GeezerSue

Telly, I'm glad you have something positive in your life today.

FONT="Comic Sans MS"] Again, for those who didn't read it the first time...here is the question: isnt bypass/ds/etc "damaging" the body by removing/sectioning the stomach? ANYTHING that invades the body has the potential to "damage" the body...but if the same part of the stomach that is removed in DS is removed due to stomach cancer or severe damage due to ulcerations, is that also damage to the body? Or is it just a procedure to correct a problem? If you want to read in some negative thing that I didn't write, go for it. But know that I am not the source of the negative spin...THAT comes from people who don't want to hear anything that might burst their bubble. ALL surgeons walk away (not to imply abandoment) after the surgery. (Again, WHO is looking for a negative spin? I wasn't implying anything...I don't tend to "imply" things...I just say what I'm thinking.) They have to trust their work...but the band surgeon has to trust that the band will stay where he put it...and that just doesn't always happen. I've been on wls boards for close to five years now and slippage due to vomiting is not as rare as some would like to believe. And, it isn't always easy to detect. Usually, it takes people a while to accept that something bad is happening, and then not all surgeons--and not everyone gets in to their surgeon right away without first going through a gauntlet of his helpers--sometimes miss the diagnosis. It often takes a while. If I were focusing on worst case scenarios, I'd forever be mentioning the woman whose band cut off blood flow to her entire stomach and--last we heard from her--she was looking at a future with a bag. And, yeah, her band was "easily" removed...leaving behind a mess. I tend not to go there...I tend to focus on the more frequent problems. Who can't tolerate food? I had solid food post-DS far sooner that I did post-band. I know of some people who have had problems at surgery who have had feeding tubes...for a while...but that is a far easier fix than a band removal. "Malabsorption so bad that medicines can't be absorbed?" Where is this coming from? Most medicines come in more than one form...which people with bands should be aware of since they are not--after banding--good candidates for NSAID's for pain relief. I agree with MOST of what you say..and wish I saw more of it here. I did have a higher risk of dying during my <120 minute DS-revision than I did with my 40 minute banding...but those things each happened in less than one day. It's the REST of my life that I was focused on. Yes, this is a banding support site. But, as such, it isn't necessary to promulgate FALSE information about the hazards of the other choices. Some people--well, according to European statistics, a LOT of people--will move on to another wls after banding. They should be considering the band the FIRST step...and if it works, fine. They should not be getting fed false rumors about how the other surgeries will kill them or make them stink or ruin their lives...because that just is not true. NO wls is the perfect one for everyone...I've said that repeatedly. And I've mentioned that, at age 60-ish, I have different long-terms concerns about malabsoprtion that someone who is 30-ish might have. But banding did "work" for me as well as it "works" for number of people. I lost some weight, I got reflux, I had multiple adjustments and weight gain, I had esophageal dysmotility. Other people--several years out--have other problems. SOME people have no problems. But the flippant "oh, well, no biggie, it can always be removed" comments coming from people who haven't lived through those espisodes of Life With the Band, is--at best--a tad irritating. It ISN'T "no big deal" when you can't swallow, or when what you swallow comes back up even if it's only Water, when you aspirate stomach acids, or when you live through months or years of band-related problems. First...about the honesty of bandsters. They are NOT as honest as you might think. They keep trying to protect/defend their decision to have chosen the band rather than one of the other surgeries and they blame themselves for not doing their part instead of considering another move. And they sit there, still (or again) obese or still (or again) MO. (That behavior is particular to the band, btw.) Band patients almost all blame themselves for the band's not delivering the results they were hoping for. AND THEN, because they think of themselves as the weak link in the chain, they don't go out in search of a procedure that does work for them. (In Europe, where patients are taught they the band ios what they'll try first, they accept that fact that some people will have success and other will not. One European surgeon who is a long-time band/RnY/DS surgeon wrote me and said that fully 20% of his practice is now removing bands and revising to another wls.) Then, maybe you haven't read enough "newbie" posts (here and other places). Post-ops who really believe that they could eat just like before only a little less...who didn't know about drinking with meals...who didn't know about taking food slowly after adjustments...about why they aren't losing weight immediately post-op...about why the left shoulder hurts...about why they lost 20 pounds the first week and then nothing for three weeks..about NSAID's post-op...and on and on. When there were thirty banding doctors, the patients were FAR better informed. We KNEW what to expect and there were no surprises. Now, there are more INexperienced surgeons banding UNeducated patients. It's a dangerous combination. [/font]

Yes, there are...probably with former banded people there, too. You might want to visit some of them. (I didn't have RnY.) But, so far, it appears that I have a band and you do not...you might want to think about that for a while.

Thus reducing the team roster on the "very ignorant people" side. Keep up the good work.

Yes, that's it...everyone who has been banded and posts here--except one--has lost weight and is doing well. Yes...sure.

I can't speak to the RnY, but the stomach removal part of the DS is done by a surgeon...just like the punching holes in the belly parts of the band placement are done by a surgeon. If done correctly--which is why you want a really experienced guy doing it--there is a "rearranging" but everything functions. A well-placed band is not always as reliable as one might hope, because once the surgeon places the band, he walks away and the band can still move. Morning sickness, a nasty bout of flu, and food poisoning can all undo the very good work of a very good surgeon and the best intentions of a totally compliant patient. The band CAN make the esophagus stop working or cause relux so bad that sleep is non-existent or that Barrett's or some other problem develops. In other words, it CAN cause things to STOP functioning. So, I don't think that having my innards rearranged is damaging things any more than my having a breast reduction damaged anything. It made it DIFFERENT, but functioning.

It usually DOES work and the really simple folk usually manage to keep their distance. Buh-bye, now.

Great!!! Now I have TWO uninvited spokespersons who are more than a tad off plumb on the details. I do not respect--as in "honor"--people who have not given me a reason to honor them. If you do, have at it. And as far as SHOWING a total lack of respect--such as by entering this discussion when it didn't really involve you and inferring that I'm a "true unhappy person"--you are doing such a good job of it, I'll defer to your expertise. Other than that...I've lost 112 pounds, my labs are great, I've gotten laid twice today and the night is still young...and we're headed out to dinner. NOT an unhappy person at THIS computer...

I'm a happily married woman, the mother of a wonderful adult daughter and I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me. USUALLY, I'm happy. Except that simple people irritate the crap out of me. Everyone has had horrible things happen in ther lives. I don't respect people unless they have EARNED my respect. Did I miss anything?

Telly, When the band starts to damage the body...that is--IMHO-- a failure. And it sure isn't the failure of the person whse body is being damaged. BUT, in medical circles, when a patient has NOT lost 50% of his or her excess weight one year out, it is defined as a failed surgery.

#1--For the record, I am down 112 pounds from my highest weight. The band failed, for me and for others. Another surgery has worked well. #2--Newbies who want to be handled with kid gloves, should probably not make statements explaining the motives of others...as in "Regarding the negative feedback you're seeing here. Keep in mind. Most of the people that seek out a site like this either NEED help or are having trouble." I don't need help; I'm not having trouble. I just have something negative to say about the band...in the hopes that someone who came here seeing only pink ponies and rainbows might go into the project with a more realistic view of what ELSE might in store for her. #3--No one who has REALLY read ANY of my posts would write: "...I wouldn't have thought that either of you would be so short or sarcastic with someone." You must have me confused with someone who is more concerned with tact than with honesty. Carry on...

Thanks, all... Margaret, I don't LACK for good food. I start each day with two or three slices of bacon and a one-egg cheese omelette and a small glass of OJ. Later on in the morning, I may have some Raisin Bran (from Trader Joe's) for the Iron boost. I go to the gym now and at the little Greek fast-food place, I have some steak on a skewer. dinner is usually fish, sometimes chicken, cooked in a healthy way...and some veggies. I try to remember to drink a Protein drink once a day. I avoid flour if possible, so there's not a lot of bread or Cookies in my life...but there is no flour in Fritos. And no flour in Peanut Butter cups. And not flour in Trader Joe's Dark Chocoate Roasted Pistacho Toffee..you see the problem? And, because the surgery was NOT on my head, that's what I do when my husband calls and says, "Hey, Babe...I'm gonna work a double," which means I'll see him when he pops in at midnight and goes right to bed. Boredom and missing my honey...not a good things for me. I think your friend needs to have her doctor order up some labs for her. Those will tell the tale. I get them every few months.

I had my band removed as part of a revision to the Duodenal Switch (DS) surgery. My surgeon had done it before and the entire procedure--band out and DS done--was under two hours. It is not "cartoon simple," as he put it, especially since yours is moving around...but I've heard of more erosion-related removal problems. good luck... Sue

Or...they've given up and gone away because they stopped losing weight and think there is something wrong with them... BTW...some of us have been online for YEARS...first, as pre-banded; then as newbies; then as successful bandsters; then as not-so-successful bandsters; then as "failures"; then as revisions to something else. So, SOME of us are not here seeking help at all, but offering experience...because we've been everywhere there is to go on the banding journey.

Now that my band is in a baggie in my guest room and I've been revised to the DS and I've lost about 93 pounds in a year...nope...no regrets...except waiting so long to have the band removed. Well...that and I think I've become a clothes whore. Who KNEW I'd ever own $100 jeans?!?

First...where you are now is practically my goal...so, to me, to have that height and weight would be just great. Then...ON AVERAGE...the typical banding patient loses 60% of her excess weight. So, paying ten-to-thirty-grand out of pocket would, ON AVERAGE, help you lose about 30 pounds. (YMMV) Just so you know the likely outcome. I think you need to find out why, with a BMI of 30, you are exhausted all the time. Mine is DOWN TO 33 from a high of over 50 and I feel like the Energizer Bunny. Maybe, it's just that I feel good relative to how I felt before...but exhaustion at your age and your weight may have other causes.

I want to correct what I originally said. The band also kept me from eating SOME things that would have caused me to gain more weight...like bread and potatoes and rice and raisins and anything that absorbs fluids and "grows" once it's in your stomach. So it WILL keep many people from eating CERTAIN things that are not good for them..but it won't keep out the ice cream.

this might help: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19759&highlight=beads

The band only prevents you from gorging yourself on healthy stuff...like chicken and fish. You could eat cotton candy and wash it down with triple gooey lattes 'til the cows come home. For me, the band was diet and exercise with a LITTLE help to keep me from overeating SOME foods. But you can pour a Wendy's chili and a shake where no salmon will dare to go!!

I think they will put Dubya in the position of having to veto ethics rules, the 9/11 Commission's Recommendations and minimum wage increases...AND put the Republicans in the position of publically not voting to override his vetoes and of showing the American public that they don't want to have ethics rules, they don't want to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations and they don't want people to make a whopping $15,080 per year. They will not impeach Bush...but they will have to find a way to pay for this: http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182 So is that raising taxes? Or is it putting our money where Dubya's mouth went? (I'm tellin' ya...Monica's mouth was way cheaper.)

So...you had the taxpayers (that is, the rest of us) pay the $2000 a month difference, so that you could pocket "your inheritance?" You feel okay about that?

:yo:

You don't owe me anything. For me, the whole concept was to DEFEND our right to disagree with each other and those in office. And besides, the VA did my sleep Study and some other stuff. But now I feel guilty about taking appointment times from people who have no other options.

Aha...thanks, Carlene. (Just in time to cut the boomers off at the pass, huh?) I'm VietNam ERA, but not VietNam service. I got my rating 30+ years ago. My husband just got his (weird-ass) rating a couple of years ago. He went in with normal hearing. He came out (infantry) with damaged hearing. The medic at the discharge physical gave him a copy of his hearing test and told him, "Hang onto this...you're going to need it." He was not eligible to be in the guard or reserves. Thirty years later, he flunked a required hearing test at work. Employer said, "Our fault...we'll pay for the hearing aids." And they did. But he finally filed for his VA disability. They told him that his hearing was so bad he could have gone out on a medical discharge thirty years earlier. He has the hearing loss AND the tinnitus. Funny thing. The VA won't rate the hearing loss because they (also) gave him hearing aids and they say that hearing aids are as good as hearing. (But amputees are rated whether they get a prosthesis or not.) But they gave him the tinnitus rating. I ALMOST had to spend time at DIDDY-BOP school at Fort Huachuca. Instead, poor me, they sent me to language school in that hell hole known as Monterey, CA...right next to Pebble Beach and Carmel. Poor, poor pitiful me.

Here's an easier-to-read chart: http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/PriorityGroupsAll.asp (I am fortunate both that I do have medical insurance AND I'm in Category Three. I have friends who have NO insurance and who--like the rest of us--were promidsed medical care but are screwed until they are old enough for MediCare.)