An Honest Persons Version of their Lap band Experience Versus Sleeve

I think this explains it all............why this persons band slipped and how she has to work MUCH harder with her VSG than her Lap band, however she feels more normal with her VSG because the food does not get stuck from being too tight with the band.

I also think this explains how DANGEROUS the band can get if you use it incorrectly and PB daily to keep the weight off, she admitted she never exercised with the band, because she heavily relied on the band to do it all for her, but she has to exercise with the Sleeve to see weight loss. I find this very interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffxpsJt_1I

My honest experience - my stomach sleeved could not be more excellent.  I won't even entertain this video or person.  I want to be healthy NOT damage or risk my life.   When I had the band I was afraid to eat late and so I did not.  The fears helped me tremendously.  That's honest.

Being sleeved is so different FOR ME.  There is capacity but not In your face, whip your arse restriction.  In fact when you undereat Your stomach capacity, you can't feel your bottom at all. I Iive by that because I don't want any issues. At 2 years out, I don't know what hungry feels like anymore.  Sometimes when I am with someone I'll say "I'm starving" and then realize oh man, that is so not true I just want food like Crazy.  And my stomach sleeved fails to convince my rock headed brain.  I want food more than the average person because let's face it, that is the way I'm wired.

People are always going to be ignorant.  People are always going to want a free ride.  Let's put our energy into getting out bodies fit & heathy.  

Ideally I wish I had never had issues with eating and obesity so that I would not have needed any WLS at all.  But since I did, really I am glad to be blessed with a sleeved stomach.

And can I vent!  I swear,  I am metabotically challenged!!!  Ugh!!!

Back to the grind.  I am getting in my Yoga pant to walk the park.  3.5 miles.

 

Good day :)

 

 

 

Hi Star!
so glad you are doing well! you may want to Check out the newly released book,"Obsessed" by Mika Brezinski interesting read and I am not done with the book yet. It was released this past Monday. Eye opening and honest
! ***a ill surprised guest from our forum mentioned in there too.

Prek3

This person had the old 4cc band which definitely had the whip your arse in your face restriction. She was banded in 2005 in Mexico. Probably did not have the best aftercare that contributed to her woes, since most US surgeons will not give proper aftercare and will not take them on as a patient.

There was a HUGE surge of people getting bands removed from 2008-2011 from those who got bands placed in Mexico and getting Sleeves and I am sure she was part of that crowd.

Also there is NO BAND education if you go out of the Country, anything goes, there are no pre-op training, medical clearance, no lap band education, they don't care if the person is a bulimic or had a eating disorder, they will band you even if you have a "normal BMI" it happens all the time in Mexico -- so lap band complications WILL continue unfortunately.

As band vets, You and I have heard this story over and over again, about band abuse and PBing down to goal by many people on this board so in that regard that was nothing new to hear.

I think MOST of these complications are the SURGEONS FAULT, they DO NOT put emphasis on satiety, of not being hungry, they will just tighten the band to keep the patient from eating any healthy food. That IS HOW the Sleeve works, by satiety and reducing the appetite instead of kick ass restriction in your face like a very tight lap band will do.

If someone goes to Mexico today to get a lap band, they will still get the old whip your arse older model 4cc bands because Allergan don't sell Mexican surgeons the latest "safest" bigger bands, they are only available in the US.

Because there is so much potential for band abuse, from both surgeons and patients EVEN in the US, I cannot believe Allergan NAME held up as long as it has. I would want to sell it too, because regardless of how the patient used the tool and had a complication whether from band abuse or a legitimate complication -- it comes back on Allergan. 

The lap band has been misused for many years and it's sad that a potential good device has been abused and misused by both the patient, surgeons and caregivers.

The misuse comes from patients disregarding any type of rules, many were bulimics and thought the band could BETTER serve their vomiting, since it is very easy to vomit when the band is tightly restricted, I am sure they did not care of the consequences of band slippage and misery and dysphasia after the stomach gets damaged from all the vomiting and being too tight to damage the esophagus.

Now there ARE LEGITIMATE complications and surgeons offering horrible aftercare to patients, some surgeons never see their patients again after surgery, they feel fill adjustments are a hassle and don't want to deal with it, sure some surgeons are busy and don't have the time to dedicate to fill the band, THIS IS ONE REASONS MANY SURGEONS ARE PUSHING PATIENTS TO SLEEVES, they just do NOT want to spend the time with AFTERCARE that the band require.

Also some people have complications out of surgery, and have to get the band removed or some people develop infections, tubing rapping around their insides, etc, but those issues are rare compared to the regular band slippage issues....

Sometimes the fill giver is not experienced enough to fill the band properly, some puncture holes in the tubing, or port, some fill the band too tightly, don't know the techniques of tweaking the band to reach a happy medium, some patients give up and accept a too tight band to later suffer complications, etc.

Also after years of living with the band, even with the Green Zone restriction, this could pose a problem to our esophagus if we get complacent and start eating too much food, this will constantly put pressure on the esophagus and pouch and cause reflux or dilation or motility issues, this is why some very experienced long term vets suggest that after lap banders get to goal weight or near goal, to remove a little saline to remove that pressure from the pouch and esophagus, because it is quite dangerous to live with a tight band for years, it CAN and DO do damage to the body long term as we all can see, I think this contributed my hernia inflaming over the years, most people cannot keep very tight restriction for long periods of time. Some people do not want to hear this, or will not remove saline until it almost kill them.

Saline can get addictive, we all know this and as long as there is a lap band and people can CONTROL their tightness, there will ALWAYS be room for misuse and abuse which will KEEP the complication rate high -- sadly and perhaps Allergen knows this.

 

 

All the above and more why I don't believe my sis should be banded.

My doc inherited me 6mos after I was banded.  By that time I had a shattered port, port hosing leak, been prepped for re-banding yet found only to need a port revision when my old surgeon went in laproscopicly.  I had never experienced "restriction" as everytime I went in for a fill it removed itself within a a day or so.  My second fill with my revised port (a couple of weeks apart from first) - not initially as I could drink water in the doc office and at home I must have swelled or had some sort of reaction and completely obstructed for 8 days (right now I am thinking it was God that allowed that 1 hour window at midnight where I could drink water and protein shake). See this was "my trauma".  I could have died in the USA in 2005 because band aftercare was scarce from any medical professionals other than your surgeon.  No one wanted to touch us then and risk a lawsuit or some sort of liability.  My original surgeon was caught in whatever office politics were going on and basically abandoned his patients (he was in contact with me from his home in another state regularly).  I thought this guy was truly amazing and had respected and trusted him to the utmost but he failed me tremendously.  The think is I was very educated about the band prior to being banded - even ordered and studied the Jessie Ahroni book pre-op like a mad dog.  I wanted to be on point.  I researched my surgeon and felt if anyone was going to operate on me, it would be him.  He was the man fo sho'.  I was wrong.

So Mitch rescues me, rips that office a new backside.  They find someone to unfill me in a far away town.  someone who doesn't really know what the hell they are doing.  Funny the "known doc" at that medical facility would not touch me neither.  They got the guy in training (someone who trained under my orig. surgeon and maybe thought he owed him something) he poked and prodded and could not hit the spot even under floroscope.  I cried the whole time like a baby.  After lots of pain I was unfilled and would never be the same.

Could be the original  obstruction messed my esophagus up because I could never get a fill again it seemed without issues but I will never know as I had no staying fill prior to the obstruction.  I had an almost immediate esphogael dilation without a tight band then it was teeny fill, unfill back and forth for a couple of years until it seemed it worked for about 2 years until I was dilated again.  I thought I was restricted but loose because I could eat salads and such and I really was terrified of restriction after having "issues".  So I just don't know.  I remember my sis saying to me what is the sense of having had that surgery if you are afraid of having restriction, you've got to try it".  And that is when I began to stick with the physical feeling of "restriction".  I still am cautious however.  I told my doc to make my sleeved stomach "a little bigger".  He said "I will not" but I guess he gave in - he won't say and I have not pushed him.  I however do believe I have a larger capacity . . . which I sometimes wish not so much but I've got no reflux nor any other issues that come with having a tiny sleeve.  I'm good just gotta keep myself in check.

The band itself could have effected my esphogael function.  It's not for everyone.  I remember my doc saying to me after my revision to sleeve - ' we've got to watch your espohagus".  I was like WTF, I thought that was done.  I got scared.  I am blessed because some people *****vise still have issues with function.  I think it helped that I was unbanded for a full 6 mos and I was completely unfilled for 6 mos (and unfill was like pre-op for me - I did not have a naturally snug fitting band).

So I don't know what the answers are except  I am happy with my smaller stomach.  My doc never tired of me and would have even re-banded me if I wanted - and I did want that more than anything but in our heart of hearts we both knew that even a "low-pressured" band would not work FOR ME even with the BEST aftercare.  I was treated like nothing less than a Queen.  I can not say that we did not give it our best shot (me & my doc).  He absolutely did not push me to revise.  He said I could keep the band in "as is".  Whatever I wanted was fine except I just kept getting fatter no matter how I tried and I was embarrassed and unhappy.

I truly think people everywhere abuse their positions but some of us try our best, give our all, do the right thing to our best abiltiy and still have outcomes that are not ideal.  I am convinced Naomi though that no one can escape having any sort of issues with the band.  All the veterans we have on this board were banded here in the USA.  The ones that are still holding have all been re-banded or if not have had some significant issue with the band.  Yes I know many will say they traded their Toyota for a Mercedes - nothing at all was wrong with their bands, they just wanted an upgrade.  That protects them from themselves.  AND THEN THERE ARE KNUCKLEHEADS who screw up and take a cheat card at every turn.  I don't get that and why I am not interested in listening to someone's story about how they puked their band or sleeve away.    there is a person who complains like crazy - they can't lose weight.  They are a Band to Sleeve and now wants a DS - they eat ALL carbs and like a locomotive too lol.  I ate carb after carb yesterday and feel soooo bad.  I can't do that so I change.  They eat like this daily, will convert to a DS and complain the DS makes them sick - duh, stop the carbs!  And they'll complain after the DS conversion about deficiencies after they've already announced they are resistant to taking their vitamins, supplements, and following good post-op rules.  okay lots of  issues with me posting so I need to stop.  Today I am taking care of ME and eating protein first and dropping the carbs..  Good day

 

 

 

Hey Lelia,

I hear ya...I think we both got the old  band at its infancy, the older 4cc band was harder on our insides regardless of how we followed rules, that's why they discontinued those high pressured bands in the US, they were just too easily to slip and cause dilation both pouch and esophagus, my pouch got dilated from being too tight for only a few weeks..lol...

I am very hopeful with my new band, I have great restriction and not hungry and no issues, I don't have that extreme tight pressure, burning and reflux and feeling of tightness like with my old band, my new band feels more gentler and a natural feeling when I eat and only decrease my appetite and portions, so I will take it one day at a time and use it to the best of my ability, that's all I can do.

I thank my great surgeon for repairing my hernia and giving me a second chance with my new band.

I just want to say I think I am metabolically challeged as well.  I am tired of watching people inhale plates of food and not gaining any weight!!!   

Ok..I'm done venting now too!!!

 

Oh and interesting video...

My Band has made me be more in tuned to my body, getting "Fills" I likened to air in a cars tires. Too much or too little and it won't work properly. It's like car matience, you notice every bump on the road. And those "bumps" have made me "pay attention" , listen to my body, and be "present". "Present", omg, I never could appreciate that word, but I do now, lol! I have learned to "fine tune" my body, and that is very important to me, definitely more work involved with the Band, because you have to pay attention, and I am fine with that as I wasn't paying attention to my body before.
PBIng is not normal or acceptable. Sadly people think this is o.k., and they may not be paying attention to what their body is saying. As formerly obese, I wasn't listening to what my body was saying, and so the concept of eating until "satisfied" was soooo foreign, and now I am learning what it looks like and feels like to eat until satiated.

"Satiated" is a word that these surgeons do not stress enough and so some people don't understand because all they hear from the surgeons is "fast", and so many of us , if we are honest, want it off yesterday! So we focus and hear what we want to hear. Once again "satiated" is foreign to us, we get numbed out on our foods. Maybe they should require we attend professional counseling after surgery on an on going basis, and if we don't then we have to pay back the $$$$. Because the work is not completed once we get to "goal", its only begun.
My oppinion my thoughts,
Prek3

I agree surgeons should put more emphasis on satiety than tight restriction, instead of putting the band on and just filling it to the rim, without warning the patient of the consequences.

Thank you for sharing....however, I have to say that my experience is completely different from this young lady's experience.

One, I did follow the rules and I did workout regularly when I had my band. I continue to workout with my VSG.

Two, in many ways, my VSG is so much better than my band - mostly because the restriction is constant and present from day 1 (no fills, no back-in-forth to the dr until you hit your "sweet spot".) My restriction always fluctuated with my band - depending on my menstrual cycle, level of stress, and the time of day.

The second reason my VSG is so much better than my band is that I can tolerate veggies, eggs, and fruits now, which means that I have a very balanced diet.

Also, in my experience, the weight has been easier to lose with the VSG, although I am six years older and way closer to 40 now. Usually, weight loss get harder as we age and I actually changed my goal down because I think it is doable now with my VSG. I am averaging 2.5 pounds per week with my VSG and I was around 1.5 pounds per week with my band. Best of all, I am not hungry with my VSG and I faithfully try to eat "under my sleeve." 

So, while I am sure that some people may have contributed to the demise of their band, I am not one of them.  And, I am so grateful that I was given an opportunity to heal from the damaging affects of my band and convert to a surgery that works much better for me.