hey booklish - you've had your band for what - 8 years? 9 years? and this has been happening all that time? wow. I'm assuming your surgeon scoped you and confirmed that it was placed correctly? For some folks, the band works great, but for others, not so much.

Once you have it out, are you going to try another surgery or work on doing it the old fashioned way? whatever you decide, you're always welcome here.

Hi Jiffy, no, I dont believe they scoped me, though I could be wrong: The overwhelming response I got from them -- NYU Bariatric, FWIW, and the surgeon was George Fielding -- was that it was my fault, that I should be ashamed of wasting their time, and that I was a bad little fat girl. And, since I had a great deal of training in this notion, I bought into their explanation, and chalked it up to yet another failure in the dieting world. I never had it removed because the one doctor with whom I discussed removal told me I needed to have Fielding take it out, and I was afraid of being made to feel ashamed. Stupid, I know. Anyway, it wasn't until a few months ago that I started looking around online and discovered that, actually, quite a lot of people had had bad experiences with the band, and it occurred to me that perhaps I wasn't such a bad little fat girl after all.

I am scheduled to have the band removed as part of a process of getting a DS. I'm waiting to hear about insurance clearance, but have made it clear to the hospital that I will self-pay if necessary.

ummm. booklish. that's no way for old George to be behaving. i worked with a guy who was friends with him - and George did his band. George took really good care of his buddy, but i was never impressed with him. who's doing your surgery now? there are a couple of guys in NYC that i'm a HUGE fan of ...

and PS - you shoulda come here SOONER!!!! honest!!!! we would have talked some sense AT you .. whether it would have gotten through or not, well, not responsible for that!!!

NYU's program is excellent - and was one of the first, but it's not for everyone and there are more modern, compassionate ones around.

I'm heading to NY Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. It's a hospital I know well, and for which I have a lot of respect

a better choice. Lenox Hill and Bellevue both have surgeons I trust. They respect their patients, and in my mind, that's one of the things that makes a huge difference.

I had the VSG done on 4/04/12. When I initially went in for my consult (~Aug. 2011) I was really leaning toward the band. I liked the idea that it was adjustable & there were other reasons that I really can't remember now . My sister had the VSG the year before & was very successful, so I wasn't unfamiliar with that procedure. When I talked with my surgeon, he said that he wasn't doing the lap band procedures any more because he found that there were too many complications vs. successes & he was recommending either the bypass or the sleeve. Between the two, it was an easy choice for me--I did not want a drastic re-routing or to have to deal with malabsorption. Granted, that was only my personal experience, but I would think very hard, do a ton of research, & look for a really good surgeon with a high success rate before choosing the band.

I so appreciate all the comments here. I am new to this forum, but not new to attempts at weight loss. After trying every plan on the planet, I am giving some thought to WLS. What I gather from your comments is that a conversation with one's doctor is probably the best way to start. I am 56 and I wonder if my age will factor into her recommendation about which type to consider. I have not ruled out "one more attempt" at losing the weight with traditional diet and exercise, but - well, we all know about that "one more attempt." Thanks for everyone's honesty and willingness to share. I hope that you are all still doing great on weight loss since your surgeries.

Before the lap Band , I had been diagnosed with being "resistant to weight loss" . Is that even a thing? Well, I worked really hard, but it wasn't enough. All the doctors I went to said some people are just like that. I had my lap band surgery over a year ago.

I immediately noticed a huge difference in my life. My social life is now so much better than it was before. I feel great and can't believe why I waited so long to make this change. I have lost 87 lbs weight and i couldn't be happier. The doctors made me feel so comfortable and the procedure wasn't painful at all. As it is an invasive technique, you don't need to worry about the big cuts on your stomach because they will only cut small portions to insert the band on the upper portion of your stomach.