How do feel about the lapband now that you have had yours removed?

[time-4-change 1]

Wow guys! I can't believe there are so many of us out there. I am banded and am looking into the Sleeve. All these posts are really helping...well, actually confusing me. I was on the OH site today and was pretty well raked over the coals for not being a Lap Bsnd success. They had me feeling that if I couldnt do it with my Bsnd, then I was doomed to failure with a sleeve. I would appreciate any and all of your thoughts! Barb

Ps. Please be honest! I can take it!!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Wow guys! I can't believe there are so many of us out there. I am banded and am looking into the Sleeve. All these posts are really helping...well, actually confusing me. I was on the OH site today and was pretty well raked over the coals for not being a Lap Bsnd success. They had me feeling that if I couldnt do it with my Bsnd, then I was doomed to failure with a sleeve. I would appreciate any and all of your thoughts! Barb

Ps. Please be honest! I can take it!!!

Hi Barb!!

Well first of all those folks opinions really don't matter at all. There are a few people out there who have found success with the band. More power to them. That doesn't mean that everyone else will. I think there are way more of us than there is of them.

My suggestion is, maybe just don't post anything in areas on OH that will get a negative response. I'm under the belief that they will need support one day for issues, and I should hope they'll look back at how they treated yourself and I'm sure others that really needed support.

Hugs. You will get plenty here for sure.

[M2G 1,836]

Hi Barb!!

Well first of all those folks opinions really don't matter at all. There are a few people out there who have found success with the band. More power to them. That doesn't mean that everyone else will. I think there are way more of us than there is of them.

My suggestion is, maybe just don't post anything in areas on OH that will get a negative response. I'm under the belief that they will need support one day for issues, and I should hope they'll look back at how they treated yourself and I'm sure others that really needed support.

Hugs. You will get plenty here for sure.

I didn't have a band (thanks to everyone who was honest about what living life with a band is like!) but just wanted to say, Irene, that was really beautifully put! :heart:

[lml32937 65]

I have.had the Lapband in 4/2009 and am having it removed for non-band related issues. When I was banded- VSG was not only new but there were not a lot of statistics like now. Because I didn't have problems "with the band" per say- I don't honestly feel it is fair for me to "dis" the band- For me it served it's purpose- I knew there was a chance it wouldnt work, I knew I had to use it as a tool and not totally rely on 100% restriction, I knew with my auto immune problems there could be complications etc.. Yet I decided on it instead of the alternatives. Again- It served it's purpose- NOW however that I am getting it removed and changed over to a sleeve for health issues (still un related to the actual band) if someone were to ask me about the band I would have to be honest about my experience and include my new philosophy and thoughts and they are as follows:

If you have over 100lbs to loose do NOT get the band- The new research shows that the band is only effective for 1-4 years and the weight comes off very slowly. I would advise them about all the other issues people have had re slippage, vomiting, etc AND I would encourage them to be as throrough as possible to research all possibilities including VSG, RNY etc. Not everything is cookie cutter for everyone- and Not everyone has the luxury of insurance covering certain procedures. HOWEVER DO NOT LET COST make up your mind (ex- I got lap band because it was cheaper etc) in the long run Lap Band is VERY expensive when you calculate the fills, potential problems, fluroscopies to find the port hole etc...

These boards and forums are amazing tools for information and can pursuade anyone either way- As excited as I am about my VSG_ I have seen just as many problems from people on here that had leakeage, pain etc that are miserable- So there really is no global happy median- we are all different.

And then to boot- when you HAVE lost the weight and you are at your goal 1-2 years out you have to configure into the equation plastic surgery for the skin issues and THAT my friends is a WHOLE NOTHER BALL OF WAX :huh:

[trizzy35 50]

I had the band done in Mexico, obviously self-pay, and returned home loving my band! I PB'd one time, and NEVER again after that--eewww--but after about a year I started feeling REALLY restricted and started throwing up. A few months go by, had to get total un-fill, worked for awhile, and then it SLIPPED!!! I had lost 100 pounds before it slipped, then lost 30 more while I was trying to figure out why I could only eat Pringles and sip milk (besides having the WORST acid reflux of my life and sleeping sitting up in bed for a month), yes, I am not only a slow learner, I am a denier as well! I had it taken out 2 years ago, and then gained ALL my weight back plus 15 more. I just had the sleeve done exactly 1 week ago today, and while I think everything is going well, I will find out for sure in the following months. The band worked for me until it slipped, and I think I was more pissed off that I basically threw away $9,000 for nothing!!!

[Tippy2us 11]

I hated my band!

Where the port was always hurt me....now I feel fantastic!!

[donniej 35]

I cant say that I hated the band in the beginning. I actually loved the band and the hope that it gave me to lose weight! Unfortunately the band(s) hated me. Yes I said bands Surgery (1) First band installed in December of 2003.... after several fills with no restiction my Dr. decided I had a leak, Dr. (assumed) it was the port leaking ,so the port was replaced near the end of 2004...surgery (2) a couple days later the port became infected ,port had to be removed for the infection to go away. Surgery (3) after a few weeks of healing from the infection the port was installed in a new location Surgery (4) after several more fills and no restriction my Dr decided it wasnt the port leaking and that it must of been the band itself, so in late 2005 or 06 (hell I forget)....lol the whole band, port, tubing, everything was replaced ..surgery (5) New band worked great for a couple years, I lost weight slowly and steadily to the tune of about 85-90 pounds, then the weight stopped coming off and I could eat way too much and the fills didnt seem to give me any restriction again. Yep, if your thinking another leak ,you are correct, atleast thats what the Dr. thought so he again(assumed) it was the port, so the port was replaced ....surgery (6) after surgery 6 and still no restriction or weightloss I decided the band wasnt for me....trust me I gave it alot of chances Found out about this sleeve surgery and started researching experienced Dr,s and decided a revision with Dr. Aceves was in order. Went to Mexico on 6/17 for surgery on the 18th .During the pre-op testing it was discovered that 90% of the band had eroded into my stomach and the sleeve could not be done at the same time. Band was removed on the 18th ...surgery (7) Presently waiting on the stomach to heal and planning to be sleeved at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012 . Happy to be free from the band and all the lies,hidden costs and complications associated with it. So after giving a condensed version of my band history and saying that I hated the band and Dr. would be the understatement of the century.

[Charity 0]

Now that I have my band out. I feel so great. I had started having probelms swallowing a few weeks ago because my band was pulling on my esophogus and now that is 100% gone. I just get so frustrated when I see all of these comercials about the band or I hear people saying they are getting lapband. I guess with the statistics I know at this point, it just seems so crazy that they are still being put into innocent people who have no clue of the pain they can cause or the long term damage. On the first day of my hospitalization, I even had a roommate who had a lapband. She must have freaked when she heard my doctor explaining all they had to do to get the broken pieces of my band out of me. I now have two extra scars because they had to search for all of the broken tubing. I was just curious how other revisioners felt. I guess it is time for me to just move on and enjoy my sleeve. Everyone has to make up their own mind about what type of weight loss surgery they will have. I just wish I had known about the sleeve and had it instead of the band, that's for sure!

Hello all! My name is Charity. I was banded on 4/16/09. I had an emergency removal due to severe slippage on 10/1/10. I had trouble the entire course, and only lost about 40 lbs, despite following my diet. I was constantly having it filled and emptied, and no one could figure out why until it slipped so badly that I couldn't drink Water and i was rushed to surgery. It came out in over 10 pieces. The most frustrating part? I had paid out of pocket for it, and still have 20 months left to pay on it.

I am now seriously considering going to Mexico to have the VSG. I have been unsuccessful at attempts to lose weight on my own, even with Phentermine and an endocrinologist following me closely. The endo recommended the VSG, and even said that because my insurance will not cover me (as I had a failed bariatric surgery in the past), I should look into Mexico for the great reputation and the low price compared to the US.

I am a school nurse, so I'm hoping over Thanksgiving or Christmas break. Cross your fingers, and it's so good to meet you all!

[Pegsinthewoods 8]

I was banded Aug. 4, 2008. I lost 48+ pounds my first year. I had instant restriction. The next year, nothing. I still had restriction but wasn't losing any weight and then I started feeling sick. April 9, 2011 my band was removed due to erosion. I was very sick with peritonitus and hospitalized w/pick line, etc for a week and a half. Every night I had a nightmare I was going through an obstacle course and that if I didn’t make it, I’d die. Anyways, I am presently w/o and trying to get a sleeve. I long for my band only because I had forgotten how out of control I feel w/o it. I constantly feel hungry and want to eat. I’m back to hating my lack of control.

Yes, I had a very BAD experience with my band but right now I wish I still had it. I hope I can get a sleeve. I've started the six month required diet and I am having the required shrink appointment in two weeks. Hopefully shortly after the first of the year, I will be joining you all as band to sleeve resisionite.

[Charity 0]

I had the LapBand placed on 4/15/08 and had it emergently removed on 10/1/11. I had trouble the entire time I had my LapBand. I threw up the entire time I had it. It was constantly fill and unfill fill and unfill. In the long run, I had such a bad slip (80% prolapse of my stomach through the band) that the surgeon had to remove it in pieces. It was MISERABLE. Since then, I have had nothing, and am so excited to be sleeved on 12/20 in Mexico with Dr. Almanza. I miss my WLS, but if I could do it again, I'd had done the sleeve in Mexico the first time, rather than paying $17K for a surgery out of pocket that was a joke to begin with...which I still have almost 2 years to pay left on.

[kekerene 35]

I had the band for 4 years and lost only 60 lbs when my goal was to lose at least 100 lbs. I managed to keep it off for 4 years only because I threw up every single meal. They lie by saying you are full after a couple bites, chew, chew chew. I did that and still threw up. I lived on milkshakes and Soup for 4 years since that was the only thing that stayed down. We tried to deflate it then I would gain. Then the reflux, port pain, then found out it slipped. My revision could not come quick enough. Most people in the first couple years do not experience a ton of issues but they are not looking at long term. Most people deal with throwing up because to an overweight person it's better to throw up than to be fat. That's what I thought anyway. Until I had the revision and I realize now how unhealthy I was when I had the band and how tired and sluggish I was. Now with the sleeve I feel alive, energetic, I can make healthy choices, I am finally full after a few bites, I can go to dinner with the family and not have to run to the bathroom to throw up after every bite. I have never thrown up with the sleeve and I feel 100,000 times better than I did with the band. I waisted $17,000 on the band and I so wish at the time I got the band that the sleeve was an option. At least it is in my past and I can finally live a healthy life.

[sunshine6855 1]

I hate the band. I lost very little weight. I threw up continuously anytime I ate anything remotely healthly. The unhealthy foods slide down easy. I could never eat chicken. I ended up with esophogeal erosions. I love my sleeve. I am a slow looser but I have lost consistently with the sleeve. I had my revision on Mar 21 and have lost 45 lbs. Some would complain but I am not complaining. I feel healthier and happier. They don't want me at support group meetings either. I am a very vocal anti-band person. I love the analogy to the ex. smokers. It is so true.

Cathy

[Catracks 865]

Thank goodness for this thread. I was considering Lapband because I didn't know Gastric Sleeve existed. After I went to the orientation, it became apparent that the sleeve sounded better (no getting stuck, fills, not being able to eat certain healthy foods, etc.) Now I know that I have made the right decision. I love fibrous and raw/undercooked vegetables. I also like fibrous fruits and Pasta - something i read that most could not tolerate on the band. I would have had to say a permanent goodbye to popcorn and eat all my meat mushed or sauced to death.

I know I may still have issues with some things, but I also know that I have a permanent tool with no foreign objects in my abdomen.

REALLY, THANKS!!!

[emily_0192010 168]

I have never had the band and I am being sleeved in September but I just wanted to say that I am always astounded when I hear about the band that i never hear about the side effects. The surgeon I am using and his partner and both ridiculously pro-band. My surgeon has been doing them since they came out and the other almost as long. During the seminar nothing negative was mentioned at all. Before finding this site I had chosen the sleeve over the band purely because I was seriously uncomfortable having a foreign object in my body. Plus, with no real long term statistics to back the band I was skeptical. I did research on gastrectomy's and people who have them for reasons other than weight loss. The sleeve many be new but gastrecomy's certainly are NOT! There was a ton of information and that helped settle my nerves!

I think that the medical world needs to put more information out there! Obviously not everybody has issues with the band, but enough do that it shouldn't be hidden as much as it is!

[Mariposa Bella 3]

Very mixed feelings about my band. Sometimes I loved it other times I hated it. But it did help me lose 65 lbs and i loved it for that, loved how hott I looked, but hated that sometimes I pd'd on myself sitting in my car and countless times running to the bathroom to do the same. But it eroded and now I'm fat and hate myself. So I miss it but I'm ready to move forward with the sleeve.