Quote Originally Posted by caseysmom View Post
You look great! I've been discussing lap band with my doctor, it is a bit scary for me, was there anything scary or dangerous about it?
I didn't have the lap band done. It was however the first thing we looked into. It is the least invasive. The procedure for the lap band takes about 20 minutes (mine took 4.5 hrs) and there are minimal risks. There are the basic risks like with any medical procedure. Lap band was invented by a doctor right here in Vicenza, Dr. Favretti. The biggest thing with the lap band is you need to be very strict with your diet. You need to stick with it and not waiver. It unfortunately has a very low success rate over the long term. Nearly 70% of patients have it removed and opt for something else such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, bilio-pancreatic diversion (this is what I had) within the first 5 years. For some it is a fantastic solution and works wonderfully. And if that is the case it is worth it as it is the simplest with the least complications etc. The lap band cuts nothing, has no sutures involved etc. It is a simple band that goes around the stomach which leaves just a small portion available for food and therefore makes you feel full much faster. The band can be removed at any time leaving only the indenture where it was placed and it can also be adjusted to suit your needs be it to make the stomach smaller or larger. It wasn't something for me. We did a lot of research and with the help of a surgeon decided what was best to do. Bilio-Pancreatic Diversion was the route I took. It is completely free diet with little to no real restrictions. Gastric Bypass, lap band and the others are restrictive diets some very restrictive and others more liberal. You need to go over everything and decide what is best for you and what is the most likely to succeed.