Band musings from an insomniac!

We get the view that the band is short term rammed down our throats by a few people for whom that was the case. They seem to ingore those studies which don't show this but there is no doubt that the early view that the for almost everyone the band was for life does seem to be wrong.  People do lose their bands. But then, of course, other wls are not problem free either!

So we may lose our bands through no fault of our own.

Surgical error:- someone posted about that yesterday and we have one regular poster on here whose surgeon damaged her diaphragm during the op and has left her with permanent damage.

On-going problems with the band which may cause damage to our bodies:- some people can never get the band fill level "right" - they are too loose and so the band has little effect or they are always too tight and so get reflux or other nasty side effects which may cause long term harm. This is not their fault!

Issues we can control:- there are issues which we can take care of ourselves to avoid problems.

- staying too tight  threatens our health, the longevity of our band and, counter-intuitively, doesn't necessarily speed weight loss
-eating carelessly and causing too many stuck or PB episodes
- over-eating until we feel over-full and PB
- not following our doc's instructions for the post-op diet - puts pressure on unhealed sutures
- not going to our docs if we have reflux or any other problem.

We need to take care of our bands - in that way we maximise our chances of keeping them. In particular we need to understand that if the band is so tight it stops us eating, it is too tight! That is not how it should work.

My doc says that in his practice, 20% do not succeed with their band. By "succeed" he means both lose all or most of their excess weight and keep their bands. He does not mean he has to remove 20% of bands! He says that those who succeed are those who keep in touch with the hospital and who learn how to live with their bands rather than fighting them.

Kate

Great post Kate! I think you are exactly right! It is a tool. If you abuse the tool, it is of no use to you because it will break like any other tool!

I always feel so bad for people that are having problems because for some reason their bodies just can't tolerate the band.  They have problems from day one and end up having their bands removed.  I couldn't imagine having this surgery and having the hope that it will help me lose my weight and live a normal life...just to have all of these complications.  I would be crushed. 

I really hope all people find the surgery that is right for them...whether it's a revision or a newbie

So do I!   We do no-one any favours when people insist on blaming the bandster - just makes it worse for them as they feel even more of a failure! But that is not to deny that some people do cause their own problems!

Kate

Oh yes I agree and I see them on here all of the time.  Or they ask questions like...Well my doctor says don't do this but I want to anyway, is that OK"  ???  It's that kind of trying to get out of doing something you know you shouldn't behavior that made us fat.  I know I was guilty of that quite often....that's why I'm an expert.  hahahaha

Couldn't agree more Kate....your band should be your friend, and if we learn to respect it & help it do its job, it will hopefully serve us well. There will always be people who have problems, for a multitude of reasons, but that is the same whatever surgery you choose!

Even tho my band hasn't been so nice to me I've always tried to be nice to it. Maybe that's one reason I haven't lost much because I have to keep it pretty loose to avoid sliming. I suppose I could have lost more weight if I'd kept it super tight but I for sure would have had problems with it from being too tight. I just know the short time it was too tight was truely miserable and not worth the pain. So I'll keep being nice to Hyacinth, my band, and just be glad I haven't regained the little bit I lost.