Nanook

I don't know if you knew but I had my band removed last October. I know they biopsied the polyps but I don't know if they biopsied the esophagus. This is a totally different group than my gastric surgeon and I'll use them also when I'm 50 for my colonoscopy. I'll have to look into that. I did get a typed statement of what they did so I'll look in my file. I haven't put up my Snoopy St. Pat flag yet but we still have too much snow! I have to switch my decor from Valentine's to St. P next weekend! Take care and sorry about your husband, Nancy.

I was just curious if you are banded. I never had problems until after I was banded. It became an issue when I developed chest pains about 10 months post-banding. I never had typical heart burn or acid up to the throat. I found out after spending the night in the hospital to rule out heart issues that it was acid reflux and have been on protonix ever since. They only gave me a script for one month and I ended up getting an endoscopy to see if there was any damage done and they found just red marks and benign stomach polyps and put me back on the protonix after finally getting it approved by my insurance company as it's very expensive. I was just curious as I've read most people who are banded can't help but get acid reflux problems. Have you heard this also? Nancy

I'll be the first to admit my skin has toughened up since my initial battle with the band and some of the bandsters who weren't exactly happy with my posts due to the fact that I was searching out here trying to figure out why it wasn't working for me and it appeared it was for everyone else! Now I know that just wasn't true and there are many more coming forward. That doesn't make me happy but makes me know "hey, it's not me it's the band, I'm not crazy or a failure". That is not to take away for those that it has worked for and right now I don't care why it doesn't work because it's too late as it's now gone forever! My problem now is trying to figure out if I should revise and if I do what I should revise to. As far as I know my surgeon only does two procedures, Lap band and RNY. But there maybe others out there affiliated with other hospitals further away. I don't want to take a chance again. How do I know that the sleeve would work for me. I say this objectively and not slamming anyone's procedure. Is removing the part that makes produces ghrenlin enough for someone like me? I thought the band was going to be enough and some people I even remember somewhere here have said that having the lapband has stopped the production of ghrenlin also. I watched my daughter, and of course it being my daughter makes it more painful and scary, go through her RNY. She's been very sucessful but also had her fair share of comps along the way. It was very troublesome in the beginning because her new stoma closed up and had to have it stretched out during two separate endoscopies. This included an extra hospital stay and there was the night we spent with her in the ER while she got fluids because of her dehrydration. It's still fresh in my head and heart and it's hard to think about it now. The thing is we're related and it's worked for her and she's doing well now so it's natural for me to think this one might work better for me. Anyway it's my problem but I know now that it's hard to decide on a procedure and even if I should attempt another. I wish there were easier ways to figure out the best solution for everyone. Some are lucky and what they pick seems to be working and working well. I just think it's now time to stop blamimg "the patients" as I called them earlier because the procedure they chose did not work. We all invest so much into these things and feel bad enough as it is, Nancy. :blushing:

Gladiator - great Russell Crowe flick! I think that I heard Mel Gibson's father moved his whole family to Australia during the draft of the Vietnam War, I could be wrong it's something I have way back in my memory somewhere.

I just don't think I would be a good candidate for the sleeve since I really wasn't for the band and I have type II diabetes etc...one of many comorbs. I wonder which recovery time is easier the sleeve or the RNY or if they are about the same. Just curious if anyone knows. I guess I always assumed RNY would be the most difficult.:thumbup:

BJean, I'm sorry things are going well for you either. With the RNY the duodenum is completely bypassed and that's where the majority of fat absorption takes place. So that aids in your WL. (I think that's basically it) They also remove a good amount of your small intestine and use it to connect to your new pouch openning. The stomach is stapled in one long line to portion off and make it smaller. (I hope I did it justice). Now I know nothing is perfect but I'm tired of giving up on the whole thing and know I need something major. At this point I'm not affraid anymore. I have more comorbs now than I had before I was banded and need to do something, plus I just can't be happy at a heavier size even though I made an attempt. Like most people I didn't want to go to the "extreme" of having RNY but since my 20 year old daughter had it last May and has lost over 140 lbs so far I have a little more faith it may work for me also. My surgeon only does RNY or Lap band and has been doing RNY much longer. My primary did not want me to get the lap band initially and has patients that have gone through my surgeon for their RNYs but I was his only patient that had the lap band. I don't plug any WLS because we're all so different and just because it works for so and so doesn't mean it will work for me or anyone else. My daughter has had probs in the beginning with strictures where her stoma closed twice and so far those were her only complications. Now she's eating well and still losing. (I will always worry about her, can't help it) She was about 360 lbs when she started and 6 feet tall and now carries herself like a model! Big change in her life for sure. I looked at the DS a while ago and decided against it mainly because the surgeon was much further away and I feel more comfortable going through my orignal team and a surgery that I'm more familiar with. Anyway I hope you can find what will work for you it definately took it's toll on me emotionally and still does. Take care Nancy.

Wow Susan, I had no idea thanks for "coming out of the closet". I hope something works out for you. I've always worried about you self-pay peeps and how you all deal with it. I'm guessing sleeves are great for people who can lose weight with the band but I don't think I would be a good candidate and need that malabsorption aspect that RNY has. I really hope things work out for you! Nancy

That's was true for me also. Even without any fill I could not eat a "normal" diet. Now that it has been removed I still feel the tightness in my esophagus when I eat certain foods that I could never tolerate no matter if I had fill in my band or not. Why is that? That's the question everyone should ask. Why is it so different with everyone. How can you know ahead of time if I will feel like that on the band? That's just one aspect of the band that is an issue for many people.

I think we've all learned that almost anything is up for grabs in R and R and usually uncomfortable for someone. I know banding is a very emotional thing for all of us. When it works like it does for a lot of you that's wonderful and that's what we all wanted too when we were banded. We all wanted to "ra ra, yay, love my band :thumbup:" but it doesn't always work that way. I know it's hard not to take it personally but you have to give us a bit of a break when we all wanted all the joy and the positive results that come from the band and did not get them or something went horribly wrong as it did with Wasa. No one is stopping anyone for boasting about their positive results with the band but it's therapeutic for us and also helps others who have problems. Also all prebanders need to get the good the bad and the ugly about the band. Knowledge is a good thing and some of us may not have been banded in the first place if we had all the information that is out now. Whatever procedure we choose we want it to be successful. I had mine removed last October and am still PM'd by people myself which is partly why I stick around. Part of me still wants the success and dealing with band failure is not easy I'm now considering revision to the RNY which was very successful for my daughter and I've been right along with her through her good times and bad and with our common gene pool I'm hoping I will be more successful with this procedure. Anyway I am happy for all of you that have had success but you just have to be a bit patient with those of us who have not had the same success and need to share our stories mainly because there are many people who want to hear them. Nancy

Some people do well with the band, I didn't and had it removed after 14 months. I suggest you find as much info as possible as to how it's going to feel physically and emotionally to be banded to find if it's the right procedure for you. I was fat all my life and don't eat a ton of food but sometimes the ones that will keep me from losing. I'm also 49 and on many meds that affect my WL in many ways. Hopefully your surgeon can answer all your questions. Good luck to you Nancy.

Wasa, That's funny you brought up the staples at the airport, just sent my daughter on her first solo trip down south to visit some college friends and I was waiting for her to go through security and I was waiting for them to stop her for having her RNY but they didn't. I can't believe my brain is working this way now but I suppose you can go through different stages, like death and dying, when you lose your band or it never worked and you lose your band. It's pretty traumatic as I'm sure you well know. I just don't know if I choose to revise, after saying I never would, if I be more successful with the sleeve or the RNY. I want to make sure it will work this time and have lost a lot of confidence during my banding experience, thanks for your honest assist, I appreciate it! Nancy.

That's the problem, I thought I knew what I was doing the first time and don't want to fail again!

Well even though my daughter did really well with her RNY, lost over 140 lbs and is doing well health-wise I was too paranoid about getting a revision. I suppose I lost all faith in WLS for myself after my lap banding experience, I'm dealing with it now the best I can.

Wasa, let's also not forget that everyone is different and not everyone does well on the band from the beginning. They don't even get to the point you did where they have such traumatic complications. I admire your honesty and hope you don't get attacked like I have in the past. Basically trying to help those to be aware that it doesn't always work they way they make it appear it will! We need to stop blaming the patients! Take care, Nancy.

I thinketh you have too much free timeth!:thumbup:

Privatedancer, After I had my lap band removed I intentionally picked a different gastro specialist to do my endoscopy and my surgeon is no longer in my life. He is a great surgeon when it comes to putting in lap bands and removing them but when it comes to having complications I think it can be a whole different ballgame. So I just discussed this with my primary and got a referred to a specialist. All these people do are endoscopies. Prior to lap band removal I was put on protonix and am still on it. I don't know the relationship between that and high blood pressure but coincedentally I am on a med for that now too since lap banding. The chest pains have gone away since I've been on the protonix, I don't know if it's the removal of the band or a combination with the medication. I was told that the polyps can be caused by the protonix but they're really not a big deal. I don't have major esophagus issues. I do notice that since banding my espophagus is tighter, does that make sense. It is nothing I ever experience prior to banding and I suppose it would make sense that having a surgery like this and then removal would leave a few issues behind it. It's still difficult for me to eat something like chicken breast or something Protein and somewhat dry. It's not bad enough where I would consider having it treated right now. I suppose if my throat ends up closing up I'd so something but right now my problem doesn't sound as bad as yours. To me it's a good idea to get a different person to handle these kinds of problems because I think the original surgeon who placed our lap band will probably be a bit paranoid if we have problems because they're affraid they'd get sued or something. So that's why I chose someone who would treat me more objectively. Good luck to you hopefully there are others who can help by sharing their experiences with you too, Nancy.

Anyone found to have stomach polyps or know much about them? I finally had my endoscopy done and he found several polyps in my stomach. I guess it was something I didn't expect and really never had heard of them before. They're biopsying the tissue but don't think they're cancerous. Just wondered if anyone else has had this experience and what effect they have on you. I have read you can't get a gastric bypass if you have them and wasn't sure why. Anyway my band is gone but still have recurring probs with my esophagus. Thanks Nancy.

I didn't even know I had the fundic gland polyps until my endoscopy, they were looking for acid reflux damage etc... As far as I know the type I had were nothing to worry about and they did a biopsy and it was benign. Mine was removed due to it not working and the acid reflux and had nothing to do with the polyps. I don't know if it will affect your surgery or not. Maybe there are others who have had the same situation as you have and you can write a new post about stomach polyps and being able to get the band, good luck to you Nancy.

Dan you're a nutter but I like your spirit! Anyway I'll give you some input from one of the "failed" lapbanders. I was previously going to get the gastric bypass but chickened out at the last month because of the fact that I was afraid of getting "dumping syndrome" something my daughter who had the RNY almost a year ago has never once experience. Anywho due to switching proceedures I had to catch up on more of the lapband info and did not receive or understand everything. Somethings you just don't know what it will be like until after it's been done but still I didn't know at the time that many solid foods would go through the band without any effort and those foods would be my downfall. I'm sure you know all about slider foods but when I was banded in 07 it really wasn't in any of my info and I didn't join LBT until I was already banded and having issues losing weight. Before I was banded I was placed on a liquid Medifast diet for four weeks or so and lost 20+ lbs. It took about 3 months before I got a "real" fill in my band and once that happened I was "tight" and probably too tight. So I basically started eating around the band at that point. I didn't know that much about regulating the band and so when I went to my surgeon after that point and started to gain weight they would just put more fill in when it was probably too tight in the first place. I didn't know that, I was too tight because I didn't know really how I was to feel. It seems some people here can have almost a full band of saline and barely have restriction and some like me can have just a little and be too tight so take into consideration that fact that there are some inconsistencies as we're all different. The lucky ones get to their "sweet spot" and lose weight. I don't know if going on a 6 month diet, like a Weight Watcher's diet would have made a difference. I don't think I would have ever been happy as a banded person because I could never get to a point where I could eat the way I should have. It was just too tight and I couldn't eat healthier foods. Anyway good luck to you and don't make as many enemies here as I have Nancy.

Dan, You're wrong,the people who have had their bands removed are much better than everyone else:thumbup:

Mandi, I already answered part of your questions earlier but the part about pain/gas and recovery I didn't. I found it much easier to have it removed than to have it placed. Of course everyone is different and I had no complications. But I did not have the bad gas pains I had when I got the band. I suppose they didn't have to pump me full of gas either. My recovery time seemed much easier and shorter than when I had it placed too. I think they were really careful about the pain meds they gave me when I got the lap band but not as strict after the surgery so that may have something to do with it. I was mostly concerned with the port removal and assuming it would be really painful but it wasn't. I didn't have any issues with anesthesia either. I was about 20 lbs heavier when I had it removed than when I had it placed and I assumed that they would make me do a liquid diet, I was wrong. Because I had so much blood work done because I had been hospitalized two weeks before for the chest pains they didn't even do the preop blood work! I basically breezed in and out it was totally different. I also thought they'd make me do the 3 day enema that was required before getting the lap band. No thank God! All they required was that I not eat or drink after midnight the night before the surgery. My surgery was at one in the afternoon so they let me drink Clear Liquids till 9:00 AM. So all the things I assumed they'd make me do they didn't so it was much easier all around. They did not seem concerned about me having a fat liver or not as it wasn't even discussed and like I said I gained 20 lbs since I had gotten the band the 14 months prior to removal. Then after surgery I thought once again I'd be on liquids, they just wanted me to have a light diet that day of surgery afterwards but they weren't concerned other than that day. I did not have a scar tissue issue, they used the same incisions but just to the side so my incisions scars are now wider than they were when I first got the band but even the healing seem to go smoothly. I have dark purple lines still but it's no big deal to me, just my battle scars. Anyway I wish you luck and your doctor and hospital will tell you what they require from you. I'm just sharing my own experience and hopefully yours will go as smoothly as mine did. Good luck and health, Nancy.:crying:

Until you've been called a "feck'n whinger" here you can't join my club!:crying: And by the way what is a "window licking bottle squatter"?

Nobody's girl, you seem pretty aware of what's going on by your own experiences. Our society is completely weight biased and it is wrong. Maybe in our PC world the only place that appears safe to still poke fun at are fat people All you have to do is turn on the TV and every commercial tells you in one way or another why people of size are bad or ugly or lazy or unacceptable in some form or another. We've learned this behavior. Not every culture learns that fat is bad or ugly or wrong but ours definitely does. Fat people have to hate their fat and thin people are always in fear of becoming fat. I suppose the more we're aware of this and understand how wrong it is it's possible to one day change how we feel and treat others and ourselves. Nancy:thumbup:

vertical sleeve gastrectomy type of wls.

Listen Nopbj, You are not alone in this as I well know. I started the "struggling bandster" section because I wasn't losing but gaining weight after banded. Everyone is different the band may work for some and not all. Not everyone has the happy bandster story to share and eventually are shooed away from here as a "band basher". I also was not as well informed prior to banding and led to many of the issues I had. Sometimes it's even difficult to tell with all the information given if you'd be a good candidate for the band. Don't let people bully your into thinking "you're not doing it right" when it just might be that the band is not the right tool for you as it wasn't for me and many others like me. You don't put someone on a crash diet for a month or so and then tell them they can eat and not expect them to want some food. You're body is made that way, you go into starvation mode you'll do almost anything to get those calories into you. But before you give up discuss things honestly with your doctor. My band did cause some issues with my esophagus/acid reflux and put me in the hospital with chest pains and after that incident mine was removed within two weeks and covered by my insurance. It's amazing how after being banded I developed more comorbs than I had prior to being banded. Anyway your health is the first thing you should think of and emotionally this takes it toll on you too. So see your doctor and try to get the right kind of support for yourself. Good luck, Nancy.