Duchess1

My lapBand surgery date was May 20, 2005 and I had good results for awhile, and then starting vomiting all the time, which in turn ate all the enamel off the backs of my teeth! Now I am having severe problems with my teeth. Also this surgery basically ruined my life. I found out later that I have systemic lupus and am sick all the time, and due to the Lupus - my doctors have advised that I cannot even have it removed, nor use it. I am highly frustrated and angry with the GastricBand.com surgeon that performed my surgery and the entire staff. Had they checked me for Lupus, they would NOT have been able to perform the surgery in the first place and not have wasted the $20,000 it cost out of pocket! I received the absolute WORST after care of any physician I have ever dealt with in my entire life and would NOT suggest GastricBand.com to ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even their "poster girl", Brooke, that works in the office had a horrible bedside manner and everyone kept trying to tell me "I" was doing things wrong, when in fact I was NOT! I have had much better luck with my weight after being told I could no longer use the "band" by just controlling my own portions and eating healthier. Now I am so sick with so many other illnesses I can no longer even work and have had to file for medical disability. And when Social Security requested my files from GastricBand.com, they refused to send the files. That itself speaks volumes to me, and also, if the "band" is so great, then someone should be explaining why so many people are having to get it removed these days! My surgeon offered to remove mine and in the same surgery do a "mini-bypass", which would have killed me with all the medical problems I now have! :thumbup: I have never been so angry in my entire 50 years of life and wish I could turn in my surgeon and their staff for negligance. And I may just do it:cursing:. Also, good luck to those of you that are having good results - I am happy for you, but I would never suggest it to anyone myself after my horrible experiences. Melodie Aultman-Morris aka: Duchess1 email: melodieamorris@hotmail.com

Please DO NOT have Gastric Bypass, I was told I would die on the table if I had that done. I also found out in June 2007 that I suffer from systemic lupus - an auto-immune disease, and therefore cannot even have my non-working lapband removed due to the fact that I risk getting a staph infection. I cannot have any surgery unless it is for a "life-threatening" reason. Try NutriSystem, that is what I am currently doing, even though their food is not as "tasty" as they say, they do have a good program and I am considering going off their program using their foods, but staying on the same "meal plan". But please do not even consider gastric bypass - it is highly dangerous! I just do not trust these bariatric surgeons after my bad experience and the manner in which I was treated. My head surgeon was even on the team that helped to finally get lapband approved by the FDA! So go figure! Good luck and think about NutriSystem or something besides another surgery. You have nothing to lose by at least trying an alternative to surgery, and it does not cost nearly as much.

To all the "success stories", I applaud you. But I am one of those that insurance did NOT cover, and my father paid out around $20,000+ for my surgery and adjustments afterwards. In my first year after surgery, I DID lose 100 lbs, but was vomiting daily and always went into an "emergency" situation each and every time they did an adjustment on me. I threw up so much that it literally ate all the enamel off the backs of my teeth, and I am now having so many problems with my teeth that I am going to end up with dentures. Thanks alot! I also had to resort to eating baby food in order to keep anything down. At one point my surgeon told me I needed my gall bladder removed, and almost took it out, but after tests - he decided to tell me to see a gastroenterologist immediately that something was very wrong. I saw a gastro specialist, he did a scope on me and found that my esophageous was really messed up from all the vomiting, etc. and that I really needed the band removed. In the meantime, I was sick all the time for unexplained reasons and was finally diagnosed with systemic lupus and fobromyalgia. Had the surgeons checked me for lupus (as they should have prior to surgery), they would NOT have been able to perform this costly surgery that has literally ruined my life. Yes, the surgeon did say that he would remove the band and do a "mini-bypass" in the same surgery, but with me having lupus, I cannot have that done. So I am stuck with this device inside my body and it is wide open and still causes me problems at times. I am now very ill and have numerous other problems and have had to be removed from the workforce and forced into medical disability. Sorry, but I have NOTHING good to say about LapBand surgery, and most of the people that I know have had similar experiences and wish they had never done it either. I am very frustrated and have a very bad taste in my mouth about the way I was treated by my surgeon and his entire staff and would NEVER advise anyone to have this surgery done - NOT EVER! If I could get back my money and my life that this surgery destroyed, I would. I never received the appropriate aftercare they promised and they always told me that I was not following the plan correctly. They were wrong! I did everything I was told. I also woke up twice during my surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had never done this surgery and wish that I could do something to warn people about the things they do not tell you, that can happen to people like me. Sorry "GastricBand" in Chattanooga, TN - you are a ripoff and should be reported to the Medical Association, and I probably will be filing a major complaint against you and your staff for the way I was treated and your lack of consideration prior to my surgery. You are the WORST surgeons I have ever dealt with in my entire 50 years of life! If you haven't already had this surgery, DO NOT UNTIL YOU EXPLORE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE AND MAKE SURE THEY CHECK YOU FOR EVERYTHING BEFORE HAVING THIS SURGERY PERFORMED!!!!!!!!!!!!! From Duchess1 - A VERY BAD EXPERIENCE THAT RUINED MY LIFE!