okay I have been overweight all my life & and I have now come to the conclusion that I can not lose weight without some help (lapband) I can eat right & exercise my problem im always hungry,if i can knock out the hunger I can manage the rest,my question is i have been reading alot of these forums and i dont see alot of people with success stories (maybe im not looking in the right place) but I see alot of pain,infection,problems eating,discomfort,what im asking is where are the people who are doin well with the band,because honestly i have read some things that have me seriously thinking about not doing it,please help!

The before and after pics always help and motivate me !!! Are you looking through all of the threads alot of people are doing great ... but I know it takes to get used to. I am waiting to be banded just like you and I read til my eyeballs had headaches the first few weeks... LOL just read read read and than read some more!!! This may not be for EVERYONE but ALOT of people have and are still having sucess. Maybe you should pick up Muhummad Ali's daughter Khaliah Ali's book. Fighting Weight she had the band do!! She looks great alot of people here used the same Dr. that she did. Wish you luck!! And may you choose the BEST weight loss option for YOU!

The before and after pics always help and motivate me !!! Are you looking through all of the threads alot of people are doing great ... but I know it takes to get used to. I am waiting to be banded just like you and I read til my eyeballs had headaches the first few weeks... LOL just read read read and than read some more!!! This may not be for EVERYONE but ALOT of people have and are still having sucess. Maybe you should pick up Muhummad Ali's daughter Khaliah Ali's book. Fighting Weight she had the band do!! She looks great alot of people here used the same Dr. that she did. Wish you luck!! And may you choose the BEST weight loss option for YOU!

I guess i havent seen the happy posts yet LOL.i will def.pick her book up,since i have blue cross i dont know what doctor im going to get, I have been reading till im dizzy lol.thanks for your input

my name is shelly and i have just been banded on 12/12/07. I to have himark bc/bs and i was obviously approved. yes it was worth it i am 9 days post op and i feel great lost 29 so far. i know its only water weight but hey its weight. yes your gonna have a little bit of pain after surgery. but it feels more like a soreness. yeah things like vomiting pain and what not after your healed is possible just follow the doctors instructions post op and you shouldnt have much problems. hope things go well im here to talk anytime.

Hi Frenchvanilla, there are a ton of people on the boards that are successful. In my case, I am considered a slow loser. I have lost 65 lbs in 1 1/2 years. I am 30 lbs from goal. I have great restriction and am quite happy. The only problem I have had is acid reflux. I take Zantac pretty much on a daily basis. That is one of the reasons I am not losing right now because I had to have a slight unfill. I feel good though because with the Holidays all I wanted to do was maintain which is what I've done. I am down 100 lbs from preop though. I lost 40 lbs on my own prior to surgery. The thing I like most about being banded is that I can eat everything, just less of it. The hunger is tolerable as well. Getting fills is really important. It took me 6 months to finally hit my sweet spot. Good luck with your journey.

my name is shelly and i have just been banded on 12/12/07. I to have himark bc/bs and i was obviously approved. yes it was worth it i am 9 days post op and i feel great lost 29 so far. i know its only water weight but hey its weight. yes your gonna have a little bit of pain after surgery. but it feels more like a soreness. yeah things like vomiting pain and what not after your healed is possible just follow the doctors instructions post op and you shouldnt have much problems. hope things go well im here to talk anytime.

thank you so much! i have bc also and i was just told they dont like covering the lapband,they would rather cover the bypass beacuse they dont want to pay for the fills,have u ever heard of that,i dont want the bypass i want the band!

There are many insurance companies that will pay for gastric bypass but won't pay for lap band. My insurance company will not pay for any WLS, so I had to self pay. Many people on this board pay for their own surgeries out of pocket. Mine was just under $10,000 and I flew to Colorado to have it done.

where are the people who are doin well with the band

We are around. I am 8 weeks shy of 3 years post op, and I am yet to have any major issues, got to goal in 17 months, and am happy as a lark.

I am self pay, best thing I ever did!!

Hi Frenchvanilla:

I have BCBS and they covered all except for $500 for overnight hospital copayment and $175 for the pre-op psych appointment. I had to have a sleep apnea overnight study too and that was covered in full. I don't even have a copay when I go in for fills - they're free for me.

I feel like I'm a success story so far. I started at 324 back in April. I got banded on 7/26 and weighted 287 the day of banding. This morning I was 231.5, so I'm very close to losing 100 pounds in 9 months. It's much easier with the band than without.

I hope all goes well with your bcbs and selecting the right surgeon. I think that can make all the difference in the world. My surgeon is in a practice with his Dad. If one of them isn't available, the other one is. They have a great office staff. They have monthly support group meetings at their office that are free to attend. I think that what you can learn from the other bandsters is so important. This site is great, but it's nice to see some of the bandsters face-to-face too.

Best wishes.

Sue

There are many insurance companies that will pay for gastric bypass but won't pay for lap band. My insurance company will not pay for any WLS, so I had to self pay. Many people on this board pay for their own surgeries out of pocket. Mine was just under $10,000 and I flew to Colorado to have it done.

I almost joined you in Colorado but I was able to find a great local surgeon for $12,500 -- $13,500 when you count the pre-op consultations and labs. However, that includes a year of after-care including free fills so I decided it would end up being fairly comparable, when you add in transportation costs to Colorado. My oldest daughter lives in Denver and it sure would have been nice to have an excuse to go there more often!

I'm glad things worked out well for you. I only spoke to a member of Dr. K's staff but I got a very good impression of his practice.

Hey All, I have just signed up for this forum. Iam so unsure as to what to do. I went for a consult with the intention of do GBS and changed my mind to the LB because it was less invasive. I am not sure if I made the right decision but have sent my paperwork to the insurance to hopefully get approval. I am at least 100 pounds overweight and would like to lose 10 more on top of that but dont know if that is realistic. I have read many threads but have not seen any cons. Is there anyone who knows of any?

Sometimes it is confusing on how to find threads on this site when you are new. But there are several that say "Would you do it again?", etc. Some are under "Life At or Near Goal" and such. With most everything, there are pros and cons. There are risks such as slippage, erosion, slow loss, etc. But there are several, myself including, who are thrilled with what the band has allowed them to accomplish. I didn't have it easy as I experienced a slip that had to be repaired surgically. There were many days of heartburn and liquid diets, gas pains and plateaus, but I couldn't be happier overall. I was self-pay in Mexico, but I know it was the best decision for me. It is NOT a magic bullet and please be prepared to modify your eating, exercise and deal with some emotional issues, but it certainly can be successful if you put in the effort.

thanks for all your replies i have made an appt.with my doctor to get this started,i go to see him 1-4-08 I hope 2008 will be the year I change my life!!!! i have spent 39 years trapped in this fat body & have missed out on so much because i always try to hide myself,I will keep yall posted ...thanks you guys!

Good luck frenchvanilla!!

Hey SoCalGal3, thanks for your input and support. I know I have many changes to make and know that I can. I do love food and am a little scared of the cravings I sometimes get and wonder if they will hinder my progress. Congratulations to you, from what I can tell, you lost about 100 lbs in a year. You have to have such patience. It is hard not to want it now, but think with the slower progress of the LB I want have so much excess skin. I will be around and too will post my progress. I think support from those who are experiencing the same thing is best for your sucess.