Band users--would you do it again?

NEVER! The band was the worst mistake I have made. Be prepared to have stuck episodes, pain if you eat the wrong thing (it can very day to day), vomiting, heartburn, weight re-gain, and the surgery with the lowest results.
If you are a sweet eater, these foods are called slidders and you can easily overeat them.
Also be prepared for food intolerances. Most of us cannot eat chicken or other meats.
I can't wait to get this miserable thing out July 11th and revise to the sleeve in Aug.
Please keep researching and make the decision that is right for you.
The band was soooo far from what I thought it would be. Also remember you cannot keep it in forever.

I "know", via the internet, two people who have had theirs 10 years.  One was part of the FDA trials and another went overseas to have the surgery.  Both have their original bands. 

I agree, 2 out of numerous people isn't many. Statistically insignificant as a matter of fact, but think about it.. other prosthesis rarely last "forever".  People think nothing of replacing a pace maker, artificial knees, hips, etc. when they wear out.  I don't get what the emotional difference is with replacing a band.  It's like because it's helping to control our appetite it's not supposed to wear out?  Or is it the location, being around our stomach?  I don't get it.

soulsister,

please don't take offense to my question, but with any surgery can't people find a way "around" the right thing to do?  Like w/ the bypass (for the ones that don't have dumping) people can still over eat sweets and still get sick and have intolerances of chicken and hamburger and can still have stuck episodes and still stretch their pouches out right?  I don't know anything about the sleeve.  Is it able to be stretched or can someone eat "around" the rules?  

I'm so sorry it didn't work for you, but I'm very happy that you are able to get something that will work for you.  Keep us updated on your progress!  Good luck to you!!!   

I know people that had the bypass and they eat around their surgery all the time in fact the person I know wanted to get the band but failed the testing because she didnt even try on her bypass and the docs wont even consider her for another surgery .  She eats ice cream, cakes, candies out the ass .

You can over eat on any surgery so dont say just the band you can over eat on because that just isnt true.

I just know one person with the sleeve from support and yes you can eat around the sleeve also . She has done it many times .

 I don't know anything about the sleeve.  Is it able to be stretched or can someone eat "around" the rules? 

It can stretch, but only so much.  The part of the stomach that's removed is from the fundus, which is where the stretchiest tissue is.  The inner curvature doesn't have much give to it... that's what's left in place with just some of the stretchy tissue.  So yes, it  can stretch a bit, but it won't ever go back to the original size.  The typical stomach can hold 4-6 cups worth of food, a sleeve can only hold 1-2 cups.

With the VSG, the only rule is that you need to prioritize eating proteins first, veggies next and fruits last... if you have room.  Your stomach functions exactly as it always has, the volume is just reduced so you can only eat so much (which is great for binge eaters like myself) and need to be smarter about your nutrition.  You can eat crap just like with any WLS, but that's not going to serve you very well when you only have so much space to fill with food each day.  We can eat anything at all... we just have to make the right choices, so like with every WLS, forging a new relationship with food is part of the journey.

It's a restriction-only proceedure, no malabsorption, just like the band.  The device aside, the only other difference is that the portion of the stomach that's removed contains a decent chunk of cells that produce the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which means a lot of people experience a reduced hunger drive post-op.  It's fairly common to hear VSGers talk about forgetting to eat... food ceases to be in control like it once was.

One of the reasons I switched from the band to the VSG is not only because of not wanting to deal with the maintenance and potential for complications (immediate or later on), but because the percentage of excess weight loss for people in my BMI range after the first year is closer to that of the RNY around 70%, as opposed to only about 50% with the band.

The band has the most food intolerances of any wls. The part of the stomach that stretches the most is called the fundus. That is removed with the vsg along with the hunger hormone grehlin. It is not with rny that is partially why rny has regain.
Yes, you can eat around surgeries. My experiences with the band is you most definitely can.

I had the band back in 2006. It was the most awful, painful experience I have ever had in my life. All I did was vommit for an entire year. Granted I lost almost 90lbs but it wasn't a very healthy way to do it. I was a member of Obesityhelp back then and I remember a lot of people complaining that they weren't having success with the band either. My primary care physician even warned me that it was a poor surgery. Anyways to make a long story short the band completely obstructed me. I had to have emergency surgery to remove it. I'm so glad that thing is out of me. I've revently joined Obesityhelp again to find out more about other surgeries. Always keep in mind that a lot of people are on this site because the surgery is new and they are excited about the weightloss and yes few do have success. The other folks who didn't have success or have had otherwise "nightmarrish" experiences with this surgery don't often stick around so you don't get to hear the opposing side. Oh, and I gained all my weight back plus another 30 or 40. Hope this helps. 
 

If I could do it all over again, I would have gone with the RNY surgery. I started out great, but did experience some problems after surgery - ended up in the ER and spent hours going through tests to make sure the band didn't slip, which it did not.

I started out eating the way my doctor wanted me to, and I was losing weight at a slow pace, but I was happy with the weightloss. But, within 4 months of the surgery, my husband and brother got very sick. I spent the next several months taking care of them, and didn't take care of me. I originally lost 80 pounds, but have now gained 40 pounds back, and am struggling to get back on track. My sweet tooth has reared it's ugly head numerous times, and it's really  hard for me to get off the sugar once I start. With the bypass surgeries, you can't do the sugar (my husband had the more mal-absorbative surgery and lost over 250 pounds in a matter of months.) He is 6' 3" and got down to about 160 (which was scary), but now he's gained about 30 pounds, and is in the 190's, which is a much better weight for his height. This surgery saved his life as he was diabetic and taking 6 shots of insulin a day. Now, no diabetes, no high blood pressure, no high cholesterol, etc.

So, see what your doctor recommends for the amount of weight you need to lose - with the band, you can cheat, and not lose the weight you want. It is really up to you to stick to an eating plan with this procedure.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

I would NEVER do it again. I just had my 2nd band removed on May 25 and I couldn't be happier. I only have 38 lbs till I reach a normal BMI of 25 and If I never get there I'll still be happy I had that band removed.

Yes I'd definately do again....lost 42lb in 8 months & feel great!!!

No problems at all with the band either.

Jill