Don't Waste Your Money!

[MamaJava 1]

Ummm...to the OP: Where on earth did your friend get approved for a LapBand before they did an entire rundown of lab & blood work? Who does that? My insurance required labs for ALL my bloodwork. Every single metabolic disorder had to be cleared before I could get approved for surgery. If I would have tested positive for some sort of thyroid issue, then I would not have been allowed to have the surgery until I tried medication first. I would think good insurance or a good, decent lap band surgical facility would do what is a normal, necessary thing before having any sort of surgery. Perhaps the problem is with your friend's specific location, or sounds to me like she has one idiot of a doctor...IF what you've stated is in fact the truth.

If she paid out of pocket, perhaps it was her own negligence and being in too big of a hurry to slap a band on herself hoping for a miracle cure. Anybody who is their own advocate and researches properly should know in advance that rushing into something without properly researching first can be a potentially huge disaster.

Anybody who knows anything about metabolic disorders knows that the lap band can definitely still be of enormous benefit to a person's life. Medications aren't cures and neither is the band.

Also, if your friend has properly researched her lap band surgery prior to running in to have it done, she would have known that in NUMEROUS cases, restriction is not felt until after 2-3 (or even more) fills! Not only that, but many, many MANY lap band patients do not lose weight during the post-op healing diet.

My best friend lost weight during the 1st 2 weeks of full liquids, but has not lost anything since then. She has had her first fill, and has absolutely no restriction still. She's frustrated, but she's educated herself enough about the new tool inside of her body to know that is perfectly NORMAL. She's eagerly anticipating her next fill (or next 2 or 3 if that's what it takes) to feel restriction and to begin losing weight. She certainly is not blaming her thyroid issue or lack of bloodwork on something that she already knew was normal before she even got the surgery.

I'm really surprised by the lack of education that seems to be fueling your post.

[gretchens4 0]

Thyroid problem aside, your friend does not have the right fill. I lost virtually no weight in the 1st few months b/c I had no fill. When I got to the right fill point I started losing very consistently, and have lost almost 80 pounds in 11 months since surgery. She has the band now, and she can be succesful, but she has to be patient and utilize the band. It is an unbelievable blessing to the vast majority of people who have it!