to ask if anyone has had a gastric band

[irlouise13]

And if so, can you tell me the full brutal detail?
Is it very sore
What's this choking business I've read about
How long are you on a liquid diet
did you tell anyone
how long would you need off work (in a new job so don't want to be off for long)

thanks in advance

I have two friends who have had it done very successfully, but they both say it was the hardest thing they've ever done, and not at all the easy fix some people make it out to be.

If you are all or nothing, would something like lighter life work? I lost 5 stone on that, and kept it off easily until I nested and got pregnant!! Even then I only put 2 back on, and am now working on shifting them again

I should add that I very much second reading these responses and people's experiences, but taking proper medical advice and counselling.

I think it's a good idea to hear personal stories from people who have experience of it or know those that have, as well as get information from the doctors/medical papers etc. Those selling these procedures are not neutral anyway. It's not an either/or situation, I would go for both types of info before making a decision.

Whatever you do, you need to get he psychological support/mindset change around your relationship with food first.

Without it you will remain fat what ever surgery you have.

Sorry if that's blunt, I've known successes and utter failures as in peoples experience above.

One of the "successes" deeply regrets it as she knows she will never eat normally again. She is a healthy BMI but it has taken away her social life, good times with her family, the enjoyment of eating on holiday etc etc

On the NHS you have to go on a diet ( VLCD?) per op and demonstrate weight loss before you get listed for surgery. I'm never entirely 100% sure why people don't just carry on with that .

My aunt has had a band and a bypass. No end of health problems since. Has taken 2 years to have her gallbladder removed because nobody would operate on her so she had to have the surgeon that did the bypass do it. She hasn't addressed her issues with food, so is throwing up several times day. It's so not an easy fix.

Just put on the film "Fed Up", thanks for the recommendation.

VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) might be a good option OP. I have tried them in the past, but not had the counselling/group part of it, but they do cut down your appetite a lot and seem successful for a lot of people who have otherwise given up.

Plus, you can stop at any time, it's doesn't cost a lot and in theory doesn't have long term complications like surgery would have. Something to consider anyhow.

yousaywhat, I won't, at all, as I say I just wanted to get the warts and all versions in addition to what the consultant tells me

thanks everyone

'My mate has had the band, he's still overweight and is in fact bigger than when he had it out in. He just eats past the pain/vomits.'

Poor guy. Just shows that it's no use addressing just the physical side.

The nhs doesn't offer the band anymore in the south east, in fact they do, but they don't do it unless you're adamant
The bypass is the most common on the nhs now, I had it in 2011
I lost 8 Stone. I put on 1 1/2 stone over the last year as I had such an awful year health wise (shoulder and sciatica not bypass related) and inactivity and booze caught up with me.
I still find it woefully easy to eat crisps and drink too much (common after bypass - transfer addiction theory) but have 11 lbs left to lose now and working on it!
I am often.nauseous. we had roast lamb Sunday and even though I ate lean meat, it's just too fatty. Caused me to "dump " ie feel sick for 2 hrs, sweat and then have a big poo
I have no regrets though (other than insisting dh threw the left over lamb and the tin in the bin as the smell ...)
Gastric bypass is about 9k here but you can go to Belgium abd Poland for around 5k
truly wouldn't waste money on a band
I'm on support groups with lots of bariatric patients and rarely is there a positive band story

the diet you have to be on before the surgery is to shrink your liver....its hard to get a good view of where you are operating with a big fatty liver

a really good surgeon (even if you are paying) will look at you, your weight, your other health problems, and your lifestyle and eating habits and tell you what your best option would be

OP, lots of good advice on here although you must understand that this weight loss journey is yours and yours alone. Our opinions about procedures, diets and about being overweight in general are just that, opinions. I have had many people express their opinions to me over the years about what they think is the best way for me to lose weight, the majority of them never having experienced the horrible situation of being obese. Some have been tolerable to hear and others have been downright hurtful. Any understanding of what it means to be obese will include the basic principle that the problem is usually based in psychology. Essentially you can lose weight until you get to your perfect size but the risks are high that you will put it all on again. Only when you address the psychological element of your relationship with food will you learn to regain control of that relationship and see the positive changes happen in your body.

In the last 8 years I've gone through all the diets, the gastric band, have at least a dozen popular diet books on my shelves and am thinking about the fact I am overweight 24x7, it's debilitating and my life is a shell of what it used to be. I'm currently at Slimming World too, go every week and yo yo between gaining and losing 2lbs every week. However I have accepted that no amount of others telling me how I should do it, dieting or surgery will help me and I have now just began counselling with a specialist in eating disorders who is slowly unravelling things to help me get to a point where I can start regaining control of how I use food. Perhaps some of your money may be better spent exploring the psychological avenue (if you believe there is an underlying issue) and potentially help negate the need for surgery?

Whatever you decide to do, good luck with it but consider surgery as a last option if possible. It's not the magic cure and weight doesn't fall off in pounds every week in every case.

there is also this proceedure
aspirebariatrics.com/about-the-aspireassist/

THE DEVICE
To begin therapy, a specially designed tube is placed in the stomach. The A-Tube is a thin tube that connects the inside of the stomach directly to a discreet, poker-chip sized Skin-Port on the outside of the abdomen. The Skin-Port has a valve that can be opened or closed to control the flow of stomach contents. The patient empties a portion of stomach contents into the toilet after each meal through this tube by connecting a small, handheld device to the Skin-Port.

For optimal weight loss, patients should aspirate after each major meal (about 3 times per day) initially. Over time, as patients learn to eat more healthfully, they can reduce the frequency of aspirations.

would that work?

DH had the gastric sleeve op and has lost 11 stone. It has been very successful for him. He can only eat small quantities at a time, probably only a starter size if going out for a meal. He is very rarely hungry and sometimes has to remember to eat!

I was worried that he would lose too much weight but he has now stabilised at a reasonable weight. You can cheat by snacking on small amounts through the day, but as your actual appetite and capacity is reduced, that doesn't seem to happen too much. DH finds very spicy foods cause a problem (dumping or throwing up), also high fibre bread and rice, which swells in the stomach causing discomfort. Also there's a lot of burping after meals!

Overall he would definitely recommend it if you are very obese. He got it on the NHS due to his v high BMI (over 50) when starting. He had to follow an18 month pre-surgery programme involving at least 10% body weight loss and group meetings/psychologist/dietitian input.

I had one, and it was a total waste of money. My issues was medication that made me overeat. I couldn't come off the meds so decided to have a go and to try and control the eating that way.

I had no problems with the surgery, or any of the fills. Or any of it really, except it doesn't seem to work. Occasionally after a large fill, I would get some appetite suppression for about a month. But that was it. I lost a stone and a half, and have put 1/2 a stone back on.

It's very easy to cheat. All high calorie slidey stuff goes down easily. The good stuff can get stuck. If I had the choice again, I wouldn't do it. I would have opted for a bypass or sleeve.

I had a band in 2006, at the time I was about 23 stone. I lost around 3 stone over an absolute age and then put it all back plus another 2 stone.
I learnt to cheat it, you can eat sloppy stuff and drink with your meals to 'force' food through the band.
It cost me around £5000 and tbh it was a complete waste of money.
The fills were ok, a bit sore and a bit 'random', as a PP said, if it was overfilled I then spent weeks unable to eat solid food before my surgeon came back to the UK & I could see him again to have some saline taken out.
Last May I had a gastric sleeve. I was lucky enough to get it done by the NHS. My band was removed at the same time as the sleeve was performed.
I've lost just less than 8 stone in 8 1/2 months. If I can lose another 5 I shall be very very happy.
Like QOD said, it's still woefully easy to eat the 'wrong' foods, Ice cream and crisps go down far too easily, but generally I can't eat very much.
I really wouldn't recommend the band. Bypass or Sleeve is a far more reliable way of losing weight and keeping it off.
Feel free to pm me if you need any further details

I have a band, have had it almost 6 years. I've done ok, you're meant to loose 60% of your excess weight on it and I've done that.

Had to have some fluid taken out about 6 months ago and have gained a stone since then, can't seem to shift it even though I've had 2 fills since, that's because I eat the wrong stuff, it's not the band it's me.

Fills are ok, mine are straight forward, they don't really hurt.

If I knew then what I know now though I'd have a sleeve but the only reason my band hadn't been super successful is because of me.