Would you?

I would not do it again and whoever I meet that wants theband I tell them its not cracked up to be what they said. Theres too many things that you find out after its in. I haven't really lost anymore weight since last June. I go up and done a few pounds even seeing a nutrionist. I take alot of meds that hold my weight on. plus not having a thyroid doesn't help. I hate the fact that one day you can eat something and the next day it rejects the same food...very fickel....I just tolorate it...

~very fickel~

Extremely unpredictable! You just never know till you take that bite if it's going to be a "good food day" or a "bad food day". That annoys the hell out of me when I go out to eat and it happens. I'f I'm home and can just throw something in the refrig it doesn't bother me as much, but when I go out to eat and may not even be going home after and have to just throw a whole meal away b/c of that it's more annoying.

The fickle band.  I heard a lot people complain about this.  I would hate that.  I don't have that problem.  I have a very tolerant band.

What I do have a problem with is my band is closely inked to my emotions.  So if I'm stressed, upset, excited...I can't eat much.  At my daughter's wedding I couldn't eat much of anything.  I lost my job recently and it's been a roller coster of stress and anxiety and my band has been tight one day and lose the next.  Today is a good day. 

Crystal -- when I was researching, I had a chance to look at (and touch) both a Lap Band and a Realize Band --- and it felt like the Realize was a bit more pliable.

My doctor mentioned that also -- that in his experience it seemed a little more forgiving.

I am happy that I got the Realize band ---- I don't consider my band to be finicky (a few times, user error has made for a really crappy day, but it was clearly user error).

 spuddy,

maybe this will help.  I'm on a ton of meds as well for an autoimmune/vascular disease and one of them is prednisone.  

I stopped losing after a flare and gained about 25 pounds when I had to go up to 80mg of pred.  I'm finally on 5mg and I found THE BEST nutritionist that understands medicine and the toxins they place in our bodies and in our livers.

I have lost 21 pounds in 6 weeks doing the following (and it wasn't easy to start, but I'm glad I'm doing it now).

1.  Decarb your life.  Medications LOVE to hang on to carbs

2.  You liver is working overtime due to medications. Therefore, it really can't help get rid of the fat.  Sooooo, she suggested adding at least 2 servings of organic chia seeds however I wanted it.  I usually throw them in a protein shake or in cottage cheese.

3.  GREENS ARE A LIVER'S BEST FRIEND.  She wants me to juice, but I'm just too chicken.  BUT, she said then eat as much uncooked spinach as I can.  I have a lot of it in salads with walden farms no cal, no fat, no carb dressings.  I love them now!

4.  Water, water, water.

Her juicing suggestion:  spinach, ice water, and some fruit you like that has a strong taste like apple or pineapple.  Don't go crazy on the fruit, but get it to where you can make yourself drink the juice.  she said if you must then strain the pulp.  I just can't do it, but I know it would help me even more if I'd stop being a chicken about it LOL

I've really seen a difference in my energy, weightloss and even my skin.  The combination of those things has helped greatly.  I am so grateful that someone finally understands my medications and knows how to help me get healthier in spite of having to take those medications.

With this information...that would be a BIG no. 
 

This band has been a blessing but that is because I  had no choice but to buckle down and make this thing work for me.  So for the first time in my life I'm exercising and eating right (all of the time).  But now I have this thing in me that might be considered by the government as dangerous and what will happen???  Will insurance cover my appointments for yearly maintenance and fills?  Probably not.  Which means it will be useless to me eventually.  All of this work and for what???  Just to have it rendered unsafe and I can't utilize it to it's fullest extent....ya I would like to jump in my time machine and get a RNY (my insurance only covered RNY or Band at the time). 

If I had money coming out of my ass I would have self paid for a DS...but that was never hapening

I know I am going against the majority, but F*#^ YEAH!!!

Many have stated my weight loss (over 200 pounds) isn’t typical. While that may be true, I’ve met many folks who have been very successful with the band losing over 100 pounds, and kept it off - without issues.

I did a lot of research prior to the band, and I looked at the success data OUTSIDE the US. I checked into the lap-band; mid-band and Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (now known as Realize). The research looked at was promising.

My Doctor was HONEST from day one, explaining how I needed to work this TOOL and not to expect miracles. He also explained some folks fail with this operation, and there are folks who experience “mechanical" failures with the band.

Let’s be honest folks, while it is true many folks have had issues with their bands, others (like myself) haven’t and are successful. In addition, in all honesty, NO ONE BARIATRIC procedure has 100% success rate. So while you may promote YOUR operation, I know many bariatric siblings who have “failed" with EVERY procedure out there. So let's make sure we give all operations, even the band, a fair shake.

NO studies have shown that one operation is better compared to the other. If it was, the Medical community would be pushing for that one specific operation, and abandon all others. And we all also know “studies" and “statistics", they can be misleading or “skewed" depending who is conducting them, and the reason they are doing the study. So for every study that bashes one particular operation, I can find a study that contradicts it and talks about the praises of that particular operation.

So going back to your question, YES I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT!! Even if for some reason I have issues with my band, I know it brought me to where I needed to be.

It is very embarrassing to me when I'm invited out to dinner by one of my married children and they spend good money on my meal only for me to have a meal night the the band decides it doesn't want me to eat the food. I sort of make beleive I'm full and take it home but after a year and half they look at me and say, why don'gt you take that thing ou so you can enjoy food.

Yeah that's bad. What's worse is when you get the "stuck face" and they recognize it automatically. I hate it that they get so upset seeing that happen  to me! :-(

I may be to new to the band world since it has been only almost a year with it, but coming from a failed RNY surgery and the band working more for me that that I am going to say so far so good.  When I had the RNY 9 years ago and the surgen told me since I was young he felt he would make my new stomach alittle larger than normal I thought ok you know what your doing go for it.  I originally wanted the band but he spoke about how with being 350 at 22 I would be more successful going for the RNY.  Two months later, gray skin and not able to get any liquid down, sucking on washcloths to get any type of saliva going, I was rushed to the ER from a scope to have a second RNY done becuase the hole of my fantastic new life had gotten so much scar tissue that it was closed shut.  Fast forward 9 years later, I found a Dr. that said she could help.  Yes she told me all of the risks with the band but because of the already two surgeries and still weighing in the 300's I would have more success. So right now being 31 and 258, eating healthy and taking care of myself in every way I can, I am finally having results.  Is it becuase of the band? Prob can not answer that 100% but I will say that I made the right decision and would do it over in a heartbeat.  I just hope and pray that I continue to more forward and lead a healthy happy life.  I feel for those who have had horrible experiences, becuase I have been there, scaring the death out of my loved ones and not even knowing what could of happened.  So I also pray that we all find peace in whatever decision we have made and just make the best out of any situation handed to us.  I will cont to support anyone who needs it, as I have received from all of you on here as well. 

Wow, I deff am having a half full day huh? :) I could of just said yes I guess LOL

Nikki