I am at the starting line into this Lap-Band journey. I have been researching for months and finally found the right hospital and surgeon. I am going to the seminar on March 15th with my fiancé. He works 6 days a week and we have 2 boys 13yr old and 2yr old, so finding a day and time that met our needs was hard. I will be a self pay patient and won't have the headache of dealing with the insurance companies, as so many of you have posted your battle to get approved. I just want to get this ball rolling. As an outsider waiting to become a "Bander" I have to ask, would you do it all over again? How has your Lap-Band experience been pro's and con's?

Yes, I would do it again ... And I would do it sooner. I spent too long in research!

Pros include eating like a normal person now (I am 2 years out and at goal), feeling healthier and more confident, no yo-yo dieting anymore, no CPAP machine requirements, finding clothes that fit, oh...so many pros.

At this second I cannot think of any cons. Very early on I remember being scared it would change my whole way of life (in an upsetting way) and that has not happened. I really thought food and eating ALOT was way more important than it turned out to be.

I was a slow but steady loser, and that helped me adjust and not draw to much attention to my weight loss while it was happening over the course of two years. Believe it or not, people's attention was another fear of mine... And I've told very few people about my surgery for that reason. I was also self-pay.

I had a few "stuck" episodes early on, but learned quickly. I also took my fills very, very slowly and followed doctors rules. I really don't think about my band that much anymore; just more about maintaining healthy eating.

Good luck to you... I wish you all the success in the world with this wonderful tool!

I would do it again. I wish I could have done it years ago but looking at the band products and surgical techniques from a decade ago, I'm glad I had surgery when I did. Surgical techniques, aftercare and the band product are so much superior now than they were just 5 years ago.

tmf

I would do it again..in a minute. The pros: I eat less, feel better, have more energy, have normal blood test results, I can wear clothes from the regular size department (not the fat girls). I went from size 22 to size 8..263 pounds to 146. The cons: Adjustments to the band, finding that "green zone", getting stuck (that is miserable). But I don't care about the cons....the pros are so much better. I watched my Dad die from being too big his entire life. I didn't want to be like that and I sure wasn't ready to die yet. WLS was my option. I had tried everything else and rebounded every time. My surgery was 7/11 so I am not new at this..I am still loosing and feel fantastic. I am doing 2- 5K races in the next few weeks. I love doing that..oh and that photo of me was taken this month and I am 62 years old. Good luck with your decision.

I had surgery March, 2013, and would do it 100 times over. That's how happy I am! The pros are that I've lost 64 pounds so far, I'm off all obesity related medications, and my labs (cholesterol and blood sugar) are now normal. I no longer wake up each day with dread. I get up, have PLENTY of choices of what to wear, and live each and every day.....healthy. I can now walk up the stairs without feeling like I'm going to drop dead at the top.

The only con with the band is the upkeep (doctor visits). Now I go only once every 2-3 months, which will become once a year when I pass my anniversary date. If you're adjusted properly, and long past all of your post op phases, the doctor visits are pretty much on an as needed basis. Once a year mine does a TNE to make sure there is no erosion starting, or slippage, but that's pretty much it. After weighing out the pros & cons of all the surgeries, this one is the one I could live with. I like having control, and knowing that it's reversible is a huge plus. BTW, I have plication with my band.

I would do it again. I wish I could have done it years ago but looking at the band products and surgical techniques from a decade ago, I'm glad I had surgery when I did. Surgical techniques, aftercare and the band product are so much superior now than they were just 5 years ago.

tmf

Amen to that!

The only con with the band is the upkeep (doctor visits). Now I go only once every 2-3 months, which will become once a year when I pass my anniversary date. If you're adjusted properly, and long past all of your post op phases, the doctor visits are pretty much on an as needed basis.

I wouldn't call that a con. I actually loved all the needed follow ups because it kept me actively involved in the process and with each visit I became more knowledgeable. If anything I miss going in for those appointments but that is me and I had insurance covering me 100%.

I had my surgery in July, 2012. I would definitely do it all over again if I had to.

Pros:

My small eating habits fill me up quickly and keep me full for hours.

Weight loss, obviously!

As results of the surgery, I've had much more energy & more motivation to keep up my gym routines/schedules.

Cons:

I have none, personally.

... would you do it all over again? How has your Lap-Band experience been pro's and con's?

YES!...I'd do it again tomorrow. No doubt about it.

I'm about 4 1/2 years post op...and haven't had any band caused problems.

I could write all day about the improvements to my health...and the feeling you get when you accomplish certain things you just can't physically do being morbidly obese.

I went to a PRE-op seminar this past Saturday hosted by my surgeons office. And I seen the people there, just like I was 5 years ago.....sick and tired of living a life controlled by obesity! After the seminar, a man and his wife came up to me and we talked in detail about how this surgery changed my life. This man was about my age, and probably similar to the weight I was when I started.

He said he was going to get the lapband surgery now that his "schedule would allow." BUT, he told me the one thing he regrets, is he "started looking into this SEVEN years ago"....seven years. The reason he waited seven years is because he didn't think he'd be able to find the time to go for fills, followups, etc.

I've been to many post-op meetings too....and have never heard anyone say " I wish I had waited to get this done ".

I'm a believer!

Thank you all so much for your feed back it is greatly appreciated! I am so excited to start this journey and finally be able to live the life I want to live. I am so glad I found this forum and all the wonderful people in it. I am ready to live the banded life!

I would do it again... in a heartbeat!

PROS: All of the good things that go with losing weight

CONS: Some but none that are substantial enough to make me wish I hadn't been banded.

Don't get me wrong, it's been a lot of work & it hasn't always been easy but definitely worth it.

Yes ma'am in a heart beat!!!! No problems or complications here.

Hi Zuzu, I am loving my banded life. It's such a relief having that appetite monster off of my back! I am just three months out and still learning my way. I worried a little that I was giving something up or that I wouldn't be able to have a "normal" life in terms of being able to go out to a restaurant or have dinner parties, etc. I love to cook and am glad that I can still be "in" food -- just very small amounts but still able to fully participate in that life. And hardly any one even knows I am banded. I feel so much more at peace and that is a complete side benefit -- I don't think I realized how there was a whirring of anxiety inside of me all the time and I was tamping it down with food. That is all gone now -- yippee! Another thing I didn't realize would happen is that I am becoming a want-to-exercise person rather than a ugh, I've got to do it exerciser. I could not have predicted that in a million years!

Like you I had to wait for the mandatory information session held at my local hospital. I started my process in June and attended that in August. It was every other month and I missed the June one by a couple of days! I felt impatient about how long it took but I ended up being glad for the extra time. I got fully engaged here, for one thing, and learned so much from the people who have gone before me. And I got a therapist to go through the process with me as I wanted to be sure I was addressing the underlying issues behind overeating. We looked at triggers, etc. and I'm glad to have had that support. I also stepped up my exercise -- again, not as a want-to but I knew it would help once I was banded. Good luck to you -- so glad you're here!

Absolutely, without a doubt!

Best decision I've ever made for myself. I'd do it over again in a heartbeat!