I'm sitting here watching before and after videos on youtube and I've never seen so many failed "lap band" stories. What if my surgery turns for the worst?

You have to remember a couple things. Statistically speaking, only roughly 8% of Lap Band patients fail by no fault of their own. The rest are responsible for their own failures. Over-eating, eating around the band, still eating unhealthy, not following up with doctors appointments, vomiting, and bands too tight are some of the many ways people sabotage themselves. All of these reasons are 100% avoidable and within your control.

It's also human nature that the unhappiest always seem to yell the loudest. Everyone who has a woe is me story about the band is quick to howl and cry fowl, so you see lots of them. What you don't see is the even greater number of people very happy with their bands. Why? Because they're busy living and enjoying their lives and have better things to do than to whine on YouTube about they messed up their band.

Take it all with a grain of salt and remember Youtube is nothing but ancedotal evidence, not medical facts.

Best wishes!

I totally agree with Missy. I watched several of the videos too...and worked-up myself pretty good! But, then, I remembered sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many GREAT stories I have seen and have read through here too.

Just keep your head up and things will be JUST fine! Love ya!

Hi.. I'm a year and 3 months post surgery and Down 60 Pds.. It hasn't been easy but it hasn't been horrible.. You have to remember its only a tool.. I work with 6 other people who have had it done. I've seen the woman with the 120 Pd weight loss gain back 150 Pds. It's scary but I know what she did wrong and I remind myself it's a tool.. Tools only work as well as the operator just today I had to have some of my full removed because I couldn't eat or drink. I got greedy and got filled up to 9.5 cc.. That's really tight. Take everything day by day. You can do it.. I'm 30 Pds from my goal. I have gone from a size 22 to a 14. You can do this..

I'm four years out today (it's my fourth bandiversary today!) and can tell you from personal experience that if you work with your band and follow your doctor's rules more often than not, the band is an incredible tool that will help you get to goal. It is true that some percentage of people have difficulties with their bands through no fault of their own, but that is the vast minority.

Try not to overly focus on the negative stories, or to at least balance them out with some of the many, many positive ones!

Best wishes,

Catherine

Most of the time, it's not the band that fails, it's the patient.

before my surgery,i avoided all negative things people had to say about the lapband...i knew it was the right choice for me and may not have been the right choice for the ones that had problems.

Thanks guys.... i needed that reminder because I was ready to cancel my appointment!

My friends are not so supportive at all but who needs them when I have you guys!

You will rock this! There are so many inspirational stories on youtube. Proofwlsworks, back2basicswls, banded wendy, kacey kwinn, newtoy4kt...