mrsto

Labwalker - I completely understand your feelings. I loved the old Lap Band Talk site, and though at times there was bickering about various things, it was never about which surgery, who's doctor has better credentials, etc. It was a lap band group, and we were all part of that same "club". I too wish the surgeries weren't combined, but now.....it is what it is. Though very frustrating at times, it's still a good place to come for support. Even if not support, just nice interaction with others who share the struggles, fight the fight, etc. A few of the comments by sleeved patients in the thread were ridiculous. Worthless, actually. It makes no sense to trash others surgical path, who are seeking to improve their health, etc. The babble about archaic procedures and lack of personal research, can only come from those who are insecure at their core, and have to beat their chest like a gorilla in the wild. As I stated in my above post, there is absolutely no debate. We all moved forward with the surgical route, and chose procedures we deemed the best for us.....for WHATEVER the reason. Lab - please stick around. I get into moods like this too....like you feel this morning. It is frustrating at times, but there was bickering on Lap Band Talk, too. Get a lot of different people together, and it's going to happen. When I start to feel the bile rising after reading some stupid s-hit, I click to a different thread; just walk away :-)

LOL!!!

Aside from the political rants above, there are two actual issues raised by Rosie's comments: 1. She dissed the lapband's effectiveness, angering lapband patients who found and/or still find the band successful for themselves (whether they still have the band or have had it removed). Should she have done that? 2. She "divided" the WLS community where (I did not know this until Rosiegate) that it's politically incorrect to say that one WLS procedure is less effective or desirable than another. Did she cause a division? My take on Rosiegate is that it's illogical to deem off-limits debates about the relative effectiveness of WLS procedures within, of all places, the WLS community. Every prospective WLS patient has to deliberate about and decide which form of WLS is appropriate for them. It's one of the biggest decisions about WLS we all made. FTR, I'm 6 1/2 weeks post-VSG-op. I've never had a lapband, but it was the procedure I first explored with my surgeon, since I had thought lapband and gastric bypass were the only two WLS options. Until he described the sleeve, I had never heard of it. My surgeon (who has done thousands of all three WLS procedures--and supports his past lapband patients) discouraged me strongly from having the lapband citing these facts, based on his education and experience and the experiences of thousands of his WLS patients over the past 10 years: * The lapband wasn't designed to be a permanent fixture in the human body, * Fills / adjustments can be difficult to get right, * The band works imperfectly for many patients in helping them to lose weight, * Patients find it easy to game/cheat the lapband, obviating the lapband's efficacy, * Most lapband patients regain their weight when the band is removed, and * It can slip and erode in ways that damage patients' stomachs and other nearby body organs and tissue, * Some lapband patients find they are unable to fly due to pressurization changes that may affect the band's fill and cause major discomfort and pain Those of us who are sleeved have met online many banded patients who wish to transition from the band to the sleeve. Some of their stories of banded life are horrific, particularly about stomach damage caused by their bands that sipped or eroded. Therefore, this forum and its members don't want to discourage anyone from discussing WLS procedures' pros and cons, their continuing / changing utility, and their risks. And now that I know more about the three WLS procedures, I agree with the gist of Rosie's comments about the band. What would be very interesting to me would be a civil discussions about which procedure is appropriate for whom and which one(s) are NOT. The decision tree can't be that complicated. Geez..... This thread is like the gift that keeps on giving..... I chose the lap band/plication because it leaves me with an option at a later date; the choice to reverse it if something changes in my life. I have ZERO judgement on what others have chosen for themselves. ZERO. I was scheduled for a bypass, but cancelled two weeks prior; too permanent for my personality type. When considering all surgery options, and forward thinking about illnesses that could arise in my aging years, I did not want to remove most of my stomach because I may need it for absorption of nutrients. AGAIN, no judgement on those who chose to go that route. Believe me, I love the idea of having surgery & being done; no fills, no whatever. But I'm very cautious when it comes to permanent changes to my body, and what I chose is what I can live with. To each his (or her) own. Lets give this a rest already. I cannot stand Rosie O, and chalk up the crap that comes out of her mouth as her personal "agenda". Lets all live and be well with our choices. After all, we've lost weight, reversed co-morbidity health issues. There is no debate here. Live....and let live.

I didn't realize that so much time passed before she opened up. And as you say, it was her right to do so.

Star Jones had a bypass a few years ago. It was no secret; she talked quite openly about it.

LOL!

LOL!

I honestly don't feel that Rosie or The View owe any follow up apologies. I jumped on Rosie because I can't stand her. To me, it's just more crap coming out of the woman's mouth. I agree with above.....it's a talk show, and they all have their opinions. They talk about so many things that I don't agree with. Too much liberal thinking for my taste. On rare occasion I would watch the program. Now that Rosie is on board, I never watch it.

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"http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/lap-band-surgery-half-patients-complications/story?id=13187452 http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4452159/Lap-Band-more-than-50-FAILURE-rate/ http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/dangers-of-lap-band-surgery Do you need more? You will find that more and more surgeons are not doing lap band anymore. Why would your doctor recommend it for you? Maybe because HE hasn't done his research either. LOL. Either way. Mine stopped doing it this year and mine too has "credentials above reproach." Sometimes, the doctors are not recommending the band, but it's what the patients want for themselves. That was the case with me. I researched ad nauseam, and made MY choice on what I felt best for my health, and long term options. The band is my surgeons least favorite, but he still does them. He's got plenty of VERY successful band patients, but still favors some of the more invasive procedures. It's all about choice. Jessipug, try & keep in mind that this isn't a contest of who's doctor has the best credentials, what procedure is the best, etc. No one is slamming the sleeve. That was your choice, and I'm glad it's working out for you.....so far.

A-mazing! Awesome job, Jim.

Amen to that! This isn't a freaken contest

Well said, Lisa

"Ummmmm....can we just talk about the fact that everything she said is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!?!? As someone who HAS done my research and has lived in the WLS world for quite some time now, she's correct. Half of lapbands ARE in fact removed, and the long term success rates of lapband are much less than that of gastric sleeve or RNY. Everyone is so freaking quick to get insulted these days and I wish you would just stop it already. She spoke her opinion, which by the way was riddled with fact after fact, and you guys all get your panties in a wad? Grow UP already. There isn't enough long term data on the sleeve. My neighbor had the RNY, and after 8 years started gaining weight. She went in to have the band placed over the bypass. There is no hard fast rule on any of this. I've known a couple of people who gained all of their weight back after the sleeve. They just eat small amounts of junk food throughout the day. It doesn't matter what you choose.... If you lose your motivation, you can eat around, and gain weight with all of the surgeries. For me, knowing that, choosing to have most of my stomach removed permanently was not even an option. I did extensive research before making my choice; left no stone unturned. I chose to have plication with the band, as a secondary source of restriction. It has worked out quite well, and at the one year mark my surgeon said that I could not have done any better with one of the other surgeries. And the reality is, with ALL of these surgeries, the big difference is the first 12-18 months. After that, people get used to whatever they got, and learn to eat around it......if they are so inclined.

On the subject of which surgery is better than the other? With all surgeries, the jury is out until we're in our graves. As most of us who have struggled with food addiction all our lives know, we've had long periods of maintaining weight loss, only to have it slip away at some point. That's how we ended up here.....on BP. The surgery, whichever one we chose, is a tool. And people gain weight all the time after WLS.....at some point. I'm not saying that everyone does, but many do. The jury is still out on Rosie O, and she should be a bit more humble when she opens her (big) mouth. But that's who she is, and she may be "eating crow" sometime down the road. We'll see her on some show talking about revision surgery She should take note of someone like Carnie Wilson, who is very humble and open about her struggles; never pointing fingers at anyone else's choice. Beauty and grace; everything Rosie is not.

Yes, yes and.......YES! I cannot stand that woman, and every time her mouth opens, you know some crap is going to be coming out. I'm not surprised by her comments, and I just have to consider the source.

Amen! Exactly!!

So many possible variables.....

I would feel embarrassed as well, unless I'd had several conversations with (in this case) my bosses wife about my frustration with my weight, and previously expressed an interest in the possibility of surgery. Then the package of info would have been a thoughtful gesture. But out of the clear blue.....don't think I would like it. The other thing is, I would be happy to talk with someone about my surgery, but I would never push it. We're all on the other side and happy. But it is a HUGE life change, and not every obese person is up to the task. You just never know who you're approaching, and know nothing of their life story. I would never suggest it unless someone expressed an interest. And even then, I would NEVER say "you might want to think about it", or "it's the best thing ever....you SHOULD do it". It's too big of an undertaking, and I think just sharing my own experience is enough to possibly plant a seed. The rest is up to them; timing, affordability......whatever their mindset is. Years ago, I remember the Jesus freaks approaching me on the street, wanting to shove Jesus down my throat. Or, the Jehova's Witnesses knocking on my door, bible in hand....wanting to share "the word". I didn't ask you, so leave me alone! I don't want to become a WLS zealot, who sees every obese person as someone who needs WLS enlightenment. Okay.....off soapbox now - LOL!

I've felt it myself.....wanting to open a conversation with someone I see & tell them "I understand", etc. Before WLS was even a spark in my mind, I think I would have rejected someone coming out of the clear blue with that brand of dialogue. There is a time and a place, and "cold calling" isn't it. My time and place was when my next-door neighbor told me that she had a bypass. We were just chit chatting about whatever when she said it, and I was shocked; had NO idea that this woman was ever obese. She didn't tell me as a way to motivate me to do it. She was simply sharing a part of her life. I asked her a ton of questions, and that's what starting ME thinking seriously about it. It took close to a year after that for me to actually go through with it, but that spark ignited something inside of me, and moved me toward taking that step. But, if that comment came from some stranger off the street, I may have been offended. I think, if we're having a casual conversation with someone already, and they mention that they had surgery, that's fine. But out of the clear blue......someone telling you that they understand what you're going through......when they have no idea who you are, is just wrong. IMHO, of course.

Yes, the link attached was her video, asking us to register (and buy) something?

I'm totally with you, Leepers. That's what jumped out at me right off the bat.

You look SO happy......Wonderful!!

Thank you for posting this. SO timely! I was hanging on every word, and in those moments of reading it, said to myself......just let go; put the glass down. I need to read this every day, until it becomes a new habit. Stress is killing me, and I know it. And a good portion of it is just my mind obsessing about things out of my control, and a lot of the things you mention....the "why did I, why didn't I, why can't I"......ALL of it. This post from you today was perfect :-)

Wow, you look great! Thanks for putting the 50 pounds into perspective. I'm close to that number, and sometimes I have to remind myself just how much weight that really is. Congrats!!!