I have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and I came across a woman on Facebook who was looking for feedback on people with PCOS who had the lapband done. I emailed her the following email and thought it might benefit others on this site as well.

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My best friend and her sister (neither have PCOS) both had gastic bypass. I was not heavy enough to qualify for gastric bypass so the lapband was my only option. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

Because of the amount of weight you have to lose and because of my experiences with the lapband I would highly recommend the gastic bypass over the lapband. I do not know enough about the gastric sleeve (and do not know anyone who has had one) so I cannot give you any feedback on it. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

My best friend and her sister both lost over 100 pounds in a year. Her sister is down to her goal weight and already went and had plastic surgery to have her excess skin removed. My best friend lost the 100 pounds quickly but has found ways to "work around" the surgery to continue to eat and has gained about 30 pounds back. She is a snacker and likes junk food so she would eat little bits of junk all day (she is a chef which complicates matters!). Also, with both surgeries you can stretch out your new stomach/pouch over time if you slightly overeat all the time, thus over time you can increase the amount of food you can eat. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

The disadvantages that they have experienced with gastric are: You must make sure you are getting enough protein (particularly in the beginning when your pouch is so tiny) because if you don't you can get sick and you will start losing your hair (not going bald - just losing hair). Because you will be losing weight so quickly be prepared for people around you to 1) know you had the surgery 2) ask you about how much weight you've lost constantly 3) scrutinize what you eat and verbalize it when they think you are making less than stellar choices. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

No matter what you choose I would highly recommend NOT telling everyone you have had the surgery. I told very few people and I have experienced some of the above. It is beyond frustrating and people have no idea how hard this process is. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

Overall they both had success with the gastric bypass. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

However, it has taken me two years to lose 55 pounds. The reason why is because I have such difficulty finding things that I am "able" to eat without choking/PBing on them. I have always been a pretty healthy eater; I have never been a junk food eater or snacker, but I would typically skip breakfast and then overeat at lunch and dinner - it was always a quantity issue with me. Now I am eating much smaller portions, however, because I have such difficulty eating so many different foods, I have started eating things that I know are not good for me just so I can eat something.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

For example, I basically cannot eat any pork whatsoever - I choke on it every time. One day I can eat chicken just fine and the next day I choke on it. Virtually anything fibrous (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) choke me. I have to overcook these items in order to eat them and even then often times cannot eat them. I have learned that things with sauce on them help make things "slide" down. The problem is things with sauce are typically more fattening! There have been many times that I have just eaten mashed potatoes as a meal because I was too frustrated to try to find something else I could eat without choking. I can say with absolute certainty that I am eating worse foods now than ever before. It is not so much what I can't eat that I struggle with - but what CAN I eat?!? :laugh: The only thing that never chokes me is sushi and fish. Let's just say I am beginning to resemble a salmon with all the fish I am eating! <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

Before you think that my band is too tight and I should get an unfill that is not the case. When I eat things that do not choke me I can eat plenty of food. I just have to CONSTANTLY be aware of food. I think about food more now than I ever did pre-band. Food is a huge source of anxiety for me now because I am always dreading whether or not something will choke me. There have been many times when I have tried to eat "normally" - like at a business function - when I start choking and have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom to throw it all up. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

I could go on and on about this issue. Ultimately, I am happy that I have been able to lose weight. However, if someone asked me, "Would you do it all over again?" the answer would be "No!" <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

If I hadn't paid for the band 100% out of pocket I would have had the band removed long ago. I would have opted for the gastric bypass. I know that even though I have lost weight I am not as healthy as I was because I am not getting adequate nutrition from the foods that I am "able" to eat. I feel like my band controls too much of my life.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

No matter what you choose please realize that none of these "solutions" is an easy fix. It is really very hard work...I never dreamed it would be this hard. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

- Sara

I have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and I came across a woman on Facebook who was looking for feedback on people with PCOS who had the lapband done. I emailed her the following email and thought it might benefit others on this site as well.

___________________________________________________

My best friend and her sister (neither have PCOS) both had gastic bypass. I was not heavy enough to qualify for gastric bypass so the lapband was my only option. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Because of the amount of weight you have to lose and because of my experiences with the lapband I would highly recommend the gastic bypass over the lapband. I do not know enough about the gastric sleeve (and do not know anyone who has had one) so I cannot give you any feedback on it. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

My best friend and her sister both lost over 100 pounds in a year. Her sister is down to her goal weight and already went and had plastic surgery to have her excess skin removed. My best friend lost the 100 pounds quickly but has found ways to "work around" the surgery to continue to eat and has gained about 30 pounds back. She is a snacker and likes junk food so she would eat little bits of junk all day (she is a chef which complicates matters!). Also, with both surgeries you can stretch out your new stomach/pouch over time if you slightly overeat all the time, thus over time you can increase the amount of food you can eat. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

The disadvantages that they have experienced with gastric are: You must make sure you are getting enough Protein (particularly in the beginning when your pouch is so tiny) because if you don't you can get sick and you will start losing your hair (not going bald - just losing hair). Because you will be losing weight so quickly be prepared for people around you to 1) know you had the surgery 2) ask you about how much weight you've lost constantly 3) scrutinize what you eat and verbalize it when they think you are making less than stellar choices. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

No matter what you choose I would highly recommend NOT telling everyone you have had the surgery. I told very few people and I have experienced some of the above. It is beyond frustrating and people have no idea how hard this process is. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Overall they both had success with the gastric bypass. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

However, it has taken me two years to lose 55 pounds. The reason why is because I have such difficulty finding things that I am "able" to eat without choking/PBing on them. I have always been a pretty healthy eater; I have never been a junk food eater or snacker, but I would typically skip breakfast and then overeat at lunch and dinner - it was always a quantity issue with me. Now I am eating much smaller portions, however, because I have such difficulty eating so many different foods, I have started eating things that I know are not good for me just so I can eat something.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

For example, I basically cannot eat any pork whatsoever - I choke on it every time. One day I can eat chicken just fine and the next day I choke on it. Virtually anything fibrous (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) choke me. I have to overcook these items in order to eat them and even then often times cannot eat them. I have learned that things with sauce on them help make things "slide" down. The problem is things with sauce are typically more fattening! There have been many times that I have just eaten mashed potatoes as a meal because I was too frustrated to try to find something else I could eat without choking. I can say with absolute certainty that I am eating worse foods now than ever before. It is not so much what I can't eat that I struggle with - but what CAN I eat?!? :laugh: The only thing that never chokes me is sushi and fish. Let's just say I am beginning to resemble a salmon with all the fish I am eating! <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Before you think that my band is too tight and I should get an unfill that is not the case. When I eat things that do not choke me I can eat plenty of food. I just have to CONSTANTLY be aware of food. I think about food more now than I ever did pre-band. Food is a huge source of anxiety for me now because I am always dreading whether or not something will choke me. There have been many times when I have tried to eat "normally" - like at a business function - when I start choking and have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom to throw it all up. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I could go on and on about this issue. Ultimately, I am happy that I have been able to lose weight. However, if someone asked me, "Would you do it all over again?" the answer would be "No!" <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

If I hadn't paid for the band 100% out of pocket I would have had the band removed long ago. I would have opted for the gastric bypass. I know that even though I have lost weight I am not as healthy as I was because I am not getting adequate nutrition from the foods that I am "able" to eat. I feel like my band controls too much of my life.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

No matter what you choose please realize that none of these "solutions" is an easy fix. It is really very hard work...I never dreamed it would be this hard. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

- Sara

I relate to much of what you write of the band but I have to disagree with you about bypass. I would never do bypass, not for anything. It has almost as high of a failure rate as banding. 20% fail bypass (regain after a few years) and 25% fail banding.

Trends are changing, it used to be band and bypass. Today it is sleeves and DS. For restriction alone a sleeve, for malabsorption DS.

Sara - despite what you say about not being too tight it might not be true. If you are only eating slider foods it doesn't matter that you can eat a lot of them. You still can be too tight. Not losing or gaining weight is often a symtpom of being too tight. You need to discuss this with your doctor and get an upper GI to see what is going on. How many cc's you have in your band does not necessarily correlate to tightness. Find out what is going on.

Now, for foods with sauces. Try buying a rotissiere chicken and remove the skin. Add it to some fat free gravy (heinz makes it) and put this over some mashed potatoes. I eat this and have had no problem with chicken. Try steaming veggies and eat no sugar added fruit in cups. You can buy those steamer bags. Add "I can't believe it's not butter spray" (0 calories) to help flavor the veggies. You might have better luck with these. Make a salad and put in the food processor (use the slicing device - not shredding) and add a little olive oil and vinegar and spices. These are just some suggestions.

Finally, you could truely have band intolerance but you will need additional testing, I think, before you come to that conclusion. And 55 pounds in two years is 1/2 pound a week - that is not bad. You said you didn't have as much weight to lose to begin with. I wish you the best of luck.

It takes a lot of time and work to chew and eat solid protein so it will go down well. I have almost fallen asleep eating sometimes!!!! This is why I sometimes just choose beans or something easier. But, I'm still glad I got the band!!

As a follow up, after years of struggling with the band I had it removed at the end of 2011 and revised to the gastric sleeve. Even though the recovery from surgery was tough I am very happy with my decision. No more PBing for me and I am actually able to eat fruits and vegetables - something that was virtually impossible with my band. My gastic surgeon said that current research indicates that 8% of people's bodies reject the lap band, but that he estimates there are probably much more that just put up with the complications. I am very lucky that this time my insurance paid for the removal and revision.

One of the hardest things for me is that I felt like I was a failure and I was embarrassed that I did not have more success with the band. However, after reading countless other people's negative accounts about life with the band, which I found on gastic sleeve forums, I realized that I was not the only one and wept with relief. So to anyone who might read this in the future - you are not the only one - just look at some gastic sleeve or gastric bypass sites and you will find many former banders' tales of woe. Best of luck and good health to everyone!

Wow--I could have written this (except for not having it again...I would do it again to get the weight off). I just had all my fill removed since I was too tight and now have dilated esophogus and pouch. My doc said I had to be miserable...I guess I just learned to live with the daily issues (it was my new normal...). I'm just beginning to check out the revision to sleeve ...I'm just not sure I want my stomach cut. I lost 80 pounds and have since put back on about 20...I know I need SOMETHING... I think when I was ABLE to eat my body just absorbed every single calorie because it was like "hey--I'm not starving anymore." I'll go research over at that forum. I'm afraid of not having my band... But I have this feeling that it's not correcting itself. I guess I will know when I have my upper GI in a couple weeks...