Contemplating Lap band surgery, A lot of Questions and concerns

[nursechick77 0]

Hello All,

I am brand New to this, even to the idea of banding. I welcome any advice, stories, warnings,ect. I am seriously considering lap band surgery. Although I am still a little leery, I have done some online research, but I am still unsure. I want to know personal details, do you still have a lot of excess skin the same as a bypass patient, anyone have good results with very little excess skin? I read that the weight loss is around 1-2 lb. per week, If you exercise adequately, does it help? Do you have frequent vomiting, or nausea? How long do you have to be off work ? Is it difficult to adjust to the dietary restrictions? Thanks so much for any info and sharing with me.

[catfish87 3,471]

My experience...

Yes, exercise helps with any attempt at weightloss. WLS or not. Its calories in vs calories burned. That parts pretty simple.

I never vomit or get nausea. Sometimes I got stuck from eating incorrectly..,but I learned from it and moved on.

I was off work two weeks.

Yes, it was difficult to adjust my diet/eating habits...otherwise I wouldn't have needed surgery.

Would I do the same surgery again, having experienced it for going on four years....Absolutely yes, no question about it.

[nursechick77 0]

Thanks, for your input. I ment was it difficult to deal with the diet restrictions after the surgery? And what exactly do you mean stuck? I have read some post where it is mentioned.

[catfish87 3,471]

For me the diet restrictions immediately following surgery ( the first two weeks ) were easy. There weren't any options...clear liquids for a week, then full liquids. Nothing to debate. Didn't need to worry about bite size, chewing, etc.

Progressing to solid foods is where the real learning took place.

Someone can tell you til they're blue in the face about bite size and how much to chew, etc. But YOU are the one that has to LEARN it. And learn you will, given the desire and enough time. Until you do, you may experience getting stuck...thats when the food you just swallowed doesn't go through the band area easily. Its literally "stuck". You feel it no doubt, but it's not the end of the world. Just one more way you learn those rules that bluefaced person mentioned earlier tried to tell you about. Smaller bites and chew better. Some people (like me!) are slow learners...while some you read about don't experience it at all they say. I've read post on here from people who've been banded for years and claim they never have been stuck.....they are good listeners! They follow the "rules".

Eventually, you make peace with your band and probably more importantly, your head. Then it becomes second nature.

[elcee 3,341]

Those people that never get stuck amaze me. I am obviously the worlds slowest learner because I still get stuck sometimes and I have been banded almost 4 years.

[parisshel 1,892]

It's a good sign that you are doing deep research as you reflect on weight loss options.

I'm "only" six weeks post-op, but happy to share my thoughts.

I'm not fearing loose skin once I lose my weight, but at my age vanity is less of an issue than it may be for a younger person. I doubt I'd do plastics, (the recovery time is just too long for me) but that is an option for many. In any case, I would NEVER let the fear of loose skin prevent me from taking off my weight...being fat is far uglier imho than having loose skin.

My loss has been slower than some others banded on the same date, but I've made my peace with that. I currently have an empty band and that may be part of the slower loss. The important thing for me is that I feel GREAT, that I eat extremely healthfully now, and I'm not gaining weight, which would have been the case had I not gotten banded. I've lost 14 pounds in six weeks---had I not been banded I would have gained during those six weeks at the rate I was eating. So that is a great thing! And I'm hoping my first fill will bring a more rapid weight loss; if not, it's ok because the scale is going down anyway.

I have had no nausea nor vomiting. I am extremely compliant with my post-op directives.

I was off two weeks and needed that--I was tired after surgery and you are kind of wiped out emotionally plus you don't eat a lot during this time. I'm glad I didn't go back to work immediately.

Your last question about adjusting to the new way of eating is the most important question you could ask. For me it was not difficult but I had months of getting my head mentally prepared to make this change. This is not like a diet, by that I mean you do not have the flexibility to "cheat" as you would on a diet. On a traditional diet, the worst thing that can happen if you cheat is you gain weight. With WLS, the consequences of non-compliance are much graver...ranging from discomfort (food stuck, etc) to damaging your insides (stretching out your pouch or esophaegus). So my response to your post is that the most important thing you can do for yourself is be honest with your ability to completely change the way and nature of your eating habits. You cannot go into this surgery on a whim (and that is why I'm thankful there is a pre-op journey to get there). You need to be mentally ready to adhere to your surgeon's post-op rules.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

I feel exactly the same way as the above posters.

The band is a great tool to assist you in weight loss. The band works, if you work the band. I truly believe it is not about willpower, but about wantpower. You want it bad enough, you will use your tool correctly and achieve great things.

The more research you do before banding, the better off you will be. You're already doing it right.lol

I love and respect my band and would do it again in a heart beat.

Best wishes on whatever you choose to do.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

I feel exactly the same way as the above posters.

The band is a great tool to assist you in weight loss. The band works, if you work the band. I truly believe it is not about willpower, but about wantpower. You want it bad enough, you will use your tool correctly and achieve great things.

The more research you do before banding, the better off you will be. You're already doing it right.lol

I love and respect my band and would do it again in a heart beat.

Best wishes on whatever you choose to do.

great post here maddawg...

[marlena_marie 50]

Hello All,

I am brand New to this, even to the idea of banding. I welcome any advice, stories, warnings,ect. I am seriously considering lap band surgery. Although I am still a little leery, I have done some online research, but I am still unsure. I want to know personal details, do you still have a lot of excess skin the same as a bypass patient, anyone have good results with very little excess skin? I read that the weight loss is around 1-2 lb. per week, If you exercise adequately, does it help? Do you have frequent vomiting, or nausea? How long do you have to be off work ? Is it difficult to adjust to the dietary restrictions? Thanks so much for any info and sharing with me.

Hi Nursechick,

I too battled with the unkknown (for the most part) as far as getting the band. I did research all types of weight loss surgeries and the band by far won me over. I just didn't like the idea of someone chopping up my insides which is ultimately non-reversible and not enough long term info is available about gastric and the new sleeve type.

I was banded on 4/11/13 and I can tell you that it has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. I only had to be off work for 3 days and then went back with restrictions for two weeks. No lifting in excess of 20 pounds was the only restriction but this will depend on your surgeon.

Another thing that will depend on your surgeon is the pre-op diet. Some are given a diet to follow before surgery where I was not. I went into this being a major food addicted fool. I just love to eat no reason needed. My very own "see food" diet....I see it, I ate it!! That has all changed in a matter of one day for me which is very surprising. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to follow the diet rules that would come after surgery.....but I can't stress enough how important these rules are to allow your body to heal properly. My surgeon is pretty strict with his after surgery routine with food.....Immediately after surgery, I began a Full liquid diet for two weeks....really not bad at all. The next two weeks were pureed liquids, then two weeks of soft foods and then the transition to regular foods and as Catfish said up above, this is where the learning comes in. I am just ending my first week of pureed food so I can't speak on the other phases just yet.

In the three weeks since my surgery, I have lost 25 pounds and feel better with more energy than I have had in a very long time because all the sugar crap is out of my system. I am finally starting to love life again.

My first doctor visit is in the second week of May and I am in no hurry for a fill if I am doing this good still. Even with no fill just yet, the smallest portion of food fills me up. I am learning to listen to my band and my body right now so that I can learn to stop when I am satisfied instead of stuffed. I can tell you that I haven't been hungry even one day since surgery. All my cravings are completely gone!!

Everyone with a band or without will lose weight at a different pace. 1-2 pounds a week is great but there is not guarantee that you will not have any excess skin as that will depend on your skin and how much elasticity it holds. Myself, I started this journey with only 90 pounds to lose....but if I get to my goal and decide that I want to have some removed, I will definitely go for it, but again, to each his own. I would rather have to deal with some loose skin issues than the issue of being uncomfortable and unhealthy due to being overweight.

Last but not least, I have not experienced even one episode of nausea or vomiting with getting the band. No regrets here....only learning and loving life!!!

Good luck in whatever you choose to do....This is a great site with lots of people who will answer any other questions you may have. Lots of support too!!!!

[Baba Wawa 543]

Please read my blogs, especially "history"http://www.lapbandtalk.com/blog/7388-the-band-and-i/

[nursechick77 0]

Thanks so Much for all the input everyone! I really appreciate the honest answers!!

[Ragtopman 2]

Just a thought or two from an old guy: In my humble opinion the real process is getting your mind right. As has been stated earlier the band is a tool, not a miracle. It's a pretty darn good tool and is close to a miracle. After I got banded I didn't have a good fill for quite a long time; almost a year. The weight came off slowly but still came off. When I finally decided that I was ready I got a fill and then weight came off much faster. The point is that even though I had done the first step, getting the band, I wasn't ready to change my habits. When I was ready, got my mind right so to speak, getting a fill was all it took. I've lost 135 pounds and feel great. If I lose another 15 or so it will be fine but at 197 lbs I'm satisfied with where I am. My hobby is restoring and working on old cars. I turned 61 today and spent part of the morning on my back under my truck. I can't imagine that I'd have been able to get up and down as easily as I did 135 lbs heavier than I am today. I spent a lot of last summer installing a dashboard in my '66 Thunderbird convertible. That entailed lots of laying on my back, squatting, twisting and turning. It is so much easier to do now than when I was younger but weighed so much more.

There are lots of options and it can be scary. I'll finish by saying that I used to eat all the time; and when I wasn't eating I was thinking about eating. I really don't think about eating these days. In fact my wife sometimes has to remind me to eat something because I forget. That being said I'll add that I love to cook and spend time in the kitchen experimenting. I didn't give that up but have learned to cook much smaller portions. With my wife and I both having the band we find that it's like cooking for 1 now. If I cook a pot roast or slow cooker full of Soup we share it with the neighbors. I still eat things I like but really am satisfied with smaller portions. 2 Oreos will do me instead of 6. I don't feel deprived and feel like I'm in control.