Lapband removal

I have to say it is causing me some serious concern that I see at least 3 band removals in one day and that the removals have relieved so much pain that these people have been enduring. Now I know there are successes and I'm not trying to slam all the successful bandsters but it concerns me that there are so many more removals these days than say 4 years ago when I first started here. I don't know the answers for the problem but it seems to me that the manufacturers need to step up and accept some responsibility for their product!
I also urge all of you who have had a removal to post your stories on the failed band board, this way just in case there is a class action suit you will have a dated publishing of your story. It would not surprise me at all to see one started in the near future because we can't be the only ones experiencing this! To those whose band failed I wish you recovery and remember no matter what your weight, you are a beautiful person worthy of all your dreams no matter what your weight is. For those who have succeeded congrats and I hope you never have to go thru what these others have. Do try to remember that not all are succeding and try to have some compassion for those of us with issues.  I'll get off my soap box now, just every one try to show compassion for each other.

Very true Hislady, but you have to realize also people start posting again when they have problems also if you go and scan back for the last couple of days nobody has hardly posted any good news , its out there but people are just not posting stuff like that no more , I dont or very rarely anymore.

There is so many people that are successful out there that just dont post anymore on here on these boards. Alot of the people that had the surgery at the same time I did I dont see them posting anymore , or the alot of the vets that are successful dont post like they use to anymore or people has went to other boards .

I'm almost one yr out with my band no problems , losing weight, have done all this without a fill and I dont post like I use to anymore , there is alot of victories that I have had that I just dont share no more , and I think there is alot more people out there like me that is doing that also so all we do is see all the bad things that can happen with the band. We dont see all the victories, the weight loss posts anymore like we use to . I think they are out there, people just quit posting to these boards or they read and dont post like I do 90% of the time now .  I know about 15 people like that , but we communicate through PM's  or private email .

I do feel very badly for the ones that had problems with the band, I dont wish that on anybody. I know I could be in the ER getting my band taken out tomorrow, next week, a yr from now , or even 5 yrs from now. I dont know the future of what can happen to me , but it was a risk I was willing to take compared to what kind of risks I was putting myself into not losing the weight .


But just like I said because we see more postings about band problems, there is just as many good stories about the band also but people are just not posting on here like they use to , the boards have changed drastically since I had my surgery.

I've only been banded 2-months, so I could be completely off base here..

But I think a lot of the issues people have stem from being too tight. I think it's very easy to get tricked into thinking your band is ok, especially when the scale yields exciting results. My mom is a great example of this.. I think she PB's daily. She told me when I was banded that it was like "forced bullemia". I've PB'd once and it was because I ate (tried to eat) super doughy pizza WITH cola...A decision I will never make again.

I also agree that success stories are less likely to be published.

I do agree with you on that also . Now, I'm not saying all the problems are from being to tight but I think more then half of the problems are from being to tight and as long as people lose weight doing it that way they dont think about long term complications because they are in the zone of losing weight which is the wrong way to go about it.

I do know there is a handful of people in my support group that are to tight they have admitted it, they dont care because they are dropping 10-16 pounds in a month , but its going to come back and bite them in the ass one of these days and it will be no body's fault but their own . There are two girls in my group that lost their bands because they went months and months being to tight and they are paying the price for it now .  They was eating about 1/4 cup of food per meal and if you look at a measuring cup that isn't squat when it comes to food  and honestly do you really learn how to eat living your life like that ? No wonder people dont learn how to eat properly and healthy when you have your band that tight , that is not teaching you nothing but to do harm to yourself . 

What I dont understand and it baffles me completely if you know you are to tight why would you continue to live like that knowing full well that you could lose your band , or even something more serious your life .  


We are suppose to be able to sit down and eat three well balanced meals a day and if you want a few healthy snacks . When you get to the point you are only eating 3 oz of protein per meal or you are down to only eating a 1/4 cup of food per meal then I think that is unhealthy and you are to tight and need some taken out . My doc is very strict if you cant eat a full cup of food per meal then he will take saline out of you .  1/2 cup of protein already cut up how we are going to eat it , 1/4 cup of veggies , and 1/4 cup of carbs.


Once again I'm not saying that causes all the problems of the band so dont anybody twist my words, but I do agree being to tight and not doing anything about it for months and months at a time will cause band problems we are preached about that by our docs or at least you should be I know my doc does .

I have seen it first hand, and we have seen it on the boards here people being to tight for months and not doing anything about it till its to late .

And to make myself clear yet again Im not saying that is what causes all the band problems that happen out there but I do think being to tight plays a bigger part in the problems then people really realize .

 Hopeful -- I have to agree with the being too tight, based on the lap banders that I've seen, I've seen my sister's band too tight when she first got her band placed and she was only able to sip on warm broth or liquids also she was very uncomfortable in her throat and I remember her not being able stand the pressure, but she got some saline removed and she has been at a happy spot for about 3 years now. I honestly cannot image how someone could stand being that tight for long periods of time and expect to not have complications.

But again you have people that are getting the band and have done just about any thing in their past to lose weight bulimia, anorexia, drugs, pills, etc, so why wouldn't they abuse their bands.

From what I've seen the lap band can be a very destructive tool, it can be adjusted so tight to the point of damaging the stomach or esophagus. The lap band is the surgery of choice in Europe and Australia and they seem to be more successful, I am not sure if Americans have more destructive behavior? I am sure there are many people that have complications from no fault of their own such as their body not adapting to it.

But again even with the potential possibility of band slippage, the band seems to be a far far safer surgery choice than the bypass, ds or sleeve since your body is not being permanently altered.

 But I think a lot of the issues people have stem from being too tight. I think it's very easy to get tricked into thinking your band is ok, especially when the scale yields exciting results. My mom is a great example of this.. I think she PB's daily. She told me when I was banded that it was like "forced bullemia"

it's a good theory slips only occur when overfilled - but it's just that, a theory.... i mean how else do you explain slips w/an empty band? 

also, if your mom is PB'ing daily - that will eventually catch up to her in one form or another....the band is not suppose to work that way, though many have this complication, again - sometimes w/no fill.

this forum is all or nothing it seems - lack of balance has always been a problem here & if some think other websites dont' have issues just like discussed here - your crazy.   LBT owner created a sleeve version when SO many needed to revise.    he saw the need & capitalized.....and the *****ing existed there as well.

some people go - some people stay & are active daily / wkly / etc.    personally, i pop on for a check here or there - i think those 1-2yrs out can handle the newbie questions just fine as others before have.    it's cyclical & therefore will be all positive in about 3 minutes :)

I think slips are more likely when the band is filled too aggressively, but my slip occured completely out of the blue, after 6 months of having my band a little looser than usual.

In my particular case, the theory is that the hiatal hernia that my original surgeon chose not to repair during my band placement (I suspect he was in too much of a hurry) may have contributed to my band slip.

Jean

Don't you find it rather odd that the successful RNY, VSG, and DS'ers have time to post but the "successful" bandsters don't?????????????? U might want to think about that one a minuite!

I have been lurking these boards for a few months since I am pre-op and I have not made a final decision for the Band or Sleeve. I've read through tons of old posts of band bashing and many successful people leaving the boards. I think due to all the negativity on the band board it looks like it probably end up like the Realize forum -- dead with not much activity. Also from what I've seen in real life, most lap banders really don't need the constant support like more invasive surgeries unless their bands has slipped., so this may explain why some people only post when they are having problems. From what I've seen as of late, the majority of successful folks post on other forums where they can get the needed support while losing weight, hence this board has become too negative.

There are many people that have no problems with the band, my sister got her band almost 4 years ago and to date she is doing great and no complications. I've watched her eat since day one, she went from a size 20 to current about a size 10 her lowest was a 7/8, she eats pretty normally unlike what you hear about on this forum. She has never vomited in my presence, I am not saying she has never done it, but I've never seen her having eating difficulty. She can eat all foods, (her band is not adjusted too tight) if I did not know her I honestly would not know she has band, she just cannot eat much, she will always stop eating for example when she is eaten about 1/2 of a regular meal, I think that is cool the way she just automatically stop eating, she does no****ch what she eats anymore, she just says she eats what she wants but half of what I can eat. Although sometimes when we go out to dinner together if she does not drink something warm or chew those little pills, I think papaya pills? She will get that "deer in headlight" look like food is stuck and she will get up and walk around but that is the only thing she will do that makes me know she has a lap band...lol, a far cry from what people on these boards talk about.

I was leaning more towards the Sleeve because I assumed that I did not have to do exercise as much, but I found out Sleevers have to do pretty much the same thing as Lap banders do, so I don't want to have my Stomach removed if I have to follow the same low carb high protein diet...*smile* and also I found out they have adverse reactions, "dumping" to sweets, I just don't want that possibility to not be able to eat what I want just like my sister in small amounts. I don't want to be punished for eating sugar forever, I want to eat normally, but just eat small amounts, I am watching a friend of mine that just got the Sleeve and see how she does with it and it will help me make my final decision.

Also I am a member of another Lap Band website and if I end up getting the band I will not be posting here for support since it's so negative, it's hard to concentrate in a negative online enviorment at least it is for me.

I kind of found the opposite to be true...with my sleeve, it was a set and go type of thing, but with my band, things were always changing, adjustments needed, weight up and down, etc. So, I feel like I need way less follow-up and support with my sleeve than with my band. I do frequent the boards a lot with my sleeve, because I'm having such great success and I love to see how well everyone else is doing as well.

Very few people with sleeves dump. The sleeve keeps the pyloric valve in tact, so if people are dumping with the sleeve, they likely dumped with their normal stomach as well. I was pretty much a sugar addict prior to my sleeve, but I don't really have the desire to eat those foods anymore now (this is definitely not true for all sleeves though). I did have some dessert treats at a recent conference and there was no problem.

I am glad your sister has had such success with the band, but sadly, the band is very unpredictable and you may be just like her or you may end up with stories like mine or others you've read on here. I would just encourage you to also research the published literature on the band as well as watching your sister, internet forums, and the new sleeve friend.

Best of luck in your decision!
Lindsey