New and Confused - Why did you choose the WLS you chose
(deactivated member)
on 6/21/11 4:21 pm - Califreakinfornia , CA
on 6/21/11 4:21 pm - Califreakinfornia , CA
The revisions forum paints a clear picture of many formerly banded patients that wished they would have spent more time there. Do yourself a favor and stay there and read on.
I was banded with my first band on June 19Th 2006. This band caused me to vomit multiple times per week, and suffer from severe esophageal reflux every night when I went to sleep.
I had to sleep in an up right position....Yet still I would awake with a mouthful of burning acid.
The acid was so hot that it actually burned the back of my throat and that lasted for a few days at a time over a long period of time. My PCP had me on a PPI and even that did not stop the acid. There were many times I was unable to swallow my own saliva and/or swallow water. Even unfilled I suffered from the acid reflux and band tightening.
I experienced left shoulder pain from day one and it never went fully away. I listened to those on this very board with their well meaning advice telling me it, " was just gas " or that I was eating too fast, or not chewing my food well enough. I followed their advice and still I kept experiencing esophageal reflux every night.
Left shoulder pain can be considered normal under certain cir****tances. For example :
After abdominal surgery ( WLS ) you will experience trapped gas in your shoulders, but that gas usually dissipates within a week or two MAX.
The only reason someone with a band would experience left shoulder pain months/years after surgery is because they are experiencing diaphragmatic pain. The diaphragm cannot feel pain and refers the pain to the left, right, and sometimes both shoulders, as well as the chest and neck.
This pain can be confused with cardiac symptoms and anxiety attacks. Your left shoulder, arm, back,throat,neck and/or chest will hurt like you are experiencing a heart attack.
If the band is not removed in a timely manner the damage to your diaphragm may become permanent.
My daughter who was banded the same day as myself had to have her first band removed for the same exact reasons I had to have mine removed.
Our bands had slipped.
I was banded with my second band in December of 2008. This was an unplanned emergency surgery, so I was not prepared to revise to another surgery without being fully informed. I regretfully chose to have a second band placed, as well as my daughter.
At this point I had loss 70 lbs the hard way. From 2008 to the time of my second revision. I was still able to maintain my 70 lbs loss. This was not because of my band. It was because I was determined to not gain any of my pre-op weight back. I had been through enough and I wasn't going to allow myself to gain any of that weight back.
I experienced even more left shoulder, back pain, now was experiencing a whole new set of problems. Esophageal Motility Disorder & Dysphagia.
"The esophagus functions solely to deliver food from the mouth to the stomach where the process of digestion can begin. Efficient transport by the esophagus requires a coordinated, sequential motility pattern that propels food from above and clears acid and bile reflux from below. Disruption of this highly integrated muscular motion limits delivery of food and fluid, as well as causes a bothersome sense of dysphagia and chest pain"
I woke up with my air passage fully obstructed one night. I tried very hard not to panic and ran across my room to the bathroom where I was able to bend over the toilet while using both fists to press in on my stomach. I was able to successfully dislodge the object from my air way. I could have died right then and there.
I knew my problems with the band were becoming worse, so I had to do something about it. I called my surgeon and was able to get in that very day. I was directly admitted to the hospital where I stayed for six days. They removed my lap band and performed a VSG on me.
My band had slipped again.
There are many who have been programmed into thinking by the makers of the Lap Band, Realize Band, and The O band that the band is " Minimally Invasive & Reversible " That is complete brain washing and anyone who chooses to go forward with having a band implanted for these reasons, need to research more because as you can see just by mine and my daughters experience alone.
That our surgeries combined totaled altogether SIX ' Minimally Invasive " surgeries.
My band was not reversible....it was removable, but not until it had already caused severe nerve and thoracic pain which just may end up being permanent damage.
Only time will tell........
I was banded with my first band on June 19Th 2006. This band caused me to vomit multiple times per week, and suffer from severe esophageal reflux every night when I went to sleep.
I had to sleep in an up right position....Yet still I would awake with a mouthful of burning acid.
The acid was so hot that it actually burned the back of my throat and that lasted for a few days at a time over a long period of time. My PCP had me on a PPI and even that did not stop the acid. There were many times I was unable to swallow my own saliva and/or swallow water. Even unfilled I suffered from the acid reflux and band tightening.
I experienced left shoulder pain from day one and it never went fully away. I listened to those on this very board with their well meaning advice telling me it, " was just gas " or that I was eating too fast, or not chewing my food well enough. I followed their advice and still I kept experiencing esophageal reflux every night.
Left shoulder pain can be considered normal under certain cir****tances. For example :
After abdominal surgery ( WLS ) you will experience trapped gas in your shoulders, but that gas usually dissipates within a week or two MAX.
The only reason someone with a band would experience left shoulder pain months/years after surgery is because they are experiencing diaphragmatic pain. The diaphragm cannot feel pain and refers the pain to the left, right, and sometimes both shoulders, as well as the chest and neck.
This pain can be confused with cardiac symptoms and anxiety attacks. Your left shoulder, arm, back,throat,neck and/or chest will hurt like you are experiencing a heart attack.
If the band is not removed in a timely manner the damage to your diaphragm may become permanent.
My daughter who was banded the same day as myself had to have her first band removed for the same exact reasons I had to have mine removed.
Our bands had slipped.
I was banded with my second band in December of 2008. This was an unplanned emergency surgery, so I was not prepared to revise to another surgery without being fully informed. I regretfully chose to have a second band placed, as well as my daughter.
At this point I had loss 70 lbs the hard way. From 2008 to the time of my second revision. I was still able to maintain my 70 lbs loss. This was not because of my band. It was because I was determined to not gain any of my pre-op weight back. I had been through enough and I wasn't going to allow myself to gain any of that weight back.
I experienced even more left shoulder, back pain, now was experiencing a whole new set of problems. Esophageal Motility Disorder & Dysphagia.
"The esophagus functions solely to deliver food from the mouth to the stomach where the process of digestion can begin. Efficient transport by the esophagus requires a coordinated, sequential motility pattern that propels food from above and clears acid and bile reflux from below. Disruption of this highly integrated muscular motion limits delivery of food and fluid, as well as causes a bothersome sense of dysphagia and chest pain"
I woke up with my air passage fully obstructed one night. I tried very hard not to panic and ran across my room to the bathroom where I was able to bend over the toilet while using both fists to press in on my stomach. I was able to successfully dislodge the object from my air way. I could have died right then and there.
I knew my problems with the band were becoming worse, so I had to do something about it. I called my surgeon and was able to get in that very day. I was directly admitted to the hospital where I stayed for six days. They removed my lap band and performed a VSG on me.
My band had slipped again.
There are many who have been programmed into thinking by the makers of the Lap Band, Realize Band, and The O band that the band is " Minimally Invasive & Reversible " That is complete brain washing and anyone who chooses to go forward with having a band implanted for these reasons, need to research more because as you can see just by mine and my daughters experience alone.
That our surgeries combined totaled altogether SIX ' Minimally Invasive " surgeries.
My band was not reversible....it was removable, but not until it had already caused severe nerve and thoracic pain which just may end up being permanent damage.
Only time will tell........
Make sure to post in the DS, VSG and RNY forums as well. You will get good info. Please make sure that you research ALL your options. The best thing is to research and choose the surgery you want and THEN choose your surgeon. Your surgeon only told you about the band and RNY because that is all he/she does. You don't want to have surgery more than once, so take some time and get as much info as you can. dsfacts.com is a good place to go to get info on the DS. I'm sure others on the individual forums can point you in the direction to get info about those surgeries. Good luck on your journey!
RNY to DS Revision 4/29/2011
Dr. Henry Buchwald
"Think twice.....Cut ONCE"
I almost got a band, was scheduled for surgery and everything... then I started reading on this forum and the revision forum and changed my mind to the VSG. At first I was freaked out about the prospect of making my stomach permanently smaller, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made than the band as I didn't want to risk any of the complications that only become more likely over time (erosion into your esophagus, stomach slipping up above the band, flipped ports, leaks, faulty tubing, scar tissue that can adhere to your liver, etc.).
I wanted restriction only, so the VSG was the perfect WLS for me; my stomach functions just as it always has, the volume is just reduced. Better yet, the part of fhe stomach they remove houses the majority of the cells that produce the hunger hormone, which results in a reduced appetite. I'm 4 weeks out and really have no interest in food at all... this is a first for me to say the least! To not have that constant nagging feeling hounding me at all times has been a dream come true -- I really do feel like I'm in the driver's seat for the first time in my life, that food doesn't control me anymore. It's great!
Anyway, if you're interested to learn more, feel free to drop by the VSG board... there are tons of helpful people on there who'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
I wanted restriction only, so the VSG was the perfect WLS for me; my stomach functions just as it always has, the volume is just reduced. Better yet, the part of fhe stomach they remove houses the majority of the cells that produce the hunger hormone, which results in a reduced appetite. I'm 4 weeks out and really have no interest in food at all... this is a first for me to say the least! To not have that constant nagging feeling hounding me at all times has been a dream come true -- I really do feel like I'm in the driver's seat for the first time in my life, that food doesn't control me anymore. It's great!
Anyway, if you're interested to learn more, feel free to drop by the VSG board... there are tons of helpful people on there who'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
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