the internet.....how did you find it? Are you pleased you did? I'm newly banded........Gabby

I thought the article focused too much on the "look at me now" aspect and minimizes the permanance, side effects etc. Celebrities have more "invested" in being thinner, likely explaining why they go a more drastic route. I also think some lap banders don't go public...and until the stars buy into the band, it's not news to People.

Elizabeth

Yes, it seems like the lap-band is constantly overlooked by the media. I've only seen a few news stories that talked in depth about the band - but fortunately, one of those stories planted the seed for me to actually get the band myself.

I first heard about it right after the FDA approval. I saw a local news story about a surgeon in our area who was one of the very first American surgeons to start banding. The safe/reversible aspect immediately appealed to me, but not enough to actually pursue surgery at that time.

When I later saw a newspaper ad for the same surgeon, I was on the Atkins diet and hating it, so it was the right time to consider more drastic measures!

I hate to think that I might have gotten the gastric bypass if I hadn't known about the band. I don't know why people ignore the less-radical lap-band even when decrying the "drastic" bypass. I guess maybe the reporters just don't KNOW what the difference is between a gastric bypass and a band.

Hmm, should some of us write letters to the editor of People?

I also found out about the lapband after researching about the bypass on the internet. Since I dont have any insurance at all , because I am self employed, I was trying to find a cheap price for the bypass procedure.

But all I got was sticker shock lols.... Then I found a website that was advertising the lapband procedure. I called up and within 2 weeks I was banded (ofcourse I did more research on the matter beforehand)

The rest is history...