ted12345

I hate quotations its another form of nit picking. I begged my surgeon not to band me because there was stories going around about the level of after care. I was desperate not to be fighting for appointments for fills and so on. In the UK we cant just click our fingers and get what we demand. Its very much we have to go with whats available. UNLESS you are welthy and have private healthcare. IN MOST CASES the majority use the NHS and often only self fund because in a lot of areas of the UK the NHS do not fund WLS. If every one had access to WLS like we do say cancer treatment people wouldnt self fund. But when you are under the NHS you kinda lose the part were you have a say. WLS is seen a ilective surgery and with the beauty of private health care you can chose your surgeon and hospital. Under the NHS thats not the case so i was told what surgeon i would have and what hospital every choice was not mine, Fair enough, But i had sat on the waiting list for 2 1/2 years under the impression i was to have the BPD it was only weeks before i had my band that i was told the surgeon no longer does the bypass only bands. My health authority at the time would not fund another surgeon and the surgeon i was under would not referre me to a another surgeon that did all the op's. So i didnt want to be a in a poistion were i couldnt get fills and advice and support. Thats why i didnt want the band because firstly i knew i would need to diet and diet hard and i had failed with diets. and second i was scared i wouldnt be able to get fills. and i was right there was a load of hassle getting fills infact i was 18 weeks post op b4 i had my first and thats because. Goverment changed the regulation and patients were given choice. so now in the UK if we are going to have refferal for anything we have patient choice its limited to three options but still we now have patient choice. Had there have been patient choice pre my op i would have fought to see a second consultant for a second opinion. If you want to quote me thats cool but there is a whole story behind this. i knew from research what the band needed to work. if you are a comfort eater a emotinal eater rather than a volume eater you may find sticking to the band hard. you may find weight loss slower and harder to lose. When you eat on emotion and impulse its not like some one who eats regular meals at regular times just eats a whole load in one sitting. I was never a volume eater i didnt need restriction. I needed a op that was less forgiveing with food and still work. I never said i was the norm but i am far from rare lots of people fail with a band, lots of people have band probs complications. If the band was any other product it would not last long in the shops. If it was a car or a TV we wouldnt buy it. But people grab onto the least invasive and reversable aspect and forget about what the band really needs to make it work . I know what it needs now i could have been super sucsesful of super rubbish and i am the latter because all along i had identifed were i may encounter problems and i knew i had problems controling them problems. if i could control them i would over eat i wouldnt be morbidly obese i wouldnt need WLS. My comfort eating is nothing new lots of us do it and thats why lots of us struggle. Its like i said on another thread what i am saying is not a lie or misrepresentation what i say is true just not popular. because people feel do defencive of there choice they made the choice for all the right reasons thats cool for them alls im saying is there is a down side and its very real.

He's not my dr babe i trully understand how you feel the dissapointment is horrendus he feelings are undiscribable. i have just logged on and i know people think im negative and its because i know too many people like your self and not only am i suffering but it breaks my heart to know so many others are also. alls i want to do is stand up and be counted some of us are having a row deal. If you are in Birmingham i can help with some Advice if you wish hun i think if you tried you would get NHS help. i cant recoment Mr Super but if you trust him thats up to you there is another surgeon in Walsall Mr Kahn he is lovely and has a better reputation. if i can be of any help please contact me join our group at struggling bansters we have a few people like you having probs. im in Birmingham i will give you as much advice as possable about PCT funding and so on i think you not with out hope and we can rescue this situation. you have my full support and understanding xxx

totally agree about the bypass, I think this is my personal opinion. in some cases funds are too easily available and not enough research is done and thngs are rushed into. I just want to offer emotional support to people suffering complications because, there is only so many times one can say stick to liquids for a while or have a unfill. I think once the probs set in there really tricky to sort out and it developes into a cycle of trying this trying that and with all the probs you have sufferd you have also benafited from weight loss. some dont have that and with all the niggles there band brings they cant even seem to lose the weight and ontop of band probs they still have the weight issues, then emotional problems because of the whole cycle. Thats all im really trying to say is yep these probs happen so you may have over eaten i dont think your bad i think its understandable because you have a history and the band is just something you tried and struggled with. Sometimes the benafit of the weight loss actually pays off all the complications makes it worth it. But when you dont even have that and just cant seem to manage it its devastateing. And your right when people search for support no one wants to listen to it. Well i do and i feel for you.

Dont be disturbed by my negativity, I guess i just have a differnt out look on it. I dont think when people come across this op they know enough and i think people are too fearfull to be honest about probs they have had because of situations like this were a poster is made to look negative. You have arguments to what i say but your not actually saying what im saying is not true! ok while what i say is not popular bad news never is. It os how ever true and while these complications may be rare when they happen they can really distress the person experiencing them. What i say is true just not popular.

Thats the PONT! If WLS is for life Why would you want it reversed? It only needs revisonal surgery if its going wrong and the complications again are rare and if like happen very early days. Unlike the band most people experience probs around 18 months to 2 years. It can be devastateing if the band has been great then suddenly slippes and needs removing. Not every one is likely to keep the weight off! You ONLY usually have the band removed when there is complications and the long term chance of complications are way higher with a band than any other method of WLS. A Doc will endourse the band if thats all there doing and most general practioners dont know enough about anything so have a say eather way. (in a specialist manner) A Specialsit bariatric surgeon should be skilled in all the surgeries and should have enough experience to assess a patient and there suitablility for what ever procedure. The patient should of course consult with the surgeon and heed the surgeons advice. This less invasive and reverasble thing is sooo repetative it seems like the laimest excusess for a band i have ever heard. It says you expect it to fail and when it does its easy to fix. Whats the point in entering into a lifetime commitment to change with the expoectation its likely to fail. All surgeries to some extent are reversable. The band completely reversabe and usually with that there is a very high chance the weight will regain. Thats prob one of the sole reasons why lots of insurance companies in the US dont fund banding and lots of people have to fight for it. Surly that tellls you something! i seriously cannot see why you would ever want it reversed if things are going well. And in most bypass cases things go well like the stats say there is higher complications probs with a band than any other method of WLS so again if this are going great why would you consider revision?

And the band being placed to high!! its a fact surgeons SOME place them too high. And i cant help but laugh but isnt the band's whole pirpose to restrict portion size? with out sounding synical?? i really am not anti band but when these probs happen it staggers me that people can't understand them and why they happen. Everything about Obesity is = cronic over eating = bad food choices = not chewing properly = greed = emotional eating = large portion sizes, I mean what makes the band change all these things? For some the changes are just really hard to make infact so hard if they could change they would change. thats why over and over again people fail with diets for some the band is just another diet thats hard to stick to. Its just not suatable for every one and these complications Should be half solvable by identifing who is likely to fail by lifestyle questions and monitering.

Thats kinda not true! secondry surgeries can be complicated and expencive having a band seeing how it goes if it dosn't work oh well pay for something else. WLS if a lifetime commitment why would you even enter it thinkng it might fail! Surly andy good DS or RNY is more value for money they do there job and they last the lifetime you commited to changin. I dont get that at all im kinda finding more and more medical evidence and reports and medical opinions, research that to opt for a second procedure puts you at higher risk of complications. http://www.julieellnermd.com/gastric-bypass-vs-band.cfm I hope the link works, But i have about 100 links that say simler things the band is just not doing what it was expected to long term and secondry procedures are risky business.

Something is going on here, She can't eat crap sweets cakes pastires and Lose weight!! the calories count you know! She is up to something thats way beyond the band. You say she lost it the wrong way your doing it the healthy way, Is it any suprise i mean surly she had/has food issues thats why she endid up needing WLS to start with. If you are doing it so wondefully why did you need the band if you have totally retrained your own mind and changed your lifestyle why couldnt you acheave that pre op? It does sound as if your friend is doing something that we wouldnt advocate she found a way to lose weight and she ran with it. I dont for one moment think she totally lives on crap there is no way she can live on crap and lose weight. all those crappy things go past a band easy peasy and she would simply not lose the weight. At its best you should be loseing 1 to 2 lb a week with a band, and it has a expected excess weight loss of 50 to 60%. How can your friend eat crap and end up under weight it just does not sound right even with a band the crap passes a band its calories absorbed. I think something else is going on there i trully do. Geezer Sue well done, We have a support group for struggling bandsters, people seeking revison wouldbe interested in your expereinces with the band and DS.

Thats HORRENDUS!!! It is not solely down to "over eating" and streaching the pouch!! It can be down to the band being placed too high around the stomach and THE WAS NEVER A POUCH! thats why one will develope in the oesopigus (spelling sorry) It can also be the band to too tight The most likely reason is the band was missplaced to start with and because it was positioned too high the oesopigus has become the pouch. chances are the surgeon WONT admit to making the mistake and the patient will be blamed.

i think you are in danger of promoting a product that has a life span shorter than expected. If people rush into this on your say so i wonder how you will feel in a few years time when the US catches up with europe and the stats begin to speak for them selfs. The band has the HIGHEST long term reporative rate post 2 to 3 years the probs KICK IN. The band has the highest re op rate than ANY other form of WLS the HIGHEST Faliour rate and the LOWEST expected % of excess weight loss. I think them few basic well known facts speak for them selfs! I say time will tell lets see what the band is doing in 5 or ten years! Its all ready ten years down the line in europe and mainland Europe lots of surgens just simply are no longer doing it. There Experience tell them its % for falior is too high and secondry surgery is more dangerus and technically complicated. Lapbanding is a easy operation surgeons can rake the cash in banding patients. Half of them will no longer do it because its proving to be a lost cause. American surgions are catching up and some wont do it i ask my self why will some NOT do it at all but others do and those Surgeons nine times out of ten that will perform lap banding ONLY perform lap banding. It takes time skill and money building a reputation in bariatricts and the band is a quick eay short term fix. You are entitles to your opinion i mine i dont invent the fugures i simply quote them!

lighten up!! bad choice of words really kinda taking the pee a it I said lets see, untill then i wont say no more give thints TIME let the band do what its expected to do desighned to do dont push it and dont exaused your expextations!!

"Most of the 11,366 members at this site feel the same way" No were near that amount of members post!! there is a tiny fraction tiny tiny fraction amount that post regulary The band has a 50 to 60% expected weight loss you have reached that goal wight is a BONUS you then have to maintain it. Lets see!!

Even if the patient didn't follow the rules is it any great suprise? I don;t know what people expext to be honest those of us who have sufferd a lifetime of obesity have had a life time of not following the rules. Not sticking to diets not making the correct food choices. It astonishes me the amount of people who fool themselfs that if only they had the band fitted thats the anwer to all there probelsm. Theory is so far removed from reality and those who think the band is a cure are sadly misten. If you have relly struggled before many many times to make the changes chances are you still wont make the changes after the bands in. Whats the point in fooling any one. If a surgeon only fits band of course he's going to promote it there money makers and they generate more money in fixing complications. I will never ever trust a surgeon again who only does the one procedure they get the patients threw the door and on the operating table like on a converyor belt. And shen things go wring its more money to fix or some one else fixes it because the origional surgeion has a 100% and he gets that by refusing to reconise his or any or his patients complications.

You say you do not want to go on another diet surly the band is just one big diet it only retricts the food volume and the speed at wich you eat food it does not make food choices?

Why play the blame game. If you want to blame the patient for not following the rules them MAYBE the surgeon should have done a more thourogh job at assesing his patient and her suitability with the band. you dont have a band and are going on theory!! thats such a cop out.

erosion is very rare, i think people have restriction BUT somtimes dont reconise it!! they may feel the golf ball feeling but still feel hungry so push there band and eat more. somtimes you can "pop" food threw the restriction and sometimes you can streach the pouch. often people will PB after a tiny amount of food assume it just went down funny and keep eating. Some people just never feel restriction IT HAPPENS, Of them there is restriction on the x-ray and the patient just does not feel it. I mean with a 30%+ faliour rate your bound to see these problems eather the surgeon had done few bands or is completely telling lies or he refuses to accept it. Eather way it happens and its very common problem. How do you deal with it?? i dont know if i knew i think i would be rich the band does just not retrict every one we all live differnt diets and lifestyles sometimes like i say some people have restriction but just eat around it or fail to adjust to it.

i think if the questions were time dated balanced that would make the poll more exually balanced like if the first question was reffering to one year post op patients like the last one was. That all i feel really but if you caculate all the other numbers MOST of them have probs and when added up stands a high % of issues even with a very small poll. But like you say couldnt be edited no arm done the good intention was there well done x

I think some of us are just more sensative to restriction than others. Charlene being banded now almost 2 years i really have tried everything. Eating chunky soups that have been blended really is defeting the thory of the band! Eating anything blended fedfetes the bands theory it is restrictive surgery. Not a band so we survive on blended foods. i do appreciate your advice but this has been going o from the day i was banded, its time it came out its a horrendus device i also am now begging to thing its too high up and thats why i am not able to eat anything without vomiting.

No i don't think that if i could have it unfilled i WOULD i am awiting a reply from the consultant i emailed him last friday he usually replied on a thursday night. I am waiting for his reply he may very will say come back and have some out. If i went to Accident and emrgency with this firstly NO ONE would know how to do a unfill and second i would be prosecuted for waisting time. Its not me its the way the system works here. I have to see what the consultant wants to do and i am awaiting his reply. i am almost two years banded i know being over filled is not good and in october i had some fill out odviously not enough. I dont think with just 2 1/2 mills in my band that much out is going to make much differnece. I am texture intolerant and have reflux desese all complicate the issue of restriction. If i cant get accross to fellow bandsters fellow people who have sufferd obesity and aall its related issues. how can i ever get a surgeon to understand me. It makes me feel worse that people dont or cant seem to understand how i feel. Thats why i feel it would e better out than in that way i dont have to keep this roundabout of headbanging stress going.

i feel egzasperated at repeting myself. I have never and am not deluded that if i lose weight my world will be fantastic. I just want to lose weight i would rather be me and have my problems with a healthy BMI than be me with my problems at this weight and all the additional problems the weight brings. I am dealing with all the issues i am getting psyciatric care i am willing to work on my mental health. i am not unwilling. To me it just seems cruel to insinuate that because i suffer from depression that i am not entitled to a healthy body weight like every one else. My depression is irritated by my current situation of failed weight loss a road i have been down now for five years it just seems never ending. This thread is going round in circles.

I am very greatfull for the brilliant advice, But iv said it so many times the decision to unfill is not mine? its the consultants i have emailed him and am waiting a reply. My Surgeon is not incompitent i resent that he is very good and i am sure he does not want me traveling 200 miles for a small unfill if it can be avoided. I wonder how many people would tell a alcoholic to worry about there drinking after they have sorted there mental health. The band is not my enemy the lack of weight loss agter almost 5 years investment is depressing i am sure if you made the same investment and dedication and got no results you would feel distraut also. i am awaiting a responce from my consultant any decion made about my health is in his hands in the UK we cannot demand that things are done we have to go by what the profecional say private or NHS they are the Dr the expert we are not. My consultant now is now is not the consultant who fitted my band so he so to say is dealing with some one elses patient. The prosess of eleviation is in prosess. We in the UK have excellent surgeons and just because they do not say jump when we say jump that does not make them incompitent. Its just a differnt way of doing things.

Yeah and if you see my other thread in can't cope any more, You will see that i cant eat any solids foods at all so Protine first is a basic bot of bandster knowledge but how do you eat hard protine if you are texture sensative and cant eat sertain foods? Its a visous circle so i cant eat solid food because im sick with it so what do i do i resort to eating food i can eat rather than should eat!! Healthy food choices isnt always possable meat wont go down fiberus and stodgy fruit wont go down things like lettice and cabbage wont go down. You know what im surviving on mash potatoes and basically anything that has a texcure of mashed potatoes. when i try and eat checken it gets stuck and i vomit no matter how much i chew and chew or how small a portion i eat.

Do you have the potine shake as a Meal Replacement or as a drink? I think early post op you will be able to eat quite a lot the band is like a care its useless with out its fuel. Untill you have a fill and reach some restriction you may be able to eat quite a lot and some foods that you wouldnt expect to be able to eat. Its like the car wont run untill you put fuel in, You band wont nessersarily work untill you have a fill. Stick to the advice your surgeon gave you untill you have a fill and see how things go when you begin to get restriction. These early days can be very hard as you are needed to do most of the work diet wise.

It was my friends Idea Lisa who is also a bandster, Her sister had a DS and has lost loads of weight. Recently they was on Holiday and lisa's restriction kicked in big time. And she was sick a lot her sister turned to her and said, "why dont you justs top eating your just greedy" I mean we all know the feeling when your hungry but cant egt any food down, Her sister eats with her DS and still loses weight her success has left her with little understanding of WLS when its a struggle. Feel free to join the more the merrier its early days yet only set it uo 3 days ago. so its a work in progress at the mo.

Sorry the consultant is the surgeon i guess when you see him you have a consultation re the term consultant lol sorry he is a surgeon. He isn't the surgeon who fitted my band he has taken over my care due to problems with the origional surgeon.