Are you satisfied with your band?

to Starrlite: I ditto what she wrote. good point in stating this is the revision forum. so everyone is unhappy with what they had and excited about their upcoming or current wls.

i just had my revision lap band and i can tell you it is very restrictive. It is effective and will get the weight off, but it must be adhered to very very carefully. 

                                                   
                                                   

I hope you've posted this on the lap band board also - as this is a revision board you're going to get mostly negative comments.  My band is a 10 and continues to be 3 years out. Its not the right surgery for everyone though so what is more important than how I like my band is how is the band going to work in your friends life. Its a very important decision and should be made with full honesty and lots of research.

Good luck

10 for metoo! 5yrs out

I would say a 1. I am almost 3 years out and am looking to get a revision. My Dr wants to do the sleeve and says the RNY is not a good surgery after lap band. I dunno about that. Anyway, my band was fine for about a year but I have had nothing but problems and weight gain since.

The one good thing about my band is that I think it helped me from getting any bigger than I was. I have gained almost all of it back and am scheduled in march to have RNY. Good luck with your decision!

A 1.........they don't call it diet with a choke chain for nothing...lol.  I had a revision to RNY last June and have lost over 90 lbs. so far.  I am very pleased with my results so far and so is my surgeon.  I can eat like a normal person which is good..........chicken, pork tenderloin, salads, broccoli, etc.  I can eat anything but of course have to limit sugar and fats.  My surgeon suggested the revision and I had to think about it for a few months....it is major surgery and much more complicated than a virgin WLS.  I am very happy he suggested a revision and very happy with my results.  It is very nice to be able to shop like a normal person and buy something off the rack and have it fit!!!
Valerie

Thanks everyone - I posted this on the lap band forum too and got similar answers.
Thank you for taking the time to answer and for caring!

I was banded (Realize) in June 2008 and received my first fill in July. (3cc's). I began vomiting shortly afterward, but like others on this message board I thought it was my fault for overeating/under-chewing, etc. By September, my band had slipped and I was fully obstructed. This required a 2nd surgery to reposition & re-secure the band. I had my first fill (3 cc's again) in November and began vomiting again 2 weeks ago. Saw my surgeon to get deflated yesterday, and he confirmed that my band has slipped AGAIN. I will have to undergo surgery for a third time. I am getting this evil thing removed, and currently considering which procedure to convert to. I have not lost more than a pound in the last 4 months, despite all the vomiting. Truthfully it will be a relief to get rid of this thing, not only because I am tired of not being able to eat healthful food, but also because the port has never stopped hurting since it was originally implanted. I've felt like I had a knife sticking out of my gut for 7 months now. I can't even wear jeans or anything with a firm waistband, because it puts pressure on the port and it digs into my muscle wall.  I am very active & love to exercise hard, but the port has severely reduced what I am able to do without pain.  For a weight-loss procedure to actually REDUCE your ability to exercise is unacceptable.  For a band to slip TWICE in only 7 months is unacceptable.  I don't think I could ever recommend that anyone have this procedure done! I regret my decision and hope I make a better one next time around.

Vampyrvet,

I am with you ( i think). I had my band placed 5 months ago and have doen pretty good with it until I got tangled with a piece of broccoli. I have had nothing but trouble since, and now I have a slip. I am scheduled to go in Monday, just have not idea what to do. The surgeon I am now using (original out of country in Mexico) is not a fan of revising the band as he feels it has been a problem once, it will be a problem again--like your history. He has offered me a revision to sleeve...I am just sooo damn scared of a leak. He has also said he will just take it out completely...but I am not to goal and know how hard WL is even with a WLS. To compound the issue, my insurance will cover the majority of the surgery most likely if I do it now, will not later.

Please keep me in mind and send good decision making thoughts my way.

Thanks,

jen

 Hi Jen,

I'm so sorry to hear that you're facing the same thing as me.  DEFINITELY do not revise the band.  My doctor did mine because he told me that he'd never heard of anyone slipping twice, and I did.  In my opinion, the band actually prevents you from eating healthy food and forces you to eat high-calorie "slider" foods out of necessity.  I never felt full when eating with the band, I only felt pain.  The band was the biggest mistake I've ever made.  I am converting to a sleeve gastrectomy for the following reasons:
1: there is no re-routing of the intestines and hence no malabsorption
2: there is little to no risk of obstruction because your pyloric sphincter remains intact
3: the stretch receptors that tell you you're full are located in the pyloric area of your stomach, and they will be stimulated quickly with a long/narrow stomach pouch
4: the part of the stomach that is removed is the part that secretes the hormone "ghrelin", which is the hormone that makes you hungry.  So there is better appetite suppression than with the band even though the stomach capacity is similar.
5: there is no foreign device implanted in your body to slip, erode, or cause pain.

There is no way I could maintain my weight loss if I just had the band removed, either.  As soon as I was deflated, my appetite came back with a vengeance.  Even so, I can still feel that my stomach is being pinched off and I am constantly at risk for another slippage or heaven-forbid a band erosion.  I am going under the knife again in 3 weeks, and will be sweating every day of the wait.

There is risk of bleeding/leakage with any procedure, but less so with the VSG because there is less cutting than with a bypass or duodenal switch.  If you follow the post-op diet there should be minimal risk of leakage.  I originally wanted the VSG but elected for the band because of my fear of cutting up my stomach and the non-reversibility of the procedure.  If I had just done the VSG in the first place, I would not be sharing such a sad story with you.  

Good luck to you, whichever procedure you choose.
Natalie