My first post! My story

I come from a long line of obesity. I am not convinced it is all genetic, but at the same time, I do blame my genetics for my weight to an extent. I am pretty good at saying no to sugars. Like most others, I get sweet tooths and want all sweets I can get my hands on, but I quickly become sick and stop. Quickly as in, I can eat no more than 2 Oreos or literally 1 piece of Sees candy before getting the pains in my jaw from it being too much. I can eat a whole bag of Skittles though in a heartbeat. Luckly I have the will power to pass them up at the store or I really would be in trouble. When I go to the gym and watch what I eat, nothing happens. I did Zumba for almost 6 months 3 times a week and lost 5 lbs. I had my best success doing HCG. I was single and living alone at the time. I lost 25 lbs. I gained about 5 back in the 12 week period between the drops. I had just started round 2 and 5 days into it found out I was pregnant. I am generally around 255 lbs, I got down to 208 doing HCG and was 213 starting round 2. I gained 65 lbs in my pregnancy and have only lost 20 of them. I did manage to get down from 255 to 245 right before the Holidays. I went back to 256 after the New Year and we decided to go pescatarian on December 28th. Ive done great at sticking with the diet, but Im gaining weight out of control on it. I have no idea why! I am eating so much healthier and have gained 5 lbs in the last two weeks. I am beyond frustrated at this point. Now I really feel defeted and that with everything I do, nothing works.

My Aunt had Gastric in 2002, another Aunt had it in 2001, my Mom had it in 2007. All lost a lot of weight and gained a lot back. My cousin has the band going on 7 years now. She has many issues swallowing. This is my biggest concern. Being there when my Mom had gastric done, I have really learned to eat slow, take small bites and chew chew chew. It seems that my cousin does the same thing, yet her food sticks. Like many other stories I have read, this is common. So is the problem of not being able to eat or drink anything in the morning hours. She cant eat or drink before Noon any day. She isnt hungry either.

I am now between trying Weigh****chers 360 & getting banded (Lap or Realize). I feel like Weigh****chers will just delay getting banded for me. I could give it a 3 month shot, but its money and time. I know that sounds Debbie Downer-ish, but its hard to be optimistic when nothing has worked in the past. I am HORRIBLE about logging my food and water. I do it for a few days and then quit. I am horrible at sticking with "diets" but if I can eat what I want (of course limits on bad stuff) then thats so much easier for me. I have no problem going out to eat and eating something good for me, but I will never remember to log it anywhere. I am going to try to go to my first seminar Saturday. I am between two locations, but havent had the nerve yet to make the call. I am excited for my journey ahead whether it be banded or on Weigh****chers.

If anyone has any advice, I am open to hear it all!

Christy, welcome! I always enjoy reading other peoples stories! You can read mine under this username or my old one at thinlizzie. Please reconsider the band. Read my story....it is long. I am not a big eater.... I eat the same portions as a lot of smaller people and could never get the weight off.... Especially after having my daughter. Anyways, you have seen what it's like for your family members......why not look into the DS? After 6 long years my band is coming out and I am getting switched. I don't want the weight to ever come back on once I lose it and it feels as though the DS has the reputation for just that. Anything but the band honey......stay away from the band!

I wasn't able to read your story as it says your profile is private. I didn't realize I didn't go into details about the bypass family members that I have. The issues that they have are far worse in my opinion than my cousin who has the lapband. My Moms profile on here is Sassie123 and she details what she went though 7 days post op. I was there by her side while she suffered at home from not having a bowel movement in a couple days. She was in serious pain. She was drinking laxatives (I dont recall the name the Dr had her take) and when those were not working, she had to go to the ER. While at the ER they have to manually remove the obstruction. Not exactly the nicest thing to imagine. I know that this doesnt happen to everyone as I have a friend *****cently did the bypass and she didnt become obstructed. The one incident isnt so bad, but what happened is the obstruction caused my Mom to tear between the anal & vaginal areas. She has severe infections due to "anal leakage" into her vaginal area. She finally went to the Dr who put a plug in and sewed it up. the plug fell out. He did another one. It fell out. He did another one plus me**** fell out. All in all I think my Mom had a total of 7 or 8 surgeries and ended up with a colostomy bag for several months to allow skin graffs to heal in her tear. She was very lucky that her reversal went normally and you would never know she once had a bag for her bowels.

My Mom also has dumping syndrome. Again, we all know its because she eats something she shouldnt, but I dont want to not be able to eat a couple bits of ice cream if I want that. I have the self control to say "no" after a few bites or 1 scoop. She eats 1 scoop and shes in the bathroom. Her Sister is the same way. She cant eat in the mornings or she is violently throwing up or diarrhea for hours. If she waits too long to eat, well she has the same problem. She is anemic and has several blood transfusions. I was there when they had to put a pic line in her arm after she got a severe staph infection after corrective hernia surgery. She was fed protein & antibiotics through this line. I was there in the ER with her when she was having chest pains only to find out she had a blood clot along the line. I was there when we rushed to the ER again when she thought she was going to faint to find out that her blood was so thin due to the blood thinners they put her on for the clot that if she had been in a car accident she would have bled out and died before help could have arrived (yes, the Drs did say that). Then to sit with her through blood transfusions. She takes iron nightly, eats her proteins first and mostly proteins during the day and STILL has a lot of dumping problems and horrible anemia. My other Aunt who had it, well I am not that close with her so I dont know all her struggles. I also know how much weight they have all gained back and that breaks my heart.

My cousin who had the lapband, I asked her last night if she knew everything she knew now about her band, would she get the band again or go for a different surgery. She said no questions asked, she would do the band again.

I am so afraid of a stomach altering sugery. I have to try the band first. It is insurance covered (all PPOs and most HMOs in California cover it with a BMI over 30), I pay a copay and in all honesty, I have to give this a try before anything else. Even if I have complications, I can say I tried it and now I will try something else. This is the only reversible surgery.

ok...I have been on this board since 2004.  I thought long and hard about RNY  Came within hours of having it before i chickened out.  I then went to a lapband seminar and had it placed in 2006

To be honest, the messages I always see about =RUN RUN FAR FAR AWAY FROM THE EVIL BAND THAT THE ANTICHRIST INVENTED= have always made me angry.  The band worked for me.  I didn't have problems from it and I was lucky enough to not deal with the all too real problems that many have had with it.  But I have come to realize that I was just that-lucky.  I lost my excess weight.  I have kept it off for six years now.  i do not have any issues with the band.  I am not common.  I am in the minority on this board.  

If I had it to do over again, I probably would not have chosen the band.  Why not?  It worked so well for me?  It had taken me time to realize why...   I am a cheap ass.  I coupon incessantly.  I garage sale.  I real all the reviews on amazon before I buy the noodle maker listed.  I want the best value for my money (and I was self pay.)  That being said, if I was to research surgery now and make a decision on a procedure using the same method I do for everything else in my life, I would choose the best value for my money, and that wouldn't be the lapband.  It was exactly what I needed when I needed it.  In my mind at that time it was lapband or nothing.  so Lapband was better than nothing.  But if it was lapband vs. the other surgeries, every other surgery would be the winner.  I wish you best of luck on your journey.  

xoxo

theresa

My Mom was told before her surgery that people generally go online to complain. People don't post success stories because they are so busy being successful that they forget to share it with others. People go online to find other people with the same problems they have and they share their problems with the World as a way to warn people of what could happen. There are far more success stories than failure ones otherwise the surgeries wouldn't happen. But you go online and read more failures than successes. I knew that becoming active on the board I would read more failures. I even purposely went to the failure page yesterday to read those stories. Why? Well, I want to know what COULD happen. Not saying it WILL happen. Its just good to read if I was feeling this certain way that it could be because this or this is happening. Something the Dr may not have told me, but someone else would know about.

I too am a crazy researcher! I am obsessed with Amazon reviews and if my boyfriend would stop throwing the Sunday paper away before I got my coupons out then I would coupon more. :)

Why would you chose the other surgeries over lapband based on cost?

I feel really bad for you. You're heading straight into a nightmare and there's no way to talk you out of it.  I hate this feeling... you'd think I'd be used to it by now. But I really hate seeing yet another person entering into something that is going to damage them. Especially if you have children.

I'm trying to tell you that choosing the lap band is a tremendous mistake. People who still HAVE bands are trying to tell you that they would NOT choose it again. And you're not hearing it.  The government is even saying that lap bands are a bad idea... they've subpoenaed Allergan... and Allergan is trying to sell off its bariatrics because they're not making money on banding anymore. So,  like you said... the surgeries WON'T happen at some point. Many surgeons are refusing to do banding... and a lot of them have practices where they're taking bands out at an alarming rate. You need to choose with an eye on the future... subsequent surgeries will most definitely be part of it. And as doctors phase out banding, they're going to be less equipped to deal with banding complications.

With banding, you're much more likely to have failure. I'm not saying this to be snarky or negative... it's just the truth. Ten years I've watched people fail with the band. I've gone through it myself. And, yes, I definitely thought, "Well, it's not going to happen to ME." But it does. Look at this board alone... there wouldn't be so many of us "complaining" unless there were a lot of band failures. It's notable just because there is always someone mentioning how "negative" this board is... it's BECAUSE so many of us have been damaged. And we hate to see yet another person go through it.

If you research the human anatomy, you'll see how the Vagus and Phrenic nerves can be damaged just from the close proximity of the band to the diaphragm. It's pretty much a given that you'll end up with referred left shoulder pain and esophageal problems. So many of us do. It's just the way the human body is built. Anything that interferes with the motility of the esophagus is damaging. And irritated nerves affect SO many things in a human body. It's impossible to even try to list all the ways. They affect almost everything that has to do with a well functioning body. 

Speaking of band removal, a lot of insurance companies are implementing a "One WLS per lifetime" clause. So, that's yet another thing to consider. Allergan has stated that they no longer consider the band to be a "lifetime product." And, in fact, most people are extremely lucky if they've made it past the 5 year mark.

The more surgeries a person has, the more scar tissue and adhesions form. And while it sounds like "no big deal"  in theory, it can be a real painful problem (as I know from experience... multiple abdominal surgeries have ruined my guts.)

 

I really hope you can find a way to rethink your options and save yourself some pain and disappointment. The band really is NOT reversible. That's just the advertising at work. I really AM trying to help you. And I wish you well, I really do.

I think my post may have been read wrong. My cousin WOULD do lapband again in a heartbeat. She would not to any other surgery.'

I understand your concerns with the board being full of "negative" posts. I think you missed where I said that it is because most people dont come on to post success stories and they do some to warn people off. I have read these posts, good and bad. There are success stories out there. I know I dont go to Yelp and review a good dinner, but I sure go there to review a bad one. I am like most people and just dont think about posting all the good, just the bad. It happens everyday. In every 10 surgeries, there is bound to be a few failures, but not all 10 are failures.

Human anatomy is a reason I will not do any stomach/intestine altering surgeries. I know my body isnt made for a band to be put in it, but I am not exactly comfortable making a permanent cut into my stomach and adjusting my intestines all around.

I did see that it isnt a lifetime product, I actually never thought it was. I thought I would need a new one or a complete removal at 10 years.

I am not 100% set on getting the band. I have debated the idea now for over 5 years. I am just now finally turning to the board and going for a consult. I have struggled to lose weight for over 10 years. I only succeeded when I had Mono and then when I did HCG. I did say I would try Weigh****chers first, but still want to see a Dr to talk about the success rates. I have the chance to get the Fobi pouch by Dr Fobi, so that may be my options. Every surgery has its downfalls. As I pointed out the struggles of my Mom & 2 Aunts. I could go to that board and see all the horrible stories as well with people trying to talk others out of the surgery. I actually just remembered 2 more people. My boyfriends Dad and Step Mom both had bypass surgery before I met him. His step Mom still weighs well over 300 lbs. She didnt lose 1 lb with her bypass. She would tell you the surgery failed and how bad it is and to never do it. His Dad, well his Dad was well over 300 when I first met him and then he was in and out of the hospital with medical issues and now he is around 180. That wasnt because of the surgery, it was other issues going on with his body.

I know that you are trying to help me, I really do appreciate reading your story, but please understand that I am doing all my research and turning to this board and going to see the Dr is part of it.

 

I advise against the band completely, wholeheartedly, and without any hesitation. I've been saying the same thing for almost 10 years now. That's a lot of talking.

And I also wish you luck... and I don't want to hound you. I just hope that you have an experience that is very different from the typical one. But the odds are not good. PLEASE research, read the revisions forum. I have no hidden agenda... I just want to help someone else avoid something bad.

Nic,

If you are going to be a TRUTHFUL BAND BASHER, please BE honest about spewing your poison: You mentioned:

The government is even saying that lap bands are a bad idea... they've subpoenaed Allergan... and Allergan is trying to sell off its bariatrics because they're not making money on banding anymore. So,  like you said... the surgeries WON'T happen at some point. Many surgeons are refusing to do banding... and a lot of them have practices where they're taking bands out at an alarming rate. You need to choose with an eye on the future... subsequent surgeries will most definitely be part of it. And as doctors phase out banding, they're going to be less equipped to deal with banding complications.

You know FULL WELL this is ONLY for that 1800-get-thin clinic that was in California ONLY. That was using the lap band as some type of "cosmetic device" in California where they were taking advantage of people and not following any type of FDA guidelines and were advertising with all those "Bill Boards" here is the link  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/08/allergen-subpoena- idUSL4E8G85F020120508

Yes, it's true that Allergan is looking for a buyer, when I got my band installed, Allergan was NOT the manufacturer, it was INAMED, that's the nature of business sometimes they sell their product to make more money and I don't blame Allergan for trying to find another buyer, who would want to deal with all these headaches of surgeons and patients abusing their product...The lap band became EXTREMELY popular under Allergan from 2007-2011 and this is the good ole USA of ripping people off and the  weight loss business was a good scheme for that and that 1800 clinic took advantage of obese people, and out in California people are desperate to get thin.

The economy is bad in some areas, half of the people that get lap bands are cash pay, the decline of lap band sells are down for this reason, weight loss surgery sales for ALL surgeries are down due to the economy -- not because surgeons are no longer doing bands.

I went to about 5 different lap band surgeons when before I chose my surgeon to repair my hiatal hernia and I asked if they were going to stop doing lap bands and they looked at me funny and said no why would they stop installing lap bands, THIS board is spreading many lies about the band and if THEY aren't successful they want to make sure no one else is.

ALSO there is NOT ONE SURGEON HAS STOPPED PERFORMING LAP BANDS -- NOT ONE!  There are a FEW SURGEONS that has NEVER done lap bands, they only cater to the super morbidly obese that only does Gastric Bypass or the DS, BUT MOST SURGEONS ALL OVER THE WORLD STILL DO LAP BANDS, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO LAP BANDS. Because it is a very popular device, remember there will always be people would want a band and not the Sleeve or Bypass even if it means lasting for only 8-15 years.  

Heck the Bypass IS NOT effective for MOST people even for only 3-5 years, so if someone is foolish to believe that a MORE "PERMANENT weight loss surgery will be effective for 15-20 years they have wishful thinking. I know about 10 people that had the Bypass in 2005 AND NONE STILL WORK going on 8 years, they are now all dieting and on diet pills and exercising like crazy to keep their weight down, most have gained all their weight back and seeking lap bands. There is no long term data on the Sleeve yet, but looking all those who are now complaining of no restriction, or horrific acid/bile reflux after only 1 or 2 years the Sleeve results will look worse than the Bypass long term.

The lap band has been FDA approved in the US for 12 years, if EVERY single person had horrific complications or no weight loss -- they would pull it from the market. That has not happened and it's NOT going to happen because many people are successful with it.

There are a few surgeons that do NOT have time for aftercare with the band,  also MANY surgeons will tell you that some patients NEVER COME BACK for follow ups until they've gained their weight back OR they have complications and surgeons  NO LONGER  TRUST SOME PATIENTS with the band and WILL NOT PUT ONE IN THEM FOR LIABILITY REASONS because they do not trust them, remember the PATIENT CHOOSES how tight their band gets. Every time I get a fill the surgeon asks "How do you feel?" "Is it too tight?, It up to ME to say YES OR NO.....And the surgeon tells me if you have a HARD TIME WITH SOLIDS come back immediately....do you think all patients are being honest?

But again you are hoping that most newbies are not good researchers or ignorant. If someone is set on getting the Sleeve or Bypass, I would not stop them, that is THEIR body, they will have to live with that surgery, same thing for the band.

/Inamed was the manufacturer when I had my band, as well.  I believe I was getting my band removed about the time you were thinking about getting one. I think anyone's who been around for awhile will know that I'm not "spewing poison." What a rotten thing to say... especially when you're the one who goes off on people and then deactivates over and over. I've posted as myself for years... I say what I mean.  You sound a little like a conspiracy theorist, actually, talking about how surgeons and Americans are "abusing" Allergan's product. Yikes.  Poor Allergan, the little multi-billion dollar company is being "abused." I don't see them being overly concerned about all the people being damaged by their device. At least the government is holding them accountable.

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/allergan-lap-band-subpoena-2701 9/

 

All you have to do is look at this board to see the rate of band failure. Every day there are more and more people experiencing the "joy" of erosion, slippage, and pain. The fact that there are failed band support groups everywhere is really sad. There shouldn't have to be so many damaged people before others speak up and speak out.

 The fact that you had at least 65 fills and unfills in 2 years and accepted it as "normal" is proof that people will accept just about anything in the name of weight loss. With the band, it's all about degrees of acceptance, I guess. I did it myself... I accepted the chronic pain as being part of my "new normal." I figured that I was already damaged and having the band removed wouldn't help. I was wrong. Thankfully.  I don't talk about other WLS because I don't really care if anyone chooses a different surgery. I just want them to know about the downfalls that come with banding. Because I've experienced it and witnessed it over and over and over.

Like I said in my last post, I am happy for the people who are happy with their bands. However, I will continue to warn people who are preoperative about the dangers of gastric banding.  I don't think most people are ignorant. I think there are a lot of good people searching for an answer... and we get in a hurry and rush into something headlong. I did it myself. It wasn't until AFTER I started being damaged that I needed to really research fully to find out how to save myself. And I think that is what happens... a lot of people attend a seminar and hear, "less invasive" and research no further. If they post here before they've had surgery, at least those of us who know what it's like to have complications can fill them in on it. But I shouldn't have to run the gauntlet every single time I try to help someone.  The truth always comes out eventually. After people start experiencing the complications, they realize that I was trying to help, after all. Nothing else really matters to me here... not what anyone thinks of my opinions or if they question my motives... it's not my problem. I know why I do it.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421324/

 

 

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/lap-band-side-effects-additiona l-surgery-17088

Make sure you read all the comment from people with lap bands. It's pretty telling.