KattattaK

Nychkole2, yep! Same here! I am African American and have always had super long, thick hair. No longer the case! My hair is so thin that it scares me to think of what revision wls surgery would do to what's left. I am SO afraid of losing the rest of it! I can't afford to have it become any thinner!!! I have to get this thing out if my body!!! Surgery freaks me out though. Yikes!

SleevedSharon, we are rocking in the same boat. I can totally relate to what you are going through and how you feel. I have many of the same sentiments. So scary and it takes so much to be brave. The scariest thing for me is getting home and freaking out about the surgery from not being able to eat and my body feeling so different and possibly having complications and knowing there is NO going back. I can relate to your struggle! I hate anxiety and abhor panic attacks. Yuck! Lol

Jersrose43, awesome link!!!

Oh my goodness!!! Same probs with my band. Had it done in 2005. Lost a substantial amount of weight. It stopped working a few years later. Turned out it had a slow leak. I haven't had a fill in several years. My current doc suggested revision to band over a year ago, but I've been so afraid of what the outcome will be. Hoping to be encouraged to make my mind up concerning revision, and hoping to be brave enough to have surgery for band removal sooner rather than later.

Nychkole2, oh my gosh!!!! Same here! All of a sudden, after 9 years with the band, I have these weird symptoms similar to autoimmune disorder and lupus. Crazy pain in my joints, tiredness, dizziness, unable to sleep. It has been awful. A few of my doctors have actually suggested in the past that this is due to the band and have encouraged me to have it removed. I am not looking forward to going under to have it taken out, but I know this has to be done soon if for no other reason than to see if these mystery symptoms go away once it has been removed.

Nursebarbie, heck yeah!!! I'd be all over that law suit with all I have had to endure emotionally and physically with this thing!!! Also, everything I read prior to surgery in 2005 stated that the band was meant as a permanent weightloss device, which COULD be removed if deemed necessary. My surgeon told me the exact same thing and told me I could expect to be burried at a ripe old age with my band still in place. IN FACT, I have been fighting for YEARS to have this thing removed! Guess what I was told by 5 different surgeons? That it could not be removed because I was not experiencing any life threatening complications due to the band and that it was meant to be a permanent device. Yes. That Is what I was told until last year when I stormed into the doc's office, acting like a deranged lunatic. We got into a full-blown yelling match, him disagreeing to take it out and me demanding that it be removed because it no longer functioned and had been deemed malfunctioning. I had a panic attack and had to take a Xanax. It was such a traumatic experience. He finally threw his papers on the floor and yelled "fine!" and I was approved for band removal with a sleeve revision later down the road. I have not had it removed yet, because I don't know that I trust him to remove it or if I will wake up from anesthesia to be told I had been revised to the sleeve. A law suit would serve the companies right!! It's what they deserve in my honest opinion. So many people have suffered so much physically and mentally due to the band. It would be nice to just have it thrown out as a wls option as far as I'm concerned!

I had lap band surgery in Nov of 2005. Diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2009. No idea if it was related to wls or not, but it has been a reeeeally tough experience. Not fun at all. I currently take methimazole for my thyroid and atenolol for my heart rate. I was one of the rare ones who actually gained weight from an over active thyroid (due to an increase in hunger) rather than lose weight.

Wow! What a great thread with great information! CowgirlJane, as usual, love your posts!!!

Southern Cali

Amazing!!! I love hearing success stories!! Good for you!! You are an inspiration to those of is who are on the fence about having this surgery. Thanks for sharing

Catcloudshepherd, CowgirlJane, and Beth Pets, can I just say thank you for sharing that personal information!!!?!!! What each of you shared in your posts was so on point and makes so much sense! Without the comfort of food, we have to face some things, and this can lead to some dark periods and may explain why some may experience anxiety, depression, etc. thank you thank you thank you!!!

Woo Woo, I was told prior to my lap band in 2005 as well as recently that my weight was not high enough to be considered a good candidate for the RnY. My current surgeon told me that he would not perform that on me at my current weight, but he said he would be willing to do the sleeve. I'm assuming they were also going by my BMI. Who knows?! It all gets so confusing for me sometimes. However, I had no problem with it then, and I still don't now, because I have no interest in the RnY based on what I've seen some friends experience from it. It's a great option for some but not for all. Based on some of my medical problems, it probably would work wonders for me if I needed to lose more weight. To tell you the truth, if I continue gaining, I'm sure my surgeon will start recommending it lol

Unfortunately, I don't qualify for gastric bypass due to my weight/BMI, which is why I'm guessing my surgeon recommended the sleeve. Not to mention, I am a bit heasitant about that surgery based on my nutritional/health needs. I don't think I would do so well with permanent vitamin deficiency or having to supplement for the rest of my life. Reflux actually isn't a problem in my family (my father is my adoptive father), but watching his suffering tears my heart apart, and I would never want to endure what he is going through. You know what? I will just be honest with everyone, I am UTTERLY afraid of having another wls, but I must say, your experience, along with the others posted on this site are really giving me hope and my view is starting to change little by little each day. I appreciate all the information and personal experiences, and I consider you all to be such brave people!!!

CowgirlJane, thanks SO much for sharing with us. Love those pix! I ❤️ horses!!!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience!!! It is wonderful to hear that the sleeve is working so well for you!!! One if my fears is developing bad reflux. Due to my weight, I would not be a candidate for revision to RnY so that scares me. I would hate to have to suffer for the rest of my life. My father suffers from Barrett's (sp?) syndrome and I see what he goes through despite treatment, and I don't think I could live like that

I do not own a computer either. Got rid of it over a year ago but I think I may purchase another one so I will be able to read the profiles on here. Anyhoo, I will definitely post my experience with the lap band on here for you and any others who may be interested. So, here's my story (I apologize in advance for the length)... I had the Lapland in 2005 with Dr. Sunil Bhoyrul. He's one of the top bariatric surgeons in Southern California and I truly felt fortunate to have him. Unfortunately, about 2 years after my surgery, he left my clinic and his new practice was not covered under my insurance plan. Because I did not desire to have anyone else working with me, I made the decision to pay out of pocket to stay with Dr. Bhoyrul. My weight loss was substantial, and although I experienced some problems with the Lap band (minor reflux, sliming, waking up out of my sleep choking on food/saliva, tightness, etc.), I was so happy to finally be successful at losing weight that I honestly never complained or questioned it. I thought this was normal and simply part of what I had to go through with the lap band to be successful in my weight loss . About close to 3 years after my surgery, I started to notice that after each adjustment, my satiety level would last less time (started lasting for a few days then got as low as lasting an hour) and I was no longer losing weight. I had not reached goal and was concerned that something was wrong with my band. I explained these concerns to my surgeon and he asked if I had been "eating around the band". I assured him that I was doing everything by the book. Rather than having my band checked, I was repeatedly offered an increase on my fill. I would leave his office unable to even swallow my saliva (no exaggeration). Then that feeling would miraculously be gone the next afternoon and eventually In a matter of hours. He refused to fill me anymore for fear of band erosion, which I totally understood. My frustration was that he was convinced that I was eating icecream and shakes and chips, which were foods I avoided at all costs. I would be in tears during my appointments because I was gaining weight and was afraid of it getting too out of control. My surgeon finally had my band checked and we were told Fluid was going through at a decent rate and everything looked good. My surgeon expressed his belief that I was eating slider foods and needed to see a nutritionist to learn about healthy eating. I'm not even going to give details as to how utterly offended and frustrated this made me. So, I was so desperate to not regain all the weight I had suffered to lose and began taking diet pills. I also could no longer afford to pay out of pocket to continue seeing my surgeon (not to mention I strongly felt the need to get a second opinion about my band), so I left my surgeon and tried to find one covered by my insurance. I'm not sure if things have changed, but at that time, once a surgeon had performed your surgery, no other surgeon would dare touch you, ESPECIALLY if there were complications or problems! I had to keep getting referrals to see different bariatric surgeons, because once I explained my issue along with who had performed my surgery, each surgeon would immediately refuse to treat me. It took well over a year before a surgeon finally offered me an adjustment. By this time, the diet pills had long lost their magic and I had no restriction. I had gained a substantial amount of weight. I decided to try a fill since so much time had passed. I prayed a miracle had somehow taken place and my band would hopefully hold a fill. However, no such miracle had occurred. Since the surgeons refused to listen to me when I told them something was wrong with my band, I started doing research on my own. Although I came across others with similar issues with the band in communities such as this one, i was unable to find any information regarding band recalls. Finally in 2010, I found some info online and contacted the company. Turned out there had been a recall on my band/the needles used for adjustments. Apparently, the needles used had caused leaks to develop in the bands so rather than describe the bands as faulty (because that would be more costly), the needles were blamed for causing slow leaks that were not detectable under fluoroscopy. I literally cried tears of relief upon discovering this information! I contacted the company and spoke with someone regarding my case. The woman I spoke with did some research and called me back to explain that my surgeon had been informed about the recall and had been told to contact all patients who had that particular band and who'd had the procedure during the time I'd had my surgery. The company had also issued him a letter to give to us. Mind you, this had all transpired during the time I was going to him in tears complaining about my fills not lasting and adamantly trying to explain that something was wrong with my band. I felt so let down. I had paid him out of pocket for so long and had shared my concerns with him, yet he had never shared this vital information with me. I was devastated and contacted him via email regarding this. I received no response and re-sent the exact same email about a month later to which he responded that the lap band had not been successful for me and I would need to contact a surgeon for a different type of wls. Again, I was utterly devastated!! This man had seemed so supportive and kind prior to my band issues. I had been told that weight loss surgeons supported you as long as you were a success story, but the moment you were no longer, they wanted nothing to do with you. I refused to believe it prior to my wls issues, but after my experience, I changed my mind. The woman I spoke to sent me a copy of the letter to take to my current surgeon. I was just so happy to have proof that something was wrong. Although I had continued to follow the eating plan with my band, I had gained weight and felt like such a failure, as if I had failed the band, but now I had proof that the band had actually failed me due to a malfunction. Unfortunately, I was told that I would need to have it replaced, and while it would be covered by the company, I would have to pay upfront for the surgery and then receive a refund afterward. As you can imagine, my world came crashing down because there was NO way I could afford to pay for that surgery! I spoke to my current weight loss surgery about replacing my band, but he refused and explained that he did not find the band to be a good choice of wls for patients. Along with all the surgeons I had seen over the years, he was shocked that Dr. Bhoyrul had recommended the lap band surgery for me after reviewing my medical history and seeing that I had been diagnosed with insulin resistance syndrome AND PCOS. Of course I had no idea that this should have determined which wls was best for me. I honestly thought wls is wls and wanted the least dangerous/invasive one. I trusted my surgeon when he told me the lap band would be the best option for me. Looking back, the sleeve wasn't popular at that time and I didn't qualify for the rny due to my weight, so that may have had something to do with his choice?? I was diagnosed with thyroid disorder in the summer of 2009, and this only made things worse. Treatment caused me to quickly gain a whopping 50 pounds!! Despite all this and the anxiety, depression and hopelessness that gradually crept back in (and worsens each day), for the most part, I continue to eat healthy the majority of the time, and try to exercise but it is difficult and frustrating because I am right back where I was 10 years ago. My current surgeon wants to remove my band and perform vsg surgery. About a year ago, insurance approved band removal with a vsg for a later date, but I get severe anxiety just thinking about having that surgery or any type of wls again. I remember all the suffering I experienced with the band, and I don't think I could go through that again. The restriction and not being able to get even a Tbsp of Water down let alone a bite of a soft scrambled egg! Not being able to eat with others for fear off getting "stuck" and the list goes in and on and on... It just all freaks me out. Majorly! Recently, I met someone who had vsg surgery and was at work 1 week out, drinking her Protein shake and I got anxiety just watching her. However, the more I watched her, the more I began to think "Wow! She is SO brave! I could never go through that again!" I recently told her how brave I thought she was and about my doctor recommending that exact surgery for me. She told me about 2 other co workers who had the surgery around the same time she had hers and offered me her number so I could call and talk about the surgery if I wanted or needed to. That was about the time I decided to join this site. Some things I read give me hope, while other comments freak me out. I don't know what will come of this, but I feel like simply joining this community may just be a step towards a new and better beginning. Thanks for reading.

Ohhhhh ok. Thank you!!! I had no idea!

CowgirlJane, thanks for responding. I went to your profile, but I only see your username and birthday. Very possible that my phone is to blame for that. I will continue to try to read your profile

Hi all! For those of you who are revision-ers who have gone from the band to the sleeve, could you please give those of us who have not yet been sleeved (or are on the fence about being sleeved) some information about your journey. I've had the band since 2005 (no fill since 2009) and have had probably with it. My current wls wants me to be revised to a sleeve, but due to my experience with the band, I am now absolutely afraid of getting any other type of wls.

Your situation is similar to mine. I hated that The band stopped me from eating all the healthy foods I craved, and I hated that I was either too tight to to get anything down or too loose and got so much down that I could not lose weight. So frustrating. I Hope you get that sleeve, and hope it works out great for you

I recall when I first had my lap band surgery (band will be removed soon). I experienced some serious problems with women I had thought were my closest friends. With some, I had lways been the big girl who did not pose a threat when we all went out together. With others, I was part of the let's pig out crew, and once I became thin, the crew no longer even wanted to spend time with me. Please do not take offense, but it may be possible that these friends are not TRUE friends. I am no longer friends with the women I just mentioned. In a way, my wls saved me from toxic relationships by showing who my true friends were. Hope things get better.

I have NEVER heard of such a thing. Err on the side of caution. Best, KattattaK