Went to a local WLS support group meeting tonight. Out of thirty or more people, there were only two bandsters--three including me who has yet to me banded.

The leader of the meeting pretty much said I would fail at this band thing--that most banded she's seen convert to the RNY eventually. She said that most of the lap band folks are not happy with their slow weight loss--and she said that there are so many things that can go wrong--slippage, erosion, etc. She said that I'd have a higher chance of having more surgeries than if I were to have the RNY. She said that if I have a sweet tooth, then the band is DEFINITELY NOT FOR ME.

This bummed me out for a---SECOND--then I came to my senses. This is the best and safest way to go. Eventually, I am going to have to come to terms with the type of and amount of food I eat, and even if I were to get the RNY, I'd have to come to terms with eating sugar eventually. From what I hear, the "dumping" gets less and less severe as time goes on. I do have some what of a sweet tooth, but I don't care for sugary liquids at all. I do love cookies--cakes, etc., but I willing to say good-bye to them to regain my health. The main thing I'm looking for in the band is to help control real, physical hunger--not head hunger--but physical hunger--that's all my expectation of the band.

It just frustrates me that she (leader of WLS meeting) tried to talk me out of the band. She even mentioned how she's struggling with her weight gain (after 5 years out/RNY) and that she still vomits a lot--and that her teeth are chipping easily (possibly due to a mineral deficiency).

Ahh--I don't know. I just want SO BADLY to be successful. I don't expect a miracle cure. I just want help with this journey. Am I asking too much of the band for that--help to curb the ravenous physical hunger?

Thanks all for listening...

Just a thought - LapBandsters (especially those rare birds who lose a lot quickly) can suffer hair loss after LapBanding. In fact, a good number of Bandsters definitely can suffer hair thinning...It's not just malabsorption that causes hair loss/hair thinning, and in my local Bandster support group it seems to be most common in the first 4-6 months then eventually evens out...

And as for gas - OMG, a Bandster who has just eaten broccoli/cabbage/other stalky types of greens can potentially clear a room. And we Bandsters burp/hiccup and do other things that I never EVER dealt with regularly before banding. I have eaten something innocent and then began to hear a Bandster Symphony of noises (especially embarrassing in a small TV studio where all noises are magnified by the sensitive microphones ) - it's something we deal with also.

So although there are other very complex and dangerous aspects of RnY Bypass that have been explored in detail, let's never forget that we Bandsters experience some oddities too.

Happy Band Journeys to all! :eek:

The bariatric group I had my surgery with actually has two support groups. One is for banders and the other is for RNY. Each meeting is held on a different day. I thought that was pretty cool and made me feel more comfortable about attending them. I'll be going to my first one on April 6th.

Sorry you had a bad experience Dana. I hope you can find a group that is more comfortable for you.

DanaClark2:

I agree with everyone else here...you have to make your decision on what's right for YOU.

We all have individual needs-physical and emotional and financial. We all bring our particular baggage too.

Sorry to make a long story longer, but....my mom had a stomach ulcer from taking aspirin for a broken foot. It happened to be on a major artery, so she had to have 1/2 of her stomach removed in 1984. She basically had a "stomach stapling"-type gastrectomy..with most of the same "issues" as RNY'ers. Unfortunately, in 2003, when she was 76 yrs old, she started to really age and, because of the surgery, COULD NOT gain weight. She drank Ensure, Boost, ate constantly (but healthy, as she was diabetic) and couldn't gain. She passed away in Oct 2003. The doctors said the PRIMARY reason was that she could not get in enough nutrition to support life. AND NOW MY POINT.....

That was one of my "baggage" issues. I asked my doc at the seminar the long-term effects --when I get older, would I have trouble sustaining my life with RNY vs. the band. One of the great things about the band is that, if necessary, it can just be unfilled. No extra surgery. With RNY, you have it FOREVER.

Banding isn't a miracle. More of the "burden" of weight loss is directly on the patient. But, if you're serious enough to be banded (money, pain, etc.) then you must be sincere about changing your lifestyle and bettering your health. You MUST be highly motivated and it sounds like you are!! It IS only a tool, but it does give you some valuable help...staying fuller longer, providing negative feedback (PB's, etc.) when you overdo it, and this site gives a LOT of support for these changes to take place in a more pleasant environment.

I have friends that have had RNY and wouldn't change a thing. I don't have any other band friends, except here on LBT. For me, the safer/more conservative approach was more to my liking for a variety of reasons. But, I realize that erosion, illness, slipping, etc. could all end it any time without notice. I believe I made the right choice FOR ME and I think there is NO RIGHT ANSWER. There are pro's and con's to EVERYTHING...you just have weigh it all out for your INDIVIDUAL situation and don't look back or second-guess yourself. Once you feel right about one or the other, do not let anyone else talk you into/out of anything else. YOU know what's best for YOUR body and YOUR psyche and YOUR life.

Just my "two cents". (or more--maybe a dime's worth!)

Nanster

Banded 2-24-06

Pre-op: 258/Now: 243 (-15 pounds/1 month)

1st Fill today

DanaClark2: Just another note-why I told you my mom's story-- there is no real data on the geriatric population with respect to EITHER procedure. The band has only been around 12 yrs so there's no real "database" of older patients to study. With no real solid information about long-term effects, I again preferred the lower risk, more conservative, REVERSIBLE procedure.

As my MD said in the seminar...the band complication rates are actually HIGHER than RNY, but the consequences tend to be much more serious when they do happen. Most band issues are relatively easily resolved. Quite a few RNY issues can be life-threatening.

Nanster

Nanster--

Thank you for your story and your comments.

I feel confident in my decision to get the band--I feel peaceful about it. I just couldn't get the--real peace about getting the bypass. That's just me, of course. I don't expect a miracle cure--I fully expect to work hard for my weight loss. What I am hoping for is help with the gnawing, physical hunger that accompanies me now as I venture forth with this liquid pre-op diet. That's really all I expect--help with the physical hunger. Everything else I'm willing to work on--emotional hunger, head hunger, exercise, etc. I am going to go all out--full force--when I get the band so that just in case it is removed shortly after getting it--I will have made a big dent in my weight loss--and hopefully in changing my former bad eating habits.

Marching on for a better life, I happily and peacefully choose the band over the bypass.

I went to my 1st wls meeting 3 weeks before my banding. Everyone there was rny & 2 ladies did pull me aside & suggested I rethink the band because everyone they know that had had the band were not sucessful & eventually went back for the rny. I saw my Doc a few days after that and voiced my concerns & doubts. Dr Clark is so anti rny & so positive about the safty & sucess of the band, that after talking to him, I knew I was making the right choice. I still go to the wls group,where the support is great & since that 1st meeting, know one has said anything else about the band. Now I do sometimes get a little bummed when I see how much weight they are losing with zero effort, but I also hear how they are really struggling to not gain weight because they never learned to change their old habits, so when their pouch starts to get back to a normal size they start to spin out of control. Theyy are also all on B12 & iron shots!

I have been very happy with my chioce. It is a tool to help you get to where you want to be. It is alot of work & willpower, but if you us the band right you will succed.

Dana ~ I'm glad to hear your meeting wasn't all bad. :biggrin1: I attended my second meeting tonight and again, I was the only "band" person out of 30+ people. The second group kind and respectful as the first. Still I wish they would offer a lapband group like SherryW. I think I would be more inclined to attend on a regular basis. For now, I'm going to fulfill my insurance request for 3 sessions, then I'm sticking with my LBT family and saving my gas. I driven 7+ hrs within the last 2 days attending these meetings.

NewSho ~ Funny you should bring up the hair thing b/c that did seem to be a big topic of discussion. The reasons sited were exactly what you stated within the 4 -6 mos time after surgery b/c of rapid weight loss. They also said some people react to the anesthesia. I'm going to start a thread about that...wait, I'll do a search first. :rolleyes

Let me tell you about an experience I had today: I buy my Protein shakes from a lady whose husband had the gastric bypass surgery 20 years ago. He would have died 19 years ago but his wife has learned everything she could get her hands on about medicine and has miraculously kept him alive on Protein Shakes and other tasteless food. Well today his intestines finally stopped absorbing food altogether (she says) and nothing is working. They are afraid he's going to die. I was mortified for them. He's such a wonderful man - what a terrible loss if he dies. But I realized how grateful I was that I chose an option that didn't involve risks like that one.

Now I'm definitely not saying that it's not the right option for some people, but I feel like the band has given me the opportunity to teach myself how to eat right, so I feel like the success is 'mine'. And I'm eating a sensible amount of food, getting my nutrients in, and losing weight at a perfectly healthy pace! I didn't want a quick fix - I wanted a healthy fix!

What is this about car accidents?

With the band you aren't supposed to have NSAIDS or have an NG Tube placed down your throat without flouro. The NG Tube is standard if you are in a bad accident to ensure that your lungs don't collapse but it could move/damage the band if not placed correctly. There is a thread about medical ID bracelets a few days ago.

Kristin

I wouldn't be able to take a session of any sort that involved both lap banders and RNY's. They both have very different positions on things and those with RNY are very vocal about their choice, as well you should be about yours. Find yourself a support group for bandsters and not one that is mixed up with RNY patients. My friend that has RNY can never be far from a bathroom when we go someplace and also has told me about the horrible gas she passes...luckily I haven't been in her presence to experience it. She is very, very pale and used to be very healthy looking. I don't think she feels well, but she isn't about to tell me, because I'm getting the band and she raves about RNY. I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be honestly...she has lots of problems and tons of loose skin, plus she is fighting gaining it back. She has to eat a little something every few hours or she gets very faint, but they stick by their decisions. Most of them would have been lap banded had it been available at the time of RNY, so I think lots of what you hear is sour grapes.

I had kind of an opposite experience. My support group is all bandsters. One meeting, a man came and brought his wife who had RNY some 3 or 4 years ago. She was the only bypass patient there. No one attacked her or questioned her decision. In fact, we would have never known her situation had she not stood up and told us her nightmare of a story. She told us how difficult it was for her to eat and get basic nutrition. Basically she was living on ice cream and cream Soup. She vomited nearly every day. She had had several strictures that had to be repaired. And she told us how lucky we were to have chosen the band. She told us how healthy we looked with our pink color and full heads of hair. That she would have done it in a heartbeat had she known it was available at the time. We wound up sympathizing with her and doing our very best to give her nutritional advice-we had a dietician in the group.

Usually, there's a great division between bandsters and bypass patients. They kind of get this stance of "my surgery is better than yours". They hold firm to that and will argue to the death. Everyone makes their own decision about WLS for their own reasons. Once the decision is made, they stick to it. And for RNYers, their decision is usually a more permanent decision. I've only run into a few individuals open minded enough to learn, in an unbiased arena about the other surgery types and positively comment about the other surgery.

My advice, get your support where you can. Not that my support group isn't good, but that's why I belong to several online support groups. I believe support is vital to weight loss success, with or without surgery.

I would love to find a "Just Bandsters" support group--I wonder if they have one in Nasvhille? I just live about 45 min. from Nash., TN.

Perhaps as the lap-banded increase in my area, there will be interest in starting a meeting just for the banded.

I am more and more confident everyday with the decision I've made to be banded. Just 26 more days!!!

Dana,

There might be and you just haven't found it yet. I have found great support on yahoo where bandsters meet in my state. I just found a TN bandsters on yahoo. What happens for me, in Ohio, is that because it's a larger state and people don't want to drive all over, we separate by regions and we get together in groups once a month.

I was lucky, my band surgeon started a lap band support group. Not everybody likes his support group so, I was glad to find the Bandsters of Ohio to have another bandster support group.

Good Luck

There are lots of people with the same concerns but have much success with the band. My band date is April 4, 2006, and I am looking forward to nothing but positive results. Have you been approved for the band? If so, I say go for it and if by chance it did not work out always know that it is reversible unlike the other surgeries.

Count me as one of those people who knew someone that died from complications of bypass surgery. My oldest son's neighbor was young (in her 30s) and healthy. She was a model patient, too. She was 3 months post-op when she died. She left a husband and two young children. Statistics mean a lot more when you can put a face with the numbers.