Sad and disappointed... SMH

Yes I would support their decision to buy a Yugo. Who am I to deter someone from making a personal choice? Especially if I've had a great experience with a Yugo. You're basically saying that someone who decides to get a lap-band has no common sense, and that's not cool. It's actually offensive, and the truth is that not all lap bands fail. They work for lots and lots... and lots of people... so technically that's not even a good comparison. Apples and oranges, if you ask me...

Not meant to be offensive. We all have differing opinions. There are OH'ers that think I have no common sense b/c I don't want the DS for myself. I think the DS is a great option! It is the most effective WLS. But it's not for me.

But for those that have heard the horror storries and see the frequency with which they occur............and see that there are hardly any long term bandsters on here............and even fewer long term bandsters that haven't had to have a 2nd surgery............well I just don't know how you could know these things and still get the band???

You like your band and you say it is working for you and that's wonderful. I truly hope your luck continues. But I never had luck with the band. And I know plenty of others that did not as well. I feel extremely guilty for encouraging the band to ppl before I found out what the band was really like. Therefore..........I will NOT "support" someone that wants the band I will accept their decision and wish them the best, but like I said previously........support is NOT telling ppl what they want to hear!

"But for those that have heard the horror storries and see the frequency with which they occur............and see that there are hardly any long term bandsters on here............and even fewer long term bandsters that haven't had to have a 2nd surgery............well I just don't know how you could know these things and still get the band???"

I truly believe that IF there are in fact hardly any long term bandsters on here, I think it's because #1, people really have not been getting the surgery for THAT long... I actually kind of consider myself a trial bandster and have only been banded a few years... And #2 I think most of them are out enjoying their new life! I'll admit I abandoned the boards when I got near my goal. I was way too busy living and having a blast in my new body. I know a good handful of people personally that were banded around the same time as me who are never active on the boards anymore because they're doing great at their goal weight. MOST people who are doing great without complications no longer need a support forum... Just a thought.

~I truly believe that IF there are in fact hardly any long term bandsters on here, I think it's because #1, people really have not been getting the surgery for THAT long~

If??? The band has been being performed in the US about 10 years. How many bandsters do you see on here successful at even 5 years??? Ok let's leave out the successful part........how many 5 year bandsters do you see on here at all???

~#2 I think most of them are out enjoying their new life!~

Omg! Do you realize how many times I have heard that line of B.S.?! Please tell me why the RNY, DS, and RNY forum ALL have longterm WLS'ers that still post after they now have their new skinny happy life? But yet hardly any bandsters do?!?!?! That is just idiotic to think that the other 3 WLS's will and bandsters won't b/c they "are out living their lives"!.............Just a thought.

People's attendance here on the OH website is not the be all end all of all WLS statistics in the world. It actually probably only accounts for a very small percentage of people who have had WLS. Your point is moot. I was just giving some reasons as to why some people may not be active here anymore. Also, just for the record, as you insinuated earlier, I do not believe my thoughts are idiotic or lacking common sense. I've never verbally attacked you. I would appreciate the same respect.

Nicole,
 
I'm not easily offended, but you said something in your original post that does offend me. I know you didn't mean to offend and you seem to be sensitive to others situations, so I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you what it is that you said that actually offended me. You're not the first, second, third, and you won't be the last person to use this particular offensive phrase either.

It offends me every time I see someone refer to our lap band complications as " Horror Stories " First they are not " stories " they are our experiences and for many of us they have been incredibly painful, life changing experiences.

Some of us will live with chronic pain for the rest of our lives because of the permanent damage that was caused by our lap bands.

Some of us are in financial distress because of the lap band.

Some of us cannot afford to have the band removed because we were self pay and have no other choice but to live with the consequenses of this seemingly " less invasive " choice that we believed in.

The word " Horror " brings to mind scary movies and that implies that we are only here to scare people away from getting the band. I assure you that my intentions are not to frighten people away from choosing the lap band. My intentions are to help pre ops understand what could happen if they choose to have the lap band surgery simply because it is advertised as, " Less Invasive " There are many important things I'd like pre ops to understand, but I'll just stick with this one reason right now.

Pre-ops,
Most lap band failures are not immediately post op, and they commonly begin to cause issues years after the " less invasive " procedure. This is very important to share for many reasons, and must be repeated as often as possible due to the growing number of insurance companies implementing brand new WLS clauses into their policy's.
You may have read about this before, but allow me to once again repeat it for anyone who might be exploring their WLS options for the first time today.

Many insurance companies have cleverly implemented the following into their bariatric policies as a cost control measure, and they state...." One bariatric surgery per lifetime " It does not state,
" One bariatric surgery per members lifetime". This is very important to note because it means that even if your lap band surgery was with a different insurance company, or if you were self pay. Your new insurance company will not pay for a second WLS.
 
This should be of special interest to those seeking lap band surgery because it is not uncommon for lap band patients to require a second surgery.

Even if you want your band removed,it's not as easy as you may think it is to get your band removed. The lap band is advertised as reversible. A more accurate term would be removable, and should not be taken lightly.

If the band didn't work for you the way you expected it to or you have gained back your weight through no fault of your own, and yes you can gain back your weight due to band complications. ( For those doubting me please check Allergans website for more details on this under Labeling and Safety Information )

If the band didn't allow for you to consume dense protein first, as advertised due to the product being flawed by nature.

Your insurance company may exclude you from revising over to another WLS procedure or as in my case refused an office visit to my band surgeon for over an entire year based solely on the fact that I was considered a weight loss surgery success. It didn't matter that I was suffering excrutiating pain and was seen in the ER several times due to severe pain. They let me sit there in massive pain while that band eroded into my stomach and ended up causing me permanent nerve damage among other things.

All told my advertised " Less Invasive " surgery came with a bonus two extra less invasive surgeries, A few hospital admissions, and countless E.R. visits, but I was one of the lucky ones who wasn't self pay.

Oh okay, for those of you that doubted me when I said,

" If the band didn't work for you the way you expected it to or you have gained back your weight through no fault of your own, and yes you can gain back your weight due to band complications. ( For those doubting me please check Allergans website for more details on this under Labeling and Safety Information )"

Here is the link to Allergans website and two reasons which would cause a lap bander to gain weight through no fault of their own.
www.allergan.com/assets/pdf/lapband_dfu.pdf

1. Some types of esophageal dysmotility may result in
inadequate weight loss

2. Symptoms of band
erosion may include reduced weight loss, weight gain,

What is esophageal dysmotility you ask ? Some people call it " being stuck " .

The function of the esophagus is to transport food from the mouth to the stomach. For food to be transported efficiently and correctly, the muscles of the esophagus must coordinate in a very structured fashion to transport food to the stomach while ensuring that the stomach contents do not escape. An esophageal dysmotility disorder is one in which this process has been disrupted. These types of disorders can prevent food from being delivered to the stomach or cause stomach contents to be regurgitated. These problems can lead to esophageal dysmotility symptoms such as chest pain, pain when swallowing or the feeling of a permanent lump in the throat.

Esophageal dysmotility disorders have a wide range of causes and effects. One disorder, called spastic esophageal motility disorder, is caused by an imbalance between nerve pathways that cause esophageal muscles to relax and contract. This imbalance leads to muscle spasms that cause difficulty and pain when swallowing, chest pain and acid reflux.

In the case of esophageal achalasia, the disorder is caused by the inability of the esophageal sphincter muscle to relax. This muscle normally relaxes and tightens in response to certain cues, so that food can pass into the stomach while preventing regurgitation of the contents of the stomach. In achalasia, the constant rigidity of the muscle causes difficulty swallowing food and drink, heartburn, coughing, chest pain and regurgitation of stomach contents, including stomach acid.

THE LAP BAND CAN CAUSE BOTH.

As I said before, I was (and still am) informed and educated about all the possible risks and complications of this surgery. I'm sorry that yours failed you and I'm sorry I offended you by using the term "horror stories."

Thank you Nicole I really do appreciate it.

I never thought of the term "horror stories" like that, and I don't think I've ever used it before, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have had I not read this.  I'm sorry, too, that you were offended.  I am curious as to what term or phrase you would like us to use.  We just want to acknowledge that there are good, bad, and ugly experiences out there that all should be explored.

BTW ~ You have a lot of good info in your post that I have copied to send to a friend who is considering the band.  I knew most of what you posted (and still chose the band), but some of the insurance info will be important for her to check out.

This is such an excellent post...you have shared your experience, the risks, and important info w/o attacking anyone.  Thank you!  

I can't think of a particular phrase I myself would want others to use, I just don't like that one.

I'm glad that you found my reply to be helpful, I was having a discussion over on the failed lap band forum with some of my members about the importance of sharing our experiences while remaining polite and respectful. During that discussion I posted about why I understand it when some of us
( myself included ) will go into attack mode. I'm not excusing any ones behavior, but I'd like to share my post from over there with you, in hopes that others who may read this might have a better understanding of why we sometimes respond the way we do.

Here's my reply to another member,

You have always been supportive on the band board and like me, you were physically hurt by the band. I really believe that those of us who were tortured by that thing go through cycles of "grief" so to speak.

Sadness
It's not that we are sad because we mourn the loss of our bands, we're sad because of the time we lost with our spouse,children,loved ones because of the band.

Anger
It's not that we are angry because the band left us, we're angry because of what the band stole from us,and this anger may be aimed at complete strangers, friends or family.

Depression
It's not that we're depressed because we are no longer in a relationship with our bands,We are/were depressed because we were in chronic pain for so long and it felt like we were all alone and no one could help us. Some of us have been fortunate enough to get this thing out, while others are still fighting the battle.......Some of us who were successful at getting our bands removed still suffer from the indignity and injustice of being mistreated by medical professionals who treated us like drug addicts or verbally and physically abused us, called us liars, belittled us in front of our friends and families.

I continue to cycle through each of these emotions and each time I do I allow the natural process of healing to occur. Sometimes it's easy to see which phase I am in by the style of my posting.

You're at the very beginning of this process and it's a process that takes time. I completely understand and support you no matter which phase you are going through, as I know you will be there for me.

This is one of the many reasons Sue and I created this group.

,