GodsTyro

I haven't yet been banded ( just started the process and insurance will take 5 months) but I think this is a great question. Minus losing the weight as being the reward and shopping for a brand new wardrobe... If and when I ever get married I have always wanted to somehow incorporate part of my moms wedding dress into my own since I know someone that does this for a living. But until I'm down in weight it will never be an option because of my size.

Hey- I am new to the boards, just recently actually had my first appointment to go thru the lap band and this was actually a big concern for me (not neccessarily death, but just everything when it comes to risk.) The Lap band surgery is not something to take lightly, it is after all a surgery of the stomach and is not considered a "minor" surgery. With that said however, out of ALL the surgeries for the lap band it is the only one that is the least extensive. It is the only one that you can do as outpatient as well. I am going thru True Results here in Phoenix, AZ and one of the things they give to you first appointment is a book called "The Lap-Band Solution- A partnership for weight loss" by Paul O'briend MD." I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book if you have not read it for several reasons: It gives a look into the lap band, whether you want to know more about it, have decided to go thru it, or just in general want more information concerning it. It talks not just about what to expect in detail with the lap band but the difference between the lap band and other surgeries and weight-loss options. It also brings up the risk factors (like death that you mentioned). A LOT of my questions that I needed answered were answered with this book and given me the ability to decide to go thru with the lap band. It is important to remember that the Lap Band, though it is there to help, it is still surgery and no surgery comes without risk. Below though, I wrote up the excerpt on the "Death" portion from this book because it is VERY important to see that I think for you. Please remember this is a book from True Results so this is assuming the lap band group you are with is the same (safe etc) Excerpt on Death from book: "Any stomach operation for obesity is major sugery and carries with it the risks that would go with any complex operation. People have died from having operations for morbid obesity- it happens rarely with LAP-BAND placement, but we can never take away the risk compoletely. If you are older and if you already have certain diseases due to your obesity, or if you are otherwise unwell, you will be at greater risk. Deaths associates with obesity surgery occur mostly because of heart attacks after the operation, clots passing to the lungs or infection due to the breakdown of some part of the stomach wall. The LAP-BAND has been shown to be very much safer than the stapling operations, but still death is possible. If we look at the figures for LAP-BAND placement across the world there has been about one death for every 2,000 to 3,000 people who have the procedure. This is less than 1/10 of the risk of death associated with gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion. For a death to occur, multiple things have to have gone wrong and to have gone wrong in a particular sequence. Firstly, it is extremely unlikely that anyone would die while under anesthesia. Our patients probably worry about this possibility the most and yet it almost never happens. Today, the knowledge base of anesthesia, the training and quality of our anesthestists and the prescence of sophisticated monitoring systems make having an anesthetic very much safer than 50 or even 10 years ago. If someone did die after a LAP-BAND procedure, a series of technical errors usually would have taken place. The surgeon would have to have made a mistake, not recognized what error occurred, not recognized that you were becoming unwell, not thought of the possible causes nor the investigations needed in response, and not treated the problem correctly. That is not just one error, but a whole series of errors that all line up into one path. Nevertheless, you must minimize this risk by ensuring that your surgeon is well trained, has extensive experience, publishes or can make available to you his or her outcome data and can show you a track record of being safe. The placement of the LAP-BAND is very safe when done properly but its potential risks are higher when the surgeon is not well trained or proficient. In the 17 years of personal experience with the band and many thousands of people treated through our (True Results) clinic, we have never lost anyone. We intend to keep it that way." I hope the above helped in calming your fears dealing with the LAP BAND results. -Mary-