WASaBubbleButt

The whole point of having a band is to have restriction. NONE of us could do this without restriction, that's why we had surgery. He's probably not going to lose weight until he does have restriction.

JFTR... The "deleted" PM was something I did indeed write. It was in response to an email sent to me by Sandy Johnston under one of her fake email addresses (same IP address as Sandy) telling me that if I did not quit writing what I know about Betancourt she would come up with fake death certificates and post them on every WLS board claiming my doc is a hack and she would do everything she could to destroy his reputation. My PM was in response to her email to me and I stand behind my words.

I am not sure your friend picked the right surgery type for her. In time she will stop malabsorbing to the same degree she is now and she will begin to regain. ( This is the position I would have been in if I had bypass the first time around. I would have been your friend. I would have eaten crap and let my surgery type do the work for me and at this stage in the game I'd be regaining. I feel for your friend, if the band did anything for me it taught me that I can live without white carbs such as flour and sugar. Good job on your weight loss!

You know, this is exactly what I have been looking for all day today. I have literally spent most of the day today trying to find out what it is about fast food that is nothing short of addictive. I mean McDonalds doesn't even taste good, the restaurants stink... so why do people go there day after day? Have you seen this? There is no way any rational person would eat there again after seen that yet they do. They aren't rational anymore. There has to be a chemical that's like a drug in these products for people to eat it knowing just how bad it is for the human body. I'm going to order the book, thanks!

I completely and totally understand the frustrations you are experiencing. I'm so sorry you are going through this. When a band goes bad it affects every single area of your life. If you are having major band problems I wouldn't wait long to have it removed. I waited too long and have permanent problems because of it. If you slip and an unfill doesn't do the trick they won't be able to do a revision in one surgery, two surgeries is much more expensive. If you erode... again, two surgeries. Then the weight gain while you wait for surgery #2 for revision. If you are self pay don't wait, get it done as soon as financially possible.

May I ask the title of this book?

Oh, btw... here is the US warnings about Mexico. Please note, TJ is listed in the warnings, Mexicali is NOT. Mexico This is dated June 30, 09. Cheers.

Ahhh, Ms. Betancourt coordinator... I invite you to check out the US, MX, and CA warnings for Mexico. Mexicali is not on the list. But your flunky, non-board certified, wannabe surgeon Almanza IS indeed in one of the cities most warned about. Tijuana. Aren't you also known as SkinnyPlease and all the other IDs that slam dunk Dr. Aceves? You thought I didn't know, I did. When I was Admin of VST I had tools. Tools to check IP addresses. Then I could prove what I know to be true. You are all nice and professional under THIS ID. But when you post under fake IDs, you are your usual self and try to slam dunk the surgeons that are actually ... good. Would you mind posting Dr. Betacourts Medical License? We would all like to see it. Thank you... ever so much.

You have written a boatload of ... well, nothing. I stand behind my posts. When you have something of value to type, do let me know.

When I was banded I had to eat standing up as well. Then I had to go walking because I'd get stuck every single time. Even on Protein shakes. I relate to what you guys are going through.

You do not have to have a high BMI for the sleeve. You have to have a higher BMI for bypass than you do a sleeve. I had my sleeve done with a BMI of 20.8.

You have some legit concerns. I'm not really a fan of bypass. It's a great procedure for some, life saving for others. But I'm too irresponsible to take the supplements for the rest of my life. Also, many people do not realize they are not going to fully malabsorb forever. Usually they do during the honeymoon period of 6-18 months. But you'll always malabsorb nutrition. If you are confident you can overhaul your eating behaviors and maintain exercise bypass is a great option. Don't forget, the sleeve and DS also exist. Banding is actually one of the procedures one would not want to have with chemo. There is usually a lot of violent vomiting with chemo and the risk is a slip. During chemo people have very little immune system working and surgery to correct a slip smack in the middle of chemo would not be good. Do you know of ANY surgeon who does NOT stitch the band into place?

It's the 5 day pouch test. Originally meant for bypass patients but it works well for ALL WLS folks. Two days of Protein shakes, two days of soft Proteins, 1 day of hard proteins. Gets you off the white carb cycle. Less than 20gms of carbs daily. Gradually incorporate GOOD carbs. Cut out flour, sugar, Pasta, and potatoes.

Have you considered the 5DPT to get off white carbs?

A very accurate post. Good job.

Great post. I agree with you, I think the band is advertised incorrectly. I also agree about the low carb diet. I do not believe in a low carb diet, I do believe in a low white carb diet. We did not get fat eating broccoli, we got fat eating flour and sugar. I think Aussies do handle the band differently than the US and I think that is a major issue to consider. Fact remains, we handle banding differently than you. For that reason I think the band is a bad option in the US. There, I wrote it. We don't take care of the band in the same way you guys do. This is a huge issue. As long as doctors are handling things as they are in the US the band is going to fail. I think my band would have failed the Aussie way, but that's me. Not everyone. I just wasn't cut out for banding. But I do not believe I am the majority with band intolerance. Well, in the US I am but not globally. So many thoughts, so little band width. ;o)

I do have an agenda. I want people to get to goal safely. Shoot me. I have an agenda.

Ohhhhhh, you mean Inamed's stats. Yes, they have been deleted but I am sorry, I have no control over that. I could call them and insist the repost them but do you think it would be in their best interest to do so? You can ask me a million times to post the link but if they deleted it, I can't do that. I can provide you with at least 100 studies showing the band provides the lowest and slowest weight loss. Is that what you would like to see? Why would I lie about this? What do I care what procedure type someone gets? It's no skin off my nose if someone chooses bypass, DS, sleeve, or banding. I just want people to know the truth about all surgery types so they can choose what is right for them. As for the "nah" comment about your band, you are full of it. I want people to have whatever WLS type is right for them. If it is the band, so be it. I want everyone to experience goal, it's the best freak'en feeling in the world. I feel like you are wanting validation that the band is the best surgery type out there and I'm sorry, I can't do that. It is not the best surgery type out there. It is right for some people but not the majority. If you are one that the band is best, kewl beans. That's what I love to see. A person that got the best surgery type for them.

Gallbladder problems are a known issue with WLS folks. It is very common to have gall stones after WLS.

Sorry, I'm drawing a total blank at what you are referring to that's been deleted regarding bands vs. sleeves. It is a fact. Check out studies. Here is a recent one: Medical News: ASMBS: Gastric Banding Less Effective than Other Procedures - in Meeting Coverage, ASMBS from MedPage Today

I kind of get the feeling that you would prefer stats and facts not be posted. That's not how I know you but that is what your post brings to mind. Truth is, the band and bypass are yesterdays procedures. Sleeves and DS are todays procedures. If that does not fit into your mindset, so be it. But it does not change reality. The band has the lowest weight loss, the slowest weight loss, and the highest regain of all WLS procedures. That's a fact. Not my numbers, just the facts. If something is out there that is better and safer, should we hide it?

I do think the band is on the way out. So does the Lap Band manufacturer. I think they have changed the band to every possible option and there are still very big problems with it. Slips and erosion are not decreasing, erosion is staying the same and slips are increasing. I think people should have all the information possible about all surgery types so they can make the best choice for them. Don't you think? And this IS a thread asking about bands vs. sleeves. Why wouldn't sleeve folks post here? The rate that mods are revising to other surgery types is about standard for band revisions globally. Don't you think there is a reason so many doctors, hospitals, and even the country of Chile isn't banding anyone anymore? I don't care which surgery someone gets as long as they have information on all surgery types. Then they can choose what is right for them.

I didn't care where the surgery was, I wanted the best of the best. Your surgeon doesn't even do pre op labs. That's unheard of. Sleeves, $8750 includes three nights in the hospital and you are done for life. Band: $9900 includes no hospitalization plus aftercare for life.

I'm glad you made the decision that is right for you. I love my sleeve, best thing I ever did. I'm totally happy with it. I'm sitting here eating a Tombstone pizza and I can only eat about 3/4 of a slice. Not a lot. ;o) I had to leave this thread early on. I got so sick of such wrong information being posted that I gave up. If you want any facts please feel free to PM/email me. I wouldn't pay any attention to those that have never researched the topic.

Remember, everything affects restriction. Absolutely everything. Time of day, TOM, weather, hydration, food temp, mood, altitude, everything. Some of these are things you have no control over for the most part. Some days your band might like cold foods, the next day it might like warm foods. With time you get to know how you react to different things.