BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I don't know why these threads make me giggle like a 6 year old calling someone poopyhead but damn, I can't resist!

Just a Drop discount info

There is a little history here. DS is a WLS type, it is kinda like extreme malabsorption and it makes your poop and farts so bad people could faint. I mean it's HORRIBLE! This is something DSers battle all the time. It's so bad if they fart the stench clings to their clothing. Others complain openly in public restrooms. I'm telling you, it's extreme. They are forever having to keep Fabreeze and specialized products with them 24/7. One bariatric surgeon was telling another person about a patient where he was removing her gallbladder. She farted while under anesthesia and they were gagging in the OR and since it was the middle of surgery, he couldn't leave the room. The gallbladder patient had DS.

He went on to say that if a DSer farted in an elevator, when the doors opened people wouldn't be rushing out of the elevator, they'd be dead.

There are WLS type wars on OH all the time. Bandsters tease DSers for stinking and they tease us for barfing. They are forever insisting they don't stink yet they keep companies like this in productive business! HA

This thread just cracked me up, I've been laughing since I read it. I just can't imagine my husband wanting me to buy EXTREME odor eaters for the bathroom and clothing. I can't fathom this conversation in my home!

It's not funny that DS patients stink so bad, it's not. But if you saw the horrific things they say about us, referring to our bands as laugh-bands, choke chains, if you saw how they degrade and insult banded people for being banded, maybe you would understand my childish laughter going on right now.

If DS patients eat carbs that is when it is apparently the worst. One piece of cake and they get instant gas and clear a building. Yeah, I'll take my choke chain any 'ol day over farts that are lethal and a stench following me each place I go.

Wasa,

let's also not forget that everyone is different and not everyone does well on the band from the beginning. They don't even get to the point you did where they have such traumatic complications. I admire your honesty and hope you don't get attacked like I have in the past. Basically trying to help those to be aware that it doesn't always work they way they make it appear it will! We need to stop blaming the patients! Take care, Nancy.

Wasa,

let's also not forget that everyone is different and not everyone does well on the band from the beginning. They don't even get to the point you did where they have such traumatic complications. I admire your honesty and hope you don't get attacked like I have in the past. Basically trying to help those to be aware that it doesn't always work they way they make it appear it will! We need to stop blaming the patients! Take care, Nancy.

I had problems starting from day #4. I made it work for as long as I could.

Well even though my daughter did really well with her RNY, lost over 140 lbs and is doing well health-wise I was too paranoid about getting a revision. I suppose I lost all faith in WLS for myself after my lap banding experience, I'm dealing with it now the best I can.

Well even though my daughter did really well with her RNY, lost over 140 lbs and is doing well health-wise I was too paranoid about getting a revision. I suppose I lost all faith in WLS for myself after my lap banding experience, I'm dealing with it now the best I can.

We are ALL afraid of revision. You do what is best for you and leave it at that.

That's the problem, I thought I knew what I was doing the first time and don't want to fail again!

I am not one of those people. I have had a limited amount of success and I am aware of the port nearly evey moment of every day. I worry about having this foreign body in me and worry that it might be causing damage in some way. I don't think those thoughts are very conducive to success.

BTW, you aren't going to be aware of the staples like you are with a band or port. The staples are itty bitty, it looks like a tiny little zipper. You can't feel them, you are not aware of them, they don't set off alarms at the airport, you just are not aware of them.

After I got to goal my port stuck out like a tumor and I had the low profile port. I can't imagine what the bigger port would have looked like, it was gross as it was.

Sleeves are just a whole different world. With bands all your food has to go through a tiny stoma, if you didn't chew well enough it gets stuck or comes right back up. No so with a sleeve. You just have a small stomach and get full faster.

I can eat about 2oz of solid protein or 4-6oz of soft protein. So I eat 4 times daily and maintain without effort at a 20BMI.

If you still want to lose weight, go for it.

BTW, you aren't going to be aware of the staples like you are with a band or port. The staples are itty bitty, it looks like a tiny little zipper. You can't feel them, you are not aware of them, they don't set off alarms at the airport, you just are not aware of them.

After I got to goal my port stuck out like a tumor and I had the low profile port. I can't imagine what the bigger port would have looked like, it was gross as it was.

Sleeves are just a whole different world. With bands all your food has to go through a tiny stoma, if you didn't chew well enough it gets stuck or comes right back up. No so with a sleeve. You just have a small stomach and get full faster.

I can eat about 2oz of solid protein or 4-6oz of soft protein. So I eat 4 times daily and maintain without effort at a 20BMI.

If you still want to lose weight, go for it.

Wasa,

That's funny you brought up the staples at the airport, just sent my daughter on her first solo trip down south to visit some college friends and I was waiting for her to go through security and I was waiting for them to stop her for having her RNY but they didn't.

I can't believe my brain is working this way now but I suppose you can go through different stages, like death and dying, when you lose your band or it never worked and you lose your band. It's pretty traumatic as I'm sure you well know. I just don't know if I choose to revise, after saying I never would, if I be more successful with the sleeve or the RNY. I want to make sure it will work this time and have lost a lot of confidence during my banding experience, thanks for your honest assist, I appreciate it! Nancy.

Not really. There is one person on OH that is having a really hard time with a lot of issues. She is mortified because the stink was coming out through her skin. When a DS person farts the stench hangs on their clothes. There is a girl (I believe it was on OH, can't swear to it) that said she actually received written reprimands from her supervisor because of the smell. They thought she wasn't bathing. They moved her back to a desk in the back of the room because her coworkers were complaining about her odor. They finally fired her.

Other people have talked about how they build an extra bathroom on the house so the DS person can poop their little hearts out without bothering the rest of the family.

People have discussed all kinds of issues regarding odor. Suggestions for people in social settings, employment settings, etc.

Don't forget my personal fave....charcoal-lined drawers.

Plus I got WLS to have a normal life. That means once in a while having something with sugar in it or once in a while having white carbs. They aren't every day foods for me, but once in while I have them and enjoy them and I want to keep doing that.

Amen. I could have lost at a much faster rate if I strictly ate only healthy food.....but there is quality of life to consider. I'm happy losing at a slower pace, knowing I can occasionally eat something "bad" if I want to. The band has helped with my portion control, which is EXACTLY what I need. That's why the band doesn't feel like a "diet" to me.

We need to stop blaming the patients! Take care, Nancy.

Too late! I already blame the patients. There's an old healthcare joke that the job wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the patients...

Too late! I already blame the patients. There's an old healthcare joke that the job wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the patients...

Holy crap, isn't THAT the truth! ;o) You can spot them a mile away!

Edited February 17, 200917 yr by WASaBubbleButt

I don't post here much, but I'm almost 3 years out and love my band. I'm down about 130 lbs. and have never had a single problem with it. The band is far from "crap" for me, but I don't choose to speak for others. It may not be for everyone, but it definitely was the right choice for me. I have maintained my weight for well over a year now, and in fact lost 6 more pounds, so I consider myself a success. I was older getting this band, and worked hard to get approved.

I'm sorry BubbleButt that you hated your band, but "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and so it is with me and my band. I plan on dying with this wonderful little device inside me, AND absolutely no one can tell me I didn't do the right thing for me. I didn't want my guts rearranged, and that is the reason most people choose the band. I am going to end this post by saying I have never regretted a single day of having this band..not one single, solitary day, so please speak only for yourself. I choose to speak only for me, and I live each day like it is the beginning of my life thanks to this band.

Me either, its the best thing I ever did.

Do I think most people will have a problem or two along the way - yes. Most people will suffer episodes of pb, discomfort eating, heart burn and a bit of reflux is extremely common, and most will probably experience frustration with fill levels at some point in time. I do believe too that most of us will not have these bands in us forever, that there will be improvements in obesity treatment, improvements in bands and that we may need to upgrade, or may choose to.

But do I believe the majority have horrible troubles like you did Wasa? No. Many bandsters would trade minor issues for being healthier and thinner for life and not give it a second thought. I know a lot of bandsters in real life here in Melbourne and I certainly dont know any that must keep baggies in every room to puke in. I dont fear eating in public. Personally, I might puke once a month if that, its usually hormonally induced tightness and always always at home becuase I'm less careful there. Just because you were happy to remove part of your stomach that you dont believe you need doesnt make that the right decision for everyone, which you are coming quite close to saying. And I hate to say it because I respect your opinions lots but you're sounding almost as strident as the DSers this thread is poking fun at.

The sleeve is an option, that is all. The band is an option too and one many people find preferable. I get a little tired of being made to feel like an idiot becuase I'm supposedly so dumb I couldnt SEE what a mistake I was making.

I'd go so far as to agree with you though that sew and go is the way to go in America. Managing a band here with a close and constant relationship with your doctor is not expensive and its not difficult. But its not the same case in different countries.

The band wasnt right for you Wasa and I'm really really glad you found a surgery that is. But the band IS fine for many people and its really no different to choose to irrevocably change an organ in your body than it is to choose to risk some complications that may be unpleasant. Either way we're taking quite drastic measures to solve obesity arent we?

I hope I can say that, i dont want to spark a huge debate. But please remember most of us have chosen bands and dont want to be called fools for doing so. You can think it of course :-p

Edited February 17, 200917 yr by Jachut

Wow, wish I had read Wasa'a novel-length post before I got banded.....not. I know you love your sleeve, Wasa, and that's cool that things are fab for you now, but c'mon.....

How many times did you point out that the problems you had put you in the MAJORITY, not the minority of bandsters? That may be your personal opinion, wasa, but you toss in some statistics and make it sound like a well-researched fact. It's not.

Anywho, I'm not trying to pick a fight either. I just don't get you sometimes....either you are the most altruistic person on this board, or else you get fixated on a few "pet" topics. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt if you'll quit trying to piss on the joy I'm having being banded. Just be as happy for me that the band is working as I am for you that the sleeve is working. Deal?

I don't post here much, but I'm almost 3 years out and love my band. I'm down about 130 lbs. and have never had a single problem with it. The band is far from "crap" for me, but I don't choose to speak for others. It may not be for everyone, but it definitely was the right choice for me. I have maintained my weight for well over a year now, and in fact lost 6 more pounds, so I consider myself a success. I was older getting this band, and worked hard to get approved.

I'm sorry BubbleButt that you hated your band, but "one man's trash is another man's treasure" and so it is with me and my band. I plan on dying with this wonderful little device inside me, AND absolutely no one can tell me I didn't do the right thing for me. I didn't want my guts rearranged, and that is the reason most people choose the band. I am going to end this post by saying I have never regretted a single day of having this band..not one single, solitary day, so please speak only for yourself. I choose to speak only for me, and I live each day like it is the beginning of my life thanks to this band.

I don't believe I did speak for you. I told MY story and I posted the stats. Nowhere did I write that Skittles hates her band.

Wow, wish I had read Wasa'a novel-length post before I got banded.....not. I know you love your sleeve, Wasa, and that's cool that things are fab for you now, but c'mon.....

How many times did you point out that the problems you had put you in the MAJORITY, not the minority of bandsters? That may be your personal opinion, wasa, but you toss in some statistics and make it sound like a well-researched fact. It's not.

Anywho, I'm not trying to pick a fight either. I just don't get you sometimes....either you are the most altruistic person on this board, or else you get fixated on a few "pet" topics. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt if you'll quit trying to piss on the joy I'm having being banded. Just be as happy for me that the band is working as I am for you that the sleeve is working. Deal?

That's not fair, Plain. I pointed out stats and personal experience. If you like your band, kewl beans! I'm happy for you. If the band works for you that is fantastic. But I've been on the receiving end (on another board) when the band doesn't work and people who are fearful they will experience band problems tend to attack those who are having problems. Matter of fact, one person who has posted in this thread blasted me on another board and flat out told me I don't have a right to a revision surgery, it's as though you get one WLS in life and that's it. I was self pay both times. That was a wrong turn to take with me, I don't cower in a corner, I come out fighting.

I have not had one single day since my revision was announced that I am not contacted by someone wanting information on revision. That's not what really shocks me, what shocks me is who is contacting me. People that are all pro-band on the boards and how life is so great with a band yet it's all bogus, they are PMing and emailing me asking about how to get ins to cover a revision because they can't hack it with a band anymore. You'd be shocked at who is wanting and getting revisions. These people are doing the same thing I was. I thought it was just me, I thought I was in the minority. I was pro band because I thought it did a good job for a lot of people, the majority of people. All newbies pretty much love the band. Those two years out have a different perspective many times.

I belong to two band grad boards, one is for those banded one year or more. The other is for those banded one year or more and at goal. Both boards are similar, most are not happy with their bands and want to revise or have already revised. THAT is where people are honest.

Inamed has been calling doctors trying to determine why sales are going down. They want to know if it is the economy or what. Doctors are telling them that they are as busy as ever doing revisions, sleeves, and bypass. They aren't buying bands because they aren't banding as many people as before. Various hospitals outside the US won't do any banding anymore, the country of Chile is doing away with banding completely and doing sleeves and bypass. It's not just me.

If you are doing well, losing weight, you are healthy, not having major band problems then it should be pretty well impossible to piss on your joy. So don't you dare try and dump that on me, I'm not taking responsibility for your joy one way or another. You don't like the stats? Don't blame me, I'm not taking responsibility for that one either.

This is R&R, if you only want raves then perhaps you can just read half the posts.

I am aware of the port nearly evey moment of every day.

hey bjean - i know what you mean. i woke up from surgery w/port pain - and i feel it all the time (even being low profile). it is significantly raised above the skin - "turkey's done look", and is bothersome no matter what exercise i do. i keep exercising and just manage - but it is bothersome.

i have NO issue having the band replaced say w/a sleeve whatsoever - in fact i wish i went that route first. i had to have so many fills to get restriction (8), developed a hernia, had a port site infection. infection was caught in time, and the hernia removed....that said, the fear of it's longevity is an issue with me. i have NO other issues w/the band (slimming/PB/reflux/intolerance to any food or drink) which is the reason i'm just sitting still. DH is also banded and he could not be any happier.....he has no idea he even has it - other than his food consumption much less.

i read all through the complication threads (DH says that's hyped up my paranoia...i'm just overly curious). the minute i have an issue, such as the ones i don't already - i plan on revising no matter what; to ensure none of my hard work taking of the lbs was for naught. i appreciate those posting their complications - it's a fact; whether some like it or not.

btw - my friend i discussed somewhere inside this thread did revise to a DS (had failed gastric) back in Nov. she's lost all that she gained back w/gastric & then some......i see her a few times a wk, no stink that i'm aware of but she does burn a lot of candles.....:tongue2: