my story so far, for people considering lap band

[Pammy S Lewis 2]

i was only 54 lbs overweight but had been carrying it for over a decade because of long term antidepressant use. i tried everything and was so sick of people not recognizing me and just feeling horrible about myself. when the fda recently gave the ok for lap band for people with a 30 bmi, i was so excited. i found the best doctor in my area felt good about the decision i was making. everyone in my family has type 2 diabetes and i knew i was headed there, so i felt like this was also preventative. my insurance wouldn't cover it, so i decided to pay the $16k to do it.

my surgery was on 3/15 on an outpatient basis and i figured since they were doing it that way, that it wouldn't be a big deal. well, turns out that if people's insurance is paying, most people stay 1 night at the hospital. it was rough when i went home all alone. i started having pain in the center of my chest and was told that it was pain from the band and swelling and would go away. but 2 weeks in, the pain was still there and getting worse. at this time, my dr happened to be out of town for a week so i only had his nurse to consult. i finally went to the ER and they said that sometimes even when there's no fill when it's put in, there can be excess air. so they extracted air out of it and i immediately felt better. felt like everything was going to be ok and i was happy.

but the next day, even with only being on liquids, the pain started again. my dr gets back to town tomorrow and i have a feeling he's going to want to do surgery, which i'm going to have to pay for out of pocket if that's the case. and if i have to get it removed, i will have spent $32k for weeks of pain. i don't feel very hopeful because i'm in a lot of pain and there's nothing in my band, so i don't see what he can do to help the situation without doing surgery again to either see what's wrong or take it out.

when i started researching the band, i knew that there were a lot of people who had no problems at all and had a great experience with the band. i also knew that there were people who had issues with constant vomiting, erosion or slippage. i felt like it was kind of a crapshoot because you have no way to predict how your body will respond or what your experience will be. i felt like it was a risk i was willing to take in order to get my life back. in retrospect, i feel like i made the biggest mistake of my life. i have been in almost constant pain for weeks now and spent thousands of dollars.

i am posting this so you can make an informed decision for yourself. you need to know the risks and the benefits and decide if it's worth the risk for you. i definitely don't recommend doing self pay unless you are extremely wealthy. if you have to scrimp and save or take out loans to do the initial surgery, be aware that you may have to have later surgeries. also, i don't think this surgery is for people who are merely 50 lbs overweight, as the risk, in my opinion, outweighs the benefits. if you are someone who has an extremely high bmi and has comorbidities, the risk may be worth taking for you.

anyway, that's just my story so far. just wanted to share so people can know both sides of the coin.

[A.C.E of Hearts 0]

i was only 54 lbs overweight but had been carrying it for over a decade because of long term antidepressant use. i tried everything and was so sick of people not recognizing me and just feeling horrible about myself. when the fda recently gave the ok for lap band for people 50 lbs or more overweight, i was so excited. i found the best doctor in my area felt good about the decision i was making. everyone in my family has type 2 diabetes and i knew i was headed there, so i felt like this was also preventative. my insurance wouldn't cover it, so i decided to pay the $16k to do it.

my surgery was on 3/15 on an outpatient basis and i figured since they were doing it that way, that it wouldn't be a big deal. well, turns out that if people's insurance is paying, most people stay 1 night at the hospital. it was rough when i went home all alone. i started having pain in the center of my chest and was told that it was pain from the band and swelling and would go away. but 2 weeks in, the pain was still there and getting worse. at this time, my dr happened to be out of town for a week so i only had his nurse to consult. i finally went to the ER and they said that sometimes even when there's no fill when it's put in, there can be excess air. so they extracted air out of it and i immediately felt better. felt like everything was going to be ok and i was happy.

but the next day, even with only being on liquids, the pain started again. my dr gets back to town tomorrow and i have a feeling he's going to want to do surgery, which i'm going to have to pay for out of pocket if that's the case. and if i have to get it removed, i will have spent $32k for weeks of pain. i don't feel very hopeful because i'm in a lot of pain and there's nothing in my band, so i don't see what he can do to help the situation without doing surgery again to either see what's wrong or take it out.

when i started researching the band, i knew that there were a lot of people who had no problems at all and had a great experience with the band. i also knew that there were people who had issues with constant vomiting, erosion or slippage. i felt like it was kind of a crapshoot because you have no way to predict how your body will respond or what your experience will be. i felt like it was a risk i was willing to take in order to get my life back. in retrospect, i feel like i made the biggest mistake of my life. i have been in almost constant pain for weeks now and spent thousands of dollars.

i am posting this so you can make an informed decision for yourself. you need to know the risks and the benefits and decide if it's worth the risk for you. i definitely don't recommend doing self pay unless you are extremely wealthy. if you have to scrimp and save or take out loans to do the initial surgery, be aware that you may have to have later surgeries. also, i don't think this surgery is for people who are merely 50 lbs overweight, as the risk, in my opinion, outweighs the benefits. if you are someone who has an extremely high bmi and has comorbidities, the risk may be worth taking for you.

anyway, that's just my story so far. just wanted to share so people can know both sides of the coin.

[A.C.E of Hearts 0]

Thank you for your honesty. I have been researching weightloss surgery for 10 years now, My Aunt had the Gastic By pass in the past, I have a friend the had the Lap band. And a second cousin that had the Band but had to have it removed; then had the sleeve. I just completed the 6 month supervised diet required by my insurance. And my paper work is being resubmited to them for approval,

But I am having second thoughts about WLS for myself. My Aunt regained about 60 lbs of her weight. Not bad considering she lost almost 200. Seems to be living with the WLS ok. Except she still misses ice cream; she can't eat it. My friend is very unhappy with her journey with the band. She is one year and a half post op and only lost 50 lbs. Now she is taking some kind of shot from her Band office. Each shot is $500.00. That's worst than the 100.00 fills, She very unhappy with her band journey. And told me if she had to do it all over again she wouldn't. My second cousin had lost of success with his band. But the family said he barely ate anything. On Thanksgiving he cut a grape into small pieces and that was his dinner. He had to have his band removed. Immediately gained 70 lbs; then the Dr did the Sleeve. Now he is getting back on track. Another person I know had the Band. She lost about 40 lbs. Then she got a Trainer; and unfilled her Band, Told me she doesn't even use it,

I was so excited about my decision and ready for a new life. But now I feel like I am getting negative vibes everywhere I turn. And now reading the lapband support page... well, every post I ready is discouraging. Either someone is in pain. Or they haven't lost much weight after a year of being deprived and discouraged.

I have been doing my supervised diet at the office where I planned on getting the Band, And the Dr treats me like it's an asembly line... He wasn't like that when my Aunt had Gastic bypass, He was so compassionate, Now he acts too big for his britches,

As you can see,,, lots of negative vibes, I don't know what to do,,, I have been exercising. I had lost 14lbs, Thought I was on the right road,,,, I expect the office to call in soon to continue this process after they receive the insurance's approval.

My mother recently passed away unexpectly and I had to use the money I saved for the surgeon's fee for her funeral, So that's gone,,, See ! Everything keeps telling me this isn't for me.

What do I do ? I still sit here about 290 lbs. I have to get healthy, I thought with such a large amount of weight to lose surgery was my only hope,

[sandy1 1]

i was only 54 lbs overweight but had been carrying it for over a decade because of long term antidepressant use. i tried everything and was so sick of people not recognizing me and just feeling horrible about myself. when the fda recently gave the ok for lap band for people 50 lbs or more overweight, i was so excited. i found the best doctor in my area felt good about the decision i was making. everyone in my family has type 2 diabetes and i knew i was headed there, so i felt like this was also preventative. my insurance wouldn't cover it, so i decided to pay the $16k to do it.

my surgery was on 3/15 on an outpatient basis and i figured since they were doing it that way, that it wouldn't be a big deal. well, turns out that if people's insurance is paying, most people stay 1 night at the hospital. it was rough when i went home all alone. i started having pain in the center of my chest and was told that it was pain from the band and swelling and would go away. but 2 weeks in, the pain was still there and getting worse. at this time, my dr happened to be out of town for a week so i only had his nurse to consult. i finally went to the ER and they said that sometimes even when there's no fill when it's put in, there can be excess air. so they extracted air out of it and i immediately felt better. felt like everything was going to be ok and i was happy.

but the next day, even with only being on liquids, the pain started again. my dr gets back to town tomorrow and i have a feeling he's going to want to do surgery, which i'm going to have to pay for out of pocket if that's the case. and if i have to get it removed, i will have spent $32k for weeks of pain. i don't feel very hopeful because i'm in a lot of pain and there's nothing in my band, so i don't see what he can do to help the situation without doing surgery again to either see what's wrong or take it out.

when i started researching the band, i knew that there were a lot of people who had no problems at all and had a great experience with the band. i also knew that there were people who had issues with constant vomiting, erosion or slippage. i felt like it was kind of a crapshoot because you have no way to predict how your body will respond or what your experience will be. i felt like it was a risk i was willing to take in order to get my life back. in retrospect, i feel like i made the biggest mistake of my life. i have been in almost constant pain for weeks now and spent thousands of dollars.

i am posting this so you can make an informed decision for yourself. you need to know the risks and the benefits and decide if it's worth the risk for you. i definitely don't recommend doing self pay unless you are extremely wealthy. if you have to scrimp and save or take out loans to do the initial surgery, be aware that you may have to have later surgeries. also, i don't think this surgery is for people who are merely 50 lbs overweight, as the risk, in my opinion, outweighs the benefits. if you are someone who has an extremely high bmi and has comorbidities, the risk may be worth taking for you.

anyway, that's just my story so far. just wanted to share so people can know both sides of the coin.

Please let us know how you are doing. I am sorry you are having so much pain.

[elcee 3,343]

It seems strange to be having pain in the centre of your chest. Post op/gas related pain is usually in a shoulder or sometimes the stomach.

I would be going back to the Dr and asking for some more tests. Are they sure this is band related pain? I certainly wouldn't mess around with pain in the centre of the chest. It may be that it is a side effect of the surgery. Could possibly be a clot that has travelled and lodged somewhere that it shouldn't have and if so this is an emergency.

Most people that have problems with their bands have them at a later stage, problems at the time of surgery are rare. Often problems at this stage are caused by incorrect placement , an inexperienced surgeon or the band being prefilled. I would recheck that there is no fill in your band at this point and if there is make sure they take it out. Fill + postop swelling is too much for most people and causes lots of problems.

I hope you get this sorted out soon.

As to the negative stories about the band you will always hear them. Some are true, many are not. The same can be said for the bypass, the sleeve or whatever. There is no 1 size fits all WLS. You have to research and find out which is the most likely to suit you.

One of the reasons the band "fails" is because people expect it to be a magic wand. They think that once it is in that is it, they will never have to diet again. Lots of these people think that they will be able to eat what they want, sit on their bums and that the weight will still fall off - THIS IS NOT TRUE. The band is a tool that will assist in your weight loss but it will not do it for you. You are still in charge of what you put in your mouth.

I have had my band for almost 2 years and I couldn't be happier. It works the way that it was explained to me. That is that if I make good choices it will help me to eat less and feel full for longer which will mean I am able to lose weight more easily than preband. I have lost all my weight and now wear an Aus size 8 which I think is a US size 4. I am by no means perfect. Some days I make good choices, some days not so good choices. Some times food goes down fine other times it gets stuck . This doesn't happen as often any more as I am now far more experienced in operating my weight loss tool. I know what works and what doesn't.

How anyone can complain about losing 50lb I don't know. As to the story about the grape I would take that with a big pinch of salt - if it is true then the person is stupid. They are not using the band the way it is supposed to be used and they are setting themselves up for possible problems in the future.

If your Dr isn't helpful then you should change your Dr. The medical profession are notorious for being arrogant - we as patients are notorious for treating them like Gods and putting up with it.

[Pammy S Lewis 2]

so, apparently when they put in the band, they "prime" it by injecting saline and then extracting it to make sure it works and isn't leaking. sometimes air can be left in it and that's what happened. it was WAY too tight and caused swelling and pain. they extracted the air and i stayed on liquids for 2 days and now the pain is finally gone :-) SO happy. really happy that i don't have to get additional surgery after all. without the air in it, i have really good restriction and probably won't need a fill for a long time too, so that's good.

thanks for your notes. that was scary to be in such bad pain for weeks!! all good now though. down 13 lbs! :-)

[elcee 3,343]

Glad that your problem is all sorted out. I have never heard of air in the band being a problem before(except if you fly when it is unfilled) but if that is what they found then that must be correct.

Good luck with your lapband journey, I hope that everything now goes really well for you.

[sandy1 1]

so, apparently when they put in the band, they "prime" it by injecting saline and then extracting it to make sure it works and isn't leaking. sometimes air can be left in it and that's what happened. it was WAY too tight and caused swelling and pain. they extracted the air and i stayed on liquids for 2 days and now the pain is finally gone :-) SO happy. really happy that i don't have to get additional surgery after all. without the air in it, i have really good restriction and probably won't need a fill for a long time too, so that's good.

thanks for your notes. that was scary to be in such bad pain for weeks!! all good now though. down 13 lbs! :-)

I am so very happy all is well now. I was really nervous because my story is almost exactly the same as yours and my surgery is scheduled for April 20th. I have right at 50 pounds to loose (maybe a little more) and am a self pay. Sometimes i am so scared, but mostly I just know I have to get this done so I can live and enjoy my life again. I have very high blood pressure, take two different meds for that, and tons of lower back and knee problems.

I am 54 years old and raising 4 grandkids, one is just 19 months old so I need to run around like I am 25 again!!

[Sarabi 0]

I'm glad you are doing well. Keep us posted.

[jeepygurl 3]

I have 80 pds left to lose, give or take a pound or two, my lap band journey has been well not near like I was hoping, I had spoken to some people I knew and not one person said anything negative, only threw up once, was sick once, well what about being truthful.... I feel lied to, feed a line of crap by my doctor and all the people I spoke to,

I eat, slow, I chew and I still throw up, one fill and I was throwing up before the fill, I am exercising, and taking back control of my life, band or no band, I was guilty I wanted a solution when in reality I was the solution, I can do this on my own, band or no band, I just wish I had learned this before I turned into a bulimic