I just gained a whole lot of respect for OH!

It took real ethics and integrity to put that thread back up in it's entirety.   Patients really do deserve to know the facts.  Thank you OH for putting patient safety first and putting that thread back up. 

Well so much for respect.  Of course posts were removed from that thread that had the potential to drive business away from an OH advertiser.  They may have also saved some patients complications and suffering, but that's evidently not what this is about. 

Whew you had me scared for a minute I was just thinking what a great poster bagelface was then I saw the respect post and went WHAT?!  Now I see that it was just a space in posting!

When they first put that post back up it had ALL the replies.   I actually was very surprised when the didn't slap it back up with everything that challenged Simpsons credibility removed.  But as you can see they have sliced and diced it considerably as time goes on.   Thanks for thinking I'm a great poster!!  I try when I can.   

I have not advertised in OH for years, and am not advertising now.

You've gained a whole lot of respect, but MANY people have lost a whole lost of respect for ALLOWING the band bashing to destroy this forum.

It's not about suppressing information about the Lap Band, the data is out there regarding complications, studies, long term issues with the band and gastric bypass.

I've had band "issues too", but most of my "issues" where self inficted, OR caused by my previous surgeon (bad fills) I could easily be a "band basher" but I have no motives to bash the band, no weight loss surgery is perfect. If the band ONLY caused complications and no other weight loss surgeries had complications, THEN I MAY BASH the band. But it's quite silly to bash the band when the Bypass, Sleeve and DS has horrendous and more serious life threatening complications than the band which is well documented.

Everyone does not have issues with the band, so to destroy this forum with negativity seems be a bit evil and (catty) hence all women are doing the band bashing, SOME people may want to know how to use it properly.

What is being SUPPRESSED is issues with the Sleeve. I have nothing against the Sleeve, I would have gladly revised to it when I had my hernia repaired last year. (even though I was not happy nor was my husband about removing my stomach). So I did not revise. (But--If I EVER change my mind, I am happy that I still have that option, if NEEDED.

But there are a lot of unknowns with the Sleeve from a long term standpoint, something that I refuse to be a guinea pig with, at least I can remove the band if I start having issues with it.

The Sleeve is marketed with NOT removing the Pyloric valve, but still many have dumping syndrome and Hypoglcemia, which is a mixed message and people are keeping quite about issues they have ON THIS BOARD.

Some things many people don't talk much about is REACTIVE HYPOGLYCEMIA that can happen LONG TERM with both GASTRIC Bypass and the Sleeve, I don't go into a weight loss surgery just because (it's popular) by the way the lap band was NOT that popular when I got mine back in 2005. I make sure that there is CLEAR medical studies of what can happen long term.

One of the reasons I did not get the Sleeve was I read this trial study on long term issues of Reactive Hypoglycemia, more Bypass people get it because more people have the Bypass, but now since more people are getting the Sleeve they are seeing long term issues with people suffering from  Hypoglycemia which can be deadly and debilitating if it's chronic.

I get mixed message about the Sleeve, I will not get a weight loss surgery just because others have it, I get what is safe for me long term and fits my lifestyle. I don't think surgeons have a financial interest in the lap band, it cost LESS that all other surgeries, and if done properly, you only need about a few fills, which only cost me about $30 dollars co-pay. I can't say this with my old band, because it was not done properly.

If you get the Bypass/Sleeve or DS, they COST MORE MONEY, and additional costs are incurred for LONG TERM NEEDED VITAMINS, and lab work. I don't need all with the band, especially as I get older, this would concern me. Only yearly Upper Gi that's all I need now.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01581801

Bariatric Surgery and Reactive Hypoglycemia

Bariatric surgery has long been recognized as an effective treatment for grade 3 or grade 2 obesity associated with complications. Among the bariatric surgical procedures, roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB) was shown to account for 41% of all bariatric operations at least in the United Sates. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG), that was conceived as the first step before performing a RYGB or a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch in patients who were super-obese, has recently emerged as a new restrictive bariatric procedure.

The incidence of severe hypoglycemia or related symptoms (shakiness, sweating, dizziness or light-headedness, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, confusion, syncope, epilepsy, seizures) within 5 years after the operation.

Reactive hypoglycemia is a late complication affecting up to 72% of RYGB patients although it seems to occur also after SG, in about 3% of the cases. However, until now no prospective studies have investigated the incidence of hypoglycemia after RYGB nor randomized studies have been undertaken to compare the effect of SG to that of RYGB in terms of incidence of hypoglycemic episodes.

It's hard to make a good argument about how bad band bashing is by sleeve bashing.  I honestly don't think people come here to "band bash".   Why would anyone give a crap about who does or does not get a band if the band was a good thing to get.  No body would care if that were the case.  The people who come here to present the other side of the band have had bands negatively impact their quality of life.   They come here to tell their story so that others will learn from it.   If you had been through something painful and saw someone else getting ready to do the same thing would you stand back and say "go for it" or would you tell them what happened to you?  There is a reason that the other surgery boards don't have as many people that are unhappy with their surgery on them.  Those patients generally have lost more weight, have a better quality of life and have had less re-operations.  You are not going to make the band a good device by chasing away everybody that talks against it.  

But you are IGNORING THE WHOLE POINT. The Sleeve, Bypass and the DS ALSO have HORRIBLE life changing complications...why aren't there are TASK FORCE of bitter women on these other boards demanding that the Sleeve, Bypass and DS be stopped? And it's NOT A HANDFUL of patients...A LOT of complications more serious than the lap band.

The reason the band has a HIGHER rate of non life threatening complications is that it's a mechanical device which can be mis used by the patient and the fill giver.

Do you know how EASY it is to have a lap band complication? I can create a self inflicted complication RIGHT NOW, if I choose to do so, I can chug food/thick bread down my throat right now with a restricted band and not chew well and I will be in the ER with an obstruction/or possible band removal --tonight.

Another scenario....I could get a fill tomorrow that will be so tight that I could barely swallow my spit, and KEEP that fill until it damages my esophagus/or cause my pouch to dilate or suffer from dehydration from fear of drinking or eating...This WILL happen there is no ifs or butts about it.

If I had an eating disorder (many people slipped through the psych eval, over the years) and vomited every day, do you think my band will last long? Frequent vomiting with the band regardless of how it happens, illness, bulimia, etc, will cause complications. Will the band slip if someone rarely gets sick from stomach flu? Probably not, only frequent vomiting causes issues.

Lap band complications are VERY EASY TO OCCUR -- if the band is misused...Lap band patients should be carefully picked by the surgeon, everyone should not get the band, it's not for everyone.

So by your logic the band has more complications due to non-compliant patients and ignorant physicians?  So do you think that other surgeries have more compliant patients?  Do you think the band selects for a population that has difficulty following directions?  The type of eating behavior that you describe would have negative consequences for any surgery type.  If you choose to blame yourself for everything that has gone wrong with your band, that's your business.  But you don't know what others have been through, and there are plenty that have been through a lot of grief with the band.  I don't think they are all chugging massive amounts of unchewed food with their bands synched up to the max.   

The reason other forums don't have as many people posting about negative outcomes is because other surgery types have less of them.   They are there to be sure, but not as many.  What you are saying implies that the band selects for a population of bad doctors and patients.  That is just silly talk. 

You are still NOT getting the POINT. I am fully aware that a few complications are not the fault of the patient. What happened to your band? Why was it removed? But that's a dumb question, since most bashers are not sincere or honest about what happened.

Most band patients don't correlate eating too much food and frequent vomiting on a very tight band with reflux, they just think the band caused reflux without knowing what lead up to that point and "reflux just happened out of the blue".