I just wanted to update people on my status. I had a band placed in 2009, and it had slipped a few years back. I went to a consulting surgeon, and he suggested that he didn't think it had slipped. It turns out it had. It had slipped below my stomach and was causing my liver to become inflamed and creating medically significant amounts of scar tissue (2 hours to remove the tissue to get the band to remove it). At the same time that I became symptomatic here in October of 2013, I came back to this site for support and ideas about how it could be remedied. I learned that having it removed where I live would cost 12,000. (I paid under 10,000 to have it put in). If I were willing to be treated poorly, I could use the clinic that took over when my original surgeon retired. I could have it removed for 4,500.00 there. I also learned that the FDA recently reported that the number of complications is not what Allergan has reported. The FDA suggests that, based on their research, close to 50% of Lap Bands result in complications. I just wish I'd had that information before I began. 50%. I never would have signed up for surgery that was about as successful as flipping a coin. I'm telling you in case you're about to do this. I sincerely wish I had not. Before it was through, I wasted 16,000.00 (not including the revision to a new WLS). I know some of you have good experiences with the band, and I hope that you continue to do so. I'm not interested in challenging your experience, and I'm only interested in sharing what happened to me in case there are folks who have been mislead to think that this is safer than it is. I hope you find this information helpful. Amy

Edited January 25, 201412 yr by maestrita

Three: Would I recommend bariatric surgery (as a whole, not related to a particular procedure) to an obese person today? I'm just not sure. I guess I would if the person's co-morbidities were so severe that some kind of WLS could be life-saving.

You mean that a "healthy" obese perso can solve their weight problems in other ways than having WLS ?

I decided I woud have WLS when a cardiologist said to me " In the USA, where they are much ahead, they have realized that very few obese people succeed in losing weight and, among these very few, few succed in maintaining their weiight loss, unless they get help fron some kind of WLS."

Thanks for your posts. They made me think and consider things from a different point of view

You mean that a "healthy" obese perso can solve their weight problems in other ways than having WLS ?

I decided I woud have WLS when a cardiologist said to me " In the USA, where they are much ahead, they have realized that very few obese people succeed in losing weight and, among these very few, few succed in maintaining their weiight loss, unless they get help fron some kind of WLS."

Thanks for your posts. They made me think and consider things from a different point of view

No, I don't mean that a "healthy" obese person can solve their weight problem in other ways than having WLS. As you point out, it's been well-proven that even healthy obese people have the potential for future health problems, some of them serious.

In my opinion, at this time there is no single safe and effective way to solve a weight problem for the life of the patient. Obesity is a chronic and incurable disease. It's complicated and its causes are both behavioral and physiological. Unfortunately, we're a long way away from a cure for it. WLS doesn't cure it, and neither does any kind of diet or other non-surgical scheme. WLS is still the most effective treatment for obesity, but that doesn't make it the best choice for every obese person.

Would you mind me asking? Did you revise because of problems with the band?

I don't mind at all. At about 4 years post-op, I began having reflux that didn't respond to any meds or other measures. An upper GI study showed that my esophagus was dilated, so my surgeon removed all the Fluid from my band and told me my band would have to go.

Esophageal dilation can be caused by poor eating behaviors (overeating, frequent PB's, etc.) and/or by esophageal dysfunction - that is, the esophagus isn't doing its job of moving food down into the stomach. The dysfunction is often caused by untreated reflux. After my band was removed and I had had a lot of tests, the various doctors I'd seen concurred that my esophagus had been damaged by decades of "silent" reflux whose only symptom was a chronic dry cough. When I consulted an ear-nose-throat specialist in the mid 1980's, he told me my problem was reflux and I didn't believe him (since of course I know far more than any graduate of any medical school), so my reflux was never treated. Apparently the pressure created by my band was aggravating this.

My choice of the sleeve for my revision was pretty foolish (a choice made in panic and haste) because reflux is very common in sleeve patients, even in those who never had reflux pre-op. Fortunately, omeprazole is managing that for me now.

Wow! Funny that you mention those symptoms, a friend of mine exhibited the exact same symptoms and had a very similar experience with the band, he revised to GBP, but didn't concur with my decision to go with the band. I suspected it might not have been a band problem, but that was only a hunch. Good luck with your decision and hopefully the doctors will be able to manage your symptoms and you will enjoy a higher quality of life.