hi all,

I have not actually posted this, just bits and pieces out there, so I thought I would put it all together in as short a thread as I could:

I was going into my 8th year with the band, but last week it was removed due to complications.

I was banded at 135 kg, in 15 months I was down to 56 kg. I maintained this for years, actully the first 5 years were the honeymoon for me. I actually had no adjustment to the band in over 4 years, then the 6th year I started with heartburn, no big deal, loosened the band a little, took medication, and gained about 9 kg bringing me to 65 kg which was ok with me, since I was on the thin side. So then the fun starts, in my 7th year I could no longer eat lunch, (I had not eaten Breakfast in years which is common for bandsters) so no breakfast and no lunch. After 5 months of that I went to see my dr, I had lost all sense of normalcy, there was not a day that I was not sick and it became debilitating (at this point I knew I was going to lose the band) the band was completly deflated, upon an endoscope and barium swallows I was diagnosed with erosion, severe esophogeal dysmotility, band slippage, megaesophagus, hiatal hernia, pseudoachlachia. The next month the band was removed, the hiatal hernia repaired and the slippage fixed and a new band inserted. (after researching this, peer-reviewed journals say that subsequent banding is abandoned by most surgerons as it produces little to no weight loss, and results in reoperation via removal or converting to another wls) After 8 weeks I was going to have the new band filled, but upon barium swallow, the dysmotility was so severe, this band will have to come out too, as this is contradicted for the band. So last week I had my second band removed. I have not had a working band, in about 15 continuous months now and in that time going from my 65 kg, I am now at 87 kg. I will have to wait about 6 months to see if my EG junction (esophogogastric). I will never be able to have a band again, so I am looking into a sleeve, in 6 months.

I hope everyone finds what they are looking for, and gets healthy....

Mila

Wow - that is a lot of in and out. The good news is you are alive and well. Its storys like yours that made me decide on the sleeve immediately after finding out my stomach was dilated. It appears that once there is a band problem it is very hard to ever get a band to act correctly again (I know of other that had a second band place that also failed). Thank you for sharing.

I wish you the best of luck!

Wow - that is a lot of in and out. The good news is you are alive and well. Its storys like yours that made me decide on the sleeve immediately after finding out my stomach was dilated. It appears that once there is a band problem it is very hard to ever get a band to act correctly again (I know of other that had a second band place that also failed). Thank you for sharing.

I wish you the best of luck!

thanks Lynn, ya there is virtually no mortality with the band, but high on the morbidity scale. Once those complications start, it is like a avalanche, they are virtually unable to be stopped, and I tried everything I could to keep my band........

thanks Lynn, ya there is virtually no mortality with the band, but high on the morbidity scale. Once those complications start, it is like a avalanche, they are virtually unable to be stopped, and I tried everything I could to keep my band........

Hi mila! It's very nice to see you here :eek:

Wow your story is so terrible! I bet that's just the short end of it too. The band as I know of it has given me nothing but issues since day 3. That was the day I felt excruciating hunger. Imagine my surprise as I was not supposed to feel hungry anymore! :'(

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your updates. I'm sure you'll see all of mine... :eek: I'm a loudmouth sometimes, especially when it's something I feel passionate about!

Hi mila! It's very nice to see you here :thumbup1:

Wow your story is so terrible! I bet that's just the short end of it too. The band as I know of it has given me nothing but issues since day 3. That was the day I felt excruciating hunger. Imagine my surprise as I was not supposed to feel hungry anymore! :'(

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your updates. I'm sure you'll see all of mine... I'm a loudmouth sometimes, especially when it's something I feel passionate about!

It is nice to see you here too!!! I don't think you are a loudmouth, I like honesty. I guess I liked my band---I was willing to give up stuff to stay thin, but it was not to be, very surgery has its thing. I was hungry for about 4 months post op too!!! looking forward to chatting---

Mila

I too have had band issues. I am in my 9th year with the band Sunday is actually my surgery date August 1 2001. I started at 292 lbs and did exceptional with the band, even after having a slippage repair. I lost a total of 160 lbs, then in 2006 I started with nighttime cough, regurgitation, vomiting up black emesis and was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. I had surgery to repair the hernia and my band was repositioned back into place (it has to be removed for the hernia repair) and things have never been the same. My band has been empty for about months after the hernia repair because I couldn't even tolerate 0.2 cc in it. It was either wide open on one day or I couldn't tolerate my spit the next. I slowly have added back on the pounds to 245 current weight and am miserable again. I know I can never get the weight off again on my own and the tool is just not working. I am scheduled for the band explantation with gastric plication in 2.5 weeks. I'm so excited at the thoughts of having a tool back. I now I can do what it takes as long as I am not alone on the journey. I'm even looking forward to the liquid preop diet. Has anyone else gone from band to plication? How has it been? I think the band works for many patients just not the right long term solution for me.

oh gosh we sound so alike, not many bandster out there that far out. I can tell you that the complications I experienced are expected for the time frame, and are WELL documented in the literature, actually the FDA conditional approval in 2001 specifically questioned the esophogeal injuries late term with the lap band. the band is great short term but not long term. the major long-term complications increases constantly over time, according to a linear pattern. As in Europe, and before the appearnace of long-term complications, the enthusiasm related to the apparently simplicity of the procedure and good early results might drive a considerable number of surgeons and patients to choose banding. As more reports come in from europe and australia banding is going down in those countries, but the US is about 10 years behind. Reoperation rates could be a disaster, with thousands of patients requiring reoperations, with their associated risks, because of severe long-term complications. The results coming in from Europe and Australia should serve as a warning. Most people do not know the lap band is not a lifetime product (allergan directions for us-RX physican copy) the band is great short term, long term it has the highest reoperation and complication rates over all wls......it is what it is, I would anticipate that in less than 5 years europe and asutralia will abandon the band and the us in 10 years......

Hi Mila1013,

Thank you for posting this.

I've had my band for 4.5 years and am scheduled for revision to Sleeve on 24 August 2010. Am so worried that I'm making the right decision - but reading your post is reassuring because I just know I will go the same way if I leave it any longer.

Thank you!

Hi Mila1013,

Thank you for posting this.

I've had my band for 4.5 years and am scheduled for revision to Sleeve on 24 August 2010. Am so worried that I'm making the right decision - but reading your post is reassuring because I just know I will go the same way if I leave it any longer.

Thank you!

Carrin,

picking wls is and always will be difficult, mobid obesity via surgery has proven more difficult for surgeons than originally thought with subsequent failures in all wls types. no surgery type is perfect and they all have wls failures due to regain. I am currently waiting for my sleeve denial through my insurance co, that was submitted last week, it should come in by next week, they will deny via investigational, I will appeal. "30 percent of patients who undergo LSG will experience weight regain and require a second step approach, I still believe that we prevented that 70 percent of our patients from having a RYGB or DS, which I consider highly efficacious but at the same time a procedure that has a high incidence of morbidity. In these cases, I do not see the LSG as a failure but more as a ?first step? to a second long-term final approach" bariatric times july 2010. for me I have to do what is best for me at this time, the band is gone and since I did well with it, I am sticking to a restrictive procedure. I think the band is great, but I think it should be used short term only, before injury happens-removed and another wls used. It actually is concerning to me that the band is now being heavily advertised in commercials, etc, a time when so many reports are coming in and europe and australia are starting to abandon the band. this will bring a disaster to the US in the next 5 years or so. be very careful going to a surgeon that only does the band, or rny or any one specific surgery as they tend to sway in that direction. also realize that when getting experiences here or anywhere the first few years (<5) really are the honeymoon, you need to know beyond 5 to get a good grasp of reality. it is a difficult road we travel, and always will be.....good luck to all and peace and success with the choice that has been made...:svengo:

Mila