I told my family today that I'm having surgery on May 21. Although initially supportive, my mother has apparently done some "reading" and wonders why I'm not having lap band instead. Is there any info out there that I can share with her?

Heh.. Well, where do I start?

My 2 daughters and I had/have the band and..

Daughter #1 lost weight and gained it back. Vomits frequently.

Daughter #2 never lost a pound.

Myself.. Well, this is where it can get ugly. I won't post the it because it's repetitive to most here. Please go to my profile and check out "my story"

My story only highlights my life with the band.. If your mom needs me to I'll include the details of the hell I went though.

Also, a good place to go is the lapband forum and search for complications. It's over run with disaster stories.

Robyn, I feel a bit differently about the band. I would say that I was a "band success" story for 7 yrs. Got to my goal weight, kept almost all of the weight off. The weight I re-gained, initially, was completely my "choice"...letting too many sweets back into my diet, not exercising as much, etc. With the band, you have to be more diligent about getting fills, seeing your doctor, etc. and weight loss doesn't usually start until you reach a decent level of restriction, so it's not as quick, especially initially.

BUT...in the last 6 months or so, I've started having some problems with the band. "Random" vomiting, as in, I haven't eaten anything to cause it and all of a sudden have a too tight band. I haven't been able to take the extra weight back off, I've started getting reflux at night, and even had a lung abscess that I think was due to the band (docs aren't sure).

In a nut shell...the band has lost its effectiveness for me while beginning to cause problems. So instead of fighting with it, especially when I think the long-term problems will get WORSE, I'm removing it. But I don't, for a minute, regret getting it. I think it's taught me a lot about how to modify my eating habits and it's been pretty good to me for 7 yrs. I also though, no longer believe the band is a long-term solution to obesity.

well the reason I didn't get the band is because although initially it seems like lower complication, the complications from the band just keep increasing with time.. errosion, slippage, never getting the fill amount right. NO THANKS.

The thing that appealed to me about the band is that you could loosen it if you needed to if you were sick or pregnant... but then I realized that honestly it wouldn't be a big deal with the sleeve if you needed more nutrition due to pregnancy or illness... just DRINK some extra nutrition.. so that was no longer an advantage for the band in my eyes.

Robyn the choice is definitely your. While you can help her along with data and facts, let her read boards and band complications to get her to support you, the real fact is that YOU will have to live with the choice you make. I originally got the band because of low risk. The sleeve wasn't really in the picture then as a valid competitor and my husband was too scared for me to do the gastric bypass. I let him talk me into the band instead of the bypass. While I do not regret getting the band because I'm sure I would be 400 pounds by now, I have had complications that have really affected me and to tell you the truth him as well! From what I know now from my journey, I would have gladly gone through the risks on the front end to have a life long tool for success instead of one that only worked for me for 9 months and almost 6 years later I still have the darn thing. I would have made my choice and asked for support whether they would or not. Good luck with your mom and your WLS journey. She will probably come around even if it is after the surgery when you are getting healthy

Thanks everyone! I feel confident in my decision and just hope she'll come around. In the meantime, I'll suggest she check out the forums.

I was gonna get the band and after looking at success rates and complication rates my doctor and I decided the sleeve was the right choice for me. ..my grandma says the same thing to me but I think with her its a fear of commitment. ..she says what if you want it reversed? Um why would I want that lol