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

I will tell you that I discovered within a WEEK of having the band installed that it is VERY easy to bypass the effects of the constriction. 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. For those that have had problems controlling your eating, the LB is no guarantee. There are ways to bypass it if you want to.

So are you saying you tried to chug a piece of steak after only a week??

I believe that for most people on this board, we have all tried just about every diet out there, Do you not think that we didn't research this lap band. I for one didn't go into it thinking it was a miracle cure and that it would be easy. I knew there were/are risks. I was willing to take them, BUT I was also willing to follow the rules, and that meant liquids for 4 weeks after being banded, then on to mushies, soft foods. I guess it just depends on HOW bad you want to be healthy. How willing are you to change your lifestyle. Me for one I am very willing.

I have to believe that you are exergerating a bit on some of your issues. I mean DID your port really POP out of your skin???

Sorry to hear of your problems David, I hope you get through the surgery without any complications.

I believe the success stories far outweigh the complications and as far as I'm concerned if people follow the rules, especially in the healing stages then they are unlikely to have problems. This is not a miracle cure for weight loss, neither is it an easy way out but it is a tool which I am very happy to say is helping me lose and keep my weight off. I'm not even one of the success stories yet but I am very confident that by the time I hit my 1 year band anniversary I will be. 99% of the people go into this with their eyes open and they know if they don't do something as drastic as surgery that they will die or lead a life of misery. For me I wasn't willing to have that so here I am with the band heading for my goal weight.

Good luck to any newbies, these stories are here to make you think harder about whether you want this or not. I know they scared me before my surgery but I still went ahead and am happy to say all is good.

"Am I the only one that has the feeling that everytime he says "more on that subject later..." or "more to come later..." is setting us up to try to buy something from him?"

Perhaps you should simply those two or three "later" comments as they were meant: That I don't have the time at this moment to write a comprehensive history of my difficulty. I am taking way more time than I had planned to answer some of your inquiries. I am happy to do so, but I'm afraid that I cannot do it all at once.

And what exactly would it be that I would want to sell you? A book about me nasty LB experience? Yeah, THAT would be a big seller. A weight loss program? Sure, that's it.

Sorry, folks, I have nothing to sell except a couple of good Kidneys, and in about a month, I'll have a used Lap-Band for anyone that wants one.

Do you have time to answer the questions we've all directly asked you?

The Lap Band complications rate is amazingly low and the mortality rate is even lower. The band has been around since the 80s. It's been widely used in the rest of the world since the mid-90s. That's about 20 years worth of data including several long-term studies that follow lap band patients for over a decade.

If it really was a death trap, if it really didn't work for most people, we'd know it by now.

I'm sorry that you were one of the rare people with complications. I hope you find some good support in the Complications and the Life without a Band sections of the board.

But if your only purpose in being here is to talk people out of a surgery that they've researched extensively, done a good cost-benefit analysis on and have come to the decision that is right for them, I predict you won't get much out of being here.

It was my understanding from your original post, that your actually surviving the removal surgery is uncertain.....so why in heavens name are you waiting another month for removal????

Kat

If you have a "life threating" medical condition, I would think you'd be in surgery this very minute.

I agree that Bariatric surgery is a money making business and that's why surgeons and hospitals are opening clinics all over the place. I agree that with all the rapid changes in the health care field, our bands could become obsolete. I also think we don't really have enough long term stats to know how long the majoirty of us will keep our bands.

I knew all this going into surgery. I knew I could die from surgery. This is elective surgery and I elected it.

You couldn't keep the weight off for years and suddenly you found the answer for you to lose weight?

Hmmmmm, looking to sell THE answer? Sorry, I'm not looking to buy.

Shortgal:

"Hmmmmm, looking to sell THE answer? Sorry, I'm not looking to buy."

and I'm not looking to sell.

"It was my understanding from your original post, that your actually surviving the removal surgery is uncertain.....so why in heavens name are you waiting another month for removal????"

"If you have a "life threating" medical condition, I would think you'd be in surgery this very minute."

And if I had the option, I WOULD be. As I have stated, this is a very complicated issue on a LOT of levels. The Doctors are STILL doing tests (One more colonoscopy this next monday, and another Esophageal Endoscopy), and there is the little issue of this being a "pre-exisiting condition"...meaning that my present insurer does NOT want to cover the cost of this. They told me to plan on two weeks in the hospital, in addition to the surgery. Any idea how much that might cost me? And the life-threatening portion of this, it is my understanding, comes at the TIME of surgery.

Again, this is a very complex issue. Doctors from FIVE hospitals, lawyers, insurance companies, and whole lot more people will ultimately have their fingers in this pie.

Edited April 16, 200818 yr by Headhunter

Well you're posting for some reason and I dont believe for one minute that it has anything to do with "helping" or "saving" someone from a big mistake.

Think what you wish. It is not you I am addressing.

You've already had the surgery, and appear to be progressing nicely. I am happy for you, the band is, in your case, doing what it is intended to do.

I am once again amazed at the savvy folks on this board. By and large, we're just a whole box of sharp tacks...:rolleyes2:

To me this makes no sense....if the tubing perforated into the colon----then it only makes sense to me that other things could leak out as well. Is that not an infection waiting to happen? Especially if they disturb it further with 'another' colonoscopy.....

I mean there are tests that are non invasive to look into this----how many of those have they used for diagnosing your issues?

Were you not covered with insurance when you had your original banding?

Kat

"I'm sorry but after reading all of your posts and responses to people. I'm going to have to call bullshit too. If this really did happen to you (which at this point I highly doubt it did) I'm sorry that you are going through this. And if I am correct in my feelings/instincts (as other people are feeling as well) SHAME on you for posting such total and under CRAP on a forum like this.

Oh, and I want to see this port sticking out of your belly in a picture - because you can bet your butt that if that happened to 98% of the Lap Band public they would be photographing that like mad. So go on, show us."

Actually, I DO have that photo. The client I was visiting at the time accompanied me to the hospital, and took the photos. I'm glad he was there, he's a lawyer. I would not have thought to bring a camera. I will find that photo, and I'll be happy to post it here. It won't be any time in the next 24 hours. You need to understand that this entire idea of "going public" on this issue has only surfaced VERY recently. I don't even know exactly where the photo is, but I have recognized that i will need it for any lawsuit that might come out of this. I do know that I burned it onto a CD, AND it is also one of of my Hard drives.

I am simply stunned that you people think i'm here to sell you something or play some kind of stupid game. This has been MY experience, it is not the FIRST time it has happened to someone, and people need to know the potential going in.