lap-band success??? - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

melmarlem · 06-08-2009, 06:15 PM

Hi everyone,

I have recently been approved for lap-band surgery, and am expecting to have my surgery later this month. I have a good family friend who had lap-band surgery 2 years ago and she has not had very good success with it. I'm worried that maybe I should have chosen RNY instead. Is it possible to be successful with the lap-band? I currently weigh 260lbs. My surgeon, exercise physiologist, and myself have set my goal weight at 130lbs. Is this unrealistic? For all of you that have the lap-band, please tell me how much weight you've been able to lose and keep off

. Also how long did it take for you to lose it?

MsSarahJ · 06-08-2009, 07:18 PM

Does your friend actually eat appropriate things or eat things that just slip past the band? Any weight loss surgery is hard work. It's not a quick fix and of course the band will be hard work. 130lbs is definitely not unrealistic. I'm 21. 5'4 and 120kgs which is 264lbs and haven't really thought about my goal weight at the moment. I want to loose 44lbs by november and then I'll see where I go from there. Overall I would probably be happiest at around 65kg (143lbs)

As long as you set your mind to it and keep that in mind and do everything you can to make this work how could it fail?

sherry7 · 06-08-2009, 07:54 PM

I had RNY just over a year ago, but I thought long and hard about the Lap-Band.

The reasons I didn't choose it:
1) I was afraid of slippage complications.
2) I didn't want to go back for fills.
3) I wanted a faster weight loss.
4) I wanted the consequence of getting sick if I ate the wrong thing.
5) I have crappy willpower. (See #4!)
6) I accepted the fact that I would have to take more supplements/vitamins with the RNY.
7) And most important...my doctor recommended RNY over the Lap-Band, based on my weight, history, relationship with food, etc.

How much research have you done on both surgeries? I highly recommend reading the book "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies". Stupid title, but good book. It will give you a good general education on both types of surgery, and what to expect with each.

Don't jump into a surgery that you're not 100% sure about. Even if you change your mind and it throws your schedule off, you still want to choose the surgery that's right for YOU.

poet_kelly · 06-08-2009, 10:57 PM

I know there are people who have great success with the lap band. I do think you may have to have a bit more will power than with RNY, and it's my understanding that weight loss may not be as fast and you may not lose as much. My concern about the lap band is that it does seem to have a fairly high rate of failure. I've seen a lot of people on this site who had the band who then had to have a revision to RNY (or who are waiting to have RNY) because they band didn't work for them. There also seems to be a lot of problems with the band slipping or causing erosion. It's my understanding that some insurance companies no longer cover the band for these reasons.

Now, RNY can have its own complications, and like I said, some people have great success with the band, so I think it needs to be an individual decision. Does your doctor recommend the band for you? If you're not sure the band is right for you, you might want to hold off on the surgery just a little bit until you can do some more research and feel confident about your decision.

Kelly

melmarlem · 06-14-2009, 08:39 PM

Thanks to all of you for responding. At first I wanted GBS because as a nursing student I knew more about that surgery. When I met my surgeon I told him I wanted GBS and he disagreed. In his professional opinion he thinks I am a better canidate for lap-band surgery mostly because of my age, 22 years old. His reasoning was because if I got pregnant with the band, no biggie, just unfill the band. Also he was concerned about me taking vitamin supplements for the rest of my life....not such a big problem, but again I'm only 22..the rest of my life is a long time!! None of those reasons made me choose the lap-band over GBS. I chose the lap-band because as a nursing student I don't have the time to take off from my studies to recover from a surgery as serious as GBS. I understand lap-band is a serious surgery too but I think I might be able to survive a few days or a week of being sore

Back to my friend that had the surgery, I'm not sure if she eats what she is supposed to or not. It seems like she does when she is around others, but who knows what she eats at home? I'm not looking to lose the weight fast per say, I just want to lose it and keep it off! Slow and steady wins the race! After doing some reading on here and other weight loss forums I feel comfortable and confident with my decision of having lap-band surgery instead of GBS. I have heard about the weight-loss book for dummies...I need to go buy it and read it!

poet_kelly · 06-15-2009, 08:18 AM

I'm glad you came to a decision you feel comfortable with. There is a website forum for people with lap band that you might want to check out. I think it is lapbandtalk or something like that. There don't seem to be as many banders here at TT as there are people with RNY. Of course, you are still welcome here as well, and I hope you stick around!

The lap band, just like RNY, is just a tool. You have to do your part, too. Some people say it easier to "cheat" the lap band, but I think you just have to keep your priorities in mind. If you are going to all the trouble and expense of having WLS, why would you risk cheating?

Kelly

kossde · 06-15-2009, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poet_kelly

I know there are people who have great success with the lap band. I do think you may have to have a bit more will power than with RNY, and it's my understanding that weight loss may not be as fast and you may not lose as much.

I think I would have to disagree with the two statements above. I had lap band surgery 14 months ago and have thus lost almost 170 lbs. I have been overweight since I was a very small child and had absolutely no will power. Until the surgery, I had never successfully lost more than about 10 lbs. I was 321.6 lbs when I had the surgery.

As far as the total weight loss / speed of weight loss goes, that depends on the person and the surgeon. Lap band is a bit more precarious than gastric bypass because it's not a one-stop fix. It's a progressive, adjustable long-term fix and I think the 'adjustable' part is what makes it a little more complicated.

Most people seem to be of the impression that one fill is all you need to lose weight but what no one tells you is that the lap band is actually wrapped not around the stomach but around the stomach and surrounding fat. This means that as your body burns it's excess fat, the band becomes looser and thus needs another fill. The greatest aspect of the lap band procedure - it's adjustability- is also it's greatest draw back.

I think the biggest issue is not with the procedure but with the education provided with the procedure. If more people were better prepared and understood what would have to happen, a lot more people would have successful long-term weight loss. You cannot have just one or two fills and expect to lose 100% of your excess weight.

poet_kelly · 06-15-2009, 10:02 AM

Wow, you've done great! Good for you.

Kelly

kossde · 06-15-2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poet_kelly

Wow, you've done great! Good for you.

Kelly

Thank you!! Ive been morbidly obese since 13 and to look in the mirror and think to myself, "I'm thin!" makes every minute of the last 14 months a 100% worth it. I realize I'm kind of bragging, but I'm so incredibly happy that this surgery worked. My entire family tells me now that they actually didn't expect it to work at all- and they were the ones who recommended it. It just goes to show that even those of us at the very bottom can succeed

Be it lapband or gastric bypass, I think it should be viewed at a second chance -I know it was for me.

suebry05 · 06-15-2009, 08:28 PM

I agree with the last poster... I too had lapband and have lost over 88 pounds in 6 months... everybody who is looking at getting banded needs to really educate themsselves and be prepared to keep up with it and go back to the doctors regularly.

good luck with your decisions!