What kind/size band?

[princess_sophie 0]

Hi everyone,

I'm new and still considering the band. I'm going to a seminar on May 10th. I've been reading and reading and reading these boards and getting so much out of them.

I've keep reading about people talk about the type of band and the size of the band they have. How is this determined? The Dr.'s preference? Or does it have something to do with the anatomy?

A lot of people also talk about how life changing this is, living with the band and the weight loss and how you feel about yourself. I was wondering, have a lot of people changed jobs, jobs that they were not happy in, now that they feel so much better and their lives have changed?

ps

[faithmd 14]

Hello and welcome!!!

I haven't been banded yet so I cannot speak to the life changes, but I can tell you that yes, once the surgeon is in your abdominal cavity, s/he determines the size band that will be placed. It is based on the size/thickness of your stomach, etc. What I've gleaned from boards like these and going to a couple of different seminars, most surgeons have all the sizes they use [which in the US is currently 4: 9.75 cm (4 cc capacity); 10 cm (4cc capacity); 11 cm (9cc capacity); Vanguard (10cc) see this thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15216] on hand and they decide what to use once you are prepped for installation.