.......... I'm talking about any complications that are likely to arise many years down the line. I read somewhere that long term complications of the band are not great....... I've heard of slippage, erosion, ulcers etc

Does anyone have experience of having the gastric band for a number of years, and not having any complications?

Does anyone know whether it is inevitable that a band patient will develop some complications, due to the band, eventually?

Below are some of the many benefits.

Pros of LapBand Surgery

The procedure is reversible and only requires the band to be removed for the stomach to return to normal size and function.

The stomach does not need to be cut open or stapled shut.

No issues with Vitamin or nutrient deficiency because the intestines are not altered.

There are fewer mortality rates and fewer severe complications as compared to other more invasive weight loss surgeries.

The hospital stay is short and the recovery time quicker than other surgeries.

The band can be adjusted and filled without the need for further surgery.

Weight loss band wearers see an improvement in overall health, including cholesterol, blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, and arthritis.

Women of child bearing age can get this procedure and not worry about vitamin and mineral deficiency during pregnancy.

You’ve read the great many pros of the pros and cons of lapband surgery. Now let’s look at the cons.

Cons of LapBand Surgery

The band can negatively impact a pregnancy, and women should consider deflation if morning sickness or other pains are present.

Weight loss is slower than with more invasive surgeries, but measures out to about the same amount lost after five years.

Patients commonly report regurgitation of swallowed food, either from a blocked area in the stomach or from eating too quickly.

Food must be chewed thoroughly, slowly, and only a small amount can be eaten at each meal.

The band can erode or slip, causing bleeding or puncturing of the stomach.

Bleeding or infection can occur at or around the band site.

Some patients fail to lose a noticeable amount of weight even after the surgery.

Deciding Based on Pros and Cons of Lapband Surgery

If a less invasive surgery is your ideal option, then inserting a weight loss band or lapband may be your best bet. As with any weight loss plan, strategy or aid, lapband surgery isn’t a cure-all, but more like an assistive measure which helps you lose weight. Remember to weigh the pros and cons of lapband surgery and other weight loss surgeries before making a decision.

I think the most obvious and overlooked one is malnutrition.

Seven years on, the issues of a long tem low calorie diet are rearing thrir heads for me. I eat well, from all food groups, and i know that mild calorie restriction is belueved to lead to a longer life but the fact is, because i have been monitored so closely de to cancer my body is showing some signs of long term undereating - notably bone loss, anion imbalances in the blood and mild kidney dysfunction.

Nothing i could feel, i mean i feel great! But really, you cant run eight or ten kms a day for years on end on only 1200 calories without something giving. Im still learning seven years on!

Lso, restriction and your experience of the band does change over time and your body adapts. It was soooo easy early on. I was never hungry , i got full so quickly but didnt need yo be tight. As you go on, you lose a bit of that and need to rely on new habits and learned behaviours to keep going because if you go ever tighter seeking that same feeling, you end up with problems.

The only issue I have is acid reflux after two years. The acid reflux went away after banding but came back around 18 months. I will have to keep my band under 5cc's in order to not have reflux even with medication.

I was banded on 2007 and had a relatively easy course with the exception of not following the rules and having a lot of vomiting--which was my fault. I hate to admit it but--they fixed my stomach but not my head. I lost 65 pounds and that put me at a BMI of 30 and I was happy with that.

We moved to Arizona and I had a fill by a doctor that my Lap-Band doc recommended. I felt like the band was too tight but didn't say anything and I was losing weight and that was a good thing. About 8 months later I started throwing everything I ate up and since I was too busy to go see the doctor, I just put up with it. Then it got scary--I started throwing up blood. Oh, Oh, better get in to see somebody. I landed in a couple of ER departments but they didn't know what to do for me--gave me Vicodin and sent me home. After not being able to eat for several days I started calling doctors in the metro-Phoenix area. No one would take me on as a patient. I finally went to an hospital where they did Lap-Band surgery and a PA reduced the volume in my band and I was able to eat and drink again. I have since regained the 65 pounds and probably more. I am now thinking that the surgery is not for me since I cannot get my eating under control and restricting me doesn't do much good. Good luck to everybody who is thinking about having this procedure. I just wish it worked for me. The band is still in place and every so often I will eat too much and will vomit and have pain. I think perhaps it could be twisted up or something.

I had have had acid reflux so bad, and I am a stomach cleeper, and would wake up coughing-I know have apsiration pneumonia-very difficult to cure and a very long drawn out illness.

If you have a mere HINT of acid reflux, please let you Band Doc know ASAP! Waking up coughing doesn't always mean upper respiratory infection-in my case, it was pneumonia from acid reflux.