Confused about the band

Hi, why did it almost kill you? I always thought the lap band was safe???

 Here is the link to my story, and unlike Nana would have you believe I was a "model" bandster and it all still went to hell on me (and fast). While they say the band is "reversable" it is not really, since most of the damgae it does while in there is permanant, and mine is. It is not near as safe as they would like you to believe. PLEASE research before you do it. I ended up having to have four surgires, a million invasive tests and spent a total of almost three weeks in the hospital, all b/c I choose the "safer" option. If I had it to do all over again, I would have went with the Sleeve at the start (but hindsight is 20/20). 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4419810/I-have-bee n-reluctant-to-share-but-here-I-am/#36528040

I have about 110lbs to lose

I would have to agree with a previous poster...... RUN FAR and RUN FAST!!! Stay away from the band. 

I've had my band for 2 years - and have had nothing but issues.  Out of nowhwere, with what my Dr. would call "perfect restriction"  my band slipped.  Great, spent 2 days in the hospital to get it fixe and was told if it slips once, it will slip again.  Good Lord, that scared the crap out of me.  I didn't get a fill for several months and the weight started creeping back up.  Went in 5 months later to slowly begin fills again....yep you got it.... it slipped again.  This time, the Dr said it has to come out.  So here I am now - waiting for Jan 19th to get here as I am having a revision to DS. 

In the 1st year I lost 70-80 lbs but was still considered obese.  I have gained the weight back since the 2nd slip, and no matter what I do to try to lose it -  it doesnt' budge.

If you have a significant amount of weight to lose I would do your research on ALL WLS.  

I would HIGHLY recommend you RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH all WLS. 

Good Luck with you decision.   

Hi,

I also considered lapband until I did my research. Lapband has such a high rate of post-op complications that it is slowly being phased out by some surgeons. VSG is becoming the new gold standard in WLS. My surgeon did not try to market any particular surgery to me, but I did lots of research and have nearly 200lbs to lose. It is the best choice for me and my family - I also have a young daughter who needs her mother. Yes, a large portion of your stomach is removed, but what is left is still your stomach and you can still eat normally, just not the huge quantities you once did. VSG wls also helps curb your appetite tremendously which gives you the opportunity to think out your food choices and eat healthier. You sound like you are scared to have such a permanent solution to your weight problem, but isn't that why you are seeking WLS in the first place? I know it's why I did. I needed it to save my life and I did it for my daughter. I want to participate in her life rather than watch from the sidelines - and I want to make memories with her that she will cherish rather than anguish over. VSG is helping me do all of this. Lapband never would have gotten me there...never in a million years. 

Just think about it and make the best choice for you.

~Micah

Here is the diaphragm:






See where the band sits on the top portion of the stomach?




Then there's the Vagus nerves that get highly affected by the band's presence. Or if not the band itself, the pressure from the top portion of the stomach pressing against the diaphragm, where the Vagus nerves are. This causes a LOT of people to have referred left shoulder pain, amongst other complications.





Here's an interesting piece about the Vagus nerve. And there's just no way to explain HOW MUCH damage the band can do in regard to this.


http://www.wellsphere.com/brain-health-article/love-your-vag us-nerve/1089260

For example: 

I got the band, it damaged my diaphragm immediately. I suffered with horrible and chronic referred left shoulder pain for years due to that damage. Even after band removal, it's still there. The diaphragm and its nerves take ridiculously long to heal. The Vagus nerves being damaged caused a reaction called, "machine gun sneezing." If I moved wrong, did crunches, bent over, etc. I would be thrown into a sneezing fit that would last for hours and hours until I passed out from not being able to breathe.

I had to have multiple corrective surgeries to try to "correct" the damage caused by the band... so now I have adhesions that are so bad, they're "gluing" part of my lower intestine together. I have a hiatal hernia caused by the band, my stomach has ulcers caused by the erosion of the band. I have gastritis AND I became horribly anemic and malnourished while banded due to the fact that I could NOT eat solid foods. If I were dumb enough to TRY, I would spend literally hours gagging and throwing up. I lived on soup, ice cream and protein shakes.

So, the manufacturers of the band will have to forgive me if I don't buy into the whole, "Less invasive and safer" crap that they try to sell.  I believed nothing bad could possibly happen to me... but it happens. And we're ALL "other people"... so the stuff that only happens to "other people..." well, it can happen to anyone. And does. A LOT.

So, the people who are thrilled with their bands... I am very happy for them, but there are a whole lot more who are like me... disappointed and damaged.

You'll see a common theme... 2-3 years out the problems start. They may be small... some acid reflux or trouble eating... and then it gets bigger and worse... and then there's all the damage you can't see until it's too late. To put a silastic band around living, soft tissue and expect no adverse consequences is asking too much. Yes, I bought into it, too, because I didn't allow myself to think too much about it. I wish I had. I would have saved myself years and years of pain and suffering.

Please learn from the mistakes of those who have gone through it. Save yourself years of pain, please.

Wow, so much to consider. I have tried EVERY diet out there, EVERY program, etc. I thought lap band was my answer to aid me to finally lose more than the 10 lbs i always seem to lose. sooo confused. Ugh. I have never even heard of the sleeve until now

 And that is why you need to do more research, the band is NOT as safe as they say. Period. It does permanent damage, and is NOT "revers able" like they say, while it can be removed the damage that it does can often not be undone. PLEASE look at all your surgery options before making a decision, and do not let a doctor who does not do the VSG (or DS) sell you a bill of goods on the band, it is a money maker for them and many do them for just that reason even when the weight loss stats are dismal. 

Tripmom, so you are saying that the VSG has NO Risks, NO permanent Damages? So, everyone should jump on VSG bandwagon? Oh, you forgot to mention the titanium stitches they use to staple your stomach after they have removed 'half' of it, what about 'leakage'?  shouldn't that be a concern? what about if one of those staples became 'loose' and landed right into one of your main organs ,hmmm. Like I said in my other posts, nothing is 100% accurate. You have to do what works for you. But, you telling these people to RUN from the Lap band because it didn't work for YOU is really irrelevant, it sounds as if you are the new spokes person for VSG. Are you getting paid for these advertisements? Oh, BTW a dear friend of mine at the ripe age of 41 died from a leakage last year after several years having weight loss surgery, leaving behind a 4 year old. Anything can happen when getting surgery, anything. Remember that when you are trying very well to scare the sh*t out of the people here who for the first time are coming to this site to gain support and run across your sad pathetic post...

 Nope, I am not saying any of those things, what I am saying is that if you are going to take the RISK go with something that has better odds of actually working. The makers of the band sell an object, they want people to believe that it is safer (less invasive) and more effective then other surgeries b/c that is how they make their money. People go into it believing that, and also believing that if they don't like it they can just have it removed and none of that is true. Look at even our most successful bandsters on this forum, most of them have had to have more then one surgery to keep their bands working (slips, tube replacement, port flips etc), and to me that is not a "less invasive" surgery. 

Leaks happen, most are not life threatening and the percentage is very low in the VSG, there are other complications too which can usually be avoided by vetting your surgeon and making a good choice on your aftercare plan. I have never told anyone to RUN from the LapBand, if they want the Band then they should go for it and once they make that decision I am 100% supportive, but I will share my story and give information about a better alternative to anyone who wants to listen or is questioning what surgery they want. I will also step in whenever I see someone giving false information about the VSG. 

I think you are either missing the point of my posts or you are confusing me with other people, b/c you are attributing things to me that I never said.