Hello everyone. I'm new here, and I would like to hear all the good and bad about the lap band. I am going this Dec 9 to a consultaton. What do I need to know? And is it worth having done? Is the sucess rate, a good one?

Thanks. Lori Anne

I think many of us here are lap band patients; there is a section of horror stories and you can probably find it by checking the forums. Personally I have no problems with the band, love it, don't regret it, would do it again in an instant. However, perhaps you should attend a seminar first. Statistics and comparisons are covered in the good ones....or like I did, buy a couple of books on lap band surgery. This site is great for anecdotal info about recovery and life with the band, but perhaps a seminar can answer your initial questions. Lap Band IS a lifestyle; it's hard to just tell you "what you need to know"! Helpful though we want to be! LOL Also reading through the different forums and posts here may give you the essence of what you're looking for. It's a life style and a life change, I can tell you that!

I would recommend you read, read, read all the information on this site. As far as stats, look for published medical studies rather than word of mouth. You can do a Google search for bariatric medical studies or if you have access to a library you can research there. Medical journals are a great source of information.

I researched on line via the library I have membership too. I retrieved at least 30 bariatric medical study reports. I researched banding and by-pass. I looked for the good and the bad, because I wanted to be well informed.

I have no regrets and have lost over 25 pounds thus far with the band.

Good luck!

I have been banded since September and am grateful for it every minute. I have lost 54 lbs so far and I am on my way to a healthy body. I did a lot of research on the internet. You may want to search the sites for your area and once you have found a few doctors, research them to see who has a great record and who is the leader in your town for bariatric surgery. I researched and narrowed it down to two doctors and then went to each of their seminars. Once I met with them for a consult, I had a pretty good idea of who I wanted to go with. I also researched the type of band they were using and the type of surgery they perform. I went with the doctor that used "LapBand" because I found that it had a great success record, and performed the surgery laproscopically. I have four 1/2" incisions and 1 1/2" incision and he used a type of "crazy glue" on the incision to close them up so I could shower the very first day.

I am a firm believer in research and knowledge. I hope you Quest turns out great!

H