lap band pros and cons ?

(deactivated member)
on 10/10/11 2:31 am - Califreakinfornia , CA
On October 10, 2011 at 9:15 AM Pacific Time, karen C. wrote:
Pros: the band worked great for me, I had some restriction right away. There are no concerns about malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals as with RNY or DS. No part of the anatomy is rerouted or removed.
Cons: High rate of complications. My band got taken out this week for erosion. So now I have nothing. At least if I had gotten a sleeve, I would still have it.
" There are no concerns about malabsorption of nutrients "

It is true that we don't have the concerns of malabsorption with the lap band or sleeve, but.....I know plenty of lap banders that became deficient in Calcium,vitamin D, and also became anemic with their lap bands.

Even though we do not malabsorb, we need to remember that with any kind of restrictive procedure, we are not able to eat enough food to get the proper amount of nutrients in.

So therefore we are at risk to become deficient in nutrients.
LapBandJRod
on 10/10/11 7:50 am
 Check out LapBandforLifethebook.com all the answers you need are right in that book by Dr. Ariel Ortiz whom was recently name top 15 surgeon in the US by Newsweekly
Iam_with_the_Band
on 10/10/11 8:44 pm
 You really have to look at what type of eater you are.  That should consider into your decision.  I have had the Band for over 3 and a half years and have not had one problem with it.  My life has changed drastically because of my Band.  I have no regrets and would do it again if I had to. Visit all the forums here.  Read about the sleeve there and RNY and DS.  Then find out what your Medicare will cover.  The Band is usually covered for a BMI of 37 if you have co-morbidities like DM, but some of the other WLS are not, because they are considered more invasive.  I'd check first and see what they will cover for a BMI of 37 and then start your research.

12/09 and 6/11, 9 skin removal procedures with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico
Revised to the Sleeve after losing 271 lbs with the LapBand. 

steelerfan1
on 10/10/11 10:28 pm, edited 10/10/11 10:30 pm
When I first got my band I sould say when I  went and talked to my doc he told me some things right off the bat and let me tell you everything he said is true .

He said I will still have to diet and exercise to lose the weight .  True.   I have to watch what I eat, how much I eat of it , how often I eat certain foods .  i have to exercise to lose weight.   True.  If I dont exercise I dont lose and that is the case with probably 98% of bandsters out there .

The band dont take the head hunger away, the band dont take the emotional eating away, the band dont make you exercise, the band dont stop you from eating around it . the band dont chose the foods for you  True.

I can eat around my band all day long if I want to. It dont matter what kind of restriction you have , you will find ways to eat around if you want to . 

All the band does is help with proper control and help stay full a little bit longer that is it nothing more nothing less.

It's just like before you got the band , you have to diet, you have to exercise, you have to drink your water,  you have to healthier foods for you to lose weight .  The band does help but it still does come down to you .  I say the band does 20% of the work and you have do the rest.

I do like my band, I am one yr out next month no problems , but let me tell you its not easy , you have to work at it  .   You will hit stalls, you will get depressed when you dont lose, you will overate with the band, you will eat all day long with the band.  That happens to each and every one of us on here you wont be perfect at it, but it will teach you in the long run how to eat healthier and make better choices.  

That is with any WLS out there though.  IT dont matter what one you get , you can gain weight on all of them , you can overeat on all of them, and there is complications and risks on each and every one .  The decision has to come from you on what you want to with your body .  There is no magic cure out there , wish there was but there isn't. WLS is just a tool only .

Good Luck !
    
           
Quit Smoking
10/8/10
Starting BMI  52.9  BMI now  44.4        updated  6/6/11

  
Nic M
on 10/11/11 12:24 am
The biggest "con" with the band is that there is often a lot of pain involved: left shoulder referred from irritation to the diaphragm (it's becoming clear to me that it's more common than doctors are letting on.)  Other things I've experienced and have noticed others experiencing, as well:  severe constipation, abdominal pain, esophageal issues, band slippage and prolapse, reoperation, inability to eat solid foods without gagging and pain.

I personally think the band manufacturers completely over-promise and under-deliver. In my case, it harmed me physically and permanently. I can't even begin to describe the adverse way it's affected my life. It's been years since I had to have mine removed, but I still suffer the effects from it.

 

 Avoid kemmerling, Green Bay, WI

 

bgrandmabear
on 10/11/11 5:33 am
have to say i love my band yes there are hard times and good times but its trial and error like everythning but i have seen 8 people with pybass and 6 with band they are all different and all have problems of some sort so you cant go by what others say it will be different with everyone
BuckeyeGirl
on 10/11/11 11:30 am, edited 10/11/11 9:58 pm - TN

The cons of the lap band are that it has the poorest stats on excess weight lost and high rates of post-op complications. It is a foreign object in your body that can damage the stomach and esophagus.

My band required frequent adjustments. I would experience random tightening of my band and then not be able to eat until I could get back into my doctor's office. This is particularly inconvenient if you are someone who likes to travel.

I would never know what I could eat with my band...what would go down and what would get "stuck" and come back up. I often had very little restriction because I would have my band unfilled whenever this random tightening would occur and then I'd be wide open for several weeks until the random tightening struck again. Regain is also very easy with the lap band considering that your stomach is all still in there waiting to be fed any time you do not have good restriction.

There is some erroneous information in this thread, especially in thiknena's response. While I wish her the best with her band, I did want to comment for the OP's sake:

Humans do not regenerate body parts. With the sleeve, your stomach will not "grow back." Depending on how much of the fundus is removed or retained for the size of your sleeve, there may be some stretch left to the stomach. It may be possible by overeating to the point of real discomfort and possibly vomiting frequently to eventually stretch your sleeve, but this does not appear to be common. It is more likely that other behaviors would contribute to any concerns regarding regain.

And if you are going to be concerned about regain (which is a reasonable concern with any WLS), why not pick the surgery that is going to give you the best chance of getting to goal in the first place?

Thiknena also stated that the worst thing that could happen would be that she would need her band removed. This is unfortunately also false. One of the best things that can happen when you experience complications with the band is that you can have it removed. The band can cause permanent damage to the esophagus and stomach. The worst thing would be living with these permanent changes.

According to SteelerFan's post, she has had her band for almost a year without any complications and it sounds to me like she likens her band to dieting pre-op.

If it is going to be similar to a regular diet...why not just diet?

The difference with the sleeve is that aside from a normal functioning stomach (v. a lap  band pouch), you experience consistent restriction without any adjustments necessary. I can eat in the morning and at night (band restriction can vary greatly throughout the day).

My first year with the band, I lost about 65 lbs. Then I started having complications and began gaining my weight back. In my first 10 months with the sleeve, I've lost 115 lbs.

Pick the surgery that will give you the best chance of getting to goal. Come visit us on the VSG board.

Best,
Lindsey

ETA: I wanted to add that I also have to watch what I eat. I follow a low carb diet in order to meet my protein requirements each day. If I ate ice cream all day, I could not expect to lose weight with the sleeve either. Thankfully the reduction of hunger makes this very easy for me.

  

    
Nishababy
on 10/11/11 11:40 am - Hopkins , MN
thanks guys i have to do alot of thinking about getting this surgery im hoping to get it in the winter so i have a lot to concider
BettyRides242
on 8/30/14 10:24 am

I am interested in getting the lap band procedure done. I heard that other techniques of WLS are recommended more because of how with Lap Band some people are apt to regain the weight in close to five years or so. I am taking my time in making my decision and am also going to go to a class for two hours on what I have to do to get the surgery. I have come a long way from a few weeks ago when I thought surgery wasn't an option for me...Now I am a little more excited about it, and reading all of everyone's posts has given me the support and motivation to want to get this thing started and going the right direction. Take care everyone, and have a great day.

nort
on 9/6/14 12:23 am

I have had the lap band just over a year now, my starting weight was 349, I am currently 242, has the lap band been tough have I thrown up from over eating......YES, but the results have been AWESOME, people think if you get a weight loss surgery it is the end all to the being overweight, we have to do the work to make the weight come off.... eating correctly, giving up certain foods, mine were bread and tortillas, those people that say they have only lost 20 or 30 lbs are not getting off the couch and doing the work just do your research go to a few drs and pick the one that you think is the easiest for you to adapt to and the weight will fall off

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