I'm such a failure

 I mean after all, I am still overweight after 5 years with the band. Clearly I have failed.

Except, I haven't.

I am at a lower weight than I was at for over 10 years. I weigh 20 lbs less than the lowest weight I ever got to by dieting and I've maintained that for several years now despite having a baby in the middle of things!

My cardiovascular health is good, my cholesterol is good. My feet still hurt all the time, but even my podiatrist says that it is not likely to be a weight issue, I just have crappy feet and I abused them with high heels too much. I probably shouldn't have started wearing them in middle school.

When in my life did I ever weight the same or less from year to year? Never. 

I maintain a moderate level of restriction, there isn't really any food I "can't eat" (well, except maybe french fries, for some reason they hurt me even though other potato items don't!).

Am I stuck at this weight? Maybe, maybe not. I know I am eating things I shouldn't eat and not always following the rules. I know I am fighting my "head hunger" still. If I'm really honest with myself, I know I am rarely actually HUNGRY, because when I get busy I simply forget that I need to eat. When I'm not busy though, I tend to decide that I WANT something, whether I'm hungry or not. 

I think I could probably lose more if I really did the things I know I should do. I guess maybe I should have picked a surgery that forces me to do things right, or else? 

Nah. If my issues are in my head, my head is what has to deal with them, not my stomach. I try to remain zen about this. I have done what people who "diet" fail to do, lost weight and kept it off!

Has my journey been perfect? Nope, I did have a slip that was hard to detect, though easily repaired once it was detected, and I didn't even have to have a new band, I just had the old one repositioned.

I would never say that the band is great for everyone. It does have risks, like all surgeries, each person just has to decide what risks are acceptable for them. It is a tool, all WLS really are just tools. Some people have a problem that requires a screwdriver, others need a really big hammer or a table saw. Used incorrectly, all of them can hurt you. Used correctly, accidents still happen and you can lose an eye or an arm. Where was I going with this analogy?

So, there's a "realistic" band story for you! 

Congrats on being a bandster  success! 

 Congrats on your success!!

I'm out about 18 months now and am holding steady with my weight loss.  I'd still like to lose 20 lbs, but am thrilled at maintaining without a whole lot of effort.  I look good, feel great and all my skinny clothes...still fit :))

lol, congratz, Dev.  I can totally relate (well not the baby in the middle part) (or the losing an eye or arm part....)

Katie

So realistically we can all expect to have a second operation just like you did for a slipped band. ?

So this is something that is acceptable to you and should be acceptable to others, because after all you are a " realistic " band story....Good for you.  

Were you self pay or were you fortunate enough to have your ins pay for the second surgery ?

I'm baffled that you are so accepting of the fact that your band slipped and you have no problem putting yourself through another surgery.

"Some people have a problem that requires a screwdriver, others need a really big hammer or a table saw. "

AND still others will need a second surgery to fix their tool, but hey no biggie right .....right

Realistically, yes, the risk of a slip must be acceptable to the person who decides to have band surgery, just as the risk of staple line failure, stricture, chronic nutrient deficiency, etc... must be an acceptable risk to one who chooses those surgery types. Doesn't mean everyone will experience those complications, but everyone has the potential to and the potential for complications will also be exacerbated by misuse or abuse of your chosen tool. Had I chosen another surgery and had to have surgery to correct, say, an intestinal obstruction, I would have to accept that I knew it was a possibility, but I went into it knowing that it was a possibility. And, to answer your question, I was self-pay. I also went into my WLS knowing that, as a self-pay patient, I would have the risk that I might have a complication that would cost me more money. I don't think ANYONE should go into WLS as self pay if they don't think they can afford to pay for a complication. I have friends who have had sleeve and RNY and who have had multiple hospitalizations that would have ruined them if they were self-pay. If anyone is going into haveing any WLS thinking that there is some guarantee that you won't have a complication, then they have fallen down on the job of doing their research and their doctor's office has fallen down on the job of educating them.

I agree with some of what you said above, but I have to wonder how many people actually go into this or any other weight loss surgery with that open of a mind and really and sincerely mean it. I just read a profile on OH where a surgical patent's family member gifted the surgery to her/him because this was so important for their health and so that they might actually have a future, because with out WLS their risks of living to a ripe old age and meeting their future grandchildren were severely diminished.

That is a very valid reason to have any WLS, and I myself would be willing to take on the risks involved, and as you said before there is risk involved with any WLS procedure. However the difference I am seeing is that while some risks may be more severe then others. I am seeing a steady growth of overall failure with the band.

I myself would never want to deal with the RH ( reactive hyperglycemia issues ) that we seem to see more and more of with the RNY, but it is less acceptable to me to see the growing rate of ED (esophageal dysmotility issues ) in the lap band community and that doesn't even include my permanent damage caused by the lap band.

They way I am seeing it played out here in our OH community goes something like this.

1. I am seeing more and more RNY patients come up with RH as a common side effect of the RNY

2. I am seeing far more lab band patients coming up with Esophageal Dysmotility as a common side effect of the band.

Both are reversible with surgery, but why not just go with the DS or the sleeve to avoid those common side effects ?

I would love it if there was a data base where we as patients could go and look with our own eyes the truthfully reported risks associated with each surgery. Unfortunately and I can't speak to the RNY,DS,or Sleeve, but most Lap Band complications are not reported truthfully to the FDA and when they are reported they are mostly reported in such a way for two reasons.

1. Lap Band reporting has to be reported in a certain way as to not have the product pulled from the market and doctors are given several choices to choose from when reporting.

2, Bands are reported in such a way that they are coded so that insurance companies will pay for the re operations.

Sure those are risks, but DS and sleeve and RNY have serious risks as well, and not everyone wishes to have part of their anatomy removed. One of the not well publicized risks you can encounter with those surgeries is that even if you are blissfully side-effect and complication free, you will no longer be eligible for certain cancer treatments and the vast majority of cancer clinical trials. That isn't going to be an acceptable risk for some people.

I also find it hard to believe that somehow only lap-band doctors under-report side effects (especially since most surgeons do more than one type of surgery), I imagine ALL side effects and complications are under-reported for all surgeries because doctors all wish to project the best possible profile for themselves. With the sleeve being the newcomer, I imagine that, as it gets more popular, you will find more people with complications for much the same reason that I think we see more band complications than we used to: the biggest "conspiracy" here lies both with doctors and patients. Patient hear what they want to hear: this is safe and effective and while there are risks, they are rare so you shouldn't worry about it. Doctors fail to truly educate their patients on what the reality of a complication is. I think part of the reason we see more of this under-education in band patients is because it does sound less scary to people, they don't necessarily do all of the research that a person might do when they're signing up to have part of their digestive system removed.

I mean really, how often do we see people here who have no real clue what their post-op diet is after they get home? Who are surprised to find themselves being able to eat normall and not losing weight when they haven't had a fill yet? Who don't seem to know that they have to chew food thouroughly? Who don't seem to know they aren't supposed to drink with meals or drink soda? Either they didn't pay attention or their doctor's office didn't teach them or both, and yet they still managed to have surgery! I work in an organ transplant program and let me tell you, by the time our people are ready to get listed for a kidney transplant, they can tell us backwards and forewards what all of the risks are, what their appointment schedule will look like after transplant, what meds they are likely to be taking, etc...but you can get WLSwithin weeks if you have the cash to pay out of pocket and you're welcome to go into it knowing almost nothing!

Either they didn't pay attention or their doctor's office didn't teach them or both, and yet they still managed to have surgery!

but you can get WLSwithin weeks if you have the cash to pay out of pocket and you're welcome to go into it knowing almost nothing!

Very true and hopefully enlightening to those that come after us.

Dev, thanks for this thread. I really can relate. The band is not perfect - even those of us who consider ourselves successes have our problems. But it is what it is. An implanted device which can give help but needs maintenance. I had to have a leak repaired, and, yes, I paid myself! But I still think my band was the best thing I ever did. And if it came out tomorrow, I would still not regret it.

I am heavier now than my lowest weight post band, but my lowest weight was actually way too low for me. My current weight is just a few pounds over where I would choose to be,but I am still in my US size 10s. That will do for me!

Kate.