Do you regret getting your band?

[PSJ71 0]

Hi all,

I wanted to ask some of you who have your bands if you regret having it done as opposed to the RNY or another weight loss surgery? I have pretty much made my mind up to have the band, but I admit I have been on the fence as far as RNY or band. I've almost got all of my testing done, but have to follow the 3-month diet in order to finish it all.

I have been reading a lot of posts here and there about people who are not happy with their bands and wish they would have gone for a RNY. So, I'm trying to compile a list and a percentage of people who are not happy OR who are happy with their bands. It just scares me when I read about posts that people are frustrated and not losing weight even if they are doing things right. I so don't want to be one of those people who opt for the band and wish later they had done the other. If you aren't comfortable posting for all to read, please feel free to email me at PJones4052@yahoo.com.

Thank you :thumbup:

Paulette

[tabbygal 0]

I would not change having my band for the world. It has honestly changed my world. No the weight does not fall off, but I did not do something that can never be undone. I am doing everything I should, for the most part, and I am losing weight at a decent pace. It is a personal choice and it takes hard work. I have no regrets.

[MissBS 3]

I do not regret getting my band. I would do it over in a hearbeat and only wish I had done it sooner. Best decesion I've ever made. I feel soooooo good!!!! Becky

[Nanook 2]

Well my truth is that I got banded over a year ago and put back the preop weight and had other probs too with it and had it removed. My daughter on the other hand had the RNY done and has lost over 130 pounds so far. I don't know what makes it work for some here and not others. Is it the type of food we eat or when we put on the weight, age-wise, our sex, our age, or what but it seems that with the diversity of situations it's almost difficult to judge ahead of time which would be the right solution.

I think I was a sweet eater prior to banding and after banding it made it worse. It is much easier to get sweets into you than spaghetti let's say. bread is tough but then you read a lot of people can still eat bread. I also think I was always too tight and even with no fill had issues with that so it can be a bit tricky.

I didn't come to this forum until I started having problems with the band. I suppose in some instance I was affraid of getting the RNY but now that seems silly since my own daughter had it done and she's more than half my age. It took as much will power for me banded as it did not banded to lose weight and I don't think all people have that issue.

My daughter just seems to be flying through this thing now and has had her problems with RNY in the beginning had closed up and they had to do two endoscopies on her to stretch her stomach openning but since then has been doing well, TG! She also has never had "dumping syndrome" which was another thing I was worried about. It's not that she's never eaten anything that would cause it either but her stomach is smaller and she doesn't eat as much.

Now down the line things may change for her as it does with any WLS. As you can see people revise to other surgeries because either one fails or is not as effective as it used to be. There are no guarantees with any of these surgeries but it takes a lot of research, which you appear to be doing and asking many questions of your surgical team about percentages and what if this happens or that etc...I myself have decided not to revise to another WLS but that is probably very rare and it is not always easy to live as a fat person in a world that is not fat friendly but that's what I've chosen to do, good luck to you, Nancy.

[kgloverii 0]

I love love love my band.

Just wanted to let you know that the responses you get are probably not the best to go from, believe it or not. You'll see a lot of people who are super new to their bands, or people who have had their bands and have had issues... that's why they are at this board. Most people who have had their bands for awhile, stop posting and go on with their lives...

You'll also see a lot of people on here that are super 'pro-band' and anti-bypass... we tend to stick up for what WE chose. I see the benefits of both... Higher BMI's tend to do a bit better with Bypass. But if you can make good food choices and not eat around your band, be satisfied with eating VERY low-cal for the rest of your life, and you are willing to make your doctor-patient aftercare relationship a priority, the Band will do well for you. A lot of people don't realize that you lose more slowly with the band, or that you have to follow-up with your doctor regularly for really good success. On the other hand, you don't have the dumping syndrome, or malabsorbtion issues as you do with RNY. Weigh all of your options and ask lots of people... maybe even go to some support group meetings for bariatric patients to get a good picture. And PM me if you want to. I think I am fairly unbiased, in spite of my great success with the band. I've seen bypass do wonders for others as well.

Good luck on your journey!

[suepro 39]

I don't regret my band for a second. It is true that it is early days, however from day one I never felt that the RNY was for me so it was band or nothing as far as weight loss surgery was concenred.

Which operation to have is a personal thing, in conjunction with your surgeon and the research you have carried out.

I liked the fact that the band is adjustable, whereas the RNY has a weight loss window and many people regain after a while as the pouch stretches, even though early weight loss is far better with RNY.

Band is a smaller shorted, reversable operation with a much shorter recovery time and in the Uk, it is also far cheap er to have a band than an RNY.

My insides are unchanged and I absorb all the nutrients from my food and don't have to take supplements.

Good luck with what ever you decide and I hope it works out of you. If my band doesn't work out for me in the long term it won't be becasue I haven't tried my hardest with it.

Sue

[jackiebee 1]

My sister had a bypass while I recently had the band. I am very happy so far even though I get frustrated with the slow weightloss. My sister had tons of loose and sagging skin. I don't think that I will have near the amount she has, etc.

I am very happy with the band. It is still work but it is worth it so far. No major issues or complications or complaints other than the ones you read out here about (i.e. hair loss, sometimes too tight, PBing, etc).

Good Luck!

[lellow 1,713]

In Australia, WLS is pretty much only lap-band surgery. I have heard that some surgeons are now offering the sleeve, but not many.

So in that respect, I never needed to decide between lapband and RNY as such.

But theoretically, if I had to choose, I'd choose the band no question. In part because, in comparison to RNY, it's far more minor surgery, it's reversible and it's adjustable. And yes it may take a little more work on your part to lose consistently, but putting in the effort was never something I was scared of.

With the band, I never really plateaued. I lost consistently from pre-op diet to today with an average of about 3kgs (about 7lbs) a month (sometimes more). It did everything I needed it to do. Yes I exercised. Yes I had to make the choice of not eating a whole block of chocolate for lunch. But it's because I knew that it was a tool to help with physical hunger, and that's all it did. The rest was up to me.

And the physical hunger was all I needed taken care of, and that's what the lapband does. So it was perfect for me.

Edited January 15, 2009 by lellow

[kgloverii 0]

And the physical hunger was all I needed taken care of, and that's what the lapband does. So it was perfect for me.

Amen to that sister. I didn't need a 'tool' to stop me from eating. I needed something to take away the hunger. And properly restricted, I am a completely different person. I view food differently. I don't get that physiological rush from seeing food, and don't have the need to plan my next meal... Amazing how the brain can be rewired like that, eh? THAT was my Ah Ha! Moment with the band. When I no longer thought about food all of the time. I had a breakdown of joy...

[PSJ71 0]

Thank you all for the posts so far. I started looking into the WLS earlier in 2008, decided on the band, then was enamored by the amount of weight that can be lost with the RNY. I have always been freaked out by the rearranging of the insides for that procedure, and also my husband and I want to have another baby within the next couple of years or so. Since gaining so much weight after my first pregnancy I now have PCOS. Anyway, I am thinking I am on the right track with the band, because that has been the biggest downfall for me as far as weight loss goes---being hungry! I can't stay on a diet if I feel constantly hungry. I will admit though, I do like sweets, but have been trying to kick some of my bad habits before having the surgery. I'm hoping that with this 3-month supervised thing, that this will help me even more.

I just get scared from time to time when I see people go through the whole process to get the band and then hate the fact they did it. As a whole, I think I would be happier with the band, mainly because I can keep my insides pretty much as they are and if I am fortunate to have another baby, then I can have the band deflated. I am enjoying reading all of the stories you are are posting and thank you very much for taking the time to post on my question. :thumbup:

[smsmithart 4]

nope not at all im almost to goal...

and very pleased see profile pics..pm me if you need anything

[cwm812 11]

First off, let me say that I, too, love by band. It has given me a freedom I have never known. I love the fact that I can still choose what I want to eat. I love not "counting". That means fat grams, calories or weight watchers points. I simply stop eating when I'm full, just like a normal person.

Secondly, it's important to add that it may not be this way for you. I think you're doing the right thing. WLS is an incredibly personal decision and what works beautifully for me, may not be the answer for you. Katy is right, the vast majority of people on the site are biased. We love our bands and we believe we made the best decision. I'll bet you'd get the same response from the bypass contingency.

Cindy

[tapshoes 2]

I almost 1 year with my band and have not regreted it - not once! My decision was based on a lot of things including comparisons with other surgeries. As others have said, I decided against RNY or the sleeve becasue I did not like the idea of permanence; the band can be modulated, and removed. There have been successes, failures and frustration with ALL options; there is no ONE solution for everyone. Things to consider:

1. Permanence

2. Are you willing to commit to eating differently for the rest of your life - by that, reducing the 'slider' foods; chewing chewing chewing your food

3. Are you willing to commit to follow-up appointments with your clinic/doctor?

4. Are you committed to going through the necessary pre-and post-op regimes including whatever protocols your doc has for transitioning to solid food? This is key - if you cannot commit to this, your chances of success are compromised.

5. Are you commited to following your doctors instructions regardless of what anyone on this forum or any other forum tells you is ok to do/eat?

6. Are you prepared to eat healthy and add exercise to your lifestyle?

7. Are you willing to accept a slower weight loss, or will you jeopordize your progress to see the scale move quickly by going on starvation rations and risking your health being too tight?

These are some of the things to consider.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

[twirl 0]

I wanted my band out the first week or so and I no longer feel that way

I am not losing b/c I can not drink all the fluids due to kidney problems

but I eat tons less food and my doc said the weight will come off

I mean tons less foods

it is not an easy road but one I am glad I am on

[CaroleK 0]

Depends on when you ask me.

I have not had any physical complications with my band. I have had complications in finding a doctor after moving. That has slowed down my weight loss considerably.

Are there times when I wish my life didn't include a necessity for follow-up care? Yes. That being said I would never have had a malabsorption procedure. It was a restrictive procedure or nothing.

If I can find a doctor that I can work with who isn't a ridiculous distance away and can get back on track I'll probably be back to saying I don't regret it. Right at the moment though - yeah. I do a little.

But I also know that nothing is perfect and all we can do is research our options and choose what we feel is the best option at that time.