:thumbup:

So I am scheduled for surgery on the 16th...but I am a little freaked. I interviewed and hired a new para this week. She agreed to take the position and was going to start on Monday. However, wouldn't you know it- her dad is in the hospital right now dying because his band has eroded and it is poisoning his body. What are the chances that the person I hire has a dad who is dying because of it? Is it a sign??!

Well, the chances of that occurring are not that often. How did you feel about the surgery before you heard their story?

Were you aware that there are risks associated to the band?

All I can say, is yes complications can and do occur with the band, however complications can and do occur with other medical procedures as well.

If you have confidence in your doctor and his staff then move forward with the surgery. Really, there are no guarantees in life, so move forward and make the best of your life.

Take care and good luck!

I'm still going through with it, but I must admit I had a mini me sitting on my shoulder telling me it is a sign!

With any surgery, you have risks and this is one of them. Now, I know that probably does not make it OK in your mind, but I think a lot of this type of stuff can be linked to having the right doctor and proper follow up care. IMO, with things like this you might hear half the story with what happened or how this progressed.

Im curious when was the first lapband put into someone? I wonder what is going to happen 20 or 40 years with the band on the stomach. Do the docs think it will last that long or are they just hoping

I asked this question at my seminar back in Sept, and was told the band is meant to last and remain on indefinately. Supposedly it has been used in Europe for close to 20 years with very low incidences of complications.....now they are obviously being mass produced here one would think, so I guess we all just have to remain on top of our health.

I can't help but think that there would be some signs that erosion was starting right??? I would assume there would be pain or strange sensations if it was becoming erroded (sp???) into your stomach. So, as long as your confident in your Dr. and you keep up with your appointments and once goal is reached you still visit 1 - 2 times a year and discuss things it will be ok. I mean, I've heard of errosion and having to have a band removed and even seen video of it being cut away from the stomach, but I've never heard of death as a result. Has anyone else ever heard of death as a result of errosion??

I was looking through the other posts from today and came across this link Lap Band Surgery, Your Journey to Weight Loss Sucess

I talks about errosion and how years ago it was more common (probably the case of your friend's father), but today it is less than 2% and it gives warning signs to detect if this might be the case. Also says CT scans and other devices can identify if this is a problem. Take a look at it and hope it makes you feel more comfortable about your decision to go ahead with your procedure. I know it made me feel better about my band that was placed just 2 weeks ago;)

I had my pre-op on Friday and will be banded on Monday. I asked my surgeon about erosion and he said the older bands had some hard plastic on them which is not the case now so the risk of erosion is much less. I felt better after that - but the thought of having it cut away at some point kind of makes me squirm - not enough to cancel though!! I think what was said about staying in tune with your body and keeping up on appointments to discuss any changes will make the difference too. Good luck, I'll be going first!!