What I hate..,

There's making a point about problems, and then there is negativity.

Making a point is stating one's own experience, and that is IMHO truly valid.

NEGATIVITY comes in when the line is crossed and the insistance begins that EVERY band WILL fail, that EVERY band patient will end up unhealthy and unhappy, which is NOT the case, and even the latest government study does not back up.

NEGATIVITY reaches the tipping point into cruelty when the line is crossed into "Ha ha, told you so!" That makes no one feel better and actually makes the writer look mean, insenstitive and - honestly? - sort of pathetic.

No one should be dancing on anyone else's grave.  We are all in the fat boat together, and to laugh when someone falls out is just unnecessary.

 Very true Bette! My point exactly. Tell your story, good and bad. Tell the facts and allow those newbies to read, research and decide what is best for them. 

Well said Bette

You have done astoundingly well!

Well said Dear. I concur :)

Exactly Bette....we all have right to state our opinions, but when those opinions become harrassing and mean its time to take a step back and re-evaluate. 

I had my band removed in an emergency surgery 2 years before you got yours. I've been watching people suffer since 2003 and it's taken a toll on me, for sure.

What also took a toll on me is seeing my son's face when I was so weak and in so much pain that I couldn't even stand up. It feels like it was just yesterday that he was sitting next to my bed, crying, begging me to not die.  It doesn't feel like years since I was in so much pain that I lost my job, my friends kept showing up on my doorstep, begging me to get the band removed so I could stay alive. And I fully remember how stubborn I was... thinking that the damage had been done and removing the band wouldn't make a difference.  I learned a lot of things during my time banded... one of those things is that I was very wrong and that there are much, much worse things than being fat.

I went from a relatively healthy fat woman to a thin person in chronic, neverending, severe agony from the damage the lapband caused my body.  Now, if it were just ME, I could say, "The band didn't work for ME, but it might still be a good device."  However, out of the 100 or so people in my support group who had bands, there are 3 left. And one has had more "corrective" surgeries than I can count. All different surgeons, different sized bands, and the same complications with everyone.

This has been MY experience, so I'm certainly not going to be giving the lapband high marks. To someone who has had a GOOD experience, they can't understand what it's like to be scared for your life because of a silastic band around your stomach. They may not be able to understand the vulnerability and the shock and despair that a lot of us have felt.

I had a HORRIBLE surgeon who was cruel and imperious, careless, rude, and just a rotten person all around. Would I have had a better experience had I chosen a different surgeon? Maybe. But that ship sailed long ago. All I have is my very, very negative experience from which to draw conclusions.

If a person is happy with their band, I'm happy for them. But I will not stop talking about my experience until I feel it's time. And right now, in spite of the years since I had a band, I still have pain from it. That makes it more difficult to move past it.

And you have every right to complain about your surgery and your lap band.  We all concede to the fact that you have a legitimate right to complain and to warn others.  You have (that I can remember) never attacked anyone else on this board or criticized the members of this board about their decisions to have the lap band.  We are all in agreement that all sides of every story should be told here, but the maliciousness should end NOW!

I love my band!!  I've been banded for only 7 months and I'm about 16 lbs away from my goal! 

I admit, it's a daily struggle.  I consider myself to be a very good patient & I follow the rules, but not all the time.  There are days when my band is somewhat "loose" and I can eat pretty anything and as much as I want.  There are other days when my band is very "tight" and I have to be very mindful of what I eat. 

I don't care.  I'll take the good days and the bad days to look like I do now because its worth it! 

Ranting topics disguised as "help" is not helpful.  Quite frankly I've learned who the authors of those types of posts are, so I don't even bother clicking on their posts. 

Keep up the good work with band!!!

If this board had been this negative 5 1/2 years ago I would not have gotten the band either.  I would have, most likely, chosen rny and would not be seeking a revision due to reflux and pain now.   If people who have had a bad experience with the band want to come here and share their stories, and make others aware it's a good thing.  Ignorance is not bliss.

Let's not forget that there are probably lots of people who lost weight successfully with the combination of Fenfluramine/phentermine who never developed mitral valve problems.  I see the band in that same light.   Would anyone here suggest that fenfluramine/phentermine is a life saver?