Dealing with bansters when you change.

[HunnyBunny 5]

ouch.. this morning i went on chat because i like to talk. well there is never anyone one the vertical sleeve room so i went to the band that was a mistake they asked me my story and i told them my band slipped and yada yada that i wanted the sleeve and they were really protective of the band wich i respect but i in no way was trying to hate on the band...... serioulsy. i pulled up a website for referance because they were calling the slip realy rare... well thats not fair and i didnt know that when mine slipped but now i know that its more common then not... i feel embarrassed to be attacted in that way and i am sad that it just cant be support. they kicked me off because i was a "hater". oh well i just didnt want this to happen to someone because they werent looking at all of their options.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

They kicked you off? How did they do that?

In reality no one ever wants to believe they might be facing another surgery one day and that they might have made a mistake. Not saying that it's for sure but the revision rate for the band is exceptionally high.

Don't worry about them, you will find a lot us revisioned band to sleevers here. I'm one and I wasn't even a slip. Mine never worked, and I won't let anyone tell me it was me and not the band. I worked so hard with it and I never got anything out of it.

If that were the case I'd never have been as successful with my sleeve. I did in 10 months with my sleeve what I couldn't do half of with my band in almost 3 years.

[HunnyBunny 5]

yeah i just wanted to chat you know. and they asked what happend to me so i told them and then i shared a website that talks about all the complication and the rates with the ten year study... it was crazy they ripped me up and it actually hurt my feelings lol.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Oh no... don't allow that to hurt your feelings. They are just nameless faceless people on the internet. Just hold your head up and realize that in one year you are going to likely be at or near goal and feeling fantastic!!!

Big Hugs!!!!

[HunnyBunny 5]

thanks i just didnt really know how to handle that the stats arent wrong.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I have a brochure from BioEnterics, from 2001 when I was banded, that clearly states that the band is a temporary device and will most likely need to be removed. I have no idea why i didn't remember that from when I was deciding on the surgery... but it is obvious to me that this has been known for a very long time. The vast majority of people will eventually have to have it removed, whether due to slip, lack of weight loss, esophagus problems etc etc. Back when i frequented the old Yahoo Bandster group, anybody who spoke out about the issues with the band was also not welcome. although, at that time the term always used was "non compliant" like every side effect was the patient's fault.

I sometimes fear the sleevers have nearly that same rabid enthusiasm...and that the issues that do come up tend to be minimized. I hope that the long term stats continue to support that, and that sleevers are right - that this is a relatively low risk procedure with good results and low percentage. of serious complications.

[longer-life 139]

I have Cowgirls same fear. . My surgery is on Nov. 16th and I have no doubt this surgery is a risk I have to take, but I also fear a possible rabid enthusiasm here. I also fear my brain. For the last few months, I have tried real hard to focus on the bad and the good of VSG, and not be selective of what I want to hear. I hope I have done a good job of it and it all turns ok for most of us.

Perhaps one of us should write a thread about this.

[favoredone 590]

I haven't really seen the level of rude and insulting remarks from sleevers here... There are a few people, very few, who may come across a bit judgmental and preachy, but they don't post that much.. For the most part, I've had public and private conversations about struggles, challenges and issues w/ VSG without feeling like people were trying to blame, shun or discredit me or anyone else who was having an issue.

I guess for me, I've made my decision... it's a well-researched and informed one.. NO ONE, especially someone I don't know personally, can make me feel bad about that or make me question my decision..

Every thing, and I mean every thing has it's pros and cons... VSG is no different.. we just have to have faith that we won't be a part of that small percentage w/ complications and if we are, that we recover and have a better quality of life that doesn't include obesity and the illnesses that come w/ it...

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I agree that people seem quite civil. I guess what I was really talking about was the "hearing alot of good news, are we hearing all the bad news too?" question. I am admittedly very very skeptical after my 10 year experience with the lapband.

In all honesty, I think the biggest long term thing with the sleeve is we still dont really know what the regain rate is 5+ years out. That won't stop me though because I need to do SOMETHING and I don't want a gastric bypass. I am scared about a few stories of people needing to convert to gastric bypass due to untreatable reflux, unfixable leak or other issues....but that seems quite rare. My surgeon's office does around 30 sleeves a month, and has been doing them for 3 years. They have converted just a few to bypass - and they were all due to inadquate weight loss, not a medical emergency.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

There are more people in the chat room here in the evenings. If you want to chat with another sleever, put up a post somewhere. I usually put it in the general sleeve discussion, and say, "does anyone want to talk?" You can leave the chat window open and open another window. You will hear the door bell ring when someone else opens the chat window.

I used to chat a lot in the band chat room, when I was banded. I told everyone of all the problems I was having. I still get people who are banded and will come into the sleeve chat room and say something about mutilating my stomach. I say it's better than choking in my sleep and waking up puking in my sleep.< /p>

[favoredone 590]

Cowgirl, I understand.... I hope that both of us have the "it's all good".. process w/ the sleeve and that in 10 years... we're still successful!!!

[Becca 108]

I was attacked on the Band Forum too when I started asking for help after my band was failing and broken apart. I was mad, but so glad my doctor told me about the sleeve. I have not met anyone like that here. The sleeve community is very supportive. I know for a fact that my band failied ME and not the other way around. I have had nothing but success with the sleeve. The band was a big, painful mistake and I am so happy to have it out! I do try to tell people my story if they are deciding on a WLS. I really think that eventually, the statistics on the band will speak for themselves. Especially with all of the revisions being done!

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

When I was doing my year of research before my WLS, I knew I didn't want bypass. My insurance (at the time) didn't accept the sleeve, so I reluctantly was going to go with the band - even though I knew of the problems associated with it. Even though the sleeve has not been a stand-alone weight loss procedure for >5 years, doctors have been doing gastrecomies for a long time - as a solution for people with severe "stomach" problems. I remember my band director having one when I was in high school (I am 55 now). He lived a long, healthy and thin life - as have many other similar patients. So I don't think there are going to be major negative discoveries about long term health effects of VSG (my opinion). Everyone has to do their own risk/reward analysis - and when my insurance accepted the sleeve, I changed from a potetial band person to a potential sleeve person. Had my surgery on 2/22 and don't regret it for a minute.

Sorry to hear you ran into some rude folks on-line. The anonymity of the 'net seems to promote people to sink to a level of behavior they would never have face-to-face. My experiences here (although I don't normally chat) have been very supportive.

Good luck to you in your weight loss journey.

[NJMOMof2 17]

It's great to be enthusiastic about the band, if it's working for you. That piece of junk was in me for only 3 months before I had a slip. It was HORRIBLE!!!!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I wish they would just take that band off the market. It's sad that people are still getting it and are all excited when the majority will end up having problems down the road.

Too many people are still having 2 surgeries because they get the band and get revised to a sleeve.