I have been googling and in the library over the past few weeks. I like to be well informed when I make a decision. To make a long story short, I was on youtube this morning watching the procedure to place a lapband. That wasn't so bad. Me being extremely inquisitive, I decided to watch the videos where the band had corroded or occluded. I was mortified watching the process to remove the eroded band. Band failure is my biggest worry. I know there are some things that I can do to avoid this but what about the things I can't help?

Erosion is less than 1% of complications with the band. It's usually caused by stomach ulcers at the point of pressure from the band. And can be exacerbated if the patient eats too much too often. Filling the pouch with too much food consistently can cause dilation, erosion and slips. Sometimes it just happens that the patient's body is rejecting the band.

All WLS options have risks but most can be mitigated if patients follow doctor's orders and behave wisely. You have to realize that we're a patient population with eating problems and disorders. WLS does not always eliminate those crazy eating demons we all share.

The alternative is to not have surgery and go on more diets that fail. Of course, remaining obese has it's own long list of complications and health issues.

tmf

I have been googling and in the library over the past few weeks. I like to be well informed when I make a decision. To make a long story short, I was on youtube this morning watching the procedure to place a lapband. That wasn't so bad. Me being extremely inquisitive, I decided to watch the videos where the band had corroded or occluded. I was mortified watching the process to remove the eroded band. Band failure is my biggest worry. I know there are some things that I can do to avoid this but what about the things I can't help?

Nothing is 100% in life. I learned that when my son was having surgery at 2 1/2 , he is now 39. The doctor said you can die crossing the street. He needed surgery for being chicken breasted. I never looked at sites before the band. I went to monthly meetings and that was it. Just remember with the band you still have your insides. Good luck with your journey

Every single thing you do carries a "risk", but I'd rather be having a 1% chance of having a complication than a 100 % chance of getting sick / dying from an obesity related illness. Choose your risk.

I completely get what you all are saying about the risk factor. I guess it was just "in your face" at that moment when I was watching the video. I understand that most of the band failures have to do with non compliance. I also understand that erosion is less common than when the band was originally introduced. It was just in that moment I was mortified. It was really an attention grabbing moment. I would like to note, the Youtube video that I was watching did not explain the conditions surrounding this patient's band failure. I was just in awe of the damage it did and what the site look like compared to the patient who just occluded their band or even actually just slipped.

I've been in an operating room twice so again I get it...I guess the "uncontrollable factors" sometime make my mind wonder too.

what if nothing goes wrong and you lose weight and get healthy?

any surgery (including WLS (all types btw) have risks..

but so does walking across a busy street..

Edited July 9, 201412 yr by ☠carolinagirl☠

It is normal to have concern, most of us have that little worry that we could be the 1% or fail for whatever reason. You can find plenty of information on either side. It is just what is the other option that is better? For me, their wasn't one.

I was banded on June 20th and did a lot of searching like you and it made me feel better to know not only the good success but also the failures. It helps take away some of the fantasy of the band being this magical weight loss cure. Like many people have said it is a tool. The rest is up to us to make it successful.

Good luck to you on your decision.

Colleen

So the jitters have for the most part passed. I thought it through, and stopped watching procedures on YouTube. I've got the general jist by now. Thanks for the reassurance.

I've learned to stay off of the internet about anything medical! Will scare the daylights out of you. I took a leap of faith when I had my surgery. I have so many health conditions, I just keep telling myself this is a blessing. It truly is.

In our clinic's decade of experience we've seen maybe a total of 5 band erosions, and these were mostly patients who underwent surgery outside of the U.S. or in the early 2000s. In the beginning, erosions were more prevalent because of the surgical technique used to place the band and it has changed substantially since then. The device itself has also changed over the years. Some studies report higher percentages, but one has to remember that occurrence of band erosion is highly correlated with the surgeon's experience. In other words, check years of experience on your surgeon's bio and whether lap-band surgery is something he specializes in (ask how many lap-band surgeries he has done).

We haven't seen any erosions for quite some time now, and we know that other clinics in Chicago see them very rarely. Most lap-band complications requiring surgical intervention are issues with the port or band slippage, and even these happen very rarely (3% or less). Band slippage can be prevented in large majority of cases by keeping the band comfortably adjusted and not overeating.

Good luck!

Edited July 16, 201412 yr by DayOne Health

<p>I have been googling and in the library over the past few weeks. I like to be well informed when I make a decision. To make a long story short, I was on youtube this morning watching the procedure to place a lapband. That wasn't so bad. Me being extremely inquisitive, I decided to watch the videos where the band had corroded or occluded. I was mortified watching the process to remove the eroded band. Band failure is my biggest worry. I know there are some things that I can do to avoid this but what about the things I can't help?</p>

I had the band for 5 yrs and at first it worked then I began having severe acid reflux that caused a lot of issues so this year they took it out and I now have the sleeve. No more problems and loosing weight! I don't recommend the sleeve and in fact my surgeon no longer performs them.

Well it seems that i would rather have the Band than die sooner from all my obese related health issues. I am willing to take that small change that something would go wrong after. Eather way Lap Band seems like the best thing for me.

Interesting to know.

I totally understand what you're saying. Before I got my band, I did tons of research, looking for both the good and the bad. Each bad thing I found, I talked to my doctor about. He was very patient with me and really explained the procedure, why some of the bad things happen and the real chances of it happening. It's a good thing to be informed, just talk to your doctor about it instead of letting your imagination (and fears) get the worst of you.