Hello All!

In the past month I have began to seriously consider weight-loss surgery and for many reasons the Band is most appealing. So now I am starting to become better educated on the procedure etc. I'm going to informational session at the clinic next week but I wanted to ask band users some questions. I would love any and all feedback positive or negative about the band.

Are the risks involved with getting the band increased by not following the guidelines post-op? Is the erosion, slippage, etc something that can happen either by fault of the device or user?

Is it possible when you have met your weight-loss goal and feel confident that would be able to manage your weight and are able to carryover the new habits and lifestyle that you can have it removed permanently?

For those of you who have the band, what scared you the most or made you hesitant about getting the band?

This is my opinion only at 6 months banded.

Are the risks involved with getting the band increased by not following the guidelines post-op? Absolutely! Is the erosion, slippage, etc something that can happen either by fault of the device or user? Again this is just an opinion... Could happen by your fault if your band is adjusted too tight where you are allowing yourself productive burping frequently along with heartburn or reflux. Only you know when your band it too tight and should see the doctor immediately to have Fluid taken out. A complication could also occur if the surgeon does not place the band correctly or doesn't stitch it well. Should do research on the surgeon to make sure he/ she has plenty of experience. The device itself is not going to cause any of the situations you have listed but the device could be faulty and need to be surgically repaired.

Is it possible when you have met your weight-loss goal and feel confident that would be able to manage your weight and are able to carryover the new habits and lifestyle that you can have it removed permanently? The only reason it would be removed is due to some type of complication. Though it is promoted as being a lifetime device, there is a 5 to 25% complication rate depending on which study you rely on.

For those of you who have the band, what scared you the most or made you hesitant about getting the band? I had no hesitation or fear at all before the surgery but the complications I read about before the surgery became more real. A number of people have revised to the Gastric Sleeve and seem to be much happier with their sleeve then with the band.

My advise is to consider the success rate vs. the complication rate and make an educated decision. You also have to be willing to follow the dietary guideline from your doctor. The band will help you with meal size but you are in charge of what goes in your mouth. Understand the complications and decide whether you are willing to take the risk albeit a small one. With the band, most complications occur 12 mos to 5 years out. With something like the sleeve, most complications occur early either during or shortly after the surgery.

Are the risks involved with getting the band increased by not following the guidelines post-op? Is the erosion, slippage, etc something that can happen either by fault of the device or user?

Yes, in fact not following the post op guidelines puts you at huge risk for a slip or other complications. Patient compliance is crucial with the Lap Band, without it, you're setting yourself up for failure. That includes cheating on the healing post op diet- it's a huge mistake that sadly we see a lot of people make.

As far as slips/erosion, they are possible. It's important to realize that only 5% of serious band complications arise by no fault of the patient. So, in other words, if you're following the rules and doing what you should be doing then you have a 95% chance of never having a serious complication. Here's the study to back up those numbers: http://www.futurity....p-band-surgery/

Is it possible when you have met your weight-loss goal and feel confident that would be able to manage your weight and are able to carryover the new habits and lifestyle that you can have it removed permanently?

The band is meant to be forever, and the reason being is if you have it removed your appetite will come back with a vengeance. The band is meant to allow you to be satisfied on much less food for much longer periods of time. Without the band, you'd be starving and feeling the need to eat a lot more often and much greater food portions. I've never seen someone successfully maintain their weight loss after band removal unless they revised to another weight loss surgery.

For those of you who have the band, what scared you the most or made you hesitant about getting the band?

Honestly? Nothing made me hesitate. The odds were great that obesity related diseases would eventually kill me. The band would give me a tool to help me live. For me, it was a no brainer. The band wasn't an option in my mind- it was a necessity.

BEST. THING. I'VE. EVER. DONE!!

Seriously, if I had any idea how easy (relatively) This band would be, I never would've waited so long. I regret waiting until I felt like a miserable loser. I regret waiting until I was in my darkest days. I regret needing to have a last straw before feeling like I could take my life into my own hands and make a change.

I was terrified of having a foreign body in me, but it feels surprisingly natural—even when I don't feel like doing it. The band is not hard. Before, I was never, ever full. Now I get full on 1/2 plate of food. It is an external limit, which I need because I have no internal limits.

From my vantage point, there are ZERO downsides.

Most in here have answered your questions very well. From my personal experience I love the weight loss my band has provided but at the same time it can be a pain in the ass. The constant tweaking to get to a good restriction almost always tempts people to get too tight with disastrous results. Let me list some things that annoy me about the band.

1) I can't drink liquids quickly. I can't tell you how much I would love to down a bottle of Water in a couple of gulps right now! Lol.

2) Can't go straight to bed after eating or it's very uncomfortable.

3) Veggies can go down slow and hurt sometimes.

4) Daily heartburn if I don't take Prilosec.

5) TIGHT DAYS...out of nowhere my band can tighten up like crazy...causes can be drinking alcohol, stress, exercise, dehydration, early in the morning.

6) LOOSE DAYS...sometimes I'm just loose and can eat more than normal and then I'm hungry.

7) Hunger. Yes. I get hungry. No I don't need a fill. If I get a fill I will be too tight and bad things will happen.

8) Fills can be annoying...I had to get over 20 adjustments to get good restriction. I currently have over 14cc in a 14cc band.

9) I can't sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my stomach I get reflux. No I do not have a dilated pouch.

10) Sinus drainage wakes me up at night because the nasty Fluid pools in the back of my throat. Gross! This can wake me up choking and is quite disgusting.

I'm sure operations like the sleeve has its own bag of nasty tricks but those are some that annoy me about this particular surgery and applies to me. Your mileage may vary.

If I had the choice to make over again I would SERIOUSLY consider the sleeve. Would I get the band again? Yes. If I didn't think the sleeve was all people make it out to be after research then I'd get banded again.

Getting lapband surgery because you think it is a 'gentle' surgery is a mistake. To anyone that thinks they don't want to get the sleeve or bypass because it's too invasive and they want a gentle surgery then you need to diet and exercise and stay away from a doctor with a knife completley. Surgery is surgery and there's no 'easy' way about it even with the lap band. Look at what a band does to a stomach after 5 years and it's not all daises and sunshine. Don't even get me started on erosion or a slip. Lapband surgery is SURGERY and alters your body. Don't choose it because you're scared of something else. That's not a good reason to make a decision in my opinion.

Good reasons to choose lap band are that it's adjustable and you can control, to a point, the speed at which you lose weight. You can usually opt for sleeve or bypass if your band fails which is a plus. Anyway, I've listed reasons why it's a pain in the ass above, but you can still lose weight with it and that's what matters. Is it better than the sleeve? I don't know. All I can tell you is what I do know. Good luck with your choice.

I agree with everything Ms73 said and to me it is not just a Lapland but a "LIFE" band!

It's good you're doing your research because the Lapland will be a life alerting event. Personally the lap and is my life saver.

It is different for everyone. I have not had any problems. I stick to good food choices, a cup to a cup and a half each meal and exercise every day. When I had my band placed, something in my brain turned on and I was no longer hungry. One fill only and at my goal in 13 months.

It is something you will have to experiment with and do what works for you. The same foods, exercise, amount of fills is different for everyone!

Are the risks involved with getting the band increased by not following the guidelines post-op? Is the erosion' date=' slippage, etc something that can happen either by fault of the device or user?

Yes, in fact not following the post op guidelines puts you at huge risk for a slip or other complications. Patient compliance is crucial with the Lap Band, without it, you're setting yourself up for failure. That includes cheating on the healing post op diet- it's a huge mistake that sadly we see a lot of people make.

As far as slips/erosion, they are possible. It's important to realize that only 5% of serious band complications arise by no fault of the patient. So, in other words, if you're following the rules and doing what you should be doing then you have a 95% chance of never having a serious complication. Here's the study to back up those numbers: http://www.futurity....p-band-surgery/

Is it possible when you have met your weight-loss goal and feel confident that would be able to manage your weight and are able to carryover the new habits and lifestyle that you can have it removed permanently?

The band is meant to be forever, and the reason being is if you have it removed your appetite will come back with a vengeance. The band is meant to allow you to be satisfied on much less food for much longer periods of time. Without the band, you'd be starving and feeling the need to eat a lot more often and much greater food portions. I've never seen someone successfully maintain their weight loss after band removal unless they revised to another weight loss surgery.

For those of you who have the band, what scared you the most or made you hesitant about getting the band?

Honestly? Nothing made me hesitate. The odds were great that obesity related diseases would eventually kill me. The band would give me a tool to help me live. For me, it was a no brainer. The band wasn't an option in my mind- it was a necessity.

I completely agree with Mis73's response. If you follow the guidelines it's nearly impossible to fail. I hemmed and hawed for several years over weight loss surgery. I wish I'd done this ages ago. My weight has gone down, clothing size has gone down, blood pressure is down, cholesterol is down, and self-esteem is way up.

You have to remember that everyone is different. While one person may have problems with acid reflux, etc., there are others who have no problems at all.

Ask lots of questions at the informational meeting you attend. Read all that you can on the various options. (The Lapband is the least invasive and has a relatively short recovery period.) The choices are simple, lose weight on your own, don't lose weight and increase chances of dying early, or have weight-loss surgery and live a healthier, longer life, and likely a happier one.

One thing I want to say, and not in an alarmist way, is that even if you follow the guidelines, it is possible to fail. That is one fallacy I need to point out as untrue. Some people don't ever get the right restriction, for some people the band exacerbates health issues, and for others, the band fails (and I should know, I have experienced band failure in the form of a leak - this is NOT something that is caused by patient non-compliance).

The GOOD thing about the band is that you have options to try to resolve issues. If you have health issues and these are picked up quickly enough, unfilling may help. If you have band failure, you can get a replacement band. But the band can also be frustrating, high maintenance and requires more input (I believe) from the patient than other WLS.

As for hunger, in my case, when I'm in the green zone I lose all hunger. I am actually choosing not to seek out being in the green zone again (after replacement band surgery) because I want the balance of being able to eat relatively normally and still maintain my weight, and yet, as of this morning, I'm still losing. I've dropped another lb in the last week since my last fill, and it's simply because I'm eating less and it's keeping me full for longer already, but without the potential for stuck episodes or not being able to eat certain things.

And lastly, I got to goal in 7 months, maintained for 3 years with the band, and the minute the leak happened, my hunger returned and I started to gain. I eventually managed to arrest the weight gain and even lose a little just prior to getting my band replaced but damn, it was bloody hard work fighting hunger all the time. So I cannot imagine, despite my success to date, being able to maintain easily without the band. Nor do I want to.

FWIW, you can also have great success even if you don't follow the guidelines that well! I'm rebellious and emotional and I make lousy food choices at least 40% of the time... But I can't binge. And I can't drink cold OJ in the AM. And alcohol now gives me heartburn. So I'm kinda forced into submission. And it's awesome!!!