Any Regrets After Lap Band?

[Bethanyblondie 0]

Hello my name is Valory andi go to my first seminar on 9-9-09 and have just one question if the band is not inflated when you get the operation then how are you losing weight before your first fill

Most people do not have a fill in their band until several weeks after surgery. I did not get one until over three months out from surgery. The restriction from just the band really made me eat a LOT less. Over time I started to be able to eat more, but still way less than I used to. So that's when I got my first fill...so back to eating very little. It's SO worth it! Best thing I ever did!

[jenrobbar951 0]

:thumbup: Oh really? Surgical Weight Loss Clinic in Toronto! Dr. Couburn did my surgery. How dare you call me a liar! How do we know YOU are NOT lying???

I paid 1000.00 deposit, paid 16,000 IN FULL self pay prior to surgery. Was on Optifast for 14 days prior to surgery both chocolate and vanilla. Between Optifast, Hotel, Flights, After Care, Medications, Fills (which I have to drive 2 hours to! and pay 150.00 per fill and it's only a Nurse who does it!) personal trainer and all expenses I'm looking at 20,000 total! So YEAH I DO KNOW HOW MUCH I PAID! Want to see the receipts? I'll gladly post them!

Just because I"m a first time poster and the band failed for me YOU Automatically ASSUME I'm lying! How dare you!

People have a right to KNOW if Lapband failed for some people! But people like YOU scare them away. Well you DONT scare me away! I am perfectly willing to say it didn't work. I can back it up and am willing to do so!

I have a right to share that it failed for me, just as you have a right to say it did work.

I DID research, and then I did MORE research, but hardly anyone tells you the PROBLEMS with Lapband.

There ARE people the lap band doesn't work for. There are people that the other forms of weight loss surgery don't work for. WHY? is that so hard for people like YOU to accept??

I have a right to say it didn't work for me. For you it did, so you say. That's great. But for me it didn't. I have never felt 'sated' or not hungry except for the first month after. I am about to have the band emptied in another day. I am going to leave it empty for awhile and let everything calm down in my body. Which will cost me Another 150.00 because I dont live in Toronto and so I have to PAY for my fills.

I went thru hell after surgery, my incision got infected no matter what I did. took months for it to heal. I had to go on antibiotics several times, even though I was using left over surgical soap to clean it and I followed all the rules they gave me. Took me almost 4 days after surgery before I could even leave Toronto. Pain was unreal.

food gets stuck no matter how slow I eatchew it. No one bothers to Really tell you what that's like!

I know I am not alone in this. Bash all you want, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not scared of people like you. I can PROVE everything I have said about MY experience with the lapband.

You are not alone. I havent had the surgery, but I know that there are people out there, who have had no real results with their lapband either. It is a "crap" gamble. But I am sure that the majority of the people out there probably are afraid to come forward and admit that it failed. It indirectly points the blame at the person, not so much the band. It is told to us pre-op patients, that if you do not do the diets, follow the exercise routine, that you are destined to fail......so, when there is no weightloss, I am sure that a person is quick to blame themself.

It sounds like you did everything you could to make the lapband work for you. It was just not meant for you and this will be true to many people. I just hope that I am not one, but if I am, then I will know that I tried and it is time to move forward. Like I said, this is a "crap" gamble. No guarantee that it will work and that you will lose the amount of weight you desire to lose. BUT YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THIS GOING INTO THE SURGERY!

I am sorry that it hasnt worked for you, but I am happy to see that you arent afraid to share your negative experience with us pre-op patients. I appreciate your honesty and thank you!

[lipstix64 1]

I fear being bashed for this...but it hasn't worked for me. I was banded July 1608. I've only lost 20 lbs. I don't know if something is wrong? As I've had a personal trainer, I lost inches, gained muscle tone, but didn't lose a single pound.

I regret spending 16K on it. I feel it is one of the worst AND most expensive mistakes I've ever made.

Sorry if that angers people on here, but I think that I should be allowed to say the Lap band can and Does fail and not because the person with the lapband IS NOT trying.

I think there are a LOT more people out there like ME who are just scared to admit it didn't work for them. Why? I don't know? I truly do not know. All I figure is that if you do Not put yourself (or at least me) on a continual LIFETIME diet, you are going to Fail.

What I spent 20K to learn was: There is NO magic cure, you diet, you exercise, you starve= THIN. Anything else = FAT.

Wow- sorry u havent been successful, but you are entitled to your opinion. Everything doesnt work for anyone. But, have you been going for all your fills, have you had restriction? If not, go back until you. do. But, I dont agree with the fact that you have to starve in order to be thin. Because, to be honest with you. I pretty much eat what I want, just cant eat as much as I used to and I've lost 80 pounds since October 08. I can just imagine if I ate EXACTLY how Im supposed to, I would be thin by now. It doesnt sound right with what you're going through. Maybe you should change docs. But, dont give up. Give it another try. Good luck:thumbup:

[lipstix64 1]

You are not alone. I havent had the surgery, but I know that there are people out there, who have had no real results with their lapband either. It is a "crap" gamble. But I am sure that the majority of the people out there probably are afraid to come forward and admit that it failed. It indirectly points the blame at the person, not so much the band. It is told to us pre-op patients, that if you do not do the diets, follow the exercise routine, that you are destined to fail......so, when there is no weightloss, I am sure that a person is quick to blame themself.

It sounds like you did everything you could to make the lapband work for you. It was just not meant for you and this will be true to many people. I just hope that I am not one, but if I am, then I will know that I tried and it is time to move forward. Like I said, this is a "crap" gamble. No guarantee that it will work and that you will lose the amount of weight you desire to lose. BUT YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THIS GOING INTO THE SURGERY!

I am sorry that it hasnt worked for you, but I am happy to see that you arent afraid to share your negative experience with us pre-op patients. I appreciate your honesty and thank you! :thumbup:

I lost 80 pounds since October and eat what I want. I just eat much much less. I definitely wouldnt call the LApband a "crap gamble" and dont think of it that way, otherwise you are destined for failure. I still want to eat alot and I dont feel Physically full, just my band is full, thats why I cant eat alot. Last night my friend took me out to dinner and I order apps, entree, and dessert. We took a long time between eating and I couldnt eat it all, but I was happy and enjoyed what I was able to eat. So, stop worrying, go do it, and good luck!

[bluetopaz 0]

Failed4me wrote:

food gets stuck no matter how slow I eatchew it. No one bothers to Really tell you what that's like!

I'm also sorry things haven't worked for you.

Either I'm in the minority or my doctor and his staff who also lead my monthly support groups are the greatest because they tell us all the pros and all the cons (some are really scary). They informed us and remind us about the possibilitiy of food getting stuck, severe heartburn, inward hernia's, bleeding, pain etc. They also give us a list of foods and meds that work best and a list of items that should be avoided. They even have a website just for their patients where you can go to set profiles and logs. They have access to only the section where you mark your weight or keep a list of foods you eat. But they don't regularly check it and they can not access your personal section.

Yea, I'm lucky.

[incolorado 1]

Welcome, Sammy and good luck with whatever decision you make. My only regret is that I didn't have the procedure years earlier. The lapband, along with my will to make it work, has improved my life in ways that I cannot describe. I am the happiest that I have ever been and I feel so very healthy. I know that I will be around much longer now. If you have any questions, I will be glad to help you the best that I can.

Good luck.

It is always good to hear this! I am getting my band 1 week from today, no turning back at this point! I understand some people have problems with the band, but the vast majority do not (so say the experts, anyway). I am so looking forward to getting my life back.

Thanks again. :thumbup:

[incolorado 1]

I was just banded this past June (the 3rd week of June), but so far I have NO regrets whatsoever. I am almost 50 pounds down (1/3 of my excess weight!!) and will go for my second fill tomorrow. I have little to no restriction now, so the first 50 pounds I kind of did myself. I'm hoping the next 50 will come off as quickly as the first 50! I have no regrets and am feeling better than I ever have, and am SO looking forward to being thin and healthy. I already have stacks of catalogues that I'm going to order from when I get to my goal haha! Clothes that I've always wanted to buy but never could because of my weight. Very excited! Good luck with your decision!

Wow, that is awesome. I will be a different person once I lose 50! Thanks for sharing this! :thumbup:

[incolorado 1]

Hey Sammy,

I do have one regret, like Michelle and a lot of others, I wish I had done this years ago! Instead, I was yo-yo-ing ( is that a word?) all over the place. I am glad that you are going to have this done while you are still young. I am glad that I finally decided to do it, and at least the rest of my life is going to be a lot better!!! I have not had my first fill yet, but am going to on 9/8 and can't wait. I am already down 27 pounds and feel better already. It took me longer to recover from the actual surgery, but boy am I glad I went ahead and took a chance.

With your motivation and willingness to add exercise to your daily routine, I have no doubt that you will be one of the great success stories. Please keep us posted as you travel down this road!!:thumbup:

Thank you Diana and everyone else. I am hoping my mom, who is 62, will also look into the band. She is waiting to see how I do with it! I am already wishing I had looked into the band years ago....but at this rate (age 42), I still have many (hopefully) skinny years ahead of me.

Good luck to all those making their decision. It was an easy decision for me once I realized I had my husband's support and willingness to make the financial sacrifice (self pay).

[KartMan 58]

Please don’t use this thread as your determining factor for getting or not getting the band. All of us on here are biased at least to some extent and most of us are not medical professionals. The answers you get will be purely anecdotal and related only to the person giving the information. As has been said numerous times before, the band seems to work differently for everyone. Two people following essentially the same diet and exercise routine can and often do lose weight at different speeds. There are tons of people on here that have had absolutely no problems with their bands and others that regret every second they have it in. Will it work for you? Unfortunately you won’t know for sure unless and until you have the procedure. There are bunch of things you can do to make it fail - drinking calories, eating past the band, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, etc. There are also a lot of things you can do to improve your chances of success – drink your Water, listen to your doctor, take charge of your food intake, start an exercise routine, etc.

So here is my totally biased anecdotal answer:

I love what the band has done for me:thumbup:

I was banded February 18, 2009. I started at 285 and am down to under 195. So that’s about 90 lbs in just over 7 months. I have gone from size XXXL shirts and 44 pants to L/M shirts and 34 pants. During the first 5 months I didn’t exercise much, but have recently started to hit the gym (more to gain muscle than to lose fat). I eat between 900 and 1500 calories each day with three meals and rarely any Snacks – my hunger and energy levels are fine most of the time. I have 3.6cc in a 10cc band and currently feel great (maybe a little too tight). I was pretty lucky in that I had a good amount of restriction right from the beginning and had steady weight loss from day 1. My initial goal was to get to “normal” BMI of 24.9 (I started at 38.7) Now that I am almost there, I have shifted my goal from BMI to Body Fat % (measured hydrostatically). My last Body Fat test was a few days ago and it is “Average” at 21.2%, I am about 15lbs of fat away from an “Ideal” body fat of 15%. At the rate I am going, I fully expect to be at my Body Fat goal within the next 1-2 months.

I am currently at a weight that I haven’t seen since leaving Navy Boot camp back in 1984. It hasn’t been super easy, but very doable. I have had to learn how to eat all over again. I have also had to train myself to think about what I do to my body every day (with respect to calories in/calories out). The whole thing has made me a little OCD, but I feel so good about how I look and feel that it is worth it.

Regrets? Not for a second:thumbup:

Edited August 25, 2009 by KartMan

[coloradobanding 5]

I just have to say that everyone is entitled to post exactly what they feel. Whether the band worked for them or not, the question was asked and answered.

I for one am really interested to hear stories about those who the band has not worked for. It has worked wonders for me, until now, and I am hopeful it continues.

However, if you dare to post something that "some" may deem not credible or even half-way post something that "they" find inaccurate in their experience, you better watch out.

I have found that "some" like to stir the pot and insist that they are "educating" people on the possible complications of the band, when really "they" are bashing those who have the gall to...(gasp)...have success with the band.

It does NOT work for everyone, there is absolutely no doubt about that. It does not work for everyone for countless reasons, many have nothing to do with the patients following of the guidelines or eating habits. We could discuss why it doesn't work for some until we turn blue in the face, and even an expert in the field may not have an answer.

What really annoys me is that people who have had issues with the band, like to pretend that they want it to work for others, but really what they want is to berate someone who has an opinion; whether it's fact based or not. This forum is for everyone to post their opinions and experiences in a way that they choose. YES they may post inaccuracies, YES they may post..GASP..in a way that is offensive to some, but they CAN post HOWEVER they want.

Maybe "those" who take such pride in berating posters on this forum could take time to EDUCATE in a way that could possibly make a difference RATHER than insult people in a way that they can somehow justify as helpful.

OK, rant over...btw..I love my band SO FAR..it's worked GREAT!!

[Jaymie72 0]

I have been banded since Dec 07 and I really don't have any regrets. This is what I have learned from having the band:

1. I really use to eat a lot of food, really

2. I now know why I was fatter because I use to eat a lot of food.< /p>

3. When you go out to eat with other people and you see how much they can put away versus you, you will see why you were so obese, because we eat a lot of food, :thumbup:

4. That it is not a cure all and it does not work for everyone

5. You still have to work hard to not over indulge and exercise has been key for me

6. After spending so much money on this band I am MUCH more willing to eat better and exercise

7. I love to shop

8. I love to shop in stores I only wished to shop in

9. You feel so much better about yourself that you do crazy things like try out for off broadway shows and actually get a lead (YEAH ME)!!

10. AND you NEVER get tired of hearing how wonderful you look, no serious you don't!!

[LadyLee 3]

I am seriously considering lap band. :thumbup: I have been reading and gathering alot of information on this site. I appreciate all the information available here. I noticed a huges percentage of "banders" who are happy with their decision of lap band. Is there anyone here or knows of anyone who Regrets getting the lap band?

I have submitted my paperwork to the surgeon and I am awaiting an initial consultation appointment. Thanx much!

I think it's the way to go. I had to have mine removed due to slippage, other wise I would still have it. I lost a hunderd pounds with the tool. Its great, must follow the diredtions of your doctor. You'll love it.

[coloradobanding 5]

Please don’t use this thread as your determining factor for getting or not getting the band. All of us on here are biased at least to some extent and most of us are not medical professionals. The answers you get will be purely anecdotal and related only to the person giving the information. As has been said numerous times before, the band seems to work differently for everyone. Two people following essentially the same diet and exercise routine can and often do lose weight at different speeds. There are tons of people on here that have had absolutely no problems with their bands and others that regret every second they have it in. Will it work for you? Unfortunately you won’t know for sure unless and until you have the procedure. There are bunch of things you can do to make it fail - drinking calories, eating past the band, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, etc. There are also a lot of things you can do to improve your chances of success – drink your Water, listen to your doctor, take charge of your food intake, start an exercise routine, etc.

So here is my totally biased anecdotal answer:

I love what the band has done for me:thumbup:

I was banded February 18, 2009. I started at 285 and am down to under 195. So that’s about 90 lbs in just over 7 months. I have gone from size XXXL shirts and 44 pants to L/M shirts and 34 pants. During the first 5 months I didn’t exercise much, but have recently started to hit the gym (more to gain muscle than to lose fat). I eat between 900 and 1500 calories each day with three meals and rarely any Snacks – my hunger and energy levels are fine most of the time. I have 3.6cc in a 10cc band and currently feel great (maybe a little too tight). I was pretty lucky in that I had a good amount of restriction right from the beginning and had steady weight loss from day 1. My initial goal was to get to “normal” BMI of 24.9 (I started at 38.7) Now that I am almost there, I have shifted my goal from BMI to Body Fat % (measured hydrostatically). My last Body Fat test was a few days ago and it is “Average” at 21.2%, I am about 15lbs of fat away from an “Ideal” body fat of 15%. At the rate I am going, I fully expect to be at my Body Fat goal within the next 1-2 months.

I am currently at a weight that I haven’t seen since leaving Navy Boot camp back in 1984. It hasn’t been super easy, but very doable. I have had to learn how to eat all over again. I have also had to train myself to think about what I do to my body every day (with respect to calories in/calories out). The whole thing has made me a little OCD, but I feel so good about how I look and feel that it is worth it.

Regrets? Not for a second:thumbup:

Excellent post!!

Your success is truly AMAZING!!

I too have felt restriction from day one, and have a lot of the same feelings as you.

I think your post was very well written and congrats!!!

[KartMan 58]

1. I really use to eat a lot of food, really

2. I now know why I was fatter because I use to eat a lot of food.< /p>

3. When you go out to eat with other people and you see how much they can put away versus you, you will see why you were so obese, because we eat a lot of food, :thumbup:

This is really good point. I am certain that two things were the main cause of obesity for me; I was a volume eater and I ate a lot of bad carbs (not sweets so much, but bread/pasta rice). It took a lot to make me full, and I always ate until I was full (ok, often times I ate past that). If I went for fast food, I would get 2 combos. When I would go out to dinner I would always eat more of the chips/bread/appetizer than anyone else and I usually was the only one to clean my plate (and sometimes nibble on the others). If I went to a buffet, I always had at least 2 heaping plates, sometimes more. I wasn’t too bad at snacking or with sweets, but boy could I put away a big meal. For me, that has all changed with the band. I still don’t snack much and only eat minimal sweets – the big difference is in the quantity I eat per meal. I can only eat small portions (my 7 year old daughter now eats larger portions than me) and have gotten pretty good at recognizing when I’ve had enough.

Examples of meals for me:

Breakfast – 2 runny egg yolks and a 45 cal slice of toast

lunch – 2-4 oz of meat, 2-3 bites of pasta/rice/bread, some veggies

Dinner – 2 oz of meat, 2-3 bites of pasta/rice/bread, some veggies

Since I have started working out more I have been trying to mix in an energy bar before the workout and a Protein shot after. I also try to have at least one V8 a day to make up for the veggies I can't get down during meals.

Edited August 25, 2009 by KartMan

[scout47 1]

I was just banded this past June (the 3rd week of June), but so far I have NO regrets whatsoever. I am almost 50 pounds down (1/3 of my excess weight!!) and will go for my second fill tomorrow. I have little to no restriction now, so the first 50 pounds I kind of did myself. I'm hoping the next 50 will come off as quickly as the first 50! I have no regrets and am feeling better than I ever have, and am SO looking forward to being thin and healthy. I already have stacks of catalogues that I'm going to order from when I get to my goal haha! Clothes that I've always wanted to buy but never could because of my weight. Very excited! Good luck with your decision!

Dear Isaviolinist,

You have done great in such a short time, especially with no fill. I was banded 4/1/09 and my first 40 lbs came off quickly, however, since the first two months w8 loss has been very slow and this wk I've even gained:angry:. When you said you "kind of did it myself", how exactly did you do it--I am very disappointed in myself and after you've been banded, people expect big things of you (or should I say they expect little things of you :thumbup:.

Thanks and good luck in the future.

Scout