Where did you do all your research on the band?

lildarlin · January 1, 2006

Hi everyone. I'm starting the banding process. The message boards are a wealth of information but where else did you do your research?

There is so much information out on the web and one never knows if it's all true. Does anyone have some excellent sources of information I could check out to add to my folder of information?

Thank you!

duyesaka · January 1, 2006

Hi there, The company who makes the band in about a mile from my home. Inamed. they have a site and to be honest the forum here has so much. If you look at the top where it says "search" put in anything and you will get so much information. there may be a lot of opinions or individual stories, but you could read all day and everyday and ask and you shall receive. In any stage with any issue, it has probably been asked or discussed. I have had surgery on Nov 22, and I have met some very informative and experienced folks here. I am a retired surgical nurse and even though with my background and 22 major surgeries to date, knee replacements ect, I have had a wealth of information full of help here. You made a start and now hold on, for you can have what you need. I am also here for you, I have had my experience and have asked for support and have kept in contact with some across the country. We are together in this, it is a life change and it takes some learning. Welcome, Debra

P.S. Also Obesity .com So many people here have also referrals to sites in there posts, again "search" You want to have a Dr. who has done lots of them also. I went to two Dr's and was told by the first that he had done a lot more than he had. He did three... this was after a lot of prep work so that I could do it in my area. Then after reading the forum, and finding someone in my area, did I learn the real truths and I interviewed with him. I am very happy with what I did. With obesity .com, when you post, you might receive information from Dr's offering there service. This is individual and in a way it was nice for I received lots of mail and info, but when I had already chosen a Dr. I still received more. More is better, looks like you have been around awhile here, you've already been fortunate to locate great sorces for information.

Hope this helps a bit, I do not know if I have answered you question directly, my best to you.

Alexandra · January 1, 2006

I started out online, which was very helpful. But even more helpful to me in terms of making my decision was meeting regularly with a group of bandsters. This was a non-affiliated, informal group of people who had met online (in the Yahoo group "bandsters"), and for the several months prior to my insurance hassles being straightened out I was able to meet with them frequently. It was very enlightening to see what actual issues they were faced with on a daily basis. All through this time I also remained subscribed to the Yahoo groups Bandsters and Smartbandsters, as well as visiting ObesityHelp.com and the now-defunct Spotlight Health website. All of the various people's experiences, taken together, gave me a very good picture of what being banded would be like.

I also attended the preop seminars of two different surgeons' practices. Comparing the information they provided was very helpful--you could see what was really common knowledge and what was unique to each practice. By the time my insurance battles were over, I had absolutely no doubt that this was the right medical step for me, and that the doctors I'd selected were the best available.

Good luck!

CCBSTX · January 1, 2006

lapbandtalk.com, obesityhelp.com, inamed (band maker), surgeons website, 3 support group meetings, 2 visits to 2 seperate surgeons (1 had seminar), folks who had the band websites....It took me about 1 year of WLS research. I was ready to make a decision about the type of weight loss surgery I wanted and then I went for it! Shawn

lildarlin · January 1, 2006

Thank you everyone! I guess I'm on the right track then. I will be attending my 2nd local bandster support group tomorrow night. I asked to be signed up for smartbandsters but nobody has confirmed my registration :confused:

I'll keep researching probably til the day of my surgery! (keeping fingers crossed there will be a surgery!)

January 1, 2006

Hi everyone,

I just have a few questions in regrds to the lap band. I am 85% sure a gastric bypass would be best suited for me, but I don't want to rule out getting banded, until I research it fully. I see a lot of people here seem to have had their bandings done in mexico. Why is that? Also, I'm looking to lose about 150 lbs can that be achieved with the lapband. And lastly, some complications I have seen listed are problems with the esophogas, GERD(???) and erosion. Are these fatal complications?

rachele · January 1, 2006

jaysmom- I had a band for 3 years and was recently revised to a Duodenal Switch (no fault of the band, my body just didn't like it).

I am curious as to why you think the bypass would be best suited for you? I have had both, and they both have their pros and cons.

Edited to add that some people go to Mexico because they are self pay and it is alot cheaper there. I'm not really qualified to answer about those particuliar complications, but I wouldn't think they would be potentially fatal unless it would go unattended or side effects from aspiration Pnuemonia.

Lap Band by far is the safest WLS. But it is not for everyone.

Alexandra · January 1, 2006

Hi everyone,
I just have a few questions in regrds to the lap band. I am 85% sure a gastric bypass would be best suited for me, but I don't want to rule out getting banded, until I research it fully. I see a lot of people here seem to have had their bandings done in Mexico. Why is that? Also, I'm looking to lose about 150 lbs can that be achieved with the lapband. And lastly, some complications I have seen listed are problems with the esophogas, GERD(???) and erosion. Are these fatal complications?

Hi Jaysmom,

You absolutely can lose 150 lbs with the band, no question. There's a big variable, though--YOU. If YOU want to lose 150 lbs and are committed to making the necessary changes to make it happen, there will be nothing stopping you. I've lost 125 lbs and have been stable and happy here for several months. If/when I decide to lost another 25-40 lbs I know it will be possible in a way it never could have been pre-band.

As far as complications go, no, none of them are fatal. Obviously if you ignore something than anything can develop into a life-threatening situation. You must pay close attention after any surgery to be sure things are healing up right. And down the line, with banding, just about any complication can be repaired quickly and completely.

Banding is safer than bypass, no one will ever dispute that.

January 2, 2006

Rachele, I think I need to go back and do some more research in wls options. I have no knowledge about the duodenal switch. But just the fact that you had to trade the band for something more restrictive is one of my concerns, the "me" factor in my weight loss that alexandra mentioned is not that strong. I need something that acts more like an oversized mallet that cracks me in the head when I eat something I shouldn't (dumping). And that's sad because I know I need to lose weight, I know I don't want to be over 300 lbs, but I don't think the band will work for me.

MerryHearted · January 2, 2006

LilDarlin, make sure to check your Junk Mail folder. Sometimes the mail gets sent there. (re: your signing up for SmartBandsters) If it's been a couple days, try again.