ASMBS: Gastric Banding Gets Low Marks

Thanks for sharing the article M. Mamma.

It's a great reminder to me to get back into reading up on current info the ASMBS shares. I'm glad they are getting information, ANY info, out there!

 Absolutely!

I  My band! But I find it CRUCIAL to post all medical findings on all surgeries.  Why not post the good, the bad and the ugly?  People need to be educated before making a choice as serious as WLS.  I had no choice in my surgery due to a very serious medical issue.  I'm just happy I was able to have wls at all and that so far it's really helped me--in spite of being on prednisone and chemo with hunger stimulants in it.

The phlebotomist who drew my blood for my pre-op labs yesterday was talking to me about my surgery of choice.  I confided to her that all of this was making me nervous, but I was forging ahead anyhow.  She looked at me very seriously and told me, "You've got to read EVERYTHING about your surgery - good and bad and especially the bad.  Once you've read and understand it, put it aside and don't worry about it."

I have to agree with this.  Being fully informed is CRUCIAL.  When you're fully informed and move ahead, you do so with the knowledge of what can happen and the faith that you'll fall on the good side of the statistical average.  If the bad fully outweighs the good, then you move forward knowing that you're taking a much larger risk and that the gamble may pay off in very unfortunate ways.

She looked at me very seriously and told me, "You've got to read EVERYTHING about your surgery - good and bad and especially the bad.  Once you've read and understand it, put it aside and don't worry about it."




great advice, if only more medical professionals wer eso honest...

Thanks for adding that BLR. Being fully informed is CRUCIAL! If a patients wishes to continue with the band AFTER full disclosure that is their choice. I have no problem with that. I do however feel that all patients should be made aware of the post-op risks! Ok bandsters............I said ALL patients............NOT just BAND patients!)

 Very high failure rates with LB.  I have no idea why they do them.  My doctor discouraged me big time against the LB.......I know the doc personally too!  

I posted this in response to another thread, but I think it kind of fits here as well, and might be helpful to someone who wants to know both sides on the lapband issue.

I am seeing some posts trying to imply that the only people who have band complications bring them on themselves, which is not borne out by medical papers or statistics. While it's true that some slips are caused by bands that are too tight, indeed probably the majority, not all are. There are other issues with the band, the port and tubing as well. When my surgeon went in to do my revision, my band was literally shredding, coming apart, with the edges shredded, embedded in pieces in my stomach wall. Not sure how anything a person could have eaten or done would have caused that, but I do understand how someone who is defending their choice might need to feel somehow that it is really someone's fault when there is a complication, rather than in the back of their mind realize that there is a very real chance this could happen inside their own body somewhere down the road. I agree - that's frightening and I might want not want to think it would ever happen too. I went into the band listening to the hype that it was safer too.

There is a lot of misinformation coming from a few vocal people, not supported by any science. My second slip occurred with no fluid in the band for several years. But even aside from the very real fact that the band complications long-term are so very high, the fact that the ASBMS is finding long-term results not good speaks volumes. I think it's possible 10-15 years from now, we will no longer see banding done in any great number because it simply as not as effective in terms of both short and long-term loss. Kind of like the old vertical banded gastroplasties.

I'm glad to see some people speaking out about their experiences so that people who are considering this surgery see both sides of the story, as well as the actual science and scientific papers, the truth, of the lack of efficacy and high complication rate inherent with this surgery. While some may say this is band-bashing, it's important for people to know the truth as they decide on a surgery, and hopefully not need re-operation.

I also don't think there is anything wrong with recounting our own experiences, and yes - also our own opinions about a surgery. I see a lot of band patients on this forum stating that DS and RNY aren't safe, but the minute someone says that they don't feel banding is safe long-term, they are jumped on. Not sure why the double standard exists that it's fine for banding patients to be very vocal that they don't feel RNY and DS are safe, but not vice versa. They are opinions and we are all entitled to our own.

The wonderful thing about a forum like this is hearing different people's experiences, opinions, and their journeys, especially as newbies come to this board to try to choose which surgery they may pick. The science is what stands really, not anyone's opinion on this board no matter what their experience has been or what their feelings and opinions are.

I've seen Melting Mama and others on this board literally verbally shredded for even putting information out there. Indeed, MM was attacked for merely posting articles from the ASBMS, as if putting scientific papers out there for people to read and make their own decisions about is a bad thing. When people are truly educated, they are interested in hearing both sides and truly delving into the truth, not being frightened or defensive, both the good and the bad.

Re-operation rates with band are actually higher than with RNY. Indeed, while initially (first operation), the band may have a lower complication rate, as you go out many years, the scientific medical statistics are showing a much higher reoperation rate with adjustable gastric banding. Hopefully, as new people do real research, and investigate the band, both good and bad, they can make really informed choices for themselves.

While I am thrilled for the people who have been able to make the band work, I do worry about where they will be 10-15 years down the road. As a surgeon's daughter, and as someone who has had severe complications with the gastric band where the fault was with the actual make-up of the band, I worry about esophageal damage long-term for band patients, as well as perforation. I sure wouldn't want anyone to go through what a lot of people on this forum have gone through, since I'm not even near the only one. There are many of us. Mine was a little more extreme as my band started to actually shred and come apart in pieces, but this is a foreign object.

While proponents say they are worried about being hospitalized after DS or RNY, my experience is that I have been much healthier post RNY.

I read about some of the lapband experiences here on the forum, and I wonder how 80-100 fills over 5 years would be considered a wonderful thing to be going through and for any poor band patient who might lose his or her insurance for any reason, they are at very very real risk for their health. With our economy the way it is, and the need for band patients to need constant ongoing care, even more so than post-op RNY and DS patients, if they lose their job, how are they supposed to pay for the constant fills, removals, etc. that banding requires for long-term success?

And is success never reaching normal BMI? To still be obese after that many fills and that much medical care would be terribly disappointing and still really unhealthy. I don't understand too some of the most vocally defensive proponents of the band on this board are people that despite years with the band have never reached a normal BMI. I thought the purpose of weight loss surgery was our health and to get down to a normal, healthy weight, in the range of normal BMI. Aside from all the complications long-term inherent with the band, I would find it difficult to consider a success with many years and over 80 fills, to never reach normal BMI and get out of the overweight range. A BMI of just under 30 is almost high enough to still qualify for weight loss surgery with any co-morbidities. For this particular proponent of lapband who is so vocal, just a minor 10 pound gain would be Obese Class I. To have undergone WLS and end up still in that range would be terribly discouraging. To get only to that point and still have all the risks long-term associated with adjustable gastric banding would be heart-rending.

I'm not saying the band doesn't work for some people; I just hope that as people gain more knowledge about the efficacy of adjustable gastric banding, and the long-term safety rates and complications rates, that they go into it wide open in terms of their research and scientific, medical understanding of what they are truly facing long-term.

I'm thrilled for the people that have had real success and gotten all the way down and are still doing well. While they are above the average success rate for AGB, it is a very real testament to how hard they have worked, probably really above average care by their medical care providers, and tremendous dedication to their health and I wish them continued success and health in the future. When I do see the few that have made this surgery really work for them, I am extremely impressed. I've never seen anyone in person at any of the support groups I go to that is happy they chose the band, but I know there are some wonderful people on the forum that love theirs and have had wonderful success. I just think it's really important for people to understand both sides, the good and the bad in making their choices.

 What you said.  

Thank you for this!  One thing you've written:

"as you go out many years, the scientific medical statistics are showing a much higher reoperation rate with adjustable gastric banding. "

I can really use access to these stats.  Can you tell me where I may be able to find the real numbers for this?  I haven't seen a paper that addresses it yet.