At a Crossroad and freaking out!

[kourtany93 6]

Okay well, I’m at a crossroad. I’ve been reading other peoples topics and everything and I’m always coming across someone 3-5 years down the road who regrets their band. I’m really wanting this done and I’ve done all the research done now I’m doing all of the pre-op testing.

All of those stories have completely thrown me off track. Can someone please tell me about their experiences with the lap-band and how you personally work with it?

[csolo 0]

6 weeks since I was banded and have lost 20 lbs as of today. It controls my eating and for that, I am grateful. Do it!

[Mewizza 3]

I havent been banded yet but I can't wait. I'm not doing this for anyone else but me. I need HELP to lose this weight & the band is going to help me like nothing else has. I have had 2 aunts and 1 uncle also do the lap band.. my uncle is the only one who regrets it because he was not ready to lose weight.. so he hasnt had a fill and eat like he used too... my two aunts have lost a great amount of work & one even had a baby. Don't think about if you might regret it.. because you wont the only thing you will regret is not having it done sooner.<3

[Russian_BANDit_inNY 4]

I am pre-banded and also freaking out.

Seems like pre-banded are either freaking out or can not wait.

Newly banded all exited how many lbs they lost last week and how many times they had to throw up...

Then we have the old timers - who are either not posting, or removed the band, or had complications... I don't see even ONE old timer here who is 100% happy... is it because they are too busy living their happy thin lives and not posting?

Okay well, I'm at a crossroad. I've been reading other peoples topics and everything and I'm always coming across someone 3-5 years down the road who regrets their band. I'm really wanting this done and I've done all the research done now I'm doing all of the pre-op testing.

All of those stories have completely thrown me off track. Can someone please tell me about their experiences with the lap-band and how you personally work with it?

[Humming Bird 275]

I have had my band for 18 months now and love it! I do not regret it at all.

I lost 100 pounds in the first year with very little effort on my part.

Now about a pound per month drops off as I am close or at goal.

I am very sensitive to many of the foods known to give bandsters trouble. I can not torerate eggs no matter how they are cooked, but I don't miss them.

I have trouble with dense meats, but work with it eating things like chili. I can not eat bread, Pasta or rice, but those are the things that helped me get obese.

I have replaced those things with more whole grain type stuff like oatmeal and reduced fat wheat thins.

You don't know how you will react to many things until you have the band in place and get it properly adjusted.

I am 100% happy

Yes, many oldtimer bandsters don't post here because things are going great for them and they are busy with the new thin life. It gets to be boring for them talking about fills and explaining what PB means. They just don't bother posting after awhile.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Im a year post op and happy with my decision. Some times its agony when you are sensitive to foods but you learn to live without them. I dont miss bread I eat chicken salad on pretzel flips, I dont miss Pasta or rice even though all my meals were pasta mainly. If you ever look at a gym rat are they eating loads of bread and junk NOOOOOOOOOOO! So neither do we. Its all trial and error. You can be scared, unhappy, wanting it out because in fact the ones wanting it out never learned how to deal with it. Its all a process and you can either be ready for the process or not. If you go through all the surgery and fills to hate it then why get it done in the first place. Yes there are foods you will not ever be able to tolerate but there are so many foods that taste just as good. You have to remember its all relearning our bad eating habits that got us where we were to begin with. A word to the wise if you want to live a long healthy life then do it. If food is more important then dont. Eat to live not live to eat and nothing taste as good going in your mouth as being thin.

[lindas0809 0]

Okay well, I'm at a crossroad. I've been reading other peoples topics and everything and I'm always coming across someone 3-5 years down the road who regrets their band. I'm really wanting this done and I've done all the research done now I'm doing all of the pre-op testing.

All of those stories have completely thrown me off track. Can someone please tell me about their experiences with the lap-band and how you personally work with it?

Hi! I'm 18 months out from surgery and don't regret a thing (except not doing it years ago). I have lost 105 pounds since banding and about 125 total including pre-op weight. It does take work - you have to make sure you are following the rules. If you eat candy and milkshakes it won't work for you, but if you get your fills and eat Protein and fresh foods it will work. I'm not perfect in my eating because I know from past experience that I can't live my life on a diet, but I eat normal foods in small portions and never feel deprived.

I agree with another commenter that people who are a few years out and successful don't come to the sight and comment as much ( I know I don't), but people who are disgruntled or unhappy do so don't get too down. I have a blog and there are TONS of bandster blogs out there, so I encourage you to read some it really helps you get a good big picture (good & bad stuff).

Good luck with your decision!

[Jenny07 0]

Hi

I have had my band since 11-06 4 years now and don't regret it at all. My mom has had hers for 3 years and also doesn't regret it. Yes we can't eat certain foods but that is just the way it is. I have lost 81 lbs but also got pregnant so it stopped my loss for a while but now I am back on track and I am at a weight I haven't been at for 17 years so it has been well worth it. Still it is not a quick fix you have to work hard at it. Good luck in what ever you decide. Jenny

[cwm812 11]

I was banded in April 2008 and I couldn't be happier with my band.

I've has a few minor problems. I've been stuck, which is never fun. For a time, I had my band too tight. I've learned that I do best with a loose band. I can eat everything (including bread) and I rarely get stuck. I am limited in quantity and that has been enough for me to maintain my 175 loss the last 4 months. I tend to eat what I want, but try to eat healthy. If I eat too much junk, I feel lousy. Too many white carbs really do a number on me.

I was talking to my sister over the holidays. She is definitely anti-surgery, despite her own obesity issues. I told her that even if I had to lose my band tomorrow, I would not regret having had it. I feel great, I look good and for the first time in my life, I feel that I can maintain this weight. That is the important feature. I've always been great at losing weight, but keeping it off has been a huge problem. With the band, there is something to rely on besides myself. My doctor likes to see his long time patients every six months, just to keep up and see if there are any problems. I love knowing that if something changes, I can get an adjustment and get back on track. No other surgery offers the adjustability that you get with the band.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

[Dream on child 1]

I think what's important to keep in mind is that the lap band isn't a cure, it's a vehicle toward weight-loss recovery. With that in mind, we are still have to be responsible enough to get in gear and do the driving. I think that as long as we focus on the big picture and the whole process, there is nothing to fear. We have complete control over whether our surgeries will be a success

[NoMoBand 278]

Okay well, I'm at a crossroad. I've been reading other peoples topics and everything and I'm always coming across someone 3-5 years down the road who regrets their band. I'm really wanting this done and I've done all the research done now I'm doing all of the pre-op testing.

All of those stories have completely thrown me off track. Can someone please tell me about their experiences with the lap-band and how you personally work with it?

I was banded on 10/4/2010 and 6 weeks later, I had what I pray my only complication and required a 2nd surgery. My port detached and had to be relocated and the recovery from this surgery has been harder than the original surgery. I went through a period of depression and regretted what I did to myself, however, after the weight kept coming off and continues to come off I started feeling good about myself and started feeling the benefits of being 72 lbs lighter. I am off a couple of meds and feel like I've woken up from a slumber in my life. I have more energy than I have felt in such a long time. I am exercising without all the pain. Yes, I still have bad mental days with doubts but it gets better day by day. I just have to remind myself why I did this in the first place.

I think the thing that puzzles me the most is how every bandster has such different experiences with it. I'm one of the lucky ones that has had restriction from day one and can tolerate most foods with only a few foods that I cannot eat at all with steak being at the top of the list :-(

Then there's the amount of saline in the bands. Why do some people require so much while others very little? I have a 10cc band and have good restriction with 2cc's in the band. In 2 weeks I will be asking my doc for a .5 fill and hope this will be my last fill till I reach my goal. Initially, I had 3.5 cc's in my band and was too tight. I how know the difference from being too tight and now a bit looser. This is all too wierd.

Yes, I've read some of the regrets that people post 3-5 years into their band journeys and not to mention the potential complications that may occur and of course I worry, but, the most important lesson learned is that I'm going to live for today and enjoy the benefits to its fullest. My health was declining rapidly and the band may have extended my life in beyond 3-5 years had I not taken this journey. I willl take each day one day at a time and enjoy today knowing that I did this to better myself and life regardless of what tomorrow may bring. I finally had to stop reading so much of the bad stuff and decided to concentrate on making the band work for me today. Yes, you should educate yourself with the good and bad, however, be careful not to overdo the negative, you will drive yourself nuts!

Last but not least is my biggest concern and has to do with future insurance coverage. Right now I was one of the lucky ones whose insurance covers weight loss surgery, otherwise, I could not have afforded this. The concern I have is that contracts are negotiated annually between the employer and insurance company and my employer may decide not to cover this next negotiation which will force me as self pay which can put me in a financial mess if I have to self pay for fills or worst of all if I have complications later requiring surgery. This is something I did not consider at all. Just food for thought. I hope I was of some help and apologize for going on and on. Jake