NeenBand

Oh my gosh, I'm so glad to hear a positive story! Good for you!

I would love to hear more success stories. I see/read more of the negative than the positive. 7 years this month and needing a revision. Surgery is in 2 days. Not sure if it's the old band or something is damaged inside. I will find out this Friday morning. Doc wants a decision from me if I want a new Realize band (if there are no issues) or to go unbanded. All the negative stories, and my own issues have me leaning very far to the latter.

Thank you. And god bless you too. Well, I had decided on having it out...and then my surgeon called today. He seems very confident that the new Realize band will help me to lose weight and that it does not have the complications that the old band had. He said it's like night and day. He seemed to think that is the way I should go. But I read so many terrible complication stories all over the Internet! So confused. I am really confused about what to do again.

Hi ladies, again, your responses are thoughtful and they are appreciated. I have decided to have the band taken out and not replaced. I don't think I will ever undergo weight loss surgery again. I know the risk of being overweight is bad, but the thought of multiple surgeries and altering my body does not sit right with me. I'm thinking of thinking an Overeaters Anonymous group nearby. One fear I really do have is about erosion. I have that old Allergen band and I'm really scared that in Friday, things will be found that can put me in a life threatening situation. This may sound paranoid, but in reading some medical journals online, it's something that does happen. I really, really hope that this surgery is smooth sailing and then I can put it behind me and start taking steps to get myself to a healthy weight.

Thank you so much. I spoke to my cardiologist and he made me feel a little better about it. He said the anesthesia will eventually clear my seystem, even if it takes time or if they need to give support with it. It will eventually leave. So that made me feel better about "waking up." My concern now is infection and that sort of thing. But I have to make the decision before Friday, to either let him put a new Realize band in, or to just have him take it out and be done with the LapBand and not have to deal with potential erosion, slips, etc.in the future. I see many happy bandsters for the first few years, but in trying to research people 10 or more years out, I can't find out how they are. I have until this coming week to make my decision. I literally cannot find people 10 or more years with testimony! If I could see more positive long term, I'd think about the new band.

Thank you for posting your struggles. I have to make the decision too and I only have a week left to do it. All the best to you too.

Thanks Tom, much appreciated. Stacey, click on my posts in my profile and you will see what I have been going through.

I'll be in this group in about 2 weeks. I can't say I'm happy to be here, but from all that I have been reading about long term banding and complications, having it out may be a blessing in disguise. This surgery was a last resort 6 years ago, so I wonder what the future holds. The important thing is that my body heals from any damage that I have done to it, having the band.

Hey firefaerie, I hope I'm like your mom this time. I wanted to give you an update and let you know I'm going to have the band removed, not revised. My surgeon is probably going to be shocked. I did some research over the weekend on long term banded and ....not good. In fact some vagus nerve damage posts really made me scared, as I have been having the same symptoms. I can only hope that it can repair. Who knew about all of this 6-7 years ago? It was only good things we read. I thank you for your help and if you could send some good vibes my way on March 1 as I go into surgery, I would appreciate it.

Hey firefaerie, I never lost weight with the band. We are not sure if it's due to a defective band or my anatomy. The thought about replacing it came from my doc and that perhaps it would work this time. I'm skeptical and leaning to not going under.

Good idea! I just saw the new forum and posted in it. Holly Dolly, I'm not doing great. I only lost 5 lbs in 7 years. Yup..you read that right...lol I'm scheduled for a new band on March 1st and I'm struggling with the decision to have it done.

Hi All! 7 years of being banded myself. I wanted to hear from the really long timers (if your on this board) and your story. How are you doing? I have to make a decision about a revision to a new band this week, and not sure about. Just wondering how successful people have been, if they have their bands, how many surgeries or issues they have had, etc. etc.

Hi All! 7 years of being banded myself. I wanted to hear from the really long timers (if your on this board) and your story. How are you doing?

Thank you for taking the time to respond lellow. I was reading your story here last night. You look amazing. But I'm sorry your having this issue too. May I ask you a question? How do you feel about going under anesthesia so often? And the prospect of having to do that again with being banded? For someone like me who is so sensitive to it, that scares me. It scares me that i chose something that requires numerous surgeries as an upkeep. If I had known that, I don't know if I would have done this, especially with the lack of results I have had. My surgeon is on vacation so I told the snippy surgery coordinator that I need to speak with him. I'm going to tell him if he can fix the port under a local and sedation, then that's fine, otherwise I'm not going under anesthesia again. Not right now. I am deciding on NOT to revise and just let this non working band sit here until it has to come out, which judging by the posts I read, is a "when" not an "if." If I saw more long term success stories I'd think more on it, but I don't see them. I wish I did! And hey, if you folks can point me to some heartening long term stories, I'd be so grateful. Even then, my going under just scares me too much. I'll let you know what he says when I speak with him.

Hey everyone! It's Leenerbups! It's been a while! I drifted away from the forums because the band was not working for me. I didn't have any issues with it either. Now I am in a place where my new surgeon wants to replace my old band with the new one. He thinks this will get me to my goals. I'm leaning to not getting it. Back in 2006, we didn't know then what we know now and that is it's not successful for everyone, and that there are risks developing that we didn't realize back then. You can read about what I am going through right now here: http://www.lapbandta...n/#entry1943564 I'd love your old timer input. *hugs to all*