I hate my band.

Kristin... boy you are describing just how I feel!  I had a GI doctor actually tell me that I have a "Food addiction" and that I will create symptoms to keep my band empty so I can eat.  WTF!  I have massive GERD, pain when I eat certain things like nuts, and I too vomit way too often.  I have not been able to keep a fill for the last year (the first year I was banded was bliss).  I had gallbladder trouble, got that fixed, then it was one problem after another once fills started.  I got a terrible cold last Christmas and I was obstructed for 3 days.  I waited that long to see my surgeon for the unfill.  I am just so miserible.  I have been researching VSG.  I have a scope for next Wednesday and if all looks normal, I am considering having my band removed and getting VSG.  It is a lot to think about since the portion of the stomach is completely removed, but there is no malabsorption and people report a reduction in hunger, which is what I need.  That GI doctor doesn't understand that hunger for me is more painful and sickening than having any other type of illness.  I can't tolerate hunger and for him that equates to "food addiction".  What a load of BS!

Good luck with whatever you decided to do.  I too was banded May 2005 and have been suffering this past year...

{{{Alyssa}}} I've been following your story on the lapband forum and was afraid to post to you about possibly considering a revision....some people have their heads up their as* as far as the lapband is concerned!
I'm VERY happy I went the revision route and didn't try the band again. Yes, we were both successful at 1st with the band...but I truely believe that the "product" that was installed in us is EVIL!! I should ask my GI doc for copies of my endoscopy pics and post them on here so people can see what the band can do to your insides!! Anyway...if you need to chat...just PM me!


Jane

Before you make a final decision on what to do, at least check out the DS forum here on OH or go to duodenalswitch.com and read about the DS. Many on that forum are opting to have a revision to a DS after a failed band or a failed RnY. I am sorry I did not consider the DS  originally. Actually, I did not know about it. If more people would consider it, more doctors would consider doing it. You may have to travel out of state or to another country, but it is doable.

I had lap-band surgery on 3/26/07 and am SERIOUSLY considering converting to RNY bypass or DS. Has anyone else converted??

Not knowing if you read my other posts, have you checked out the DS forum?. SEveral over there have converted from either lapband or RnY to a DS and everyone just loves their DS!

Let me tell you all I was where you are all at ..... hating my band!!  I was banded in aug of 05 and struggled for the first 2 years!  I had 4 hospitalizations in the first 6 months because my stomach swelled shut with any Pbing or if I drank or ate anything cold.  I went thru severe depression and also attempted suicide!  I am not proud of it but I hit rock bottom and had noone to turn to! It took me about 6 months to recover and I finally have in the last 6 months learned to love my band and my new life.  I can't say it is easy and I miss Food very much.....pizza, burgers just old times stuffing my face for hours on end. I am an addict ...a certified food addict....but with someone to talk to and support of others who have been banded I have been able to accept my band with great success! So you know it is not hopeless ....but I respect you all for the decisions you need to make for yourselves.....don't ever let yourself get to the point I did...ask for help!! But always know you can have success in anything you do.....I did finally after almost 3 years! I started at 393 and a sized 30/32...now 200 lbs and size 12/14.......this is the smallest I have been since 2nd grade...... love your life with our without your band...I know it is hard and if I can be of any support please just send me a PM take care  jan

How refreshing to find people that can relate to my problem.  I was banded over a year ago, and have been miserable ever since.    I went through all the classes and counseling, and felt I was prepared to make the committment.   The lap band hasn't held up it's end of the bargain.   My understanding of the lap band was that it would restrict the amount of food, not what kind of food you ate.   I also feel that I am being dismissed, and not taken seriously about my concerns.  It went well initially, until I got to the part of introducing solid foods.  It has been over a year now, and I still can't tolerate meat, vegetables, fruits, anything that is healthy for me.  I can't be on a liquid diet forever, if I could I wouldn't have had the surgery.  But, chocolate is no problem. Cheese puffs, no big deal.   Oh yea, we forgot to tell you, anything that breaks down in your mouth before swallowing is pretty easy to digest,  but you shouldn't be eating them.   I have severe acid reflux,  and indigestion so bad that it actually hurts my teeth. I throw up anything and everything.   Every time I go back to Cedars Sinai, it is the same old thing.  I tell them I can't eat nutritionally without suffering severe consequences.  They ask for an example, (strawberry, any meat, eggs) everyone I have ever given them , their standard reply is "Well that is hard to digest"   I told the doctor that I was healthier prior to my lap band than after, his statement was sarcastic "Maybe we should be put you in the record books"........................................  I would like to get it removed......... and get on with my life.

Finally, somebody who understands. I realize this is an old post, but this is exactly what I am going through. I can't eat fruit, meat, eggs, cheese, or vegetables, but chips, popcorn, Little Debbie cakes are no problem. Why am I eating these things? Because I will starve, otherwise. I have complained to my surgeon several times, only to be told that the band is doing it's job, and I just need to chew better. The other day, a tiny piece of carrot that I accidentally swallowed got stuck, and I threw up for 15 minutes. The only way I can get food to go down is to drink water with my meals, which is taboo. This things sucks, I HATE it! I can't hold up my end of the bargain, because I can't eat anything that I am supposed to!!

Thank GOD I am not alone!  I was beginning to think that I was loopy.  I cannot keep a fill for more than a month or so because I swell shut and can't even ge****er down.  Usually, I will chew on ice and that helps for maybe the rest of that day, but the next, I am so swollen shut that I can barely swallow my saliva.  I am terrified to admit that I may have failed the band, but I play by all the rules, no bread or gummy foods, "chew to goo", no dry foods, small, small bites, nothing spicy, etc., so I don't understand why this is happening to me.  I paid for this band out of pocket (and will be paying for it for the next five years), so I am limited on options.  I was so hoping to find tips on how to make this thing work.  Allergies are an issue for me and I will be taking the other writer's advice on taking a daily pill (thanks:)

I hate my band too.  I never had a sweet spot, just pain everything I would eat.  And them the port and/or tubing got ruined in a fill.  I'm switching to RNY next year.  I also have a lot fo weight to lose.  I don't think that the band was meant for people who need to lose as much weight as we do.  Good luck.