Please help!

[eileen190 0]

Ok, I have been doing way too much research about the Lap Band on the net. I keep reading all these horror stories about not being able to swallow, vomiting, complications!....

Is there anyone out there who has had none of these problems??? I was all ready to do the procedure before I started reading all of the problems people are having. I feel like I just need to talk to someone who has actully had the surgery and is totally happy with it. Please help, I have tried so may diets and the weight just never stays off for very long, I really wanted to try the procedure, but now I'm kinda freaked out! Any encouraging words would trully be appriciated! :drool:

[megster27 1]

Well, I am 1 month post-op and alive to tell about it. Really, I haven't had one single complication...-knock on wood- I have had good weightloss and love my band! I hope that helps- please let me know if you need someone to talk to, I am all ears! :drool:

[karen_karen 0]

there are complications for some people and the lapband is not for everyone. but you have to think are you ready to make a change in your life? i have never had any pbing or vomiting or any of that. and i can say if it was not for the band i would be here writing this letter 85lbs heavier and when i go to sleep at night i feel so much better with myself. when i started this and before i started this i would go to bed having trouble breathing sometimes and i felt so horrible about myself and couldnt believe i got as big as i did. now i go to sleep thinking to myself im 85 lbs lighter (and that number will only go up) and i sleep so much easier and better and wake up feeling so good compared of being so tired and drowsy back then. only you can make the band work for you. and there is a commitment of excerise and eating right. you have a choice to change your life. so for me yes im happy i got banded and im am happy how far i came and i will reach my goal.

everything has its down side and its upside you just have to find out if the upside out weighs the downside. having alittle pbing or vomiting and having surgery and doing the post op and pre op diets is only a small fraction to the rest of your life being healthier, happier, and less stressful.

[OnTheWay to Thin 0]

My girlfrriend had surg last year and could not be happier, she is the reason I am doing this. Look at the success stories side of LBT, there are far more good that bad experiences. There are complications that are possible with any surgery, but the key is following doctors orders and paying attention to what your body is telling you.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

most people don't have complications. Those who are happy aren't as prone to write about it as those who aren't. That's just human nature.

[Vinca 0]

hi well i just had it done on the 21st , i have never heard anyone say they'd nevr do it again. Most of the complications you mentioned are because people are eating things they shouldn't that get stuck (so they get sliming), or eating too much so they regurgitate. My octors awsome and he has the best website i've ever found, check it out he has podcasts that you can download to your ipod and videos its a wealth of information really. Dr.Simpson.net, let me know what you think. I went through the same thing before I made up my mind.You just need to educate yourself and know he consequences if you dont follow the rules, the band is not a magic wand its a tool , you need self control and everyday is a challenge.

[bearbandit 0]

Those people having issues are either too tight or not following the rules of the tool or both. If you follow the rules and listen to your band you will not have any issues. Make sure you use a good surgeon with a good track record. You need to have good follow up care as well. I have BP'd only once and that was my fault as I ate too fast. <always measure your food> Getting the band was the best decision I have ever made for myself. Good luck and remember people have a tendency to write about negative things rather than positive.:biggrin:

[eileen190 0]

Thanks everyone... I do feel a lot better now! I have read a lot about the surgery and of the commitment you have to make with both diet and exercising after the surgery in order to stay healthy. I am so ready to do this! I guess I just needed to know I was not alone, lucky for my friends, they are all in gret shape, but when I told them I was thinking about the surgery, they all thought I was crazy! I think a lot of people right away just think "why can't she just exercise and diet ?'" They have no idea how many diets I have tried and lost some weight only to have the weight come right back and even more! Now it's not just an issue of looking in the mirror and thinking "God, I look terrible, how did I get this big!" Now it's a health issue, with having to take pills for high blood pressure, having sore knees and ankles, and feeling depressed. My poor boyfriend always wants to try and stay active, and here I am telling him "I can't walk that far" -"my feet hurt to much" I can barley walk up our starcase with out being so out of breath! Well anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you for your positive replys. Hopefully my friends will be supportive after the surgery, but it's nice to know there are people here who know just what I'm going through! THANKS!!!!!!

[Vinca 0]

Hi Eileen, hey was just reading your reply to the threads, wondering how old u r i'm 42, just banded on 21st, everything you described I was going through, reason I say "was" is because it's getting better, I actually feel better a week and two days after surgery. I didn't have to do a pre-op diet, for whatever reason, all Doctors are different i'm fnding out. Well at my one week appt he said I culd start on some solids as I could tolerate them so I am, just really am aware that I have to eat small portions and chew well and not drink while I eat, You just never forget cus you do not want to get stuff stuck. But it really works if you eat what youre supposed to and stop (even though you wanna keep going) if you stop before you get full and take ten minutes the food goes down and you don't want it anymore. I love chips, but they say you can nly have whole wheat stuff and crackers, so I bought wheat thins, and sun chips have a few , I dipped mine in lowfat cottage cheese, you will be full. I noticed today that I feel better, started work yesturday, Im usually so tired cus i;m on my feet all day(dental asst) well today I felt fantastic I have not felt that way in soooooo long, no feet aching, instead of taking the elevator I flew down the stairs, and walked over to Target next door to meet my ride. I usually sit in lawn and garden exhausted. I was also on blood pressure meds, my sugar was getting a bit high and I had had sugery endometrial and labs came back a typical, means my cells are a bit distorted, well means I will get cncer evntually because of my weight im producing too much estrogen which causes the cell distortion and then cancer, I asked the GYN surgeon what his thoughts were about lapband, he said its good if youre a good candidate, as I was leaving, he said, if you get the surgery youre going to eliminate the chances of this cancer. Those words have haunted me since up until the day of the surgery and evry time I felt like whimping out and trying to tell myself that I could do it without surgery. I was in the hospital waiting for my name to be called and told my husband , this is a piece of cake compared to what i'll have to do if i get sick with High Blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and i sleep with a cpap machine(sleep apnea) let alone getting treated for all of these. So that made it pretty easy going into surgery, it really was easy, the worse part if you consider it bad at all, was the getting the IV. After thT they wheel you into the surgery rm, slide over to the table and the last thing i remember is the mask coming on. Woke up after a good sleep, 40 minutes later, and they gave me some hot tea which felt so good, once I was up, they gave me a wheel chair and i used it as a walker to walk myself to my room they folled me of course and so did my husband. So its just so you get started walking and getting that gas out, that is my big complaint the gas from the anesthesia, even today in the car, so careful driving. But anyways, I know what its like about the support thing and people not knowing what youre feeling, I didnt tell anyone but my sister until after it was done, I could not deal with any negativity its my life. Now my sister is getting things going for herself. Do what you have to do, do your research and come to your own decision. I'm here if you need support and im new as well so, only things is kinda funny to find people here i never talk to the same people, if you want my reg email let me know. Goodluck.

[JonathanLA 0]

Ok, I have been doing way too much research about the Lap Band on the net. I keep reading all these horror stories about not being able to swallow, vomiting, complications!....

Is there anyone out there who has had none of these problems??? I was all ready to do the procedure before I started reading all of the problems people are having. I feel like I just need to talk to someone who has actully had the surgery and is totally happy with it. Please help, I have tried so may diets and the weight just never stays off for very long, I really wanted to try the procedure, but now I'm kinda freaked out! Any encouraging words would trully be appriciated!

Eileen,

The important thing to understand is that difficulty swallowing some foods and vomiting (or PB'ing to be more accurate) are not really complications from the surgery. They are a normal part of getting used to having a band around the upper part of your stomach, limiting how much you can eat at one time. Some people never have any of these and some people have instances when they don't chew their food enough or they try a type of food that just doesn't sit well with them. It's not the end of the world when it happens and it's a kind of behavior modification. Believe me when I tell you that after while you'll forget all about these few instances.