I am a member of a large board, and it has a diet and exercise section.

In said section, it has a weight loss surgery thread. In this thread there are always women asking about WLS options. The RNYers give their point of view on the band, as well as their surgery. One went as far as to say that it didnt work, and not to bother (not in so may words, but you get the idea)

A few ladies have asked about the band lately, and the RNYers, are giving just plain wrong information on the band, that I have to set straight. How do you deal with this? It is really frustrating me.

You go to the literature...peer reviewed medical publications. Anyone who doesn't might as well use fortune Cookies.

However, when you DO go the the medical literature, the band is not a walk in the park, either. Just a cursory search on the topic of adjustable banding reveals recent studies involving:

•Access port site hernia

•Lap-Band removal for band erosion

•Severe intra-abdominal infection due to Streptococcus Milleri following adjustable gastric banding

•Late gastric prolapse with pouch necrosis after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding

•Migration of adjustable gastric banding

•Complications of gastric banding presenting to the ED

•A minimally invasive solution for necrotic fundus following slipped adjustable gastric band

•Port complications following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for morbid obesity

•Obstructive symptoms associated with the 9.75-cm Lap-Band in the first 24 hours using the pars flaccida approach

•Critical extreme anterior slippage (paragastric Richter's hernia) of the stomach after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: early recognition and prevention of gastric strangulation

•Early lap-band erosion associated with colonic inflammation: a case report and literature review

•Band slippage--a potentially life-threatening complication after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding

And those are only SOME of the articles from just THIS YEAR.

Banding was my FIRST (but not LAST) choice. I used to be highly defensive of banding and, like most of the responses here, really down on bypass surgeries. But, to me, the object is to have the procedure that will save my life. And the band isn't doing that.

So, I am one of approximately 20% of banded patients who does NOT get the desired result. I knew those statistics going in. I just wanted the least permanent and least invasive surgery which would WORK for me.

I think that knowing that ANY of the WLS procedures has its plusses and its minuses leaves us in a better position to HAVE a second choice and a second chance should we be in that one-out-of-five for whom the band does not provide relief from MO.

In other words, neither those on the other boards NOR those of us here should knock something we might later need.

IMHO

gendersue I am sorry that you have not had success. I too agree with you that there are good and bad things that go with banding and rny...All of my friends who have nhad the RNY have gain almost all of their weight back. While this journey has seemed long for me 86 lbs in a little over a year has been fabulous. I did not change much. Ate more than I should and worried alot if this was going to work while it was doing just that. Changing my bad habits. It forced me to do that a little at a time which I don't think The RNY does. It is sooo fast that the person does not change any habits formed over their lifetime. And so they have a tendency to have to either live with gaining back the weight or doing like my friend Dana and having it done again. Just my 2 cents. BTW this was not directed at you GenderSue...I was just sorry to hear about your trouble with the band.

Gender? It's Geezer...as in, I'm an old broad.

sorry dislexic...lol