That is considered success?! Most people who do life style changes (hell even dieting) can lose more than that in two years.

That's interesting... they had to put low standards on "success rate".

And to add further to this thread mermaid... you aren't severely overweight. I would bet that a doctor would be up for malpractice if they did this surgery to you.

thankyou Darth Pooh for the helpful input, that would have sufficed the first time around. I don't need to defend my maturity to you and I never asked for "helpful criticism" I asked for information.

Maleficent, I have been to the seminars but they are very clinical and tend to only highlight positive results for patients, so I am the next step of finding people who it hasn't worked for, and weighing pros and cons, obviously there are a lot of other options and I am exploring them too, and the reason I am asking questions is that I don't buy that every story is a success story they tell at these seminars, there has to be some shortcomings. I think gastric banding can be used as a tool in conjunction with diet and exercise to optimise results but I am keeping an open mind and trying to find out everything about it while staying fairly cautious. Really I am weighing it all up and no decisions have been made in fact I am fairly pessimistic, but there is no harm in finding out more. Thanks for your concern, rest assured I am not jumping into anything.

Also this isn't the only place I am looking for 'anecdotes' but with my previous experience on this forum I thought there would be people that could share.

I do appreciate everyone's stories, and didn't realise that there wasn't much traffic for people who have experienced surgery.

I read that too, obviously not fast results but who wants a quick fix? I think these things are designed to help you change eating habits (smaller portions, chewing slowly etc.) but with a considerable degree of bodily coercion. As Darth Pooh has pointed out you COULD accomplish more without it but I do think that some people feel there is no other way, I guess whether it is worth putting your body through that remains to be seen.

My point wasn't that it's slow, but that 50% of excess weight lost was about as good as it got. At 3 years out, their averages were still right around 50%, with average BMIs still above 30.

If you're looking for a really big stick to keep you on track, I can highly recommend gallstones. There's nothing like spending an hour or two throwing up and writhing on the floor crying to encourage you to skip that bite of high-fat snack next time. Too bad they can't be triggered at will.

Hi everybody,
Sorry I've been gone from this forum for so long, but I still read others' posts. And like I said, I am happy to share my experience with the lap band. First of all, I do not believe it is so wrong or bad to consider having surgery. Surgery is okay for some people, and it has saved a lot of lives. That said, yes, there are complications. However, the complications with the lap band are a lot fewer and less dangerous with the band vs. the gastric bypass. Also, I'd like to say that people who have had surgery belong on this forum just as much as anyone else who is using diet to lose weight. Your diet is what makes you lose weight whether you have the lap band or not. I would be sad to learn that we are not welcome here! I have just as much trouble eating well and exercising as all of you do, I promise. I would like to believe that Mermaid Sister and I are welcome here, because we do need help and support too. That said, here's my take on the lap band.

It was not difficult to be approved for the lap band. If you are significantly overweight, the doctors will do whatever they can to help you get approved by your insurance company, and the psychological pre-screening evaluation is not that rigorous. They ask you about your history of dieting, history of mental illness (I have a history of depression and anxiety and have been taking meds for both for years and years; I was still approved). They are mostly checking to see whether you are mentally capable of following instructions regarding the band.

As far as preparation: some doctors make you lose a little weight before the surgery so that the liver will shrink. If you are too big, the liver gets in the way of the surgery and can get damaged during the procedure. However, I didn't have to do this because I wasn't that large (according to the doctors). The day before the surgery you have to stay on a clear liquid diet and take a bunch of laxatives to flush out your bowels. You need to stay near a toilet all day long. The day of the surgery, I went in and immediately was put to sleep. The whole thing took about a half hour. (Mind you, things may be different for gastric bypass--I'm talking about the lap band only.) So the only thing I remember is talking with the anesthesiologist, and then waking up. I wasn't in any pain because they gave me morphine right away. I spent one night in the hospital, and they gave me liquid lortab (same as vicodin) regularly and had me on a clear liquid diet. It didn't hurt, but felt like there was some pressure in my abdomen. The worst pain (which was more like an annoyance) was some pain in my left shoulder that lasted for a few weeks after the surgery. I thought I must be high if I thought my shoulder was hurting after stomach surgery; however, I found out that most banders experience this pain. It's really gas pain, but you'd never know it because it's in your shoulder. This went away fairly quickly and was never excruciating. Deep breathing helps.

I had the surgery on a Thursday morning and was back at work the following Monday. I felt a little "tight", meaning that it hurt a little when I stretched my stomach muscles but was okay when I was leaning forward slightly. No real pain to speak of. After surgery you stay on a clear liquid diet for a week or so, and that's really difficult. You can eat sugar free jello or popsicles, juice, water, crystal light, but nothing that's not clear. After the clear liquid stage, you move to a "full liquid" diet. On that diet you can add soups to the list of things you can eat. After a few days on a full liquid diet, you can have soft cooked eggs. Then you move on to a soft food diet, where your food needs to be a little mushy. Finally you can eat a regular diet but still need to be careful about some foods (bread expands in your stomach and causes some pain). There are still some foods I cannot eat sometimes.

I know for a fact the surgery does work for some people, and I will tell you why I think it didn't work for me. The band makes you feel full really fast. After just a few bites, your hunger is gone. So if you are truly eating because you are hungry, this can help. I know several people who have had success with the band, and it helped them to eat "normally" and not overeat, and they also started exercising and now are at their goal weight. For me, my hunger is in my head, not in my stomach. And this is stomach surgery, not brain surgery! Yes, you can still overeat if you have the band. You cannot overeat meat and potatoes because they are too substantial, but you can overeat liquid-type foods like ice cream, chocolate, candy, and a lot of other stuff that can keep you fat. You can truly have as many milkshakes as you want, but you can't eat too much chicken. This is one of the reasons it didn't work for me. I didn't address my emotional issues, and found a way to "eat around the band". You just learn how to cope with having it and you can overeat anyway.

The purpose of the band is to tighten up the part of the stomach where the stretch receptors are. The stretch receptors signal the brain when the stomach is full, so that the person stops eating. Well, if you make them signal the brain earlier, you should theoretically get the person to stop eating sooner. Well, the problem is that the stretch receptors are very sensitive to hormones. One hormone, cortisol, is what wakes you up in the morning. When I feel that cortisol kick in, I cannot eat anything. It is very difficult for me to eat anything in the first several hours I'm awake. I drink protein shakes, but can't eat solids. Then I can eat something very light at lunch, and a light dinner as well. Then the trouble starts. By nighttime, my cortisol levels have dropped and other hormones have kicked in (I hear grehnlin or something like that is involved). This allows the band to feel looser, and I can eat whatever I want. I can eat it all, all the chips, candy, bread, ice cream, etc. I want and the band doesn't do anything.

So, in order to lose weight with the band, you have to do everything they say to do on this board. You need to make sure you eat enough during the day that you don't binge at night. Also, alcohol affects the stretch receptors, so if you want to eat a lot all you have to do is have a couple glasses of wine. This, in my opinion, is the main problem with the lap band--you can circumvent it's effects. You can wait until nighttime to binge, or have a few drinks, or just eat tiny amounts slowly throughout the day. If you feel subconsciously like you don't deserve to be thin, or if you hate yourself, or if you eat to cope with unpleasant emotions, you will find a way to do it with the band too.

On the plus side, the band is removable. The surgery is reversable, and the liquid in the band they use to tighten it (it's like putting saline into an inner tube around the top of your stomach, and the more saline you put into it the tighter the thing is). The surgery is not difficult, and the risk of complications are very low. This surgery is much, much, MUCH safer than the gastric bypass--there is no stapling or cutting or re-arranging of your intestines. And it DOES work for some people--people who get enough therapy to figure out why they overeat and learn some cognitive behavioral techniques to find other ways of comforting themselves, rewarding themselves, or coping, than using food. And it ONLY works when you are ready to follow the nutrition and exercise advice offered here on this forum.

I used to belong to a forum called LapBandTalk.com. You can find a TON of information there about the surgery and issues people have after having it. I prefer this forum, because I don't need to talk about my band anymore, I need to talk about my brain, my nutrition, my exercise, etc. This seems a better place to learn the behavioral changes, IMHO. I hope that people who jumped on you for wanting to discuss the surgery think a minute and decide whether we really don't belong here. We have just as much work to do as anyone else--probably even more. I would love to hear an acknowledgment that surgery is NOT an easy way out. It's just as hard as doing it with diet and exercise. Because you still have to do it with diet and exercise! The band is just supposed to be a tool to make it easier, and with me, it didn't make it easier enough! I tried to rely on my band alone, and tried to skip the hard work. But I've changed my mind now and am ready to work my butt off to make it happen.

BTW, I did lose 40 lbs. with the lap band and never gained it back. I still have 100 lbs. to lose, but who knows how much weight I might have gained had I never gone under the knife. At least I stopped the steady gain I've been experiencing since I was 25.

Mermaid Sis, you are old enough to make your own decisions when you have all the information, and I hope you think through the pros and cons thoroughly before having surgery. I would not have the surgery again, and would not recommend it to someone like me. However, if you are different and don't eat for emotional reasons and are just hungry a lot, then maybe it could be good for you IF you do all the work of dieting and exercise too. Again, I would like to believe I am welcome at this forum despite having had surgery. Even though I haven't posted in a while, I still visit here often and find support and encouragement here.

If you want to talk more or have more specific questions, please send me a private message or email me and I'd be happy to respond. Also, check out Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum for people in various stages of the process. They will give advice as well. Good luck!

Magic

Actually, a 10% loss in body weight (i.e. 28 lbs if you weigh 280) is enough to cause significant (statistically and clinically) improvements in health. Losing half of your excess weight is considered to be a huge improvement in health. And even though some people can lose that much with diet and exercise, some people can't keep it off. Surgery is not intended just to help you LOSE, but mostly, to help you maintain that loss. Diets are notorious for being good at losing but bad at helping people maintain over the long run.

And yes, all scientists provide operational definitions of variables, or as you said, standards on "success rate". Otherwise, what might be important to one researcher could be unimportant to another, and you can't just say "Treatment X was successful" unless you define what "success" means. And just because you believe their standard of success is low, doesn't mean that it doesn't have measurable and important positive effects on health.

You have a point here. I personally weighed 277 when I had surgery, and I am a fit and comfortable size 12 at 180. In addition, I didn't have any negative health consequences from my weight (YET). I was surprised to see that my doctor told my insurance company that I had sleep apnea (I don't), joint problems and arthritis (nope!), and high blood pressure (Never been higher than 125/80) in order to qualify me for the surgery. I found out these things during a follow-up appointment where a nurse asked me, "So, how is your sleep apnea and arthritis coming along?" I said I have never had either of those, and she quickly changed the subject and moved along. So doctors often will report false health problems in order to get you the surgery. It's not just that they want the money, but they truly believe in the surgery and think it would help you avoid those problems in the future. Nevertheless, I know it is still considered fraud.

Untrue. The psych eval is easy to pass, as is the training. Most people do not fail, even when they are not good candidates. If you have the cognitive and physical ability to follow simple instructions, they will help you to qualify. Remember, the surgeons WANT you to have the surgery. They believe it works, and they want your money.

In addition, morbidity and mortality rates for lap band patients are very low. Also, they are lower and lower the healthier you are and the less you weigh. Surgery is much safer on a 250 lb. person than on a 350 lb. person.

[QUOTE=Darth Pooh;451073]
If you don't have the willpower to stop eating the wrong things or the ability to change your eating habits, the effects of the lap band are temporary. They only act as a stop gap... you loose quite a bit... then gain it back because you don't know the value of a good and healthy meal. Your body adapts to the band and you can basically overcome the side effects of overeating (stretching the band itself).[QUOTE]

I agree with this. But it's not that your body adapts to the band (your band does not stretch) but you can learn to eat around the band by waiting until night time to eat, or by eating liquidy foods like chocolate and ice cream.

I think it's lame that there is a "preferred method" of weight loss. People on this forum seem to tolerate people on different diets and eating plans. Why is one method preferred over another? Shouldn't the preferred method be whatever works for an individual?

And yes, you still have to lose weight through diet and exercise whether you have the band or not. The band is just supposed to help make the diet part a little easier. Really, we're all after the same thing here. I don't see how it is helpful or useful to tell someone how they must go about this very personal journal.

At the same time, I would most certainly seek information about surgery at either Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum, or at Obesity Help - Weight Loss Surgery, Obesity Support Groups, Obesity Forums, Surgical Procedures.

okay, the websites look weird...try (one word) lap band talk . com or www . obesity help . com (one word)

Not gas as in intestinal gas. Gas as in the carbon dioxide they use to inflate you in any laparoscopic surgery to get a clear field of vision. Some of it remains in your body, and rises up to the highest place it can reach, which is your shoulder. Eventually, it gets absorbed back into you, and the pain goes away.

I understand where you're at. I was desperate when I had the surgery, and I know the feeling of being willing to do anything. I didn't answer these questions in my previous posts, so here goes:

At first (after the clear liquid diet and full liquid diet and mushy food stages that you go through when you're healing), you can eat almost any food, but it's better if it's soft. I personally have a hard time with breads and pastas before about 10pm. Others I know have had a hard time with meat. But they want you to stay on a diet like the South Beach Diet. Lots of protein (even if you just have protein shakes) and no sugar. You can have sugar from fruits and whole grains, but not any other sugar. You can eat fat, but it should be olive oil, canola oil, or other heart-healthy oils. Basically, the diet they put you on is very much like South Beach, but you should eat exactly 3 times a day and no more, unless you are really starving. My doctor told me to try to eat solid foods as much as possible (an egg instead of a protein shake) because they will stay in your stomach and make you feel full for longer. So, an egg for breakfast, something like lunch meat and low fat cheese for lunch, and soft-cooked chicken or fish with veggies for dinner. That's supposed to be enough for you and keep you really full. The doc said that if I'm still hungry at night, to eat more of what I had at dinner. You can eat as much as you want of those foods, but you won't want to eat more soft cooked chicken breast. You'll be full enough. The challenge is not heading for the frozen yogurt at nighttime, for me. They will arrange for you to have a nutritionist to consult with for as long as you need (probably) and will encourage you to get a psychologist familiar with weight-loss/ bariatric/ eating disorder issues to help you along. Also, people who attend weekly support groups after surgery lose a lot more than people who don't (I don't remember the percentage).

I still have my band, and it still keeps me from eating certain things, especially during the day. If I eat too much, or take too big a bite, I will be in the toilet puking within 10 minutes. This is a problem sometimes, and is very awkward when you meet someone for dinner who doesn't know about your band and you end up going to the bathroom after every other bite. I'm sure people thought I was bulimic! However, I have stopped getting fills (when they inject saline into your port so that your band gets tighter. I feel like I'm tight enough (even though my doc would probably say I'm not because I can still overeat at night, and would want to make it tighter).

One thing I do love about the band (and why I would recommend it over gastric bypass) is that (1) it's removable/fully reversable, and (2) they can let the saline out of it if you happen to get pregnant so that you can eat more. At 23, you may want to have a kid one day and gastric bypass can keep your baby undernourished. The lap band can be loosened if you get pregnant, or if you decide that you don't want to feel the effects any more for whatever reason. It only takes 2 minutes to put the saline in or take it out (with a needle/syringe through a port in your lower abdomen), and it doesn't hurt at all. Then you can fill it back up after you give birth, or when you decide you want to try it again. That is helpful. Plus, the complication rate for a healthy 23-year-old is so low. You can look it up, but my doctor has performed over 2,000 lap band surgeries and had only 1 minor complication that was fixed immediately. Also, should you decide to go forward, I would recommend finding a doctor who has performed a ton of these. The more experience the doctor has, the lower the risk of complications. The other thing is that complications of the gastric bypass are far more severe. That involves actually cutting the stomach and intestines and re-routing the stomach to the colon so you just dump out everything you eat. For lap band complications, they are almost always easy to fix and non-life-threatening. The surgery is just so much more simple and easy, and recovery time is a fraction of that of gastric bypass.

Another tidbit about the gastric bypass: at first it works miracles because you don't absorb any of the nutrients (or calories) from the food you eat, and you will drop a ton right away (like 100 lbs. in 5-6 months even). Then your body, miracle worker as it is, will learn how to absorb the calories faster. It learns that it won't have long to get the nutrients out of the food you eat before the food passes out of you, and it adapts to get those nutients and calories FAST. That is why people with bypass surgery tend to start regaining weight after 2 years, and will continue to gain as time goes by, unless they truly have used the surgery to learn new eating and exercise habits. Look at Carnie Wilson. I believe that's what happened to her. You can only fool your body for so long. Amazing.

That makes sense! It is very uncomfortable, but like you said, goes away on its own in time.

Does this mean that you have attempted to live with the gallstones and avoid fatty foods? I only ask because I am scheduled to have my gallbladder removed next week.

At first I was told that a lot of people have gallstones and never had any symptoms and that sometimes that first attack might be the only attack. I started to diet in January (it took a few months to get an ultrasound to confirm the gallstones so I had already started to diet for myself before I knew for certain that I had them) and thus when my doctor recommended surgery I opted to wait and see. Between the diet, where I knew I would be avoiding high fatty foods anyway, and the chance that I may not get another attack I was willing to wait it out.

About a month or two ago I started getting attacks again and they have become more frequent. I have had five in just over a month and a half (but none in the last two weeks) and I was recommended for the surgery.

So, though it's too late to back out of the surgery now (not that I would want to, everywhere I go I am constantly aware of my upper right abdomen, is it getting tight? Am I starting to get a pain? I can't even go out to the cinema and enjoy a movie now without worrying) I am wondering how you managed with it?

I was/am lucky in that I never really vomited with them, though I have had attacks that have lasted over 9 hours of writhing agony. Do you get them often? Do you ever consider having the surgery?