I am really excited about this new journey i will be facing.. When i tell people about the LAP-BAND® all i get are negative reactions. always about the seriousness of it, or how they knew someone who it didn't work.. and had only compications.. or even someone who died from it...

i don't get it. why does everyone have to be so negative? what's the point in trying to convince me not to do it if you don't know the facts.. is it even possible for someone to die from the LAP-BAND®.. i can't see how.

Ignorance plain and simple!! The knowledge they probably have of the band is from skewed media misrepresentation. Lets face it, successful, happy, people living their lives with less weight just doesn't seem to make the news! There is a prejudice about weight also, which makes it worse.

I've received mixed responses, most positive, fortunately. I've found if I educate people they respond better.

There will always someone who will try to rain on your parade, just be prepared and have an umbrella!

They also watch TV! LOL We had an episode of a medical show called All Saints last week which featured a woman with a lapband.

To summarise.

She looked normal weight. Had the surgery approx a month ago in Korea. (No one from Australia goes to Korea to get a lapband put in)!Lost 10kg in a month cos it was so tight she couldn't eat.(Who is that tight 1 month after surgery - for most of us getting to a decent fill level takes months). Ignored her surgeons advice to get liquid out - again if it was done in Korea she wouldn't be there and seeing her surgeon still.

It was causing lots of pain and I think she developed septiceamia. They operated and she died on the table.

So blame the media and then try to reeducate them. Or alternatively you can take the approach that I have used - just don't tell anyone. What you do with your body is your business!

So this is the kind of info that people have . Stuff that is sensationalist and essentially wrong. TV is irresponsible because they don't like to portray things accurately.

Yes you can die from the op as you can from any op. The more you weigh the higher the risk.The risky part is the anaesthesia.

There may be complications but if you go to a reputable experienced surgeon both for the op and the followup care all should be well. Dr's instructions should be followed and you should also make sure you are not too tight as being too tight is one of the major causes of problems.

Many people don't know the difference between gastric bypass & lap-band surgery, which is 100 X safer. I think the statistics for death due to lap-band surgery was 1 in 1,000, but I believe with the new bands it has gotten much safer. That's why it is important to check out your surgeon beforehand.

I have been fortunate with the support I have gotten from family & friends. I only had one person try to discourage me. Everyone else has been great.

Yes, you can definitely die from the lap-band. Just the surgery itself has it's risks - you can die from ANY surgery. Granted the risk is very small, but it is a realistic risk none the less. Plus complications afterwards, like if you're too tight but ignore it, and get dehydrated and ignore that. Again overall the risks are very low.

I agree that most people think of gastric bypass when you tell them weight loss surgery, even if you try to explain the difference. WLS in general has a negative experience tacked onto it. Plus people think you should know their opinion because it's the right one, of course. That's why I chose to keep it to myself and close family when I first decided. Now that I'm 2 months post-op and down 30 pounds, I'm opening up a liiiitle more, and finding that the opinions are more positive because people can see the results. The reason I've kept it to myself for the most part is because I don't want anyone scrutinizing every thing I put into my mouth. It's none of their business what was done to my body, basically.

Many people don't know the difference between gastric bypass & LAP-BAND® surgery, which is 100 X safer. I think the statistics for death due to LAP-BAND® surgery was 1 in 1,000, but I believe with the new bands it has gotten much safer. That's why it is important to check out your surgeon beforehand.

I have been fortunate with the support I have gotten from family & friends. I only had one person try to discourage me. Everyone else has been great.

I hope this is how the quote thingy works...I'm sorry if I screw this up forgive me in advance!! ok...100X safer? i dont think so. I know people who have all of the various surgeries, and we've talked about it at length. I almost had the bypass and Im beginning to wish I had. all of the different operations have their risks, but im quite certain that none of them are "100X" safer than any of the others. where did you find a number like that? im really curious. Terry banded Paril 2009

I hope this is how the quote thingy works...I'm sorry if I screw this up forgive me in advance!! ok...100X safer? i dont think so. I know people who have all of the various surgeries, and we've talked about it at length. I almost had the bypass and Im beginning to wish I had. all of the different operations have their risks, but im quite certain that none of them are "100X" safer than any of the others. where did you find a number like that? im really curious. Terry banded Paril 2009

Very sorry for my typo. It should have read '10x', not 100.

I think it's the fear of the unkown for most people. I have told everyone, my co-workers, friends, most family and they are all supportive. Most of them think it's cool and I even have a neighbor doing it as well. As soon as she heard about it she found a doctor and went through the pre-op testing.

All surgeries are risky. As the previous posters said. However the risk's are smaller depending on how "healthy" you are prior to surgery. That is why the surgeon does so many pre-op tests.

All in all I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. If your health is in jeopardy due to your weight and you want to be healthy than it is absolutely worth it.

Show them how happy and healthy you are after and they will probably change their toons!

Very sorry for my typo. It should have read '10x', not 100.

I really don't mean to be picky, but I have spent a lot of time researching all of this, and it isn't even 10X. The "complications" or however you want to spin them aren't that much different in quantity from the LaPband. Its a more extensive surgery, but it does in fact a have a place. no one should rule it out. or any of the other surgeries, really. Terry Banded April 2009

I'm actually in the surgical profession and I haven't told ANYONE that I had a band.

I agree with the previous poster who said that "what I do with my own body is my own business."

This is a very personal choice and a very personal journey. You have to make the decision based on good information and a lot of soul searching. With ANY surgery, there is a risk of death or morbidity. The risks of the Lap Band are less that those of a gastric bypass, but they are real. When you decide to have this surgery, you decide that the risk of remaining obese is greater than the risks if the surgery.

Of course, this is only one opinion . . . . . . .