banded2004

Thank you!

To be honest, my band worked well for about 9 years. Every body is different in how it accepts the band. They can be finicky. After about nine months of fills not working, pain and infection, I am waiting to have it removed. It is a huge emotional loss for me. It was a success for many years. I was banded by Dr Brad Amson. I loved being a small woman. It was exhilarating. I have gained back 35 lbs and have recently lost 8 of that through rigorous dieting at 1200 cal day.

What a great message!!! Thank you! :-))

I also had extreme shoulder pain free my band was put in. It is from the gas they use and will go but it sure is painful. My band is being removed after 10 years in the next 2 months and I anticipate the same pain. I hope it passes quickly for you.

Waiting for a surgery date to have my band removed. I have daily pain and am on pain killers to manage and a standby of of antibiotics if I have a flare up. A lot of grieving about losing my band. Still at 8lb weight loss so only another 27 to go to get back to my weight loss goal I had achieved with my band.

Dr. Brad Amson Victoria Baratric Surgery www.victoriabariatricsurgery.com/ Victoria, BC

I hear you. That is an excessive time to wait. I waited about 6-7 months. I paid $14,500.00 10 years ago. I was my surgeons 2nd band surgery and it was not a common surgery then. Now that they have longer wait lists and have more experience with The Band my surgeon and his team are making people wait longer in BC to ensure people are as ready as possible. What province are you in and what are they charging now.

Hi - I am in Canada too and was banded 10 years ago in BC. I needed that time pre-op to prepare myself emotionally to change my life and eating habits. I saw a psychiatrist before and all during my weight loss which was invaluable. My process involved saying goodbye to my self abuse and my best friend, food. I learned so much about myself, something I had avoided. One of the positive things about the Band was that when I had a perfect Fill it shut off my brain-stomach signals and the feeling of being hungry all the time. You may want to try Overeaters Anonymous as another support system to help you prepare. Take your time, be gentle with yourself and trust that the process or hoops you have to jump through are put in place to help you be successful! All the very best to you!

Hi - Congrats on your weight loss! I had a full abdominoplasty and a mastoplexy at the same time by a plastic surgeon here in Canada. There was no issue at all moving my port, in fact it never even came up as a concern. Maybe you can check with your surgeon on who his other patients have gone to (if you already haven't).

Hi, Thanks for your response. My surgeon does not recommend these procedures for me. All the best to you.

They have gone through the clinical trials on this and are at 100% capacity.

This is a new surgery that is done down the esophagus and with a special crimping like tool to make the stomach smaller but without removing part of the stomach. Look it up on the Mayo Clinic site. I have been in communication with one of the surgeons there and I am looking to have it done in Mexico hopefully.

It is difficult if not impossible in my personal and my Surgeons opinion to sustain a 1200 calorie diet on a long term basis. This is why I had weight loss surgery. This is a very personal decision you are making. Gather all the information you can and then trust YOUR instincts. All the very best to you. :-)

Thank you for your thoughtful words! It's so great to have a place of support like this. :-)

After 10 successful years I am losing band because of infection. My band stopped maintaining Fills early this year. I would have perfect restriction and a day or so after my Fill, none. I had tests to see if there was a leak including an exploratory surgery. They could not find a leak. They could only examine the port and about 6" of tubing in this procedure. My first fill after this surgery was when I started to feel unwell and I have been fighting the infection for about 5 months. The infectious disease specialist I saw yesterday said, "1. Your device is not working, and 2. You have an infection which is almost impossible to heal". I have been on and off antibiotics for months. So I am at the end of this long journey with my band. I have gained 35 ...losing 8 of that by low very caloric intake. It is all such a disappointment. I also had plastic surgery - a full abdominoplasty and mastoplexy when I lost all my weight. I read so many stories on this forum and am alarmed at all the problems band patients have. There a very few long term band patients (10 + years) and it seems we are all in trouble. Feeling discouraged. As well as the emotional toll this having my band cost me $15,000 CDN and plastic surgery $12,000 CDN. Ouch!

I hear you! I have gained 35 lbs this year after 10 yrs with my band due to band problems. I wore my clothes until the bitter end before buying larger sizes. I felt so much shame and anxiety. I gained so fast when my band stop working. I watched my food too. I did the 5 day pouch test to get my carb cravings down and for the past 4 weeks have stayed at 1000-1200 cal approx and have lost 7 lbs. it is not much food and it is hard to stay on this for an extended period. I needed to take some action to try and make myself feel better while resolving my band issues. The Bariatric Pal tool has been so helpful. I hope you resolve your band issues and can find peace in the meantime. Keep posting!

Losing my band. Sad and scared.

It looks like I am losing my band. The infectious Disease Specialist feels that my infection cannot be cleared up after trying for several months. Next step is band removal. Heal for a couple of months and decide what's next. The Gastric Sleeve looks so drastic. Feeling a huge loss already at losing my Band.

Is your pain resolved now?

Hello Andrew - what is the correct way to detect a leak?

You have been through a big surgery - physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our weight and body touch on all these areas. Be very tender with yourself. It will all fall into place. Read lots of posts and congratulations on taking this huge step to improve your life! I wish you well.

Withdrew post.

From what I have read and seen on a documentary it is unhealthy for the organs to be restricted and there are health risks. Check with your Dr.