So....

C...you know what? After all these years with my band and COMPARING IT TO OTHER SURGERIES...THERE IS NOTHING ANYTHING BETTER....my older sister had her stomach stapled years ago..."Very similar to the Sleeve" she lost a lot of weight very quickly and within a few years she lost the restriction and gained most of her weight back...ALSO she vomited EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR YEARS...AND USED TO GROSS ME OUT -- and I VOWED I WOULD NEVER GET A WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY THAT WILL STAPLE, REMOVE OR ALTER MY INSIDES ...sometimes I would avoid going out to dinner with her for only to pull over to throw up.. I've seen many gastric bypass folks having to do the same thing...plus many had a host of other issues to deal with ....the vomiting for them was nothing..lol..they had other bigger issues to deal with daily....

At least with MY BAND -- I DON'T VOMIT --IT CAN BE AVOIDED AT LEAST FOR ME, nor do I suffer from pain or nausea...

I am grateful for my health...if I had to do it all over again 7 years out -- and the ONLY CHOICES I HAD WAS THE BAND, SLEEVE, RNY OR DS...I WOULD STILL CHOOSE THE BAND because if things go wrong they can be easily fixed and I can still get fills years out...and it can be removed...

NOW IF THERE WAS A SURGERY THAT CAME AVAILABLE WITH NO DUMPING, NO RISKS OF VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES, NO HORRIBLE COMPLICATIONS AND GREAT WEIGHT LOSS -- I WOULD GET MY BAND REMOVED NOW -- IN  A HEARTBEAT..BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT DOES NOT EXIST.....

I hear ya, Hot Momma!!

 hi c
I am being banded next week, any advice you would offer me?
I really enjoyed your post here. 

Congratulations!  Are you excited??

I will send you a message in your inbox!!

Well you are correct IN MOST PEOPLE...but there are people out there with SEVERE EATING DISORDERS...that are not honest about HOW MUCH THEY ARE EATING....when the band is restricted at optimal levels IF YOU EAT TOO MUCH  OR DON'T CHEW WELL YOU WILL VOMIT.....and if SOMEONE VOMITS SEVERAL TIMES  PER DAY FOR 6 MONTHS --- THE BAND WILL EVENTUALLY SLIP ...LAP BANDS ARE NOT EASILY TO SLIP...IT TAKES A WHOLE OF OF ABUSE FOR SLIPPAGE TO OCCUR....

I've had MANY MANY STUCK EPISODES throughout out 7 years ...but they are isolated mistakes...not every single day....

I wonder if some bandsters "ACCIDENTALLY" DRIVE UP TO McDonald's AND BURGER KING AND SHOVE A BURGER DOWN THEIR THROATS ..to cause some of this vomiting...because if you eat band friendly foods on a tight band and chew well and stop eating when you are satisfied....YOU WILL NOT VOMIT....Trust me I've heard of some horrible band "whippings" that can last for hours of vomiting  from food being stuck...

I remember a girl posted that she had to get her band urgently removed because she went to breakfast with her family at a buffet and ate a thick biscuit and it got stuck and caused obstruction and they had to remove the band...she never stopped vomiting until her band was removed....The tighter the restriction the more problems you will have....why would she eat a thick bread on a very tight band? Some of this stuff is stupidity too.

I've kept myself complication free over the years using common sense...when I get a very tight adjustment -- I stay away from danger foods...IF I WANT TO EAT NORMALLY -- I JUST GO BACK TO MY SURGEON AND REMOVE SALINE....PEOPLE NEED TO FULLY UNDERSTAND YOU CANNOT EAT NORMAL FOODS ON A TOO TIGHT BAND WITHOUT ISSUES.....

I am so glad to see that all you see in here is the 'accidently overeating' remark.  I had complete restriction with NO saline in the band.  I asked for the band to be removed and my surgeon refused.  I could NOT digest protein.  No chicken, eggs, beans, peanut butter, nothing.  Everytime I would try something new, one bite was all it would take.  I would chew, chew, chew and chew some more.  I would even grind it to almost a baby food consistency and still could not digest it.
However, the sugary foods would digest.  Mashed potatoes became my comfort food because if nothing else would go down, they would.  I have a small hypoglycemic issue which I have always been able to keep under control.  With the band this became VERY hard.  I will say it wasn't until year 3 when I started having problems digesting protein.

I am NOT saying that this is a problem that everyone has, however, I am imploring that when you think that because a lapband did not work for someone else that it is their fault.  It isn't necessarily their fault.  I followed ALL of the rules until the band would not allow me to follow the rules of protein first, etc.  I did not have the support of a good physician.  I tried to find another one to take his place after he moved out of state, but because I was having complications, no one wanted to take over my care until I ended up in the ER for emergency surgery because the band finally slipped and killed off over half of my stomach.

I am very glad that some people have had success with the band, however, please don't condemn those of us that have had serious complications.

The original post was about over eating when there is restriction and how that can cause damage. 

Your situation doesn't sound anything remotely like that, and I am very sorry for your experience.

Thank you C Cube, I understand the original post is actually nothing to do with my situation.  And, I thank you for understanding that.  I am not a basher of any sort, however, I do get frustrated when some people say that EVERYONE that has a failed band is at fault for their band not working.  There are those of us out here that have tried everything and still have serious complications.

Again, thank you for your understanding.

Seriously...no one never said you did not have a horrible experience! Trust I've known many that had horrible experiences with their band and suffer problems from no fault of their own and if they can sue their surgeon they should do so ....We are all sorry for those that suffered complications and I will support those who've had horrible complications....

But what I will not support is those that tell bold face lies and abused their bands and come back here to harass others and tell them we are all doomed...now that type of nonsense I will not support...again I am very sorry you had to deal with a horrible surgeon and aftercare...it seems like you should be able to go after your surgeon if he moved his practices that many times and left his patients out in the cold to fend for themselves...to me that is malpractice..usually when a good stable surgeon moves or retires he has already set up a new surgeon to take care of his patients....

This response is to no one in particular: I  admit that i am about to get the band as my ins does not cover the sleeve and I am not wanting the bypass so I am left with the band. I admit also that reading all the (bad) on this forum does dampen my positive outlook. But appreciate the feedback on the band albeit good or bad.