Hi there

I'm 26 years old and got lap band surgery about 3 and a half years ago.

I hate to come here and be super negative, but I've been holding onto these feelings for a long time and thought I'd see if anyone else is in the same boat.

I hate my lap band. Every single day I wish I never got it. I haven't lost any weight, I constantly have acid reflux (even though there is no Fluid in my band any more), food often gets stuck, and I feel so angry that I have this thing inside of me that cost so much money, and has actually made me pretty miserable.

I believe I was too young to have the surgery, and not nearly enough of the psychological work was done before they agreed to operate on me. I only had one counselling session, and at the time the thought of losing weight naturally made me extremely positive about the whole experience - I don't think I ever actually considered the full effect this was going to have on me.

I'm stuck in this limbo land where my lap band isn't helping me, it's just a massive pain and as I said, I hate it so much.

Anyone else out there in the same boat?

- allybee

Hi there! I know this topic is very old but I understand where the op is coming from. I had my lapband put in back in 2006 and it's made my life much worse. It was a panic decision on my part, plain and simple. When I was a teenager I weighed 450 lbs and was constantly depressed. I lost over 150 lbs over 2 years due to dropping soda, fast food and alcohol all while maintaining a very physical job. Even though at 300 lbs I was still obese I felt amazing. We eventually moved and as a coping mechanism for stress I lost myself in alcohol and Warcraft and saw my weight climb all the way back to 375 in less than a year. I freaked out and scheduled a consultation. I was paying cash so there was no delay and no psychology exam. 2 weeks after consultation I had my lapband and the nightmare started. For 6 months every adjustment was free so they would help over the phone if I was having trouble. After the six months it became 200$ per visit and suddenly they couldn't help over the phone. I would go days without being able to eat or drink because I was unable to cover the fee for an adjustment. What I didn't realize about the surgery was that it still relied on personal responsibility. Not eating or drinking things that would irritate or cause swelling etc. I finally decided to have it loosened as far as it could be and my life has been moderately better since. Through diet and exercise I've gotten down to 210 lbs and kept it there for almost 10 years now. At 6'2" that's a healthy weight regardless of misleading bmi. I even just recently had the full body lift about a year ago and I'm really comfortable with myself for the first time in my life. The lapband still stops me from eating or drinking occasionally but I've learned to live with it. It's a reminder to not make rash decisions out of fear. Good luck to everyone or anyone who reads this. Some people love the lapband and I'm very happy they found something that works for them. Others are going to struggle with it like I did. I love you all and I hope everyone can find a balance.