Bla

My Insurance is UHC......and i am quite sure my Dr wont do it pro bono.....and i dont even think he is doing bariatric surgery anymore...Xavier, i am not gaining weight, that isnt the problem.....its the body rejecting the band and causing all kinds of complications......i really wish that in pre counseling, they would invite some of the failures to let people know what can happen.......and yes, you can have your band filled very tightly, and regain all your weight...i have seen it happen ......you simply stretch the pouch out by over eating......i wish you all great success......just if u r thinking about it......weigh it very carefully......

Thanks so much for your story Tat1. I am weighing carefully.

This is why I'm confused. If you're gaining, why would you not check with your dr as to what is happening? I understand about stretching your pouch out, but again, if I started to gain, the first thing I'd do is make an appointment with my dr to see what might be wrong. To say that 50% of his patients gain their weight back sounds like it's far more likely a dr or patient issue, and less a band issue.

Studies in Australia at 5 years show that lapband surgery weight loss is comparable to gastric bypass in amount of weight lost, yet mortality rate is far lower than bypass. Gastric banding is still the most performed WLS in Australia, and still the most successful, in a place where it's been done for nearly 15 years. Most Australian health insurance companies automatically cover it, as it's proven to be successful for the majority of patients and they believe it will save them paying for obesity related medical issues later. I called my health insurance on 4th of July 2008, I got banded 1st Aug 2008, and they paid for it without question. My BMI was 37 and I didn't have to jump through one single hoop for them to approve it.

That suggests to me that generally speaking, lapbanding is accepted as a feasible and proven method to lose weight, or no health insurance company would be paying for it. They're not a charity. They expect that it will work and will save them money in the long run.

So a Dr who says he has a 50% regain rate for his patients is probably one I would not be looking to do MY surgery.

if the pouch is being stretched out due to over eating, that is not the bands issue, again people need to remember this is a life style change, you cant put the band in, continue to over eat and over eat and expect to have great success, you have to follow the rules. I agree with lellow, if my dr had a 50 percent re weight gain I would not be considering that dr for my surgery.

I have complete faith that THIS is my last weightloss journey. Like you girls said, for most people that fail with the band, it isn't the band. I eat my measured and weighed portions and I stick to that. Sure, in the beginning sometimes I would eat a handful of chips while making dinner, get that pouch stuffed, then come dinner time and the meat would get stuck and up it came. But after 20 or so times doing that I finally learned! Yes, I am a slow learner!

People ask me all the time if I will get the band removed once I get to my goal. I don't know what the heck they are thinking! This has been a godsend for me. No longer can I have a huge plate of food, 3 iced teas and roll out of a restaurant! Sure, I could prob eat twice the amount of food that I put on my plate, but do I really want to sit there for an hour and half to eat it?? NOPE!

I do not miss over stuffing myself. I have only made myself really uncomfortable once since surgery and I dont want to do that again. I do not miss what I use to do to myself on a daily basis. I have made the commitment to work with the band. There are days when I do slider foods, but I dont stuff myself with them. The band still tells me when I have had enough.

I cant say if there are people out there that have band rejections or if they just didnt use it properly. I think most cases go towards not using it properly. If my Doctor came out and said that 50% of his patients regain the weight, I would have gone somewhere else right away. He seems to be in it to make money and not to help patients. At my doctors office, you have to go in a certain amount of times the first year and then as much as you want after that, but at least once a year for life.

Please consider looking for a new doctor to help you!

My Dr is wonderful........I saw him regularly.......and just because it works for you, doesnt mean that the band doesnt fail! Remember, it is a foreign object in your body.....and it will fail for some people.....if you READ my prior posts, you will see that i use the band as a tool, and i did all the rest.......and the statistics, if you do research, IS that 50% of people having it do fail.....some as a result of not following the strict criteria and many just because of body rejection! Al though i lost only half of my goal weight, and happy with that, i am off all meds...but the rejection of the band makes my life miserable every single day! All i am trying to say here, is that the Dr should tell you of the failures, side effects, life changes, as much as he encourages you to do it...Jan

I'm sorry maybe I was not clear. My REGULAR doctor, not my bariatric surgeon told me that 50% of his patients who have had bariatric surgery have gained the weight back after 5 years. Sorry for the misunderstanding.