Hi all,

It's been a while since last post.

I was banded in 2006 so I'm going to make a long story short.

I have not lost any weight with my band. Some of it's my fault and some of it is because the band didn't work with my anatomy or something is wrong with it. The after care with my first surgeon wasn't that great. I had no fills for many, many months due to insurance issues.

So...after I moved to a different town a few years ago, I found a great new surgeon who really took me under his wing. Fills every 6 weeks. I started to lose weight Then in December...I started to really work out a lot, weight was starting to slowly drop, then my band just felt like it "opened up." I could eat anything, didn't have to chew, taking in two cups of food under 15 mins. They have tried to fill me and it wasn't tightening. They also felt a lot of resistance and pressure in my port. Now they can't even draw saline OUT and are reluctant to put saline in. It could get too tight and they would have no way of unfilling.

So after bariums and xrays, all seems fine with the band and pouch. They think it may be the port, the tubing or a leak. Doctor says instead of just replacing the port, let's replace the whole thing with Realize band, especially since the old band doesn't seem to work great for me. He said he has seen it work better for some people who have had issues with the old.

They have me scheduled for March 1st and I'm really scared and not sure if I should do it.

Pros:

I could finally lose this weight if it's my band. I'm starting to get high blood pressure due to my family history and weight.They want me on meds for it.

I have a hianal hernia they can fix while in there.

I can't lose weight on my own. I know this, that is why I risked the first surgery. Could I finally get to my goal now??? Maybe?? Perhaps?? That would be awesome and very important to my life.

Cons:

I don't do well under anesthesia.It takes me a while to climb out of the fog of it and I get really sick. Back in 2000 I had a surgery that they had trouble waking me up and kept me overnight. So I'm really scared. Really scared.

Other than not losing weight and having no fills, I have had no issues with my old band. No slips, no issues. It's just kind of sitting there. Maybe I should just leave it alone.

What if it's my body and this new band doesn't work either? All of the surgery and the risks for nothing.

Really need some support on this. I'm about ready to cancel, but I go back and forth. My friends and family don't know how to advise me, so I thought you wonderful folks would be the best to bounce this off on.

Thank you.

Hey firefaerie, I hope I'm like your mom this time. I wanted to give you an update and let you know I'm going to have the band removed, not revised. My surgeon is probably going to be shocked. I did some research over the weekend on long term banded and ....not good. In fact some vagus nerve damage posts really made me scared, as I have been having the same symptoms. I can only hope that it can repair.

Who knew about all of this 6-7 years ago? It was only good things we read.

I thank you for your help and if you could send some good vibes my way on March 1 as I go into surgery, I would appreciate it.

I can honestly say I never made it to the "green zone". You can read about my back story in my blog(Ravenclaw779).

I'm now at the pre-decision part of out-v-revision.

I was actually going along at a respectable rate despite not being in the green zone. Combining Weight Watchers with working out and the modest restriction of the band I was down to 216 and losing about a pound a week.

About six months ago I started having problems including not being able to eat sitting down or wearing a bra, fitted pants, not being able to eat more than a few small bites before vomiting, not being able to get a meal down in less than 40 minutes, and a growing list of foods I should've been able to eat, but couldn't. A couple of embarassing episodes during business lunches and I now no longer eat out.

My weight loss stopped and I now hover around the same weight(223) give or take 5 pounds.

I'm not eating enough of the right foods(can't get them down) to feel satisfied or to provide the right fuel for my day. You'd think I'd be losing big time but it appears my body's locked into a preservation mode.

Couple of weeks ago I experimented with just Slimfast for two meals and a Lean Cusine for a week and nothing changed.

This will sound like a complete cop out - in a crunch, before going into a meeting, when my stomach is growing and roiling so loudly everyone can hear and will immediately try to push a pastry on me(ya know that ain't goin' down), I will bolt a candy bar. It helps - especially when that 4th or 5th cup of coffee isn't giving me enough energy to power through. Most days I need a 2hr nap when I get home to be able to get through the rest of day...bills, laundry, housework...

Right now my safe foods are Protein shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes - think the diet of an 90 year old with no teeth.

Recent Upper GI appeared normal; yesterday's endscopy show inflammation of the esophagus, duodenum and stomach and a possible band slip which of course won't be definitive until I have a laproscopy. As we all know, that the same procedure used to place the band.

My husband has had enough of my bolting from the table after three bites or having to cover for me a family dinners when I have to excuse myself to quietly barf up my big tablespoon of dinner. My dentist has commented on some minor(for now) damage to my teeth. My oncologist is lecturing me as this is not healthy nutrition for a cancer survivor and the fact that an inflammed digestive tract can lead to other types of cancer.

When I started having problems I shouldv'e gone in to see my WLS, but I kept making excuses and blaming myself - surely it was because I just wasn't trying hard enough! That said, I haven't felt normal since my surgery. Even if it weren't for the vomiting and digestive issues, the port, which at first was barely noticable, now feels like scar tissue has encapsulated it. I was so proud when my weight loss meant I could wear a more fitted sweater. Can't do that anymore as it looks like half of my abdomen is pushing forward and you can see it in anything close fitting. Push on it with a bag of groceries, a stack of books - my exercise ball and it's a wave of nausea. I laughingly told a friend I was pretty sure there was an Alicia Keys song title, "My Port Is FIRE!"

I know my surgeon is going to want to go in and I'm going to need to decide on taking it out, repair/replacement or going for something like a sleeve. Could I keep the weight off? continue to lose without the band? Am I doomed to be a thin girl in fat gir's body? Ultimately, I have to make a choice on what's going to be the healthiest option and given my history it's more like trying to juggle eggs!

Thank you for posting your struggles. I have to make the decision too and I only have a week left to do it.

All the best to you too.

NeenBand,

I am allergic to certain medications used in anesthesia. I had complications after I had my appendix out way back in 1998. So, since then I have made it a priority to talk to my anesthesiologist before any surgery. If you tell your anesthesiologist of your concerns, he or she can use a different type of ansesthesia on you!

I would schedule the surgery, but ask to speak to the ansesthesiologist before surgery. After you get all suited up in that funky gown and sock booties, but before they give the IV is a great time to talk to him!

Best wishes, and let us know what you decide.

-Hilary

Thank you so much.

I spoke to my cardiologist and he made me feel a little better about it. He said the anesthesia will eventually clear my seystem, even if it takes time or if they need to give support with it. It will eventually leave. So that made me feel better about "waking up."

My concern now is infection and that sort of thing. But I have to make the decision before Friday, to either let him put a new Realize band in, or to just have him take it out and be done with the LapBand and not have to deal with potential erosion, slips, etc.in the future.

I see many happy bandsters for the first few years, but in trying to research people 10 or more years out, I can't find out how they are. I have until this coming week to make my decision. I literally cannot find people 10 or more years with testimony! If I could see more positive long term, I'd think about the new band.

Thank you so much.

I spoke to my cardiologist and he made me feel a little better about it. He said the anesthesia will eventually clear my seystem, even if it takes time or if they need to give support with it. It will eventually leave. So that made me feel better about "waking up."

My concern now is infection and that sort of thing. But I have to make the decision before Friday, to either let him put a new Realize band in, or to just have him take it out and be done with the LapBand and not have to deal with potential erosion, slips, etc.in the future.

I see many happy bandsters for the first few years, but in trying to research people 10 or more years out, I can't find out how they are. I have until this coming week to make my decision. I literally cannot find people 10 or more years with testimony! If I could see more positive long term, I'd think about the new band.

Hi NeenBand,

I understand you concerns. If you are worried about infection, perhaps your doctor can prescribe you some antibiotics to take before you have surgery just in case. Also, it is still probably a good idea to clue your anesthesiologist in on the issues you have had in the past. I am severely allergic to asprin/advil/all NSAIDs and before I go under the knife I always talk to the ansethesiologist

I know that people who had the band 10 years ago were getting the 4cc band. A lot of people with the 4cc band had many complications. These complications seem to have diminished since Allergan went to the 10cc band (and there appears to be a 14cc band as well). I got the 10 cc band back in 2008. I am not sure how long the 10cc band has been around. So, you may want to see how long the 10cc band has been out and its success rates and not worry about what was happening a decade ago with the 4cc band. I also hear that back in the times of the 4cc band, the tubing was much shorter causing problems as well. Also, if you are going to get the Realize band, you might consider doing research on just that brand. One more thing to consider is that the US did not get approval to do the band as early as they did in Europe and Australia. So, if you are looking for results from a long time ago, check out European and Australian research.

I have gone through times where I hated my band! I absolutely wanted to have it removed. But, I have passed through that phase and am giving it another shot (starting with a new fill on Wednesday). There were many misconceptions I had about the band because I didn't want to really hear about what it was going to be like, didn't do my research, and didn't have the facts repeated to me over and over by my health care professionals. I got very angry when my little bubble got popped. I am in no way saying that is your experience, I am just sharing mine. But, many people have been tremendously successful with the band. Have you ever watched BandedWendy posts on www.youtube.com? I recently discovered her and have leared so much from her, even though I've had my band for almost 5 years. BandedWendy got her band in March 2009. So, she is almost 4 years out. Let me tell you, she shows us what happened every step of the way and has maintained her goal weight successfully for 3 years. But, like you, I am curious to hear from old bandsters. In about 5 years, I will be one of them! In fact, when I go into the office for aftercare, when the practitioners talk to each other they remind one another that I have an older band. Jeesh, outdated already?!?

All in all, you have to do what is right for you. I hope you make a decision you are comfortable with and feel good with whatever decision you choose. I'm rooting for you! I know you will be okay no matter what you decide..

Are you considering the sleeve or RNY if you don't get Realize? Also, and I in no way mean to offend, but have you considered talking to a weight loss therapist to see if your fear is mental (perhaps a fear of success?)? I'm just shooting in the dark here. Sometimes I think I purposefully sabotoge myself just when I am getting successful.

-Hilary

I have to agree with Hillary. Would you consider a revision to a sleeve or RNY? With the sleeve, you pretty much have restriction from the beginning. No fills, no slips, no erosions. You just go on about your life and make sure you take vitamins and progress from liquids to pureed foods to solids within about 6 weeks. You go under ONCE for the surgery and you are done. If I had issues with the lap band over these many years, and had not achieved weight loss, I would certainly revise to something else. If you go under anesthesia for a new band and experience complications in the future, you may need to go under again for it to be removed. This is just my opinion but it's time for a different surgery where you go under ONCE and don't have to worry about anything being removed. I hope you don't mind my opinion and honestly that is all it is. I will root for you to be successful whether you get another lap band or not. Best wishes to you in all sincerity.

-Misha

Hi ladies, again, your responses are thoughtful and they are appreciated.

I have decided to have the band taken out and not replaced. I don't think I will ever undergo weight loss surgery again. I know the risk of being overweight is bad, but the thought of multiple surgeries and altering my body does not sit right with me. I'm thinking of thinking an Overeaters Anonymous group nearby.

One fear I really do have is about erosion. I have that old Allergen band and I'm really scared that in Friday, things will be found that can put me in a life threatening situation. This may sound paranoid, but in reading some medical journals online, it's something that does happen.

I really, really hope that this surgery is smooth sailing and then I can put it behind me and start taking steps to get myself to a healthy weight.

hope everything goes well god bless

Thank you. And god bless you too.

Well, I had decided on having it out...and then my surgeon called today. He seems very confident that the new Realize band will help me to lose weight and that it does not have the complications that the old band had. He said it's like night and day. He seemed to think that is the way I should go. But I read so many terrible complication stories all over the Internet! So confused.

I am really confused about what to do again.