Things I wish I had known before I got my band

[ElfiePoo 109]

I did the in-depth research on the various weight loss surgeries. I asked the questions. Did more research. Asked more questions. I lurked on this forum and other band forums for months. Despite that, I discovered some things post band that I wish I had known before surgery. Would it have made a difference in whether or not I had it...or whether I had chosen another method than band...I don't know.

When I was lurking in the forums, trying to make up my mind, there were very few negative posts about the band. When someone did post that the band wasn't working for them or they were having difficulties, other posters told them 'the band didn't fail you. You failed the band." It left the impression that the band works for everyone who works the band...and that's just not true.

I wish I had known...

That the band would not restrict the quantity of food I can eat. I got the band because I thought it would make me feel full or make me stop eating...which is how it was advertised at the time and what people were saying it did on the forums. Perhaps it works that way for some but it has never worked that way for me. Even at my sweet spot I can eat as much as I could pre-band *if I choose*.

That the band is not consistent, even at the sweet spot, at controlling hunger. Since the band tightens and loosens even a bit on its own, there are days where the hunger is intense and days where it's controlled. On the hungry days, all I can do is white knuckle it. Sometimes I'm successful, but sometimes it goes on for enough days that I lose it.

That the band can cause phrenic nerve pain that may or may not go away and which may be persistent enough and painful enough to affect my sleep, whether I can sit in a car or plane long enough to go anywhere and my range of motion and general health related to trying to prevent that pain.

That eating would become a daily challenge. Foods that were fine one day, would not be fine the next depending on whether my band tightened or loosened a fraction. That, despite taking small bites and chewing well, I might still find myself in a restaurant unable to eat the meal I had just paid for because my band had tightened.

I'm not trying to convince people to not get the band, or to do vertical sleeve or bypass instead. I just think it's important, and wish the surgeons would be more up front about these problems, so we can make more informed decisions about something so important. For many people, these forums are where they get the information they need when trying to make that decision, so it's important that we be just as honest about the difficulties we've faced with the band. Not to scare them off but so they have *all* the information and not just one side of it.

After 16 months I am in the process of getting my band removed due to the pain it is causing me. Bypass is not an option. There are worse things in life than being fat and, in my opinion, bypass is one of them. At this point in time, I can't bring myself to do the vertical sleeve either. It's just far more invasive than I'm prepared to go at this point.

I've kept journals since I was a teenager. My husband suggested I pull the journals from the period when I lost 70 pounds without the band...and kept it off for almost a decade now. When I look back at my journals from that time, some days were good days...some were bad and I had to whiteknuckle it. Much like I do now except I didn't have to deal with the pain in my arm, stuck and sliming episodes or wondering whether I was going to have to excuse myself from the dinner table. So, I've pretty much decided to give it a go on my own.

One thing the band has done for me is make me far more aware of my eating habits and create new ones that make me more successful at putting down that fork and choosing the right foods. As a result, I no longer take insulin and my diabetes is under control with diet alone. So it's not an experience I regret. It's just life. We make the best choices we can with the information available to us and, if it's not successful, we regroup and revise.

Just my .02.

.

[happygirl65 5]

Thanks for posting that. I do beleive there is a lot of real information that we just can't find pre banding. I have seen the attacks on people getting really defensive about the band and it seems silly to me. Theres no such thing as a one size fits all answer. The really great thing about your choice to go with the band is that you can now have it removed because it is not working for you. I also recently learned from my docor (who participated in a study) that said the food doesn't even stay in your pouch for more than a minute. WOW...I also thought pre-banding that filling the small pouch made you full and you would stop eating. Not so. You can eat and keep eating as much as you dare. The food doesn't stay in the small pouch that's why. You have to measure your portions and use your own self control a lot more than I thought I would have to. Don't get me wrong, it's still working for me, but a lot of what I thought about fills and sweet spots are different through the actual experience. It's not about restricting how much you can eat. It's simply about letting your appetite be suppressed a little longer than it otherwise would have on a small amount of food....still effective for me so far but certainly different than I thought going in.

I love that you also state your diabetes is under control and you have learned a lot from this experience. I have no doubt you will be successful because you have learned so much. People often put too much emphasis on a number on the scale. Success in life is measured so differently! Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors.

[Humming Bird 275]

As for me and my situation, I'm glad I did very little research about the band because all the things that *could happen* would have scared me away and I would have never experienced the success I have had with the band. That being said, I do understand Elfie's post and will add in a few things I have learned for those who research the heck out of this thing.

Many bandsters suffer hairloss. It is misinformation I have heard out there over and over that only G-bypass folks lose hair. Protein, special shampoos, and vit. intake will not stop the hairloss. I know this from experience.

The band works different for everyone. Some bandsters still have to diet and some don't. Some bandsters have rapid weightloss and some don't. Some bandsters can eat everything (or almost everything), just in smaller portions. Some bandsters have a very long list of foods they can no longer eat, never, like bread, Pasta, rice, eggs, fried food, steak, chicken, porkchops.....

Post surgery fatigue can last for months.

Phrenic nerve pain can last for days, months, or never go away.

There is no way to know how the band will work for you until it has already been placed.

On a more positive note:

The entire process can be much easier for some people than all the research tells them. For me, this is the case. I would have never taken off this amount of weight and kept it off on my own. My yo-yo and obesity history proves this. I thought I would have to *work* at it and I really have not.

[honk 780]

One things that I don't think gets enough discussion is when you will get restricion. I remember going in for my first fill and when they said they were going to put 4CCs I was very nervous. I had read on here where people got sick from 1-2 CC's. There are some who get restriction with minimal fills some of us however are at the other end of the spectrum. I now have 10.6cc's in a 11 CC band and think I am in the green zone. Six months of fills before I really got much help at all from the band. I'm not complaining, I just think people should be prepared for that possibility. Also you will probably not continue to lose at the rate of the preop diet once you are on solids. It is very discouraging to read that others are losing lots of weight with minimal fill. You feel very much like a failure. I weigh my food every meal (well lunch and dinner, Breakfast is yoghurt), I exercise an hour daily, I am VERY conservative about food choices. Why am I only avereraging 1 lb a week?

Personally I think my slow loss is because I was on a very strict diet for 7.5 months and exercising daily preband. My body was already used to this diet business. I am not a medical professional but I think if someone goes from eating 3,000 a day to 900 yes they are going to loose much faster than someone who was only eating 1200.

[mattie7632 24]

I love this post! There definitely were things I wish doctors were more forthcoming about or that I would have known to ask about. Would it have made me not do this? Probably not, but here they are:

The Band won't necessarily restrict how much I can eat until sweet spot hit, and maybe not even then.

The doctor's fill policies might not be what I expected. Some doctors are too conservative and some hold fills hostage!

It turns out this seems to be a very big deal and could determine our success! Wish I'd asked about this beforehand.

I guess those are the 2 major ones for me.

[Dave_NW 92]

Melody, I totally see your point, and wish you only the very best going forward. It must have been a real struggle to deal with ongoing pain from the band. I have no pain at all, so immediately wonder if it's possible your band may be slightly (or greatly) misplaced? Can a band be repositioned for a better fit? If you're experiencing nerve pain, can it be reversed?

As to the underreported problems, or "I wish I had known" things, I don't have anything that leaps out at me. (But I admit I've had a pretty easy time wth this whole thing. All in all, it's been pretty smooth for me.) But I have a couple of "druthers" things:

I do wish I had a nutritionist who was also a banding patient. My NUT is as kind a person as you'll ever meet, and she is as well-meaning as they come. But she is also a vegan skinny-mini person who eats like a bird, has probably never eaten a bad thing in her life, and I think she is patently clueless about how it is to BE obese, and what an obese person FEELS about eating. Her dietary recommendations are nutritionally sound, but I think the "one size fits all" eating recommendations are unrealistic. I had to feel my way along, adjusting what I was doing/eatig/experiencing, to find the methods that work best for me. She wasn't a lot of help in that regard.

I also wish things hadn't been so sugar-coated by everyone along the way. The seminars I attended pre-surgery at three different weight loss organizations ALL made it sound like banding was a perfect answer. The "I have a band, and look at how well I've done" people who spoke at these seminars made it sound like life after banding was a walk in the park. Nobody discussed how much planning, effort, consistency, details, and out-and-out WORK it is to live with a band, and keep the band working properly. For all the reasons you've all posted, the rose-colored "take a nap and wake up slimmer" schmoozing of real life with a band was a disservice to people investigating whether it is right to get banded. I know their purpose was to sell the band to potential customers, but it seems a bit misleading.

All in all, I have no regrets, because I'm working it out to my best result, but I wish it had been presented differently.

Dave

[dFaults 1]

Glad for your post! This is how information gets out. We can all read the numbrers, but knowing the reason behind them is so much better.

[vickyd 24]

Great idea for a post, Elfie! I'm gonna chime in on a few things I wish I had known...

I wish I had asked my surgeon where will my port (port incision) be located?

I assumed that everyone's port was put in the same place but that is not true. My incision was at waist level which was very uncomfortable while it was healing because my waist band kept rubbing on it.

Post-surgery instructions vary from surgeon to surgeon.

A lot of people post on here asking when they should transition from Clear liquids to liquids to mushies to solids but what my surgeon told me may not be what your surgeon wants you to do. Follow your surgeon's instructions - there is a reason your surgeon wants you to do it that way. If you think you need to transition to the next phase earlier than instructed, contact your nutritionist.

Test-drive Protein shakes before you need them.

If you wait until you are on the liquid diet to start trying Protein Shakes you could be setting yourself up for a difficult road. A lot of companies offer sample packs you can order so you can try different flavors. Protein Shakes are very personal...everyone's tastes are different.

[Rainydayz 3]

This is a good informative post. I can certainly understand those who want to think that the band can work for everyone - I think they want to believe that so much that they get offended when someone points out that it doesn't. But I'm glad there are those who will tell it like it is.

Also can anyone please expound on this:

I also recently learned from my docor (who participated in a study) that said the food doesn't even stay in your pouch for more than a minute. WOW...I also thought pre-banding that filling the small pouch made you full and you would stop eating. Not so. You can eat and keep eating as much as you dare. The food doesn't stay in the small pouch that's why.

Then what does it do? Really not trying to be a smart-butt but I too thought that the food stayed in the pouch for longer than a minute. How does it make you feel full then? I'm really confused.

[mattie7632 24]

I guess the pressure of the band around the stomach......I believe this is why when people are filled to that "spot" they will also lose desire to eat and lose appetite. Wish I was there!

This is a good informative post. I can certainly understand those who want to think that the band can work for everyone - I think they want to believe that so much that they get offended when someone points out that it doesn't. But I'm glad there are those who will tell it like it is.

Also can anyone please expound on this:

Then what does it do? Really not trying to be a smart-butt but I too thought that the food stayed in the pouch for longer than a minute. How does it make you feel full then? I'm really confused.

[54Shirley 105]

I'm sorry to hear about all the problems, but I'm not surprised. Myself I think the Band should be re called, and revamp.

I know you know the majority is made out of plastic. We all know that. But do you really know how easy this plastic can break.

I have a 4cc band, with fills going in at 0.5cc at a time, it took a while to get to 2cc,,, only !/2 of the band full. It blew in the surgeons office.

I didn't know though. Not until I got home, and tried to take a swallow of Water, and it came up, tried it again same thing. I couldn't swallow

saliva. Called them up, they said you have to come back "no kidding!" He stuck in the needle, and it popped clear to the top of the syringe.

I heard "WOW!!!" What's wrong I asked? He said when that happens it means your Band is Blown. I said what you gonna do about it?

I'll empty you because your to swollen, and come back in a month. WHAT? how about fix this. Will see when you come back.....

In about 3 weeks they called, and said he will not be able to see you for your appointment, he will be in Switzerland. Can I see his partner?

Nope! He doesn't allow any one to touch his work. I'm sure you can all see were this is going No-were!

I'm still looking for a surgeon to remove this. I have moved, and you can't find anyone to touch some one ellses screw ups.

He is still Chief Surgeon at a "Center of Excellence" I wouldn't recommend this place for the dead!.

I have regained all my weight, with a empty band I forever feel like I'm starving. I know it's head hunger, but it seems so real. I still can only eat so much,

"more though then if this Band were filled" Everything gets hung up in this though, and that's a true pain I know that the only way I'm gonna get this out.

is if something is stuck, and when they clean it out,,, they take it out.

They told us about things getting stuck, and people even dying, but they never told us that this stuff is made on a assembly line in a factory, and if they pass defective

merchandise !!! Then O well... That's the risk you take.... I would have never waisted my time at all.

As you all know, this is a major decision to alter your lifestyle. If you choose to, You would expect It to work. not just take a gamble at it. You do your work, and it doesn't work.

Best of Luck to you.

Shirley

10/31/2006

Dr. Jeffrey Genaw "Chief Surgeon"

Henry Ford Hospital "Center of Excellence."

[ElfiePoo 109]

Shirley,

I'm usually the last person to recommend getting a lawyer, but in your case, I'd seriously consider suing this doctor. If he blew your band, that's on him. If he won't fix it, that's on him.

.

[54Shirley 105]

If this doesn't get resolved... I am seriously thinking about it... It's not my type of thing to do, but,,, he screwed up not me! He also never wrote the notes down that he screwed up.

In a court of law that makes it hard for me to prove. Because he is not admitting to his mistake. But I'm still looking into this trust me.

[mattie7632 24]

Shirley, it would probably (okay-definitely) help if you saw another doctor who would document in HIS notes that the surgeon screwed up. The actual jerk surgeon surely won't document that HE screwed up. Otherwise there would be lots less lawsuits! Many malpractice attorneys will even have doctors they can refer you to if you can't find a doctor on your own to verify the mistake. And many of those attorneys won't charge you for the consult either. Good Luck, if you pursue this keep us posted!

If this doesn't get resolved... I am seriously thinking about it... It's not my type of thing to do, but,,, he screwed up not me! He also never wrote the notes down that he screwed up.

In a court of law that makes it hard for me to prove. Because he is not admitting to his mistake. But I'm still looking into this trust me.

[54Shirley 105]

Thanks for the TIP!