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Disappearing lapbanders



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OVER THE YEARS there's evidence of way too many issues and complications and negative feedback on the band so many doctors won't even offer it anymore.

I'm going for the bypass because I want something that will be permanent and will change my life.

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7 hours ago, Mikeyy said:

OVER THE YEARS there's evidence of way too many issues and complications and negative feedback on the band so many doctors won't even offer it anymore.

I'm going for the bypass because I want something that will be permanent and will change my life.

With greatest respect, this thread is meant for people with LAP Bands. We have had too many instances of people coming here and criticizing the procedure. I wish you well on your journey, but we are the ones living with the band. We are here for support, not criticism.

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I just got the lapband done a week ago. My surgeon who is very well respected has discontinued sleeve operations because of newly released research showing weight gain over time. He truely believes in lapband, and so should we. It gets a bad rap because it places greater responsibility on patients to work with the surgical team in adjusting the band over time. If you look at those having issues.. common complaints are that they couldn't keep food down for months on end.. I mean okay, but why didn't they get the band adjusted? You can't blame lapband for that.

I am only one week post op, but I would take lapband over sleeve or bypass anyday of the week.

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On 7/23/2019 at 2:42 AM, Trouvette said:

I had a similar experience pre-surgery. I went to a support group and it was all people who have fallen off the wagon, so to speak. They just told horror stories. It shook me at first, but I realized that all of these people mentioned that they had been non-compliant, either by what they were eating or how much fill they were keeping in their bands. Most importantly, everyone's journey is different and what works for one may not work for another and vice versa. Don't let these people discourage you. Focus just how you are doing. If things feel off, bring your concerns to your doctor instead of a forum. A support group is great for tips and venting, but they become toxic when people who know nothing of your medical history start projecting their experiences onto you. Always keep that in mind.

Thank you so much for posting this. It is so discouraging hearing all these negative opinions about Lapband. I also noticed a common theme of non-compliance, and those who got the band and didn't even keep consulting with their medical team for fills/unfills. Still, it makes it hard to come to a forum like this for support, when all it does is place doubt in my mind. I am just glad my surgeon is seriously well respected and chooses to only do Lapbands as he thinks it is the better option of Sleeve/Bypass.

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I have had the band for 11 years. For the first 8 1/2 years I did great, with occasionally getting stuck once in a great while. I got down to goal and everything was fine. NEVER had a fill since I felt restriction from day one with no fills. Fast forward to today, I am an emotional eater and the last 3 years have been very turbulent for me and my husband who I am a care giver for. I ate my way to gaining a little over 30 pounds and get stuck on a daily basis. I feel like something has slipped and I have been trying to get approval to get the band out since only sliders go down easy and I really need my strength to take care of my husband. I would not discourage anybody from getting the band but I do not know anybody that has had the band for the rest of their life like I was led to believe this would be. I wish I could keep this and get back on track but the uncomfortable feeling in my chest has got to go. You are right everybody is different and maybe I am not the best person to ask about this but I really did have a wonderful 8 1/2 years of being thin again, even though it was not permanent. I believe my sister got the skinny genes and I got the fat ones since this has been my cross to bear since I was a child. Good luck to all of you since every story has a different ending.

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My cross to bear.... yes

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10 hours ago, Dan89 said:

I just got the lapband done a week ago. My surgeon who is very well respected has discontinued sleeve operations because of newly released research showing weight gain over time. He truely believes in lapband, and so should we. It gets a bad rap because it places greater responsibility on patients to work with the surgical team in adjusting the band over time. If you look at those having issues.. common complaints are that they couldn't keep food down for months on end.. I mean okay, but why didn't they get the band adjusted? You can't blame lapband for that.

I am only one week post op, but I would take lapband over sleeve or bypass anyday of the week.

My surgeon said the same thing about the sleeve. The majority of his procedures are bands. Apparently the real problems are with the older bands, which are smaller. Regarding your other comment about compliance, you are spot on. I also find that the people who struggle the most with the band are the ones who do not live close to their surgeon, so can't get their adjustments. They make it very clear up front that the band is the most burdensome of the procedures in terms of the maintenance. Since I live in New York City, my surgeon is a subway ride away, so going to appointments has never been a problem. If you have to drive an hour each way to see your doctor, you probably won't be as successful with the band. The point will come when the time commitment is a huge inconvenience. That's an example of when I would say the sleeve is the better option.

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Finally after almost 12 year the scale finally showed 170 which was my long term goal weight.

Chavez goal.jpg

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1 hour ago, jfc193 said:

Congratulations!!!!!

Finally after almost 12 year the scale finally showed 170 which was my long term goal weight.

Chavez goal.jpg

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I have had my band for 11 years.... for the first year, I was toooooo tight - throwing up all the time - lost all my weight, but had the band replaced after a year because it slipped. Ten years later, I have kept all my weight off, but there is a leak in the tubing somewhere so the saline doesn't stay in the band. I can get a fill, feel a bit of restriction, and then it fades. The scar tissue and band itself provide some restriction - enough to keep my weight stable. I am at 143 lbs - about 10 pounds higher than where I used to be a few years ago - but better than being 265. I believe that each weight loss surgery serves a purpose - one isn't necessarily "better" than the other because each person is different: some of us are volume eaters with no off-switch, others are emotional eaters, some of us have certain health concerns that would make duodenal switch or bypass a better choice than the sleeve.... It doesn't matter which surgery that you and your surgeon decide to go with, it is a difficult life-changing decision. Feel confident in your decision and stick to the guidance that your advisor gives you.

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Congrats to jfc!!! Compliance means We the Individual must do our own share of the work. Glad to see some are more disciplined that I sometimes manage

Same Band since 2004, last fill adjustment nearly 10 years ago.

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I wanted to share this with my fellow bandsters. As of this morning, I have broken through the 200lbs threshold! The last time I was at this weight, I had just started college 15 years ago.

image-0.00107288360595703.jpg

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2 hours ago, Torriluv02 said:

Im not a bander but what is that tracker app? Curious

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

It's the Fitbit app. It connects right to my Fitbit scale.

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23 hours ago, Trouvette said:

I wanted to share this with my fellow bandsters. As of this morning, I have broken through the 200lbs threshold! The last time I was at this weight, I had just started college 15 years ago.

image-0.00107288360595703.jpg

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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