Hi, Everyone;

I'll assume that some of my comments won't be all that popular here, but if you want honesty about the Lap band, I'll be happy to give you my point of view.

I have a Lap band. It was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made in my life. I had it "installed" at one of the finest medical centers in the world, by a well-known surgeon.

It has almost killed me. And, I am entering the hospital on May 7th for a 4th and final surgery that MAY be fatal for me. The lap band will be removed, the big hole in my stomach that it may have created will be repaired (hopefully), and my colon will be opened up so that they can remove the Lap Band tube that burrowed it's way inside.

It's a long story, with lots of twists and turns.

My purpose for becoming a member here and sharing my story is to let potential Lap-Band recipients know that there is a "dark side" to the lap band. It should not be a quick or easy decision. It's only one option.

I hope my comments here will be taken seriously.

David

WAIT A MINUTE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone, go here: http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/post.asp?method=ReplyQuote&REPLY_ID=951031&TOPIC_ID=145477&FORUM_ID=2

This is a post from August 8th of last year....

Check out the post from HeadHunting55....

The story seems to have changed and evolved a bit from "intestine" to "colon" and life threatening... well, that seems to have been so for over 7 months now.

TWO books, HUH? Is that why you're here then...

Would someone just ban this guy or something before he disturbs anyone else for the sales of his BOOKS?

(Here is the post)

Looks like your husband and I have a lot in common. I also had the Lap Band. Imagine this: I'm visitng a client In Utah, and the Port POPS OUT OF a HOLE IN MY STOMACH! Kind of like the movie "alien".

Yeah, i've been through a lot with it.

Also, like your husband, I am writing a book on the Lap Band. Thus far, I have done interviews with 384 patients that have had the Lap Band Installed (I have a total of 625 inteviews scheduled), and 53 doctors in 5 countries that perform the surgery. I'm actually considering creating TWO books....one is a comprehensive study of practical results for those contemplating a band, and the other being a friendlier "users guide" based upon my experience and the experiences of those I have interviewed.

it's an interesting project, and I have been STUNNED by the number of people that have had problems with the device.

Myself, last week i had an Upper GI and CTscan, and it was discovered that the tube from the band to the Port (Remember, the port popped out!) Had drilled itself INSIDE of my intestine. So, I have some magor surgery ahead.

I will have the band removed, as I no longer need it ( I never did, really)....and i really believe that NO ONE needs weight loss surgery if they just knew the RIGHT THINGS to do.

Edited April 18, 200818 yr by NicoleW8ing

and more from the #$%&*

"Actually, this is a niche I am now entering.

My story is quite Unique and compelling. In a nutshell:

I was VERY overweight...morbidly obese most of my life.

Metabolism VERY VERY messed up because of all the diets I had been on that failed.

Had weight loss surgery - it DIDN't WORK, my metabolism was SO screwed up, lost only NINE POUNDs as a result of the surgery, and put all of that back on.

Infections from the surgery almost killed me, 4 trips to emergency. Had to have additional surgeries to clean up the mess....had an open wound in my stomach for a year as a result.

THEN, I studied,and studied some more, and found a methodology of eating and living that SAVED MY LIFE. Lost ninety pounds EASILY in a few months, I have NEVER been this healthy.

There's a lot more to this story

TONS of energy, up at 4:45 every morning, work until 11:00 at night.

My whole life has turned around as a result.

So, I'm putting a package and program and Ebook together.

There are answers out there.....you just have to be willing to do the research......"

Ok, so he's a poser.

It's not what he tried to do, it's what it brought out of YOU.

Don't feel duped by this person.

You rallied behind eachother. INTENTION people, intention.

Everyones intention on this thread EXCEPT the OP was pure.

Have a great day!

PS

Google was one of the greatest investments I made.......I love google.....

PPS

If ANY of you did actually pm him or contact him regarding your bad outcomes, please know that he will use your info in some form and I will bet dimes to dollars that you won't see a dime while he is making money off of you.

Edited April 18, 200818 yr by Catalystmb
just because

and a reply to that would be....so what has changed in my story?

Intestine to colon? I mispoke. Because I was told by my primary physician (who was the first to see the scans) that it was the INTESTINE. The Surgeon that reviewed later stated COLON.

And have I tried to sell you anything?

Nope. and i won't. And my story has NOT changed. and it WILL NOT.

I have interveiwed those with problems. Bunches of them. I have interviewed other doctors....MANY others. But I can't get any doctors to commit to using their names. I was considering putting my story in ebook form. have i done that? nope. That was months ago. And my condition has not changed. And the story has not changed. and it won't.

So, keep trying.

headhunter your story is unfortunate and I hope this will never happen to any one else. I'm sorry for your pain and suffering, I can't imagine you wanted to do something to improve your life and ends up hurting you. Can you tell me if there is anything you could have done differently after being banded to prevent such serious issues now? For those of us who have a band and want to do our best to prevent complications what signs should we look for? Did you have unusual pain, fever long before the port open up?

Misspoke. What does that mean? Oh yeah, that's politician for

L I E D!!!

Yes, this is all accurate. nothing wrong with what I said here.

I stand behind it totally.

I have felt that I SHOULD be on a crusade to make people aware of what I experienced. at that time it was suggested that i use the Internet marketing model to get my message out. I didn't puruse it, because the IM model has begun to smack a bit of fraud on some levels, and if I was going to do something with this, it was going to have to be more legitimate than squeeze pages and opt-in lists.

So, have I placed a resoure box in my sig? nope. have I tried to direct ANYONE to a monetized website? nope. have i written an ebook? Nope, but I might, and i'll give it away for free.

So, please read it again and you'll find my story quite intact.

"Actually, this is a niche I am now entering.

My story is quite Unique and compelling. In a nutshell:

I was VERY overweight...morbidly obese most of my life.

Metabolism VERY VERY messed up because of all the diets I had been on that failed.

Had weight loss surgery - it DIDN't WORK, my metabolism was SO screwed up, lost only NINE POUNDs as a result of the surgery, and put all of that back on.

Infections from the surgery almost killed me, 4 trips to emergency. Had to have additional surgeries to clean up the mess....had an open wound in my stomach for a year as a result.

THEN, I studied,and studied some more, and found a methodology of eating and living that SAVED MY LIFE. Lost ninety pounds EASILY in a few months, I have NEVER been this healthy.

There's a lot more to this story

TONS of energy, up at 4:45 every morning, work until 11:00 at night.

My whole life has turned around as a result.

So, I'm putting a package and program and Ebook together.

There are answers out there.....you just have to be willing to do the research......"

"So, I'm putting a package and program and Ebook together."

I'm looking for the part in that sentence that says "to SELL to you"....hmmm.....I don't see it. Do you? I think some of you DO see it, even though it does not exist.

"

Good detective work Mary.

And have I tried to sell you anything?

NOT YET....lol Dude, you are sooo busted.......

thanks for the laugh and if you have any of the ailments you write about....get well soon........

oh my......

Good detective work Mary.

Not me, thank Nicole......

WTG Nicole.

Thank YOU NICOLE!

I did think though that I smelled a rat early on.

His/Her posts simply ooooozed "ebook" with all of the "more later"s.

More hits on the OP......or someone else using his moniker.....hockey buff and online gamer......

Wonder if he's wearing a headset and if mom knows he's on the computer on a schoolnight......

Misspoke. What does that mean? Oh yeah, that's politician for

L I E D!!!

Lied? hardly. as i said, originally the results from my FIRST set of tests were relayed by my primary Doc. Later, when I met with the FIRST surgeon about this matter, he confirmed that it was the colon, and my present surgeon said Colon as well.

I said Intestine back then because that's the info I had.

I was pretty gung-ho about this for a time, and I thought I wanted to become the spokeperson/advocate for others that had had problems like mine. I wanted to Tell the world about this, and what I had found that would be MY personal answer to obesity. That was pretty short-lived, though, when the reality set in that I was going to face some serious surgery and a long recovery.

I gave that idea up, but as I have moved closer to my surgery date, I have felt very compelled to do come forward with this, on a little different level. I decided to just start talking about it on forums.

You know how I found THIS forum? I went to Google, and searched on the phrase "reasons to have weight loss surgery", or something similar to that. I had planned on writing a multi-page report discussing the various reasons that people have or feel that they have to have weight-loss surgery. I was going to comment on those reaons, and then give my perspective, based upon MY experience. That search brought me here. And I just started posting.

But i'll say it again. Nothing in my story has changed about what happened, expect that MORE stuff has happened.

HOCKEY BUFF????

oh, c'mon! i hate hockey, and i'm not a sports fan at ALL. although i like ice skating, but i have always spent more time with my butt on the ice than upright.

No online gaming, either. Offline, well, some.

as far as my moniker, you will find that headhunter and other derivatives are pretty damn common on the net. I surprised that this forum did not have "headhunter" taken...most do. But i use a lot of different names for different forums. everyone does.

You're working pretty hard to discredit me. That means that you fear that what I am saying just might have some validity.

Ok, some of these more recent comments are more of the type that I actually expected to get! LOL!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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To those of you who have offered your good wishes and prayers, I thank you...it means a lot. This is a kind of an ugly time for me and my family.<o:p></o:p>

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For the others here that question my motives for being here, well, there's not a lot I can say. It is what it is. My experience is simply MY experience.<o:p></o:p>

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I would, however, like to address a few of the more caustic remarks. I’m not going to address everything here and now. Remember, I’m here now just to introduce myself and my story. I’m surprised that this has taken off like it has.<o:p></o:p>

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First, some of you have zeroed in on my “Target Audience” comment. Have you never heard anyone use that expression before? It is a generic comment meant to indicate the class of people I am trying to address. Not a “show biz” or advertising expression. I am a little surprised that some of you have singled that out as a possible indicator of my motives. It’s just an expression.<o:p></o:p>

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One other thing that some of you have glommed onto is a comment I made about Milk Shakes and Mashed Potatoes, etc. I’ll quote myself:<o:p></o:p>

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“You can't chug down a piece of steak easily, but you CAN shove down a few chocolate shakes, mashed potatoes, ice cream, and all sorts of other things pretty darn easily, even AFTER your maximum fills”<o:p></o:p>

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Some of you apparently took that to mean that THAT is what I DID. That is NOT the case. I simply stated that I realized early on that it was POSSIBLE to bypass the system. People need to realize that going in. I was NOT counseled in that way. Some of you have been, some of you (I’ll bet) were not. But I did NOT behave in that manner. I had committed myself to the surgery AND the process. It also shows me that some of you are NOT reading my comments; you are reading what you WANT to read INTO them. You’ve had the surgery, and you want to justify your decision in doing so, and you are attempting to do so by defaming my comments. You don’t HAVE to do that. I’m not saying YOU made a WRONG decision. I’m saying that I made the wrong decision for ME. I am simply presenting the results so that others that are preparing to make THEIR decision can have the benefit of my experience. Or perhaps you think that the only information they should have is POSTIVE outcomes?<o:p></o:p>

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“I have to believe that you are exaggerating a bit on some of your issues. I mean DID your port really POP out of your skin???”<o:p></o:p>

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Yes. It did. And why would I exaggerate this? Again, there are details to this that I simply have not had time to articulate. In the weeks prior to the Port Popping out, it was clearly working it’s way to the surface. It was not entirely without warning. This is part of where the lawsuit comes in: the Hospital’s refusal to act on this impending problem. I did NOT, however, expect it to exit my body the way it did, or when it did. <o:p></o:p>

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Again: to those here who have MADE the choice and HAVE HAD the LB installed;<o:p></o:p>

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My Motives: Think about it, people. What do I have to gain by taking the time to post all of this stuff publicly? A Book deal? Hardly. Who would buy a book about a Procedure gone wrong? Not me. Talk Shows? Ok, let’s say I did 5 of the biggest talk shows. And let’s say they paid for everything (flight, hotel,…not all of them do). What would I earn from all of that? Maybe $10,000? I would lose more than THAT by taking the time off from my business to go be on the talk shows. And “15 Minutes of fame” that someone mentioned? Oh yeah….THAT’s what I want to be famous for. Lap Band Surgery Gone Wrong. <o:p></o:p>

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Sorry, folks. I have nothing to sell you. I have no interest in being known nationally as the “guy who had WLS that failed”.<o:p></o:p>

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And so many of you seem to TOTALLY miss the points I am trying to make:<o:p></o:p>

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Weight Loss Surgery CAN and DOES work, but it is NOT RISK FREE.<o:p></o:p>

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It is SURGERY and has potential Complications….it is NOT for everyone.<o:p></o:p>

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I had a BAD experience. You MAY or MAY NOT have something similar.<o:p></o:p>

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Obesity does NOT happen because you were born without a plastic noose stitched to the top of your stomach. It happens because you eat TOO much of the WRONG STUFF. <o:p></o:p>

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I’m not saying DON’T have the surgery…..I’m saying Think TWICE, and TRY HARDER. Look at the alternatives in eating. I know, I know, you’ve tried all the diets. They don’t work. And it’s true…they don’t work. If you want an Eye Opener, get a hold of Tony Robbins “Living Health” series. It’ll change your life. Read “Fast Food Nation”. <o:p></o:p>

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But DON’T MAKE THE CHOICE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT ALL THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES.<o:p></o:p>

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This is NOT a Botox injection, people! This is a guy (or girl) going INTO your Body with cameras and scalpels and sewing a piece of plastic onto your stomach….ect,etc,etc.<o:p></o:p>

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That’s all for now……<o:p></o:p>

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Look at what Nicole brought up where he ADMITS to writting several things

I believe Headhunter story.

We all know complications are possible. There are risks with everything in life. Anyone of us could die or be killed before the day is over Does that mean we should spend the rest of our life under the covers? Of course not. We have to weigh the odds of complications or risks in everything we do. If we are going to die of obesity complications unless we do something drastric with a slight risk involved, them I will take the risk.

I know that my Dr has had no complications and has never had anyone want their band removed. To me that means the risk is very very slight.

Having said that I believe his story, I need to say that I don't believe he should try to get rich from it. Or go on talk shows.

My good friend just lost a baby...Does that mean everyone should be warned to avoid pregnancy because there is a risk of losing the baby? No! We all just gotta do what we gotta do and pray for good results.

Life is like a box of chocolates..........

Well said. I won't say I completely believe the OP's story. While I do think he probably had complications, I personally think his story is probably either rather exaggerated or a product of his own stubbornness in refusing to see his doctor unless they saw him for free. If he did have the problems he said he had, I feel sorry for him. But, to be completely honest, that's how the wind blows, sometimes. When you go in for elective surgery, smart patients do all the research they can, both on their surgeon and on the procedure/aftercare/etc. And every single US surgeon that I've ever heard of requires pre-op seminars, consultations, yadda, yadda, yadda, where prospective patients learn the possible side effects and complications.

So what I'd like to say to newbies that read this thread is this: Yes, complications can happen. Yes, they can be severe. But they are VERY rare. You are FAR more likely to have a complication-free experience than an experience like the OP supposedly went through. But the bottom line is that if you think something is wrong, GO TO YOUR SURGEON. DON'T WAIT. Be aware of what can happen and stay aware of how your body is acting.