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

Wasa: I agree about the longevity of our bands and said that to the OP earlier in this thread.

You are right, we are guinea pigs in this, perhaps at some point we will all lose our bands. But desperate needs, call for desperate measures. Will the band keep me alive long enough until the next best thing comes along or will it kill me before the obesity might have? No one knows the answers to those questions, but we made an educated decision with the info we had at the time.

I think I started a "thing" here and that wasn't my intent. But since I did, here goes.

I don't think the band is going to kill anyone but I have to admit, there are complications I wasn't banking on. Again, I knew there may be unknown complications before going into this so I'm not whining about it now. Just saying how it is.

The band has caused me to have esophageal problems that are progressing. My voice has gone from a soft, feminine, ladylike voice to a frog. Or a little boy in puberty, not sure which describes it better. I am now discovering that this could be permanent. I also have esophageal motility issues which could also be permanent. I choke when I swallow if I don't think about each swallow and I choke when I barf. (sorry, gross) I don't have control over my throat like I used to. Again, possibly permanent. Time will tell.

but we have to do what is best at the time with the knowledge we and the Dr's have.

Right. That was my thinking in the beginning too.

I'm just saying that hey, here is another potential complication. Newbies need to know this so they can make informed decisons. I'm not suggesting the FDA pull the band from the market. I'm suggesting research, lots and lots of research. Right now Inamed is not putting out new stats, they are still advertising outdated stats on their website for a surgical technique that isn't used anymore. Maybe I question things too much, could be. But that does make me sit back and look at those stats with a raised eyebrow.

Another unknown questions,

How many people contribute to their complications?

Slips? How many people allow their band to be too tight for too long? How many people "cheat" on early post op diets? How many people take NSAIDS, when advised not to? Are these things factored into the complication stats?

Maybe another way to look at it is ... how many people cannot help but to contribute to their own complications due to their eating disorder? I didn't contribute to mine, I've been dealing with them for a long time and learning to live with them. Turns out, that wasn't such a hot idea but nobody could know so I was doing the best I could at the time.

Yes, some people are too tight for too long, but I never was. I never had good restriction. I kept restriction at the point that I couldn't eat bread and I learned to deal with the quantities without restriction on my own. I didn't cheat in the post op diet, matter of fact I was on clears for three weeks. Fulls for three weeks. NSAIDs... they aren't a bad thing. Some docs say no, most say yes to NSAIDs. It *used* to be thought that NSAIDs caused erosion. We now know that isn't true and that was why docs were suggesting we avoid those drugs. It's been proven this is not a cause of erosion so NSAIDs shouldn't be a problem.

Of course I realize that many people could have a complication even though they have followed instructions to a tee and some that didn't follow all the instructions might have no problems, but we have to wonder.

I have read people say they were too tight, too long, had reflux etc but thought being tight would help them lose weight faster, even though we are taught that weight loss with the band should be one or two pounds a week, they want to push the envelope! If they have problems later, is the band to blame or was it the desire to use the band in a way it was not meant to be?

The complications I refer to are not patient compliance related. I'm talking band related complications such as esophageal problems. Merely having the band there causing problems.... those issues. Band induced reflux, esophageal spasms causing more problems, esophageal motility issues, then there is always the new "little boy in puberty" voice.

There are all kinds of complications, some are patient induced and some are band induced. I'm really referring to band induced complications for the sake of what I originally brought up.

Edited April 21, 200818 yr by WASaBubbleButt

wasa,

What is the sleeve? brandyII

Most of the excess stomach is removed. The important parts of the stomach remain. The part that is removed is the portion that produces Ghrelin, the hormone that tells your brain you are hungry.

After surgery you basically have YOUR stomach but much smaller. It is like having a band with good restriction. Instead of focusing on fills to get to a sweet spot, you are at your sweet spot coming out of surgery. It's like a forever band pouch without the fills, unfills, restriction issues, PBs, slips, erosions, port flips/pain, etc.

After about 2 years people start getting hungry again, just like presurgery however their stomach still only holds a small amount of food.

They used to do this procedure in the 70s but it was a huge failure. The technique has changed drastically and now it is quite effective. I just saw a study that shows that 5 year stats show about the same as bypass weight loss, which is better than banding weight loss.

The best part of this procedure is that AFTER the initial 30 days from surgery the complications for a sleeve are drastically less than that of a band. The initial surgical risk is slightly higher but going to a verrrry skilled surgeon makes all the difference in the world. But after 30 days the risks are dramatically lower than banding.

Yes, and that is not the only place the troll has been.

And one could think that he has not been back on this thread to finish his story because there is no story to tell, or at least one that is believable.

So instead has he left his own thread to troll the other ones?

He comes across as sweet and caring in some of the posts but the PM's to me are definitely a harsher tone and that is why I have blocked him on my PM list.

No, the OP is following my advice. I suggested he have this thread deleted. Enough people have had their fun with him. I suggested he starte a new thread, admit he approached this one wrong, and get to know people.

I guess not everyone will allow him to do that.

Yes, that definitely happens.

Not as much as you'd think.

It used to be true but it is not as true today as it was 20 years ago. Now a more muscular portion of the stomach is saved vs. a more elastic portion. So stretching isn't the issue it used to be.

The stomach will stretch slightly and just like a band pouch, this is accounted for in OR. They make it smaller so when it stretches normally (vs. dilation) it will be juuuuust right. ;o)

Wasa: I'm sorry you're having complications. I used your name because you echoed some of the things I said earlier in this thread about the longevity of our bands and I added bariatrics being a profitable business. Minds ,even basically honest medical ones, can get turned in the wrong direction when profit is involved. And hospitals, feeling the pinch from HMO's are not immune to believing a profitable clinic ends up helping the general population by funding ct scan machines etc.

No way, I was saying you contributed to your complications ( since I didn't know you had a complication or what complication you had) and did definitely not mean to imply you had contributed. I meant people in general that have slips etc. We might know the number of people percentage wise with slips but the possible cause and personal contribution (if any) are unknown.

I am still being advised that I should strongly limit any NSAID intake. Just like some are advised no carbonation or caffeine and others are told it's ok. How can they get accurate stats, based on different instructions and which people follow them and which don't. These things influence stats, so we have to questions there legitimacy.

I've read many of your posts, you're knowledgeable and I'm sure you are seeking the right medical advice for your complication.

I was once in a medical trial. It was for lithotripsy of gallstones. The two trials were laproscopic gallbladder removal and lithotripsy treatment of the stones. I don't feel I was fully informed about the trial and after being told I would be treated free ( which was not why I tried the treatment b/c I had ins that would pay) the hospital billed my ins co. anyway ( and my ins co paid). This was many years ago before the new HMO's etc. I ended up having my gallbladder out traditionally (open)anyway. At the time of the trial I was in a school program and could not take six weeks off for traditional surgery. I had the surgery after I graduated, but was a lot of pain waiting to take the time off.

Later, I guess I felt like a guinea pig and I felt mislead about the "free" treatment.

Again sorry you have complications and I sure didn't want to make you "out" yourself on the specific problem you're having.

No way, I was saying you contributed to your complications ( since I didn't know you had a complication or what complication you had) and did definitely not mean to imply you had contributed. I meant people in general that have slips etc. We might know the number of people percentage wise with slips but the possible cause and personal contribution (if any) are unknown.

My crappy writing style strikes again! ;o)

I didn't take it to mean you were inferring I was doing something wrong. I was just pointing out complications that can happen when we try to do everything right. I am an example, I really did do everything right and it didn't work.

I just want everyone to know what can happen, not that it WILL happen to them, but it's possible. I want people to know all their options and make a decision that is right for them at the time.

But I know you were not directing that to me, I was using "me" as an example. It's that writing style of mine, I'm telling ya! ;o)

Happy Birthday Brandi! My doc (Spiegel) said it would last forever, too. Heard a lot of mini-horror stories in the waiting room but every one of them had it replaced.

MacMadame,

Is there an OR Live channel, we don't have that one. The best I can do is Discovery Health or TLC or something like that. I still have to look away at most surgeries they do on TV anyway, I don't think I could have ever been a doctor or nurse! brandyII

Kat - PLEASE tell us about your tuck experience after it's done - I have fantasies but I want to know from a real person what the truth is about the surgery and recovery, and how happy you are with the results.

Thank you Nottafatty4ever, I can't believe I'm almost 50 and my brain still thinks I'm 20!

Not as much as you'd think.

But it's something people need to be aware of ... that it can happen.

With all these surgeries, there is a risk of weight regain. With bypass and the sleeve, the stomach gets stretched out by people over-eating. With lap band, people eat around their bands.

Wasa,

I'm trying to grasp what your probs are, is it a type of acid reflux or is it a lot more complicated than that? And how long have you been banded. You were banded about 9 months prior to me I'm guessing.

BrandyII, I totally agree. I had phenomenal results with PhenFen - which I got for dirt cheap in Mexico. That's the only time in my whole life I felt comfortable in bathing suits - even wore bikinis back then.

But honestly, I was in my 20s then and didn't have the health issues I have now. My band weight loss has been slow but before I had it put in my weight was steadily going up and I could see 250 looming and thought I absolutely had to do something. I'm 3 lbs from 200 now. And I haven't been under 200 lbs in years and years. Unfortunately, parts of me are starting to look like deflated balloons! Ick!

Wasa - I'm having nightmarish nighttime reflux after last fill (3 whole weeks ago)! Is this what's happening to you?

I'm hoping an unfill will help. I got this fill because I had taken my dad out to dinner and eaten almost a whole blooming onion. I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to be able to do this but I did it and omydearlord it was sooooo good . I thought I definitely didn't want to be able to do that on a regular basis so I got a fill and now I guess if the unfill works to get rid of the reflux (which I did not have at all before), then I'll just stick with that and try to stay away from the fatty stuff I love. I do know that's what I'm supposed to be doing anyway but old habits die hard. I'm getting more and more into the workouts, so maybe that will at least help the weight loss.

Edited April 21, 200818 yr by Knottafatty4ev

Knotta,

I know what you mean, in my 20s there were forms of drugs that most people could get to lose weight. I lost 100, gained 100, lost 100, gained 130! Lost 25 on Medifast before my lap band gained 23 after my lap band, now I'm in Limboland and wish I had something I could point to other than myself to point to blame or find the reason for it. Am I statistically the 1% who fails on this damn thing? brandyII

No, I am still here.

I have not posted anything here for a while because every single thing I say here is blasted. As I am sure THIS comment will be. Particulalry by shortgal. I did indeed tell her that she was ignorant, because she WAS ignorant. If you had seen the thread that she tried to hijack, and seen our exchanges, it would be clear WHY she was ignorant. I was not nice to her in the PMs. But she was not deserving of politeness. She has gone out of her way to create problems.

I have only sent TWO unpleasant PMs, and they both deserved it. EVERY bit of it.

I am communicating with people now via PM, simply because I'm tired of being blasted for everything i say. Not questioned, but blasted.

For a while it looked like this thread was taking a better turn, with members talking about cancer and other imporant issues, and i was happy about that. It looked like if I stayed away, then the venom would disappear. Apparently that is not the case. Some of you are being trolls in your own right.

So I, here and now, officially apologize to the membership of this forum for coming in here firing both guns the way I did. It was wrong, and i'm sorry for that. I do not usually do things that way. My enthusiasm for telling my story and perhaps being able to help someone in some way got the better of me. I have stated this in PMs to many people. And i state it here now, again. If I had to do this over again, i would do it quite differently. But I do not have that opportunity now, do I?

It has been commented that I appear somewhat "holier than thou" in my writing. I am very aware that my particluar style of writing can be a little terse. It is just who I am on paper (or screen..). It is not who I am inside.

I have not yet decided whether i will stay here; some of you will be very happy if i leave. Others, who I have corresponded with privatley, have made some very wise suggestions about how to resolve all of this. I do not know what i will do. I only know that this has impacted me on a very deep and personal level.

There are several "bottom lines" here. One is that This has been MY REAL experience, with no embellishment or enhancement. It does happen to some people, and those of you who it DOES happen to (even if it is only a fraction of a percent) could benefit from my mistakes in handling it before and after the surgery. I do not know how anyone could deny that fact, even if my motives were NOT pure. And, they ARE pure.

So, I offer my apologies to all of you, and I will continue to correspond with those who wish to, and there are a lot.

I do wish everyone the best in your particular journey. And I thank those who who have wished me good will as well.

I'll now go back to my PMs, and you can choose whether or not you want to use your time on this earth pursuing this. Many of you have been given a new life by the lap band. I would recommend that you go out and enjoy it. It is short, as I have come to understand.

best wishes to all.

Thank you for your explanation. I'm sure the members of the forum would enjoy hearing more from you and having your input on other threads as well as this one.