Band Success Story!
On July 16, 2011 at 9:16 AM Pacific Time, N. M. wrote:
This is why I'm burnt out on trying to help people. After 9 years of being told that it HAS to be something the patient did wrong, I'm just burnt out. Every day there is a new thread about pain, vomiting, gagging, inability to eat... but it's because "everyone's doing it wrong." I think I'm done.
Another thing that is frustrating is when u post about your problem, or post a problem like this and get the comments "every WLS has it's problems" or "it's no magic bullet"! Well of course every WLS has it's problems. It's surgery. However they seem to forget the band is the one with the highest % of post-op problems!
And that " magic bullet" comment.........omg! Why do they just ASSume that b/c we are not happy with our band that that is what we expected?!?!?!
I am so sick of being told, and hearing other ppl told "magic bullet" or "you have to do your part" or my LEAST favorite............"the band works if u work it". It's like they think that anyone that complains of band problems is a complete dumbass, and we're too stupid to know how the band is suppose to work, and too lazy to do any work ourselves!!!
And for all the pre-ops out there............NO! The band does NOT "work if u work it!" It SOMETIMES works if u work it, IF your one of the lucky ones!!!
On July 16, 2011 at 6:07 AM Pacific Time, cmagouirk wrote:
I know someone personally that abused her band to lose the weight. She paid a very high price. She kept her band way too tight. When this was happening I hadn't had WLS yet and had not yet researched the Lap Band. If I had known what she was doing was dangerous I would have spoke up and said something to her. For 2 1/2 years her band was so tight that she was barely able to eat solid foods...I saw her eat 2 very tiny bites and could barely tolerate that. She was not able to get all of her fluids in. To the point she told me once that during a drug test she couldn't pee enough because she barely drinks!!! She lost lots of weight. I think she was 350+ lbs and got down to 130 lbs. She started to complain of pain when she ate and acid reflux. By then I was in the process of getting my approval for surgery and knew what she was going through wasn't right. I told her over and over she shouldn't be in pain. The band isn't supposed to hurt. The band isn't supposed to prevent you from eating!!! She didn't listen to me. Long story short....she lost her band in an emergency surgery. She waited 4 months before she made an appointment to see the surgeon about her symptoms. It was too late the damage was done. Her and her band slipped months ago and she had scar tissue all over stomach and surrounding organs. The surgeon said a new band was impossible because of the excessive scarring. Two years later she is almost back to where she started.
Anyone out there that can't eat 4-6 oz of solid protein in a single meal or has pain of any kind...go see your doctor. Don't put it off. If my friend had seen her doctor ASAP she might still have her band. Also, I know it's very tempting to keep your band super tight so you will lose weight. Don't do it!!! Remember this is the reason my friend's band slipped to begin with. I say take it slowly and if there is pain don't come on here and ask questions ... CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!!!
Her experience has taught me to be vigilant. I have been very blessed with a fairly symptom free Band experience. But I will not assume that I will coast through this and nothing will ever happen to me. I will never get a fill that is too tight and keep it too tight. I will make sure to get unfill if I am too tight. I will always call my doctor if I have any pain or unusual symptoms. Not all bad experiences are brought on by neglect or abuse but the the same rules apply no matter what the reasons are...be vigilant.
The band can be your best friend or your worst enemy!!!!!
I experienced random tightening of my band and when it would get so tight that I couldn't eat regular foods or sometimes even drink water, it was absolutely miserable. I would have reflux and vomiting and would desperately want to be able to eat or drink. It would be hard to do anything. I didn't want to go to work or see friends or do anything but lie in bed. Needless to say, I would call my doctor immediately and he would always fit me in as soon as possible, but sometimes that still meant having to wait a day or two depending on when the tightening occurred. I absolutely hated having to wait even a few hours.
I can't imagine living that way for weeks, let alone months! I would have to say that your acquaintance must surely be a rare case bc most people would seek help to end such misery.
Lindsey
On July 16, 2011 at 10:29 AM Pacific Time, soulsister wrote:
THis is a very tragic story about someone who had band success due to weight loss. Unfortunately I have been hearing more unsuccessful stories than successful ones.I came into lapband surgery thinking, "this is is! Ia'm finally gonna do it! "Needless to say I had to have the band out monday.
I think many of us that had it fell for that "least invasive" B.S. and thought it would be the answer to our prayers. We fell for the advertising that if we did our part, that the band would be "tool" to help us lose weight.
That "tool" B.S. is used on the band forum constantly! I am sick of hearing that also. There are some bandster that do have a "tool". And I am glad that they do and that their band has worked as advertised. However I think there are far more of us out there that wasted our time and money on the band and never received a tool!!!
As many of u on here know, I am very irate that my band does not work. But I am more irate that there are ppl out there like the lady I just posted about, like N.M., Wasa, and so many more that now have permanent damage from their "least invasive" band!
It was a complete waste of 3 yrs for me. I will be getting a wls that really works..the sleeve.
It's amazing to see how many ppl w the band join weigh****chers! I could have joined weigh****chers without the band.
And just to reiterate: anyone that has or has had the band will suffer from permanent damage...scar tissue and adhesions. I was told I was "loaded" and didn't have a slip or erosion. Go figure.
Our stomachs are just not meant to have a piece of tubing wrapped around it, hence the sliming, pb'ing, vomiting, espohageal spasms, erosions, slips, port flips, pain, etc., etc.
But yeah, I was one of the dumb ones to believe this was the answer to my dreams. I was finally gonna do it!
I won't be the least bit surprised when the FDA takes it off the market. It's headed that way now.
It's amazing to see how many ppl w the band join weigh****chers! I could have joined weigh****chers without the band.
And just to reiterate: anyone that has or has had the band will suffer from permanent damage...scar tissue and adhesions. I was told I was "loaded" and didn't have a slip or erosion. Go figure.
Our stomachs are just not meant to have a piece of tubing wrapped around it, hence the sliming, pb'ing, vomiting, espohageal spasms, erosions, slips, port flips, pain, etc., etc.
But yeah, I was one of the dumb ones to believe this was the answer to my dreams. I was finally gonna do it!
I won't be the least bit surprised when the FDA takes it off the market. It's headed that way now.
On July 16, 2011 at 6:32 PM Pacific Time, soulsister wrote:
It was a complete waste of 3 yrs for me. I will be getting a wls that really works..the sleeve. It's amazing to see how many ppl w the band join weigh****chers! I could have joined weigh****chers without the band.
And just to reiterate: anyone that has or has had the band will suffer from permanent damage...scar tissue and adhesions. I was told I was "loaded" and didn't have a slip or erosion. Go figure.
Our stomachs are just not meant to have a piece of tubing wrapped around it, hence the sliming, pb'ing, vomiting, espohageal spasms, erosions, slips, port flips, pain, etc., etc.
But yeah, I was one of the dumb ones to believe this was the answer to my dreams. I was finally gonna do it!
I won't be the least bit surprised when the FDA takes it off the market. It's headed that way now.
Very glad u will be able to revise to a different WLS!!!
So many ppl hear that the band is reversable and think that band surgery is not such a big deal. The thing is it's removable, NOT reversable. That scar tissue and possibly adhesions is going to be there.
And I am actually shocked that the bands are still on the market. My guess is it may take 2-5 years for them to be pulled. But eventually someone will have to pay attention to all of these low weight loss stats and high post-op complication stats!
The band might not always be 100% reversible, but unlike some other surgeries, it is not 100% irreversible! 
Banded 03/22/06 276/261/184 (highest/surgery/lowest)
Sleeved 07/11/2013 228/165 (surgery/current) (111lbs lost)
Mom to two of the cutest boys on earth.
I resent that you refer to yourself as providing a "more realistic" version of what it is like to have a band. Your version is no more REAL than mine or any others, it is simply a different experience. ALL WLS have risks. Some of the risks one encounters with other surgeries are just as terrible, or even more so, than what you see with a band. It's disingenous when you try to imply that somehow people who don't have a negative band story to tell are just pulling the wool over everyone's eyes while you're proving the "truth" about bands. There is a way to tell people about the risk of complications without actively trying to push them away from the band and toward another surgery, but I don't think you've found that way yet.
I feel for the woman who wrote that story, because it really sounds like her biggest problem was that she had doctors that didn't listen to her and help her avoid having such serious complications by attending to her concerns sooner rather than later. That's a massive problem no matter WHAT surgery a person has. This is primarily a horror story (to me) about the dangers of having a medical team that doesn't listen to you.
I feel for the woman who wrote that story, because it really sounds like her biggest problem was that she had doctors that didn't listen to her and help her avoid having such serious complications by attending to her concerns sooner rather than later. That's a massive problem no matter WHAT surgery a person has. This is primarily a horror story (to me) about the dangers of having a medical team that doesn't listen to you.
Banded 03/22/06 276/261/184 (highest/surgery/lowest)
Sleeved 07/11/2013 228/165 (surgery/current) (111lbs lost)
Mom to two of the cutest boys on earth.
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