Lapband removal

Thanks everyone for having a mature adult conversation about this, I was afraid it might turn into a surgery war but you all behaved wonderfully. My personal theory about some of the tightening is that it is a build up of scar tissue that makes us feel tighter. The question is when does it start being a problem and no longer acceptable. In some cases I'm sure a few folks do keep their bands too tight but I can honestly say mine only got slightly tight and then I'd get an unfill only to have it tighten again in a few months. So the tightening is not always from our own choice, it just happens. I'm sure we won't come to any final answer here but again thanks for a thoughtful and mature discussion!

It is distressing and you can bet it's all of our greatest fears!  The number of removals is probably also a case of odds.  There are a lot more WL surgeries being done now than 4 years ago so a failure rate of say 5% (not a real number, just used for illustration), of 4000 is a lot more than 4% of 1000 for example.  There are also of what I call WLS "factories" popping up.  These are surgeons that have been general surgeons and are not bariatric specialists that are starting to do WLS to get in on a good thing and money making machine!  You can tell from some of the posts which surgeons have experience and practices that provide thorough education and aftercare and those that don't.  It's scary to me and that's why I chose a hospital based program rather than a private practice because no matter what happens to the surgeon the hospital is responsible for your care. 

I hope I always show empathy for those that struggle with the tool.  Believe me, I know my sucess has been a gift from God and for what ever reason I've been blessed...so far.

Good post, K!

Lisa O.

Lisa,

You bring up a excellent point in your post .  I agree with you about doctors getting into this just for the money and like people say the lap band out of all the surgeries is the most easiest one to perform on somebody.

 I think that brings another round of why there is so many complications after so many yrs because of the doctor not knowing what the heck he was doing in the first place.

Like Jean said her band slipped from a hernia or that is what they was thinking .  If the doc took the time to repair that in the first place makes we wonder if Jean would  have ever had a slip in the first place.

We have seen others on here say that the doctor butchered them .   Some of these complications falls right back on the doctor .  Or some of the posts these people have no dang clue on what they should be doing , eating or what not . That tells alot about the docs office right there also not getting good information .

When I checked into mine  I asked how many does he do a week, how many slips has he had, how many problems has he had with patients, I  really checked into the aftercare with him,  what kind of support and information did I receive before I even had the surgery . Was the office and him there when I had questions, was they training me on how to lead a bandsters life afterwords, what I should expect during surgery after surgery , do they just bring you in and give you a fill and not even take the time to talk to you , are they overly aggressive with fills so they dont have to mess with you , and so much more .

People really need to dig deep and ask questions to their doctors no matter how many there is , and how silly you might think they might be.  No question is silly , its silly not to ask them questions .

I have to chime in, also, and say that I too have noticed the frequency lately and it concerns me, too. I feel so horrible for those who have had problems not of their own making, and yes there are those. I wish I knew what makes the difference between those who don't have a lick of trouble and those who have serious problems. I do believe there are those who just can't tolerate the thing.

I agree with you, Hislady, that the manufacturers need to be taking a good hard look at these problems. There is no reason for them to stick their heads in the sand. If their are things they can improve it needs to be done.

I thank you for posting this topic.  Sue

~I wish I knew what makes the difference between those who don't have a lick of trouble and those who have serious problems.~

Granny I had a discussion with my RN about that very same thing the end of last yr. She was saying that she wish she knew what caused these things. That it worked for some, but for others for some reason it just doesn't. I have been told I am doing all the right things..........it's just so frustrating to have wasted all that money on the band, and now have the scar tissue and adhesions from this band that doesn't even work! But then again...........it's just money. I do consider myself lucky compared to N.M., Wasa, Lynn, and so many others that have suffered permanent damage from thier bands!!!

Hislady this deeply concerns me as well! I feel it was happening with the same frequency perviously, but since those bandsters had seen so many other bandsters that have issues being attacked on here, many were afraid to speak up. It has really been just the last few months that the bandster bashing has subsided some, and b/c of that some bandsters are more comfortable coming forward to post with their band issues on here.

And besides all those being removed b/c of complications........there are many more like you and I that have non working bands that should be removed before complications set in, but are not in a position to pay for the removal.

I COMPLETELY agree that the band manufacturers need to step up and do what is right. However they seem to be unwilling to take any responsibility for the failures of so many of their products. I have spoken with both EES and Allergan. Neither one will even  offer any suggestions as to what we are to do. And just say "talk to your Dr.". Omg! Like I was too stupid to do that before I even approached them!

I do feel that they will be taken off the market in the next few years, and eventually the class actions will start. They have no intention of taking care of their responsibilities to the people that have their bands implanted before that. I wonder how those people can sleep at night?! :-(

Two doctors have told me that lapband removal is becoming the next Big Thing. No matter how ya slice it, (no pun intended) the lapband is a BIG moneymaker. The surgery, the fills, the repairs, the removals... costly.

I had an unfilled band and couldn't eat solid foods for more than a year.  So, those people who think you're only going to have problems if you create them yourselves are mistaken. Bodies react poorly to the foreign object on their stomachs. I liken it to The Shawshank Redemption. He chipped away at the prison wall a little at a time until he broke through. Didn't happen all at once... but after years of a band touching that soft tissue, there will be problems. That's the main flaw with the band... hard plastic is not meant to be put in contact with the delicate tissue of the gut.

 

If slips and erosion were the only risks of banding and could be avoided by not keeping a too tight band, we'd have no band removals.  Currently, bands are causing chronic debilitating and life threatening motility disorders in addition to the recognized risk of erosion and slips.  This is not something that was spoken of at all, just two years ago.  It is something that some of us will endure for the rest of our lives.