Calling All Negative Bandsters/Former Bandsters

I never thought about myself as negative and discouraging but apparently when we run across complications with our bands that is who we are - Negative, Discouraging, Sour pusses.  We failed our bands and so we want you to as well.  Never mind the Band failed us part.  To accept that is to accept your own vulnerability.

Anyways I'm just sayin' that maybe we should go from here.  I'd love to see the heavenly oasis many people speak of  that would exist without us bringing them down.  I keep hearing of this other forum where there are all positive band experiences and how positive people doing superbly with their bands have abandoned this site.  I'm tellin' you I'd love to see this unfold - this happy, happy, joy, joy group.  I'd be shouting off the rooftops myself - get the band, get the band it is awesome, people are doing so well!   I'd do that because I know the pain of obesity and want nothing more than for that pain to be lifted even from my enemy.

Don't know if any of you old timers remember a gal named Vanessa?  Back in 2005 she would go on and on about how her band failed her.  I tell you that I did sympathize  - I mean I had issues right out the gate and a non-working band the first 2.5 years.  But in my heart of hearts I believed that what was happening to her was somewhat "self-inflicted".  I wanted her to get revised to the DS and disappear (she I believe was a self-pay & couldn't afford her dream of a DS). To make me feel better, I thought  "why is she fat if she can't eat" - what isn't she telling? I wasn't ready to see or hear her without first making my own alteration of her story.  I was going to do this band thing right and Vanessa's woes were hers.

Then when I was at the top of my game, winning at losing - wearing  size 6  donated designer jeans by the trunk full Nikki came along and seemed to always cloud my view.  I was sorry for her, so sorry she had suffered so much from the band.   I wanted this beautiful woman to stand up, stop blubbering, revise, and move forward.  I told her so and I was sorry (you know that Nikki - I told ya that!  Man oh man I still wish you could revise and be okay and feel the feeling I feel - my stomach sleeved is so lovely).  So I do understand not wanting to know - though I was always too clever not to know.  I knew.  We all know don't we?

I'm not the most present of failed Bandsters on this board but I would be willing to "stop molesting them" with my truth so they can have their Positive Band Forum back.  We can just pretend it is all gravy .

So I wonder if you don't see me, us will you be better for it?  Was I better for it ?  The day came when I could not pretend even if I was doing so.

All the best to you newbies and oldies

Zee, I was just talking to Maria yesterday on the phone. I was going to ask members of my OH Failed Bands Group to go back through their posting history and find a post where they had posted from,
" The Happy Bandster " POV. I then want them to update their current situation with their bands.

I actually think it would be good for pre-ops to see that there was once upon a time when we " Negative Band Bashers " posted exactly the same way that some of the newer, still happy bandsters are posting today. I'm speaking to the ones who believe that we " The Band Bashers " are ruining their forum experience.

Maybe it would lead to further research by the pre-ops...

Hey Pumpkin!  I'd love to do.  There are however some boards that we can't pull old posts from. 

Most bandsters that have band complications started out on the Main Forum and/or here in this forum. If it was on a forum they are no longer a member of then that's kinda a bummer.

Excellent idea! I know I had many "happy lapband" posts. Im going to go looking now. Thanks for the suggestion.

You're Welcome, I hope that there are enough people who are willing to put the time and effort into searching through their old post's, so pre-ops can see the comparisons.

Oh, I'd love to do this...

I know there were a ton. I was the freaking bandster poster child shouting it's wonders from the rooftops :)

I found several posts in lapband la la land, but I started having issues at about 9 months out, so there was a lot of realistic posts too. It was neat to go back and read all those old posts. I found two that were pretty band positive even though I had begun to have problems at this point. You can at least see I still saw the band as something positive (oh, and proof that I did at one point have 'success'. Too bad it didn't stay that way).

Post Date 9/6/08 1:04 pm
Topic: RE: Before and During...lets post our progress!!!!

Ok, I'll do some too. The transformation is the best part of this process (oh yeah, and getting healthy). However, I can totally see why some people would prefer not to post pictures. It took me a long time to get to the point where I was ok with it. The internet can be a scary place. That being said....

This is the face picture my DH took when we decided to get lapband. I got heavier in the 6 months it took before we actually got the band. However, I think this picture is horrifying enough:



And this is my most recent face picture. At least I cared enough to put on makeup and fix my hair in this one.


Post Date: 8/29/08 2:58 pm My surgeon asked my husband at his first visit what his goals were with the band. My husband told him he wanted to lose about 150. Our surgeon had pretty much the same reaction yours did. He told him that if he wanted to lose that much he shouldn't get the band, but if he wanted to go ahead with the band he should be comfortable with about a 50 pound loss. My husband is 11 months out now, and down 124 pounds as of this morning and still going strong. I have also lost 95.9% of my excess weight in under 11 months. The last time we saw our surgeon he told us that we were his 'star patients'. He also has told my husband to stop losing. I don't think he plans on taking that advice until he makes himself happy. This is about us, not the surgeon.

You can be your doctors star patient. Don't let him set your goals low for you. Prove to him how wrong he is about the lapband and you!

It is very strange indeed, to go back and read through our posting history. I looked up all of my pre-op goals and have met so many of them, but I lost so much of my life in the exchange Thank you for contributing to this thread.

You know what always strikes me as funny? Those delicate little bunnies who are so offended that they just can't find it within themselves to post here anymore. And then,after _____ days, weeks, months, years, they SOMEHOW manage to find just enough strength to plop their hands on the keyboard and SOMEHOW type out how much they still dislike it and how awful everyone still is.

And now that THEY'RE here, things need to change. We'll only post a certain way, about certain things... no "negative" about the precious band, for the love of all that's holy!  They don't care if you nearly died from it, or if you're in atrocious pain- physically, mentally or spiritually. All that matters is that you toe the line and don't bring everyone else "down."  These kinds of posts will, without fail, always turn me into a very blunt (some might say rude!) person.

Zee, I do remember the day we had words. I'm glad we found it within ourselves to see each others' point of view. (I'm all right with not revising, honest, Zee. I can't go through it again, but I feel good, in spite of this!)    I'm so glad you're doing well with the sleeve!