Just wondering if anyone has experience with lapband surgery?

I am considering having it to help me get my weight under contol. I am 5'6" tall and weigh around 250 lbs.

Last summer i was 263 lbs and between july and november, lost 20 lbs, but since then, my weight flucuates between 247 and 250, sometimes weekly.

I am 43, have kd; use myfitness pal to monitor my diet; eat between 2300 and 2500 calories per day; and workout in a gym 45 - 60 minutes three times per week.

I know there are risks to surgery with kd, but also know that packing around this much weight with kd isn't good either.


Would appreciate your thoughs.

Jim, I don't have personal experience with the lap band, but I have known a few people how have had this procedure done. The results have been mixed. One has lost a lot of weight and has kept it off for over 3 years now. Another lost a lot of weight, but put it back on within the year and a third died from complications. Of course these are just anecdotal and are not representative of the overall population who has this done.
Have you gathered the research on what the risks are and the actual success rates?

Thank you Jameson for sharing your observations. I have had several friends and family members share similar stories.

From the research that I have done, it appears that long term success with Lapband requires an even more drastic change in lifestyle than I have made in the last several months.

1/4 of food for every meal, for the rest of my life is something that I am not ready not commit to at this point.

And, surgery is a huge step, not mention having the band inside me for the rest of my life and a small port in my side for the adding and removal of saline.

Guess I have to accept that there are no quick or easy fixes to weight loss.

Thanks again.

So it took nearly a year, but my wife, doctor and I decided to go ahead with weight loss surgery. Yes, for a period of time I successfully lost weight using diet and exercise, but like so many times before, I failed to keep the weight off and not only gained back the weight I lost, but gained an additional 10 pounds.

I will not have the lapband, but the gastric sleeve. A procedure that cuts away most of the stomach and shapes what is left into a sleeve. The surgeon believes this is the best option for my situation and my doctor agrees, as do my wife and me.

Surgery is Monday, April 22. I emailed the surgery concern information to the anestesia group today. Had to send it to all of them, because they won't know is my anestesia doc until thursday or friday before the surgey.

Best of luck, Jim. Let us know how it goes.

Surgery Monday went well, thanks to the information about anesthesia and KD. My anesthesiologist read through the material and selected an anesthesia that he believed would work best for me. It was one that breaks down after surgery by using heat. He also had a plan B, if it was not breaking down fast enough or caused me to not be able to breathe on my own. He met with my wife and I before the surgery and went over the risks and plans if things went wrong. Plan B being that I would be sedated and put on ventilator in ICU until the anesthesia broke down enough that I could breathe on my own again.

I did have some difficulty with the anesthesia and recovery and needed a bi-pap to help me breath for an hour, but I did not have to be put on a ventilator. Even with all the planning, the anesthesiologist came to check on me Monday night and told my wife and I that while we were fortunate that to not have to use Plan B. I kept him on his toes throughout the surgery.

Friends, use the information provided on this site. It can save your life. I think it did mine.

I came home yesterday. Recovery is going well. My stomach is now smaller in diameter than my small intestine. I am up moving around as often as I can and as long as I can(don't want any blood clots).

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to administer and contribute to this site. It is a huge support to my family and me.

Jim, very good info you have provided!

Are you on Medicare or a Medicare plan? I looked into lapband last year but was told the stomach sectioning would work better for me. I do not have KD, my husband does, I would like to lose for my own health and especially so I am here to help him as the KD progresses. I would be interested in hearing about how you came to your lapband choice, if you are happy with it as you lose weight and if on Medicare, the approx. cost for the maintenance of the band.

Hopefully, you can private message me.

Thank you and heal well

Jim, thanks for the update and for reminding everyone to make certain your doctor(s) including the anesthesiologist is fully aware of all the concerns that those of living with KD have in regards to surgery.

We hope you have a speedy recovery and a safe and healthy year.

I tipped the scales at 206 pounds, and I was hopeless. I would have been wise to get sound, yet that was simpler said than done. I adored sweets, and pop, and pasta, and everything that might place me into a nourishment trance state so I didn't need to feel my sentiments.