mrsto

You know what I find heartbreaking in this thread...besides the back and forth bickering amongst people with the same illness. I find the satisfaction of banders of the possible failure of the VSG in 10 years to be quite sickening. I've heard and read that on this webpage and not one of the people who wrote it can provide credentials of their own that support that they actually work in medical research.

The same way it's annoying for banders to constantly have Lapband side effects thrown in their face it's annoying for Sleevers to hear that their surgery will suck in 10 years.

Everyone needs to grow up and stop tearing each other down. Geesh!!!

Amen, Sistah!!

@mrsto Thank you for that information. VERY MUCH!! I'll look that one up about recent studies. I would suspect the lower rate and slower rate of weight loss is the issue. Lets face it: Americans want it fast and now. RNY & Sleeve deliver that. I would TOTALLY support the issue you brought up of follow up care. My surgeon dropped my follow up care (I'm a complicated patient & from what I can tell he didn't know all the complications from surgery and didn't even bother to research it, nor was my questions & research & other docs' opinions any meaning to him). Yes, that is correct: once the $$$$$ surgery happens, you are a waste of money except for the ASMBS studies. They can send you out to regular PCP's to draw the blood work each year. They don't want us problem children because we're not worth the investment.

No matter what the surgery is: band, sleeve or RNY, there are ways to get around them.

The only comment I can take credit for, is the one written in blue. I hit "quote" to Labwalker's comment, but it put the text together.......as if I wrote the whole thing. Nope, I'm just the one in "blue".

Mrsto- first off I do not Allege my surgeon said what he did. This is not a trial. He said what he said, you can believe it or not that's your right, but please do not cast aspersions on ME. thank you. I have never put the band down. I will say this I have Never heard of any person getting a band on top of their sleeve, a band on top of a full bypass is similarly moronic.

But since you want to challenge me, here are just a few stats for you. Oh and on the personal note, I know of 4 people who have had wls. Hardly a large enough sample I agree, but 3 of those had lap bands 1 had full bypass, out of the three lap band patients they have all had theirs removed within 2 years of surgery 2 have since gained back more weight than they lost. The one person with full bypass lost the most weight by far and has kept it off without complication for over 5 years now. That's my personal experience and it in no way reflects anything but that.

Now as to that data :

The following 3 studies directly reported on the percentage of failures, which were as low as 14% and as high as 68% of patients... % of patients with unsuccessful weight loss after a specified amount of time

Studies # of lap band patients in study % with unsuccessful weight Year tudy

Study A 201 After 14 years - 68% 2014

Study B 32 After 3.6 years - 62.5% 2014

Study C 200 28.8% 2014 -

See more at: http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/lap-band-surgery-failure.html#2_Types

and

The percentage of patients requiring reoperation is extremely high... up to 50% of all patients require lap band removal. - See more at: http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/lap-band-problems-lap-band-complications.html#sthash.oAYNeJuq.dpuf

According to ABC news

Nearly half of patients who have laparoscopic gastric banding for obesity eventually need to have the devices removed because of erosion or some other malfunction, researchers say.

Among 82 patients followed for at least 12 years after lap-band surgery at a single institution, 49 had at least one reoperation for complications or device failure, according to Dr. Jacques Himpens, of Saint Pierre University Hospital in Brussels, and colleagues.

They also reported online in Archives of Surgery that 41 had the bands removed during follow-up, with 14 then undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. In all but a few cases, inadequate weight loss or device breakdown was the reason for band removal.

Now as I said personally whatever works for you is GREAT! My method isn't better than yours for you and your method is not the best for me.

Stevehud - the comment you are referring to was not made by me; I believe it was Labwalker. There is something wrong with this site, that when I "quote" under someones comment, it takes away the separation between who said what. When I noticed that happen, I changed my text to blue. I'm willing to take a beating for something I say that may have upset someone, but I cannot take credit for the comment that you're referring to.

Alex - is there a way to fix this issue on the site? I've had it happen before.

My comment was directed at the comments you alleged that your doctor made. I was asking for something more tangible than his "opinion," but I guess he didn't bother to substantiate his assertions with verifiable information. There are a lot of studies that that showed poor results for the band, but that is dated information and based on 4 cc bands that are no longer used in the US, and for early surgical techniques that have been refined over the past few decades. For a doctor to say the band offers less efficacy compared to other procedures raises a red flag. It is true that on average, the weight loss for gastric banding is usually about 10 to 20 percent less than for the sleeve. But, that doesn't mean that the band is not the best procedure for particular patient.

Doctors do not like the band for one reason: it requires follow up care, which means lost revenue and the need for a much larger staff to handle the future needs of band patients. Medicare does not pay for fills or follow up visits, because it is considered a follow up visit for surgery. Did your doctor explain that to you? The practice I visit has four APRNs on staff who are there for follow up support the band patients. My doctor would not do a sleeve on me, and that is what I had wanted, because it was not the safest surgery based on my age and related conditions. I'm glad he put my health above his own needs. A surgeon does the sleeve, and he is done with that patient... clean and simple.

I know folks who have had all of the popular surgeries. They have all had some good amount of success. Have you ever asked your doctor why some folks have revisions to place a band over sleeves, or a band over plication? Or, why a person with a sleeve would ever need a revision to RNY???? I 've asked the APRNs in my doctor's office about some of those avant guarde procedures, but I would NEVER repeat their responses since it would hearsay, and not proper for me to repeat, their comments on a public forum.

I think that most people revise because they've learned to eat around whatever procedure they had. The reality is, that none of the surgeries cure our compulsion to eat. If we ate only because we were hungry, we wouldn't need WLS!! I'm 20 months post op, and after the first 14 months, have learned to eat around the band. There are some days that my NEED to eat, outweighs my strength to fight. My neighbor had the RNY years ago, and started to gain weight. She wanted the band over the RNY to get back the sense of satiety. Again, short term is not a measurement of efficacy with any surgery. We are still addicts. For me, so far, with the band/plication, I have a fighting chance. Even when my compliance is sloppy at best, I stay in and around the same weight. Long term, I cannot say. But for today, it is good.

I've stood by the LAP-BAND since day numero uno and I will continue to do so. The company that purchased it from Allergan (ApolloEndo) has very good intentions and it's in very good hands. They have some really interesting advances coming in the near future. There will always be a vibrant group of Bandsters on here who will keep the fire going. Let's remember our roots....LapBandTalk.com is what started this all I'm here for the long haul, hope others will come along for the journey. In 5-10 years from now you'll see Sleevers standing where Bandsters are today. At the end of the day, we're all battling the same disease!!! I hope one day it'll be cured via pill. Until then.....

Amen to that, Alex

I have been successful with sleeve but my BMI was in the 52range, now 23 range.

I believe you would do best with the malabsoprtive surgeries like bypass or DS ,based on my reading. Go to dsfacts.com for lots of info. DS is a big deal and not all surgeons do it. I would consider it in your shoes.

My surgeon used to do the DS, but not anymore.

It doesn't matter which surgery you chose. They all work because it is a restriction and tool that gives you the tools to get your mind healthier and fix the reasons for the self abuse of food addiction.

I was going to have the Lap-band but decided on the sleeve. My choice but like I said they are all successful procedures that will help with the underlying problems. The rest is up to you hun.

Exactly!

The reason for not drinking with the band, is because the liquid diminishes the effectiveness of the band. if you drink with meals, you will get hungry a lot sooner than waiting ½ hour to an hour to drink. I don't think it will stretch your stomach. The Fluid will go right through, and take whatever you're eating with it. If possible, it's best to wait. If dry mouth is an issues, maybe try eating things with some sort of sauce. If you eat eggs, put a little bit of sautéed mushrooms & onions on them. That adds a lot of moisture, which should help with the dry mouth issue.

If I lived in CO, I would love to! I've been through Colorado once, and it was breathtaking.

@@mrsto oh no! I get motion sickness just driving in the car. And forget about cabs... I turned green like the grinch on the ride to JFK airport last month.

Yeeeah......don't know how well you'd do with skydiving

@@My Bariatric Life I did jump tandem, and it was THRILLING! But if you're one who gets motion sickness, you may not be happy once the shoot opens. I was fine in free fall, but the last minutes of floating to the ground made me sicker than a dog. For that reason, I wouldn't do it again One thing checked off the bucket list!

Great stuff - congrats! The last time I lost close to 100 pounds (the time before surgery), I went skydiving. It was liberating!

Yeah, the prep is not pleasant. I had one a week ago, and was miserable the whole day. But it is great to clean out, and (even if momentary), see the number on that scale drop to an all time low

Good luck with the surgery. Hopefully the sutures will help keep that puppy in place. I had gastric plication with my band, which (I'm told) dramatically helps avoid slippage. Even still, ya just never know what the future holds with any of these surgeries. Even so, I have zero regrets, and would do it again 100 times over.

I hope you're feeling better sooner than later :-)

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through.

How long have you had your band? How many times did it slip? What will you revise to? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm genuinely interested. We never know when going into this, what may happen down the road.

Jumping in here. I attend free WLS support groups at various hospitals. At the ones that are not my own team, I sit quietly in the back, keep my mouth shut and listen. My favorite group is the RNY and Sleevers group. Thirty or so long term patients there. The LapBand group is much smaller and I often can't get there fast enough after work. Here's what I know. After goal is achieved, EVERYBODY has struggles, as mentioned above. Emotional eating is not cured by WLS. Also, physical issues happen to all types of patients. Banders are often singled out here in these boards as having more complications than other surgeries. Funny, but I read posts on the BariatricPal Sleevers and RNY boards and there's a lot of unpleasant physical stuff going on there too. Don't take my word for it. Go read those boards.

Several weeks ago I got scared here reading about long term band problems, and thought, what will I do xxx years from now if my band malfunctions? Here's what I will do. I will get my ass to the surgeon and have it handled. I cannot live in fear. I CAN take care of myself. The band has FORCED me to obey rules. I was not a rule obeyer when it came to food. I am now. I will not ignore scary symptoms. I don't want dilation of the esophagus or a band slip. But I have my big girl panties on now and I know the vigilance is up to me. My insurance will change next year after I divorce and I'm scared about having to get a new band doctor because of the H M O I will be in. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Meanwhile I follow directions and take care of my body. I've lost 102 pounds in 8 months and I have 53 left to be a normal BMI. I eat real food and I eat sugar once in a while. I don't dump, and I eat slowly and chew well. I went from half a dozen medicines a day down to one, plus a Vitamin. And my big girl panties are falling down.

Great Post!!

My doctor said soon nobody will be performing the Lap Band surgery. I am not anti Lap Band but my fear was if they stop doing them then who would do the fills for me. I just didn't want to have to drive hours to get someone who still did the fills. Now I am not saying for sure this is the case but it is what I was told. Made my decision for the sleeve much easier. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

I've heard a lot in these forums about doctors discontinuing bands. On the flip side, I've also heard that many doctors are now offering the band to lower BMI patients; 30-40 pounds to lose. It sounded like they're gearing up to use it on those who struggle with smaller amounts of extra weight. They won't do the more invasive surgeries on these people. Time will tell.

Yea it's just my dr is all for gastric bypass he does the lap band but he thinks gastric is better. In the end it's my decision I'm just worried he will give me crap about it n try to change my mind. I just can't get a over my nervousness everything that goes along with the bypass. It doesn't really matter what you go with because in the end it's all about if you are ready to commit to the life style change that comes with it. I'm ready to do that.

Ashley - you are so right. My doctor also felt the bypass was a good option, but he was fine with decision to go with the band/plication. It's ALL about a lifestyle change, no matter which surgery you have. The difference between the bypass and the band, is in the first 12-18 months. The weight tends to melt off bypass patients from malabsorption. After the honeymoon period is over, we ALL have to work at it. I've known two people with the bypass, who ultimately had serious issues with Iron deficiency. Both had to go for daily IV infusions of the mineral, and it went on for weeks until the problem corrected itself. I'm not saying that happens with everyone, but overall, the way the surgery functions didn't sit well with me.

Just stay firm in what your gut is telling you, and it will all work out.

I was originally scheduled for a bypass, but cancelled two weeks prior to surgery. The permanence of that procedure didn't sit well with me. I ended up getting the lap band with plication. I have zero regrets - I'm thrilled with the outcome, and would make the same choice 100 times over.

I would say, go with your gut. Make sure you do extensive research on all of the procedures, and make a decision based on what's best for you; what YOU can live with.

I wish you the best with whatever route you choose to go.

Regarding working out, you don't have to do a whole big "work out" to get things going. Simple walking on a daily basis is great. If you can do a good 30 minute walk most days a week, I think you may start to see things moving. When the time comes that you're comfortable going to the gym; whatever you choose, then go. Exercise is half the battle. If you don't move regularly, you won't be happy (as you aren't now) with the progress.

Regarding not being able to eat, you should talk with your doctor. If you feel weak because you can hardly eat, then you may be too tight. Being too tight will also slow your weight loss. Maybe it's time to check back in with the team at your bariatric facility.

I wish you the best.... Hang in there....you will find your way.

My doctor felt that I would do well with the RNY. I actually had it scheduled, but cancelled two weeks prior to surgery. The permanence of that procedure didn't sit well with me. Nor did the sleeve, and that small possibility of leakage from the staples, which could mean several weeks in the hospital. Being self employed, that alone would have destroyed my business.

With the band/plication, I knew that my work would start the minute I opened my eyes from surgery. And I was really ready and perfectly fine with that. I did very well, and at the 12 month mark, my surgeon said that I could not have done any better with the other surgeries. He said that I was in the lower percentile; band patients don't seem to lose quite as much as the other surgeries. But many DO lose their weight, and I'm grateful that I'm one of them.

So, yes, as stated by some posters above, do listen to your doctor. But don't rule out your own comfort level with possible issues inherent with each surgery. Scour the internet, talk to every and anyone you know who has been through it; leave no stone unturned. Then make the decision that YOU feel is best for you. Many doctors these days like the more aggressive procedures. But that doesn't mean that they are the right procedure for you.

I wish you all the best!

I really depends on what you're taking. Many drugs have to be taken whole; not crushed or broken. Usually, extended release meds. As for Vitamins & supplements, most come in chewable or liquid form. Some of the bariatric Vitamins are really good, so you might want to check out those. Bariatric Advantage has Iron in chewable form as well.

I've never had any issues swallowing pills since surgery. I can take Mucinex, which is huge. But I know many people do have a problems getting them down. You will figure it out

Wow, I feel terrible for you. That is a LOT to go through, with the insurance company giving you a bunch of B.S.

Most all of us who decided on WLS, have major issues around food. We're emotional eaters, depressed, addicted to food, etc. As you said, if you weren't, then you would not be here! I feel angry just reading your post; totally unfair. There is absolutely no guarantee that any of us, bipolar or not, will maintain our weight loss. This is a life long issue, and the surgery doesn't end the battle. Surgery is a tool, not a cure.

It certainly sounds like you no longer have the wherewithal to continue the fight. And I understand that. But fast forward a year or two from now; where will you be? Heavier? Have you considered having surgery outside of the country? Have you discussed a cash pay scenario with the bariatric facility of your choice? I really hate to see you throw in the towel. Given who we are, and the curse we live with, I'm rooting for you to find a way around the system. Ugh.....I feel so bad for you. Your insurance company needs some enlightening!

As mentioned above, you should follow your doctor's advice and protocol.

I had my first fill 4 weeks post-op. I had been doing very well, but once all the swelling went down, I was ravenous. Then I had a couple more fills over the following 8 weeks. I was good for awhile, then had another fill; which was a mistake. After a couple of weeks living with that fill, I was way too tight & had horrible reflux issues. So then I had some un-fills, but ended up having all Fluid removed until my body calmed down. Then I slowly refilled, and I'm in a very good place right now.

My suggestion is, hold off until you find that you're no longer satisfied on smaller amounts of food, for longer periods of time. If the band is working, ride it out. You can always have a fill. I have read some who say they were miserable after one fill, but I really think it has to do with how aggressive the fill is, how compliant the patient is, etc. It's better to go slow to reach the sweet spot, rather than go past it and have to back up. But don't be afraid based on some of what you read here. There are many veterans who have done very well without fills. Listen to YOUR body, and move forward accordingly.

Congrats on your loss so far! Sounds like you're doing just fine

I loved my caffeine pre-band. I was hooked on Diet Dr Pepper and Diet Mtn Dew ( Go figure, diet soda!!) I knew I would have to cut out soda so I went cold turkey. I started replacing my sodas with Crystal Light and eventually switched over to plain Water. One in a while I may have some iced tea that has caffeine but I try to avoid it. I had an espresso last month and I was wired for 8hrs. I know that I sleep better after after giving up caffeine and my skin looks the best ever since I have so much Water. I think tea and coffee are ok in moderation but I think the soda is just a poison to most people.

Bandora - great screen name!