"Banders" not welcome?
For me personally, I feel a need to tell/educate people about some of the issues that I have personally experienced and seems like more and more are... The band is "SOLD" as a completely reversible, removable, great procedure. I have very mixed feelings about this. I have a failed band that slips all the time now...been dealing with it over a year now. Trying to discuss getting a revision, but turns out that nope, my surgeon won't do the revision, and now seeking out another surgeon doesn't seem to be going quite as planned either. There is also lots of issues with the band leaving so much scar tissue that it might be very difficult to remove without leaving damage behind and also very difficult to revise....therefore to ME, that is not quite reversible & removable and it is being sold. I think once you go through this type of scenario, it makes you much more adament to tell your story and make sure people see all the things that are happening. When I got my band back in 2008, there weren't near the horror stories there are now...
Good luck to you... I hope you have none of the negatives and have much success with your band!
The band is not a lot of things that it is advertised to be. :-( Removable..........yes. Reversable.............NO! It can be removed, but all the damage can't be removed. Also the "green zone" has turned out to be a myth for many of us bandsters. I personally have had 16 fills and 4 partial unfills. Never did reach restriction. Either too loose or too tight. Restriction, as it is advertised by the band manufacturers, never existed for me. This seems to happen to a lot of bandsters as well. One of the bandsters saw a different bariatric surgeon a few months ago and she told her about 20% of patients never reach restriction!!! That is a HUGE failure rate.............then you have to take into account band failures for other reasons! Very sad that the bands have been allowed to advertise falsely as they have!
I hope you will be able to revise. I would love to be able to revise myself!
Jodi the band takes a lot of crap b/c it has the lowest stats, and the highest complication rate post-op. Keep in mind that those that point this out are criticizing the band and not you.
I know you want support, but support comes in many forms, and support is NOT telling someone what they want to hear. Support is being truthful with them and letting them know that their band may not work as it has been advertised, and that the band long term does not work well.
That being said............I do hope you are the exception, but don't count on it. The band is very much a crap shoot. Some are lucky, and have success with the band long term, but most do not.
Tom on this forum has done great with his band so far and is very inspiring. Bette on the Lap-Band forum has lost about 200 pounds, but has had to have her band replaced. Both Tom and Bette are awesome and can be very helpful to you as far as band info.
Good luck!
~Kim~
~ I realize (no pun intended) some people have problems, but , really that could be said of any surgery, couldn't it?~
Kim that can be said of any surgery, however the band has a very HIGH rate of complications. You will notice that it is very rare to see a bandster 5 years out. It is almost impossible to find one 5 yrs. out that has not had complications!
You have only had your band a few months. Everyone one loves their band initially. I can almost guarantee you that you will NOT feel the same way 5 years from now!!!
Good luck!
True, I don't know you. However as I stated.............I can almost guarantee that in 5 years you either will not have your band............or you will have had complications. I don't have to know you to state that. All I have to do is read the band forums everyday and see the absense of 5+ bandsters w/o complications. All I have to do is go to a WLS support group meeting and observe. All I have to do is take note of the bandsters/former bandsters that I know personally. It's sad but true. Why do you think that most bariatric surgeons are removing more bands than they put in? Why do you think many of them have quit doing the band???
If this sounds negative, that's b/c the band experience for MOST long term IS negative. Sad but true.
Support is NOT telling ppl what they want to hear. Support is caring enough to tell them the truth!!!
Good luck!
Maria,
We’ve always have a high respect for one another, and each other’s opinions. So I hope you don’t mind me disagreeing with you. While what you are stating may be true with your experiences, mine are opposite.
I won’t lie and say I don’t know bandsters who’ve had complications. I’ve known many. I’ve know many who had bands removed. I’ve known many who have failed. I’ve know many who had other operations. With that said, I’ve known many who have had no complications and are very successful. Heck, I’m close to 4 years, and still going strong.
Now not to scare folks, but I’ve known bypass patients, sleeve patients, DS patients, BPD patients, BIB patients who also have had: failures; complications; operations changed to another procedure, etc.
There are various reasons why people are and aren’t successful. In some cases it’s the device. In other cases it’s the person’s lack of research – not into the procedure, but into the TYPE OF PERSON (aka eater) THEY ARE to truly know which operation is truly best for them. Other times people fail because they didn’t follow the rules, but instead of blaming themselves they rather blame the operation. Then there are those times when the device (jn this case the band) truly is bad. Also let’s not forget the surgeon’s abilities (or lack of them), especially with follow-up care.
I have not seen any large research data stating Doctors are removing more band then putting them in. I’ve also haven’t seen large research data stating Doctors are stopping doing bands. Can you get data to bloster your claims? Sure you could. I bet it’s out there. But also you know if you look hard enough you’ll find “research" that denotes failures on all these procedures.
Bands, along with other bariatric procedures, are done world wide. If the band was truly the worst effective bariatric procedure, then most countries would stop doing it altogether. Heck, the United States has one of the most stringiest medical guidelines, and there is no known “movement" to have the band banned. In fact, a year or so ago the FDA approved the Lapband in a study for folks with a BMI of less than 35. If the band was such a poor choice, why would they bother?
The band has been around since the 1980’s, when it was primarily known as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band, and since then have been very success and widely used with very good European results. One of the reasons I decided to go band over bypass.
Again I am not saying every band patient will be successful, but I can also safely say that every band patient won’t have complications or failures. My Doctor’s practice, and many support groups I attend, have band patients who have been successful for 5+ years. And don't forget, the band has only been approved in the United States since 2001, while bypass has been going on since the 1970's. So long term results for the band isn't as extensive as the bypass IN THE UNITED STATES.
I’ve been in the media for over 20 years, and each time I see a “medical report" I always need to ask myself (A) *****quested the report (B) who funded the research (C) who was included in the research (D) what was excluded (E) what was the hypothesis that created the need for the research. Sad fact is that most research results are skewed in favor of the funder. Homer Simpson said it best when he said “Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that."
What I love about this board, and this country, is we can agree to disagree – yet still have respect and admiration for one another. With that said, please know I am not stating “you’re wrong and I’m right", all I am doing is stating a different viewpoint using MY experiences.
Tom
“Nothing I will ever eat will give me the feeling I get as when I lose weight” The views expressed are based on my own experiences - and should NOT BE FOLLOWED IN LIEU OF DOCTOR’S ADVICE/INSTRUCTIONS. Only your Doctor knows your condition, and make sure you talk to them before making any changes to your diet
Of course I don't mind you disagreeing with me. We have had completely different band experiences, and I am very happy that yours has worked well for you! Though we disagree, you do so politely and I think the world of you. I wish everyones band experience could be possitive as yours has been.
Though you sometimes have others with differing opinions on your forum (I consider you the mayor of the Realize Band forum, lol), you always address them with respect, and it is quite obvious how much you care about people from the posts you make on the forum. :-)
