Considering Banding

I have been overweight since the birth of my son 22 years ago and am at an all time high of 292. I am insulin-dependent diabetic and also take several meds for diabetes. I'm also on an antidepressant and high blood pressure med.

I have several friends who've had gastric bypass but do not know anyone who's had the banding done. One of my bypass friends invited me to her WLS support group because there are people there who've had the banding done. The next meeting is on Monday, March 12, and I'm planning to go. If I decide to have the banding done (which I'm 95% sure I will), her doctors would be the ones I'd choose to do the procedure.

I have seen too many negative complications with the bypass surgery to want that for myself. My biggest fear of having the banding done is that I will still make poor food choices and the procedure will be in vain. I've been reading a lot about banding, and I know that it can be a negative-reinforcement process--eating too fast or the wrong foods, not chewing thoroughly, etc., causes discomfort that teaches you not to do that again.

My family doctor told me that while he does not fully endorse the bypass surgery, he would respect and support my choice. I did not discuss banding with him.

I am really tired of being fat, of not being able to look good in clothes, of not being able to bend over to tie my shoes, of not being able to take care of my feet, the embarrassment of seat belts not being long enough to cover my girth, of taking up twice the amount of space that I should. I'm tired of the medical and health problems, feeling tired and sleepy, being embarrassed when I fall asleep during meetings at work. If I could lose weight on my own, I would have by now. I've certainly invested enough time, money, and effort.

I was unsure about getting banding and then I decided to. If you read my early posts after surgery, you will see how I wanted it out the first couple of nights I had it. I had a reality check about my relationship with food. I thought I really knew why I was fat. It wasn't until I was banded the truth hit me right in the face and I realized it was way more than I ever imagined.
So far, I have not had my first fill. I want the right fill. I do not want to be a bandster that purposely keeps their band too tight (which is often where a lot of the problems can come from). But as of right now, I still have head hunger and I still WANT food and I still think about it a lot. The band has not changed this. I am also still physically hungry, probably because I don't have the fill yet which I plan to get after my business trip.
I think you should continue your research and go for it! It is a great tool which I intend to maximize. In one of my previous posts I wrote out my surgery experience. So you can check that out too.

Hope that helps!

Linny,

What LapbandformeNOW says is absolutely true. Eating is such an emotional behavior. You will read it a thousand times on this forum that the band is only a tool. It may help you control how much you put in your mouth but only you can control WHAT you put in your mouth. If you're not ready to abandon your old ways of eating then Lap Band is not the way to go.

I researched the Lap Band for about a year and attended different doctors seminars before making the decision. Just like everyone else, I have been on numerous diets, did well on some, only to gain back what I lost plus more. Considering the expense of Lap Band (I'm self pay) I had to be absolutely certain, without a doubt, that I was going to commit to this.

It's only been 3 weeks so I'm certainly not a long term example, but I can tell you this . . . the last 3 weeks have been eye opening for me. Even without my first fill and no restriction right now, I have completely changed my behaviors. It hasn't been easy, and everyday brings along a new set of challenges but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am eating like a normal person now and am no longer embarrassed by the amount of food on my plate or the choices of food on my plate. It's nothing but healthy, high protein fare in smaller portions. And I feel so good walking away from the table feeling full and satisfied.

Good luck with your decision. Read everything you can on these boards. You will find more information here than anywhere else.

Hi Linny--it is true, it is not always easy with the band---you do have to do some of the work yourself! But isn't that the way it is with anything that is worthwhile. It teaches you a new way to eat. It is not an easy lesson in the beginning---with the necessary liquids following surgery---but it gets to be MUCH easier in time. And once you go back to a normal diet, you can eat most anything (some bandsters have problematic foods---others don't), just in a much smaller, healthier amount.
It sounds impossible to you now, it did to me pre-banding as well. I could not imagine that a small amount of food would ever be enough, and how was I supposed to deal with being hungry the rest of my life????
It doesn't end up like that at all!!! I am about 11 months out from my surgery, and I have had 2 fills. The last one being last July---and I can tell you in all honesty---I have not been hungry since! I wil notice if I forget to eat (who would have ever thought I would forget to eat!!!), I feel empty---but not the growling, gnawing, cannot concentrate until I eat, hunger!
Now I can see you counting months here from April to July I must have been starving!!! Not really! I don't know how familiar you are with the banding process, but when they place your band around the upper piece of the stomach, they bring the lower part up, and use it to stitch over the band, to hold it in place. Some Dr.'s use 4 stitches, some 5 I am told. When you come out of surgery you are restricted to liquids only for a period of time, it varies depending on the Dr. The purpose of that is to keep the stomach still. When your stomach senses solids, it begins to work, trying to digest the food, by breaking it down and pushing it on to the intestines. It does this in a kneading move. With the fresh stitches holding the band in proper position, you do not want the stomach moving like that---it could pop your stitches. So yes, during that period of time, it is HARD! Not necessarily harder than any number of other diets I had been on---but hard. It does pass, though, and in the big picture, it is a small window of time, that while not pleasant, is necessary, and does serve a purpose.
When it passes, and you can begin the fill process, to tighten the band down---to restrict your food intake--the band begins working!! My first fill brought me to attention with the "band rules". I was forced to slow down my eating, and to chew well. But I could still eat more than was ideal to weight loss. So I went for a 2nd fill a month later. Now in that month---I wasn't starving---in fact it was too close to pre banding ability! With my 2nd fill, I achieved restriction. I now eat small meals....3/4-1 cup of food---I am done. I am not hungry. That is more than many bandsters allow themselves to eat, I just chose to do this MY way!!! It is much easier making smart food choices when you are not hungry all the time. Add to that the feeling of success as now your weight is dropping, and your clothes becoming too big----it isnot a hard thing to do!
When I opted to get banded, I wanted as normal of a life as I could have. I wanted to eat with my family, I did not want to live on supplements. I wanted the ability to eat sweets if I chose to on occasion. I am a cancer survivor, but I am realistic, at some point I may have a recurrance. If I do, and need extra nutrition, a simple unfill will allow that.
When I was banded I was taking 2 meds for High blood pressure and one for high blood sugar(metformin). I no longer take any of them. My blood sugar is low/normal (under 100 always), and my blood pressure the same--118/72 the other day. I feel great!
I NEVER did any real exercise before, now I do! Not because I feel like I have to to lose weight---but it makes me feel good! I find that one of the hardest things to believe!!! I walk, or use our eliptical every day. I joined Curves! It is such a different life. This band gave me a life again! Instead of sitting back watching it pass me by---I am now up and living it!
I cannot say enough good things about the changes this has brought into my life. I would recommend it to anyone---even my own child should it ever be necessary.
I wish you good luck on your research! Keep looking around, I beleive you will find the band an amazing way to achieve weight loss!
Welcome to LBT!!!
Kat

Thanks for the replies and encouragement. Like I said in my original post, I am 95% sure I am going to go through with this. It's more for health reasons than vanity's sake. You all have given me a lot of good information to move forward with this. I am attending a WLS support group on Monday evening with a friend who had gastric bypass (RNY) in December. I am hoping to connect with banded folks face to face to get more information. Plus, the doctor who did my friend's RNY is the doctor I would choose to do the banding, so this is all good.