lellow

It's all good MsMaui! I know you posted out of concern for me. My doctor is incredibly experienced with WLS and is one of the best drs in Australia, so I trust that we have come to the right decision together. I know that revision to the sleeve seems to be the 'done thing' but I can't in good conscience make that decision for me, not after weighing up everything that applies to me. Thank you for your good wishes for the upcoming surgery. I'm very excited at returning to the band life and all the benefits that it has provided me!

Yeah I don't relish having had so many operations myself, and despite my post above, I did understand that you were posting out of concern. I wasn't going into it with my eyes closed, though, and I wanted you to know that. I am still unsure though what you had hoped to achieve with that last post you posted. Was it a discussion you were after? Because I think that's what you got. If it was just for information, then it may well be that the content you posted actually came across as a little bit condescending to those that chose the band. Either way, I personally have never had anything but support here in the complications forum, so maybe, just maybe, what you posted came across in the tone you didn't intend (or did intend), in which case, people responded to the tone of the post more than to YOUR specific complication(s). I hope you geniunely seek and get support here in the complications forum for your complications, and that you find peace in whatever happens in the future for you.

I'm asian so I can eat as quickly with chopsticks as with a fork lol. One thing that worked really well for me (and still does) for those who don't weigh and count everything, was before I got to the green zone, I used to split my food portion in half, and put one half in the fridge. I'd eat my allocated portion, then if in 30 mins I was still hungry, I'd go back to eat the 2nd portion. I actually only ever went back once in all the time I've done that. And my mind was nicely fooled into thinking I wouldn't have to go hungry if I didn't want to, and yet by the time the 30 mins was up, I wasn't actually hungry anymore anyway!

I think talking on a personal level about your complications is a lot different than posting a generic post that denegrates the band. Yes, people get their knickers in a bunch, and they will if anyone makes out that they're somehow silly for having made the choices they have. I'm like Terry though, I don't care what anyone else does, I just care about the choices I've made. In a thread I started, you actually suggested to me that everyone you know who decided on a band replacement (I'm not sure who 'everyone you know' is) regretted it, had their replacement band removed and asked why I didn't just revise to a sleeve. I was very precise about explaining why I made the decision I made, but to be honest, I don't know that my thought process on it was really any of your business, considering I was asking for experiences with band replacements. But I answered because it's a forum, and people of all walks will discuss things so that all sides of the story can be discussed, including the very valid, and very positive reasons I'm choosing to have a replacement. I understand your band complications frustrate you, and you don't want others to go through what you are going through. But I have had nothing but good experiences with the band, aside from this leak, so I will be a counterpoint to your arguments, and I actually would recommend the band based on my experiences. And I don't think it's wrong for anyone who HAS NOT had complications to post in here, because that's a positive story as well. And I think all those sides should be heard. If you only hear bad things, you do not get a balanced view, and heaven knows that this forum already has enough horror stories that, imo, aren't truly representative of the banded population. Posting their experiences is NOT the same as insinuating that the failure of the band MUST be your fault, but I didn't see anything that said that in that last thread anyway.

I am legitimately in the complications forum because, well, I have a complication with my band. I didn't read your initial post, OP as providing any real helpful information for someone who has had complications with the band, because it didn't say 'these are the things to consider when you have complications'. Instead it just kinda scolded anyone who chose the band (and in my case, who is choosing the band again), insinuated that they're choosing an inferior product (and I don't believe so), told them they were probably not going to be successful (which was not true at all for me), without providing context on the motivation behind your post. So I posted because since we're talking anedoctal evidence, I am anecdoctally what a successful lapbander looks like. And one who has a complication, but will still choose the band given the new choices I have available. I would think me posting provided a nice balance to the discussion. And surely, balance is necessary, isn't it?

It's hard because for those for whom the lapband was not successful, I'm syre that they feel like they need to let others know so that others won't go through what they went through. It is the flipside to those who, like me, make the band seem like it's easy peasy (it was for me, I'm not going to lie, but it isn't for everyone, and that's the truth). Or for whom complications (like my leaky band) happen but given that, we'd still choose the band. But sometimes, and I've seen it often on the years I've been on this site, it goes from 'here's what I know so you don't suffer like I did' to completely ignoring the fact that there are people like me for whom the band has been successful. So it becomes about 'here's some downsides so you know the full story' to 'YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAE!'. I actually don't think this post is one of the latter btw, but it's showing small shades of it.

I won't lie, I worked my ass off to lose. But once I got to my goal weight, I actually stopped formally exercising and the weight kept dropping off. I eventually got to the stage where my BMI was under 21 and my dr was talking about unfilling me, so I actively ate to GAIN some weight. When I say it was effective, it was VERY effective for me. It took away my hunger almost completely. Even now, when I get fills while waiting for my surgery, I can go from hungry to not hungry at all with the right fill level. It takes away cravings, keeps me full for hours and I can then go about living my life. The band may not be successful for everyone as it was for me, but hell, what surgery gives you 100% gaurantees anyway? So you do your research, take a punt that it will work for you, and get on with it. And you know what's NOT in the studies? I learnt more about food and hunger with my band than any othe time in my life. I gained initally when my band started leaking, and now I'm maintaining without the help of the band, and am in fact slowly losing. So it's given me more than it has ever taken. And that's MY opinion piece on it!

To be honest, any WLS is only as good as it will be to the individual. Broad studies may be conducted on the effectiveness of each, and opinions provided on which may be more effective, but a patient SHOULD look at all the pros and cons of each type of surgery and make an informed decision as to what's right for THEM at that point in time. After I got my band in 2008, I went through huge sleeve envy when a colleague got her sleeve at the same time as me. But the band was incredibly effective for me and has been for years until I sprung a leak. Now I'm looking at band replacement because in the end, I would be silly NOT to go with a WLS surgery that helped me lose 130% of my excess weight and helped me keep it off easily for 3 years. It may turn out to be the wrong decision in the future but right now, I believe it's the right decision for me. And I think that that's what everyone needs to weight up - what's right for you? On a personal note, I'm excited to have the option to 'start from scratch' with a new band. I'm not sure what happens next with a sleeve where, like my colleague, she started gaining again after a few years...

My dr is both a lapband and sleeve surgeon and we discussed the pros and cons of each. The reasons that I'm sticking with the band are: It worked amazingly well for me until the leak. I lost 130% of my excess weight and maintained without issue for 3 years. I had no real adverse affects with the band The sleeve and it's side effects on me personally are unknown Revision to a sleeve would entail two operations - one to remove the band, and then a future second operation to revise to a sleeve My insurance will completely cover the band replacement but I would have to pay out of pocket for a sleeve revision So after weighing all that up, I've decided to get a full band replacement. I love the lapband, and it's been very good to me for a very long time. So I'm sticking with it.

How much sag do you have? Generally speaking, I found that where the skin was stretched to buggery, it didn't bounce back to normal, i.e. my tummy, my back, my inner thighs etc. But where the skin was not too stretched (so where I didn't have stretch marks) they actually tightened of their own accord over the years. I had the worst bingo wings after I lost all the weight. But I didn't have any stretch marks under my arms, and eventually they went back to nearly normal. Same for my outer thighs and the skin near my elbows. They eventually shrunk over 1 - 2 years to fit the rest of me. And while I had a belt lipectomy for the tummy, my skin on my inner thighs, while it never completely shrunk back, was not as loose as it was from right after I lost weight. My reconstructive surgeon actually told me that he believed that the only place he thought I needed surgery was my tummy and back, and it turns out he was pretty spot on!

I was the lapband poster child, I really was. Banded August 2008 and I had amazing success. I got down to a BMI of 21 at my lowest but my 'stable weight' had me at a BMI of 23. I exercised to lose, and the band helped so much. I ate like a bird, and I felt healthier and happier than I had in years. But towards the end of 2011, I started feeling like my restriction wasn't there. The same restriction I had enjoyed pretty consistently for almost 3 years. So in Jan 2012, I went to see my dr. I definitely had lost Fluid out of my band but to be sure he sent me for a bunch of tests. I did not have a slip, I didn't have an erosion. The band was just leaking. So in March 2012, I got port replacement surgery. Fast foward a few months. I'm still not 'holding' restriction. I go through a couple of truly terrible over-fill incidents, and we both become convinced my band is not leaking, it's just 'fickle'. Then in August 2012 or so, he removes all the fluid and oops, I've lost 3cc again. He is confused and says it's rare to happen twice but let's go fix the leak again. So I have a second op. The ops are tough, I swell like I'm 6 months pregnant for a week. But this time, he says he's checked everything and there is no leak. He fills me til I have 10cc in a 10cc band and for a few days I am struggling to eat anything. But it doesn't last. A week in, I'm eating bigger meals. A month in, there isn't anything I can't eat. And since January, I've gained 25lbs. Because I have work commitments, I don't go back to see him for a few months. By this stage, not being able to fit into any of my clothes, I've started to diet and exercise. It keeps me from gaining anymore, but I'm not losing. Last Friday I finally went to see him. A different doctor attends to me, and when she withdraws the fluid, I've lost almost 4cc since Sept. My band is leaking. It's still %$@ing leaking! So here I am nearly 13 months from when it was first discovered that I have a leak, no better off. I'm maintaining my weight at a BMI of 27 with work and discipline, but all I need is one 'bad' day and I gain weight that I then find nearly impossible to get off. I'm not scared of exercise, but if I had any ability to control portions, I wouldn't need the band. I can't eat like a 3yo for the rest of my life without it. So what now? I don't know. I have to see my surgeon again in a month to talk about my options and I'm not sure what to advocate for. Do I advocate for a sleeve, knowing that it will mean a lot of time off work that I can't afford? Or do I try to fix my band again knowing twice before it didn't work? Or do I just throw up my hands and try this on my own? My surgeon is determined to fix this. He has never had a patient like me and he doesn't want me to have done all this for nothing. And I don't want it to be for nothing. So I'm stumped right now and am asking for opinions. Any opinions would be welcome. What would you do if you were me?

Wow, I'm amazed to find others who have experienced the issue of a persistent leak.I have to admit that since I last posted, I've come to the decision to replace my band rather than revise to a sleeve. I have had great success with the band and I know it works for me, when it works, so rather than go the sleeve and develop possible issues, I will stick with the band and the issues I know and can live with already. And to be honest, with the band, there aren't any that I find onerous. So I'm now scheduled for a full band replacement in 3 weeks, on the 27th April. I saw my dr on Friday and I've lost another 2cc in about 5 weeks so it's going to happen. I'm actually really excited about it! I can't wait to feel the band working again. I love it when they fill me at my appts and for 2 or three days I lose all desire for food and have zero cravings. Oh how I miss that! Then it disappears and it annoys me no end. I just want it to work again!

With the examples of medical conditions you gave, I'd say the band would help, not hinder. I have ovarian cysts and when I lost the weight was the first time I didn't have pain mid cycle. A friend of mine who got the lapband lost just 30lbs and fell pregnant naturally after 5 years for trying to conceive because her cycles returned for the first time since her early twenties. I also have a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes and losing the weight meant I became low risk for both. But it can exacerbate issues like reflux. So like anything, you have positive and negative impacts.

I didn't gain weight until after my band started to leak. So my weight remained stable for 3 years. I gained with the leak only because I suddenly couldn't feel my band anymore and started to enjoy that feeling a little too much. I'm now trying to lose the excess weight while waiting for a full band replacement. I have to admit, one thing I am thankful for is that the band did help me break my addiction to a lot of foods that would likely have had me balloon in a short period of time had I still craved them - things like junk food, soda and chips. So while the band is currently not working, it's taught me about discipline and good food, and that's better than the way I was before. More importantly, it has shown me that I can control my weight if I set my mind to it.

common? I wouldn't say so, not according to my dr. But I guess it just has to happen to you and it will feel pretty common. The thing about leaks though is they're normally easy to resolve. They're not usually a result of user error and once you replace the leaky part of your band, bam, bob's your uncle and you're back on track. Unless you're me, that is.

For those who don't know me, my lapband successfully helped me lose a lot of weight. I had 3 stress-free maintenance years and then about 14 months ago, it sprung a leak. There have been two attempts to fix the leak (revisions), but I'm still leaking today. In the first 7 - 9 months after the leak started, I gained weight. About 33lbs in total. In January or so this year, I decided that enough was enough and started calorie counting to lose. I've lost about 13lbs since then, almost all of that in the first 6 weeks. Also in early Jan this year, I fell on my butt while roller skating and fractured my tailbone, and was in consistent pain for about 8 weeks (and just starting to be pain-free now). This meant that I could not exercise, and only got the clearance from my dr to walk for fitness in the last two weeks or so. So where am I now? My weight loss has slowed right down in the last two weeks. I'm talking a lb in the last 2 weeks, and that keeps coming on and off. I am eating about 1000 calories a day, with one 'off' day where I have calories that is still lower than my BMR. I am now walking about 7000 steps a day, and raise a sweat when I do, but the scales aren't really moving. I belong to another weight loss forum and they advocate increasing my calorie intake to at least my BMR but as a bander, I know I maintained my stable weight for 3 years by always being under my calorie requirements. So here I am, as a bander who is losing without the help of a band now, asking for advice from other banders. What SHOULD I be doing? Be in calorie deficit still (1000 cals or so a day?) or increase? I can't increase my exercise just yet, as walking takes time and that's one thing I struggle with, with work. I could burn a lot more cals in a shorter time with different exercise, but I don't have that option just yet.

Hi Missy, based on that I consistently am in a 3500 calorie deficit a week (I track my exercise and eating separately so as to not eat back my calories, but added together it's at least that) and have been since the beginning of the year. Albeit I lost more than a 1lb a week to start with, I am definitely not losing a lb a week now. I'm hoping this is a temporary plateau. I'm seeing my dr in a week about a full band replacement and I guess I wanted to get a grip on this whole weight thing before that time....

Thanks for your reply, Missy. Yesterday I upped my cals to 1200 cals and it's actually harder than I thought if you don't eat 'rubbish'. It's actually quite a lot of food. My BMR is 1714 cals a day and I keep getting told I should at least eat my BMR in cals per day, but that seems a lot to someone who ate like a bird for almost 3 years while banded!

I maintained easily with just the band's help for 3 years. Band started leaking, hunger came back, staying at a BMI of 23 became much harder. I hate having hunger after years of not feeling it. I hate having to count calories when I never had to before. I hate that I wonder if I'll ever find the green zone again. But I do have some lessons that I learned from having the band that I'm grateful for, many of which have to do with good food choices, so it's not all bad news. But what I wouldn't give to be back at that point again where being in the green zone made staying at my stable weight so easy.