Lap Band Concerns

[Mayo 0]

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<HR style="COLOR: #e9e9e9" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><!-- google_ad_section_start -->I am considering Lap Band. I have been overweight most of my life. I am only 22 and I need to loose around 100 pounds. I have many concerns about lap band.

1) I want more children and I am affraid that the lap band can cause problems. Can there be problems during delivery?

2) I am scared of having excess skin. Has anyone else had a problem with this?

3) I am really scared I will regret it.

4) I will be misserable watching people around me eat the foods I enjoy, and not be able to have them too.

5) Can you feel the band, does it hurt?

6) I am diabetic. Higher risk of getting an infection. Any diabetics had this done.

7) The doctors I am going to use have only done either 450 or 550 lap bands! They are are from Texarkana Texas? Anyone used doctors from this area?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to make sure this is right for me!

[TracyinKS 7]

Mayo: All of these questions have been answered in older threads.. please take some time and read this site. I know I did and it helped me make the choice and I learned so much from those who posted before me.... you have your entire life ahead of you.. I WISH I wouldn't of waited so long, but YOU have to be ready, because this isn't a quick fix.

re: 1) I want more children and I am affraid that the lap band can cause problems. Can there be problems during delivery?

The band is simply UNFILLED during pregnancy, and after delivery you resume the fill process. Basically you turn it off and then you turn it back on.

2) I am scared of having excess skin. Has anyone else had a problem with this? You are so young that your skin will have more elasticity than older bandsters, also genitics play a huge role.... you said you had a baby.. did you get stretch marks? How did your skin snap back after delivery? and Like Jack said.... empty loose skin is better than fat filled skin.

3) I am really scared I will regret it.

Only YOU can decide to have the procedure.. it took me two years of debating before taking the plunge.

I am reading the Lap Band book by Ms. Ali right now and let me tell you some of the little one liners hit home instantly....

4) I will be misserable watching people around me eat the foods I enjoy, and not be able to have them too. You will be able to eat foods you love, just not much of them.. imagine for a minute that you are FULL after 1 taco, instead of 8....... and also you will start to feel empowered and proud of yourself with every pound, inch and clothing size lost. The important thing to know is that all the CRAP food DOES goe down tooo easily... so it will be up to you to make the right choices. If you eat icecream everyday you will gain... and honey, ice cream goes RIGHT through the band! also... the next time you go to a restraunt... take time too look around at the thin people NOTICE that they eat smaller amounts and then push their plates away... YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON.. focusing on the company and NOT how much food you can get for your money at the buffet.

5) Can you feel the band, does it hurt? NO you can't feel it, and NO it doesn't hurt unless you eat too fast, too much and when something gets stuck

6) I am diabetic. Higher risk of getting an infection. Any diabetics had this done.

Type 2 diabetis can easily become non existant.. and most all diabetics in general either cut down or cut out their meds completely. (this is a reason that insurance companies are now covering the procedure)

7) The doctors I am going to use have only done either 450 or 550 lap bands! They are are from Texarkana Texas? Anyone used doctors from this area?

That is a good number considering that LapBand in the U.S. has only been available since 2001. My doc was one of the first and back in January at my consult he'd done 557.......... he has increased that number immensly since then and he is EXCELLENT. Doctors in Australia, Mexico and the UK have been doing the surgery since the 1990's... its not new.... in some countries they will even band a person as a PRECAUTION instead of a cure for obesity.

In the end.. you have to decide if your ready........... no one can make the decision for you.

Have a positive outlook, and know that you will still have to do the work... but also know that you also have to opportunity to actually go through your day and NOT be a slave to your hunger.

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[Mayo 0]

Thanks A bunch y'all!!!!!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

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<HR style="COLOR: #e9e9e9" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><!-- google_ad_section_start -->I am considering Lap Band. I have been overweight most of my life. I am only 22 and I need to loose around 100 pounds. I have many concerns about lap band.

1) I want more children and I am affraid that the lap band can cause problems. Can there be problems during delivery?

2) I am scared of having excess skin. Has anyone else had a problem with this?

3) I am really scared I will regret it.

4) I will be misserable watching people around me eat the foods I enjoy, and not be able to have them too.

5) Can you feel the band, does it hurt?

6) I am diabetic. Higher risk of getting an infection. Any diabetics had this done.

7) The doctors I am going to use have only done either 450 or 550 lap bands! They are are from Texarkana Texas? Anyone used doctors from this area?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to make sure this is right for me!

Children... unlike banding pregnancy is not a problem. You get an unfill, have your baby, get a fill.

Excess skin... depends on length of time you have been overweight, genetics, smoking, and age. You certainly have age on your side. But is excess skin less appealing than fat?

Regrets... you will likely regret it the first month, we all do. Emotions run high the first month or so but when you lose weight you'll be okay.

Foods... what makes you think you won't be able to eat food you enjoy?

Feeling the band... I can feel the port if I touch my hand to my stomach, otherwise the only time you will be aware you have a band is if you eat too much, too fast, or don't chew and you barf. Even then you can't feel the band, just the effects of the band. It's similar to saying... can you feel your kidney?

Diabetes... could very well go into total remission if you lose weight, many (most?) do. Infection... not if things are done well and you take care of yourself. It's just not likely. What would the risks be if you are morbidly obese for the rest of your life? Are those dangers less?

If your doc has done between 250-500 bands, they are considered quite experienced. That is NOT a combined total, but individually.

[sweetviolet 0]

you will be able to have more children!! and probably an easier time getting pregnant!! food is not the only thing in life--your perspective changes...and you will be able to eat most things without any trouble-only smaller portions...as for the diabetes...I had this done because I was told the only way to get my sugar under control was to take insulin 4x a day...I had the lapband 6/13/06--no longer take any pills for anything!! 18 pills a day GONE!! as for the hanging skin--its not to bad and I probably at my age will not have ps. I only have one regret...that I didn't do it sooner!! I missed out on a lot raising my kids--couldn't move and was very tired all the time!! Hope this note spurs you on to great decisions...and encourages you to move ahead w/lbs know that we are behind you !!!

[Daisalana 33]

The children thing has been established..

I'm a little concerned about excess skin.. not concerned enough that I would have rather stayed fat, but concerned that I may want a Tummy Tuck one day, which I don't want to do. If mine's not that bad, I'm not gonna worry with it.. Just exercise and water! And of course, letting age help me in this matter.. and genetics (my mom was sexy in a size 0 bikini 2 months after giving birth to her 2nd child-me). She never got saggy.. So genetics working for me in that department.

As for regrets, before I did this I read some journals where people freaked out and regretted it for the first month.. this never happened to me, I've yet to 'regret' it. Been 3 months for me, so far smooth sailing. I'm not restricted enough so I doubt myself that this is going to fail, but.. I don't regret it like it's ruining my life or something. Watching people eat around me doesn't bother me one iota. The day I came home from surgery when I was on Clear liquids, my fam that came with me went to a BBQ place. I had a tea while they ate, and for a while they did this guilty look thing. They felt like they were hurting my feelings when they ate. Reality was during healing, I never got hungry.. so I didn't care. Now, if someone is eating something I wouldn't eat now (really fatty/fried/etc) I just get a little disgusted with them eating it.. like my husband, when he eats really bad (and we both did before I was banded), I think.. wow he's a pig. LOL. I never envy it, or feel like I'm missing something.

I don't feel the band in the typical sense. If you eat too big of portions or don't chew, etc.. you can feel the pain inside you, but it's not the 'band' you feel, its stuff getting stuck.

No advice on diabetes..

And those doctors seem like they have enough experience under their belt.

Good luck

[mcpunk_89 0]

hey! i can't answer yoour question cuz i don't have it...but i want it and there are risk in every thing... just like the title of a song by Underoath "It's Dangerous Buisness Walking Out Your Front Door" yeah well i say do it!

<3 ya talk to ya in a couple hours!

[late 0]

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1) I want more children and I am affraid that the lap band can cause problems. Can there be problems during delivery?

i do not know first hand but it should be totally safe.

2) I am scared of having excess skin. Has anyone else had a problem with this?

Almost anyone who has had children or been 100 lbs overweight will have at least some extra skin. They say that with the band its usually not as bad since the weight loss is slower than the by-pass.

3) I am really scared I will regret it.

I had one day about 2-days post op thinking "what have i done to myself, i am never going to be able to enjoy food again." But i reminded myself the reason i got the surgery was so that i wasn't spending the rest of my life losing then gaining it all back plus some or just spending the rest of my life miserably fat. I am almost 4 mos post op and i do still allow myself to eat my faves but only in moderation.

4) I will be misserable watching people around me eat the foods I enjoy, and not be able to have them too.

There have been a few times that i get tired of eating around other people but only because i have to eat so slow and they are usually done way before i am. But i can deal with that because i am losing.

5) Can you feel the band, does it hurt?

I do think that occassionally i can "feel" the band if i have a big hick-up but it does not hurt. You can feel the port externally with a little bit of pushing in on the right spot. It does not hurt to push on it now. Right after surgery for about two weeks the port was pretty sore.

6) I am diabetic. Higher risk of getting an infection. Any diabetics had this done.

Again i can not speak on this first hand but as alot of overweight people do have diabetes i'm sure there are many that have had it done.

7) The doctors I am going to use have only done either 450 or 550 lap bands! They are are from Texarkana Texas? Anyone used doctors from this area?

Many of the drs i researched said to not allow anyone who has done less than 100 bands do your surgery, so you should be ok. i was only the 2nd band patient of my dr wich was a little scary but all is well.