Hello all...new here

[BreeBree 0]

Hello All. This is my 1st time here. I have been to other boards here before, but I havent been completely happy.

I am going to have my band removed in 2 wks.

Can anyone tell me anything about the surgery PLEASE.

I'm very nervous! :confused2:

Compared to getting it put in....

Was the hospital stay longer?

Was there more pain?

How long were you out of work?

Any complications?

How long till you felt better and eating like regular etc.

Thank you for listening and sorry for so many questions. I am so nervous.

[VegasGrace 1]

I can only imagine it's a tad simpler than implanting the band.

They just remove it...same as putting it in. Only, they will probably take a look at your innards to check for damage.

[Alexandra 55]

Having the band removed is, unless there is internal damage, quite a bit easier than having it placed. My removal was amazingly easy; could have gone to work the next day. As I recall they told me to stay on liquids for like a week(?) but I'm not 100% sure about that.

[yazmarrero85 0]

Hello BreeBree!!

Why are you having it removed, if you don't mind me asking?

Hello All. This is my 1st time here. I have been to other boards here before, but I havent been completely happy.

I am going to have my band removed in 2 wks.

Can anyone tell me anything about the surgery PLEASE.

I'm very nervous! :confused2:

Compared to getting it put in....

Was the hospital stay longer?

Was there more pain?

How long were you out of work?

Any complications?

How long till you felt better and eating like regular etc.

Thank you for listening and sorry for so many questions. I am so nervous.

[mrspersia 0]

Hey girl. im new as well. i just had mine removed 3 days ago. Pain is about the same taking it out as when they put it in, im slowly but surely getting around. It should be same day surgery and im not really sure on what our diet should be, my doc told me i could have whatever i wanted...well i spent all morning throwing up yesterday, so when u find out, if you would please let me know.Dont be nervous, i personaly think it was the best thing i could do to get back to being normal. Can i ask why you are taking it out?

Edited April 3, 2008 by mrspersia

[CharlieAlso 1]

I just joined this group today. I will be visiting my doctor very soon asking him to remove my lap band. In a way I feel bad that it didn't work, but in another way I think I'm going to have more peace of mind.

First of all, I have tried various other means of losing weight and none of them seemed to work. Maybe I'm a person born with less than my share of self disipline, who knows??

When I first told my GP doctor that I planned on getting the lap band surgery, she advised me against it. She said something to the fact that people thought it to be a miracle and it just wasn't. I dismissed her words and approximately 2 years ago I had the surgery. I dropped 30 pounds in a very short time. I was pleased with my rapid weight loss, maybe even a bit overconfident. Afterwards I heard so many different views on what and how much foods I should eat. I just tried to eat those foods that I knew were good for me and leave off the bad ones.

After about 6 months I was fairly happy with my progress and decided to get a fill. The procedure went fairly well and only cost me a about three hundred out of pocket after insurrance. In a short period of time I discovered the fill was too much. I could not keep most foods down. I returned to the doctor and he reduced my fill to my first level. Of course, for about the same cost of the fill. After the fill I could not keep most foods down and there were foods like orange juice that would send burning sensations all the way up to the roof of my mouth.

It's funny because the foods that seem to go down easier seemed not to be the best foods to lose weight. Over the next few months I slowly started to gain weight. I returned to my doctor's office and his nurse gave the the speech about how the surgery was only a tool and it was up to me to eat the right foods, eat less, exercise regularly, drink 8 glasses of Water each day, etc, etc. In the most polite means possible I told her that if I could have done that prior to receiving my lap band, I would not have needed the lap band. These words didn't seem to matter to her so I excused myself.

While visiting another specialist concerning another matter, she informed me that her daughter, along with several of her friends, had had the same lap band surgery by the same doctor. She mentioned that her daughter had to have a second surgery because the initial one wasn't done correctly. She and her friends were having negative results with the surgery and had formed a group and were going to seek legal advise. She invited me to join with them, but I very rapidly declined. I'm from the old school and the decision to have the surgery was my own, even after my GP advised me against it, and I can't see blaming the doctor for my not being able to lose weight. I believe I have only myself to blame for that. Even though I'm currently going thru a bit of discomfort, I can live with it and I'm hoping that once the lap band is removed I will feel normal.

It's been almost two years now and even though I had my fill taken out, almost everytime I try to eat or drink anything, I end up throwing it up. You know, the funny part is that after I throw up, I feel better and for some strange reason I can then eat the remainder of my meal with a lot less discomfort.

I am back to my original weight prior to having the lap band put in. My Mother is constantly asking me to get it removed even though my wife doesn't seem concerned either way. I feel my wife realizes I tried to lose weight with the lap band, but it just didn't work for me.

I can remember the "sales" talk made to many people like myself by the doctor and his staff at a large hotel meeting room a few weeks before I decided to have the surgery. I only hope that some of the people in the room at that time ended up better than I.

I will visit my doctor soon and ask him to remove my lap band. I wish it would have worked, but unfortantely for me, it didn't.

[Hastings 3]

I wish you a safe and easy trip, Charlie, and a speedy recovery.

[SondraMoore35 0]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that has had problems with the band. Mine is coming out Wednesday, and I cannot wait! I had my surgery a year ago I lost about 20 pounds and then nothing! After months and months of throwing up, I found out that my band was placed too high. My new surgeon wanted to adjust it, but I said just take it out and let me move on. I have spent a year eating unhealthy food because salads and fruit wouldn't go down. I'm a bit nervous for the surgery but anxious for it to be over.

[brandyII 9]

Charliealso,

I feel bad for you and also can relate to you in the fact that I had mine done nine months ago and gained back all the weight prior to the surgery, about 25 pounds.

I don't have that issue of vomiting now that I only have 2 ccs in a 10cc band so I'm almost wondering if you have some other issue with your band. Anyway I'm sure you going to get that all checked out with your surgeon prior to removal.

I'm trying to start a social group here for "lap band strugglers" but I guess you won't be joining because it will soon be gone.

It's funny how prior to surgery it was going to be our life saver and afterwards you're told, it's only a "tool"! I also felt that if I knew I needed this much willpower after the surgery to lose weight and didn't have it before why would I have spent $$$! Be that as it may I'm not going to give it up yet, nine months is not two years.

Anyway good luck with your surgery and get better soon, brandyII.

[mstrina27 0]

wow I am so sorry to hear about all of your storys in regards to having the band removed... if u are getting sick and cant keep your food down is one thing, but there are certain things that you just wont be able to eat any longer like oranges or any fruit with the membrane the white strips through out because it wont go down.. or the peel on the apple... I did research for about 3-yrs before i decided to get banded... I knew right from the beginning that it was a tool.. I would still have to excercise my own self control... I knew that i would have to get off my butt and excercise. Eating less+excercise=weightloss.. U have to work your band... like i said if i'm not hungry i wont eat, but if im always hungry i will always eat... we all make choices in life, and we all know if we are doing what is required to loose weight or not.. just eating less is not going to get the fat off... I hope everyone feels better and what ever path u choose to go down i hope it will be successful for you...

[SondraMoore35 0]

LOL - got to love the enthusiasm of the newly banded. My band was misplaced around my lower esophagus, not sure where in reasearching I could found that one? I just wish everyone would believe more of what they do read - like the real long-term statistics not the ones given to them by their doctors.

[brandyII 9]

Sondramoore35,

Ditto!

[mstrina27 0]

u know it amaze's me to see how many success story are out there. People that actually make their band work for them. MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS IS ONE THING... but lack of movement is another so it might be quite funny because i'm looking @ things thru a new bandsters eyes, however i have done my research and lapbandtalk.com is not the only site i go on.. prehaps u should try going on obesityhelp.com also and see how many success storys are there vs the complications i am wise enough not to just take my Dr.'s advise, but i have actually talked to people that have been banded for over 6yrs that have lost over 150lbs and are doing great so it is truly sad to see how because u may have had a Dr. that didn't preform the procedure correct on you.. for u to make it seem like the band is not a good tool. How sad....

[brandyII 9]

m...27,

I don't think anyone wants to begrudge people who have had good band success, that's what we all intended prior to surgery. Unfortunately there are a few of us still struggling with many, different issues. We are all so different and there are many factors which can affect the success of the band, it's not always as simple as "eat less, exercise more". If it were we wouldn't need the band in the first place.

I'm a member of that forum you mentioned and it's funny because it's a wonderful site for people who are currently, had or may think about revision surgery. For every action there is a reaction. For every WL surgery there is someone who may not do well and a lot of those people are given revisions as an option. So as I'm sure you've seen yourself, there are people going from lap bands to DSs, RNYs to lap bands an so on and so forth.

It's not that people haven't researched enough but unless you can actually clone yourself and send that clone through the exact surgery one may not necessarily know exactly the effect it will have on them.

No one is bashing the band, well I'm not, but people need a place to feel safe to discuss their issues once they've encountered any number of band failures and there are many and a lot of them are not necessarily mechanical in nature, thanks brandyII, (one who does not want to pick a fight and also who's 19 year old is getting her RNY tomorrow morning so wish her luck!)

[mstrina27 0]

I understand... and i do wish her the best of luck and unmeasured success....