Hello all,

I had my lapband placed February 10, 2017 and I weighed in 228 at surgery and now I am 194. I am having a difficult time with the films and being tight. I went in for an unfill yesterday and it dropped me to 2.8cc and I am now constantly hungry. I feel so discouraged, I am not sure if the scale is right but I went up a pound. I am honestly thinking about getting a revision to sleeve. What do you all think? Please help.

I’m very sorry you’re having difficulties. That must be scary and frustrating. May I ask why you chose the lapband in the first place? I ask because there is so much research out there that says it is 1. Ineffective and 2. Has a very high rate of complications. There’s actually not a surgeon in my entire state who will even perform the lapband surgery anymore.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

I’m very sorry you’re having difficulties. That must be scary and frustrating. May I ask why you chose the lapband in the first place? I ask because there is so much research out there that says it is 1. Ineffective and 2. Has a very high rate of complications. There’s actually not a surgeon in my entire state who will even perform the lapband surgery anymore.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

It is very frustrating. The reason I chose the Lapband is because the doctor felt I was “not obese enough” to get a sleeve or the other surgeries and I truly felt that the Lapband would work. It has worked but I am slowly giving up. At this point, I’m still not a candidate for the sleeve and I would have to wait a little longer before I can even try to get a revision.

What surgery did you have? That’s awesome that you’ve lost 100 pounds!! So happy for you! [emoji846]

It is very frustrating. The reason I chose the Lapband is because the doctor felt I was “not obese enough” to get a sleeve or the other surgeries and I truly felt that the Lapband would work. It has worked but I am slowly giving up. At this point, I’m still not a candidate for the sleeve and I would have to wait a little longer before I can even try to get a revision.

What surgery did you have? That’s awesome that you’ve lost 100 pounds!! So happy for you! [emoji846]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I had RNY surgery.

“Not obese enough”??? If you medically qualified for the lapband then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have medically qualified for the sleeve as well. They go by BMI and I believe it is the same for sleeve and band. (40 or, if you have comorbidities then it can be 35) It sounds like you likely used a general surgeon instead of a bariatric surgeon. Both are qualified to do the procedure but a bariatric surgeon is far more educated on the actual Bariatrics aspect. They are much more informed and actually take a couple of years to specialize in WLS. As opposed to a general surgeon who only learns the procedure and then does it. He doesn’t take that extra time to learn the ins and outs of it all.

Even being on the smaller side of overweight, I still don’t understand why a surgeon would perform a procedure that has SO MANY complications and such an incredibly small rate of success. Why would he perform this operation at all? It is such common knowledge within the bariatric community that the band is a hugely bad idea. If you said you had it done several years ago then I might understand more, but you had this in 2017. The surgeon should be ashamed. Did he tell you the complication rate is far higher with the band than with any other procedure? Did he tell you people lose far less weight with the band and the rate of regain over a 5 year period is almost double that of the sleeve and RNY? My surgeon told me it won’t be long before we are seeing commercials saying “if you’ve had the lapband and had complications, call the law office of...”


I’m very sorry this happened to you. I am super angry for you, to be honest. Your surgeon did you a huge disservice. I actually had a lapband for a long time and the loss was incredibly slow. After several years, I developed complications and nearly died. I had to have the band removed. I chose to also have a revision to RNY and it is a completely different experience. It’s so much better.

If you continue experiencing pain or the other issues you mentioned, I would strongly suggest finding a new surgeon and having a consultation. Try your best to find someone who specializes in Bariatrics rather than just a general surgeon. I had a general surgeon with my band too because I really didn’t know the difference, to be honest. It was a huge mistake. I wasted a lot of years of my life with that awful band.

Again, I’m very sorry. I’m seriously angry right now. I can’t believe these surgeons are still doing this procedure. Please don’t give up. I know this is hard. It’s so hard. But just remember why you did this. You wanted a healthier, better quality life. You can still have that. It may just happen a little differently than planned, that’s all.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I had RNY surgery.

“Not obese enough”??? If you medically qualified for the lapband then I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have medically qualified for the sleeve as well. They go by BMI and I believe it is the same for sleeve and band. (40 or, if you have comorbidities then it can be 35) It sounds like you likely used a general surgeon instead of a bariatric surgeon. Both are qualified to do the procedure but a bariatric surgeon is far more educated on the actual Bariatrics aspect. They are much more informed and actually take a couple of years to specialize in WLS. As opposed to a general surgeon who only learns the procedure and then does it. He doesn’t take that extra time to learn the ins and outs of it all.

Even being on the smaller side of overweight, I still don’t understand why a surgeon would perform a procedure that has SO MANY complications and such an incredibly small rate of success. Why would he perform this operation at all? It is such common knowledge within the bariatric community that the band is a hugely bad idea. If you said you had it done several years ago then I might understand more, but you had this in 2017. The surgeon should be ashamed. Did he tell you the complication rate is far higher with the band than with any other procedure? Did he tell you people lose far less weight with the band and the rate of regain over a 5 year period is almost double that of the sleeve and RNY? My surgeon told me it won’t be long before we are seeing commercials saying “if you’ve had the lapband and had complications, call the law office of...”


I’m very sorry this happened to you. I am super angry for you, to be honest. Your surgeon did you a huge disservice. I actually had a lapband for a long time and the loss was incredibly slow. After several years, I developed complications and nearly died. I had to have the band removed. I chose to also have a revision to RNY and it is a completely different experience. It’s so much better.

If you continue experiencing pain or the other issues you mentioned, I would strongly suggest finding a new surgeon and having a consultation. Try your best to find someone who specializes in Bariatrics rather than just a general surgeon. I had a general surgeon with my band too because I really didn’t know the difference, to be honest. It was a huge mistake. I wasted a lot of years of my life with that awful band.

Again, I’m very sorry. I’m seriously angry right now. I can’t believe these surgeons are still doing this procedure. Please don’t give up. I know this is hard. It’s so hard. But just remember why you did this. You wanted a healthier, better quality life. You can still have that. It may just happen a little differently than planned, that’s all.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

That is exactly what he said. He felt that I would lose a large amount of weight in a short time considering I was only 228 when I first started. He is a bariatric surgeon but from what I recently found out, he barely does Lapband’s anymore since they are fading out. He did not tell me the complications (I’m now hearing more about them since I’m having issues). I researched the issues on my own and felt that I would be ok before I did the surgery, but I was wrong.

I truly feel it was the wrong decision, but the only thing I can do now is deal with it until I can hopefully have a revision. He did inform me that patients lose much slower then the other surgeries and that is another reason why he pushed for the Lapband. I just want a restriction without throwing up constantly. I felt the 3ccs was good enough but then I started feeling it was too tight. I’ve heard people get up to 9ccs and I’m having issues at 3ccs☹️

I’m so sorry to hear that you had issues with the Lapband. I’ve been on this forum for a while and people keep mentioning issues. I’m so disappointed in myself because I should’ve researched a little more before settling. Please don’t be angry, your words definitely helped me and I know things will get better. I just hope I can get a fill before 4 weeks because I’m wanting to eat everything at this point. [emoji52]

That is exactly what he said. He felt that I would lose a large amount of weight in a short time considering I was only 228 when I first started. He is a bariatric surgeon but from what I recently found out, he barely does Lapband’s anymore since they are fading out. He did not tell me the complications (I’m now hearing more about them since I’m having issues). I researched the issues on my own and felt that I would be ok before I did the surgery, but I was wrong.

I truly feel it was the wrong decision, but the only thing I can do now is deal with it until I can hopefully have a revision. He did inform me that patients lose much slower then the other surgeries and that is another reason why he pushed for the Lapband. I just want a restriction without throwing up constantly. I felt the 3ccs was good enough but then I started feeling it was too tight. I’ve heard people get up to 9ccs and I’m having issues at 3ccs☹️

I’m so sorry to hear that you had issues with the Lapband. I’ve been on this forum for a while and people keep mentioning issues. I’m so disappointed in myself because I should’ve researched a little more before settling. Please don’t be angry, your words definitely helped me and I know things will get better. I just hope I can get a fill before 4 weeks because I’m wanting to eat everything at this point. [emoji52]

I’m so sorry honey. Please don’t be disappointed in yourself. This is NOT your fault. It is your surgeons responsibility to inform you of all of the pros and cons of surgery. He should have been absolutely clear about the extremely high rate of complications that come with the band and, in my opinion, it is medically negligent that he failed to do so. You did nothing wrong! We are supposed to be able to trust our doctors and trust that they won’t lead us down a dangerous path.

But, you are right, you are here now and must make the best of it. Unfortunately, the fills are just trial and error. I don’t know about you but my insurance wouldn’t paid for any of the fills so it became quite expensive. Hopefully yours will pay. You definitely don’t want to gain weight after you’ve worked this hard. Maybe they’ll let you adjust it prior to 4 weeks if you let them know you’re feeling this way and gaining weight?

Just keep doing the best that you can. Don’t give up. You’ve come a long way. You’re not giving up on this.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

I lost 110 pounds with lap band since 2011. I'm very happy with my band. Had no problems. I keep mine filled to 7 or 8 so I feel safe with food and it works best for me. I eat very small meals, protein is important, and I walk daily for at least 30 minutes. I'm grateful every day. Lapland has worked for me. I didn't want any other surgery and still don't. If you work with it the band will work for you. There will always be new weight loss surgeries.

Edited November 1, 20178 yr by mominoc

I lost 110 pounds with lap band since 2011. I'm very happy with my band. Had no problems. I keep mine filled to 7 or 8 so I feel safe with food and it works best for me. I eat very small meals, protein is important, and I walk daily for at least 30 minutes. I'm grateful every day. Lapland has worked for me. I didn't want any other surgery and still don't. If you work with it the band will work for you. There will always be new weight loss surgeries.

hi, I can’t have mine filled more than 5 cc, liquids won’t go through if I have more than that, is that something you have experienced I feel fustrated with it because I have gained weight since I had it emptied out and now I just got it filled and I feel miserable any advice?

Ultimately, no one knows what surgery is truly best for them until they actually have the procedure. I got my lap band in June 2017, and I love it. Despite all of the horror stories and raging against the band that I have seen, I knew that more invasive procedures would not be right in my case, and so far, my band has worked perfectly. Maybe the band was not the right option for you, but you should be absolutely certain before you have another procedure. Perhaps try the pre-op diet for two weeks to see if it re-starts your weight loss. If not, then you should talk to your doctor about having the revision.

I had my band January 2013. I couldn''t be happier, there are problems with all wls surgery. I have had people who had bypass who nearly died, Ive had sleeve people stay sick all the time its not the easy way out no matter what. the band does require more compliance and being alert to what you are eating and how much. I wanted to lose enough to get rid of diabetes, high blood pressure and wanted to feel better. I was 66 when I had mine done. I also had skin removal surgery this past March and have not had any complications. I know everyone has their opinion but bashing the band on the lapband forum is why so many of us have stopped commenting or following the forum any longer.

On 10/14/2017 at 7:59 PM, journey2befit said:

Hello all,

I had my lapband placed February 10, 2017 and I weighed in 228 at surgery and now I am 194. I am having a difficult time with the films and being tight. I went in for an unfill yesterday and it dropped me to 2.8cc and I am now constantly hungry. I feel so discouraged, I am not sure if the scale is right but I went up a pound. I am honestly thinking about getting a revision to sleeve. What do you all think? Please help.

All I can say is be patient. It took me numerous fills, and a few unfills, to get it right. Rely on your doc. It’ll work. It hasn’t been a year yet.

Hang in there

12 hours ago, CTJohn said:

All I can say is be patient. It took me numerous fills, and a few unfills, to get it right. Rely on your doc. It’ll work. It hasn’t been a year yet.

Hang in there

I see you are also a Dr. Fielding patient. I went for an adjustment with him last week and we were lamenting how troubling it is that so many people have written off the band because of anecdotal evidence. No single procedure is right for every patient and some people opt for more invasive procedures than they need because they heard stories.

20 hours ago, Sharpie said:

I had my band January 2013. I couldn''t be happier, there are problems with all wls surgery. I have had people who had bypass who nearly died, Ive had sleeve people stay sick all the time its not the easy way out no matter what. the band does require more compliance and being alert to what you are eating and how much. I wanted to lose enough to get rid of diabetes, high blood pressure and wanted to feel better. I was 66 when I had mine done. I also had skin removal surgery this past March and have not had any complications. I know everyone has their opinion but bashing the band on the lapband forum is why so many of us have stopped commenting or following the forum any longer.

I'm happy that you posted this. I can't overstate how disappointing it is to come to a support forum and see nothing but people bashing the band. It's not the purpose of the forum and not helpful to those of us who opted for it.

Thank you for responding. I have been disappointed in the attitude of people who feel it necessary to post negative comments regarding the band. I stopped posting even though I am extremely happy with my decision to have the lapband. Having any weight loss surgery is frightening enough without the negative nellies and know it alls posting how they have found the best way and how dumb we were for having a lapband. I want everyone to think before posting and please stop giving advice that is not asked for. I had skin removal surgery one week before this photo and I haven't had any issues with the band or the abdominoplasty. keep on doing what you feel is best for you. I pray you are successful.

1 hour ago, Sharpie said:

Thank you for responding. I have been disappointed in the attitude of people who feel it necessary to post negative comments regarding the band. I stopped posting even though I am extremely happy with my decision to have the lapband. Having any weight loss surgery is frightening enough without the negative nellies and know it alls posting how they have found the best way and how dumb we were for having a lapband. I want everyone to think before posting and please stop giving advice that is not asked for. I had skin removal surgery one week before this photo and I haven't had any issues with the band or the abdominoplasty. keep on doing what you feel is best for you. I pray you are successful.

You look fantastic, Sharpie! You are a great inspiration to those of us who are just starting our journeys with the band.

3 hours ago, Trouvette said:

I'm happy that you posted this. I can't overstate how disappointing it is to come to a support forum and see nothing but people bashing the band. It's not the purpose of the forum and not helpful to those of us who opted for it.

Dr Fielding - and that practice - are the best!