YMMV, but I hate my lap band!

Unfortunately, I had to delete this post due to privacy concerns.

I hear you Shelli, my band is now unfilled and I am eating like a horse.  I am hungrier than I have ever been in my life, while I used to ingest alot of sugar and was quite the sugar addict, now I ingest alot of food.  Regular food like the DSers eat and malabsorb 1/2 of.....but none the less food!   It isn't looking good for my revision to DS (stupid insurance) and I am now trying to decide if a life of obesity is what I want or a life of a RNY.  It seems alot of folks with RNY at 5+ years out are revising to DS, so that is why I want to go straight for it......but maybe just maybe I could lose the 100lbs I want to lose and "keep it off"?  Do you ever think that?  Do you ever think that maybe "this time" I can "win" the battle and the "tool" will work?

Unfortunately, I had to delete this post due to privacy concerns.

Good luck to both of you! Getting the band was one of the worst decisions I ever made and now I'm stuck with it because my insurance  doesn't have bariatric coverage. I finally had mine emptied to hopefully avoid future issues and get rid of the heartburn I was suffering from. So far I'm holding my own weight wise but I never lost much with the band anyway (20 lbs.) so I just keep hoping nothing goes wrong with it now.

Reading your message was like listening to myself.  I have had the exact same experience as you.  I was banded 4 years ago, lost very little weight and gained alot of heartburn and discomfort.  I finally had all the fill removed but I have gained a few pounds and I'm scared.  Right now, I am waiting to see if my insurance plan which only covers one WLS per lifetime will make an exception...

I just posted a long post on "I 'm just out of surgery" stating that my husband had a sucessful band process for 16 months and that's it! 130 pound gone, so it worked and he's glad he did it. However, he had terrible heartburn and then the coughing started, he waited WAY too long to have his band unfilled. It was too late, the damage was done (though we didn't know it at the time). He was still having coughing fits all night long and terrible heartburn. He couldn't eat any solids, then the heartburn was horrible and the coughing was worse after a month on liquid, he knew something was wrong.

Went back to the dr. has an emergency upper GI and the band slipped. He called the ins. co. and after some hassle approved the revision. He went in a week later (yesterday) only to find that his stomach wasn't in good enough shape to have the revision done. He was in surgery for 2.5 hours and no sleeve! A tube in his stomach to drain through his nose. He can't talk, eat or drinking (even ice chips) anything. They allow him a wet washcloth to soak his lips.

He waited too long to get his fill out. Then, he waited too long for the approval for the revisions. He should have (in hindsight) had the lapband removed (it was approved on day 1) and then go back for the sleeve after it was approved.

But who knew???

Hope things go well for you. You can moan all you want, we are hear to listen. Thanks for listening to me moan!!!

Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, Hally! I went through this, too. I had the Ng tube, I kept the band for too long (fear of regaining!) and also had too much damage for revision surgery.

I wish your husband the best. I hope he heals up and is OK. I'm sorry he's going through it.

Nicci

Boy, do I feel for you! It's really rough, I know.  You get so freaking hungry and can't eat and it's frustrating and painful! 

I hope your insurance covers removal and that you have no damage, too. SO many of us went through the same thing... and yes, the "less invasive" thing... it's so not true, is it?! I fell for it myself. And then I was kicking myself.


I hope all goes well, Shelli!!!!  And I hope you can eat something without trouble soon!
Nicci

I am thinking about getting the surgery but I am not sure which one I should get

Unfortunately, I had to delete this post due to privacy concerns.