Anyone have experience with Lap Band Surgery?

Nurses Stress 101

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i am looking into getting the lap band. i would love to hear from any of you who have had this procedure done. do you think it is a good thing, and why ?

thanks for all of your responses !

praiser :heartbeat

Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

As it is, I finally decided that I am on my own on this weight-loss thing, and I've changed my entire diet with less-than-impressive results, if you only count lost pounds (I've dropped only 13 lbs since late March). But I feel 100% better both physically and mentally, and I've even been able to come off one of my BP meds as well as my antidepressant.........so even if I don't lose a great deal of weight, I'm still going to be healthier. At my age, I'm certainly not aiming to be a swimsuit model, so I'm more about the health angle anyway.

What's this "ONLY dropped 13 pounds" business? Puh-leeze. You didn't GAIN 13 pounds, in fact you LOST 13 pounds. Yay!

I have gained almost 80 pounds since my 14yo was born. I do not have "big bones." Somehow I didn't notice that I was getting huge. As a result of some intensive therapy for other issues, my secretive eating came to light. And suddenly I understood what I was doing to my body and I was horrified. I immediately stopped drinkng anything sugar-sweetened and started drinking water. I became mindful of evening eating(I had been consuming nearly 3000 calories EVERY NIGHT, just grazing.) Just those two things got me started. I lost 10 pounds in about 4 weeks.

That gave me the motivation to get serious. I have severe sleep apnea, triglycerides = 350, I'm at high risk for diabetes and heart disease. I have to get serious. I examined Lap Band, but instead I've determined to give it the old college try. I joined Weight Watchers.

I am so pleased with WW. WW stresses tracking what you eat. I write down absolutely everything that passes my lips. They assign points to every food; foods with high fiber and low fat have lower points, therefore you can eat more of them. The meetings I go to are very motivational and i get a lot of support from the other women, many of whom are even bigger than me. I'm focusing on losing 5% at a time--just 11 pounds. I can't even think about how long it will take me to reach goal, but I can surely lose 11 pounds. It's just a real positive experience. I have lost 9 pounds in teh past 2 weeks.

So, I could say I've ONLY lost 19 pounds since the end of March. But I prefer to shout it from the rooftops: "OMG! I've lost 19 pounds!":yeah:

Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

mustlovepoodles--it sounds like you are doing great! :up:

I too had very similar "mini-goals" of 10 pounds. Every time I hit 219, then 209, then 199 (big one!!), 189, etc., I hit my mini-goals. Eventually I lost 20 pounds MORE than my ultimate goal and have stayed there for over 3 years. I too love WW.

I also think VivaLasViejas is rocking the casbah. I have been following her posts in another thread mentioning her weight loss and quietly cheering along.

I had the lap band done right out of lpn school, every one in my class told me not to do it, even my Director, I had gained over 75 pounds in school, i have lost over 100 pounds and I love my band. No more back pain, shortness of breath, or fatique.

I never seem to land anywhere that my employer's health insurance helps to pay for this procedure.........otherwise, I'd have done it years ago. I didn't want the Roux-en-Y---I've cared for a number of patients who have had terrible malnutrition issues, adhesions, chronic nausea/vomiting and so one afterwards---but I'd get the lap band in a heartbeat if I could.

As it is, I finally decided that I am on my own on this weight-loss thing, and I've changed my entire diet with less-than-impressive results, if you only count lost pounds (I've dropped only 13 lbs since late March). But I feel 100% better both physically and mentally, and I've even been able to come off one of my BP meds as well as my antidepressant.........so even if I don't lose a great deal of weight, I'm still going to be healthier. At my age, I'm certainly not aiming to be a swimsuit model, so I'm more about the health angle anyway.

13 pounds is nothing to sneer at! If I am counting right, that sounds like almost 2lbs. a week which is excellent! That's a healthy amount to be losing. Good luck and keep it up!

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

I think the key word here is research. I knew when I researched into weight loss surgery (wls) I knew I didn't want a band as I couldn't do with all the performances on looking for a fill provider (in the UK it can be hard to find one) especially if you need a emergency defill as the ER/A&E you couldn't guarantee anyone would know what to do. I had RNY and lost over 100lbs and although I have put some back on I am back on track to loosing again. I thankfully have had no problems since the op back in 05 apart from b12 deficiency and low ferritin but nothing major and know many others that have done well. I think a lot is also remembering that any type of wls is a tool and you still need to get your head into gear. I belong to a great UK support website which looks at all wls and people there post all sorts but we find like this website it is great to speak to others going through the same or something similar to yourself. I still have a good restriction although I don't dump and at times wish I did but I like to think that in general this op has helped me so much and I can honestly say I have no regrets and love my husband for supporting me along this journey

Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

My Aunt had the lap-band procedure several months ago. She has been morbidly obese for 25+ years. (I've mentioned her in other threads).

It was an outpatient procedure and she reported relatively little discomfort. She had the first band fill several weeks ago. No problems, no pain at all.

She told me that she can already tell the difference in the way she feels when she eats.

She said that her surgeon was amazing and his staff was very also very helpful and kind. She paid for half of the total cost of the surgery. Medicare picked up the other half. She could have been covered 100% by Medicare, but the waiting list for the procedure was 5 years and she said she didn't want to wait for 5 more years.

A really important step for her (I think) was finally admitting that she has a problem with food-choices and portion control. She has been in such denial about it. She has always stated that she eats well and doesn't eat much. She had basically talked herself into believing that she only eats 1,200 a day.

Well, the Surgeon required her to keep a journal of every single bite of food she put in her mouth. She was eating on average 3,000 a day. The surgeon had her do this because he told her if she is indeed only eating 1,200 a day, then she must have an underlying medical issue that is causing her to gain wait and preventing her from losing it. He did a full work-up (including Psych eval) and everything that could be the cause of her excessive weight gain was ruled out. So, there was only 1 reasons for her morbid obesity: over-eating.

She has now admitted to her eating habits and she is going to weekly support groups with others who have had the lap-band done.

I think this is going to work! I am so excited for her.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
My Aunt had the lap-band procedure several months ago. She has been morbidly obese for 25+ years. (I've mentioned her in other threads).

It was an outpatient procedure and she reported relatively little discomfort. She had the first band fill several weeks ago. No problems, no pain at all.

She told me that she can already tell the difference in the way she feels when she eats.

She said that her surgeon was amazing and his staff was very also very helpful and kind. She paid for half of the total cost of the surgery. Medicare picked up the other half. She could have been covered 100% by Medicare, but the waiting list for the procedure was 5 years and she said she didn't want to wait for 5 more years.

A really important step for her (I think) was finally admitting that she has a problem with food-choices and portion control. She has been in such denial about it. She has always stated that she eats well and doesn't eat much. She had basically talked herself into believing that she only eats 1,200 a day.

Well, the Surgeon required her to keep a journal of every single bite of food she put in her mouth. She was eating on average 3,000 a day. The surgeon had her do this because he told her if she is indeed only eating 1,200 a day, then she must have an underlying medical issue that is causing her to gain wait and preventing her from losing it. He did a full work-up (including Psych eval) and everything that could be the cause of her excessive weight gain was ruled out. So, there was only 1 reasons for her morbid obesity: over-eating.

She has now admitted to her eating habits and she is going to weekly support groups with others who have had the lap-band done.

I think this is going to work! I am so excited for her.

Good for her :) Usually takes a few fills to get to the stage where the band works efficiently I wish her all the best on her journey

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I've lost a total of 17 lbs since March when I had my first appointment with my surgeon when he told me I need to lost 15. Right now, it's hard for me to tell if i've lost weight because I don't feel it, I do have more energy. But my co-workers all have noticed. 10 more days to go before I have my final weigh in.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I've lost a total of 17 lbs since March when I had my first appointment with my surgeon when he told me I need to lost 15. Right now, it's hard for me to tell if i've lost weight because I don't feel it, I do have more energy. But my co-workers all have noticed. 10 more days to go before I have my final weigh in.

17lbs is great and better off than on. Believe me it was over 12 months before I could look in a mirror and actually say to myself that Yes I had lost the weight and looked better for it.

Specializes in amb.care,mental health,geriatrics.
I'm thinking in general terms here, but the last poster got me thinking about this. If medically supervised diets are required before surgery as part of the preop phase and the patient has to demonstrate success with that before going to surgery, why not just go with that successful medically supervised diet alone?

I have done every sort of diet you can imagine over the last fifteen years. Weight Watchers was definately the best; I lost 30 lbs. on that. I can lose weight, that's not been so much the problem. It's just that it eventually creeps back up. I know, if I stayed strictly with it I should be able to keep it off. But past experience tells me something. While I'm on the diet, it's torture for me. I know that once I have the lap band I will of course still have to watch what I eat, but I am expecting that the experience of getting full very fast will help. That was always my problem staying on and then maintaining good eating habits- I just stay hungry!

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Ok, I dropped a pants size also. Woooo

Specializes in amb.care,mental health,geriatrics.
I've lost a total of 17 lbs since March when I had my first appointment with my surgeon when he told me I need to lost 15. Right now, it's hard for me to tell if i've lost weight because I don't feel it, I do have more energy. But my co-workers all have noticed. 10 more days to go before I have my final weigh in.

When will your surgery be? I'm going for the LapBand because my insurance covers it (hopefully, if they approve me). There's another newer procedure out that sounds interesting too, it's a vertical gastric sleeve. They don't bypass anything, but they remove most of the stomach. Supposedly the part where the hormone is secreted that tells you you're hungry. If my insurance covered I might consider that one. If insurance turns me down for LapBand and I have to pay cash, I might switch to that option. At any rate, no matter what, I'm excited. I've already started working out at the gym 3-4 times a week, hoping to keep saggage to a minimum, lol.

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