band free, never felt better

not sure why i feel compelled to share this, but i do.

i had my band removed in december (2010) due to erosions.  i was so sad.  i was terrified i would gain the weight back.  i was so angry with myself for the money i had wasted asi was self pay.  the surgery was successful but the recovery was hell.  it was a solid month before i felt kinda myself again.

now, 3 months later, i am so glad i don't have the band anymore.  be sure, i loved my band and adored my surgeon and staff.  they were amazing.  but the band itself changed me painful ways htat i accepted.  i had horrible shoulder pain.  i had embarassing gas, awful heart burn, and painful uncomfortable constipation.  but, i had lost all the weight so i did my best to ignore them.  well, those discomforts are gone now and i am so grateful.

so far (and i know it is early but i am trying to stay positive) i have kept off the 10 pounds i lost post op.  i am folllowing my band diet (high protein, low carb, no carbonation or bread, and no drinking with meals),  i have upped my fiber to 30 grams a day cut out processed foods and sugar (never more than 2 teaspoons a day) and journal my eating.  i feel SO GOOD!  and i wanted to share that. 

Well I needed to hear it, so I guess that's why you were compelled to share it tonight... Had my band several years ago, and I am having trouble with it now. It's an "old band" and I am trying to decide what to do at this point. Have a follow up appt coming up to talk to my dr about it, and have been doing some research into different procedures. I needed to hear that doing without the band is ok too. I have different cir****tances, I have already been gaining weight back, so we arent entirely similar, but just hearing there is life without a band is good. Thanks for sharing your info :)

 
The newer bands aren't showing any improvements in stats.  :o(

 
I totally relate to what you are saying.  When you see the scale moving you just put up with the problem issues.  The pain, the stomach acid, the constipation, OMG the constipation!  Getting stuck, the food intolerances, the days and days of liquids... I don't miss any of it.

I'm thrilled for you that you are feeling better and even more thrilled for you that you lost 10#!  I am totally impressed.  When I had my band removed I know me and I would have regained.  I refused to be without any tool.  The sleeve is like having a band that won't erode and does the job without the aftercare, the stuck episodes, slips, or all the other things.  It's just there.

Congrats to you!

I had my band removed (and a revision) just 3 weeks ago and it has been WONDERFUL having that effing thing out of me!!! It was so unbearable.

 I am sorry to hear about your complication, but do you know that you can get rebanded after 6 months if you desire once you heal? But I must say there is a strange pattern with those who self pay, I've been on the board over 6 years and most of the people that self pay end up having to get their bands removed either from erosion or band slippage. This is very strange to me, nothing against you and I am not being smart, but I am wondering if people that self pay keep their bands extremely tight to get the "most for their money"? Typically lap banders don't get awful heartburn or frequent vomiting unless they are way too tight and have slipped their bands.

I have seen this over and over and over again on the boards over the years, it's usually the "self pays" that have more complications and that is very weird. I wish you the best and hopefully if you decide to not get a new band or wls, you can keep up with eating right, exercising and losing weight.

I KNOW that I would gain my  weight back if I lost my band, I am going on 6 years post op and I feel very good with my band but of course I keep my band restricted properly and I don't have any bad side effects, only if I try to shove food down my throat, I will get stuck but I love my band too and I never want to lose it, because I honestly don't believe there is NO other weight loss surgery any better or safer than the band that provides restriction FOREVER,  this is why I will try to take very good care of mine.

I wish you luck

 " I am wondering if people that self pay keep their bands extremely tight to get the "most for their money"? Typically lap banders don't get awful heartburn or frequent vomiting unless they are way too tight and have slipped their bands.
I have seen this over and over and over again on the boards over the years, it's usually the "self pays" that have more complications and that is very weird."

Now, now, it's not fair to make generalizations, Naomi!  I don't necessarily agree with you.  I don't see us self-payers trying to stay too tight "to get the most for our money".  If anything, the fact that I was self-pay made me more conscious of my responsibility for doing whatever I had to do to be successful.  As a matter of fact, I kept my $13,000 bill posted on the fridge for a long time after surgery!  However, I could see someone who is self-pay slacking on long-term aftercare due to cost, either not getting enough fills to be successful, or allowing problems to go unchecked for too long.  Honestly, I *don't* recommend someone get a band if they don't have insurance for that very reason.  

Also, I gotta say that your comments above fall in line with the "blame the bandster" train of thought.  One thing I've learned for sure in four years living with the band, and hanging out on this board is that sometimes complications happen even to the best little bandsters in the world.  That sucks, but it's true.  

Tami

Tami, I am sorry if it seemed as if I was making generalizations for those who self pay for their bands, I know you are always on top of your band health and any issues that may arise. I am sure there are some like you who did self pay and make sure they are very cautious and stay abreast of aftercare and stay in close contact with their surgeons in case something happens.

But I must say I've seen MORE people that experienced band slippage and removal over the years that self paid than those insurance covered their surgeries. I am not sure if comes down to people cannot afford to get a needed unfill if they experience problems or what, but I''ve seen this too many times and I guess surgeons need to study this.

 I also hope they study the cause of excessive stomach acid in bariatric patients (both sleeve and band).  Is it caused by too much restriction, or is it sometimes simply having the stomach altered by surgical removal or that "foreign object" (band) interfereing with the body's natural signals?  Or do some people just produce more stomach acid for non-band reasons that then impact the band?  

Tami

Tammi, I think you may be right, I think everyone body is different or may produce more acid than others, everyone stomach tissue is different, some people may not tolerate the band and are more prone to slippage and erosion than others. But again, there was a study done a few years back mentioning that frequent use of sparking beverages such as soda, alcoholic beverages or beer and taking NASIDS  can weaken stomach tissue to encourage band migration.

Still after all these years no one really knows what causes band erosion but there are speculations, but I make sure I don't take NSAIDS often, I have taken them briefly only when I needed them and I have not had any problem so far and I don't drink sodas frequently, I guess what that study was trying to say was it's OK to drink sodas, beer and alcohol or even take NSAIDS, on rare occasions but not daily.