hi all,i have recently been approved for the lap-band through my insurance and the only thing left for me is to set a date for the surgery,i'm at the very nervous stage,does anyone out there have any regrets at all about having the sugery done?? i have heard mostly all good abot it,but i want to hear it all,,,,,,,please let me know thanks,,,,,,,,,Bobby 35yrs. old 270lbs. at 5'6 i want to reach 170lbs.

feel free to e-mail me cooperr1234@aol

Not to act stupid, but I am ignorant... what is DS?

"BUT, in medical circles, when a patient has NOT lost 50% of his or her excess weight one year out, it is defined as a failed surgery."

Medical Circles ??? I am happy to feel better, live better, I guess death say that we failed in life.

DS = duodenal switch

hi all,i have recently been approved for the lap-band through my insurance and the only thing left for me is to set a date for the surgery,i'm at the very nervous stage,does anyone out there have any regrets at all about having the sugery done?? i have heard mostly all good abot it,but i want to hear it all,,,,,,,please let me know thanks,,,,,,,,,Bobby 35yrs. old 270lbs. at 5'6 i want to reach 170lbs.

feel free to e-mail me cooperr1234@aol

Hey Bobby Congrats on making the decision to have your surgery. I am almost 3 years post op. I had lost 150 pounds in that time and due to recent complications, gained 20 of those back. Today I get my band re-tightened so hopefully should see an end to the problems I was having and continue my journey to a healthy weight. I do not regret being banded for one single minute. Having said that, it is not always smooth sailing. You have to be careful and be aware of what you are doing all the time. My complications arose from me pushing it and pushing it and thinking nothing bad was going to happen to me. I didn't change my old habits and I paid th price. Thankfully, my complications were able to be fixed without further surgery but it certainly has been a wake up call. I now take it very seriously and realize I can't mess with it. The hardest thing by far post op was dealing with the mental issues. I didn't realize how much my life revolved around food. The day after my surgery, I felt like I had lost my best friend. I am still working on the head issues and it is getting better but it is still an issue. I still try to eat everything I see at times and still think about food all the time. Having the physical restriction does not change the way I think. I would recommend seeing a therapist to deal with this side of things.

I wish you the best of luck with your journey, Bobby. My lap band has changed my life for the better. I hope it does the same for you.

Suzie

"BUT, in medical circles, when a patient has NOT lost 50% of his or her excess weight one year out, it is defined as a failed surgery."

My surgeon (well, I hope he will be mine) actually said that in the seminar I took. He said something about how you will lose weight without trying (most people there were pre-RNY), but total weight-loss under a certain percentage was considered to be a failed surgery.

That I didn't do it sooner. I was up to 320 preop 2 years ago and lost 40 lbs before surgery. I would have loved the lapband in my mid twenties. I'm 39 now.

My surgeon (well, I hope he will be mine) actually said that in the seminar I took. He said something about how you will lose weight without trying (most people there were pre-RNY), but total weight-loss under a certain percentage was considered to be a failed surgery.

So - how long to they give you to lose 50% of your excess weight before they call you a wash-out? Cause I am here to tell you that there is no way I am losing 100lbs in the first year... it just isn't happening for me.

I didn't even get real restriction until month 9....

:]

So - how long to they give you to lose 50% of your excess weight before they call you a wash-out? Cause I am here to tell you that there is no way I am losing 100lbs in the first year... it just isn't happening for me.

I didn't even get real restriction until month 9....

:]

That's a good question, and one that points up how meaningless labels are. With banding there are loads of people who are still losing 3 and 4 years out, because they've discovered how to make it work for THEM.

Except in the small percentage of cases where the band is causing damage to the body (erosion, dilation, nerve damage), it seems to me one could only say it's "failed" when the patient concludes there is nothing further to be won by continuing on with it and moves on to something else. Even if a banded person has had no or only limited success through noncompliance, there is always another chance to make it work as long as the band is still in place.

Unfortunately medical research is all about quantification. Clearly it's ludicrous to demand the same 50% loss rate of banding in the same time frame applied to RNY. Double the time, at least, would seem necessary.

What is DS? I know what RNY is, but not DS??

What is DS? I know what RNY is, but not DS??

I don't know what Ds OR RNY stands for actually. I've seen RNY referred to several time.

thanks

T

DS and RnY are two other types of bariatric surgery. DS = Duodenal Switch, and Roux-En-Y (RnY) is the most common method of performing the gastric bypass surgery. Both involve cutting and stapling the stomach and re-routing the intestines.

Tami

Hell no! My life is changed 100%. I'm not the same person I was before the band.

Puddin,

You look great! Congratulations on your success. I am getting banded tomorrow by Dr. Ortiz.

So, what's up with the body lift? How long did it take you to recover? How much did it cost and who did it for you? I know....so many questions.

Thanks.

Go Pamela, keep us up to date.

Good Luck Pamela, let us know how you are doing.

Absolutely - I have many 'regrets' although I hate to admit it - I never want to regret anything in life as I try to not 'go there'. However, i really wish I hadn't done it - definitely read the other suggested threads as it's true - those of us who are unhappy or 'regret' the band don't tend to post alot/often - for me, it just reinforces my lack of success. Although the support and encouragement here has pulled me up out of the dumps more than i can say - without this site i would have lost my mind by now!

Hi Mary S.

I read your response to the "regrets" section and was wondering if you could tell me a little more about your situation? I myself am nearly a year out and have also lost very little weight and feel like a terrible failure myself...what has your experience been? Do you ever think about getting the gastic bypass done? (not that I could afford that procedure, just curious..)

Hang in there...