ElfiePoo

Thanks everyone.

Despite the band being around for awhile, I think the 'awareness' of the band being able to fail and some of the other problems (diaphragm rubbing, etc.) is more prevalent now than back in 2009...thanks to these band forums and people being less afraid to speak out when the band doesn't work for them. I know prior to getting my band and even for a year afterward, people were afraid to admit the band failed them because the response was always "No, you failed the band." Perhaps it's different and the posts I've seen telling people they've failed the band are in the minority or they have longer experience with these people and they truly aren't compliant. :/

That implies that those who don't know, didn't do their research. Sorry...just not so. I did tons of research including frequenting various forums for 2 years prior to committing to the surgery and *nowhere* was it said that the band doesn't always work. At that time, it was "if the band doesn't work, it's because you're doing something wrong." I'm glad to see that this may no longer be the case, although I'm still seeing a lot of posts where the banded is still being blamed for the failure when they appear to be doing everything right. Also, at the time I was trying to figure out why I was getting pain in my upper left arm, nobody seemed to know despite frequenting *many* forums and asking. Yes, others had the pain, but were being told there was no correlation. Now we know differently.

I still see posts from people who love to say "the lap band didn't fail you...you failed the lap band" to some forum members unable to lose with the band. I'm here to tell you they are wrong. What most bariatric surgeons don't tell you is that the lap band DOES fail in some cases. My own surgeon didn't tell me this little fact until I went to have mine removed and only then did he tell me there are a small number of people who *never* get the appetite suppressant effect from the band no matter how tight it is. My band was put in just before Thanksgiving 2009. Over the next year and a half my doctor and I struggled to find a point where I'd get the appetite suppressing effect without the band being so tight I couldn't eat anything except sliders...and we all know that sliders are not good food choices, but when you're so hungry your stomach is constantly aching and growling, they'll do. So during that time, I played with the same 20 pounds. Losing when I stayed hungry and miserable. Gaining when I couldn't take it any longer and ate the sliders. The band also put pressure on my diaphragm which caused a radiating pain to my upper left arm...worse when I laid down or unable to sit fully erect. So a dining table chair was fine. Sofa, car, etc...not so good. Finally, in March 2011, I had the band removed. Sadly, I am left with some residual after effects. Not as invasive and unaltering as a bypass or sleeve, but still left with some permanent changes. Despite the band being removed, I still occasionally get the left upper arm pain which we've discovered is due to scar tissue from the band rubbing on the diaphragm. Not as often as with the band, but still... A bigger problem is that the band, in just 18 months, reshaped that area where it sat. So when I had the flu last fall and throwing up, it was a serious problem. I couldn't just work through it. I had to have an anti-nausea med because the pain of *not* being able to actually bring anything up through that opening was horrible. On a more minor irritant level, occasionally I'll forget and take a big gulp of cold Water and it will immediately rebound, choking me. All I can do is stand over the sink, open my mouth and hope that automatic reflex will eventually regurgitate the water completely. This one I've learned to deal with by no longer drinking anything with ice and adding warm water to my cold tap water so it's not quite as cold. Pre-band, I did lose (over a couple year period) 90 pounds (thankfully, never put it back on), so when the band was taken out, my doctor suggested before doing something as drastic as bypass, to see if I couldn't find what motivated me before. Yeah...it took me a little over 2 years and a completely different motivator (diabetes getting worse), but I've managed to lose another 40 pounds in the last 6 months and finally got my diabetes under control without meds by staying on Dr. Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution". Only another 60 pounds to go. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from getting the band...just making aware that it *DOES* fail some people by not working the way it's supposed to and may leave permanent changes, although not as drastic as bypass or sleeve.

Thank you all for responding. I got the band because it was less invasive. Bypass was not...and still is not...an option for me. Rearranging my insides just doesn't appeal and there are worse things than being fat (at least for me). The sleeve is a bit scary because it's still major compared to the band and I worry that it won't work either. My surgeon had to take the rest of my fill out yesterday because the phrenic nerve pain in my arm had gotten so bad I couldn't lie down without serious pain. I have at least 6 weeks most likely before I know whether my insurance will pay for the revision and am gathering as much info as I can. One of the things I read in one of the articles posted here was that the appetite was dimmed for about 18 months (?) after sleeve surgery because the stomach wasn't manufacturing ghelin, but that eventually the body figures out a way around this and will once more start pumping it out. I'm a bit concerned that the hunger will come back...kind of why I wish there were people on here who were a couple years out. .

I had a Realize band put in over a year ago. Despite 'working' this band, I have not taken any weight off with it. I lost weight pre-surgery (was not required to be on a special diet...just happened), but nothing after. All I've done this past year is 'maintain' that loss and only through sheer willpower. Now my surgeon has suggested a vertical sleeve...but after reading some of the posts here, I wonder if I'm not trading in one problem for another. Are there any here who've had the sleeve for several years? If so, I'd love to get some feedback... According to some articles, despite the lack of the stomach, the body will once again start producing ghelin after something like 18 months. Does this mean I will once again have to deal with the hunger? What kind of hunger are we talking about? I can deal with normal hunger...even the stomach growling hunger that comes from waiting way too long to eat. Will this curb the hunger that makes me eat enough food at one meal for 3 lumberjacks? I know the size of the new stomach will stop me (just as the band did)...but will I be left with this hunger or will it stop? I'm not suggesting that I want to be able to pig out again, but let's face it...a cup of food is nothing. Will I never be able to eat like a normal person...small salad, 3-4 ounces of Protein, a vegie, maybe some rice? A bite or two of dessert? I've heard that people with the VGS end up on reflux medications as a normal rule. Wondering if this is true and, if so, why? It strikes me as less of a possibility than those having a band, but haven't heard too many with bands needing reflux meds. None of this is necessarily a deal break, but I want to be absolutely sure of what I'm getting into. For me, there are worse things than being fat. .

After a year with the band, I am considering a sleeve revision. My surgeon is planning on removing the band and doing the revision at the same time. .