Is it really this bad??

Is she still here Pumpkin?  I must be badder than you and she blocked me.  I think I did disagreed with her strongly once.

That aside this is on the OH home page today.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/articles/proposed-get-thin-settle ment-requires-billboard-wls-warnings/

I guess they really advertise hard.  I can't remember the last time I have seen an add here in Michigan.  It used to be every 5 minutes on the TV/radio/Billboards and all paper means.  In the last year, only when mentioned thru a WLS center.

Yup Nana's still here, she's blocked and unblocked me a few times. We have also gone head to head more times then I can remember, but in the end...we have learned to coexist within this forum. I hate the band with a freaking passion, and my feelings about it are no secret.. However...I believe there will always be a need for band support here within this forum, for those rare individuals who have not experienced any band related issues.

That lap band group saturated every conceivable space in the market place advertising their 1-800-GET SCREWED ad campaign, and on top of that...the Ins. fraud they perpetrated  upon their clientele, not to mention their illegal as hell " in house " Collections Dept.  was one of many nails in their silicone coffins, and that's not including the multiple deaths, work place violations, and physicians with questionable licenses that they were/are being currently charged with.

I've been in touch with the lead attorney to offer him any help I can.

I must really be bad if I"m blocked and you, bagleface and others aren't.  And here I was trying so hard to be nice.

For some, it can and it has been that bad and worse. 

Some would have you believe that all you have to do is follow the rules and you will be successful and happy!  This is just not true.  I had a LapBand for over 4.5 years.  I was the perfect LapBander.  In fact, my surgeon said my pouch was not enlarged and he could tell that I never over ate my LapBand capacity.  I measured all of my intake.  I lost.  I was fortunate.  But suddenly out of the blue and over a year past my last fill, I had severe tightening of the Band, I was waking up with a mouth full of acid and choking in the night.  It was coming out of my nose.  My esphogus burned for hours when I'd wake up and I couldn't eat until late in the day.  I had an UGI and it showed my band was in perfect place.

My surgeon said that scar tissue is a problem with some LapBands and the scar tissue builds up so much that it causes the Lapband to tighten.  I did NOTHING to cause this.  Up until that time, I had no problems at all.  Never had an unfill or a partial unfill.  I had very few cc's in my 14 ml band.  I kept it very loose. 

I had the Band removed in a long surgery and part of my stomach had to be torn apart to get the band out.  The tubing was wrapped around my internal organs.  My surgeon had never seen tubing do that.  He took lots of pictures because it was something he had never seen.

I know some have been successful LapBanders.  But even those who are successful, still have had at least one more surgery since their original to fix ports or tubing etc.  The LapBand is not as benign as one would believe. 

I have friends who have lost their bands and who now have serious damage to their stomachs.  I have friends who never had restriction.  One has 9 mls in a 10 ml band.  Her band was placed at a Center of Excellence by a very experienced surgeon and she never had restriction.  Even on US, her food passes through her pouch as if she has no LapBand. 

I have the Sleeve now and wish I had gotten it in the first place.  I love the Sleeve.

Complications can happen even to the most perfect and most compliant patient!

Well spoken  

My COE called me their perfect band patient.  Until I had problems and needed it out.  Than I was treated like a mental case.

When the band is good,,,but when it is bad it is very bad!

I was successful for over 5 years and lost almost 100lbs with my band. Things were going great.....until last July when my band started causing major problems and damage internally. Personally, in my opinion, the band is like a huge gamble and the odds are not in the patient's favor, especially long-term. I use to think that people like me were crazy, lazy, and/or didn't follow the "rules" - then, it happened to me and I started to do more research. The stats on the band are alarming. I think it is so important to go into any surgery with eye-wide-open, so I am happy that you have come here to ask. Good luck with everything.

The reported statistics of LapBand complications is about 35%, which range from relatively minor issues which can be corrected to major issue which result in band remove or death.  I don't mean to scare you but, yes, people have died.

I am certain that the unreported statistics are much higher.

That said, the band does work without complications for some.

If I had it to do again, I would not have gotten the band.  I would have gone for the DS with my current surgeon.

Added since my doctors appt Monday: I wi**** was as simple as just removing my band and revising.  My GI doctor is out of options for me.  I've been referred to Dr Carlos Pellegrini at UW medical center for surgical evaluation.  My GI doctor suspects I have a nissen fundoplication (for gerd and HH) and that, combined with my band is the cause of total destruction of esophageal function.  My manometry findings were, to make it short and sweet, Motility: 0%. The muscles in my esophagus are not working whatsoever.  This has progressed from first symptom (summer 2011) to end stage achalasia in less than 2 years.  Not only do I have the issue of the band tightening around my stomach like a vise, last year, but now get to deal with potentially being on a feeding tube or worse, losing my esophagus.

So much for least invasive, no rerouting of organs, etc.  I'm losing weight because pretty much all I can eat is liquids, but even they get stuck.

Those of you researching WLS, get a manometry test too.  It's also recommended before HH repair.  Do ALL your research with an open mind.