Elisabethsew

Good luck on the RN exam.

I did a lot of research on the band before I had it and on VSG before I revised. Here are two peer reviewed studies: Comparison of weight loss and body composition cha...[surg Obes Relat Dis. 2009] - PubMed Result A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric ban...[Obes Surg. 2006] - PubMed Result I DO believe the band is working for many but I also believe it's failing others who HAVE followed the rules. As they say, there's good and bad in everything.

My desire is to let people know there is the band, VSG, RNY, and DS and share MY experience with the two I have had. If I knew about the VSG procedure when I had the band, I would have never had the band placed. I don't speak on RNY or DS because I have no personal experience with those.

My opinion is yes, the band is on its way out. It's the least effective weight loss surgery in terms of percentage of weight lost and complications are now becoming more common. People like the band because it's "just a band" to restrict food intake and is reversible. However, scar tissue forms under the band beginning just a few days after placement and adhesions are inherent in any abdominal/pelvic surgery. This makes revisions to another weight loss surgery more risky. Many surgeons who were doing high percentages of bands and lower percentages of other surgeries are now seeing a reversal of that trend with less people opting for the band.

I don't think sharing personal experiences is a negative thing. I truly wish the band worked for me the way it did for the few people I know personally that have done well. Now that many people have had the band placed for 3-5 years, we're hearing about complications that SOME are having. With any new surgery, this is bound to happen. If I were considering the band today, I would want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. That is exactly the approach I took when I decided to revise to the VSG. I'm sorry you see this as a bad thing.

In the long run, the band can be MORE expensive for self-pays. If you don't get free fills for life, the cost can be very high when you figure in the office visit fee and the fill/unfill fee. I had the band done in the U.S. and it was covered under insurance. I went to Mexico for the VSG because I wanted the surgeon who had a lot of experience and taught a lot of the U.S surgeons.

Congratulations on your decision. The band never gave me a feeling of restriction but it did give me severe acid reflux and limited my ability to eat healthy foods like fresh fruits and veggies. The sleeve is what works for me. I instantly feel full after a small portion of food, don't crave anything, and love that I can eat any food I want to. Unlike the band, there is no making appointments for fills/unfills, etc. Keep us posted on your progress.

Absolutely, but I don't limit discussion to band and/or sleeve. Having had both of those surgeries, I can speak from personal experience. RNY and DS are two other WLS procedures that might be best for some. One needs to pick the best surgery for him/her and not choose a surgery because it worked for others.

I don't think it's fair to present an all or none picture of this thread. I have had the band and revised to a sleeve after 3 years of band intolerance. I know several people who have the band and continue to do well with it. You stated you might have had the sleeve if more were known at the time that you had your band placed. I agree with you as I would have also. Knowing how much better the VSG surgery is for ME and having had the band and some of it's associated complications, my desire is to let those considering the band that it's NOT the only WLS option. Bottom line? Figure out what type of eater you are, talk to surgeons who perform various types of WLS, do independent research, and make an informed decision for YOURSELF.

I read all the posts on this thread. As an RN for well over 25 years, it saddens me when I see another RN posting information that is not accurate, complete, or misleading. Unfortunately, that is what I found in your posts. The bottom line is that people need to examine what type of eaters they are. Based on those results, they will either need a restrictive procedure (band or VSG) or a procedure that is both restrictive and malabsorptive (RNY or DS). Only after those facts are known should a person select a surgeon and that surgeon needs to have proven stats in the procedure desired by the patient. Where did you get the information that people cause their own problems with the band? Why do you think erosion is the only complication? Don't you know how many OTHER complications have been reported? I had a band for 3 years and 1 day and had NO erosion. I followed ALL the rules and suffered from acid reflux, the inability to sleep in a bed, and could not tolerate healthy foods. My life was pure hell with the band even though I was an ideal patient. The sleeve has proven ineffective at weight loss? WOW! That is an awful thing to post. When you use the word "nurse" in your screen name people assume you have a certain level of knowledge and might give more weight (no pun intended) to what you say over someone else. As such, you have a responsibility to post FACT. The sleeve has great STATS. Originally, it was the first surgery done for those having DS. Because so many people were losing so well, it soon became a stand alone surgery. I believe the other inconsistencies in your posts have been addressed by others so I won't comment further. The band is great for a lot of people but it's not a one size fits all procedure. There are other WLS's that are JUST as effective (and more so in many cases) as the band. To the original poster, you were 100% on point to cancel your surgery. Take as much time as you need to find the right surgery for you.

I have no experience with Tijuana but can tell you I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Aceves in Mexacali. Several people received bands with him while I was revising from the band to the sleeve and did great.

Thank you for posting the article. I agree with most of it. One of the points he is wrong about concerns the long term studies on sleeve patients. This operation has been done for decades for patients with gastric cancer and has been proven ssuccessful in many long term studies.

Surgeons have to obtain "informed consent" prior to operating on anyone. If you're confused or have questions, you have not been adequately informed and you needs to find out more information and ask questions. Once you feel informed about all the options available to you, research the one or two that you are leaning towards. Ask yourself what type of eater you are. Do you eat all day? Do you eat huge portions? Do you crave cakes, candy, ice-cream, etc.? Are you a junk food eater? Do you eat a healthy diet but eat too much healthy food? Also consider how you feel about having a band and port inside your body. It did not bother me but others are freaked out about having a foreign material in their bodies. If that is the case for THEM, the band is not their surgery of choice. The band and the sleeve (VSG) are both restrictive procedures so they limit the amount of food you can eat. However, if you're a person who loves candy and ice-cream, etc., and grazes on Snacks like this all day, it's VERY easy for those foods to slide right down either of these procedures and you can stop losing and easily gain. The bypass procedure (RNY) and Duodenal Switch (DS) procedures use restriction AND malabsorption to achieve weight loss. With less than 100 pounds to lose, DS would normally not be a consideration for you. RNY creates restriction of how much food you can eat by creating a small pouch for a stomach. The malabsorption happens by cutting out part of the intestine. This causes less calories of the food you eat to be used by your body. Of course, if you don't follow the post-op eating plan, it is possible to stretch out that new stomach (pouch) over time and gain wieght. I had the band surgery in early 2006 and it was not a good surgery for me. I had the band removed and, at the same time, revised to VSG (the sleeve). Had this been an option for me when I had the band, I would have gotten VSG then. Bypass would not be a good surgery for me but it might be the perfect one for you. Some people freak out thinking their intestines are going to removed. That is not true. You have small and large intestines that are MANY feet long. Ask your MD/surgeon to SHOW you how much small intestine is removed during surgery. The VSG (sleeve) procedure removes 60-85% of your stomach. That freaks some people out. I look at it like I had a defective stomach that was huge and never allowed me to feel full. Now, I eat small portions of food, feel full, and lose weight. Decide what type of eater you are USE the advice of the health care professionals to help YOU make the decision on what surgery is best for you.

I'm glad to hear that your problems seem to be resolving and I hope there is no erosion. If pills are not EC (meaning they are coated so they don't dissolve in the stomach) or LA (long acting) or ES (extended release), they can be broken into pieces. Keep us posted on how you're progressing.

That's it... this thread is closed.

Are we done with the ghetto topic? Can we move forward? Please?

Columbia Encyclopedia: ghetto Top Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Columbia Encyclopedia ghetto (gĕt'ō) , originally, a section of a city in which Jews lived; it has come to mean a section of a city where members of any racial group are segregated. In the early Middle Ages the segregation of Jews in separate streets or localities was voluntary. The first compulsory ghettos were in Spain and Portugal at the end of the 14th cent. The ghetto was typically walled, with gates that were closed at a certain hour each night, and all Jews had to be inside the gate at that hour or suffer penalties. The reason generally given for compulsory ghettos was that the faith of Christians would be weakened by the presence of Jews; the idea of Jewish segregation dates from the Lateran Councils of 1179 and 1215. Within the ghetto the inhabitants usually had autonomy, with their own courts of law, their own culture, and their own charitable, recreational, educational, and religious institutions. Economic activities, however, were restricted, and beyond the ghetto walls Jews were required to wear badges of identification. One of the most infamous ghettos was that of Frankfurt, to which Jews were compelled to move by a city ordinance of 1460. Crowded into a narrow section, the ghetto underwent several disastrous fires. The ghetto in Venice was established in 1516 after long negotiations between the city and the Jews. In 1870 the last ghetto in Western Europe, in Rome, was abolished. In Russia the Jewish Pale continued to exist until 1917. After the 18th cent. ghettos were also to be found in some Muslim countries. During World War II the Nazis set up ghettos in many towns in E Europe from which Jews were transported to concentration camps for liquidation; the Warsaw (Poland) ghetto was a prime example. In the United States, African Americans, Chicanos, and immigrant groups have been forced to live in ghettos through economic and social forces rather than being required to do so by law.

OK, the OP had her say and so did everyone else. Can we end this and get back to weight loss support?

This thread is no longer serving any purpose and I am closing it. Stop all the personal attacks!

RNY is commonly called the bypass and VSG is commonly called the sleeve. Let us know how the endoscopy goes.

I would have the endoscopy but even that can't show hidden damage under the band. Surgeons will tell you that they see the "real picture" once they're able to get direct visualization in the OR.

I see many patients who have parts of their stomach/all of their stomach and/or parts of their intestines removed for a variety of reasons other than weight loss (ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, gastric cancer, etc). Those patients do fine. With the gherlin cut out and the stomach made smaller, I am finally achieving a diet of healthy eating (no food restrictions) and feel full on small amounts of food. I don't feel hungry so I am easily able to stick to 3 meals a day and it's working. The sleeve was the answer for me but everyone needs to find their own answer based on eating patterns and medical history.

Erosion usually calls for the band to be removed. Most surgeons take it out and, depending on the degree of damage, either "rest" the GI system for several months or perform a revision surgery. Get a second opinion.

The band can cause acid reflux and esophageal erosion and I have never heard of it preventing it. I am one of the people who got the band and suffered from horrible reflux to the point of only being able to sleep in a chair. I also had an intolerance to a lot of foods. I agree that it's important for people to research all forms of weight loss. For restriction, there's the band and the sleeve. For those who need restriction and malabsorption, there's RNY and DS. I revised to VSG three and half months ago, have lost over 40 pounds, and knew right away THAT was the surgery I should have had originally. I would have loved for the band to work for me but it turned out to be toxic and severely restricted my life for the worse. I have 2 friends who did great with the band and continue to do so. It's about finding the right "fit" for the right person.

Stating opinions and debate is fine but let's not get personal and hurl accusations.