My hubby and I are going for our seminar tomorrow night at Ellis Hospital and I was wondering if anyone had the choice would you get the Lap Band done again? Looking for the pros and cons. Thanks!

I would absolutely, positively do it AGAIN!!!

Yes, and with no doubts this time! It was the kick in the butt I needed to eat right.

Most definitely! Wish I had done it sooner!

In a heartbeat! One of the best decisions I've ever made.

Yes I would.

Cheri

Yes and no, but leaning more towards no. While I've lost 100lbs+ flawlessly and for right now my band is "okay," the revision and failure rates of Lapband continue to soar and some of the stories I've come across have been scary, to say the least. It seems that after a few years out the band starts causing all sorts of problems and while I went with Lapband due to the fact that it's irreversible, some of the damage it causes isn't so..reversible. However, I wholeheartedly believe that the less you mess with the band (fills/unfills) the less chance you have of experiencing any negative consequences. I have no fill so I guess time will tell.

In the end I do credit the band for somehow kicking me in the a$ and making me learn how to eat and live like a normal person does. I don't eat extremely small portions nor have I cut any type of food from my diet. Somehow the band made me want to learn about nutrition and weight-loss, and if I knew from the getgo that it truly is as simple as calories in vs. calories out, I'd have never sought surgery.

Either way, hopefully the seminar is informational for you and your husband! The band is a good surgery but in my opinion not the most ideal one, either. Good luck whatever decision you make.

Rev, I agree with you 100%. I say yes and then no! I do not recommend the band unless someone reads all about all the surgeries and chooses from the list. I too have been banded for 2 1/2 years and am to goal and no problems, but I never had any fills/unfills. I believe like you that the wearing out of filling and unfilling damages the band and it does not show up until much later down the road. I am really happy I had the band but it was not my choice, I wanted the gastric or sleeve and I was told that to lose 90 pds was not severe enough to go with anything other than the band. They were pushing the band like crazy.

even after hearing bad experiences from others...and there are bad experiences...I would do it again. For me, it works. I am a happy Camper!

Yes, I would do it again.

I was banded just about 7 years ago, after doing a lot of research and about a year of pre-op work. I chose it for a lot of reasons, including the slower loss (hoping I'd be able to avoid skin-removal) and the fact that I was only in my mid-twenties and still had potential pregnancies in front of me.

In the last several years, I've lost nearly 150 pounds, gained a relatively small amount back with two (healthy!) pregnancies wherein I totally fell off the wagon (but that's a whole other story), rededicated myself to MYSELF and begun the downward trend again. Not everything has been peachy--I had to have a revision a couple of days after my first son was born, due to band slippage--but I haven't come anywhere close to my starting weight and I know that I am better off now than I was before I got the band. I've learned a lot about proper eating and exercise, and a lot about myself. I'm happy enough with my band that when my husband started looking into it, I supported him completely. This is not something I would force upon anybody--it's an extremely personal decision, requires an enormous amount of work, and frankly isn't always fun--but I think for the right person who is prepared for what they are getting into, the band is a wonderful tool.

Yes I would do it again....

I have always been able to diet...but getting bored, feeling hungry and sticking with a "diet" has been the problem. With the band... none of these thing occur..... I am eating a small amount of regular food (I am making great choices)and I am satisfied..... not looking for more!

The band has been a wonderful experience so far.... however I do think you need to follow your Dr's instruction to a T and eat correctly.....

Absolutely. Best thing I've done for myself in years!

Absolutely, without a doubt!!! Wish I had done it sooner!!! Good luck!!!

1 year and 2 months ago I weighed 432 pounds. I'm hoping by the end of the week to weigh in the 200's for the first time since High School 30 years ago. I'd do it again in the blink of an eye!!!

Good Luck to you!

Hope this answers your question. The black is what I wore before banding, and how I can get both legs into one leg of my old pants.

This is 2 years, 5 months after banding.

Great pictures Melissa you look great! I have saved one big outfit for the same reason....As for getting the band again, I would not even hesitate to do it. I love my band!

I wish I had done it years ago; instead of turning the TV station everytime a commercial come on. Keep in mind though the band is not a magic wand. It won't stop you from eating junk food. Most people won't loose weight if they don't exercise. Before surgery make sure to attend therapy sessions on mindful eating. Change your relationship with food BEFORE surgery. Surgery itself does'nt magically change how or what you eat.