Okay... I have been 100%... no....1000% sure about getting banded. I know several people who either have been banded, had gastric bypass or know someone who had either one done. I have not heard any of the horror stories from them that I have read in these threads. So here is my question.......and I know its surgery, and there are aches and pains that go with it.............but:

Is there anyone who really regrets having the banding done? Was it so bad that you wished you hadn't done it? :cry

Or does the good outweigh the bad? (I know healthy is way better than unhealthy-i just mean the banding part) Do you think the awful things are short lived and worth the banding?

Maybe I shoud direct this to the ones who are a year out on their banding.....was it worth it? Would you do it again?:clap2:

Bettina, I would do it again in a heart beat!!! Of course I am one of the lucky ones and have had NO complications other than 2 over fills. But they are easly taken care of. and I've had some terrible BP's but I still have no regrets.

I know there are some that are sorry they got the band but for me the good far, far, far outweigh the bad.

It's a tough decission to make because it isn't a for sure weight loss. It's lots of work. I still have to watch what I eat. Dieting is not out of my life and never will be. I just take this journey one day at time.

I love my band!!

Good luck!!!

Whew...I am so glad to hear that! I have really researched this and thought it through thoroughly. And then my hubby put this tiny reasonable doubt in my mind (I think he is afraid i will die) and then it went whammy into a bigger doubt. My sis still "dumps" as she calls it (gastric bypass 4 yrs ago) but said she would do it again in a heartbeat. But I really needed an opinion from someone else. Thanks so much for your input!!!!!!!!!!

Of all the complications I had I would still have gotten the band. I just would NOT have gone to Mexico to get it done. I think the benefits are wonderful and the risks are low.

I have been rebanded once and yes, I would do it again! Definitely!

I'm only 1 & 1/2 mo. out but it is the greatest thing I have ever done. It is work in that you have to watch what you eat still but the amount you eat is limited. I was lucky enough not to have any problems with the surgery itself. As a matter of fact it was the easiest surgery I have ever had! There really wasn' t any pain (except the gas pain OUCH) it was more like sort of sore or uncomfortable. The fill wasn't any trouble either. They deaden you before they stick you. I was afraid of the gastric bypass surgery... they just do too many things to your body that can't be undone. Good luck with your decision!

HI i am 8 months post op and yes I would do it again,but of course I was lucky not to have any complications. I will agree though that the gas pains were and ouch LOL but that doesn't last very long. I've had 3 fills since my surgery and had no probelms with them.

Ive been banded a little over 3 years- at first I was jealous of my friend that had gastric bypass because hers just seemed to fall off, but she had many more complications etc. I feel like a different person when I go to weddings, the mall, dances or wherever... I acutally get asked to dance - people I havent seen in a while either don't recognize me or their jaw drops at how different I look. When those things start happening to you, you will realize just how wonderful the band is and it is worth EVERY little problem that happens.

Hi Thanks for all your responses! I am back on the "yes this is good" attitude. My sis had gastric 4 yrs ago...not for me thanks. Too permanent. My surgeon, who also did my sister's surgery, said that you can only really lose weight the first year. Of course its not for nothing because the new small stomach helps you eat less. He told me banding---you lose weight as far as 4 years out. Tomorrow I find out that either I have sleep apnea and i have to be fitted for a cpac (takes a month--damn) and then have to wear it for 2 weeks before i can have surgery......or, I don't have it, and can schedule my surgery right away. Which is what I am hoping for because I have three weeks between my current semester and the fall semester and if I have to wait till fall I can't have it done because I will be taking 6 classes and I just can't miss any of them -I'll get too far behind...ugh.

Wish me luck...and thanks again for everyone's response.

I would do it again in a heartbeat!!! I think the issue is that most of us who are not having problems at the time, or had an easy surgery, just say nothing. If we posted everyday about how good we feel, it would be a bit overboard!!! It seems like most people post questions when they have a problem or feel bad...for support and help, which is a big part of what LBT is for I am sure! When there is no problem, they chat in groups by state, or when they were banded, simply for friendship and support. Or they start fun threads!!! I guess we need to start speaking up when we do good as well!!!

Good Luck to you!

Kat

Hi everyone..I am new to the board but have been researching and reading the board for a while. I see my Dr. on Thursday and I too had been somewhat scared to do this since reading the posts..but thank you all for this post as you have encouraged me to once and for all have a power (the band)greater than myself help restore me to some sanity!!

I am three years out and I would be banded again in a heart beat! I beleive the the band is an answer to my life long prayer. It has been the best decission I have ever made. Good Luck with your decission!!

I'm 2 years out, and while I'm a little frustrated at being a part of the turtle tribe, I would do it again in a heart beat.

I've known a number of people who have had other types of wls and had serious complications.....so much so that I would never have had it done even tho my life was already in danger from being MO. But when I realized the risk rate with LB is so low I felt I had to give it a try. ...and give myself a chance to live a little longer.

I'm 4 mo out, have no regrets, don't miss the junk food, and feel better than I have in many years. I have lost this much weight before (more than once) and it didn't have this postive effect on my health . I believe that my newfound health and stamina are the result of the type of nutrition and lifestyle that are necessary to make the band an effective weight loss strategy.

Best wishes to you.......

I am a little over a year with my second band. I had problems with scar tissue the first time around. No eating or drinking for a week, had to go the emergency room to get rehydrated, scope down the throat to find a hole the size of a ball point pen, so all food/water sat on top with no where to go. I was in extreme pain, I had to have the band taken out that weekend. I swore I would never to that again, and 5 months late I had the band put back in. This time around I am doing great, I have 2.6cc in a 4cc band, going for another fill on Tuesday (can't wait) I am hoping this is the one!! I still have scar tissue so I am supposedly more filled than the average person, but the weight is coming off, just very slowly!! It is worth it, I would never have done this on ANY DIET!! Good Luck!

No, I wouldn't. That's why when I had scar tissue issues, rendering the band useless, I choose to have a duodenal switch bypass. I choose that because it is permenant. See, sometimes what one person wants in a surgery, is a negative to another. Such as dumping with the RNY. I chose the DS because I didn't want to dump. I have friends who chose the RNY because they did.

The band is a great, nonvasive place to start. But, it's tough, a real hard row to hoe. If you don't get your head in line with your stomach, you are going to have problems. Especially if something should happen like what has happened to several of us here. You have to have the band removed or unfilled. I thought I was on top of it all until my first unfill. Then it came perfectly clear that the addiction was still there, lurking under the surface.

I'm not jaded, as some might think. I had my band for 3 years. It is hard. The bottom line is just like the bypass is not for everyone, neither is the band. Some people do well with it, some don't. Just like every weight loss surgery. The type of eater you are makes a big difference in a banded journey, in my opinion. Not dissing our baby bandsters, but once you've been "out" (post-op) for a year or two or three....you start to accept the reality of what the band can do for you. It will hold your hand, but the hard work belongs to you. It's hard to grasp that idea when the weight is falling off almost effortlessly, which is the case with alot of newly banded people. Not all, though. Some have fought for every pound.

I wish you tremendous success with your journey. No matter what surgery we have, we all have a common goal in mind, to be happy and healthy.