my surgeon has told me that lapbands can last anything between 2 and 15yrs. i am confused becoz I've seen ads for lapbands that last a lifetime and i dont want to have to replace it in a few yrs becoz basically I cant afford to. Can any one shed any light on this please? has my surgeon got it wrong?

julia x

I was banded over a year ago and had a really tight fill this past September. On occasion I experience (like I am now) days when I am unable to hardly eat or drink anything without it coming back up. This past Sunday I was able to drink some milk in the morning and have somefood at lunchtime and for dinner. Yesterday (Mon) and today I can't hold my water down without it coming up or even some hot tea. I know at this point not to even try to eat anything solid. This has happened before and then the next day I am fine and able to eat small normal portions. Does this happen to anyone else from time to time.

I haven't been banded yet, but went to a support group this week and asked that question. I was told 30 years.

30 Years! Yippee

30 years! That will work for me.....by that time I won't have any teeth left to eat with! If I can keep this working until my mid 80s, I'll hope that by then I'll have behavior changes in place! LOL

thanks Molly, thats really helpful. congratulations by the way on your phenomenal success with the band!

Julia x

Hi laura

How are you getting on now?Thanks for replying. I havnt decided for sure if I'm going to get the band yet but it helps me to make an informed decision hearing honest experiences like yours. Can I ask you, despite the disadvntages of the band would you still recommend it?

Julia x