Long term results for the Band

My "long term result" with the band is referred left shoulder pain from damage to the Vagus nerves, according to the five specialists I saw over the past decade.

I had a subpar surgeon who didn't take any of my complications seriously and did nothing to help keep me alive. Thankfully, Dr.  Horgan did take my situation very seriously (In fact, told me that I was about a day from kicking the bucket due to a twisted stomach and a bowel obstruction.) The only reason I'm still alive today to 'annoy' people about the dangers of the band is because he did emergency surgery on me. kemmerling of Green Bay, WI was content to simply let me croak off, apparently. He'd been paid, I did free advertising for him on television, and I was of no use to him after that point it would seem.  He is a big time advertiser and has quite a cult following who will speak of him in glowing terms. I am NOT one of them.  He shoved an Ng tube in my nostril without benefit of lubrication immediately after surgery. In fact, spit in my face while saying, "It's gonna hurt, deal with it"... while I begged him to help me. I also got my period immediately after surgery. He then parked me in a hospital corridor to bleed from my nose and vagina while sitting in a wheelchair. I cried about a million tears and even the nurse who found me was horrified. THAT was the way he saw fit to "tend" to me while I was in a shocking amount of pain. I remember nothing but pain for weeks after surgery. I don't remember the ride home from the hospital... only blinding, insane pain. Painkillers did absolutely nothing to alleviate the stabbing pain.

I never had my band filled... oh, we tried... the slightest amount would make it impossible to swallow even my own saliva. So, my band was always kept unfilled completely. And even with no saline in it, I was unable to eat  solid food. I lived on liquids. I lost a tremendous amount of weight fairly quickly. But starvation will do that for you. I became anemic, malnourished, and had debilitating left shoulder pain from morning until night every day.  At one point, I was researching assisted suicide, my quality of life was so horrible.

I saw chronic pain specialists in Chicago. ( I live in east central Wisconsin.) I had injections directly into my shoulder joint (which OF COURSE didn't help. The pain was stemming from the diaphragm, not anything orthopedic.)  I was told that there was "nothing that could be done." One doctor told me, "Well, if you'd like to continue breathing, there's nothing we can do at this point."  They put me on pain patches which rendered me unable to stand, walk, or remain conscious. I lost my job during this time.

 I would call kemmerling's office, I'd go in for my visits, I'd complain and beg and plead... and he'd tell me that it was "in my head." There was "nothing wrong with me." He did a few "tests" to "prove" to me that I was just being crazy. And I'd go home yet again, in unmanageable pain, hopeless, depressed, and considered "successful" solely due to the weight loss.  One time he told me to "go home and find a hobby."

The day I finally gave up (and I still can't believe it took me as long as it did) was the day my young son bawled his head off while I lay on the bed, unable to even raise my head. He kept saying, "Mom, please don't die. Get the band out, please. Please, Mom!" I wasn't able to hold him and comfort him because I didn't have the physical energy or strength. This moment in time is my most heart-breaking memory. The fact that my son had to feel so much distress just haunts me to this day. I asked my husband to make an appointment for band removal and I had it removed the next day by Dr. Horgan.  Within a day's time, I felt like a living being again. I have no doubt that the band took years off my life. I regret ever having been stupid enough to believe the advertising. After  I HAD to be my own advocate, I spent years and years researching... and my conclusion is: Why would anyone with extensive medical knowledge EVER believe that putting an implant on the stomach was a good idea? The Vagus nerve system controls so many functions in the human body. I wish I had known BEFORE undergoing gastric banding.

Okay, so I had the band removed, could breathe, poop, and eat again... and had hoped the left shoulder pain was simply going to be a very bad memory of my time banded. Not so. Even today, 8 years AFTER band removal, I get intermittent left shoulder pain. I am left with gastritis, ulcers, a hiatal hernia, diverticulitis, esophageal problems, and damage to my nerves. I have anal fissures from the years I spent constipated. My metabolism is screwed up and I am fat again. I have scars all over my abdomen from multiple surgeries, I have adhesions galore... the last time I had to have a colonoscopy, they could barely move the scope through my colon due to the large number of adhesions. BEFORE banding, my greatest complaint was that my ankle hurt. (I had a bad break in 1989.)  For about a  year after band removal, I had chronic sneezing and hiccuping, resulting in passing out most times.  One day I sneezed so many times in a row that I simply could not catch my breath and passed out, chipping my tooth.  I saw neurosurgeons, I saw allergists, I pleaded for help from whomever I thought might have an idea of how to help me. To no avail. Thankfully, the sneezing and hiccuping abated after time. I was beginning to believe that the effects of the damage the band caused would never stop.

I was part of a VERY close knit band support group. Out of the three dozen or so of us who got bands in the 2002-2003 time frame, exactly three still have their bands. And I just received a message from one of those people  that she feels as if she has a "time bomb" implanted inside her. So, THAT is  my "long term study." Real life. My own experience.   Because of this horrible, life altering experience, I have formed my low opinion of the band.  And while I realize not all will have the same results I did, there are way too many who DO.  Because I care about my fellow humans, I feel compelled to post about the dangers of the Lap-Band.  What always baffles me is the inhumane responses so many of us who suffered enormous amounts of pain receive.  It's as if some of these people think they're bullet-proof. Or maybe they are simply lacking in compassion, I don't know. I am not sure I even care at this point. I just want to help others avoid the same horrific pain I experienced. That is my sole purpose for posting.

I should also divulge that since losing my job, my house has gone into foreclosure and I will be forced to vacate within a month. My family and I are moving to another state. I won't have to see kemmerling's cheesy, low budget, insulting commercials on television anymore... which is a reason to move out of state, in and of itself. Perhaps if I had chosen a different surgeon my banding experience would have been less dire... I don't know. But my experience was what it was... and I have watched SO many people I care for get damaged alongside me. This is why I have the opinion of the band that I do.

I had a great surgeon, fantastic aftercare, followed every rule, lost over 100# in 10 months, never had my band too tight, did everything the right way and it still seriously damaged my esophagus.  It's just the  nature of the band.

What I can't believe is that people are still blaming the banded people instead of the obvious obvious obvious culprit, the band.