WASaBubbleButt

I question if things got a little distorted between her understanding of what the doc said, her translation to you, and your explanation here. There are indeed a great many "potential" problems with the band, no doubts there. If it will happen... there is no way to know until you get a band and give it a few years. I think that since the band has been out for 7-8 years in the US we are seeing the cycle begin. Everyone was excited about it when it first came out and now we are seeing the problems. The only thing that comes to mind about what you are explaining above is erosion. I've not heard of anything else that sounds similar to what you describe. This is just too much wrong info. I would have to hear what the surgeon himself said. Something isn't right here. Jachut: OP didn't say he was reversing his own patients, just that he was doing a lot. My doc is doing a ton of revisions now and most are not his patients, they are US doc's patients. Revisions are expensive and it's a lot cheaper in MX. There are two main revision surgeons in MX, mine and one deeper into MX. DS36: And he shouldn't. If you erode once odds are you'll erode again. Same with slips. If there is too much damage to the stomach there is little they can do for another procedure. That was one of my biggest fears with my own band, I had so many esophageal problems and other issues I was scared to death I wouldn't be able to get a revision. Turns out, everything was great.

When it comes to surgery nothing is promised. Nothing. You can't avoid all complications. Question, you said you were just banded a month ago and you have already had two fills. What was your post op diet and how long after surgery before your first fill? What did he find when he did the full open procedure? Why, specifically, did he not band you the first time? What happened?

Whatever her tips and tricks are, I don't want to know.

I don't think most people are anti carb because it's a carb, I know I am anti-white carb. For a great many of us white carbs are a trigger food. If I eat bread I crave bread to an extreme and can't quit, I lose control. Yet sugar... I can take it or leave it. There is nothing in flour or sugar that we need. It's a waste of calories, not good for you, and for a great many of us a huge trigger for carb cravings. I know I didn't get fat eating broccoli, I got fat eating white carbs. I looked at this as a life style change. I did that, I don't eat a great deal of garbage food anymore. It doesn't do anything positive for my body, garbage food makes me gain weight, and the more I eat the more I crave. I think you'll find that there are a huge number of people in the same boat as me. So for me personally I am not anti carb, but I'm mega anti-WHITE carb.

I don't know about the rest of the world but it seems that there are a LOT of new doctors that want a piece of the banding pie. I think many see it as easy money. So there are inexperienced doctors going through their learning curve on the band. I think this holds true in the US especially and Mexico, too. I have a real concern when doctors (such as one in Phoenix) who are so busy doing surgery they don't have time for fills. A friend of mine was banded and she had to wait four months for a fill because the doc was so busy that was the soonest appt. Another one in Phoenix is trying to make people believe he is the revision guru such as band over bypassed stomachs. He's just not that great and revisions are much harder to do that a straight band. Another Phoenix doc quit doing anything but bands. He can do 10 bands a day but can only do a 3-4 sleeves, bypass, etc. in a day. Then he doesn't do any of the follow up, his staff do. He rarely sees the patient again after surgery. Banding makes them more money, it's like an assembly line for some of these guys. Then there is one doc in AZ that has people on a couple of days of full liquids, a few days of soft foods and a first fill at 3 weeks. No wonder our slip stats are over double compared to doctors in other countries. It's not fair, many (most?) of these people are self pay and they are taking out loans, refinancing their homes, etc. just to get this surgery and then they will slip or lose their bands in the future. It's just not fair.

Keeping in mind that I am cooking challenged, what is a rissoles?

Wendy's Chili. I have the clone recipe somewhere here.

This might not sound good but it's like kraut and hot dogs, you just have to try it to appreciate it. ;o) First either bake or use your crock pot and make chicken breasts. The key here is to use pineapple chunks. Most bandsters know that if you are stuck, and especially on chicken the best cure is to sip pineapple juice, it tenderizes the chicken and helps it get unstuck. So if you happen to cook this chicken a little dry it will likely still be okay. Two large skinless, boneless Chicken breasts (you can make more but for this recipe just use two of the chicken breasts) 1 can Pineapple chunks 1/4 C diced in SMALL pieces Celery 1/4 C diced in SMALL pieces Apple 1/4 C Mayo (more for extra creamy, less for a little more dry) 2 tsp French Dressing or sprinkle Paprika or mustard, your choice. It is for color more than anything. I don't use any of these for color. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp vinegar IF you want a bit of tang, your choice In a crock pot or oven cook two large chicken breasts with one can of pineapple chunks and liquid until done. Place the pineapple in the pan/crock pot first, put chicken on top, cook. Turn ONE time only. If you turn chicken more than once while cooking it gets tough. Cool chicken, dice into tiny pieces. You'll probably notice that after being cooked in pineapple and pineapple juice it crumbles. That is perfect for this recipe. Add celery, apple, mayo, coloring agents if you choose, vinegar if you want a bit of tang, salt and pepper to taste. Also add about 5 diced pineapple chunks from cooking. Many bandsters cannot eat stringy foods such as celery and pineapple. Dice in small pieces against the grain so it is not stringy. You can peel the apple if you choose if the skins bother your stoma. The skins do bother many. Chill for a couple of hours. You can eat it plain, on crackers, as a sandwich, however you choose. If you want it plain or on crackers sprinkle paprika first to make it look nice. If chicken is hard for you to get down ALWAYS cook IN pineapple/pineapple juice, it makes a significant difference. I always use full fat foods such as mayo. We eat such small quantities that a few more calories does not make a significant difference and you need fat in your diet to lose weight anyway. Mostly, flavor is in fat so it's your choice to use full fat or not, just use a very good quality mayo either way. If you don't want the extra calories of the apple you can use Jicama but apples are better. ;o) You can also add a small bit of diced cheese for varying textures. Different flavors and textures are what makes food enjoyable. Enjoy your food!

You changed your ID! Yep, working horrific hours.. ALL of them. ;o) I'm doing about 18 hours a day and I'm tired and cranky. Your Dad... oye veh... no suggestions here. He's one of a kind! ;o)

Those stats are quite similar to the US as well. Where you guys difffer is in complications, you have half the slips we do in the US. Not sure about other complications.

They are trying to keep Andres Betencourt's name out of everything since his rep is so horrific. It's the same clinic. Andres owns it. They are cheap for a reason and you really do get what you pay for. Be very careful here. If you lose your band and have huge medical bills, how much will you have saved? The people that go there are shopping for price, not skill and reputation.

Tom... I sent you an email giving you the name and email of a person that also had a similar medical problem. Hers happened for a different reason but the end result is exactly the same. She's been there/done that and she is a wealth of information. Please, contact her and get all the information you can. She had a much bigger leak and she did well in the end. It wasn't fun in the meantime but she's doing very well now. She has a sleeve but she has posted here on LBT every now and again.

I beat the stats too, all of them. None of the procedures show that the average person loses 100% of their excess weight but I did it. In a million years I never thought I'd be close to that. Any of the procedure types can work, you just have to find the one that is right for you.

Most come from Cirangle. Keep in mind, the first five year stats for the sleeve just came out this last summer. So many are still hanging on to the old stats that are from a totally different procedure and technique. The non sleeve stats from from the ABA medical journals.

I didn't read it as the surgeon was forcing the OP into anything. He was telling her the options and the stats. I didn't see where he was refusing to do her band, perhaps I misread. The patient can't decide about surgery types unless they know all the details of each surgery type. The best way to get that information is from your doctor. I applaud a doctor who will take the time to draw diagrams and explain each surgery type in detail. I don't like doctors who hide information or fail to take the time to explain. That is what we pay them for. I disagree about doubting the procedure type. Doubt it and question it to the minute they put you to sleep. I don't see anything wrong with changing your mind about any elective procedure. Many people start off wanting one procedure and they change their mind. You really feel sorry for people like this? Why? This is a huge and life changing decision and every single person should continue to research their options right up to the night before surgery to be sure it is the right procedure type for them. If they change their mind that's okay, it's not a failure. I never claimed to doubt myself. I wrote absolutely nothing that would lead you to that unusual and bizarre conclusion. I wrote to doubt the surgery type and keep researching, make sure you choose the right surgery type for you. That isn't doubting one's own self. Two different animals here but I kinda think you know that. ;o)

No, 5 year stats show the sleeve is better for long term weight loss. I can eat anything, just not much of it. I've had it for several months now. I had to be a lot more careful with weight regain with the band because restriction varied. One day I could eat a whole steak and the next day I couldn't keep my own saliva down. With a sleeve restriction is always good.

Why would you want her to have a band instead of a sleeve? With a sleeve the weight loss is better, it's faster, the long term risks and complications are less than banding, no fills, unfills, or maintenance. It's kind of a "sew and go" surgery. ;o) Once you are done, you're done. It's a LOT easier than banding, LOTS. Yep, I had a band and it was a horror, I hated it. I was on liquids for the last 4 months of banding because I couldn't eat anything solid with an unfilled band. I have no food intolerances with a sleeve, I just can't eat much. When I was banded I couldn't eat red meat often, no Pasta, bread, (that wasn't a bad thing but once in awhile it would have been nice to have a piece of toast) no fruits with skins, no Beans with skins, I couldn't eat or drink anything hot or cold. EVERYTHING had to be at room temp including Protein shakes. I actually got used to it and room temp Protein Shakes don't bother me. ;o) I swear I must have had at least a gazillion fills and unfills. I just hated it. I still have my band, I'm trying to figure out a way to kill it so it cannot spread its evil to others. Heh... Being sleeved is great, I love it. I'd be fat before I'd get another band. Just too many things that can go wrong. My esophagus is still recovering from my banding experience. I used to sound like a mix between Kermit the frog and a boy in puberty. My voice is finally back to normal but I have to think while swallowing or I choke from the esophageal damage. Banding is fine for some, but not me.

I forget if I replied to this thread or not. I had my band removed after 18 months and goal. I switched to a sleeve to maintain. I have to say that no, if I had it all to do over again I wouldn't do it. It really did a job on my esophagus and my esophagus is still recovering. Four months of liquids was quite enough. ;o)

The best way to diagnose erosion is an upper endo. Usually the most common symptom is a loss of restriction with a lot of saline in your band.

I think you might want to look at the types of foods that you are eating. What is working and what is not working. Beans: They have a skin on them. When I was banded I coud eat refried beans but not baked, pinto, kidney, etc. If they were blended it was no problem. Shrimp: A common problem food for banded folks. It just doesn't chew as easily as moist chicken. Pancakes: No way could I have eaten pancakes or eggs when I was banded. Those are really hard foods for many. If the turkey works it's a better choice than ice cream. You are showing yourself that you can indeed get good foods down but it's an easy (and bad) habit to get into a soft food syndrome type diet.

I wouldn't want to dump either but you know, I think there is a time when it is appropriate for someone to get bypass in hopes that they dump on sweets. I have a friend that weighs more now than she did when she was banded. It's not the band, it's her. She cannot give up sweets. Can't do it. She started out at about a 60BMI, she's up to about a 70BMI now two years later. She is just getting bigger and bigger. Again, it isn't the band it's HER. She can't give up the sugar. She should have had bypass to begin with. She used to eat cakes, pies, brownies, etc. She can't eat those foods with a band so now she's eating chocolate bars, M&Ms, etc. It's really very sad.

Australia has half the slip stats of the US. I personally think it is a combination of skill/experience and the post op diet. Not sure we will ever know one way or another.

I don't understand your comment. I don't view it as unsupportive if a doctor makes sure a patient understands all their options. Should he be sure not to tell her all her options? That would be irresponsible. No, they don't. Inamed came up with those stats. They took a high risk group of bypass folks who won't lose well for a variety of reasons (mostly not bypassing an appropriate amount of intestine) and THAT is the group they compare banded folks. Besides, for any of these surgeries they consider a 50% loss of your excess weight a success. I don't think 50% of your "excess" weight is all that great. It's better than where we started, sure! But a success? Banding does indeed have the lowest success rate, the slowest weight loss, and it is the hardest procedure to have to lose weight. The following are typical results for WLS at the end of 5 years: DS: About 85-90% of your excess weight (but a horror of a procedure IMHO) Bypass: About 80% Sleeves: About 80% Banding: 50-70% (depending on starting BMI) MGB: Not sure, nobody with any skill or positive reputation does this procedure, only the doctors who can't make it in the real world do it. ;o) Gastric Ball: Only used for temporary use, not designed for long term use so there are no 5 year stats. No, they don't get it because it is adjustable, they get it because they are very limited in options for a revision when they fail. Bypass isn't for me either but they get a band because they drank carbonated beverages and large quantities of food and stretched out their stomach. Banded folks screw up their surgery types too including dilating their pouch and esophagus. You can eat around every single surgery type out there. When you have a lap band you are essentially trying to copy what your pylorus valve does naturally. You are adjusting it to do what sleeves do naturally but in banded folks it is done higher up in the stomach. Re-ops are between 10-40% for bands depending on which study you read. I disagree, question yourself up to the moment they put you to sleep for surgery. Keep asking yourself if this is the right surgery type for you regardless of which surgery you are having. Never stop researching your doctor, hospital, and surgery type. When you have Inamed putting out information they have manipulated all to heck to prove a point that doesn't exist then you have people that don't have solid information to base their decision. I like the Inamed band better than the J&J band but the folks at Inamed/Allergan have the morality of a stray alley cat.

Slips have the same symptoms as you describe. Could be a fluke, could be a slip, could be lots of things. Did you get it checked out?

Well, I had a band and a revision so I have 10 scars on my stomach. Nobody can see the scars but they can see fat. I'll take the scars any 'ol day. What should you do about - what? The scars? Let them heal. The stretch marks will hide the scars anyway. ;o) I'm not sure what you want help with??