Would you get the band if you had a chance have a "do over"

[Jim1967 3,569]

Hi All,

I am still in the early stages of prepping for the procedure and I have been doing a lot of reading from all sorts of different sources. I was on obesityhelp.org last night and was surpised to see so much negative stuff surrounding the band. A lot of people stating if they had to do over they would not get the band. I am trying not to let that discourage me and influence my decision but it's tough.

Question if you could do it over would you get the band or go in a different direction?

thanks,

Jim

[Cindy C 150]

If I could do it over I would do it years earlier!

[transforming jlaroux 78]

I'm with Cindy! I love my Band! I wouldn't change it

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

Having the band really hasnt been a problem for me. A few minor inconviences in the beginning like having to deal with Dr appointments, liquids, gas, musshie foods etc...but that is short lived in the grand scheme of things. I follow my Drs orders to the letter and am completely committed to make this work.

Today I am 9 months post op and have lost 120 lbs. I am 5'9" tall so I am a "big girl". My BMI was 55 on December 9 2010. Today its 37. I am not morbidly obese any more. I am not going to die young! I have 87 to go and expect to be at my goal by March.... 15 short months after being banded.

But here is the thing.... I have lost 40, 60, 75 lbs 4 other times in my adult life. And 20-30 lbs more times than I can remember. I have been on Adkins, WW, Jenny Craig, Optifast and everything else you can think of. I always succeed for a few months... then I struggle. I get board with the diet du jour and pat myself on the back and say.... I am SO board with this diet I just need a little break. 2 years goes by and I have regained all of what I lost plus 20! I never changed my habits. I just stuck to a diet.

With the band I cannot over eat. Sure I can eat the wrong things now but why would I? I am losing 10 lbs per month! Granted once I am at my goal.... I may induldge every once in a while but my band will not let me eat too much so the damage isnt going to be that great if I get back on track the next day. I call my band a permenant reminder of a temporary feeling.

It is such a personal decision. Only you know if you are ready.... and you know what your level of commitment is. I had 207 lbs to lose. That is an overwhelming number. I have 87 lbs left. Thats more then some people need to lose overall.... but I was ready. I was tired of all the issues in life we deal with because we are fat.... seatbelts on airplanes, chairs instead of booths in restaurants, not being able to walk any distance without sweating or being out of breath,,,,eyeing a chair to make sure its wide enough, outweighing my spouse buy 150 lbs, shopping my catalog.... you get the idea.

I was ready to do whatever it took to make this fat dissappear and never come back. You need to be at that point or in my opinion the band is just not worth it. Its not an easy fix... its a lifetime commitment.

Best f luck to you!

[Jim1967 3,569]

Having the band really hasnt been a problem for me. A few minor inconviences in the beginning like having to deal with Dr appointments, liquids, gas, musshie foods etc...but that is short lived in the grand scheme of things. I follow my Drs orders to the letter and am completely committed to make this work.

Today I am 9 months post op and have lost 120 lbs. I am 5'9" tall so I am a "big girl". My BMI was 55 on December 9 2010. Today its 37. I am not morbidly obese any more. I am not going to die young! I have 87 to go and expect to be at my goal by March.... 15 short months after being banded.

But here is the thing.... I have lost 40, 60, 75 lbs 4 other times in my adult life. And 20-30 lbs more times than I can remember. I have been on Adkins, WW, Jenny Craig, Optifast and everything else you can think of. I always succeed for a few months... then I struggle. I get board with the diet du jour and pat myself on the back and say.... I am SO board with this diet I just need a little break. 2 years goes by and I have regained all of what I lost plus 20! I never changed my habits. I just stuck to a diet.

With the band I cannot over eat. Sure I can eat the wrong things now but why would I? I am losing 10 lbs per month! Granted once I am at my goal.... I may induldge every once in a while but my band will not let me eat too much so the damage isnt going to be that great if I get back on track the next day. I call my band a permenant reminder of a temporary feeling.

It is such a personal decision. Only you know if you are ready.... and you know what your level of commitment is. I had 207 lbs to lose. That is an overwhelming number. I have 87 lbs left. Thats more then some people need to lose overall.... but I was ready. I was tired of all the issues in life we deal with because we are fat.... seatbelts on airplanes, chairs instead of booths in restaurants, not being able to walk any distance without sweating or being out of breath,,,,eyeing a chair to make sure its wide enough, outweighing my spouse buy 150 lbs, shopping my catalog.... you get the idea.

I was ready to do whatever it took to make this fat dissappear and never come back. You need to be at that point or in my opinion the band is just not worth it. Its not an easy fix... its a lifetime commitment.

Best f luck to you!

Hi Floridays,

You have hit the nail on the head for me and how I feel. I have a significant amount to lose as I weigh 480 but losing has never been a problem. Like you I have tried many diets and had much success. I started Atkins in 2003 and 19 months later I was down 174 pounds. I was 220 pounds and felt great and then because I felt so good and people (not blaming others of course) were pumping my confidence up I allowed myself to get sloppy. Now fast forward to 2011 where I gained all my weight back plus an additional 87 pounds.

I have already been down the road of being angry and depressed that I allowed myself to fall apart. Now it's time to pick myself back up.

"I was tired of all the issues in life we deal with because we are fat.... seatbelts on airplanes, chairs instead of booths in restaurants, not being able to walk any distance without sweating or being out of breath,,,,eyeing a chair to make sure its wide enough"

The above says it all. When I lost all the weight those issues were behind me but now they are back in full force. Nothing worse then wanting to try a new restauraunt and you have to go in and see if they have chairs and not just booths.

Thank you all for your encouragement and opinions/advice.

Jim

[Texasbandit 8]

im one week out and I wish my insurance let me do this years ago! I am very happy so far and 21lbs down. im so excited and cannot wait till I can get this weight off and out!

[patyann 14]

The only thing I wish is I would have done it sooner. I have lost 70 pounds in 8 months and feel great!

[amiller1010 2]

I would definitely do it all over again! I love my band!

[CurvyCat 0]

I'll have to chime in from the other side.

I don't *hate* my band, but I don't love it either. I seem to be one of those people who is particularly sensitive to getting stuck, so it's been rough for me. I love healthy food, but unless I am almost completely unfilled (like I am now), I get stuck on almost every solid form of Protein there is available -- no matter how much I chew it. So, I'm back to losing again, but my near-empty band doesn't do much for me in the way of helping me control my portions.

That said, it DOES keep me from big binging pretty well. I can eat more than I should, for sure, but not the WAY over the top benders that I could do pre-band. Mostly that's from eating slower and giving myself time to feel full (lower in my stomach), not from restriction. So, it has been working for me as a good maintenance tool. But NOT as a weight loss tool.

Most people, it seems, are not as sensitive to being stuck. A few of us are. It's impossible to know beforehand whether you would be one of those or not. The odds are in your favor for *not* having problems, though, I think.

So, would I do it again? Maybe.

Would I have gone for bypass? No.

Sleeve? Maybe -- I like the idea, but not the reality of having portions of my internal organs removed.

The choice between the band and the sleeve would have been more difficult had I known how uncomfortable the band would be for me.

The forums seem to have a whole lot of people who are VERY successful and a whole lot of people who have BIG problems, but not a lot of folks who are somewhere between those two things.

[mauraclegg 29]

YES!!! the only thing I would change is I would not have hesitates abd I would have been banded sooner.

I was 262 at my heaviest, banded 6/9/10, had my TT 8/26/11 and I am now 164. I was a size 22 and prob a 44 F bra- not about a size 10 and a 36DD

[Dave_NW 92]

Jim, the one thing the band has given me I never felt I had before is CONTROL. For the first time in my overweight life, I feel like I'm the one calling the shots. I think of the band as a helper in my weight loss journey, and it's given me the edge I never had before. I've lost nearly 120 pounds in 9 months since being banded, and I don't ever see myself going back. I could never say that before. So would I do this again? Absolutely.

As you're doing your research, keep in mind that those who are having issues are the ones who post online. People not having a problem are out living their lives, and are happy with their decisions. Those who are unwilling to follow the rules a bandster needs to follow are often the ones who complain the loudest, and in the most places. They expect the band will do all the work for them, and they refuse to take responsibility for how they manage [or don't manage] their banded lives - so it's no wonder a lot of them are having problems. So take those problem posts and complaints with a huge grain of salt. (That's not to say there aren't honest issues out there, but I don't think it's as dreadful as a lot of people make it out to be. And if banding was such a terrible option, it wouldn't be promoted like it is by Medicare and all the insurance companies. Certainly not to the point that low-BMI banding is becoming an option for those who don't have as much to lose as others.)

Another thing to think about is that certain boards are promoters of their version of surgery. So on a bandster board you'll hear positives about banding, and negatives about bypass or sleeve. On sleeve sites you'll hear bad stuff bout banding. And so forth. So step back and take it all in, but keep it in perspective.

I think all in all, you'll find banding is a great option, if you're willing to get out of your chair and do the work it takes to be successful. If you aren't willing to be proactive in your weight loss, another surgical option may be a better choice for you.

Good luck with your decision, whichever way you decide to go.

Dave

[TKW 501]

In a heartbeat only 4 years earlier!

[MollyRN 28]

I agree - I should have done it years ago. But I also think that you have to make an agreement with yourself - and agree that this is your FINAL option and you will commit to it completely. This is surgery. This is not Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.

I feel like I am always saying this - but my mentality has always been to see HOW LITTLE I could eat with a band, not how much. And in my experience, success with the band depends pretty heavily on this distinction. It meant a painful breakup with my friend food and a super tight band for a while, but I have to say, I enjoy food so much more now because it is not my crutch, my consoler, my friend - it is something far more healthy for me now.

It is a personal decision - but the question is not really should I be banded or not - the question is ultimately, am I ready for success or not?

[pickles123 0]

No I would not have the lap-band if I had to do it over. I have lost most all the weight but I am not a fan of the lap-band. For me it is still a diet. I lost more on Weight Watchers. I just hope the lap-band helps me keep if off. I have had the band for about 1 1/2 years.

But, I do have to say I would not have any of the other WLS either. I think I would just keep doing Weight Watchers.

[mauraclegg 29]

I think Dave says it best. Personally I don't know much about the sleeve (except that it's not reversible) and I know far too many people who have had bypass problems.

Know that your band would ultimately be a tool. If you don't work with it, it won't work with you.

I do think a lot of successes with banding have to do eith the mental as well as the physical. For example I told myself from the beginning that I had "restriction"- so that't how I have lived since I was banded. I stay away from carbs (bread in particular).

I think bands are WONDERFUL