making the lapband decision

[justthinkin 0]

i am just getting information on the whole lapband process, would like to have someone tell me of their experience during the first 3 months

[screeden 21]

for me it was not that bad. alot easier than i thought it would be. i had my gallbladder removed 9 years ago and i thought that was a rougher recovery than the lapband was. the first 2 weeks do suck however, called banders hell, not much in the way of food. but the first week is liquids, 2nd week is mushies, i was so happy to have cream of potato Soup that week. 3rd week soft foods, then regular foods 4th week. the gas pain is the worse to deal with, they inflate you to get to the stomach. and it takes a few days for the gas to move out. it is a learning process, i am 5 months out and still learning.

have you attended a seminar? they also have support groups that non banders can attend with the banders to get information too.

i am 37 lbs down and still very happy that i had it done. don't regret one bit of it. it is a lifestyle change, not an instant fix. you will find that those that the band "did not work" for them, most likely did not eat and exercise like they should have, they want it to be an instant fix and think they can still eat whatever they want. it is a tool and you have to work with that tool. it is one leg of a 3 legged stool, diet and exercise are the other two legs, with out them, the band fails. believe me i still cheat, but i make alot wiser decisions with it as i know if i don't i will be paying for it later. i stay away from white bread, don't even want it, never thought i would feel that way as i love bread. i eat Pasta, corn, rice and even popcorn with no issues. i just take small bites and chew everything up well.

you are the only one who can make the decision to get the band. i am still happy with my decision. make a pros and cons list of the band and being over weight. attend a seminar and get all the info you can.

good luck with your decision.

[Texasbandit 8]

Let me put some real talk on you honey. Everything the above poster said is a great summary! I am 21 days post op and frankly a littlle bewildrered, confused and a bit disappointed.

It all depends on what your currently healthy and lifestyle is. Personally I think the band emotionally has been harder and especially since I didnt have bad eating habits before I got the band. I also worked out too. So with the band I was expecting a bit more I guess. I dunno if my metabolism just sucks or what, but I'm very discouraged. I didnt expect to lose 40lbs in a month or anything. Just a pound a week or something. I lost quickly before the surgery, but after only about 6 lbs then nothing since. It was Water weigh I assume.

There is a serious lack of consistancy too with the nutrition, aftercare, and recovery per doctor. That I didnt know until I started posting on here.

Yes, my hunger is curbed. If you have a problem with overeating then the lapband is for you. If you are wanting to use it as a tool to better eating habits and excersize then yes its for you. If you already work out and eat fairly well and expecting this to push your body a little and go to the next level then I dunno. It hasnt happened for me at least yet.

Pre op I did south beach for 5 days, which is basically a low carb diet. The post op diet was a breeze IMO and didnt mind being on liquids but I was on liquids the 10 days then on to mushie food afterwards and now on solids. Your doctor may do things differently. gas pains after surgery was the worst part. They blow your stomach up with gas to move your organs outta the way so the band can be placed. The gas get strapped and felt like i had constant back pain and chest pain, but that lasted 5 days. The surgery itself was easy.

So proceed with caution and think hard. Can you do this without the band? Are you very motivated? Or do you yo-yo diet a lot and overeat?

[mauraclegg 29]

The first 3 months weren't too bad. I never went through all the hunger that some talk about; I lost weight consistently for the first 8 months; I was never in "pain", just uncomfortable