I am so glad that I found this website. I have been desiring to have the lap band for about 3 years now. I finally set up an appointment for Monday to talk with my Md about getting a letter of Medical Necessity. After reading the posts about band slippage, erections, the many doctor visits years out and so on and so forth. I am rethinking this thing. I was thinking that I would get banded, go to the Md for a couple of post op visits then once every year.

Not to mention the hair loss!!

I was under the impression that I would have 3 small incisions on my tummy. I've seen up to 5 and 6 VERY LARGE unsightly incisions. I've read about not being able to eat, being uncomfortable and in pain. It seems as if the theme is : Yes I am in pain but at least I am not fat. I am NOT by any means trying to offend anyone. I appreciate all of your posts and it will help me to make a more informed decision. I appreciate everyone being transparent to help one another. Am I just delusional? This is not a 100% complicated free procedure is it? Again please forgive me if I offended anyone, I am just disappointed.

Well, everyone is different. And you should be aware that things can and do go wrong. And many patients see docs so often they should be movin' in.

But then there are many patients like me. 1 trip to the surgeon. 3 trips to the doc for adjustments. DONE The 3 adjustments being 6 weeks out for one fill, and 4 weeks later another fill -RESTRICTION. Then when reach goal a trip for a slight unfill.

DONE

So, just hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

To try and ensure I hit on everything, my answers are below in blue.

After reading the posts about band slippage, erections, the many doctor visits years out and so on and so forth. I am rethinking this thing. I was thinking that I would get banded, go to the Md for a couple of post op visits then once every year. You have to keep in mind that this is a support board, and by and large the people have sought this site out for some purpose. Often that purpose is complications. We likely have a higher concentration of people represeting complication statistics here than the general banded population. Complication rates are still very low.

BTW, erection -- really?? As a female, I hope not! I think you meant erosion.

Not to mention the hair loss!! The hairloss can come with any surgery or major body trauma, anesthesia, etc. It is not a"band" thing.

I was under the impression that I would have 3 small incisions on my tummy. I've seen up to 5 and 6 VERY LARGE unsightly incisions. I have 5. I think most people have 5. My largest is just over an inch, and my smallest is probably 1/4". All but my post incision have faded to barely visible white lines.

But let's get real for a moment. Incisions are unsightly, but being obese, stretchmarks, health issues, etc. aren't??

If someone needs the band, they're fat and probably have stretchmarks. Stretchmarks are likely to be in places others can see. The only way someone's going to see "unsightly" band incisions is if you pull your shirt up and show them your stomach. I don't know about you, but that's not something I do. Does the vanity of ~5 small incisions that no one will see unless you intentionally show them outweigh the "unsightly" fat/stretchmarks/health issues/etc.?? I've never understood this logic.

I've read about not being able to eat, being uncomfortable and in pain. It seems as if the theme is : Yes I am in pain but at least I am not fat. If that's the theme, it's news to me. It takes a while to get the band adjusted. Part of that adjustment period is the potential that it is too tight, which can result in temporary pain. The biggest factor is our own behavior - chewing well, controlling bite size, listening to our body's built-in portion control, etc. Personally, if there's a theme then I think it's Yes I sometimes have pain, but it's my fault for doing stupid things. When I pay attention and follow the rules, I don't have pain.

Perhaps you've been spending too much time in the complications area?

I am NOT by any means trying to offend anyone. I appreciate all of your posts and it will help me to make a more informed decision. I appreciate everyone being transparent to help one another. Am I just delusional? This is not a 100% complicated free procedure is it? Again please forgive me if I offended anyone, I am just disappointed. You won't offend anyone. I don't think you're delusional, but I do get the impression you're focusing too much on the overall, very small rates of complication and letting that "block out the light" of all the success stories.

Yes, you're going to have pain at some point. You're going to have to bring up food at some point. You're going to have some struggle in changing your behaviors. Those are things that just about all of us, especially anyone with any time out, goes through. The pain is not constant, and something that you can almost always control. The struggle is not constant... behaviors change, eb and flow.

BTW, I've been banded over two years and I've had a total of 4 fills and 1 unfill. I've not been to my surgeon's office at all in the last year (well, I have, but that was for a separate surgery not related to the band). For band purposes, 5 visits and I believe Feb 07 was my last.

The band is, to a large degree, negative conditioning. We want to do something bad for us, but the band gives us pain rather than reward. If we get slapped upside the head enough by our bands, it eventually gets through that the bad behavior causes pain rather than pleasure. For the lucky ones, the mere threat of pain is enough to steer them away from the bad behavior. For those of us not so bright, we need another occasional slap to keep us on track.

The band stops us from overeating. How does it do that? With a gentle "no, no, dear?" Well, actually it does that, but I often don't listen. The pain from eating too much, too fast isn't a complication to me; it's a sign that my band is working. If it didn't hurt, I would still be stuffing myself with donuts. And I am not in pain unless I do what I know I shouldn't do.

The hair loss can come with any weight loss. I lost hair on earlier diets; I think it's your body reacting to less food than it needs to maintain itself, so it sacrifices your hair. It came back before, so I expect it will this time too.

My incisions are four quarter inch marks that don't even look like surgical scars anymore, and one inch long line. I consider them fairly minor.

Your questions are good ones, and ones we all think about preband. The pain right after surgery is minimal for most; I never even took the pain pills my doctor gave me, nor did my husband. The biggest adjustment I thought I would have was the loss of my best friend food; as I've said before, she's still around but I don't like her that much anymore.

Thank you all for your responses.( Snowbird, thank you for helping me to see the overall picture in layman's terms.)

Yes, I admit, I am a little vain. I love my hair and although it is hard to believe, I have little or no stretch marks. I do not have any medical issues as it relates to my weight at this time. I am trying to prevent the onset of problems.

I do see the point of this being a support board and most people coming to this site to obtain information as it relates to issues that one may have with their bands.

I should have taken that into consideration before posting,

I became consumed with fear upon reading all of the issues that may come up that I freaked out. ( for lack of a better word)

And yes, I meant erosion. I carelessly went through spell check with out rereading. My bad.

Aww, gosh darn it! I thought for a minute that there was a new band benefit that I hadn't heard about before. You gave me a little chuckle from it anyway!

You should be very pleased with yourself that you are trying so hard to be an educated consumer. Whatever you decide, I know will be well researched. You are just weighing your options carefully.

Best to you!

I can relate to where you are coming from skinny4life because I was there just a few weeks ago. I did some research and read about how effective the band was, how few complications, almost no deaths, etc. and was sold.

Then I came here and read about erosions and slips. I knew they happened but if you go to the complications section, it can seem like *everyone* gets a slip eventually. On top of that, there are a lot of people in their first year who are really into rapid weight loss and are willing to suffer quite a bit to get it. Sometimes those voices can drown out the others. But those others are here. If you continue reading, you will see the people who manage their bands in a way similar to how you want to manage yours -- however that may be!

I want hunger control and portion control from my band. I don't want to PB or slime much at all -- only when I eat too fast and/or don't chew (i.e., when it's my own damn fault). I want to be able to eat pretty much everything I eat now, just in smaller portions and better overall combinations. I won't cry if I can't ever eat rice or a slice of untoasted bread again, but I would be upset if I couldn't eat meat, raw fruits and vegetables, etc. I also plan to "only" work out/exercise for 45min-1 hr 2-3 days a week.

There are enough people on here who manage to do this and lose weight to give me confidence that my plan for how I handle the band is reasonable and that I will be successful.

P.S. I wish the band did give erections to guys. I bet if it did, not only would WLS be socially acceptable, but EVERY INSURANCE WOULD COVER IT!!

go for it! people tend to post when things are bad and going wrong but are happy and busy when things are going good and dont post much... i have been totally happy with the results.. only 3 small scars.. not much sickness..have lost 65 lbs in 7 months.. feel 20 years younger..used to not be able to shop much or exercise because of the hurting in my legs and knees and feet and now biking every day a couple miles and shopping til i drop! used to send the kids in the store as i didnt feel like walking far and the weight felt so heavy on my body and now i am running almost..do it and dont look back.. dont compare yourself to anyone...you will do as well as u think u will.. so be positive! and good luck..this will surely be the decision that will give u the happiness u have searched for for so long! Brenda.. vamaillady

Well, I'm not in pain.

I'm not at goal, either, but the amount I've lost (and the amount I didn't gain!) because of being banded has changed my life for the better.

I don't regret my band one bit. I'm a complications-free bandster. So far. :wink:

My vote is: not delusional. And "Go For It!!"

My surgeon put a piece of my tummy around my band to stop slippage. Everyone has a different story to tell about their band.

The whole I am in pain but skinny thing stays on my mind. I only have moderate discomfort and I know how to aleviate it.

All in all I have started down a road that not only includes weightloss but just getting healthy in general. The fact that I spent $8,000 on this surgery motivated me to get up and go to the gym. It also convinces me that I do not need that candy bar or that soda.

I have even changed the way I feed my children and have them on the track to a healthier lifestyle. maybe its because I am so scared of wasting so much money, I dont know. What I do know is I do not regret weight loss surgery. I however,wish I had enough money to get the gastric sleeve. It has a lot less complications and you dont have to continue to adjust the volume of your band.

I am so glad that I found this website. I have been desiring to have the lap band for about 3 years now. I finally set up an appointment for Monday to talk with my Md about getting a letter of Medical Necessity. After reading the posts about band slippage, erections, the many doctor visits years out and so on and so forth. I am rethinking this thing. I was thinking that I would get banded, go to the Md for a couple of post op visits then once every year.

Not to mention the hair loss!!

I was under the impression that I would have 3 small incisions on my tummy. I've seen up to 5 and 6 VERY LARGE unsightly incisions. I've read about not being able to eat, being uncomfortable and in pain. It seems as if the theme is : Yes I am in pain but at least I am not fat. I am NOT by any means trying to offend anyone. I appreciate all of your posts and it will help me to make a more informed decision. I appreciate everyone being transparent to help one another. Am I just delusional? This is not a 100% complicated free procedure is it? Again please forgive me if I offended anyone, I am just disappointed.

Complicated free? No, but neither is diabetes or a heart attack which anyone of us could be headed for.

Lots of Dr. appts.? Yes, initially but again imagine how many appts. you'd have if you get diagnosed with a medical condition that takes a few visits to first diagnose properly and then more to get the condition under control.

For me, I have had many office routine visits related to the band. Pysch exam, nutritional exam ( same day) consult with surgeon, pre-op testing, actual surgery and several band fill appts. The fills appts are quick, I am rarely there more than 20 mins.

Depends on your Dr. and your body's reaction to the band. You might need fewer visits for fills than someone else.

Lap band is not the quick fix it's advertised to be. Surgery is real surgery. It hurts really bad for the first month. Also, you have to diet after the band or you won't lose weight. People think it is magic and it is not, so it is good that you are looking out for the bad things. There are 5 scars on my belly. Most are small, the one where they insert the port is very big.

If you really want to lose weight and are committed to changing the way you eat, it is totally worth it. But realize you are going to feel like crap for a month and have scars forever and not going to be able to eat mass quantities of food again. For me, it was totally worth it as I feel like I am taking control of my weight and my life. Just make an informed decision and make sure you are willing to go thru the bad parts before you do it.

I am so glad that I found this website. I have been desiring to have the lap band for about 3 years now. I finally set up an appointment for Monday to talk with my Md about getting a letter of Medical Necessity. After reading the posts about band slippage, erections, the many doctor visits years out and so on and so forth. I am rethinking this thing. I was thinking that I would get banded, go to the Md for a couple of post op visits then once every year.

Not to mention the hair loss!!

I was under the impression that I would have 3 small incisions on my tummy. I've seen up to 5 and 6 VERY LARGE unsightly incisions. I've read about not being able to eat, being uncomfortable and in pain. It seems as if the theme is : Yes I am in pain but at least I am not fat. I am NOT by any means trying to offend anyone. I appreciate all of your posts and it will help me to make a more informed decision. I appreciate everyone being transparent to help one another. Am I just delusional? This is not a 100% complicated free procedure is it? Again please forgive me if I offended anyone, I am just disappointed.

Every one is different but I was not in pain for a full month more like one week and felt normal by end of week two.

I have five scars, four are small, less than 1/2 inch and my largest ( the port scar) is approx two inches. Compared to the scar I have for my previous gall bladder surgery, which I had before they did them laparscopically, the port scar is much smaller. My gallbladder scar is diagonal and about seven inches. Of course it's faded to white now. I'll have to wait for the new scars to fade to white.

As far as not eating mass amounts of food, that is true and isn't that the whole point of getting the band?

After healing and post op swelling and before your band is filled to the right level for you, you might be hungry, so if you want to continue to lose weight during that time, dieting can aid that. That's what I did and the band did give me a little extra willpower to do that.

If any doctor (or anyone else for that matter) tells you of a surgical procedure that is 100% complication free - run away from them very fast!!

Honestly, we are talking about the human body here. All manner of things can happen. No surgeon in their right mind is going to say a procedure will be complication free - not at least until after its happened.

As for a few check ups then once a year, I don't know where you got your information from. It is an individual process of fill and un-fill until the right amount is found for you. Then you have to go back every 6 months as the biggest gap FOR THE LIFE OF THE BAND INSIDE YOU. That is, as long as the band is inside you, you have to go back every 6 months. The reason for this is that a teensy, tiny amount of the Fluid can leak out of the band and you will lose a tiny amount of restriction. We are talking something like 0.3 ml here! But it needs to be topped up to ensure you stay at your happy spot.

I think far too many people are seeing this as a quick fix, easy option. Its not. It involves a life time commitment to healthy eating and healthy living. The band does nothing at all on its own. It simply enables you to be able to keep to a diet, but you have to do the work. As I like to say, the band won't take your body out for a walk each night while you sleep.

Before you decide ya or nay for you, speak to your doctor, go an info session and get some factual information. Once informed, then decide if this is something you want to do.

Then you have to go back every 6 months as the biggest gap FOR THE LIFE OF THE BAND INSIDE YOU.

My surgeon's practice recommends a yearly visit after the first two years. Obviously, if you need a fill, you need to come in sooner, but if you don't, then once a year is fine for a check-up.