Nervous about the lap band

I love my band... I've had no issues at all.

The band changed my life.

If I had to do it again I would do it without hesitation.

I started with a 54" waist and now am  32" waist.

I always tell people don't go into this journey saying I'll never be able to eat this or that ever again... each person is different.  I've never been sick from the band.  I take tiny bites and I make sure I finish what I have in my mouth before I take my second or third bite.  I eat all foods even bread except rice and apple skins.. they just fill strange going down... they don't get stuck... just feel strange so I avoid them... all other foods are fine... and I don't drink any carbonated beverages.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss:  156 lbs

 

Hi! I was banded in August 2008. I've dropped 135# and am 40# from goal.

Weight loss for me was very slow to being with, mainly because I was so heavy that I hated exercising. I have PCOS, and the only way I was going to get my life back after 20 years of struggling to lose weight was through WLS. I started out at 360, and though the band did give some restriction, I wasn't much of a junk food eater to begin with, so I didn't experience drastic weight loss. However, as I lost weight it became easier to be active, and as I became more active, I lost more weight, year of year. Last year I lost 70#. This year I plan to drop the final 40.

The band is a tool. It teaches you to chew your food well, because if you don't it will get stuck. It teaches you portion size control because you can only eat so much or you vomit/burp the food up. What it doesn't teach you is not to eat crap. If you're a carb-addict or junk-food eater, the Band may not be for you, mainly because you aren't going to get mal-absorption like you would with the RnY. With the RnY, you get sick if you eat sugary stuff, so you modify your eating behavior so you don't get sick any more. With the RnY you can eat too many calories and still loose weight because the most absorbent area of your intestines has been by-passed.

It comes down to how much self-discipline you have. If you are willing to eat less and exercise more, you'll lose the weight with the Band. If you aren't willing to make those behavior modifications, or if you want immediate weight loss gratification, you should try the RnY or perhaps the Sleeve.

Don't do it. I know some have had success, but my experience and what I hear overwhelmingly from others is that it's a big disappointment, lots of side effects and a waste of money.

Is it common to have intense pain and vomiting with the lap band? NO

Vomiting only happens if the following occurs:

1. Some people vomit often even with NO lap band, are you one of these people? If not, you have no worries.

2. Vomiting can happen only if the person's band is not installed properly from the beginning, make sure your surgeon has done over 300 bands, ideally over 500.

3. Vomiting is VERY RARE for those who chew their foods properly with optimal restriction.

4. Pain/reflux and frequent vomiting ONLY occur with the lap band, if the lap band has slipped, or complication.

5. The lap band DOES NOT CAUSE VOMITING, unless it is dangerously too tight, or if the patient refuse to chew properly.

6. If the lap band did not cause vomiting, in the first 6 months post op and suddenly after 1-2 years the patient starts to experience very frequent vomiting/reflux, this means that the patient has been eating too much food/or purging and forcibly vomiting on a too tight lap band and has damaged the band, and slippage has occurred. All slippages are not urgent, they will just make life miserable with the lap band. -- This the number one complication with the band and happens a whole lot, in about 40 percent of lap band complications, but it is preventable.

7. Typically with a well adjusted band, not too tight, you should never experience vomiting if you chew your food well, and avoid eating too much. When you have reached your sweet spot, the green zone, you should not eat no more than 4 oz per meal.  The lap band will never stop you from eating, but it helps you stop -- and the lap band is very good at helping you stop eating.

I've had 2 lap bands, the first band I got in 2005, and I rarely vomited with my old band, only when I goofed and ate too much, or took big bites, and for me when I did spit up, it was not like real vomiting, like a baby spit up, not gross like real vomit -- at least for me.

I got my band replaced due to a hiatal hernia about over 3 months ago and I have not vomited once with my new band and I have perfect restriction, the food just gently goes down and I chew well and stop eating when satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

I hate to burst your bubble!  BUT IF YOU HAVE HAD NO VOMITING, SLIMING OR STUCK EPISODES AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU DO IT MEANS YOUR LAPBAND HAS A COMPLICATION  NOT THAT YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING WRONG! 

I HATE HATE HATE WHEN YOU DO THAT.  YOU DO IT ALL OF THE TIME.  I DID NOT CHANGE THE WAY I CHEWED MY FOOD, I MEASURED EVERY MEAL  MY ENTIRE LAPBAND LIFE AND I NEVER OVER ATE!  MY LAPBAND HAD TIGHTENED ON IT'S OWN DUE TO THE SCAR TISSUE.  MY CHANGES HAD NOTHING, NOT ONE THING TO DO WITH MY BEHAVIOR. 

YOU WONDER WHY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS, DISLIKE YOU -- THIS IS THE REASON.  STOP BLAMING THE BANDER AND RECOGNIZE THAT SOMETIMES COMPLICATIONS HAPPEN AND THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BEHAVIOR OF THE LAPBANDER!

Sorry -- but I just tell the TRUTH about MY experience and I am a lap band vet, and I have seen and heard it all for over 8 years. I just answered this person's post TRUTHFULLY.....

Again, if you ask any surgeon about scar tissue causing the band to tighten without a recent fill, they will tell you it's nonsense.

I can't find any medical documentation on lap band complications and scar tissue, -- I had TONS of scar tissue when I got my band revision, but my band did not tighten up, I still could eat food without vomiting, because my band had not slipped.

Based on reading these boards for 9 years and medical documentation the only thing that will cause the band to tighten up with NO saline is band slippage. If you want to argue with people argue with surgeons and medical professionals that write studies.

I am SURE when the band has slipped for long periods of time inside the body, it creates more scar tissue which makes reflux and difficulties eating worse.

If you don't like hearing facts, I will simply make your time here more pleasant by blocking you.

You tell your version of the truth.  Not the truth!  My surgeon has done 1000's of LapBand to Sleeve or RNY revisions and he has seen the scar tissue build up causing the band to tighten.  So that is just not any surgeon, it's the surgeon who did my revision.  He is also the surgeon who took lots of pictures of my stomach with the massive amount of scar tissue.   I am sure it's not information he pulled from his butt!  But if it makes you feel better to think that, go for it.

You can write whatever you want, but what you need to realize is that you alienate those here - should they ever have a complication.  They don't want to be blamed for their CrapBand.  You are the only one who blames the poor patient.  It's disrespectful and just plain wrong.

You can block me if you want, I have no problem with that!

I will only take the time to address a few here.

1. Some people vomit often even with NO lap band, are you one of these people? If not, you have no worries.

Not true!  I almost never vomited before the band.  Some times I wish I was a person that could just vomit and get it over with but, I wasn't build that way.  I vomited often with the band.

2. Vomiting can happen only if the person's band is not installed properly from the beginning, make sure your surgeon has done over 300 bands, ideally over 500.

Not true!  My band was placed properly from beginning to the very end. I vomited often with the band.

3. Vomiting is VERY RARE for those who chew their foods properly with optimal restriction.

Not true! It didn't matter the fill I vomited often with the band.

4. Pain/reflux and frequent vomiting ONLY occur with the lap band, if the lap band has slipped, or complication.

Not true!  My band wasn't slipped and I vomited frequently with the band.

5. The lap band DOES NOT CAUSE VOMITING, unless it is dangerously too tight, or if the patient refuse to chew properly

Not true!  I already stated it didn't matter the fluid level or how much I chewed.  Some times I would still Vomit with the band.

Some if not many will vomit with the band.  Please stop always blaming those suffering with the band for problems the band causes.

I hadn't had an adjustment in over a year and I all of a sudden had severe reflux and vomiting on a daily basis!  My band was emptied and it continued!  My band had tightened so tight due to the scar tissue underneath and over the Band!  The UGI showed, no slip or erosion.  My surgeon testified to that when he opened me up!  The band was secured properly in the right place as it was the day I was banded.  I had never over eaten, my pouch was still small as it was the day I was banded.

I hate when she blames us for our complications.  IT's unfair and very disrespecful.

The original post is gone!  Not deleted just gone.