lapband 7 years or more

I am looking for any successful bandsters with 7 years or more under their belt..

In case anyone is interested in this and the replies it may get, I am going to copy the post I put  on the OP's thread on the main board

 

When I was banded back in  2006  (like you, I think) we were led to believe banding was for life and works for almost everyone. I don't think we were being lied to! But the "experts" got it wrong. There are many more complications and many more serious problems than at first appeared. Some are, IMO , the fault of the bandster. Many aren't.   

When I post this I get called a liar! But it is still true that of those bandsters I know in real life, the vast majority have not had serious problems.  Some have not lost as much weight as they hoped but most are still banded and most have had only minor problems, if any.    Some of those I knew years ago are no longer in contact with me and so I have no idea how they are now. For example, I met seven bandsters when I was in the US in 2008. Of those, I am still in contact with three and they are still banded and still happy with their bands.  One lady sadly died, NOT from band related issues, the others were happy three years ago but I have not heard from them since.  

Of the UK bandsters I have met, only two have had their bands removed but, again, I am no longer in touch with all of them. But I still meet new vets. Last visit to my doctor, (annual, routine), I chatted to three women also waiting. Two of them had been banded longer than me (8 years), the other had been banded 5 years.   

I am making no claims that the band is trouble free, safe etc.. But I am saying that in my personal experience it works for many people.  My own surgeon works for the National Health Service and so is salaried not making any profit from surgery. He does the band, VSG and RNY. (Not VSG in2006, but now). He still does bands and when I asked him last year about long term outcomes his words were that my experience is not uncommon and that he still believes it to be a good option.

Thanks Kate. I would love for us to keep in touch. I hv been disheartened from the vast majority of negative comments and feedback. Are you on FB?

Check your messages. Sending you one now,

I'm on FB, but b e prepared for anything. 

 There are many more complications and many more serious problems than at first appeared. Some are, IMO , the fault of the bandster. Many aren't.   

Oh, I KNOW there are a lot of people who have failed their bands, because I've conversed with them. They fail them for the same reasons a person can fail ANY surgery: overeating, poor eating habits, etc. That's why you can read about people who have had band, then a sleeve, are moving on to RNY and will, sadly, have to more on to DS or whatever new surgery is developed in the future. 

I don't care what people have said, the ones who deny that they had any problems with food: NO ONE got obese by eating healthy foods in healthy quantities. It is a physical (as in physics) impossibility. And if we don't change our behaviors and our relationships with food, ANY surgery - like any diet - will fail. Any problems I have had with the band, with the exception of my hiatal hernia and subsequent slip, have been caused by me, usually overeating and/or eating too fast. Those are massively hard habits to break.

That should not, however, to be construed as a belief that no one has band problems that are NOT of their own making. As with any device or surgical intervention, things can go wrong: a surgeon with questionable skills, a physiological disconnect between the person and the device, god only knows what. It CAN happen, and I feel badly for the people it happens to. I would be pissed if it had happened to me!

Bette, totally agree!  Some follow every rule, never abuse their bands and things still go very wrong. Others don't follow rules and may be lucky and avoid problems but they massively increase the risks. 

I have had more discussions than I'd like to with people who . . .

1. never got a fill (not never NEEDED, but never got one)

2. never followed up with their surgeon - ever

3. seem to proudly admit they eat crap

4. flat-out will not exercise, not even walking

and want to know why their "band isn't working." Then you have people like (to name two) HIslady and Jean M who followed every rule by the book and still somehow had problems.
 

Bette: Good to see you are still doing well and still going strong! We've had our battles but overall I am still happy you are still doing well with your band.

I totally agree! Many bandsters are NOT honest! They blame the band for every single hiccup. Getting a lap band does NOT cure obesity or change our thoughts, many still struggle with bad food habits and binge/purging even after the lap band, which lead to a disaster and complications.

Also with the older 4cc bands MANY truly did have to get it removed because the 4cc bands are proven NOT to be safe long term for many (reason why they no longer make them) , they are very hard on the esophagus when under high pressure of fills long term.

I don't believe in BAND failure with the NEW BANDS, if the band has a mechanical issue or defect, then it's Allergan's fault, they should replace it for FREE!

There are also a few people that their body may reject the band and have complications at no fault of their own.

Some people truly have lousy surgeons that do not give proper aftercare with the band or install the band properly.

But MANY banded people DO NOT OWN UP TO THEIR OWN FAILURES, and think as long as they can DISS the band and move on to RNY, DS or the Sleeve, they will "magically drop" weight with no effort.

But as many have "revised" they see than ALL weight loss surgeries are TOOLS, and if they want to lose weight, they will have to follow rules, eat accordingly to their surgical types where they won't get sick and exercise.

Merry Christmas, fellow bandsters. Please don't be angry that some of us are not friends with our bands. Trust me, I was compliant and followed the rules. When I lost, I was over zealous and was starving myself. When I starting eating protein first, the sickies began. Had everything taken out of my band. I'm sick of throwing up. My husband carries plastic grocery bags in the car for times that we go to our children's house for meals. I've thrown up....ready for this? In linen napkins in restaurants, once I knew I couldn't get to the ladies room and emptied the table's bread basket to use it as a puke bucket. I know, how gross. I had my band in 2007. After you throw up so much, you realize that crunchy things, and chocolate...yes, JUNK, will stay down. I always did the right things first, but by the end of the day, I was hungry and would have junk and not a lot of it, either. I wanted to be  success, just like Bette! I read her journey and wanted to be just like her. When I faced the fact that my life was nothing but a puke fest, I was ASHAMED. I felt like a failure. It wasn't until I started reading the newer research that I realized that I was more of the norm than the successful, lucky, thin banders. I was a statistic, NOT a failure. That didn't make going back to my surgeon with my tail between my legs any easier. I am currently going through the entire insurance approval procedure and weight center education again. I am having my band removed and revising to RNY bypass. Don't hate me because the band makes me sick. i wanted nothing more than to be a lap band success. That being said, there are many success stories. Just know that those of us that are not, wanted to be. 

What I ate today:

Coffee

Christmas dinner:

whipped butternut squash with fat free sour cream. (Anything to moisten food)

Shredded turkey with gravy and that stared the puking. Just like Thanksgiving. I missed the entire meal and then threw up in a bag the entire ride home.

So, when I got home, I was hungry. I zapped a Jenny Craig meal (yes, I am a lifetime member). It was the meatloaf with mushroom gravy. Got sick for a few more hours. As I type, I am sucking a lindt chocolate until it melts. I know. No nutrition today, but I'm hungry and it is Christmas and I HATE throwing up. I can't wait to get this thing out of me. 

I'm glad for you, I really am. Just know that I wanted to be just like the bandster superstars, too. I failed miserably. 

PS, Well, there goes the lindt chocolate. Once the sickies start, they don't end. ~So I am either good and puke, or just have junk that I know will work. If i had lindt for breakfast, Christmas dinner and tonight, I PROBABLY would never have been sick. Just in case I haven't make my point, when I say sick, i mean hours of sick, accompanied by heaving nothing. Once that happens, not even water is tolerated.