Anyone had lap band, but it didn't work?

Has anyone had lap band surgery, and have not seen any results?  I think I am the only person I know who had that surgery and have not lost any weight.  I got the surgery 3/08 and I am about the same weight. 

You are not alone. There are lots of people the band does not work for. Statistically it has the worst results for losing excess weight and even worse for keeping it off.   The best results for excess weight loss and resolution of pre-operative co-morbid conditions are in this order:

1-DS
2-rny
3-sleeve
4-band

With the band you have to do a lot of the work yourself, since it is a restriction only procedure, and you have no malabsorbtion. You also do not have any tools built in to deter you from eating fattening foods. For instance rny patients may dump which causes them to avoid sweets, and DS patients may have gas if we overload on carbs and simple sugars.

Having said that I have seen a few banders who have been successful. So, it is possible.  Unfortunately the banders I have talked to are mostly on the other side of the spectrum losing very little weight.  Funny how they don't put those people on the billboards and comercials.   Sometimes the easiest and less risky procedure is not the BEST procedure for you.

Have you consulted with your surgeon and nutritionist about this? Are you already at your max fill? Would you consider a revision?

DeborahT is a very successful bander and an OH leader on the GA forum. She is very knowledgeable about the band. Maybe you can PM her for advice.

I pray you find a solution and get your weight moving down the scale. I know you did not put yourself through all this to fail. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! and you WILL!


                             

Thanks for the reply.  I am not at my max fill, but I am too afraid to get any more fills because I have not had any luck with them.  I can either eat way too normally, which by normal standards actually isn't normal at all, or I can't swallow my own saliva.  The latter is truly a horrible situation that I don't care to repeat in this lifetime or in any future lives!  I don't live near my doctor, which has been inconvienient when it comes to fills, and they stay booked up months in advance anyway.  If I have a day off work, I can't just pop in on them.  They are strictly by appointments only, unless there is an emergency.  There is a doctor where I live who does fill/unfills, but he charges $100.00 a pop.  That is just not in my budget. 

I have been approved by my insurance company to recieve gastric surgery.  I am in the 6 months pre-surgical phase.  I am on the 2nd month.  My gut originally told me to not to get lap band, but I did it because it made my husband more comfortable.  He felt gastric was too risky.  I now regret not listening to that inner voice.  Hindsight always reveals how powerful and knowledgeable that inner voice is.

During one of my fills, I met a man who said he had lost 50 pounds and stalled because he found a way to cheat.  I immediately urged him NOT to tell me how to cheat because I knew that I would it in moments of weakness.  He didn't tell me, but that didn't matter because in one of my giggly, I'm about to tear some food up moments, I played around with some food until I learned how to get as much down as I wanted.  So as of right now, my band has a descent amount of saline.  When I get up in the morning, I can't eat very much, probably nothing at all but liquids like most bandsters; however, I have found ways to get down as much food as I was eating prior to my surgery.  The only time I am unable to get food down is during the day when I'm at work.  Sometimes I can; most of the time I can't.  So, when I get home I make up for that lost meal by eating whatever I want. 

I need something that will limit my food intake and the types of food I eat like what you described with the RNY and DS.  I will definitely be taking a closer look at all of my options because I do not want to make the same mistake twice.

Again, I thank you for replying.  I don't talk to anyone about my surgery, which is probably part of the problem, too.  It felt good to say some of these things freely.  It is also refreshing to have someone reply who is not being judgmental.  I have seen how some people will jump (flame) on others on this sight and it first made me hesitant about posting initially.
 

Well, it seems like you have decided to ditch the band,  but you could make a last effort to get a fill and see if they can get you to the right cc.

If you do decide on a revision, please carefully research noth DS and rny as options. Of course I am in favor of DS, but both imo are better than a band.


I hate to see anybody having to go through a revision.  I can't imagine having to put myself through the physical and emotional pain. Not to mention the fact that a revision will be riskier than the 1st surgery and will take longer in the OR.  

That's why it is so important for us to educate pre-ops as much as possible about the pros and cons of all our surgeries, so they can make the right choice the 1st time.

If you decide to go with DS, I reccomend Dr Hugh Houston in Nashville or Dr. Dennis Smith in Marrietta. Dr. David Voellinger in Charlotte is also good as well as Dr Ranjan Sudan in Raleigh Durham NC. Unfortunately I had a bad experience with a sloooow paperwork process with Dr. Voellinger so Ihad to jump ship, but I don't have anything bad to say about his skills as a qualified DS surgeon.

All of those surgeons I mentioned do all 4 surgeries and all are trained in laproscopic surgery and all do revisions.  I reccomend a consult with one of them so you can get an unbiased professional opinion of al the options you have for wls.

Until then, work that band for all it's worth girlfriend!  Stop cheating!  If you are having a revision, you need to go into the OR in the best shape possible.



p.s.
OK , OH Family where are all the banders out there? Our band sister needs a hug and some encouragement. Share what you have done to make the band work for you, or if you were not succesful did you do a revision, or are you still fighting the fight?

How many fills have u had? How many cc's in now???

this is crazy I though I was alone I got the surgery 08/2009 and I was doing extrememly well losing 60 pounds in 2 and a half months but since then I've gained it all back and can't lose it for beans, I'm super active can go to the gym and work out for hours. I know how to also diet well, but do have the occasional slip-up( relapse on sweets). I'm at wits end

 
I got my band just 3 months after you got yours. It does NOT work for most ppl long term! Infact it does NOT work for a lot of ppl short term even!!!

Can you revise?

 
You are NOT alone! I got my band in Nov. '09 and have since had 16 fills and 4 partial unfills. NO restriction/sweet spot/green zone!!! Either too loose or too tight. No happy medium. The CRAP-BAND has not worked at all like Allergan described!!! Unfortunately a lot of us have been screwed over by Allergan(Lap-Band) and Johnson & Johnson (Realize Band)!!!

You might think about joining the Facebook failed band group.

I have had about 4 or 5 fills and because it has been a while since I last went, I'm not sure about how many cc's I have.  I think I have 7.