My first post... i'm looking into this seriously and wondering about the life of the product. I'm healthy and don't take the prospect of

surgery lightly. I have looked all over but only seem to find people that are at the most 6 years in. I know this product has been around longer overseas and I'm curous why I can't find any stories about those patients.

Also, i keep reading about pilcation ....thoughts ?

I have searched also to try to find people who have had the band 10+ years and could not find any really. But lets not forget that they have been doing this operation in bigger volumes only in recent years. I did ask my doctor how long does it last and she said if there is no complications, you can keep it for the rest of your life if you want.

thanks for the quick reply, i've never heard that you could have so long before. I'm getting ready to make an appt with the doc for more info. How do you feel so far ? Is it hard to eat so little ?

My first post... i'm looking into this seriously and wondering about the life of the product. I'm healthy and don't take the prospect of

surgery lightly. I have looked all over but only seem to find people that are at the most 6 years in. I know this product has been around longer overseas and I'm curous why I can't find any stories about those patients.

Also, i keep reading about pilcation ....thoughts ?

the band is expected to last forever. it will aid us to lose weight...if used correctly, the success is incredible. def research on this forum and online of the good and the bad and all that it involves as its not easy. not sure of the overseas aspect as that doesnt concern me much as did me finding an excellent doctor, nutritionist and office staff who offer support and guidance. that being said, it works if you let it.

My nutritionist has a band...she was banded in 2003..she is 10 years out, has had a child, is at goal weight and has had no problems. I hope to be just like her, minus the child, I already have 4!

I'm a little over seven. No real complications here, a few unfills for other surgeries which have changed how the band "feels" and the restriction it gives me, but it's ther, it's working and I continue to maintain.

Lap-Band wasn't approved for use in the USA until 2001. The Realize Band was approved in 2007. So you're not going to find a lot of longterm band veterans active on online WLS forums that were in their infancy in those days. Alex Brecher was banded in 2003 and founded LBT while recovering from his band surgery. Another big WLS support site was founded in 1998.

I've belonged to those sites for 5 to 5-1/2 years, and I've found that very few people stay active on a support site for very long. Member turnover is very high for reasons unrelated to the type of surgery they had. They lose weight, get a new job, get married, have a family, travel the world, and other worthwhile things. Or they don't lose weight, or they suffer financial hardship, medical problems, family problems, and other things that can distract even the most dedicated forum visitor.

If you want to "chat" with longterm band veterans in other parts of the world, you might find some on LBT's local support forums for British, Australian, or other countries' patients. To do that, go here:

http://www.lapbandta...support-groups/ I have an English bandster friend who belongs to a UK-based forum and can get the web address from her if you want.

One thing to keep in mind when looking for band vets, though, is that band design and surgical placement techniques have changed a lot since the band was first introduced in Europe in the 1980's, so the patient outcomes from back then may not apply today.

Just curious why you were sleeved on 08-16-12. Did you have issues with your band?

thank you all for your replies, reading this helps alot

Just curious why you were sleeved on 08-16-12. Did you have issues with your band?

No issues directly with my band. I loved that little thing. About a year ago, I started having problems with esophageal motility (motility is the function that moves food through the esophagus into the stomach). My surgeon and gastro doc strongly recommended removing my band because it could be aggravating the problem. I had it removed in April 2012 and revised to the sleeve in August 2012.

Last year I talked with my surgeon, local gastro doc, and a gastro doc that my surgeon insisted I consult. The consensus is that my esophagus was damaged from decades of "silent" reflux. In other words, I had reflux with symptoms that I didn't recognize as having a gastrointestinal source. I can remember going to an ear-nose-throat specialist in the mid 1980's because of a persistent cough. He told me it was probably from reflux, but I didn't believe him and didn't pursue any treatment for it (of course, back then, there weren't a lot of good treatment options). So the reflux had almost 30 years to make a mess of my esophagus.

Jean - Sorry to hear about the issues with the silent reflux. I am newly banded (11-05-12) and so far so good. Going into this, I did not realize the importance of making good food choices. I have read your book and remember you talking about the "honeymoon" phase. Well, the honeymoon is over for me!!

Agree that the band works IF you work it!