What do you wish you'd known before lap band surgery?

[Sarah A 6]

Hi guys,

What do you wish you'd known or been able to find out in an easier manner before you had lap band surgery?

I think I would have liked more easily accessible scientific data on the ranges of weight loss from the surgery and the complications of certain lifestyle habits (such as, if patients lose on average 50% of their excess weight, what does that average look like for non-smokers versus smokers?).

Also, the fact that I have a bumpy bit under my skin where the port is - I didn't realise it would stick out!

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[gowalking 10,790]

Hi guys,

What do you wish you'd known or been able to find out in an easier manner before you had lap band surgery?

I think I would have liked more easily accessible scientific data on the ranges of weight loss from the surgery and the complications of certain lifestyle habits (such as, if patients lose on average 50% of their excess weight, what does that average look like for non-smokers versus smokers?).

Also, the fact that I have a bumpy bit under my skin where the port is - I didn't realise it would stick out!

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I wish I had known how successful I would be. I lost all my excess weight and got my life back. I don't think you can calculate something like that but in my experience, it's beyond belief. I used to be housebound almost as I could barely walk. Now I can do almost anything and my life has improved a thousand percent.

As far as the port goes....I lost so much weight that it stuck out like a golf ball under my skin. I had a small surgery to have it put behind the abdominal muscle. Now I hardly notice it.

[ShrinkingMeme 18]

I wish I would have known that it wouldn't work for me and it would cause me more problems. That I would have episode after episode for the last 5 years. And now have to have a revision to rny. I wish I would have known I would gain all my weight back and my comorbidities would all have come back. I wish I would have gone with the rny in the first place

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Edited October 6, 2016 by ShrinkingMeme

[Sarah A 6]

As far as the port goes....I lost so much weight that it stuck out like a golf ball under my skin. I had a small surgery to have it put behind the abdominal muscle. Now I hardly notice it.

Oh wow, I didn't realise I could get it moved! Might look into that in a year. Thanks.

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[LouLou22 15]

Honestly? That I wish I never had it done and did more research on the other options. I was, on the outside, a success...but I suffered a lot to lose my weight and am about to go through revision surgery to Bypass.

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[this sucks 557]

I wish that I had a crystal ball six years ago when I made the decision to have the LapBand placed.

I wish that I had known that I would spend thousands of dollars on fills and unfills because of the narrow range I could tolerate.

I wish I had known that I would spend years chasing the elusive "green zone" that could change at the drop of a hat.

I wish I had known that TOM, salt, even air pressure changes could impact how

tight the band felt.

I wish that I had known that my esophagus could eventually become "tired" from the effort it took to get food through the band.

There are many more I could add, but I won't.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to revision to VSG in less than two weeks.

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[ShrinkingMeme 18]

I wish that I had a crystal ball six years ago when I made the decision to have the LapBand placed.

I wish that I had known that I would spend thousands of dollars on fills and unfills because of the narrow range I could tolerate.

I wish I had known that I would spend years chasing the elusive "green zone" that could change at the drop of a hat.

I wish I had known that TOM, salt, even air pressure changes could impact how

tight the band felt.

I wish that I had known that my esophagus could eventually become "tired" from the effort it took to get food through the band.

There are many more I could add, but I won't.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to revision to VSG in less than two weeks.

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Yes total agree on the pressure issues I can no longer handle bass it tightens my band up so much I can't swallow for like 2 hours.

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[B-52 7,113]

It has been absolutely the best thing I could have ever done, if anything, no one told me how easy this would be once I got past the initial adjustment stages (both me and the band)

But those in the know cannot possibly predict how each individual would handle it, so their comments had to be the standard for all WLS candidates.

I do wish, I knew just how prominent the port would be sticking out under my skin.

Once all my excess body fat was lost, and my stomach became flat and hard again, it is very noticeable and I (as a man) am very self-conscious when walking around without a shirt on or wearing a tight shirt...which I want to do to show off my body, but avoid because of that large protruding bump.

[gowalking 10,790]

It has been absolutely the best thing I could have ever done, if anything, no one told me how easy this would be once I got past the initial adjustment stages (both me and the band)

But those in the know cannot possibly predict how each individual would handle it, so their comments had to be the standard for all WLS candidates.

I do wish, I knew just how prominent the port would be sticking out under my skin.

Once all my excess body fat was lost, and my stomach became flat and hard again, it is very noticeable and I (as a man) am very self-conscious when walking around without a shirt on or wearing a tight shirt...which I want to do to show off my body, but avoid because of that large protruding bump.

@B-52...speak to your surgeon and have him/her put the port behind the abdominal muscle as I noted I had done. The bump is almost completely gone. The only issue is that fills can be a little more painful as the needle is going through the muscle and usually does not for most patients.

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

I'm perfectly happy with my band.

sorry for the people that isn't. and i hope you luck. My SIL had her first band in Mex and had to have it removed. Then a second band her in La. She lost but figured out how to eat around it. So two years ago she got the GB and ..... you guessed it, she is gaining her weight back again. So sometimes it's not the WLS, but the person... JS

[Sarah A 6]

Yeah, seems to have been extremely variable experiences both here and somewhere else I posted.

It's interesting, we say 'everyone is different' but we're not, that's why things like public health campaigns work, because you can identify oft common behaviours and trends. I wonder what people whom the band has failed have in common with each other that has been different for the people for whom it has.

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[gowalking 10,790]

Yeah, seems to have been extremely variable experiences both here and somewhere else I posted.

It's interesting, we say 'everyone is different' but we're not, that's why things like public health campaigns work, because you can identify oft common behaviours and trends. I wonder what people whom the band has failed have in common with each other that has been different for the people for whom it has.

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that is a very interesting proposition and as a person who works with data and metrics, I'd really like to see the data for failed lap bands and review for commonalities. @@Alex Brecher, what do you think about some data analysis? Not just for bands, but for all surgeries?

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

Yeah, seems to have been extremely variable experiences both here and somewhere else I posted.

It's interesting, we say 'everyone is different' but we're not, that's why things like public health campaigns work, because you can identify oft common behaviours and trends. I wonder what people whom the band has failed have in common with each other that has been different for the people for whom it has.

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that is a very interesting proposition and as a person who works with data and metrics, I'd really like to see the data for failed lap bands and review for commonalities. @@Alex Brecher, what do you think about some data analysis? Not just for bands, but for all surgeries?

It would be good to know.... but for it to truly be accurate, the people asked would need to be completely honest. And we all know that won't happen. They will not take and responsibility to the demise of there band. They will say... Its the bands fault, move on to another WLS and fail there too.

Like i said before.... when i have had problems it was because i contributed to them... I ate the wrong thing, i ate too fast, i ate and didn't chew well enough.... See, my band it just the tool... it there to do a job and im the person working the tool... it's not working me.... Its not making me eat the ice cream, chips, candy.... Im doing that.

But others can't seem to look with in and say, I DID THIS...

Chris

[Who'sThere 331]

I would say my band failure is 25/75. I'd say 25% the band's fault because it has never been right after having it deflated while I was pregnant. I had a complete unfill and I had hyperemesis. I threw up all day every day. I have and EGD friday, but my guess is it slipped. I thinks it's 75% my fault because instead of coming here for support earlier (where I realized what had likely happened) I just learned to eat around my band so that I could eat. I ate whatever I could get down, even if it was ice cream or chips or whatever.

In any case, I'm still glad I had my band. I lost 65 pounds I would never have lost otherwise. I have a child I wouldn't have otherwise. Also, even though I have failed long term, I feel I can take what I've learned from this and apply it when I have my revision. I won't wait to get help when I have trouble, and if the scale starts to find its way upward, I will regroup and buckle back down.

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[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Yeah, seems to have been extremely variable experiences both here and somewhere else I posted.

It's interesting, we say 'everyone is different' but we're not, that's why things like public health campaigns work, because you can identify oft common behaviours and trends. I wonder what people whom the band has failed have in common with each other that has been different for the people for whom it has.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

that is a very interesting proposition and as a person who works with data and metrics, I'd really like to see the data for failed lap bands and review for commonalities. @@Alex Brecher, what do you think about some data analysis? Not just for bands, but for all surgeries?

It's extremely difficult to do a study like this. There is the newish MBSAQIP reporting that many "accredited" bariatric centers report to but the data isn't really public and it's going to be a little while until it can be put into practical use. There are many bariatric centers that aren't part of this at all.

I just read about a new study that's starting that was recently awarded but sadly it doesn't include Lap-Band.