Tell me about the Lap Band

[heartsy77]

I have talked for ever about doing it and I finally called today. I meet w/ the surgeon next week to see if I am a candidate.

I have a close friend who is going through the process as well but she has chosen to go the bypass route. THIS SCARES ME! DD's BF lost his mom last summer to bypass; she bascially died from oragan failure related to starvation.

Now my friend and I both know the risks for these proceeders; we went to nursing school together. My question is the lapband enough? I need to loose about 150 lbs to be normal weight for my 5'1o frame.

TIA

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

A lap and should be enough if you fully embrace the mindset that you need to have to be healthy and successful.

If you think to yourself "the lapband will keep me from eating to much" and repeatedly add extra bites to your meals, you won't succeed. I know a lady who had the lapband and stretched out her pocket by eating more and more and she gained the weight back.

If you eat only crap and don't follow the strict diet and vitamin regimen, you could die. (This you already know).

My only advice is to be honest with yourself. Have you tried everything else? Is it just a willpower issue? Surgery like this is dangerous, and should not be done just because someone doesn't want to address the psychological reasons the overeat or they are too lazy and want a quick fix.

I do think the technology to do this is miraculous and can help people who physically can't lose any other way.

 

[Handbag Lady]

A lap and should be enough if you fully embrace the mindset that you need to have to be healthy and successful.

If you think to yourself "the lapband will keep me from eating to much" and repeatedly add extra bites to your meals, you won't succeed. I know a lady who had the lapband and stretched out her pocket by eating more and more and she gained the weight back.

If you eat only crap and don't follow the strict diet and vitamin regimen, you could die. (This you already know).

My only advice is to be honest with yourself. Have you tried everything else? Is it just a willpower issue? Surgery like this is dangerous, and should not be done just because someone doesn't want to address the psychological reasons the overeat or they are too lazy and want a quick fix.

I do think the technology to do this is miraculous and can help people who physically can't lose any other way.

I would suggest getting the "after diet" and see if you can follow that without the surgery. I think this opens the eyes of a lot of people. I also knew someone who did the lap-band and gained it all back. She was concentrating on the surgery itself and not so much on what happens to her rich diet afterwards. The funny thing is that is worked for her for about 10 years.

I'm overweight and have thought many times about the lap-band. I think with my eating reasons, I might just be one of the failures. I would love to get my hands on the "after diet" though, just to try it.

 

[Julylady]

Just make sure you fully research all your options. I had the sleeve gastrectomy two years ago in April. I originally planned to have the lap band procedure, but my Doctor recommended against it for several reasons including that I needed to lose more than 100 pounds. I have been very pleased with the results of the sleeve. I have lost 110 pounds and would still like to lose 20 more. It's no magic bullet though. All weight loss surgery requires a major commitment to change your lifestyle. However, the surgery took away my hunger and limited the volume of food I could consume at once.

No one method is right for everyone. And just because you know some who had significant issues after gastric bypass doesn't mean it might not be the best procedure for you. There are pros and cons for each procedure. You will need to investigate these with your Doctor before making a decision.

 

[CDoobee]

Found this post-op diet:

http://www.longviewregional.com/weightloss/Documents/LapBandPostOpDietMealPlan.pdf

 

[okeydokey]

I have a friend who did the lap band and another who had gastric bypass. They both lost a lot of weight and they both put back on a lot of weight. Neither weighs what they did before surgery (not yet anyway) but both under estimated the hard lifestyle that follows.

 

[twinz]

I had the lap band done in November 2012. I have lost 36 lbs as of March 10th. I find I am able to eat about a cup of food at a time. The place where I got my surgery done has an AWESOME aftercare program (for life). They have a nutritionist, physcologist (sp?), and someone to help with your exercise routine. I admit I have not been exercising all this time but I am really trying to stick to it since I have been given an exercise plan. I will send you a DM with more information.

 

[jemmouse]

Found this post-op diet:

http://www.longviewregional.com/weightloss/Documents/LapBandPostOpDietMealPlan.pdf

Yikes....I think FOR ME, I would rather diet harder...But good luck to all those who do this...Dieting is so very hard!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

A friend of ours had lap-band surgery over two years ago. At first, she wasn't losing at the rate she had expected. She lost maybe 20 pounds in 6 months, so she had another procedure to have the band tightened. She still didn't seem to lose all that much. I saw her at a picnic last August and she didn't look much different. I don't know what happened between then and now, because I saw her a few weeks ago and she had visibly lost a lot more weight. I don't know if she had it tightened again or just cracked down harder on following the diet.

 

[aprilgail2]

. I know a lady who had the lapband and stretched out her pocket by eating more and more and she gained the weight back.

.

I know at least 12 people who have had the lap band and not one has ever kept the weight off- 6 of them ended up just doing the bypass and are doing great with that but I have yet to know anyone that had the lap band that kept the weight off.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Do a google search for lap band Europe research. It will not be long before it's banned not only in Europe but in the US too. Many surgeons refuse to place a lap band. Some have done it in the past but refuse to do the surgery anymore (I met with quite a few when researching my surgeon)

I had one for over 5 years. The most weight I lost was during the liquid phase of the diet after the band was placed. My band was removed last year, and in the next 2-3 months I will be having RnY.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Robbi]

I know a few people who have a lapband and none of them have kept off the weight. I saw the hospital dietician the other day and she told me that the docs there are not doing anymore lap band procedures because the doctors are not seeing good results. They're only doing the gastric sleeve or bypass.

 

[minkydog]

Yikes....I think FOR ME, I would rather diet harder...But good luck to all those who do this...Dieting is so very hard!

I'm with you. The thought that I could never have another cookie, chocolate, popcorn, hot dogs appalls me. And some of the side effects that I've read about...well, just, no....This will sound weird, but i'd rather be fat than have to live like that. I freely admit that I have an eating disorder. I have lost weight in teh past, but gained it right back. At the moment I am not following a diet at all. But it's my choice and i'm fine with it.

 

[powellrj]

My DDILs mom died in Jan from complications from gastric bypass. She had it done in Aug and never really left the hospital for more than a few hours before she died. She was only 47 and had such high hopes for the surgery.

 

[sillylily]

WLS is something I always tell people to approach with caution. That being said, after doing a year of research on the procedure AND my surgeon, I had sleeve gastrectomy nine months ago. Dieting was not an option for me any longer; my metabolism was in the toilet because I was too big to move more than from the couch to my car, then to my desk. It has given me my life back, and I am literally less than half of the woman I was. Most reputable centers are beginning to shy away from the lapband; there's not a surgeon within 100 miles of my home that will install one, as they have proven to have some rough after affects. My suggestion would be to research your surgeon, and your procedure, carefully, and go with what suits you best. Good luck!

 

[Mickey527]

I had a lap band placed in 2009 more for health issues than weight loss although I did need to had high blood pressure, fatty liver, pre-diabetic, cancer in 2004 and was overweight. I tried many diets but because of my neuropathy I couldn't exercise. Every time I got about a block away from the house my legs would go numb and I couldn't walk home.
I had to see a nutritionist and psychologist before my surgery in addition to my general physician, and my cardiologist. I saw the nutritionist a few times more on my own to get some good information on how to plan a good diet with the proper nutrients.
I lost 85 lbs with my lap band and have kept it off since 2009. I did gain 5 lbs on my last trip to WDW but it will be gone soon. My band is empty and has been empty since 2010. when the band was new I had .5 cc, then 1 cc after 2 months and at 6 months I went up to 2 cc. That was as high as I did go because I was able to lose with the food I was eating.
Once I lost the weight and learned what and how much to eat I was able to keep the weight off without the band doing it for me. And I did it all without exercising since I couldn't do much. My exercise consists of walking around my back yard and circling my house because if my legs go numb I can sit in my yard for as long as I need.
I went from a size 20 to a size 6 although I have been wearing size 8 latemy because they feel more comfortable although I haven't gained weight. I wish I could walk more and work on tightening these thighs but size 6-8 thighs are much better than size 20 thighs....
I eat cake and cookies, ice cream and alcohol when I want but I know what is an acceptable amount and what I can eat to keep the weight I am. Before my lap band and the education I got I know which foods I can eat to stay healthier and which to eat occasionally when I want to splurge.

 

[Robbi]

I had a lap band placed in 2009 more for health issues than weight loss although I did need to had high blood pressure, fatty liver, pre-diabetic, cancer in 2004 and was overweight. I tried many diets but because of my neuropathy I couldn't exercise. Every time I got about a block away from the house my legs would go numb and I couldn't walk home.
I had to see a nutritionist and psychologist before my surgery in addition to my general physician, and my cardiologist. I saw the nutritionist a few times more on my own to get some good information on how to plan a good diet with the proper nutrients.
I lost 85 lbs with my lap band and have kept it off since 2009. I did gain 5 lbs on my last trip to WDW but it will be gone soon. My band is empty and has been empty since 2010. when the band was new I had .5 cc, then 1 cc after 2 months and at 6 months I went up to 2 cc. That was as high as I did go because I was able to lose with the food I was eating.
Once I lost the weight and learned what and how much to eat I was able to keep the weight off without the band doing it for me. And I did it all without exercising since I couldn't do much. My exercise consists of walking around my back yard and circling my house because if my legs go numb I can sit in my yard for as long as I need.
I went from a size 20 to a size 6 although I have been wearing size 8 latemy because they feel more comfortable although I haven't gained weight. I wish I could walk more and work on tightening these thighs but size 6-8 thighs are much better than size 20 thighs....
I eat cake and cookies, ice cream and alcohol when I want but I know what is an acceptable amount and what I can eat to keep the weight I am. Before my lap band and the education I got I know which foods I can eat to stay healthier and which to eat occasionally when I want to splurge.

Congratulations, that's fantastic!!!!

 

[TwoCortWort]

I have a cousin who had gastric bypass when she was a teenager and she didn't change her ways so it didn't work and she's heavier than ever with multiple health issues.

There is a lady I see daily walking who had it done and she swears by it. She has lost over 130 pounds with it. Her only complaint now is all the extra skin.

I personally have lost over 100 pounds by just changing what I put in my mouth and watching and counting calories. My brother even asked me if I would consider the surgery.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[wvjules]

If you have to follow such a strict diet afterwards, why not just follow the diet now and avoid having a major surgery?

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

I researched the lapband about 2.5 years ago. I was really pushing for it, I didn't want anything invasive and was scared to death of surgery. I asked around and found a great surgeon, he gave me all my options, told me he would give me whatever I wanted but told me the results are not great with the lapband.

I ended up going with the gastric sleeve. I love my decision and have lost 105 pounds in a year. This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself as I battled with my weight my entire life. I also watched my mom, brother, grandparents, uncle battle their weight too, so I knew willpower alone was not going to be enough for me.

People will tell you all sorts of horror stories of people they know who died from weight loss surgery. I personally know 8 people who have had either bypass or the sleeve and all have come out fine. Are there risks involved, yes, but you also have to tell yourself that it is the population of people who are getting the surgeries who already have major underlying medical issues which is why a lot of them have complications. Most ppl are already dealing with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, etc...before undergoing a major surgery, so of course their rate for complications may be higher, but it would be if they were to have any surgery. I was a healthy 34 year old who was just 100+ overweight, so my risks were lower. Also, find a good, experienced surgeon and do your research on them, complications can also be from an inexperienced surgeon, so do your homework on them!


Don't be discouraged by ppl who tell you it might be the easy way out, those that mostly say that are the ones who have never dealt with being overweight ever in their lives and have no idea the struggle. This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself, I wish I had done it 15 years ago! I am the sleeve's biggest supporter and would encourage anyone who has struggled with their weight to research the surgery.

Good luck in whatever you decide and if you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me!