And of course, now I'm not so sure. I was very excited to learn about this procedure and then went to a seminar last night and I'm not so gung-ho now. The center that was having the seminar is a surgery of excellence and has a few other awards and certifications and they seem to really know what they are doing it. After asking, I was told they did they lapband by stitching the port and the band into place so that sounds good to help against the port flipping or band slippage. It was the physician's P.A. that was there giving the talk as the doctor was stuck in the O.R. He had prevously had Roux-En-Y which I can tell you after listening about recovery time, the surgery and risks itself and just the drastic nature of what might happen if you don't get enough Protein and keep on top of your Vitamins, it's pretty safe to say that I'm definitely not interested in that and that pushed me even further to looking into the lapband. The one thing he did say about the lapband that has me hesitating now is the fact that since the lapband is a foreign object in your body, like all foreign medical devices - be it hip replacement, knee replacement, etc., it will one day have to be replaced. Now if we're talking 10, 15 or 20 years from now, that's one thing but if it means one or two years from now I'm having to go back on the operating table because of a faulty device, etc., that's where the second thoughts are coming in. He did say that band erosion counted for about 1% of the occurences which sounds pretty low, I guess because the long term data isn't out there that I'm somewhat hesitant now. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this and sorry such a long post.

Thanks in advance!

Heather

Just want to say that if your port flips there are good Dr's that can manipulate it and still fill it. I went to Dr. Malley and could clearly see that my port is on it's side. Malley put his fingers over it and was able to position it so that it would accept the fill. He said he can do that with a completley flipped port also. Good news for me since my surgery was done in Mexico.

Hi Heather,

I think that we all know that there are dangers in any surgery; any time someone cuts into your middle and puts stuff in or takes stuff out, there is risk. Anesthesia has risk all by itself. My doctor's nurse read me all of the risks, and the percentages of surgeries in which these irregularities occur.

The risks of morbid obesity, however, are far greater than the risks of lap band surgery's complications. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure, etc.. are just the most obvious results of morbid obesity. The depression and insecurity are also terrible costs.

We have made this choice to have surgery for obesity because we truly have no other realistic alternative for success at weight control. Diets haven't worked for us -- we're tired of the yo-yo dieting and the cycle of diet failures.

You must decide for yourself if obesity surgery in any form is what you need. If you can lose weight and keep it off without surgery, go for it. If you can't, and you're tired of not living the life you want, you will come to the same conclusion that thousands of us here have done. If you go to a reputable doctor in a top tier medical facility, follow directions and set your mind to success, the surgery will be well worth your time and effort.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Flora

Flora

As far as a lot of people wanting their bands out, I was a little concerned when I read those threads, but from what I can remember the dates are from a while ago. There aren't a bunch of new ones on there. I don't know for sure because I haven't looked in so long...maybe take a look to make sure. I also think that it is important to figure out why you eat and to make some real behavior changes. Check your mood temperature, eat slowly, chew, set your fork down....all of those. I think it is more likely to cause problems if you don't practice these tricks and it is easy to blame the band when it isn't really the band at all....just speaking from what I have heard. I am still waiting to be banded so we will see...

You also have to take into consideration that the complications threads are skewed overall in numbers.

I mean....people post or begin a thread like that when they are having problems. When they are not, they do not post. Or you would have page after page after page of posts saying "Another good day", "Another 2 pounds gone", "I ate today with no problems"....we don't do that! Most people, get banded, have no problems, and go on with life, not bothering to hang out here anymore! Some of us hang out, we have made good friends here, and like being able to offer support.

The overall stats show the complication rate to be low. And add into that, that a good part of complication rates are not caused by a bad band, but by a bad bandster! Now that is not in any way meaning to say that all complications are self induced, that simply is not so. BUT when someone eats meat the day after surgery, or induces themselves to vomit every night---THEY are the cause of the problem, not the band.

There will always be the occasional problem...it might happen, but as has been pointed out, remaining severely obese, has a risk factor much higher!

Good Luck in your decision, do some self research, I think you will find very different opinions on the band.

I too would not have an issue having revision to another type of band if it were required, or offered at some point. The surgery was an easy one for me, discomfort, not pain, and a very quick recovery. Updating to something that would allow me to maintain this loss, and retain my health better---I'm there!

Good Luck!

Kat