britta6963
My journey so far & Band VS. Other WLS
Nov 16, 2009
I think this is the most common question on this forum. "What made you choose the band?" So I am going to put it in my profile post so that I can just copy and paste.For me I never considered anything else. My insurance only covered GB when I first considered WLS. I knew alot of people who had got this sugery and although they lost alot of weight there were many issues from the dumping to muscle atrophy from malnutrition. (keep in mind this was 10 years ago and aALL surgeries have come a long way in the past few years.) I could never remember to take birth control I know I would never take all those vitamins. Then a friend of mine told me about a band surgery she heard about being done in Mexico I started looking into it and the more I learned about the band the more I wanted it. But didn't want to go to Mexico and my insurance didn't cover it. So I started STUDYING diet and nutrition. And spent almost 3 years eating mostly vegan. I lost some weight but mostly just "felt" healthier. A must read book is EAT TO LIVE by Joel Fuhrman, it made so much more sense than other health books. So I knew I needed portion control more than anything because I was already a "healthy" eater I just had to eat sooooo much to feel satisfied. (The reason was confirmed after my first UGI when the radiology tech told me that she had never seen a stomach as long as mine and I probably had to overeat just to feel satisfied. It actually made me feel good to know there was a reason.)
Anyway, fast forward a few years to 2007 I am signing up for my insurance newsletter online and come across an article saying they now cover the lap band and have for a few months. I was more suprised than anyone that I didn't jump in with 2 feet and start the proccess immediately. I waited a couple months to go to a seminar in Dec. where I got the packet of papers to fill out but didn't send it in until March. had my appointments with Nut, PT, NP and psch eval in May. Had to lose 5%. did that by July. Surgery scheduled for Aug. and due to the threat from the surgeon that she would cancel if I gained an ounce I lost another 5%.
After surgery the hardest thing for me has been eating to get my protein in. I do eat more poultry than I used to but rarely have red meat still which is good since it is usually fattier. I have chosen to be very conservative with my fills. I have had 8 but am only at 5.5cc in my 10cc band. As you can see by my ticker I have done well. I have had no band issues and haven't really had to stress about diet since I had already made drastic changes 3 years prior.
The short answer for why I chose the band is:
1. No malabsorption issues, I only needed portion control.
2. Reversible if needed and would still be a candidate for the sleeve which I would definitely get if I had to have my band removed. The band has been great for weight loss but I would be very comfortable having a VSG for maintainance.
3. I have serious control issues and with the band I say how much fluid they give me during my fills. This has been great, so that I lose at a pace I am comfortable with. I didn't want to lose too fast.
Many people have been told negative things about the band some of which also started to scare me but I had to be reminded by my surgeon that all of medicine has a learning curve and unfortunately WLS is no different. The band, RNY and all other WLS and surgeons knowledge of today is 100x's better than even 3 years ago. And those stats are much better than earlier.
Another common Question is would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!
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About Me
OR
Location
28.6
BMI
Surgery
08/27/2008
Surgery Date
Jun 18, 2008
Member Since
Before & After
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