Calling All Negative Bandsters/Former Bandsters

I know you are okay without revising hun, just that I wish I could give you a happy ending in this area.  It bothers me that you still have the after effects of the band.

Sorry I butchered your name - we're all incognito now .

Sometimes I read these posts and I just feel so damned bothered.  I've been here before questioning is it worth it?



All Best,
L

Thanks, L. It'll get better at some point! I know it will. Things always work out.

No problem about my name... I know what you mean about incognito! 

One other thing that bothers me... I've seen the words, "jealous" and "envious" used to describe those of us who had bad experiences with the band. Do you have any idea what we're supposed to be jealous or envious of? Because I have absolutely NO idea and it baffles me. I certainly am not jealous of anyone who has a band... and I'm not jealous of people who are thinner than I am. Actually, the only people I might be envious of are Hawaiians... who get to live in paradise. But that's neither here nor there.

I'm thinking of writing some outrageous stories about people who have me blocked. I think THAT would be "negative." And I might as well live up to the hype. Who gets to be first? Hmmm... there are a few I could choose from.  

I don't know why I keep posting, either. I think it's out of a sense of duty. Or maybe it's doody. I dunno anymore.

***** I know you're jealous about my milkshake, cause you know it brings all the boys to the yard

I'm not a ***** I'm a loser, baby.

I promised myself that I would stick around to offer support for that inevitable post from somone titled, "Do you think I have a slip?".

I know that I was scared ****less when I thought my band had slipped, and even more sad and scared with it was a confirmed bad slip.

If someone wants to read about the life of a bandster, good and bad, I have updated my OH blog almost every single week for almost 5 years now.  I have the good, the bad and the ugly in there.  What I find most enlightening, is that all of this time, I was always finding ways to blame myself for my band failures.  Some of them were....turning to sliders, but that was only after my band just refused to let me eat so much of the time.  

I have since realized that my band was at fault most of the time.  Being a successful sleever will prove that.  

We can go away.....if that's what they want. 

You know, I would also like to add that the reason I come here from time to time to tell my experience is not because I'm bitter or to bash, but because I really valued the opinions of this board as a whole when I was going through the process. I dismissed the bad because the good out numbered it 100 to 1. If it would've been like it is now there is no way I would've gone with the band, and I would've never suffered through what I went through (what I'm still going through). I would've chosen a better surgery from the get go. That's all I'm trying to do, is to save the "me" of today from having to experience the unnecessary pain.

What an awesome post Zee! We all started out on this journey with so many hopes and dreams. Some bandsters had theirs fulfilled temporarily...........others...........not so much! But I guarantee that we all had faith in the band to work as advertised as long as we did our part to work with it when we were banded.

Kudos to Nic M., Rabid, TripMom, HisLady, Pumpkin, Zee, and several of the other ladies that have shared their story about the band today......or in the past, in an effort to help other bandsters/prospective bandsters!

Special thanks to Sarah R. for her post today:

My goal here is to show that there is probably good reason some bandsters are no longer thrilled with their band and that during the mental anguish of regaining and feeling like a failure and sustaining a lot of embarrassment as well as struggles to try to revise we may want to save others who are pre-op the same suffering if possible.

As side from the physical pain caused by the band, perhaps the most traumatic is the mental anguish of things like re-gain, or not reaching restriction. Her comment also about feeling like a failure is something I have heard from so many bandsters with failed bands and it breaks my heart! You all know if you have done what is necessary to work WITH the band..............unfortunately the band does not always do it's part to work with YOU and do what it was advertised to do. NEVER feel like a failure! You all are strong, resilient women that have fought a hard battle with a defective "tool" and done the absolute best you could. Be proud of yourselves!

Thanks to each of you for sharing your stories! ♥

Awesome posts ladies I know there was a time when I too was all for this awesome thing called a band that was gonna give me back my life if I just followed the rules and did what my surgeon said to. It's so hard to even remember feeling that way, it was soooooo long ago but I remember that I did feel that way once. I'm sure I even chewed out people for not following the rules and that's why they were having trouble. Time for a big bite of crow now! I wish the happy Hannas could understand that we we don't bash their beloved bands because we enjoy it but that we all feel a duty to share our bad experiences to spare them from the pain! But they just don't get it.

The fact that I went on TV and touted the band for my craptastic surgeon makes me feel like I have to do double duty damage control now. I have had people come up to me over the years and say, "Oh, I saw you on TV and how you got the lap band and I did, too..." (or their friend, family member, etc did)... and I feel at fault for having misled people (innocently, but still!)

It bothers me to think that someone could be having band complications because they decided to get the band because I "advertised" it.

I was very pro-band initially as well. I encouraged a few people that were pre-op. I feel so incredibly guilty about this!!! One of the ladies only had her band a few wks. She developed esophageal dysmotility at 4 wks. and had to have her band removed about 2 wks. later with emergency surgery. To this day I feel terrible for my part in that! :-(