Jaffa

I just wanted to update everyone.....its been a couple of years for me, and I think 3 for my wife. We have both lost and easily maintained a normal bmi. We love Dr. Aceves and we love our surgeries. I have zero complications. My wife still takes a PPI, but I haven't from very early on. She just had a check up with the local Dr. and she is in great health. She is over 50 so they track her bone mass, and she has lost nothing, and lost all of her excess weight a long time ago. I just thought I would post, because so many of us, move on with our lives, and our new lives become the new normal to the point that we don't even thing about it anymore. BTW, we have figured out one very important thing......since we eat about 1/4 of what we used to, this surgery literally pays for itself just in reduced food cost. If only the entire world knew what we now know. Life is great!!!!!!

I'll stop. But this site will never stop, as long as people are here to give bad advice and mislead new people.

Actually, I changed my signature just because of this thread. I wish I could just tell people sunshine and lollipops, but it isn't true. And yes, there is a conspiracy with not only the way they track the lapband, but also how what and how they report the problems. They make it look like it is rare to have problems.....when rare, really isn't the case. Its like having a brand new car. If I track the maintenance and repairs on the car for only a relatively short time period, it majically looks much cheaper to own.

Classic...you tell them all they need to worry about is the cost of fills, but in reality, they have to worry about paying for a future surgery if the bands erodes, or if it leaks, or if slips badly enough. Or you may end up dialeted and have to have everything removed in your band, and then you will have to pay for all of the fills to get back to where you were at. "all you have to worry about is the cost of fills" Totally misleading and wrong.

Stop now, its not too late....get the sleeve instead.

Have you seen the film RUN.....think about it. Go to a sleeve meeting!!!!!! Completing my mission!!!!

Yea, I remember being a kid and being exited about the new toy I was getting for Xmas. Until I got it and it broke or didn't work the way it was advertised.

See signature....no self pay person should get a band. Any one who tells you not to get a band or tells you that it isn't a good idea for any reason is run off from this site. SO BE VERY SKEPTICAL....but start with being skeptical about the band.

My original post was from JANUARY. I hadn't posted since. My original post and beliefs were posted from before I had to have revision surgery. I hadn't posted how right I was until someome else, intentionally, dredged up an old post. Your kidding right? You people need to get a clue. If you want a war, if you want to see bitter, if you want me posting, go ahead and make it a mission for me....... My opinion is just as valid if not more then yours. Especially, if you weren't even self-pay. Go back and read the title of my post. The way the people on this board try to silence any negative posts about the band is extremely suspect to me. I think, this board is full of trolls.

I'm 10lbs less then I ever was with the band....zero problems, and it was cheaper. SELF PAYERS should consider the sleeve FIRST, and then only consider options if the sleeve won't work for them. The band procedure, aftercare, and eventual repair costs are not a good deal for a selfpay person. The othe quality of life issues are a no brainer........GET A SLEEVE, before the band creates so much scar tissue or other problem, that you can't revise safely.

Another thing that is very deceptive, is how the band surgery complications statistics are constantly being referenced from "surgery complications". Well, I agree most band complications happen later, when they don't have to count them anymore as complications from the surgery. Pretty convenient way to count. Heck my band, doesn't even count as a failure. Everytime you filled it, it leaked out after 3 weeks, but it was long after the surgery...an entire year....so that doesn't count as a complication from band surgery. OH PLEASE....the statistics are manipulated to whatever suits them, and if you can't figure it out, you just plain ignorant.

Sorry, but your the one who brought up the complications rate being higher then the band first. So, since you brought it up first, you should be the one showing the proof. I'm not going to waste a bunch of my time convincing the obvious unconvincable. I'm not going to bother.....there is plenty of information out there showing the statistics on complications of sleeve versus band. And no you don't get to lump bypass with the sleeve against the band....they are two entirely different surgeries. You can carefully word it to make it sound better or worse, but you need to actually look at all of the statistics. And yes, most importantly you should look at the statistics of your doctor in reference to the surgery they are going to perform on you.

xavier, you are correct about the complications being the problem for self payers. Especially, because they have to pay to have it fixed. Thats why I think the sleeve is much better for self pay. The complication rate is actually lower then the band. And if you are going to have complications that cost money, they are in the beginning, when any good doctor will pay for the extra costs. The band, it seems the complications always come later, and conveniently when the self payer will have to pay for it. As for effectiveness, well now were on to an entirely different subject that frankly makes the band a real loser. It is so much easier of a life, and so much easier to lose weight, and after four months I'm already below my best weight ever obtained with the band. Never having to worry about getting stuck, and being past the period of complications, I am now worry free. I just work at making sure I get my Protein and Water in, or I will forget to eat and drink, and its as easy at that.