i'm a NEW-BE very very new.. actually have a surgical CONSULT appt for next Wednesday, July 13th 2011. I am in dire need of other's feedback. I'm nervous about what could go wrong immediately, and YEARS later. if anyone has had complications at any point, you're feedback is most needed. The primary reason i want the surgery is due to pcos, and allll the lovely symptoms that go with.... so i'm sure those of you ladies w/ pcos that are post-op can definitely give me some confidence(hopefully). Lastly, i will have to quit smoking. I have been smoking for the last 8 years of my life...and am very worried that i will not be able to lose that much, being that i will have stopped smoking very recently. If anyone as some insightful experiences, or thoughts to share, please do. I am in the Queens, New York area.

i'm a NEW-BE very very new.. actually have a surgical CONSULT appt for next Wednesday, July 13th 2011. I am in dire need of other's feedback. I'm nervous about what could go wrong immediately, and YEARS later. if anyone has had complications at any point, you're feedback is most needed. The primary reason i want the surgery is due to pcos, and allll the lovely symptoms that go with.... so i'm sure those of you ladies w/ pcos that are post-op can definitely give me some confidence(hopefully). Lastly, i will have to quit smoking. I have been smoking for the last 8 years of my life...and am very worried that i will not be able to lose that much, being that i will have stopped smoking very recently. If anyone as some insightful experiences, or thoughts to share, please do. I am in the Queens, New York area.

Hi Sarah,

Every person has a different experience with the band. Some people LOVE it and it works great for them and some people dislike it very much.

Right now I am in a stage of regret and wishing I had gone with the other surgery instead. I am about 3 months post op and at this point because of complications I would suggest to anyone now the gastric (where they cut your stomach to the size of a small pouch)instead of the band for those who are looking to lose more aggressively. If you have no problem losing extremelyyy slowly, then I would recommend the band instead, because it's long term effects seem to be better, which is why I chose it in the first place. You will be maintained for the rest of your life with the band and that is a good thing for sure. It's easier to gain weight back with the gastric if you stretch your pouch out too much, but you lose much, much faster and easier.

Since you have pcos it means it's twice as hard for you to lose weight on your own, right? The band may not be for you then, because it is MUCH more difficult to lose weight on. The beginning is a slow, grueling process that takes a lot of will power and determination. Your doing more work then the band is at first DEPENDING on the doc you get and how much and how soon your band gets filled. I hear it gets easier and easier as you get more fills and finally find your "sweet spot". Some people find theirs right away, and some it takes 3-5 months. I haven't found mine yet and sooo dissapointed at my lack of weight loss after all the hell I have been thru.

As you keep reading posts on this forum, you will see just how different every person's experience is. Most are positive, and most see real & true success in the end. Keep reading more posts and you will get your answers, trust me. These guys are totally great and have been helping me BIG time get through my personal issues with it.

When it comes to smoking I solved the problem real quick. I started smoking electric cigarettes instead (which are AMAZING and have different flavors) and the docs never seems to mind it and never asked me to stop! I showed it to them and everything.

I used to sell them, and totally wish I was selling them again. Here is where me and my Fiance' order from because they seem to be the best quality and have a lifetime warranty---> Greensmoke.com

I'll let you and others know if I decide to sell them again in the future. That way people who have had the surgery can just go through me if they want.

Hope that helps, and sorry I couldn't be a more positive candidate for you!

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Hi Sarah,

Every person has a different experience with the band. Some people LOVE it and it works great for them and some people dislike it very much.

Right now I am in a stage of regret and wishing I had gone with the other surgery instead. I am about 3 months post op and at this point because of complications I would suggest to anyone now the gastric (where they cut your stomach to the size of a small pouch)instead of the band for those who are looking to lose more aggressively. If you have no problem losing extremelyyy slowly, then I would recommend the band instead, because it's long term effects seem to be better, which is why I chose it in the first place. You will be maintained for the rest of your life with the band and that is a good thing for sure. It's easier to gain weight back with the gastric if you stretch your pouch out too much, but you lose much, much faster and easier.

Since you have pcos it means it's twice as hard for you to lose weight on your own, right? The band may not be for you then, because it is MUCH more difficult to lose weight on. The beginning is a slow, grueling process that takes a lot of will power and determination. Your doing more work then the band is at first DEPENDING on the doc you get and how much and how soon your band gets filled. I hear it gets easier and easier as you get more fills and finally find your "sweet spot". Some people find theirs right away, and some it takes 3-5 months. I haven't found mine yet and sooo dissapointed at my lack of weight loss after all the hell I have been thru.

As you keep reading posts on this forum, you will see just how different every person's experience is. Most are positive, and most see real & true success in the end. Keep reading more posts and you will get your answers, trust me. These guys are totally great and have been helping me BIG time get through my personal issues with it.

When it comes to smoking I solved the problem real quick. I started smoking electric cigarettes instead (which are AMAZING and have different flavors) and the docs never seems to mind it and never asked me to stop! I showed it to them and everything.

I used to sell them, and totally wish I was selling them again. Here is where me and my Fiance' order from because they seem to be the best quality and have a lifetime warranty---> Greensmoke.com

I'll let you and others know if I decide to sell them again in the future. That way people who have had the surgery can just go through me if they want.

Hope that helps, and sorry I couldn't be a more positive candidate for you!

<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://tickers.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/909/6236/9096236.png" /></a><p style="text-align:center;width:420px;"><small>Created by MyFitnessPal - <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com">Free Calorie Counter</a></small></p>

no, actually...i appreciate honesty..whether good, bad, ugly,...etc i actually Do want to lose weight slowly (slow and steady...and continuously haha) i'm ALSO nervous about hanging skin...so i don't wanna rush it too too much. I am able to lose weight, but then i gain it back, and then some..so my mentality is the band can help to prevent the Gaining back, yo-yo crap =)

i hope everything goes well for u... i don't know your personal situation, but try not to get discouraged.... slow is not necessarily bad... as long as it's in the right direction =)

thanks so much, and best of luck

no, actually...i appreciate honesty..whether good, bad, ugly,...etc i actually Do want to lose weight slowly (slow and steady...and continuously haha) i'm ALSO nervous about hanging skin...so i don't wanna rush it too too much. I am able to lose weight, but then i gain it back, and then some..so my mentality is the band can help to prevent the Gaining back, yo-yo crap =)

i hope everything goes well for u... i don't know your personal situation, but try not to get discouraged.... slow is not necessarily bad... as long as it's in the right direction =)

thanks so much, and best of luck

Your very welcome, I just was sad that I was your first responder and didn't have the greatest experience for you to take from.

My biggest problem was lack of communication from my doc's and them giving me next to no information on what I was to expect.

Unfortunately I found this forum after many disappointments from having incorrect or no information at all pre-band... the good thing is I found this forum! LOL It's nothing but good that you are on here before your surgery, so you will have WAY LESS issues then I did. Keep reading and asking questions on here. I can't explain enough how much being prepared and informed on things with this helps. It's why I am in the process of writing a book about it! I never want another "bandster" to go in blindly like I did. I thought I did all my research, but boy was I wrong. I thought that the docs were telling me all I needed to know, but very wrong again.

Knowledge is power, baby gurl and you got it right here!

Good luck on your journey with the band and I'll be sending positive energy your way!

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SarahBara:

I am actually scheduled to have my surgery tomorrow, and I am also concerned about potential long-term issues,

But I'm more concerned about the long-term issues of being morbidly obese. I, too, have PCOS, and I am more interested in living (even with the possibility of band difficulties) than I am afraid of those potential problems. I KNOW that being overweight will kill me--and if my increasingly high blood pressure and blood sugar numbers are any indication, it would kill me comparitively soon. For me, that was the deciding factor in getting the band.

i am pretty 'set' on getting the band... but i am nervous. i feel that doctors just Tell you things... they're not going to say anything bad, b/c @ the end of the day, medicine is a Business... and they want to cut you open, and get $. now, i'm not a doctor basher, my sis and brother-in-law are both doctors...not surgeons, but in the field...and i STILL don't trust it.

i'm going through with it definitely... i want to prevent high blood pressure, and everything else. i don't have many 'symptoms' aside from morbid obesity (haha..lil' thing)... i don't have high blood pressure..yet, i know on this track, i definitely would...i'm not super woman.

i'm sure i'll wake up from surgery (God willing..etc...)

i'm sure the procedure will go well (God willing..etc...)

but the part that i can't even say "I'm sure i'll be fine" is all this damn slippage erosion NONSENSE

i'm goin to the 2nd support group tonight in mineola.... all of my questions @ this point are focused on "alla'dat nonsense"

i really can't wait, i'm super excited n all.....but it's gonna happen, asap

i'm definitely ready for the rest of my life... and just want to jump start a healthy adulthood, and on

....if you lose weight SLOWLY and workout...can u prevent all of this hanging skin?

ugh....hopefully i can get some HELPFUL tips on avoiding allllllll that i truly want and know i will do my ALL to avoid

oh ya... once i start losing weight.. i want one of those lil ticker factory things u all have =)... how do i get that?

thanks guys... you're awesome!

Well I might be a good person to talk to because I always seem to get the short stick in life.

I too have PCOS and I have battled my weight for years. In Canada I spent mega bucks thousands of dollars on weight loss diets ( ie dr berstein diet) but the weight always came back.

Before I was super overweight again, I decided to have the band surgery while I was living in Korea.

Things went great at first. Though I had pcos I worked hard with my band and went to the gym etc and lost about 50lbs in 4 months.

One night however I drank Water too fast and it gave me 12 hours of acid reflux. Then came a strange pain and I could feel my tubing from my band to my port, then I had a strange but light pain in my stomach ( my actual stomach not the port area).

I went to the doctor for a check up already scheduled and mentioned my problems. He found my tubing was too close to the surface of my skin and I needed a revision. Just to be double safe he decided to give me a full check up including an endoscope check ( camera down my throat) and found erosion.... YES erosion 4 months after I was banded!!

I was heart broken and confused why did it have to happen etc. I had 2 choices, to unfill the band for months until I healed or remove the band. After 2 weeks of being unfilled my erosion was almost healed, my doc wanted to stitch it, but i wanted the band out.

It was removed Feb 2010 and I was without a band until July 2010 ( when the lapband ap series was k fda approved here) and then I got rebanded.

I would NEVER consider getting the gastric bypass ( my bmi was not high enough to begin with and was about 27 when I lost my band) and the sleeve I might consider if something happens to this band.

Over all with all the bad things that have happened ( I have also been through over fill hell etc) I still love my band and don't regret getting it. If I could I'd keep it forever. Lets hope nothing else bad happens.

If you want to read more details about my erosion you can click on my blog and go back to Feb 2010 and March 2010 as I documented it there.

Right now life is good. No erosion ( that I know of, I have a check up this weekend because I have been banded this time around for a whole year ) My BMI is 25, I am 10 lbs from goal ( might settle here) and my band and I get along most of the time.

SarahBara - I too have PCOS as well as Hashimoto's (basically a dead thyroid). I'm scheduled for July 20 and at my appointment with my doctor yesterday, my number one question was the one about complications. I asked Dr. Ellner (in San Diego) what the percentage of patients experienced some/all of the complications and her answer was less than 5%. I think I'm related to Murphy. You know Murphy right? Murphy's Law - Whatever can happen, will happen. That's me. Being overweight and not being around to see my children grow scares me more than the complications.

Best of luck to you...and to me!

May

MY BAND BLOG: http://may-mylapbandlife.blogspot.com/

SarahBara:

I am actually scheduled to have my surgery tomorrow, and I am also concerned about potential long-term issues,

But I'm more concerned about the long-term issues of being morbidly obese. I, too, have PCOS, and I am more interested in living (even with the possibility of band difficulties) than I am afraid of those potential problems. I KNOW that being overweight will kill me--and if my increasingly high blood pressure and blood sugar numbers are any indication, it would kill me comparitively soon. For me, that was the deciding factor in getting the band.

congrats MissMay... hopefully nothing will go wrong... ya, at the support group that's what people were saying... very unlikely. i think i just need to know what causes things, so i can avoid them. hearing over and over, either an inconclusive answer, or basically saying it's al left to chance has been a bit unnerving. i wish you the best of luck, and congrats on making it this far. hopefully i'll have the same type of post in a little while =)