An experienced surgeon's view on the band- not bashing!

When I was in mexico having vsg surgery (lapband out 3 months ago)my surgeon said the following things about the band. granted he had performed 3,500 hundred band surgeries, he will no longer do them.

I did't have any mechanical problems with band such as port flip or slip. Just heartburn and vomiting, intolerance of foods.

He said that they cause a permanent ring around your stomach along with a host of other problems. He also said you cannot keep it in forever and there will be loads of scar tissue caused by it.

I proceeded to tell him how I was hospitalized, 2 months after band removal, due to esophagitis. With the band I had such severe heartburn I would lay in bed in agony. Since I had never experienced gerd, heartburn before the band he said that was most likely the cause.

After surgery he said that my liver and stomach were stuck together with scar tissue.

Lapbands cause damage. Bottom line.

I can attest to the fact that lapbands cause damage!   I went in for lapband surgery a reasonable healthy, albeit fat, person. I had the band out 2 years later and now have a laundry list of physical problems directly attributed to it.  My lower intestine has so much scar tissue that it bends in a "V" shape. My last colonoscopy was ridiculous. I kept coming awake because they couldn't move the machinery smoothly through and it caused horrible pain.

I have gastritis, diverticulitis, ulcers, hiatal hernia,adhesions, esophageal dilation, and diaphragmatic damage that is responsible for the continuing left shoulder pain I experience at least a couple of times a week.  Oh, and I can't forget how since I had the band removed, I NEVER feel full. It's as if the nerves died off and now I have no feeling of satiety.

My gastroenterologist told me that he wouldn't recommend the lapband to anyone, under any cir****tances. He claims that it does more damage than people realize and they are "a bear" to remove.

I feel for anyone who buys into the 'less invasive' sales pitch.

Anything implanted into the body causes scar tissue. As for eventual removal being necessary, that sounds like his opinion and you could find another dr. to disagree.

Of all the surgeries, it may be the mosy easy "defeatable" though

According to Allergan...you know who Allergan is right ?

www.allergan.com/assets/pdf/lapband_dfu.pdf

Special Notice
The manufacturer of the LAP-BAND AP® Adjustable Gastric
Banding System has designed, tested and manufactured it to be
reasonably fit for its intended use. However, the LAP-BAND AP®
System is not a lifetime product and it may break or fail, in whole
or in part, at any time after implantation and notwithstanding
the absence of any defect. Causes of partial or complete failure
include, without limitation, expected or unexpected bodily
reactions to the presence and position of the implanted device,
rare or atypical medical complications, component failure
and normal wear and tear. In addition, the LAP-BAND AP®
System may be easily damaged by improper handling or use.
Please refer to the adverse events section in this document
and to the Information for Patients booklet for a presentation
of the warnings, precautions, and the possible adverse events
associated with the use of the LAP-BAND AP® Adjustable Gastric
Banding System.

In order for the band to be "reasonably fit for its intended use," our bodies would have to be made of platinum and rubber hosing.   That's the only way I can see that the band would be less likely to cause damage. If you're unlucky enough to be made of biological material and choose a band... well, that kinda sucks.

 
~Of all the surgeries, it may be the mosy easy "defeatable" though~

Of all the surgeries, the band is the most INEFFECTIVE!!!

Since I'm wide awake and I have nothing else to do...I just thought of something else I wanted to say to you in regards to scar tissue.

20 years ago I had a little round piece of plastic put around my fallopian tubes called a "Tubal Ring" to prevent me from becoming pregnant. I already had 3 children and I didn't want anymore.. The tubal ring is a small silastic band placed around a loop of the fallopian tube.

With this method of tubal ligation, a 2-3 cm segment of fallopian tube is drawn inside a narrow cone-shaped applicator. The silastic ring (that previously has been stretched over the outside of the applicator) is then released onto the tubal loop. As the ring contracts due to its elasticity, it constricts the base of the loop and blocks the fallopian tube. Deprived of its blood supply, the constricted loop is replaced with scar tissue.

Not once, in the last 20 years have I experienced any complications and/or injuries from this small silastic band that was placed around my fallopian tubes. I have had ZERO issues with any scar tissue that was formed due to the Tubal Ring" being implanted in my body, but I cannot say that the same holds true for the Lap Band.

Maybe it's because placing a small piece of hard silastic around a soft tissue organ that has to churn in order for it to digest food is just a bad idea....just sayin.

The stomach is your body's mechanical and chemical food processor. It's a pouch composed of sheets of muscle that encircle the stomach in different directions. When they contract, the stomach can mix the mush this way and that. The stomach muscles twist and churn the food like you would knead bread dough. The lining of the stomach secretes gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the food, a protein-splitting enzyme called pepsin, and a fat-digesting enzyme called lipase. Like fruits or vegetables pureed in a blender, the food is churned and mixed with the digestive juices until it resembles thick soup. This glob is called chyme.

www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/food-digestion/what-digestion

This chick thinks those of us who are always band bashing only " claim " to have a band because we didn't state who are surgeons were or when we had our band surgeries, and has stated so on the lap band forum..
She is obviously another person who doesn't realize that we are not bashing HER decision to have the lap band....we are only sharing our real life experiences with our bands in hopes that other will not be injured by the lap band.
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4471460/Another-band-bash ing-thread-on-the-main-forum/


melati
Miami, FL
Eddie Gomez Lap Band (12/23/03) Member Since: 09/24/03
[Latest Posts]Post Date: 11/13/11 3:14 pm
Just cuz you put a "not bashing" discalimer at the beginning doesn't mean you ain't bashing guys.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4471623/An-experience d-surgeons-view-on-the-band-not-bashing/

It has all the usual folks who claim to have had it and don't post with whom and/or when. I like to see long term bandsters refute these or at least present their side, mostly because this is the forum that helps ppl make up their mind, not because I want to start a fight.

I applaud all those who share their bad band experiences because had I known then what I know now I would never have gone ahead with the band. It has been a total and utter failure for me and I should never have had it. And I have on my post who my surgeon was (he's an excellent surgeon and well respected by other surgeons) and when I had mine done (4 years of utter frustration and agony). People NEED to know that it is not the great thing that the band manufacturers say it is. It will help some but it is not at all for everyone! So keep sharing and warning because there are other surgeries available that are far more successful!

My original RNY surgeon was very vocal about not liking the band. He said back in 2003 that it was a money maker, would cause a host of problems, and that the surgeons who implanted it damned well knew they'd get at least one more surgery out of it because it would need to be removed.

Of course, I wound up with a lot of problems because he liked to back up his RNY with a permanent prolene mesh band around the stoma. Sigh.