WASaBubbleButt

The band isn't going to work until you hit your sweet spot. It's too bad you can only get a fill every three months. If you were to self pay could you get it done sooner? Exercise is key. Eating right isn't enough you need to get out there and move until you are sweating. I am one that would have failed bypass. People think you malabsorb forever and you really don't. The honeymoon period is the time bypass folks malabsorb and after the honeymoon period is over you are back to diet/exercise. The idea is to change your eating behaviors during the honeymoon phase and by the time that is over you are in maintenance. I am one that I would have let malabsorption do the trick and by the time that was over I'd be in a mad dash to change my eating behaviors. I know me, I would have failed bypass. I don't understand, what do you mean that the sleeve is a done deal. With a sleeve you have perfect restriction for the rest of your life. It's a restrictive procedure only, just like the band.

Gallbladder pain is not always on the right, it can be on the left side, both sides, all kinds of ways to hurt. You should see your doc, abdominal/back pain can be many different things.

It can mean a variety of things. Elisabeth had it in the sense that she had such uncontrollable reflux she had acid coming out her nose and mouth in the middle of the night and had to sleep in a chair. She didn't even have any restriction whatsoever. For me it was a little different. You know how during times of stress you get a little tighter? For me I'd obstruct if I was stressed. Anything such as TOM, time of day, weather, humidity, altitude, anything that makes some people a little tighter I would totally obstruct with an unfilled band. If life was good I could eat anything in any quantity. If I was the least bit anxious I would obstruct and couldn't even drink Water. Anything that is out of the bandsters control that destroys quality of life with the band is essentially band intolerance. It doesn't usually happen right away, usually it starts 1-2 years post op.

The great thing about restrictive only procedures is that you don't end up metabolically challenged by the time you reach goal (can happen with bypass) and you are a vet so you'll have an easier time of it this time. You can do it. No learning curve, it's already done. I'll bet you get it off in no time. I don't recall anyone suggesting you are a failure. I don't recall anyone suggesting your band is a failure. But I would caution you about blaming yourself if you don't meet your goals. What about those that have band intolerance? What about those that if they get the slightest fill they have severe reflux causing Barretts Esophagus? What about those who erode? What did they do wrong? If you end up with one of those problems what is it that you would have done wrong? My point is that it is NOT always the person. It really is the band sometimes. I don't want those having problems to feel like it is their fault if it is not. The band was not a good tool for me, I hope it is absolutely the perfect tool for you. You already have come a long way so I'm sure you'll continue doing well.

Wow... first of all paragraphs and punctuation would be greatly appreciated. I have not sent you personal messages. Everything I have written to you is public. Please refrain from making claims otherwise. You may not have meant to write (repeatedly) that the band is the most effective WLS type on the market but you argued the point until I asked you for proof. You refer asking for proof as arguing, I do not. I did not tell anyone to get a sleeve. What I wrote is that I could not suggest a band to a self pay person because of the cost of complications and aftercare. What I did write was a suggestion to look at the sleeve because she is self pay: That is not medical advice, that is one WLS person posting to another for their research purposes. Please, learn the nursing laws. Since you were writing the post to me in response to what I wrote yes, it is natural to think that you were writing the post to me in response to what I wrote. :biggrin: Nobody is debating what surgery someone should have. If you will read the OP the reason for the discussion is quite clear. No, I am not trying to convince everyone that the sleeve is the best thing for them. Show me quotes. I think each person is different and we all need to get the right surgery type for us. If you will look through the sleeve forum many are people that started out wanting a band because they didn't know other options existed. MOST people think the only options they have are bands and bypass. They do not know sleeves and DS exist. I will continue making sure people realize just what their options are and especially if they are self pay. A good friend of mine is in a position where she is self pay, having severe band problems, and she can't afford to have it removed. She has acid pouring out of her nose and mouth in the middle of the night, she's burning out her sinuses, and she can't afford to do anything about it. People often times get a surgery type based on the cost of the surgery and they do not realize the aftercare is quite expensive. I could never suggest the band for self pay unless the person is loaded and can always afford another surgery type, fills, etc. I say the same about bypass and DS because of the cost of labs and supplements. It's quite expensive. The reason I made the comment about your weight loss was (again) because you were lecturing me on what I need to do to lose weight. I *did* follow my doctors advice and that is one of the reasons I got to goal quickly. You dispute the validity of the stats I provided? Do you know where those stats came from? It's from the ASMBS. It's one of MANY similar studies done by a many different doctors. If the ASMBS thought it was worthy of discussion I'm okay with that however you are free to tell them they are all wrong and the band is superior to any other WLS if that is what you believe. At least *I* provided data to back up my claims. That is more than what you did. Why did I switch to a sleeve? For the same reasons as most everyone else that switches. I had band intolerance. Even with an unfilled band I got to the point that I could not eat solids of any type and was on liquids for 4 months. I wanted quality of life back as well as I wanted my health back. It's difficult at best to maintain weight when after hitting goal you can't eat solid food. It's not really up to you to decide what I should do with my time. Fact is, you just didn't like my calling you on your inaccurate information. When the OP is questioning her decision to be banded due to stats and complications who is better to reply? You? With the claim that the band is the most effective WLS on the market or the moderator and I who have personal experience with the band and the sleeve? I think if the owner of the forum only wanted banded people here discussing the band he wouldn't have a sleeved moderator working here. How the heck are you in a position to tell me I am not happy? What do you know about me? A few posts on a message board and you come to decisions about whether or not I am happy? You know nothing about me so please refrain from such bizarre slams in the future because I'll call you on them each and every single time. Cheers. VerticalSleeveTalk Click to visit the largest Vertical Sleeve community online!

BINGO! What drama? One person had drama. The rest of us are drinking Citrus Vodka and having fun! Orrrrr... is that just me?

I think it's a matter of redirection. It's safer to slam dunk you than it is Beth. She thought you'd take it. ;o)

Yes, then you know about Miss Parker. <cackle> I love that show. I watch it nightly on Hulu - Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.. Love it! Jared fixes everything, he can do anything, Miss Parker and Syd will never get him.

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't I tell you that you are mine? Did you ever see "The Pretender" with Miss Parker? Yes, I am Miss Parker. Through and through I am Miss Parker.

Hey Monkey RN.... I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen this side of you. Could it be???? Could it??? Are HH and I rubbing off on you?

Awwwwwww, this is why you have alllll the ladies of LBT clutching their heart and making big deep vocal sighs as you walk by. //Sigggghhhhhhhhh// But, make no mistake. I called dibs on you first. You are MINE!

A touch of Viagra might be safer. ;o) <snark>

Yep... so when people come here whining of two weeks or so of full liquids or even clears... bah! BTDT plus some. It took me a year before I could eat Jello again. I do not eat broth to this day. If it is Soup it has to be creamy or I gag. What do you think keeps me on the straight and narrow? I'm NEVER doing a revision or WLS of ANY type EVER again! ;o) The hell with the surgery, I don't want to do a post op diet again.

And she huffed and she puffed and she stormed out of here with the greatest of drama! ;o)

All the vets here have done the post op diet. It is not something one forgets. I've done it twice. First one was two weeks of clears, 2 weeks of fulls, 2 weeks of soft foods. Next one was 10 day stages of the same. Please do not assume we have somehow forgotten those times of our lives. Sometimes the truth just hurts, it's life. It's how it is.

Heh... I have to laugh. I was just over at OH band boards (gasp!) and I was reminded of this thread. Just from last week. Would you do it again? Everyone please answer Yessssss, I can see why your surgeon suggests you post on OH. ;o)

Why wouldn't I come here? I have spent more time banded than I have sleeved. I have a lot of information. There are a lot of struggling bandsters. Why wouldn't I offer what I know? There is also a section for band complications and band removal, why wouldn't I post there? I think you have made it clear that you only want people posting that will validate your choice, tell only the upsides of surgery, and never dare tell the negative sides. It's not going to happen. That's not how message boards work. People who are researching need all sides of the issue, they need to know the good and the bad before they can make a good decision. They need to read links, studies, talk to those that both like and dislike the band. That's called research. I thought the OPs post was a fantastic post! They were wanting info before jumping into something which is what a great many people do. If she was planning on a band but was unsure, why is it a horror for her (him? her?) to post on both boards? I think you are being quite unreasonable. No, we disagree. When a person who claims to be a nurse is spreading around very incorrect medical and statistical information it needs to be corrected. People tend to put more stock into info posted by someone with a license relating to medicine vs. someone who does not. When that information is dead wrong and even the band makers are not making those claims, it needs to be pointed out and corrected. Because I don't like closed perspectives and closed worlds. I also post on a revision board, an RNY board, a general board, an "at goal" board, sleeve boards, all kinds of boards. I'm not one to stop learning and hide my head in the sand. I want to know everything related to WLS. Don't you? I'm not sure what I would need validation for. I'm healthy, I'm at goal, I'm maintaining a 20BMI well for over a year and a half, I can eat anything I want, I have no food restrictions, what is it specifically that you think I need validation? Please, be specific. See above. You may not understand how an OR works. The time the surgeon is actually in the OR working on a patient is about 30 minutes unless the surgeon is unskilled and a dolt. It takes time to put the patient to sleep, prep the patient, drape the patient, then the surgeon comes in and does surgery. He leaves, the anesthesiologist wakes up the patient and he's taken to recovery. The surgeon's job is about 30 minutes, the patient is in the OR for about 45-60 minutes. If you think OH is any different, you are in error. Message boards are what they are. Period. Posting stats and facts isn't belittling banded folks. It's called adult posting. What it does seem to be is threatening to you for some reason. You made the right decision for you, so what's your problem?

A lot of it depends on the doctor. Some doctors do what is in the best interest of their patients. Some do what is in the best interest of their wallets. I know of a doc in Phoenix that used to do ALL the major procedures, DS, bypass, sleeves, and bands. He was really a skilled surgeon, very skilled. But he found more money in bands. He can turns bands into an assembly line and pump out many daily. It's a money maker and he's turned into a band factory. I know another doc in Phoenix this is not a skilled surgeon and he's become an ERNY factory. If they offer ALL the major procedures they are far more likely to give you a balanced opinion.

It does explain the rising slip stats. Sometimes a little tough love is in order. One can pat the head of a noob and tell them anything they want to do is just peachy or they can give them a dose of reality. We may not like hearing what we have done is wrong, but it's a necessary step in getting through the weight loss journey. What Beth wrote is correct, it is her choice in delivery methods. You pick your delivery method and let others pick theirs. Fair?

The US and MX warnings are not for the entire country of Mexico, just a few select cities. Avoid Tijuana and Juarez, other than that cities are just like they are here.

Quite frankly I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. I don't know what a push back is. I do not understand what your problem is with blosmtx. Why is it that bandsters confusing "flaming" with "stats and facts"? Why is that threatening? If you have done your research and you chose the right surgery type for you why is it a threat when the same research you read pre op is presented for noobs? What makes you think that doctors make more money with bypass than banding? They can do one bypass in 2.5 hours or they can do 5 bands in 2.5 hours. Hello? How does this make more money for them? With bands doctors have business for life in aftercare. With bypass people typically go to their PCP for follow up labs. I have had a band and a sleeve. The band was not for me, the sleeve is great FOR ME. I wish I had the US long term studies on bands and sleeves when I was banded, I didn't have that honor because they did not exist at that time. Both just came out last year. I want others to have ALL the facts and not the feel good, "bands are safer than anything in the whole wide world," line of crap that simply is not true. It seems to me that you are only wanting positives and not neutrality on this board. I ask you, is that fair to those researching their surgery choice? It also seems to me that you are putting your desire for validation in your surgery choice over noobs doing their research. How is that right? And finally, I am not responsible for your choice in surgery types, I am not responsible for your mood. I am not responsible for validating your surgery options. Don't even try to blame me. You are responsible for those things, 100%.

I wouldn't get either, I'd get the sleeve. To spend $10K on bands knowing what I know today... there is no way. Maybe read this: Medical News: ASMBS: Gastric Banding Less Effective than Other Procedures - in Meeting Coverage, ASMBS from MedPage Today This is a big decision, do what is right for you.

Nurse09: You have posted many times that the band is the safest and most effective WLS on the market today. I asked you to provide proof of this. I know you are reading, you were reading this very thread yesterday morning. So are you still looking for peer reviewed studies that show you are correct? I asked you to prove your own claims. Where's the proof? I also asked you to defend your claim that the sleeve has been proven to be ineffective although it's the fastest growing surgery today. Where is that proof? Instead of providing proof to back up your claims you just disappear. Why is that? Yes, I hold you to higher standards than I would others. You claim to be a nurse, your profile shows you wearing your cap. People put more stock into a medical professional and when you post sheer nonsense I am going to call you on it each and every time. If you are a professional (and since you are a nurse I certainly hope you are professional) you will either admit you posted incorrect information due to human error or you will post your proof. That just isn't asking too much. You have lectured me time and time again on what I need to do to lose weight. I have lost 132#. I am at goal, I have a BMI of 20. I have maintained this for 1.5 years. In another post you wrote that you have lost 59# in 16 months. What's the deal here? You keep telling me that I need to follow my doctors instructions. You tell me, who followed their doctors instructions? You or me? Cheers.

First of all I never claimed one could not regain with bypass or the sleeve. What I disputed was the claim that the band is safest and the most effective WLS type out there. It is not. You are absolutely right, there are no long term studies with the new band. Lots of big claims but nothing to back up those claims. We won't know about the latest version of band for years to come. Today people are guinea pigs, just like I was for the smaller band. Did you know that many doctors in Canada are going back to the 4cc bands because people are not losing well with the mega bands? First it was the mesh band, that didn't work. Then the non adjustable band, that didn't work. Then the small adjustable band, nothing changed really. Now the mega adjustable band. I don't know, from reading revision boards I'm not seeing where the fewer slips and erosion promises are panning out. How can a band maker make a band that causes fewer erosions when it *still* a total unknown what causes erosion? Personally I don't think it is the band, I think it is something in the operating room. So how can you fix erosion when you have no idea what causes it? Yet the new bands make these claims. The new bands had gazillions of dollars in advertising and big promises that there is no way the band manufacturers can fill. I'd have to see how they go about tracking their numbers before blindly believing any doctor's claims. I've been watching doctors make big claims for 25 years now. I'd have to see the details before I'd believe them.