5 Common Myths about The Lap Band: Say, It Really Ain’t So.

Since I’m one of the first people that Lap Band patients interact with at True Results, I get a lot of questions. And I hear a lot of fears. When you don’t know all the details about a medical procedure of any kind, it can make you afraid. So let’s go ahead and debunk some of the most common misconceptions and fears about losing weight with the Lap Band.

Myth #1: I won’t be able to enjoy eating. If you love to eat – and who doesn’t? – then you don’t like the prospect of having to deprive yourself. With the Lap Band, you will be eating less, but you get to enjoy the same flavors and textures as before. Eat good food, take small bites and chew slowly, and you are good to go.

Myth #2: The procedure is scary. Fear of surgery is a perfectly natural, reasonable thing, and no one should ever minimize a surgical procedure. But the Lap Band procedure itself has been performed safely and successfully all over the world for over 16 years. It is a non-invasive, laparoscopic procedure, which means it involves a very small incision, and you are given general anesthesia. Typically, Lap Band surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, takes about a two or three hour stay and doesn’t require going into a hospital overnight. It is also far safer than other more involved surgeries, including gastric bypass.

Choose your provider with the same common sense you would any doctor. Go to a Lap Band surgeon who is experienced, stays up to date on advances in the procedure and really knows what he or she is talking about. Ask about pre and post-surgery programs too. A good doctor will do an in-depth physical and medical history, checking out your heart, lungs, blood pressure, etc. to make sure you’re ready to go. You’ll also want someone that will work with you through recovery to make sure you adjust to your new Lap Band appropriately.

Myth #3: Putting a foreign object in my body isn’t safe. The Lap Band is made of silicone – a completely inert, non-organic material, so your body won’t reject it like it might with an organ transplant. The silicone itself is also harmless; it’s been used in medical procedures safely and effectively for more than 50 years. Implants of all kinds – knee replacements, lens implants, heart stents and much more – are used in successful medical procedures day in and out, providing people long-term solutions to chronic medical problems.

Myth #4: Adjustments to the band hurt. Adjustments to the band, if needed, are performed using a port that’s fixed under the skin in your tummy. You can’t see it from the outside, and it’s unlikely anyone but a medical professional will be able to feel it. An injection of saline is given through the port to make the adjustment. I know, I know, needles. But we’re talking a pin prick here. The good news is that your stomach actually has very few nerve endings, so you will feel this a whole lot less than you would, say, in your arm. At our offices here at True Results, we even offer Novocain to numb the skin if it will make you more comfortable.

Myth #5: It won’t work. If you’ve been trying to lose weight and keep it off for years, and everything else has failed, why would you trust the Lap Band? At the risk of sounding like a pitchman, I want you to know that this procedure really does work. Thousands of people who have tried every diet they can get their hands on have turned to the Lap Band. I’ve watched patients over and over. They come in on their first visit frustrated and overweight. A few months after their surgery, they’re back and they’re shedding the pounds.

I’ve only covered a few of the most common fears in this post. What are you worried about? Share your concerns here, and we’ll talk about them.

- Steve Fandre

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