rachele

Thank you, kwhenrykerr. I love "I like Hats, but the ones that say "one size fits all" almost always fit poorly." I may have to steal it for a future post! Susie, I could go on forever, even though the banter is educational, I'll pass. I do agree with alot of what you wrote, just not all, and that's ok. I wish you continued success in your journey, congrats on being so close to goal. I did want to add that the DS can be risky for patients that have a lower BMI, but most doctors pass on this exceptional surgery because it takes alot of time and practice to master. Plus pumping out 8 bands or 4 RNY's make alot more money than 2 DS's.

Please go to www.wlsforum.com You have to register or you can't see all the boards. You won't get lost in the confusion there. There are many revisions over there, and they will treat you well. Post on the band board if you like and they will direct you from there. Tell them I sent ya. Good luck!

"I think there are a lot of people out there who opt to leave the band expecting other WLS just to be that much easier to lose the weight and maintain... and from what I have seen from the people I know that just isn't true. All the people I know who switched from the band to the RNY are still morbidly obese, the second surgery didn't help them lose more.. they weren't ready to change their patterns and behavior. " I would have to respectfully disagree with you here. Personally, I believe the band is more of a tool for weight loss, where other malabsorbtion proceedures are a method. Bottom line is, I've done both. The band will hold your hand, but the hard work is squarely on the patients shoulders. They do surgery on your belly, not your brain. Compared to a band, the rny or ds weight loss is easy. If I were in a burning building, I want the easiest way out. I tried the hard way, and got burned. I believe it takes an exceptionally motivated, strong willed person to get to goal with a large amount of weight to lose with the band. It is tough, tougher than I was! But even some of those people have been faced with their worst fear, losing their band. Some have been successful in maintaining their loss after removal. Alot have not. It's hard when you're a food addict. Even those who believe they have their demons tamed find them sneaking back out with no restriction or removal. "It is individual, I just hope the people who are on here after lapband removal are just not on here to say how unhappy they are but on boards that support them and give them the information that they need to cope with the alternate surgery they opted for. Personally I would have just left the band boards behind if my band was out and not going back and joined things that supported my choices rather than a board that obiviously will be proband." My journey and experience with my band and revision validate my choice to post on this board. If I can bring something to the post that I deem important, I will. Especially when I see misinformation, fingerpointing and cherry picking. Facts are facts. Experiences/journeys are priceless. If I can help one person from thinking they are a failure or reassure them their intestines will not fall out, and they won't explode from noxious gases if they decide to have another surgery beside the band, than I'm happy. There will be people who want me to go away here, Simply because I didn't have the same experience they have and they don't agree with me. That's just silly. Reading back, yes, I would seem negative toward the band, actually I'm trying to get people to see the whole picture. You can see alot more with a few views than just one, and you can also see alot more with an open mind than a closed one. I frequent many boards, the best one being www.wlsforum.org I have been involved with that community since 2002 when it was Spotlight Health. Why is it the best? Because all surgeries are represented there, and we learn as a community, yet still small enough that you are not "LOST" in the crowd like obesityhelp. If misinformation is posted, someone will be quick to point it out, even if it wasn't their surgery of choice. There are far less misconceptions about other surgeries, because as we get to know and support each other, we are also educated. Our destination is the same, although we may have choosen to take different paths. As far as band revisions go, there are 3 band to DS, 1 band to sleeve, and 2 band to rny (and one in process). Oh, and none of those have failed to lose weight with the revisional surgery. And one cannot have another surgery because of nerve damage during her band surgery. Her name is Nicci. There are more than a handful that have reached goal and maintain. There are many frustrated people who haven't. And as Forest Gump would say "That's all I have to say about that."

No one surgery is right for everyone, but don't promote yours by knocking mine down. You shouldn't judge until you've sit in an office and heard your surgeon say "It's gotta come out, what do you want to do?" And believe me, the behavior modifications you are speaking of are not as easy to do with the band gone. Just ask.

Rutledge is ridiculous. He reminds me of a snake oil salesman hawking his "wares".

That's really neat. I just wanted to say that I think you look beautiful now!

I use the user name "bandednomore" on a different forum and just wanted to state this isn't me for anyone that makes a connection.

Yea, my body wasn't band friendly either! OK, thanks for the info on Rutledge's board. I'll go check it out. I like to be as educated as I can on all the surgeries. I do have a yahoo sign in I think. I wish you wild success, no matter which route you take!

Hey Sue, I was about to write the same thing about the grhelin Hormone! My sister in law had a MGB done. She had her band removed, and the MGB done in the same surgery. What concerned me is that she had ulcerations in her esophogus related to the band, and he still did the surgery. I was concerned because when I looked at it, some websites list it as the old loop bypass which was discontinued years ago due to the introduction of intestinal enzymes into the stomach due to the way the intestines are looped. I have now heard (from my SIL and further in the post I have linked to) that the attachment is at a different location, which helps to aleviate alot of this. (Here is a link to a post on OH's MGB board) http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/mini_gastric_bypass/action,replies/board_id,5496/topic_id,3047808/cat_id,5096/a,messageboard/ My sister in law had only about 40 pounds more to lose and I was shocked that she went that route instead of the sleeve, honestly, but I respect her decision. I still stick by DS or bust. To each their own. Just be sure to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. And please don't do all your research on http://www.clos.net/ something about the info-mercial like quality of his website doesn't sit well with me. I just don't know or seem to find alot of follow up on this surgery. I mean, enough for me to form an opinion. If you want to get a fair and balanced view, you will have to go beyond the salesman. I don't like the fact that you cannot view his message board unless you are a patient of his either. How are you suppose to get a unskewed view of what life is really like? There are very few websites/boards/forums related to MGB. Wouldn't Rutledge want his perspective buyers to see how great his prior patients are doing? I could see not letting one post, but he won't let you see it at all.

Mousecrazy said "The best revenge is success!" AMEN!!!

The band is NOT easy. A bypass, yeah, that's pretty easy. I can say, because I've had both. Just ask them "If I were trying to get out of a burning building (which is essentially what your obese body is) would I look for the easy way out or the hard way?" Who cares what they think anyhow? They do not have to live in your body. Just smuggly say "wow. Thanks for your support. It means alot. " and when they start to explain, tell them now you know how they feel and the subject of your personal choices are NOT up for discussion.

I always thought I wouldn't either until the band became useless in my body and I had to pull out plan B. I know none of the bandsters who eroded were happy to have their stomachs cut through. Most of us who are obese have a stomach that is incredibly stretched out. When they removed part of it (which I'd rather have than have a blind stomach (RNY) hanging out there that anything can happen to, and can't be scoped) all they really did was make it a normal skinny person size. (Not trying to convince you or the like, just something for anyone who feels this way to think about). I don't know much about ounces, but I know I can eat a lunch size lean cuisine, or a whole pb&J, or about a 4 inch sub, more than when I was banded, and I feel genuinely full. In the end, I'm happy, and thats what really matters to each of us. It is wonderful to have choices, especially when your first when didn't work out. I'd venture to say that the plastic surgery issue isn't the whole reason you choose banding over bypass...and honestly when I had lost 105 pounds with the band I had the same amount of loose skin as I have now, with a 105 lb bypass loss. Experts still fight over if slow vs. fast weight loss has anything to do with it. Back to the original topic.....Sorry for the HIJACK!