Oh My....

I had no idea that people had been subjected to this type of horror with their lap bands....

And it was this kind of money making business preying on people that are desperately trying to lose weight....which has given the lap band a bad rap in the last few years......I watched in horror...This goes to show your lap band experience will greatly depend on who installs it.

And *gasp* they make 21 million a month installing lap bands....they don't have to worry about a meager lawsuit of a few patients.. deaths..

1-800-Get-Thin Under Fire for Lap-Band Surgery Deaths - click that video
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/

Nana, I'm not sure if it is the band, who installs the band, or what the problem really is.  I realize there are people out there that the band has worked for.  I know when I got my band (2007), they told me it was the "safest" procedure. 
I went to a "lap band clinic".  Why did I choose this clinic?  Because like the one in the newsclip you watched, they highly advertised in an area which at that time, there were not a whole lot of doctors doing.  They told me that by choosing them, I was choosing the more professional doctor to complete my procedure, since, it was them that did this and only this procedure more often than the rest of the doctors.  Well, that made sense to me.  THIS was their specialty.  They had to know what they were doing.  I looked for as much info as I could at that point, and everything looked good.
Well, now almost 5 years later, the band is out after it slipped, killed over half of my stomach, which also had to be removed.  I find out that the doctor that actually performed my surgery has moved 5 times since then.  Not really sure why... 
Anyway, what I do know is that this clinic is still in operation.  They still ONLY do the lap band.
I really hope no one would have to go through what I have gone through.  I wish I had never gotten the band, but I hope anyone considering it does a LOT of investigating.  Thinking about the good and the bad and what risks they are willing to take.  If they look at all sides and still decide to get the band, then I wish them all the luck to be one of the people that it works for.

Doubtful...I am so sorry to hear about your bad experience, it must have been horrifying, I used to hear horrific stories about people's experience with their surgeons office, but as of late in the last few years people no longer report their bad experiences...THEY JUST BASH THE LAP BAND AND NEVER REALLY CLARIFY WHAT HAPPENED. And I never could understand why people say they could never eat solids or had a hard time eating food with their band and I never could relate, I've always been able to eat with no issues -- unless I was filled too tightly, be I guess if the band is installed wrong you would have a hard time with it regardless of how it is filled.

Over the 7 years I've had my band trust me I've heard it all, from people going to Mexico and the surgeon did not install a quality band, I've heard of people saying they never really had a lap band after it was removed they only had a port.
 
Some of those fly by night clinics have closed over the years, I do want to ask you....why would you get your band installed at a clinic instead of a reputable hospital? Now this is what I just can't understand, I remember many used to post here mentioned that they got their bands placed in a clinic. The lap band has to be placed in a very sterile environment, also I've heard of many people going home within an hour after their band was placed in a clinic...to me that just sound horrible...I am not blaming you for doing something like that but I understand some people have no where else to go and if they live in small towns.

I am happy now hear you are doing ok now -- I wish you the best and hopefully you can get revised to another wls.

Nana, the band wasn't actually installed IN the clinic.  You go to a "clinic" (in other words, it is a center that "specializes" in weight loss surgeries).  The doctors there work in a local "reputable" hospital where they place the bands.  When I had the surgery, I actually had better treatment in that hospital than I have had in other hospitals where I had other surgeries.  I had a private room, the nurses were great, they made sure that I was comfortable and checked everything before being released. 
I remember when I had my gallbladder surgery (not the same place), I felt like I was in an assembly line.  At that hospital, you never got a room.  You went straight into a recovery area, with several other people, then you were released straight from there.
So, you see, as for surgeries, the surgery itself for the lap band was one of the better ones that I have seen.   Currently, I live in a small town, however, I am from a LARGE city where I have seen several different surgeries, including when my father had kidney transplant over 20 years ago.  For me, I am sorry, I blame the band.  It is a foreign object inside where it shouldn't be.  I am happy for you that you have had success and no problems with your band.  I really hope that no one else has to go through what I went through, it is NOT worth it.
I just believe that everyone needs to see both sides of the surgery before making up their minds on what they want to do.  I only saw the positive before I had my band.  I did not have anyone tell me the REAL risks involved...

SeriouslyDoubtful,

 None of this was your fault in any way, shape or form. To imply otherwise is cruel.

Unless a person has gone through it, they can't understand.  I'm glad you survived your horrible experience with the lapband.  I'm also sorry that some people feel a need to add insult to injury. They most likely do it out of fear because, deep down, they know what you're saying is the truth... and it can happen to anyone at any time. It still doesn't make it right, however, to place blame on the person going through it. Some people use that denial mechanism to get through life, though, I suppose.

You're very nice to even attempt to explain your situation in this thread, honestly. Maybe someone else can learn from it, at least.