Thinking about the band

Hey all, new to this forum!

Basically my story is that I was supposed to have surgery on Monday (12-14) to get the sleeve. As I was sitting in pre-op, I became very nervous and anxious. I know that is normal when having surgery, but this was different. After talking with my mom before my surgeon came in, I had basically decided not to have the surgery, I just don't think I was ready for a non-reversible option.

So now here I am, thinking about perhaps getting the lap band. I would love to hear from some of you about why you like or don't like your band, and what are some of the things that have made you successful in your weight loss!

Thanks!

The band is the only WLS I would NOT recommend anyone getting. 

I had the band for 11 years and even though the first several years were good I ended up with complications severe reflux, port pain, food getting stuck and the kicker was that I had NO fill.  My band was completely emptied and I still had 24/7 heartburn/reflux to the point of me eating tums like candy. 

For three years I suffered with my throat burning everyday and not being able to eat a piece of chicken without it coming up.  Heck I couldn't even eat a soft scrambled egg without it coming back up.  That sucked big time.

I had a revision in February of this year to the bypass and I am so happy I did.  Since the band came out I have not had one ounce of heartburn/reflux, no pain where the port was and have lost more weight with the bypass than I did with the band. 

The band is not easy to work with like others will make it out to be.  If you never get that sweet spot for fills then you going back and forth to the surgeon for fills and unfills.  Then you will get depressed for not losing enough weight.  Anyone who has a good amount of weight to lose should never even consider the band.  

Oh and you said you weren't ready for a non-reversible option, well the damage that the band can and has done to people make it where some can never get a revision down the road.   There are some on here that that has happened to.

Honestly you should have stuck with having the sleeve or look into the bypass or DS. 

I have the lap band and love it!!  I eat just small amounts of food and then don't even think about food again.  Something I never thought would happen to me.  I was always thinking about food - 24/7! Now my husband has to remind me that we need to eat dinner!  If you want to do the lap band just make sure you have a really good surgeon that supplies really good follow up care. I don't regret my decision for one minute. I'm feeling good about myself for the first time in years.

I love my band, but unfortunately you will not find many band lovers in this forum anymore. The loudest group are the people with a failed band for whatever reason. Please feel free to message me anytime with questions. I will be happy to help.

Best of luck to you!

Dejah

The real truth about the band is yes it works for a few people really well, but eventually you will have problems with it. I've been on this forum for over 10 years and I only know of 1 person that still has their band and no problems with it and she got hers a bit before I had mine in 2007. The facts are that 60% of bands fail no matter whether you follow the rules or not. When they fail you are subjected to daily vomiting every time you eat, or just pain in your abdomen from a slip or constant heartburn so strong that your entire esophagus  feels like it is on fire. A current survey showed only 6% of bariatric surgeries are the lap band, the majority were either the sleeve or bypass and the rest were the DS. The only good thing I can say about the band is that it makes you burp like an elementary school boy. Unless you are out to impress young boys with your skills in that area I would strongly advise you go back to the sleeve. It works the way we were told the band would except it didn't work that way at all.

If I had been able to revise that is what I would have chosen but because of other issues I wasn't able to revise. I do however have a daily reminder of my band which is constant burning in my throat and my inability to easily swallow pills. I lost part of my swallowing ability because of the band. The muscles in the esophagus get strained until they can no longer work correctly because the band is trying to push the food back up and the muscles are trying to swallow the food down. The longer you have the band the weaker your muscles get until they no longer work at all for some people. I know of 3 women who have had to go to tube feeding because of the band and another who had her stomach completely removed so she can use gravity to get her food directly to her intestines so she can get at least some nourishment. Her next step if this doesn't work is also tube feeding. I have constant burning plus it gave me gastroparesis which is a slow digestion in the stomach which causes painful gas, nausea and cramping that you just really don't want to have!!The band may be removable but the damage it can do is permanent and serious for many.

Another problem nearly all of us have is that scar tissue grows between the band and the stomach which tightens the band even after it is emptied like the woman above mentioned. I too was empty for 2 years before I had to finally get mine removed because it was so tight I could only eat pureed soups for all my meals or anything soft like slider foods, ice cream was also in there because, face it, it tastes good and goes down easy. Many surgeons don't understand about the scar tissue and will insist it can't be the band causing pain but it is. They just can't see it on their tests so they continue to make us feel guilty about not losing or gaining because all looks well but it isn't.

Most of us never get the so called sweet spot where you aren't hungry. Even the ones who had it at one time often lose it because they get a fill and then when they try to get back to the good spot they can't get it again even with the same amount of saline in the band. That ends up being a serious issue too, having to empty the band for an emergency on say a weekend can be a living nightmare. Trying to find a hospital ER with a bariatric surgeon on a holiday can be life threatening. Someone who can't swallow their own saliva because of a too tight fill has to try to find someone knowledgeable enough to take some saline out and even the hospitals don't always have someone there who can do that. It gets to be a pain in the rear trying to get the band adjusted. I know hundreds of people whose original surgeon has retired or moved to another practice and more common lately is the surgeon no longer messes with the band surgery anymore because they can do a sleeve and be done, there is very little followup care needed with the sleeve. Even the Mayo Clinic no longer does the band because of its high failure rate.

I know of literally hundreds of women who have revised to the sleeve from a band who spent 5-10 yrs trying to lose with the band and lost very little or even gained with the band. They revise to a sleeve or bypass and lose more in 6 mos than they ever did with the band. It is just a faulty surgery that causes more harm than good. I'm happy for anyone who has been able to make the band work but I would never suggest it to someone who can get a sleeve or bypass or even a DS which is the very best surgery in my opinion but not done by very many surgeons. I beg you to please not even consider the band, I hate to see a young person go into this with such hopes and then have it fail and have to go thru another surgery all over again because the band failed them. Please read back on this forum and on the sleeve/or bypass forums and see how their daily lives are, they can give you an idea what it is like to live with each surgery. This board used to be super busy back in the early 2000's but the last few years it is dead because so many who had the band have now revised and are on different forums now. I only know of a couple of people who don't like their revisions but even they have to admit they have lost more weight with the revision than they ever did with their bands.

I wrote another LONG post a few posts down you might want to read. All I want for all of us is to be able to lose our weight and be healthy and happy and I honestly don't believe the band will do that for anyone!! Losing part of your stomach is not that big a deal it is just extra tissue that is allowing you to eat too much. It is often done with ulcers and cancers so has been done for many decades. With the sleeve they remove the part that makes the hunger hormone so for a long time you don't even feel hunger and even if it comes back it seems to be much less severe than the original levels. Best of luck to you!

amcz82

I hope IF you decide on getting a Band that you Do your research, and not just a Quick decision.

The information is out there if you really look for it. I can give you Multiple  Medical articles that have been done on the LB.

A few things to consider are the complications that more than likely the Dr. won't tell you about, they often don't, they expect you to do your own research and give you a pamphlet from the Company that provides the LB and they won't honestly talk negatively about their product.

Here is a small list to consider.

 Band Slippage, Pouch Dilatation, Stoma Obstruction Gastroesophageal reflux, Esophageal Dilatation, Cholelithiasis, Incisional Infection, Abdominal Pain, Gastroenteritis, Nausea and/or Vomiting, Port Leak, Delayed Esophageal Emptying, GI Perforation Hernia, Band Erosion, Chest Pain, Dysphagia, Infection, Asthma, Atelectasis, Dehydration, Headache, Abnormal Healing, Hiatal Hernia, respiratory Disorder, Thrombosis, Thyroid Disorder, Nausea and/or Vomiting, Constipation, Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain Asthenia, Incisional Infection, Fever, Pain Incision, Slippage/Pouch Dilation, Metabolic and Nutritional Healing Abnormal, Port Site Pain/Infection, Port Displacement, Alopecia, Shoulder pain, Vagus nerve Damage, EROSION, Upper Abdominal Pain, Gastric Outlet Obstruction, 

The lap Band Is ONLY removable not Reversible, if you need Further Help just message me.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

.     I've had the band for seven years. After five years started to get major complications. Ie esophagus damage. Ulcers. Gerd and reflux etc etc.  the band is a time bomb   A better choice would be sleeve or rny bypass. Good luck to you

I assure you that you are more than likely going to have surgeries following the intial surgery to either repair, replace or remove the band.  Also, you are very likely to have less than stellar results.  I was absolutely the worst decision of my life to have the band....one I will regret forever.  If you aren't ready for a more permenant situation then I suggest you try to do it on your own.  The band will only complicate your life far more than you can imagine.  Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I speak from experience.

CJ

Hi amcz82 :

i got a band in 2013 and paid  out of pocket it cost 16000$ and was the biggest mistake of my life. All it did was cause me problems and the band after 5 years is no longer effective. If your serious about losing weight then a sleeve or RNY is for you. 

Im booked to have an RNY Jan 25 and can hardly wait. 

This time I did my research and that what I recommend you do. I've asked bariatric surgeons and they don't like the band. 

DR. Go by success and percentages of long term weight loss 

not one dr. Said the band was effective long term. 

Lap band success is 41.8%

vertical sleeve 89%

RNY 97.9%

please do your home work if you want long term weight loss the lap band is not for you. 

You have to remember that what they give you is only a tool and 

 only lifestyle changes will give you optimal success. 

Ask and do your research and ask professional people there opinion , there is lost of documentation about your options. 

I know your concern is that if the lap band is not successful you can an have it removed. 

As for the sleeve and RNY they are permanent and non reversible. But talk to all 99.9999 % would never change there choice to get the RNY or vertical sleeve. 

If you want success in long term weight loss do your research first. I'm from Ontario and had to complete a program from a bariatric facility. You see nurses social worker nutritional it's , dietician and bariatritionalist that teach you what needs to be done and if your successful you will continue into the surgery phase. 

It took me 9 months to complete then see a surgeon  and anethesiologist to make sure your successful. Candidates in our program once complete are 100% successful. 

Seek your options and don't make my mistake , get what will give you the most success 

 Some people with the lap band have success don't get me wrong just not long term 

Good luck in your future journey 

Simon 

 I was banded in 2007... I got the band because one of my  family members had same surgery and  it was less invasive....  i have to say I have hit a plateau a week after surgery,  followed everything to a T, I was a model child for lap band,  lost some weight but not even half of my extra weight (i am 155 lbs overweight)... let me put it this way, if i could go back in time i would have RNY done in a second....  i

Ever since I was banded, I  felt like it has been such a pain in the butt and is not even worth it, I am still overweight, I cant eat things like many foods or they will get stuck and i barely have anything in my band,  i am constantly hungry even after i just ate.... even tough I can no longer eat many bad foods  I am still not losing weight even though I am active.  Also, if you are sensitive to needles, I suggest you stay away from the band.... I am not that sensitive to needles and had plenty of fills  but still cannot get over seeing that huge needle sticking out of my abdomen.  Also, there have been plenty of times where I would have food stuck while at work after which i would spend 1.5 hours in the bathroom trying to throw it up or make it go through and just salivating in horrible pain.  

It is your decision definitely, but just because you are scared to do more invasive surgery don't  settle for something that may not fulfill what you are looking for.  All these years I was so scared of even thinking about having RNY, but i finally got so fed up with the band and being so obese that I just decided to face my fears and look into revision.  

I agree there are few that lap band worked for but I was not one of the lucky ones. 

I am glad you are doing your research and talking to others, hope you make the right decision for you.

Nat