Also a Failed Band

I received a Lap Band in February 2008. In the first year, I felt I did pretty good, going from about 310 to 245.

In the beginning of the second year, I began to have problems with the band. It would seem to suddenly tighten up on its own and I would be unable to eat any food of substance. I would vomit frequently and there were many times were water would not even go down.
 
I would call my surgeon and go in for an unfill. After the unfill, the band would seem too loose and I would be hungry again and able to eat anything under the sun in large quantities.

I was on this fill/unfill/fill/unfill merry-go-round for the rest of 2009 and half of 2010. I began gaining weight back because when I was too tight, only unhealthy "slider" foods would go down and when I was too loose, I was constantly hungry again just like pre-op.

My surgeon began to talk about revising to another surgery. I wasn't ready to give up on the band and kept trying to find the "sweet spot" or "green zone" with my band but with no success.

Finally, I decided to give up on the band. It was a hard and emotional decision as I had invested a lot of time in the band and really had hoped it would be the solution for me. I decided to go with the sleeve, but my insurance did not cover it.

I heard that my insurance was coming around to the sleeve, so I decided to wait it out. During this time, I also decided to completely empty the band because I was so tired of the vomiting and discomfort. In the summer I heard people with my same insurance were getting the sleeve in other areas, so I asked my surgeon to submit it. It took a few months of my calling them and requesting this before finally they told me that it had come back approved.

I revised to the sleeve on 12/1/10. I had regained nearly all of my weight over the bad year with the band and the several months of having the band completely open.

So far, I have been so pleased with the sleeve. I don't have any hunger currently and that has helped a great deal. I am on solid foods, but have not ventured out to many foods yet; however, everything I've tried I have been able to tolerate, just in very small portions. I have not vomited once with the sleeve which is a huge relief as this was a frequent occurrence with the band.

I am still pretty new to the sleeve, but I have lost a lot of my cravings since receiving the sleeve. I eat my protein first and then I am so full and satisfied that I don't want anything else. With the hunger gone, I also am not tempted to graze through the day. I read the VSG board and I know this isn't true for everyone. There are stories of people eating unhealthy foods even early out, but for me (so far) the sleeve has really helped me from seeking these foods.

That is my failed band story. I guess I had to go through the band to find the sleeve (only bc my insurance didn't cover the sleeve initially), but if I was starting out today and had the choice of the band or the sleeve, I would hands down go with the sleeve from the get-go. I am so excited to see what I can do with the sleeve!

Thanks,
Lindsey

Same story here... I can't wait to get this band out of me.

Ugh...it is so frustrating. When are you having it removed? Are you revising?

Yes, I am revising, but I do not have a date yet.  I am in the middle of all the pre-op testing to get the insurance coverage.   My Dr is pretty confident because, because of my type of insurance, that it will be covered.

 
So you had your band out and revision to a sleeve in the same surgery?

If so, when you swallow food do you sometimes forget you aren't banded anymore and panic thinking you didn't chew well enough and get stuck?  HA!  I think I did that for about three months post op sleeve.  I was just soooo conditioned!

Yes! I do exactly that. I take my first bite and I chew and chew and chew and then I swallow and wait...I realized I'm waiting to see if it gets stuck and if I am going to need to find a place to vomit. The band definitely had me conditioned. It's so funny because I keep repeating myself on these boards like, "I haven't vomited once since the sleeve!!!" and I say it because it's so exciting when anything was likely to come back up with the band. Every single meal it is such a pleasant surprise to not feel stuck, just satisfied.

This gives me so much hope!!!!

And yes, my removal and sleeve were done in the same surgery.

I am so glad I came back to this forum.  I had the lap band done in 2007 and immediately post op I knew it was a mistake.  I had this crazy lump in my throat every time I ate or drank anything.  That subsided over time and I began to lose weight.  I lost a total of 35 pounds post op and much of that was due to marital problems and the stress not allowing me to eat.  Well, we worked out our issues and I am now 3lbs away from my surgery weight.  I feel like a complete and utter failure.  It's so frustrating to to try so hard at something that was supposed to be "the one thing that will help".  So thousands of dollars and millions of tears later I'm thinking about a revision.  Just don't know which one to choose.  I'm so afraid of regaining the weight again, thinking maybe D/S?  Not sure.

PS  I have my band filled completely, not one drop left to fill and very little restriction.  My old surgeon said "I guess you just weren't the right candidate for this".  You don't say?  Grrrrr.

Going to Duke now but Aetna is making me do 6 months of doctor visits which seems absurd to me.  But I'll do it so that I can have something that hopefully will work better. 

I completely understand, by the time I went into my revision, I had regained nearly all of my weight. It does make you feel like a failure, but you have to let that go because it is a poor device that fails a lot of people. If you have no restriction, it is just as difficult to maintain weight loss as it was pre-op for a lot of us.

I am doing fantastic with my sleeve and I know I will do all I can to get to my goal and the sleeve is helping me, not working against me like the band.

How much weight do you need to lose? The DS seems like a good choice. I am doing well with my VSG, but I know some people need the malabsorption too. That does seem absurd to have to go through the 6 months again for a revision, but do what you have to do because it will be worth it in the end.

There is a failed lap band group full of members who have had difficulty with their bands. Come check it out!

Lindsey