Please tell me your views on this.....

Restriction for life! Ok so before I got banded I debated between RNY and the band. To me 2 of the big plusses with the band were of course, "least invasive", and that it was adjustable, so theoretically you would have restriction for life since you could have more saline added at any time should the restriction lessen. I have known some with RNY that had their stoma stretch and they had some regain, so to me after hearing how I would always have the ability to have restriction with the band, I thought this was AWESOME!

So how's that working for ya?

I know a lot of bandsters post on other groups that their bands worked great initially, and then after a few years that they no longer had the "sweet spot" that they once had and could no longer achieve that with fills. So if you are say 4, 5, or more years out is this the case for you?

It's the promise they make, curbing hunger, appetite "dimming", early satiety.  For some this happens and for some it doesn't.  I had it even with an empty band, but I also had a non functioning esophagus requiring my band to be removed after 3 short years.  When I saw the doctor today *****moved my band, he said I had a "tremendous amount of scar tissue".  I was cautioned to stay on a soft diet for another 2 weeks to allow for the tissue to recover and strengthen.  Due to the extensive damage to my esophagus and stomach, I'm not a candidate for revision.  I'm ok with that.  1) I can't change it 2) I don't ever want to feel like I did for over a year again.  I'm ready to move on with my life.

Omg! I am so sorry! I remember that it was origionally posted that revision might not be an option for you, but I was thinking that it was later stated that it would be. I am so sorry that you will not be able to revise due to the permanent lapband damage! If only we knew in advance about all these additional lapband complications! :-(

I never did have or find a sweet spot or even green zone. The only time I wasn't hungry was the first few weeks after surgery. I was always either too tight or too loose. Now that I'm empty I have almost perfect restriction, can eat healthy foods again but I still have to monitor what and how much I eat. So it is basically like old fashioned dieting but with a tiny bit of help, but not really worth the cost and frustration it causes. It has probably helped me not to gain more but it never really helped me lose either since all I lost was 20 lbs with the band.

~So it is basically like old fashioned dieting but with a tiny bit of help~

Yeah that sounds familiar. I will admit that the tighness in the morning helps with weight loss, but like everyone else, I just assumed that by restriction/sweet spot/green zone that it would be more consistant. When I heard prior to banding that  bands were commonly tight in the morinings, I took that to mean that there would be adequate and consistant restriction the remainder of the day. Didn't quite work out that way! lol

I'm six years out and have around 7.5cc in my 10cc VG band. I have not had fluid in or out in a long time, over three years, I think.  I lost 100 lbs over the first 15 months and kept it off mostly, until the last two years after the loss of my Mom. I've gained 40 lbs due to carbs/sliders and no exercise. When I'm on program with protein and veggies, I still have comfortable restriction. I'm recently back on OH for encouragement and support to help get my behind back on track.

I don't like the word restriction, but I have had appetite suppression with my band from day one.

I am 4 years post op and going to see my surgeon in a few weeks for a small fill because it has been about a year since I last saw him in his office (I see him at support group meetings every few months) and I notice that my appetite is more frequent than it was a few months ago.

when I choose lean protein, produce and whole grains, I feel my appetite dimmed and don't want to eat for 3-4 hours most of the time.

Like Kath, I don't like the word "restriction" but I too have a greatly reduced appetite and still have after seven years. I haven't actually had a fill for about five and a half years. I did find quite recently that I was tighter than I like (no problems at all with eating, the band has never physically made eating difficult but very mild, occasional night time reflux) so I had a 0.1 cc unfill and am now fine again. 

My surgeons office was very careful and don't promise anything, certainly not restriction for life.  As you know, it's different in every case.  I was one of the lucky ones who had a 3cc primer fill and had "restriction" from the beginning.  I also had great appetite suppression from the beginning.  As I look back on the past 4.5 years I now realize that I should have not kept having fills.  I guess I thought that if the band was tighter I would lose weight faster, but that was stupid thinking because I had already lost 100+ lbs in 9 months.  I should have been more patient and stayed where I was.  I kept getting fills and then experienced sudden tightness and dilated my pouch from pushing the limits often over time.  Once I got a complete unfill I needed less and less fill to feel the same restriction but kept trying.  I continued to get fills, and unfills and fills again, trying to get back the "sweet spot".  What I realize now is that  the sweet spot was in my head.  I dieted faithfully in the first year and then got tired of the strict diet.  I let simple sugars back into my diet and immediately stopped losing weight.  I don't think I "lost" the sweet spot, I think I got tired of the strict diet I was following.   I certainly don't blame the band!  This has to do with my addiction to sugar and compulsive overeating.  I screwed up my band experience because I abused it and stopped following the rules.  Once the damage was done and my GE junction was completely compromised so that acid and food wouldn't stay down, the bands presence didn't help.  The upward pressure that band creates naturally fights with the function of the esophagus which pushes downward to get food into the stomach.  My band was exactly where it had been placed when I had to have it removed in May.

What I learned?  

Don't let your band get too tight.  Too much restriction will cause problems over time.

You have to change what you eat AND how much.

The band helped me know when to stop but I often ignored the signals.

I was never truly hungry with the band but my brain didn't believe it.

I will always be fighting the WL battle as long as I don't apply the cognitive behavior tools that I've learned to combat compulsive overeating.

If I choose to use food to blunt emotion I will be obese.

Sometimes bands fail mechanically, sometimes from surgeon error.

Sometimes bands fail because we push the limits and over-eat often over time and pb too much.

So, here I am today.  I want to believe that I can apply what I learned and live without another WL surgery but I have already started gaining weight.  The stress from losing the tool, the panic and fear I feel about gaining all my weight back isn't helping.

I am not a candidate for the Sleeve because of the reflux.  My surgeon says it doesn't go away after 6 months as some people here have reported.

So, I'm considering RNY.  I'm not fearful of the possible complications, I'm fearful of the possible failure.  But, It can happen with any surgery because I have a devious eating addiction.  

In my case the band didn't fail.  If it was my only option for WL surgery I would get another band because it did work for me.  It helped me control portions and curbed hunger.   Today  I know what it feels like to be totally open, able to eat ANYTHING and keep eating.  I don't like it!  It's scary and destructive.

This is my story.  It may be totally different from anyone else's but I'm being painfully honest because my truth is important and if I can save someone from losing a tool that is working for them it's worth it to me. 

Best of luck to all of us!

Lisa O.

Thanks for sharing Lisa. I know a lot of ppl that have done amazingly well at keeping all or most of their weight off long term with RNY. I think once you have that that you will like it much better than the band.

Just wondering, b/c of the damage, how long did the removal take?