Dear all,

First of all, I'm not into any anti-lapband or anything. In fact I was a 250kg fat guy and was actually going for gastric bypass earlier in this March. I was to big and risky for the operation so they put me on very tight diet and managed to drop down to 173kg after 5 weeks. Days before operation day, there was a change in plan when my doc offer me BIB - Bio Centric Intragastric Balloon, for FREE, being their workshop supermodel.

This was suppose to help me down another 20kg before I can safely proceed with lap band ops at 150kg.

Like others, I was told / read , lap band is 99% risk free. Somehow we can never ignore the 1% fatality rate......

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/3/asia/15032858&sec=asia

<!-- end Breadcrumb--> Thursday August 3, 2006

Weight-loss surgery proves fatal for driver ROSS Tay, 31, and Jade Ma Yu-yu, 23, were just beginning to enjoy life as husband and wife when their marital bliss was tragically cut short. On Monday, the portly tourist bus driver died as a result of complications following gastric lap-band surgery meant to help him lose weight. The procedure involves wrapping an adjustable silicon gastric band around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch. This restricts the size of the stomach, so the patient gets the feeling of fullness quickly. The pouch also empties slowly because of the constriction, so it takes longer for the patient to feel hungry again.

With doctors supervising the patient’s diet and careful exercise, weight loss is supposed to follow.

Tay, who tipped the scales at 176kg at his heaviest and was 160kg at his slimmest, is believed to be the first here to die as a result of such an operation. Ma, a Chinese national, told reporters at her husband’s wake on Monday night that it was his second go at the procedure. The first attempt was in March, before their two-day wedding in Singapore, but it was unsuccessful. He tried again last month but it proved fatal for him.

Tay first decided to try the procedure after he learnt from news reports that the number of people going for the surgery had gone up eight times between 2004 and last year. He thought then that he had the answer to his weight problem. Ma said: “He read in several newspapers that the surgery was one of the safest. He wanted to lose weight and be healthy.”

When the surgery was first done at Alexandra Hospital, he had to have the band removed after five days because the doctor said it had slipped. Tay checked in for his second surgery on July 13.

The operation was to have been done through a “keyhole” – a small incision – but the surgeon had to make a 20cm cut on his belly when he could not locate the top of the stomach. Tay’s condition took a turn for the worse on Friday. He suffered excessive bleeding and his spleen had to be removed.

Then his kidneys failed and he had to be put on dialysis, said Ma. Tay lapsed into a coma and died on Monday from complications, including blood poisoning. Police have classified the case as unnatural death. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Not trying to be rude, but I can't get over the fact that meyour keeps posting things that don't make sense and then getting angry at us when we point out the mistakes or misunderstanding. It sounds to me like someone is not understanding their doctor. But again, I'm probably gonna be yelled at for saying it, but I think someone is making up stories to make us think that lapband isn't a good surgery.

or maybe someone is jealous.

Or it could be one of those kinds of people who like starting arguments because it makes them happy.

Kittylover and leona i think your both right.

Meyour is apperently a non-native English speaker, so please take this into account. And as for his remark about his chicken and apple remark, that was obviously a JOKE. Maybe apperently not a very funny joke, but a joke all the same.

Tonsils coming out don't cure sleep apnea for everyone, it works only in some cases.

Poeple with severe edema can infact have so much Water that their skin splits open in weak spots. They can indeed lose 80 pounds in 5 weeks of water, if they have it that bad. I've had edema in my feet and hands (whole body really) that my toes were losing curculation and my skin graft on my leg was starting to lose integrity and was starting to split and weep.

I spent a week on a CPAP machine 24/7 after I have a collapsed lung. They didn't want to intibate me so they used a CPAP.

Kittylover and leona i think your both right.

I Ditto that!!!

He is from Malaysia....they must tell it like they see it there. (with no regard) And apparently their sleep apnea machines are nothing like ours?? I don't know anything about Malaysia.. so this is strickly an observation.

It would seem that you have a little more than sleep apnea going on...the symptoms you list are not symptoms of sleep apnea....sleep apnea symptoms occur at night while you are sleeping (or lack of sleeping) It sounds like you don't get enough air during the day due to your weight...sweating, panting, blueish finger nails, coughing, weezing aren't symptoms of sleep apnea..apnea is the stopping of breathing. You don't have your own machine...that stinks.....don't you have health insurance ?? I would def get one, sleep apnea also strains your heart....can lead to heart failure...not good.

I guess you are right, I have more than sleep apnea contributing to my low oxygen saturation level in my arteries. During my stay in hospital, they did all possible test including heart screening, kidney, lung and etc. I had my blood taken twice a day. Everything seem to be normal, however my lung "inhale" capacity lesser than normal coz my stomach pushing my diaframe. Both factor sleep apnea and big fat stomach seem the be the cause on low o2 level.

Sorry, "sweating, panting, blueish finger nails, coughing, weezing", actually symptom of low o2 content in blood.

Snoring, tired, sleepy are apnaa symptom.

Insurance scheme here does stink, obesity not big issue here.

I guess you are right, I have more than sleep apnea contributing to my low oxygen saturation level in my arteries. During my stay in hospital, they did all possible test including heart screening, kidney, lung and etc. I had my blood taken twice a day. Everything seem to be normal, however my lung "inhale" capacity lesser than normal coz my stomach pushing my diaframe. Both factor sleep apnea and big fat stomach seem the be the cause on low o2 level.

Sorry, "sweating, panting, blueish finger nails, coughing, weezing", actually symptom of low o2 content in blood.

Snoring, tired, sleepy are apnaa symptom.

Insurance scheme here does stink, obesity not big issue here.

Yeah I think weight issues are only an issue here in the U.S. When I went to Italy last July, there were no extra large clothes in the stores....i guess the "fat Italians" that are portrayed on TV are just "Fat Italian Americans"..even the English and French were thin!! I myself lost 17 lbs in the 2 weeks I was there!!! Go figure!

Hope you feel better soon!

Meyour is apperently a non-native English speaker, so please take this into account.

TRUE, I may sound rude without realising it, but sometimes I do mean it.

Poeple with severe edema can infact have so much Water that their skin splits open in weak spots. They can indeed lose 80 pounds in 5 weeks of water, if they have it that bad. I've had edema in my feet and hands (whole body really) that my toes were losing curculation and my skin graft on my leg was starting to lose integrity and was starting to split and weep.

This was what I'm trying to say, I lost 80kg (not pounds) in 5 weeks of water cos i had bad edema/water retention. Imagine going to loo every 15-30 minutes for weeks.

After losing 80kgs, physically I still look not much different even it was 1/4 of my original weight, compare to when I was first admitted at 250 kg.

However, my body/skin/meat?? became very much softer, my stomach still big but not stretching like a balloon as before. All dark spot (back of neck, chess) on my skin are gone.

Not trying to be rude, but I can't get over the fact that meyour keeps posting things that don't make sense and then getting angry at us when we point out the mistakes or misunderstanding. It sounds to me like someone is not understanding their doctor. But again, I'm probably gonna be yelled at for saying it, but I think someone is making up stories to make us think that lapband isn't a good surgery.

or maybe someone is jealous.

First of all, you are not rude. I don't blame you. After reading other posting I notice 2 things. First, English is my second language, my english is direct, I don't know much about word with double meaning, and maybe I'm poor at chosing the right words.

Secondly, I notice most of forumner here are obes, but not many of you here falls into Morbid Obesity like me, worst case of obesity. Morbid obesity cause other body organ to malfunction and they gave different treatment to people like me. That is why I dont walk in - get banded - and go home days later.

Posting news about the death of a guy after lapband surgery does not mean anti-lapband. Do google search "lapband surgery death singapore", you should verify the news is true.

I don't know posting suchnew is ILLEGAL here coz LAPBANDTALK.COM suppose to be talking about lapband??

I'm not anti-lapband, I'm thinking of getting one done myself early next year after removing BIB balloon from my stomach.

meyor it seems more resonable that you had congestive heart failure with pulmonary edema than sleep apena and Fluid retention. Once again the CPAP machine does not pump O2 it pumps normal air. If you had O2 you were not on the CPAP machine.

The screen both heart and lung and they seem ok.

I was using CPAP while in hospital. Obviously theirs are hugh and very expensive machine, it even had a 14" monitor.

You can set it to be a BPAP machine also.

Personal CPAP does pump normal air, but hospital CPAP getting air supply from "wall" pipe. They have separate smaller tube supplying controllable O2 to you.

Why not getting air from room? Being in hospital, you may get infected with all kind of germs and viruses from other patients. That is why babies are not allowed in hospital ward.

CPAP machines will take an extra fitting so they can add extra O2 to your supply. My machine also has the option where they can give me my breathing treatments in my sleep, so they ddidn' have to wake me up every few hours to keep me breathing.

I am a bit out of date here aint i lol

A lady has died in the UK as a direct result of the Lapband, food got stuck and if i remember correctly problems beveloped with the stomach and she died. I'll have look around see if i can find the story for ya.

It would have been so easy to save her life if a surgeon had gone in and just snipped the band lose. i remeber it said she was in hospital 3 days and no one actually ever attemted to contact the surgeon who fitted the band. he was quoted to have said that had they contacted him he could have talked any surgeon threw unfilling the band or even just snipping the band.

Ill have a look for the news report.

now i'm young, and i still go to partys and all. i cant seem to find information of drinking alcohol? i was wondering if you or anyone has any information on this. and the consumption.

thanks for your time.

The first article talks about a 20 cm incision and dying from complications. That just sounds wrong. I am told four small incisions are used. As for the rest of it, he did not die because of the Lap Band, he died from surgical complications, blood poisoning and other risk factors that can happen with any surgery.

I'm sure you all who are banded at the moment have been told to chew your food thoroughly.

I wonder how many people have died as a result of obesity? Just curious since the question relates to the Lap-Band.

My first thought when reading the original posting (not all the junk between) was that the deceased had more problems than his obesity. Could he have had malformations in his digestive tract, that caused some of his weight problems? Since they claimed to have been unable to find the top of the stomach, and had already had a failed attempt at lapband, it sounded to me, like he was not "normal" internally. It is not uncommon for people to be different inside. My Grandma sent many Dr.'s into a tailspin when looking at her scans---her heart was on the "wrong" side!!! But it worked for her for 80 years. Maybe he had always had the problem, and yes the attempted banding may have caused additional problems, but not knowing what his pre-op care prior to the original banding, or what his post op care following it was---who is to say what really killed the man?

Kat

It would have taken far more than an "open" surgery to kill this poor man.

Did the guy have some sort of bleeding disorder? Or was he on blood thinners? The excessive bleeding seems to be what killed him. Why did he lose so much more blood than the average person. Doesn't seem like a lap band related death to me either.