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Success Story spotlight: Debbie

December 17, 2020

Have you tried to lose weight but you can’t seem to lose a pound? Or perhaps you have managed to lose weight following a new diet, but once you began to adjust to a normal eating plan, you gained all of the weight you lost and more. This story is all too relatable for countless individuals, Debbie included. She decided she was ready to take the leap and try the Lap-Band® Program, designed for individuals who have tried to lose weight multiple times but are unable to maintain long-term weight loss.  

Growing up

The pressure to lose weight is felt at a very young age by countless individuals, and it can have negative consequences. Debbie was told that “She’d be so cute if she lost a little bit of weight” growing up. 

Choosing Lap-Band

“We’ve all been at the place where we’ve done diets,” Debbie says. While individuals can lose weight on diets, Debbie explained that “the weight tends to come back and every time you step on the scale it goes up.” Understanding she needed a little assistance, she decided to talk to a Lap-Band Specialist. “It was time for me to do this for myself,” she says. The Lap-Band Program was an attractive option because the surgery is performed laparoscopically as an outpatient procedure. Debbie was able to go home the same day as her procedure, allowing her to focus on healing and starting her weight-loss journey. 

Seeing results 

Debbie lost 84 pounds in a year and a half with the Lap-Band Program, and she’s still going strong! One of her primary goals was to be able to go off her blood pressure and blood sugar medicine, and the Lap-Band Program helped her do that. The joy that she gets from seeing the scale drop a pound or two is indescribable. 

Advice 

Debbie describes the Lap-Band Program as a blessing. Even if you’re scared, like she was, she encourages you to talk to a specialist: “You will not regret your decision to have the Lap-Band Surgery.” 

*Results and patients’ experiences may vary. 

The Latest

Important Lap-Band® System Safety Information

The ReShape Lap-Band Systems are approved for adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or a BMI of at least 30 with health conditions related to obesity, who have not seen success with other weight loss methods, like supervised diet, exercise, and behavior modification programs. Choosing this surgery means committing to changes in eating habits for the long term.

The Lap-Band procedure is not approved for individuals under 18 yo, those with conditions that may make them poor surgical candidates or lead to poor results, such as inflammatory or cardiopulmonary diseases, problems with the stomach and digestion, symptoms or family history of autoimmune disease, scarring of the liver, individuals unable or unwilling to follow the necessary dietary restrictions, individuals with alcohol or drug addictions, or those currently pregnant. Individuals who become pregnant after band placement may require deflation of their bands.

The ReShape Lap-Band Systems, a long-term tool, may need to be adjusted if you get pregnant, sick, or malnourished. Be careful with anti-inflammatory drugs as they could make the band wear away. Like any surgery, placement of the Lap-Band may have complications such as risks from drugs and methods used, general surgery risks, how well your body handles a foreign object, or in rare cases, risk of death.

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with metabolic and bariatric surgery that you and your doctor should discuss. Potential risks associated with the Lap-Band include nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach blockage, constipation, swallowing difficulty, diarrhea, abnormal stools, abdominal pain, weakness, incision pain, infection, fever, hernia, chest pain, band movement, stomach pouch expansion, unusual healing, pain at the port site, port movement, and/or hair loss. Additional surgery might be needed. Losing weight quickly could lead to complications requiring more surgery. 

Talk to your doctor, and/or visit our website at www.lapband.com/safety/ for more information on its benefits and risks.

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