My Pros and Cons list for the band.

Aug 04, 2010

I can only speak from my own experience, but here are the pros and cons in my opinion.

Pros-
-I have lost 100+ lbs and have no existing co-morbidities, not even sleep apnea or plantar faceitis!
-The band works by pressing on a nerve that signals the hypothalamus in your brain that you are full.  I have never felt true hunger between meals with my band. (But, I followed the "rules" faithfully from the beginning for  the first 9 months.)
-There's no "dumping syndrome" with the band when you eat sweets.
-When you eat protein first you stay full longer and once you have restriction, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of food IS enough to feel satisfied.
-I can eat most foods with the exception of soft breads, noodles/pasta, white rice, dry meats and very fibrous vegetables and fruits. 
-I can eat out in restaurants with no trouble as long as I'm willing to make the proper food choices.
-I can re-create the tastes and flavors I thought I would have to go without, i.e., Mexican, Thai, Italian, whatever.  I just alter my old favorites to work with the band.
-I control how tight or how loose I want to keep my band.
-It's removable if something happens that warrants a removal but it's meant to stay permanently.  I know if I didn't have my band I would go back to the old habits.
-It works well for me because I am a type A personality, meaning I like following the rules.
-It worked well for me because my main issue with food is that I was a "volume" eater.  I never felt full and could eat a lot!  I felt that I could make good healthy food choices if the band would help control the portion size and that's exactly what's worked for me.
-I was committed to changing the quality of food I put in my body as well as the amount.  Making healthier food choices and giving up simple carbohydrates is why I lost the first 100 lbs in 9 months.  I was very strict with what I ate.
-The vitamin regime post op is mild compared to the other malabsorbtive proceedures.

Cons-
-You have to get fills, ( and sometimes un-fills), to maintain the restriction level in the band.   I don't mind the needle but you have to do regular doctor visits.  In the beginning, (first 6 months), it's about every 6 weeks and then after that it's just an occasional tweak to maintain good restriction.
-There are certain foods you may not be able to eat but it varies greatly by the individual and hasn't been a problem for me.
-If you eat too much, don't chew well enough, or eat something that's too dry, fibrous, etc. it will get stuch and you will feel pain until it passes through the stoma opening or you will regurgitate the food back up.
-You can still eat junk like chips, sugar, ice cream etc. and the band won't generally stop anything that turns to liquid once eaten.  You have to self monitor the junk foods.
-You can't drink during or at least 30 minutes after you eat because liquids will help move the food through your stoma faster and that defeats the purpose of eating a small portion  and being satisfied between meals.
-You can't, (or at least shouldn't), drink carbonated beverages.
-YOU have to control what you eat because this is not a malabsorbtive proceedure like RNY, so your body will absorb anything you eat, good or bad.

I could go on and on, but in my opinion the band works great if you are type A, extremely motivated and are completely committed to changing the quality of food you eat, not just the amount, and if you are willing to move your body more than you did before and increase exercise as you lose weight.  Exercise is a critical factor to success especially once you lose the first big chunk of weight and you metabolism adjusts to your new calorie intake.  If you are a grazer and  junk food junky but portion size is not an issue this may not be the best choice for you.  If you're a rule follower when motivated it can work very well.  If you're stubborn like me, it may work very well.  BUT, you can learn to "eat around the band" by chosing liquid calories, soft foods that go right through the band and lots of high sugar junk foods so in the end it really comes down to how much you can control your food choices and how motivated you are to exercise.  I was able to give up bread, pasta and rice but I still struggle with sugar so it's all up to me to be able to control that becuase it goes right through the band.  Good thing I'm a control freak who was able to channel my compulsivity toward my WL efforts!

Best of luck in making your decision.  Please feel free to ask any questions.  I'm an open book!

Lisa O.
 

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