byebyebandinva

I just had my band removed yesterday after 6 years. I never had to have a fill b/c it was so tight from day one. Over the years it's gotten worse. I've had more Upper GI's, cat scans and endoscopes than I can count and they all said that the band was perfectly placed. Yesterday in pre op my doctor said that my case was highly unusual. I was shocked to hear that I should have felt no restriction at all with no fill. I didn't realize it was so unusual. Then when he removed the band he checked on the restriction and it was still there. Basically he ended up removing a lot of scar tissue in the area where the band had been. He thinks I will notice a big difference when I start to eat solid food again (still on liquid diet) but that it will take 6 months to go back to normal. I'm praying for normal. I would love to eat broccoli and a chicken breast after six years of soup, popcorn and yogurt (anything mushy)

so do you still feel restriction? I'm so worried I'm going to feel restriction when I get off the liquid diet.

I had mine removed yesterday.It was outpatient surgery. They sent me home w/ a bottle of vicodin. Good luck to everyone w/ this process. We are all so different. Some of us love the band, others like me have been suffering since the minute it went on. After 6 years I'm relieved to have it taken off. I'm still on a liquid diet so the thing I'm most worried about is that I will feel restriction even w/out the band b/c of how long I had it. The doctor removed a lot of scar tissue but said it would take 6 months to be back to normal.

Like you, after six years I had my band removed yesterday. I have been begging my doctor to take it out for years. I have never had to have a fill b/c it was immediately so restrictive that I was basically on a liquid diet for the first year. Then as the years progressed I could eat things like popcorn, ice cream, chips but not salad, fruit or chicken. After many years of frustration with this and pain, I had it taken out yesterday. I thought I would be ecstatic but the doctor is not sure that I will be unrestricted. After he removed the band he said that I was still completely restricted when he passed an instrument down my throat to check. He had to remove a bunch of scar tissue and he kept passing something down my throat to make sure that I would be unrestricted enough to eat. He says that I will notice an immediate difference when I can start eating but that it will take a full 6 months or more to make a big difference. I'm very disappointed in this b/c I had my victory lean cuisine flat bread in the freezer b/c honestly that is what I"m craving. Not junk food but things like broccoli, sandwiches, asparagus. Things that I haven't had for 6 years. Anyways, I apologize if I"m rambling on but I'm still on painkillers. Anyways, I'm very glad I found this message board. Just wondering if you were still restricted when you started eating. I note the people who have only had them a few years aren't but what about those that are at 6 years? That's a long time and I imagine our stomachs didn't bounce back after the band was removed.