Choosing to do that Lap-Ban...any concerns?

Kateweighs138

My best friend had lap. She's lost 70 pounds in a year. I sort of think of it as the "get rich quick" of weight loss. It's the easy way out... if it a healthy one? What really got me is she lost 16 pounds in the pre-surgery diet. I wish she would've realized if she could do that, she could do the rest! Without the surgical risk, the sacrifice in health, the incredible expense, the pain.

You've asked for concerns. Here are some I've seen:

- she can't eat enough to get adequate nutiriont
- she's always hungry
- she eats those teeny bird meals and gets grumpy from hunger/deprivation
- she isn't fun to eat with. I may get crap for saying so, but I think you're asking for the whole truth. It kinds bites to be with someone who cannot enjoy a healthy "normal" meal or has a timer at the table. It's socially isolating and off-putting.
- she isn't building muscle so she isn't looking shapely at all

The pro? Well hells belles, weight loss doesn't get any more passive, does it? If no-work weight loss is your only goal, go for it. If you have healthy goals, maybe choose to do something different on your own and YOU WILL GET THERE! Only you'll be healthy when you reach that finish line.

I wish you great luck and health, whatever you do!

taso42

To keep the results permanently, you will have to change your lifestyle permanently. Therefore, why not just change your lifestyle today and skip the surgery altogether? You will have a higher chance of success that way as well.

RobynMWilson

I know of people who had both gastric bypass and lap band. Those who made the dietary modifications and starting eating real food in smaller portions and started exercising had success. Those who failed to make the lifestyle changes they needed to make didn't have success.

Kinda like the people who didn't have the surgery...

You're not that much overweight that you can't do it on your own with the right lifestyle changes. And then you won't have the GI side effects and risk of infection that comes along with that surgery...

DtexR

Like others I have stories. But first - Dont Do It

A good friend of mine did it (as a last resort) and after about 4-5 months he died from complications connected to the procedure. Yes he was obease but he would still be alive today had he not done it. My wife did the by pass about 2 years ago. She preped like crazy starting 3-4 months before she even had the procedure, meaning she reduced her intake quantity but in the final month or so she was strickly liquid. This was all done at the advice of her surgeon who had undergone the procedue himself. She is 62 and realized she was going up and down with every fad available. She now worksout at least 5 times a week. This is a choice that she had to make and a process that requires her to stay with it for life. I also had an employee who did the by pass, lost 100+ pounds. Never given any advice for prep - following sutible recoverey was told you can eat anything just in smaller amounts. No guidance - and she is now back past her original weight having eatend what was bad and eaten too much causing her stomach to stretch back out. I repeat Dont do it --

PS. My wife is looking good but she totally changed her lifestyle.

summersbest

I had RNY surgery over 6 months ago and it was the BEST decision I ever made. Due to health problems and the medication I had to go on I gained over 100lbs. I was actually told by the doctor at the weight loss clinic that no amount of exercise or diet would rid the weight. I di much research on my own and went to all the preparation appointments and groups beforehand so that I knew exactly what was expected of me post surgery. Has it been an easy journey? Absolutely not but no type of weight loss is and I knew I could never loose the weight on my own given my circumstances.

Don't let anyone else decide for you. It's very easy for some people to be against surgery but they have no idea what we have been through to try and loose the weight. Before I got sick I was 170lbs. I worked out regularly and for the most part watched what I ate but it was a struggle just to maintain that weight.

That said, I have relatives who have had both gastric bypass and the lap band surgery. Those that had the lap band have not been successful and have gained most of their weight back. Where I live the provincial government pays for the entire surgery process but only for RNY as the lap band has been deemed unsuccessful due to complications with the band and weight gained back. My advice is to research each surgery type very carefully so that you are making an informed decision.

I wish you luck with whatever decision you make.

lilbearzmom

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

bbydl64

Had a friend that had it done. Continued to eat her normal foods. (hotdogs, ice cream etc ) just in smaller portions. Did not change her lifestyle. Did lose the weight initially but after 2 years of not changing her habits, gained it back. Good luck in your final decision.

lilbearzmom

I think that most people posting on this thread need to educate themselves before making judgments and statements about something they are so clearly ignorant about.

adudu

I do not want to discourage you, but everytime you have surgery, you take a risk... and if you do not take care of the issues that caused you to get heavy in the first place, this can add complications and still add weight - Seriously consider other means, I am sure you ahve tried all sorts of things, but have you tried getting a personal trainer to help you exercise and eat right? I know that it seems like a quick fix, and it can work, but in the end there are no such things as an easy solution.

I totally agree. I have a friend that has bypass surgery(multiple reasons why this over non surgery ways) and she said while in the hospital "DO WHAT EVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF SURGERY". This type of surgery should be an ABSOLUTE last straw/I will die if I don't have it type of situation. Your weight is by no means a reason to have surgery if you are otherwise healthy. I have another friend who is WAY larger then you and she is down almost 100lbs by counting her calories and exercising. These type of surgeries are an absolute life changing situation. It doesn't matter if you do a surgery or not, if you don't learn how to control what you put into your body you aren't going to have success. In my opinion if there are not any type of horrible debilitating health issues these surgeries are for lazy people that aren't willing to make healthy, long term sustainable changes to their diets and lifestyle. I wish you luck on your future.

I could not agree more with you two. for the amount of money you are going to spend on the surgery, you can get a trainer for atleast 6moths. We shouldnt run to the quiest fix, Just because we have that solution it doesen't mean it is the right one. Please consider and try a persnal trainer before puting your health in a risk such as a non-medical surgery.

angelamotley

i heard bad thing i am also thinking about it going to the meeting next week now im on here thinking about not even going the things that happend 2 few friends its scairry dont know what to do but i am 280 and need to be 260 at the max but we can do it if you want to add me !

Deanna149

my uncle has this, has had some good success, but also some drawbacks. best advice is to follow the guidelines, he was in pain when he steered away from the recommendations (ie: drinking pop....eating too fast or too much) i'm sure the doctor has given or will give you risks, benefits, and recommendations, i honestly don't know all the statistics or anything, but want to wish you luck either way you go!

carramel0705

I would avoid the surgery if possible , I started at 237.5 Jan 7 , 2012 I am down to 179.4 today no surgery or pills just lots of hard work and healthier eating .

ETA i think i may have been over 250 in Aug 2011 . my profile pic shows my progress from Aug '11 - Feb '13

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

there could be long term risk, erosions, band slippage etc, i'm sure the doctor already warned you.

adudu

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

Honestly, i don't see what is " extremely ignorant and stupid" about the statement. it is a true statement cause in this part of the world we are, we tend to go for the easiest way out. If we could only remember that good things take time and hard work, we wouldnt be talking about this. And i beleive that is why we are all here, to remind eachother of the ways of life and ancourage eachother. So "stupid and extremely ignorant" a statement it was not. IMHO

yetahbennett

Im a nurse and I have taken care of my people who are having so many problems after their surgery. Some people lose weight initially and then start to gain again. Many cant tolerate having the Saline added after a certain point and have to have it removed. Not to mention being re-hospitalized due to complications. Its very risky and I really want you to research this procedure very thoroughly before commiting to it. Also research the Dr performing this procedure. Look up his infection rates, ho long has he been doing this surgery and see if their are any complaints out there. Just remember that it still requires you to exercise and change your eating habits....

briggsy13

I think the others covered the risks etc. I started off at 240 and am currently at 182. Its almost a 60 lb loss. I plan to get down to at least 160 if not 150. It will happen it just takes time and dedication. You can totally do this with diet and exercise. Good Luck!!

2shortpeopleruleme

I had RNY Gastric Bypass 13 months ago. My suggestion is to find support groups for people making or who have made the choice to have WLS. As these people who get it. People who have never had it done and know someone's friend's dog who had WLS and died are not people who you should be talking with. My surgery saved my life. Period. End of story. It is NOT easy, and something that you MUST live with everyday. I have had zero side effects/complications. It is major surgery, and shouldn't be taken lightly. But, if this is the right choice for you, then go for it! I am glad that I did!

adudu

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

You're saying everyone who had lap band surgery was 100% successful? There is no chance of relapse? It is a crutch, it doesn't cure anyting, it "helps you" you still have to eat right and exercise.

Or is it ignorant because some people have such a "hard time" losing weight?

I would like to know also what she/he meant.

dez_yaoichan

I don't think anything anyone else says on here is going to change your mind, I don't see that what I have to say will even be considered. I think you have already made up your mind that you are getting this surgery.

I say congrats on taking weight loss seriously, I wish you much successes.

How ever- again I don't really think what anyone says will matter to you but- I feel that unless you have been told that you MUST have this surgery to live, that you truly need it, don't do it.

If you can possibly lose by working out and eating right, you should take it slow and try it.

If you have medical reasons that you NEED the surgery, I hope everything works out for you.

Ed98043

A couple of years ago the FDA relaxed the requirement for people to qualify for lap-band surgery - it used to be that you had to have a BMI of 35 or higher. Now you can have a BMI of 30 or higher as long as you have an additional weight-related health issue.

What bothers me is all the people on here talking about gastric bypass as though it's comparable to lap-band. It's just not. Lap-band has a failure rate of nearly 50%, meaning that a second surgery is needed because the band slips or degrades. Also, gastric bypass removes a large portion of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestines which has two effects: With a smaller stomach you don't produce as many hunger hormones, and with part of the intestine being bypassed you don't get as many calories out of the food that you eat. Lap-band leaves everything intact so you're just as hungry as you ever were and you absorb every calorie you eat. Not surprisingly, gastric bypass patients lose more weight and keep it off better.

Like most of the people on here, I know someone who had lap-band. As far as I can tell she lost the most weight in the time leading up to the surgery, but now she's just as big as she ever was. She doesn't talk about it so I don't bring it up. If you can't control your food choices and portions, don't think lap-band will magically change that. It is a tool, but like any tool it depends on who's using it.

lexijonahaddison

I don't know enough about the lap-ban surgery, but I started my weight loss journey at 225-not far from you...I started the optifast program and have lost 25lbs. in 7 weeks. if you could avoid a major surgery I would and look for different options!!!! good luck!!

ShreddedTweet

As someone who had to have emergency life saving surgery following an accident I would NEVER elect to willingly have any unnecessary surgery.

And make no mistake, this is a thoroughly unnecessary surgery. It's a lazy way to do something that is uncomfortable yes but not impossible.
Many people on MFP have lost more than the 84lbs you are seeking to lose and have done it the hard way, without taking risks and while addressing the issues with food that got them there in the first place.

I don't agree with it. Just my opinion.

whitecapwendy

Only you can make the decision that is right for you. I started out at 279 pounds and am working hard at learning what healthy eating is, and increasing my activity to try to get the weigh off. I have been at it since Jan 4 and have taken off 32 pounds. I am looking at it as a lifestyle change and am determined to be successful. I have 3 friends who chose weight loss surgery. two chose the permanent kind. One seems to have had no struggles, looks great and has changed her eating habits. One looks great, but lost some of her hair and had a stroke afterward. My third friend chose lap band and had a lot of problems. She eventually gained the fifty pounds she lost back and had the band removed. She switched to the permanant wls, and is really struggling. She struggles to find foods that will stay down and pretty much does the cracker thing. She has lost over 70 pounds since late October. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best.

carolynbergen1

...and now Dr. Oz is recommending gastric bypass surgery for everyone who is 50bs plus overweight...I think that's when I finally realized to take everything this TV doctor says with a huge grain of salt. Let's get real here. This surgery should only be done after everything else has failed, and I mean everything. Think about what is being done to the human body, which is an incredible machine, when you interrupt the normal healthy mechanisms of the GI tract by tying it off with a lapband. The reality is that you are making your natural stomach into a small pouch. It's purpose is to make you take in less food because you feel "full", ergo you don't eat as much and you lose weight. To me this is medical insanity. This is where we are right now? Why? I'm serious. Why can't we control our food intake, move around more, etc? Yeah, I'm here because I have a problem. I was 50 lbs overweight. 8 weeks later I am down 12lbs. My problem was that I am on medication which has a known side effect of gaining weight, mechanism not yet known, my metabolism has slowed with age, I forgot what a "portion" really was, I had been drinking my calories with all the coffee creamer I was using every day. I reached a point where I was sick and tired all the time. I'm done with that. I'm here. I'm learning how to eat correctly and I am trying to exercise even though I hate it to begin with and have FMS which makes me hurt all the time. But I am doing it and I was the extreme couch potato 8 weeks ago.

So you get hunger pangs? Not to be a jerk, but so what? Why is that so terrible? I realize I am wired differently than most and maybe that's why I don't get it. I am doing fine on 1200 calories per day when I don't exercise and I eat back most of my exercise calories when I do work out and I am not going through the day hungry....not once. I hardly ever snack between meals probably because I'm not hungry! I'd go to a nutritionist if you are always hungry throughout the day, every day, and he/she can help to figure out a diet that will make you full and satisfied while still losing weight.

Ill catch hell for this post but oh well, so be it. I think that doctors, specifically GI surgeons, who make their money cutting into people, are treating a psychological issue, surgically. I don't think it's fair to the general population. What's next, let's staple people's mouth shut so they won't/can't eat anything but liquid protein?

Besides that these procedures have not been around long enough to thoroughly research them. It's like LASIK surgery. I'd love not to have to wear contacts or glasses all the time but I'll be damned if I will allow someone to cut into my corneas just quite yet, thanks.

Good luck to the OP. I'd really like to know what he/she has tried before thinking of doing this. Again should be a last resort for people who will die if they can't lose a ton of weight in 6 months...because you CAN lose a lot of weight in a year with diet and exercise...I dont get it....

ShreddedTweet

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

You're saying everyone who had lap band surgery was 100% successful? There is no chance of relapse? It is a crutch, it doesn't cure anyting, it "helps you" you still have to eat right and exercise.

Or is it ignorant because some people have such a "hard time" losing weight?

I would like to know also what she/he meant.

He/she meant that lap band surgery is not a cure or a fix. It isn't always successful, as far as I'm aware there is a 50% chance of relapse because you're not actually solving your eating issues. I wouldn't risk surgery that doesn't give permanent results.

airangel59

Dear OP
I started ~40 lbs over your number, back in June. My goal weight is approx the same as yours. I have 2 cousins who had the band surgery, lost the weight, had no issues with it, other than they can't eat a lot of the food they used to and have to eat small portions and if they eat too much, too fast and certain foods, they come back up.
Surgery is a big decision....I can't speak from any experience since I've never had any, but I did go to 2 gastric bypass group meetings to hear them out, and speak to others who had or were thinking about the surgery.
I code medical records for a living and I see the complications that any bariatric surgery can lead to. Does it happen to everyone? NO, but who knows if you will be one of the lucky ones. Problems with band erosion, band slippage, complications of the surgery such as lacerations, infection/abscesses, hemorrhages, hematomas, bowel obstruction, anesthetic complications and so on. Any time you go under the knife you are risking your life.
If the surgery is for medical necessity it is one thing, but if you are doing this electively, please do some serious research before you commit. From the info I got when I attended the seminars, you are required to lose x amt of weight ahead of time. If you can do that, why not commit a bit of time to try to do it on your own. The community here is supportive, whichever way you go, but there are a lot of folks here who lost some serious weight, way over what you and I are looking to lose, and they did it on their own, no pills, potions, or surgery.
Only you can make up your mind, and hopefully you'll be an informed consumer when you make your decision. The band is reversible, you can gain weight with the band depending on what you eat/drink, same with the roux en y, vertical sleeve surgery and so on.
No weight loss is easy, you will have to work at it no matter what decision you choose. I wish you well on your journey, whichever route you take.

lilbearzmom

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

You're saying everyone who had lap band surgery was 100% successful? There is no chance of relapse? It is a crutch, it doesn't cure anyting, it "helps you" you still have to eat right and exercise.

Or is it ignorant because some people have such a "hard time" losing weight?

I would like to know also what she/he meant.

He/she meant that lap band surgery is not a cure or a fix. It isn't always successful, as far as I'm aware there is a 50% chance of relapse because you're not actually solving your eating issues. I wouldn't risk surgery that doesn't give permanent results.

Wow, someone gets it. Maybe you didn't use the term you were meaning to use to describe it. A more appropriate word would be that WLS is a tool, not a cure or a quick fix. Saying it is a crutch just screams ignorance. Most bariatric doctors in the US require intense psychotherapy and classes before they will do surgery on someone. You have to go through very vigorous medical tests prior to surgery. It's just ridiculous to think that people don't exhaust every other option. It's a last resort that saves lives. Please educate yourself.

ShreddedTweet

DON'T DO IT!!!! Be patient, change your eating and exercise habits, and be patient, and you can change for life. The lap band is a crutch.

This is a really stupid statement and extremely ignorant.

You're saying everyone who had lap band surgery was 100% successful? There is no chance of relapse? It is a crutch, it doesn't cure anyting, it "helps you" you still have to eat right and exercise.

Or is it ignorant because some people have such a "hard time" losing weight?

I would like to know also what she/he meant.

He/she meant that lap band surgery is not a cure or a fix. It isn't always successful, as far as I'm aware there is a 50% chance of relapse because you're not actually solving your eating issues. I wouldn't risk surgery that doesn't give permanent results.

Wow, someone gets it. Maybe you didn't use the term you were meaning to use to describe it. A more appropriate word would be that WLS is a tool, not a cure or a quick fix. Saying it is a crutch just screams ignorance. Most bariatric doctors in the US require intense psychotherapy and classes before they will do surgery on someone. You have to go through very vigorous medical tests prior to surgery. It's just ridiculous to think that people don't exhaust every other option. It's a last resort that saves lives. Please educate yourself.

I'm afraid I disagree, in fact it's extremely naive to assume that most people HAVE 'properly' exhausted every other option. It's a sweeping generalisation, a great number of people do turn to WLS because they have been unsuccessful in the past but many of those haven't had the proper knowledge to be successful with dieting. In that sense they have not exhausted every other option because they have not bent the laws of physics and they CAN lose the weight with diet and exercise, willpower and the right information.

symonspatrick

Laura, Your numbers are the same as my wife. She also has a goal of getting down to 150 pounds. She was at your starting weight just 7 months ago and she has lost 53 pounds since then by eating an average of 1650 calories per day. You are 15 years younger than her so you may be able to eat even more calories than her and still lose at the same rate as her. I just wanted to share with you that it is possible to do without surgery just by controlling the amount of calories you eat and drink. Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best.

Sunshine2plus2

You are only 234pds and are going to have lap band surgery?!? Good luck but I would not do it!! I was 330pds and lost 138pds by myself! Eat right and exercise it will come off the healthy way!