Help me out here, folks. I was going to get the vertical sleeve surgery till about two weeks ago, when my insurance bailed on me. I was pointed toward banding as the only non-RNY surgery my insurance will pay for. I'm trying to get totally on board for banding, but I'm having a bit of trouble with that.

I'm reading a lot of posts here from people who are newly-banded, who naturally love their band. That's great, and I wish everyone total success. However...

I'm very curious to know about long-term success stories. Anyone around here who has had their band for several years, or who has hit their goal? How about those who reached goal and are maintaining their weight loss several years after banding? For that matter, is there anyone here who has even reached their goal? I hear about people losing 50% or thereabouts of their excess weight with the band, but I'm wondering about those who have lost more than that.

And what about long-term health for those living with the band? There seem to be a lot of posts about trouble with the band, and even long-term bandsters who can't manage the tool.

I'm just not sure I want to go there. What's your experience been? If you had it to do over again, would you have chosen banding, or a different procedure?

Thanks,

Dave

I probably don't qualify as long term but here is my story anyway.

Banded June 09, BMI 32. No problems after surgery except minor pain and nausea which were easily handled. Lost weight on a decreasing basis e.g 5kg first month, 3kg the second month etc with no major effort on my part.

I eat a balanced diet with food from ALL food groups.There is no food that I cannot eat but sometimes some foods won't go down. This is because the tightness of the band can differ from one day to the next. So don't cut a food out of your diet just because it gives you problems once.

I now have a BMI of 21.9 which means that I have lost more than 100% of my excess weight. My band is not overly tight (5.5ml in a 10ml band).

I feel great and I think I look pretty good too. People are constantly making comments about how skinny I am. I do not think I am skinny its just that there are so many overweight people that our perception of what is normal is warped.

I do not have issues with reflux or anything like that. Yes I PB sometimes but that is not a big deal. The only thing I regret about my band is that I didn't have it done sooner. I would do this again in a flash.

Hope this helps.

And remember support groups such as this one serve the needs of people having problems. That is why you will find a disproportionately high number of people with issues. People that have been banded a while and are happy are busy living their lives and don't post.

Thanks, elcee. I appreciate the candor. It sounds like you're well onto how to manage things. I wonder if it will be as easy in five years? That's where I'm having my hesitation. Just like in a marriage - it's great during the honeymoon, but five years later things will definitely have changed. :biggrin:

Dave

Edited October 9, 201015 yr by Dave_NW

There's a whole section about happy success stories on the site. I've never posted mine there, but I certainly consider myself a success. I may not be as "long-term" as you're looking for, but I'll add my 2 cents.

I was banded 2.5 years ago. I have hit my goal weight, in fact I even lowered it 5 lbs. Of course, I placed my goal pretty high, because I truly never thought that it would be possible for me to lose this much weight. Last time, I was this weight, I was in 4th grade. I have only had minor problems with my band. Lately, it's been getting tighter on me and I have to have some fill removed. I see this as a true benefit of the band. It is the only WLS that is adjustable.

Honestly, I don't know where I'll be five years from now. I'd like to think that I'll be slightly thinner and just as happy with my band. I do know that if I hadn't had the surgery, I would still be morbidly obese and probably gaining more weight. Even if I had to lose my band (God forbid!), I still would be much better off for having had the surgery. I have gotten the weight off. Maintenance would be hard without my band, but not as hard as trying to lose the weight and maintaining the loss. Now, I eat better and exercise and, in general, have a much healthier lifestyle.

The band may not be perfect, but it's so much better than my other options.

Cindy

Hi:

I like it so much I did it twice!

I started at 324 lbs. size 26/28. I got as low as 174 and size 12 which is just below average size for women. I was banded 7/26/07. My band slipped sometime this past spring or winter, not sure when it happened. I went to get a fill because I was eating too much and gaining weight and found out I had a slipped band in May. Had a new band put in 7/20/10. While I had a slipped band I could eat almost as much as I wanted to and my weight went from 190 to 208. Since being rebanded my weight is down to 191 and I have a goal to get back down to 180.

My band keeps me in control and I really need this tool to keep my weight in check. I think of it as my belly cop!

My only regret with my band is that I didn't get it in 1992 when it first became available in the U.S.

Best wishes to you.

Sue

I'm not as far out of the gate as you'd like to hear about, but am having great success. Still, I know I'm not part of the demographic you're looking for.

What I'd like to point out, though, is that on boards like this, it's pretty typical to see posts from people who are having difficulty. Those of us who are happy and doing well don't tend to linger or post for feedback. So do be aware that there is a bias toward the negative in posting.

Thanks, ladies. I appreciate the comments. I do understand that these forums exist for people who are having trouble, or who need a cheering section to help them along the way. I think the trouble for me is reading about SO many issues, I'm wondering whether there are any "normal" banders out there.

On a sleeve forum I was frequenting regularly until recently, they tried to talk me into ditching the band as an option, and stick with the sleeve, even though I'd have to pay for it out of pocket. One of those sleeve folks asked me to check out how many long-term banders are out there who are truly happy with their results. It was a fair question, and is what prompted most of this thread.

The optimist in me is convinced I'll be "that guy," the one who has no trouble, who loses weight easily, and who will be one of those rare long-term success stories I've been trying to find. We'll see how it goes.

Dave

On a sleeve forum I was frequenting regularly until recently, they tried to talk me into ditching the band as an option, and stick with the sleeve, even though I'd have to pay for it out of pocket. One of those sleeve folks asked me to check out how many long-term banders are out there who are truly happy with their results. It was a fair question, and is what prompted most of this thread.

How many long term sleevers are there out there?

I think the answer is not many as sleeving is still a relatively new procedure.So I think if you asked the same question on the sleeve board you would have the same difficulties.

Most of the sleevers seem happy but remember there are a relatively small number of them and NONE of them have been sleeved long term.

I am not knoocking the sleeve surgery just pointing something out if you want to compare apples with apples.

And there are people who have had a sleeve that have had complications. Plus there seem to be a fairly high number of them that have issues with reflux. Funny as reflux is often the reason people switch from the band to the sleeve.

Hope you manage to work out which surgery will be best suited to your needs.

I've had my band for five years now, with absolutely no problems.

Long term health, hmmmmm. Interesting issue. I have to admit, that having a band long term, I've tended to make really good food choices for meals, and then fit in the calories for maintenance around those meals - I dont limit butter, cream, carbs, biscuits, sweets but I get away with eating moderate amounts of them because my meals are small. That, in my book, is not great. Its a downside. I can eat whatever the hell I want with this level of Fluid in my band but what I should do is have less fluid and eat way more fresh fruit, vegies and wholegrains. I dont eat as much of those as I think is ideal.

I have to unfill my band for a surgery soon, and I'm terrified, though realistically, I think I'll be able to refill it within weeks. But I have come to realise how dependent I am on it - I think Im giving it too much credit, but I am truly going to try to put back as little fluid as possible and really improve the amounts of fruits and vegies I eat. I do think long term nutrition suffers somewhat with a band, its just natural that you come to not fancy foods that block you up and those foods for me are the healthy ones. Over time, it is much easier to eat crap and I have always had to fight this, pretty successfully, but its still a fight.

When my band is unfilled, do I want to go straight out and eat a big mac? Not at all. I cannot wait for a healthy salad roll! I cant wait to eat an apple easily again.

I've worked very hard to improve eating habits and very hard to get extremely fit and make running a part of my life. I hope it stands me in good stead. Enough waffling, but having to unfill really makes you take stock of where you are at in this journey and I've just learned that it always pays to stay vigilant.

Problem wise though, I've simply never had issues. I lost weight, not fast, but steadily, I got to a BMI of 21, I've maintained that for three years. Its been a fabulous decision for me and I'm even a little bit confident that I could probably do without it if it came to that. I think I've learned enough about myself, my eating habits and how to control them.

In past weeks I've been scared of this unfill and I've even half wished I had a sleeve so that nobody could make me unfill it. It only needs to be unfilled in case i swell up or I need a nasogastric tube or something. But that's the only real downside.

Edited October 11, 201015 yr by Jachut

Jachut - please keep us posted!

Dave-NW -

I'm not necessarily a long term bandster, and I agree with those that said many successful bandsters don't necessarily post. I find myself coming out of habit, not because I feel the need to - other than to keep mindful of what is needed to keep me here.

I also have had a pretty uneventful journey to goal. Weight loss was fairly steady, and I had only 1 episode of being overfilled, which I believe is truly doing a disservice to yourself. But many like having that great of a restriction, so be it. Being overfilled is no fun - many foods are uncomfortable to eat, and I believe a severely limited diet can lead to unhealthy eating habits and other nutritional deficiencies. I'm like Jachut, I can eat anything, but some foods - like apples, bananas for some reason, and other dense fruits have to be eaten really slowly and can be uncomfortable, so I tend to limit them in my diet.

That being said, the band has been wonderful for me. I do have some fears about the future...will my pouch stretch, band slip, what if I need future surgery (any kind) and how to handle that. Some have mentioned trouble obtaining medical insurance after being banded, which seems rather ironic to me since being obese cost me much more in medical costs than being banded has.

More long term questions are how the band is going to hold up over time, if I get in an accident or am unconscious - will medical professionals know and understand the ramifications of my being banded.

There are very real considerations to having a band as well as having the sleeve, and what you would be willing to do for the rest of your life.

I'm not going to say the band is the be-all or end of all your weight problems, let's face it the average success is 50% of excess weight, which pretty much means that it works for everyone in various degrees. It does require true lifestyle changes for the most success, and a bit of maintenance that after the first year seems minimal. (I plan to go annually to my surgeon for a checkup). But it has been great for me and I would recommend it for those who are serious about losing weight. Much of the work is your own (changing your eating habits, mindset towards food, incorporating exercise into your life), but well worth the effort put into it.

I hope it all works out for you. If I found that my body could no longer tolerate the band I would certainly look into the sleeve, however, the reflux issues that I have heard about scare me among the surgery itself. So, make your decision based on your gut instinct, and choose what is best for you.