Hello Fellow Bandsters,

I was banded on 8/9/05 and have learned that my Doctor, who I have the upmost trust and respect for, placed the larger Vanguard band in me. He says that he perfers this larger band for most men. I didn't get to ask him why and have not had my post-op follow up yet. Does anyone know the diffrence, besides the width, and why it is an advantage or dissadvantage. I'll also ask him at my first follow up. I'm finding that my blender is my best friend! My Doctor told me, "anything that can be blended smoothly to a thick paint consistency can be eaten." He has done MANY MANY band surgeries, so I'm doing what he says. Today, I blended some Ranchstyle Beans. Yumm! He told my wife that if I could blend an enchilada, then go for it. As long as it wasn't lumpy or bumpy. I guess I'll try that tonight! I'm glad that he dosn't adhere to the clear/full/ liquids for weeks like some!!!

Ray

280/265/180

Dr. Snow

Fort Worth, Tx.

i also had the larger band...My doctor said he prefered it because he did a small band for someone who was bigger and he couldnt eat or drink anything after surgery and he had to re-operate and put in the larger one. So it has more room and also alows for more fills which is always a plus...im up to 7 cc (in a 10cc band) right now. hope that helps!

I would guess (guess being the operative word) that it depends on your physical size (as opposed to how overweight you are). Everyone doesnt have the same sized internal organs, a 5ft 3 woman will have a smaller stomach than a 6ft 4 man for example.

Also a man of that size will require many more calories and have different nutritional requirements than the woman. You would need to be able to eat more like 1500-1800 while dieting rather than a dainty and feminine 1000-1200, lol.

Does that sound too farfetched?

I also have a wider band that is still in clinical trials with epicon, I'm currently in a study that last for 3 years brfore they approve it, I'm 2 yrs and 1 month into the trial and from what I understand from my dr the only difference between the bands is the amount of fluid that it holds.

I have the larger band and was told by somebody on this board (don't remember what post, sorry) that the larger band has chambers that distributes the saline more evenly for less chance of erosion.

I'm 5'4 and was 242 at surgery. So i'm not sure if my dr does this on all patients. I'm assuming he does since I know I wasn't his largest patient.

I know if you do a search on this board for Vanguard bands there's been quite a bit said about them.

hope that helps!

What exactly is the vanguard band anyways?is that the anme for the larger band,or just a "brand"or somthing to that effect? for some reason i know a ton about the band and i did a loooot of research but im just not sure on that one!=-) LOL

I was told that the larger band was typically used in males because they tended to have more fat around that area & that their organs were typically larger. neither band preforms differently. They each just hold different amounts of saline.

I am only repeating what I was told- so don't hold me too it;0)

I went to support group tonight and someone asked my dr this question. He says he uses the larger band in patients that have a lot of fatty tissue around their organs because you can't go in and take off that tissue to get the other band around there due to bleeding concerns. He said that ultimately the two bands get to pretty much the same place of restriction, it just takes more fluid in the Vanguard.

Not so!

I'm 5'1", a woman with a very small stomach floating inside this huge Vanguard band. I wasn't even as overweight as most when I was banded. But, I think my surgeon just felt safer using it since it was "newly available" at the time and most of my girth was around my middle. Where the Vanguard allows for flexibility is if it restricts after a couple of fills. In my case, I didn't know restriction until 6 months after banding and an uncountable number of fills.

Under flouroscope, this thing looks so funny with my little stomach in the middle. After less than a year and 40 some-odd pounds, I already have 9.3 cc in it. It took 8 cc. to even give restriction for the first time. I thought I'd lose my mind!

So, no! it is not determined by the person's physical size. It's more a matter of what condition the organs are in when the surgeon gets in there. And in some cases, like in mine, evidently the fat around the stomach starts shrinking right away.

I would guess (guess being the operative word) that it depends on your physical size (as opposed to how overweight you are). Everyone doesnt have the same sized internal organs, a 5ft 3 woman will have a smaller stomach than a 6ft 4 man for example.

Also a man of that size will require many more calories and have different nutritional requirements than the woman. You would need to be able to eat more like 1500-1800 while dieting rather than a dainty and feminine 1000-1200, lol.

Does that sound too farfetched?

My doctor only uses the big band, he doesnt use any of the small bands. I am too finding hard to get restriction. Nearly 5 months out I have 8.9mls in and ok restriction. They are saying that the big band has lesss chance of slipping and erosion than the small ones. i dont know how correct this is, just one doctors opinion.

Someone on another site posted this picture that really shows the difference between the Vanguard Band and the others........check it out!

http://www.core.monash.org/placement.html

AmyK

It's way too soon right now to tell if the difference in band design makes a difference in long-term slippage and erosion statistics. My first band (Midband) was touted to be less likely to slip or erode ... and guess what ... my band slipped. I know that proves nothing ... it's just another data point.

The "pillows" of saline were designed on the VG band to distribute the saline more evenly because of the fact that a larger band without pillows causes the saline to distribute unevenly. The smaller band doesn't have that problem. So, it was a way to correct the saline distribution problem that otherwise would occur with the larger diameter band. My surgeon told me this, so I assume he has it on good authority.

I am a woman as well, and my surgeon had to use the largest 10cc band on me. She tried using the mid sized, and said that my stomach was too large and muscular. (her words)

So I do believe that it depends on the surgeon, as well as OR your stomach size. Some surgeons ONLY use the large ones, and others, like my surgeon, go according to the size of your stomach.

I hope this helps anyone researching the band. Each surgeon is different, and you may want to ask what they practice before deciding if they're the right surgeon for you.