I am new to the board and I am trying to decide if I want to be banded.:paranoid I am wondering who has been banded the longest and if you have had any complications, if so what are they. Alot of the postings on this board are from people that have been recently banded. I am interested in the longterm effects of the band. Thanks so much

Kimmiechelle:)

My DH has been banded for 3 years, and just hit the 200 pound loss!

I've been banded for 16 months.

I've been banded for almost three years, and am one of the longest-term members of this board. The band has only been approved for use in the U.S. since June of 2001, so you won't find a lot of Americans who have been banded longer than 5 years, and not all that many of those.

I haven't had any serious complications, beyond having had my band unfilled a couple of times to help deal with reflux. I'm hoping that my long-term experience will be completely uneventful. :biggrin1:

Just over 3 years here. Banded May 23, 2003.

Rebanded due to slippage July 16, 2004.

Gallbladder removed exactly 6 weeks after.

Esophageal issues at this point render fills pretty much useless.

55 lbs lost 1st year, 20 after rebanding (my 2nd band has never been the same as the first). According to my originals doctors goal - 16 lbs needed to goal. According to me, I could lose another 30-50.

alexandra,

have you had any pregnancies with the band? i am wondering how that affects weight loss. do people do as well post pregnancy with weight loss as they did before the pregnancy?

Christa, no, I personally have not been pregnant while banded. Seems to me that to the extent pregnancy changes one's metabolism, if indeed it does, it would make losing weight a bit harder post-band. However, eating less will result in weight loss (barring medical conditions) whether pre- or post-pregnancy.