NEVER, NEVER AGAIN....

[llcarlos48 3]

I just recently, within the last week, had my band removed and at the same time, had a gastric bypass done......The two doctors that I go to, and their practice is RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE, told me that only one or two IN TEN lose the desired weight after undergoing the lapband....I had it done a year ago and would never do it again....At the outset, and even months later, it is successful, but then there was a plateau where I slowly started to crave the foods that originally put it on....I read this a lot on here and it's true....I personally know of two women who had the 'band' done, lost about 70 percent of their weight goal, then put it ALLLLLLLLLLL back on within a year....And rem. that I WOULD ALWAYS EAT MY Protein FIRST, and follow the rules, but the band lost it's effect, plus I had the maximum fill.....If, according to my Dr's, only one or two in ten reach their goal, and this is based on their own practice, plus being in touch with other Dr's and studying follow-ups all over, that' s good enough for me....Caution to you, and DO NOT, in desperation, reach out for something that will not be there in the long run....But, you could be one of the 10-20 percent that is succesful....BUT I WOULD NEVER TAKE THOSE ODDS!......My best, Carlos.....YES!!---My insurance paid for both, but they required that I wait 6 months to get each procedure and follow strict guidelines.....ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT "GOLD!"

[TKW 501]

you wouldn't think a Dr. would even do the band surgery if it were so unsucessful. What you say may be true, I don't know but I think it all goes back to following the lap band rules. It's not just till you lose the weight, it is for the rest of your life, people tend to forget that. So, is the band unsuccessful or are the bandsters unsuccessful? Guess that depends on how you look at it. Good luck to you on your new journey.

[honk 780]

"but then there was a plateau where I slowly started to crave the foods that originally put it on...." I think this says it all. If you eat crappy food every day you will gain weight. Please remember your bypass won't stop you from eating junk either. If you eat that much junk food after one WLS something tells me you will find a way to eat it after a second WLS dumping and all.

[MissyJake 0]

I just recently, within the last week, had my band removed and at the same time, had a gastric bypass done......The two doctors that I go to, and their practice is RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE, told me that only one or two IN TEN lose the desired weight after undergoing the lapband....I had it done a year ago and would never do it again....At the outset, and even months later, it is successful, but then there was a plateau where I slowly started to crave the foods that originally put it on....I read this a lot on here and it's true....I personally know of two women who had the 'band' done, lost about 70 percent of their weight goal, then put it ALLLLLLLLLLL back on within a year....And rem. that I WOULD ALWAYS EAT MY Protein FIRST, and follow the rules, but the band lost it's effect, plus I had the maximum fill.....If, according to my Dr's, only one or two in ten reach their goal, and this is based on their own practice, plus being in touch with other Dr's and studying follow-ups all over, that' s good enough for me....Caution to you, and DO NOT, in desperation, reach out for something that will not be there in the long run....But, you could be one of the 10-20 percent that is succesful....BUT I WOULD NEVER TAKE THOSE ODDS!......My best, Carlos.....YES!!---My insurance paid for both, but they required that I wait 6 months to get each procedure and follow strict guidelines.....ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT "GOLD!"

I have done a lot of research before choosing the Lap Band. I want something that will help me lose the weight, not lose the weight for me.

You have to watch what you eat and MODERATION is the KEY.

I have known people who have had the Gastric bypass and have gained ALL of their weight back. They have stretched out their stomachs by not eating correctly.

Anything worth while takes work.....there is no Magic Bullet.

[parker62 8]

I'm sorry to say, but i have known quite a few Bypass clients who have gained a significant amount of their weight back, What do they do at this point go on a diet? Lap band is a tool thats all it is. You will have to use your tool to get the job done. Good luck on your JOURNEY.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I just recently, within the last week, had my band removed and at the same time, had a gastric bypass done......The two doctors that I go to, and their practice is RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE, told me that only one or two IN TEN lose the desired weight after undergoing the lapband....I had it done a year ago and would never do it again....At the outset, and even months later, it is successful, but then there was a plateau where I slowly started to crave the foods that originally put it on....I read this a lot on here and it's true....I personally know of two women who had the 'band' done, lost about 70 percent of their weight goal, then put it ALLLLLLLLLLL back on within a year....And rem. that I WOULD ALWAYS EAT MY Protein FIRST, and follow the rules, but the band lost it's effect, plus I had the maximum fill.....If, according to my Dr's, only one or two in ten reach their goal, and this is based on their own practice, plus being in touch with other Dr's and studying follow-ups all over, that' s good enough for me....Caution to you, and DO NOT, in desperation, reach out for something that will not be there in the long run....But, you could be one of the 10-20 percent that is succesful....BUT I WOULD NEVER TAKE THOSE ODDS!......My best, Carlos.....YES!!---My insurance paid for both, but they required that I wait 6 months to get each procedure and follow strict guidelines.....ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT "GOLD!"

The band does not work for everyone but this is true for RNY, too. I think much of the problem is that the patient and the surgery are not matched correctly. If you are a junk, sweet eater or grazer then you can certainly eat around the band. A lot of high calorie foods are slider foods while a lot of healthy foods are difficult to eat.

That being said, the band has not worked for me as promised. All it had to do was control my hunger. That has always been my biggest problem. And I would do the rest. Make good food choices, chew, not drink with meals and exercise. But it hasn't at any fill level.

I have a 4cc band and was overfilled at 3cc's. It caused many problems but never reduced my hunger or provided satiety. In addition, I had a severe stuck episode that resulted in my going to the ER and an over night stay. It is hard to explain to people the pain I was in. I felt like I was shot. I couldn't speak. As a result, I am totally unfilled and don't think I could live emotionally with the fear of a fill and being stuck like that again. I am breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.

I blame my inexperienced former doctor who didn't know how to do fills in a 4cc band that requires finesse. But now I am unfilled and I require a lot of willpower to keep from gaining weight. This is what I've been doing all my adult life and not how I wanted my band experience to be.

I have said this before - the band does not work as promoted for everyone - even when they follow the rules, like I do.

I am glad you have made the revision. I do think the band is losing favor with surgeons in place of the sleeve, though, and when insurance starts to cover the sleeve you are going to see far fewer bandings. Good luck.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Everyone I know that every had the bypass is just a overweight or more since surgery. WLS is not a cure by any means if you cant change your mind then you cant change your figure. If you eat with the by pass like you did before you will still not be successful. It is not by any means a cure for obestity and never will be. We all have to learn a lifestyle change with any wls its that simple. If you dont follow the diet for any of the weight loss surgeries you will not lose or keep the weight off. Plain and simple.

[dFaults 1]

It like previous posters have said...maybe the band wasn't for you. May you have better luck with your RNY. But you must also follow the rules no matter what type of surgery you have.

I have an aunt that had RNY about 10 years ago and she looked real good. LookED...past tense...yeah, she's probably about 25-30lbs from her presurgery weight. Not because the RNY didn't work, but because of bad eating habits.

I still don't see why so many people want to rant about their short comings with the band. I don't hear that much about the original "swedish bands" maybe I should look closer...but they have been using them since the 80s if I'm not mistaken and if they were so bad or didn't work why/how did the FDA in our good ole U S of A approve them in the 1st place? And we have some of the best health care in the world!

[isit5yet 37]

If anyone reads the Lap-Band documentation provided before surgery, they will see that Allergan states to expect to lose around 35% of the excess weight. The marker of success is subjective.. is it based on what someone's personal goals are, which may not line up with the expectations that should be set? For example, I know I need to lose 100lbs. Based on Allergan's data, I can expect to lose on average 35lbs - 35%.

My physician's office provided their in-office data, which shows that on average their patients lose 60-65% of excess weight. So, my realistic goal would be to lose around 60-65lbs of the 100 I need to lose. If I expect to lose all 100, then I'm ignoring all of the research data and setting myself up for failure. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people do this.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

I agree with unrealistic goals mentioned above. I think anyone needing to lose 100lbs or more should go with the bypass and my surgeon will not do the band on anyone that needs to lose more than 100lbs he just wont because he said most will not be succesful. I really think surgeons are not explaining well to people then they get very upset when they dont get the results or things dont go like others. Everyone is different and weight loss is different even when you are just plain dieting. I think that everyone needs to be educated completely on every single thing about the band before they decide to have it. Yes there are people who have had drastic weight loss but that really in all reality is not likely for most. Being successful with the band comes from being strict with your diet and not swaying fromt he diet too much. If with any wls you continue with bad habits you will not succeed in weight loss. You have to be in control of your eating, know that you cannot eat 3,000 calories a day and think you are going to lose weight. People think I am being mean when I post but people need to have a serious heart to heart with their surgeons. They are gettng paid to do a surgery on you. When you leave the hospital unless complications arise you shouldnt have questions regarding your band, bypass, or sleeve. If they wont answer all your questions then you need a different surgeon. My surgeon was very thorough about every aspect of my banding. I knew everything I was feeling was normal post surgery and what happened was no surprise. You are paying money you deserve to be told every detail.

[JourneyGirl 10]

I know 4 people who have had RNY. One nearly died from it. One has lost all her weight and started gaining some, 20 pds,back, one can only have liquids 3 years out, and one has gained 50% of the weight lost back.

I know 2 people w/ the band very well. One has lost 80% of HER goal weight. One had to have it removed but was loosing and doing well.

Bottom line is this: Weight loss is work! With the band and RNY. You may not have to work so hard initally to loose weight w/ the RNY but 3 years out you will. You will HAVE to eat good, low fat/low calorie meals, and workout to keep the weight off. JUST LIKE THE BAND.

We have to be ready mentally and emotionally to succeed at WLS, whichever one we choose. We can't go in expecting it to do the work for us.

Rules are there to help us succeed. And only you know if you were giving it your all. Even with GNY you are going to crave foods. It isn't going to stop that. You are the only one who can control what goes in your mouth and if/how often you work out.

To tell others that the Lap Band won't be there for you in the long run isn't fair to those looking into things. Where is the back up. It wasn't for you for whatever reason. But to say that it doesn't work for anyone, come on. RNY nearly killed my Aunt, but that isn't to say that no one should have that type of WLS. Maybe one day the band will be obsolete, does that mean that it wasn't "good?" Not neccesarily, research may come to find something that works better.

To those considering WLS remember that many people have been EXTREMELY successful and YEARS later they still are. Do your research and make whatever decision that is best for you.

llcarlos48 - Good luck w/ the RNY. I am glad that you are happy with your decision.

[RunDontwalkforlife 3]

It is a wise decision to have the lap band removed, but it is not wise to have bypass surgery. Your problem is a lack of will power and self-discipline and no amount of surgeries, or even weight loss for that matter, will fix that. No one needs surgery to lose weight. You just have to be committed to living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy food. Don't give up on yourself, all things can be done with Jesus helping you. Philippians 4:13

[Kalipso2 25]

my friend and i had weight loss surgery a week apart. she had the gastric sleeve done and i chose the lapband. she had over 200 pounds to lose where i only had 70 to lose. she lost 160 pounds the first 1.5 years after surgery and i lost 50 pounds during the first 1.5 years.

she and i just met for lunch this past weekend. she has gained 30 pounds back and i've lost an additional 20 pounds this past year. so... she lost 130 pounds in 3 years when she needed to lose over 200 and i lost 70 pounds in 3 years and obtained my goal.

it's true, the band doesn't work for everyone. i'm sorry it didn't work out. i wish you the best of luck with the bypass!!

[Ponderer 14]

There is absolutely nothing out there available to you, or any of us, that does not require us to choose to eat healthy and exercise for the rest of our lives to maintain good health and weight. It sounds like you are looking for something that will prevent you from having to do your part. It does not exist. As far as craving the stuff that put the weight on originally....there is nothing that will cure that either. It all comes down to choices and at some point you will have to muscle through that on your own and choose the right stuff simply because you want your health bad enough to do so. You muscle through it...honestly and truly correctly...long enough and it will become natural and desireable. That alone makes doing the work worth it!

[CheckYes 46]

The grass is always greener on the other side.... especially when you think the other side doesn't need mowing.

Best wishes to you. I do really hope it works for you but, as others have said, it is not a guaranteed solution.