Don't like what you're hearing here on the band forum?

 Really interesting post. I have a lot of difficulty with background noise etc but they tell me it is my brain (auditory processing disorder) not my ears. I wish I could fix it but I just try to stare at lips and concentrate.  
  Just wanted to mention that I Love my band.  You are welcomed to read into it  because you seem like a pretty awesome lady. Thanks for your posts. 

I have a thick skin and almost never get insulted.  I also know it's not directed at me personally.  Although, when I do get my feelings hurt it's hard for me to forget it.  I will remember it forever.  It's so easy to believe in the bad and really hard to believe in the good. 

If someone comes on here and rants about their band...I figure they are having a hard time and can't lose weight (their fault or not) and I feel bad for them.  They are mad a the band, their decision to get the band, maybe the surgeon...and who knows what else.  When I see a rant of some sort I figure this is what this board is for.  Who else can this person complain to??  We understand how hard it is to lose weight, we know what we go through to get this surgery.  Now imagine you don't lose weight.  What a let down.  I would be venting and ranting too.  More importantly there are people that end up with awful medical issues.  If I ended up with a band that damaged me internally I would be on here telling people too and warning them to be careful.  The people that irritate me are the ones that purposely try to stir up trouble.  Those are the ones I avoid like the plague.   

If you are one of us that had wonderful success with your band than just read this person's post and listen to the pain in their words and it's hard to get angry.  I feel lucky to have lost 150lbs.  I may have worked my butt off for my success but I still feel blessed.  I wish everyone could feel my happiness and contentment with my band.   

 That is some serious weight loss! You should be very proud of your accomplishment! 

I discovered that I had a partial hearing loss in my left ear when I realized that my husband's snoring was so much less significant when I slept on my right side with my right ear in the pillow.  Last July I awoke one morning and discovered I couldn't hear at all in my right ear (all right, I can hearing roaring jet engines according to my audiologist).  It turned out to be permanent.  And while hearing aids are covered for adults by US insurance policies (isn't that idiotic?), I needed something different and much more expensive.  I needed a BAHA or bone-assisted hearing aid.  This was good because my insurance policy would pay for it and the surgery that it required.  This was bad because I had to have surgery.  (And no, it's not a coclear implant).  So one day in March, I went to the hospital and the surgeon drilled a hole in my skull to the rear and slightly above my left ear and inserted a bolt.  No Frankenstein jokes are necessary.  I've heard all of them.  Two months later I was able to clip my BAHA to the abutment on the bolt.  Now I can understand the dialogue on BBC America with the noisy AC running in my bedroom!  I can also understand people more easily, with repeating "Excuse me?" so frequently or having so much lag time between them saying something and me deciphering it.  And when a movie is too loud, I simply turn it off.  But for all its benefits, it does nothing whatsoever to help me decipher the true intent behind someone's posting.

But for all its benefits, it does nothing whatsoever to help me decipher the true intent behind someone's posting.

Yup...my point exactly!

As an aside - do you have any idea what caused your hearing loss?

Jean

They believe it was caused by a virus.  When I originally woke up and couldn't hear I simply thought that my sinuses were so swollen that they were blocking the ear channel.  A visit to the regular doctor seemed to confirm that.  When I went to see the specialist, it turned out that I had unusually small ear canals.  I was also told by the specialist that sudden hearing loss is not that unusual.

Wonderful post Jean!  It is true that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening...one is an ability and the other is a choice.  There are some scary things we read on here and sometimes as a new bandster, I needed to tune it all out.  Being a newbie, I was focused on only listening to the advice of those who were positive about their experience and how they managed banded life.  I was so desperate to succeed at this and really felt it was my last chance at weight loss, I honestly could not tolerate those who openly criticized the band without sharing their entire experience to explain why they were unhappy with their choice of WLS.  As a result, I was your typical "band cheerleader" and got caught in the crossfire quite often .  After 16 months of banded life, I have learned that like any other surgical procedure(and I have had many, many surgical procedures), it has it's pros and cons  (I did know this prior to surgery, the outcomes are often different for different individuals, but personal experience is much different than reading bits and pieces of others' experiences) ups and downs and can at times be very frustrating and fickle.  The bottom line is that it is great that people want to share their experiences, but it is a huge mistake not to hear everything that is being said and before jumping on someone for stating their case, we would all do well to ask a few questions via pm to get more context and perspective.  Many times a person is attacked just for stating their own opinion (it is a forum folks) and that is really rude.  You sort of have to have a mental collander, throw everything in and let the "small stuff" fall through the cracks and then sort out the real information.

If we fail to listen to what those who have had poor experiences, bad outcomes, major complications have to say, we are only getting part of the story....it is important to hear it all and keep the information handy in case a complication comes up.

I have stayed away from OH pretty much all summer for several reasons...too busy, more active and I have been sort of testing my band.  The good news, I have lost a bit of weight, have eaten pretty much whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, vacationed, drank a good deal of pinot grigio, and managed to maintain my 70 lb weight loss.  I have toyed with the idea of getting a fill, but I am still doing well without it and after having a stomach virus this week, I am glad I didn't get one. 

I have done my share of pbing, experienced vagus nerve irritation (wakes me up at night occasionally), and sometimes wish my band would just dissapear for a day.  Over all I am satisfied with my choice but always have my ear to the ground, listening for any information I may need in case of a problem.

BTW, I have hearing loss too and ringing in my ears that is incessant.  Years of those (*&*#$@!! frappuccino blenders running at Starbucks in a high volume store, I guess!

Thanks again, Jean for lending a balanced perspective to the board!

Steph

If we fail to listen to what those who have had poor experiences, bad outcomes, major complications have to say, we are only getting part of the story....it is important to hear it all and keep the information handy in case a complication comes up."

Good post to you too Steph.  I totally agree with you and have had a similar experience so far with my band.  I'm seeing (and hoping its just not wishful thinking) that the lapband forum *is* becoming more supportive of  those folks that are not successful.  I really want that trend to continue.   I feel encouraged that newbies are getting the benefit of hearing ALL aspects of the band without the hate and drama purposely stirred up.   There's always going to be that one "bad apple" (or two)  but hell..thats life. Here shouldnt be any different. LOL

great new avi !

THANKS!