KateP

Can you please provide the link to the information about which manufacturers are saying this? I would be interested in the information.Thanks. I will try to find it. It was Allergan, manufacturers of the Lapband not the Realize band. It never used to be on their site but appeared about three years ago. I read it in the form of a copy and issue from their information to surgeons and haven't still got that but I can remember who showed me so will try to track it. At the time Ibaked my surgeon and he agreed he had been tokd it. I argued fiercely at the time with the ex-banded person who showed me as I had been told it was fir life, zi still hope mine will be. Allergan didn't, as I remember, say it HAD to b removed. Just that ten years was a likely length of time.

When I was banded in 2006 we were told it was for life. Now the manufacturers actually state an expected lifespan of around 10 years. The reason is that the band itself should not deteriorate but that in a great many people, scar tissue can build up and cause tightening. If this happens too much, removing Fluid is not sufficient. This complication was not widely known or exoected when Ibwas banded but is probably the most common cause of problems. I am nine years post-op and fine. I hope to stay that way and will be devastated if not! But I have already (at 6 and at 7 years post-op) needed tiny amounts of saline removed.

Very old thread but just found it. Nine years for me. Lost all my excess weight (109lbs) in 15 months, maintained with a few blips. Leak repaired at around 4 years out. Last fill in 2007. I ascribe the longevity of my band (when so many I know have had theirs removed) at least partly to the fact I keep it loose enough to never interfere with eating. I have a good friend who is now 11 years post-op.

As others say, you need to get help to address mental attitude towards eating and I can't help with that as I have never personally been involved with therapy. But your band issues need addressing. You were clearly very much too tight for a long time and that can lead to serious complications. Whether you have done any damage or not, only a doctor can tell you by doubt tests like barium swallows. We should never be too tight to eat, we should very, very rarely bring food back. Until you can get such tests done, ant they really shouid be a priority, you need to go back to mindful eating. Measure a portion of dense Protein with veggies and a small number of carbs. Eat those slowly, walk away. No sliders! No grazing.

I think the calcium and minerals WITHIN one supplement may well be quite often suggested. I did take a additional calcium supplement through my own choice as I am post-menopausal. But in my own case, I then checked my intake and found that I get the recommended level from my diet which turned out to be quite high in calcium and too much can lead to kidney stones!

Sleeves are more like we are than bypass people as neither banded nor sleeved people malabsorb. But most sleeved people eat around 600-800 calories for the first few months and then under 1000 until they finish losing, most banded people eat around 1000-1200 calories. 1200 is the calorie level used by orgs like WeightWatchers and it is perfectly possible to get a balanced diet. I have been banded fir nine years and am a regular on another board. In all that time, I have time and tme again seen it said that banded people need just one multi-vit a day. People may choose to take more, like calcium etc.. But the band manufacturers do not say more is required. I am not saying your doctr/nutritionist is wrong! But certainly very unusual!!!!

According to the manufacturers, as the band contains liquid not air, there should be no effect unless there are tiny air bubbles in the saline. However, people do report tightness after flying. Then cabin is pressurised so there is no effect from altitude, Personally I have,, quite literally, flown three times round the world with my band without any issue at all. But I do take a lot of extra care . I do eat on board but avoid breads or anything which might be difficult. I sip drink all the time. But mainly I do this as the idea of having to push past people to get to the toilet doesnt't appeal! I think a lot of tightness may be due to stress, I react very much to stress and my band always feels tighter. Flying is stressful -deadlines, security, excitement, nerves etc..

sorry posted by mistake

I don't chew gum, just don't like it! But the only reason for not doing that I have ever heard is in case you swallow a large lump and it gets stuck! By its very nature, it wouldn't dissolve. But I don't imagine you make a habit of that! I admit to being cautious about things like this! I am very careful of things like cherry stones which can easily be swallowed by mistake and might lodge above the band.

I have always been told that the only supplement banded people need (unless they have unrelated medical needs) is one multi-vit a day. And that is what I have had for nine years. My bloods were done a few months ago and the only result not in the normal range was Vitamin D which was slightly HIGH! We shouid be to eat a properly balanced diet. And hair?? hair loss is fairly common for those like bypassed people who have rapid weight loss but for us the only risk is from the anaesthetic, and that damage is done at the time if the op, manifests itself about three months later and by that time regrowth has started! They haven't accidentally given you the regime for bypassed people have they?

Why wouid you not be able to lose after a year? The only reason we lose weight after getting the band is because it helps us eat fewer calories than we burn. So if you eat less, with fills to help, you will lose. At one year or ten years after surgery,

As others say, take your own. Better than risking upsetting family members! But it is a shame your MIL can't understand and support you.

This is obviously a decision made by you and your doctor. But the Lapband should not work as a brake. If the food is well chewed, it passes through a well adjusted band in under a minute. Until about 2007/8, it was believed that food should remain above theband for a time to stimulate the vagus nerve into signalling satiety. However, studies showed that not only did this not happen, it must not happen. Any food remaining above the band puts pressure on the diaphragm and th base of the oesophagus. This can lead to damage to the soft tissue and is the most common cause of the most common band complication, dilated Oesophagus. The band, it is now accepted by bariatric professionals, works by slowing food movement. Because of the narrowing, food which would normally have passed with one movement of the oesophageal walls, requires several. These movements tell the brain we have eaten more than we have. I was banded in 2006 and started with the old orthodoxy. My own doctor re-instructed me in 2008 after attending a major international conference in the US which out forwarded all the latests research. He tells me that since this time, the number of cases of oesophageal dilation he has had to deal with have dropped dramatically. I myself have always taken very great care not to use my band as a brake andI think that is probably why I have my band after nine years - very unusual!

You have misunderstood me. I was trying to make the point that, unlike with RNY, VSG or DS, the band itself neither prevents us eating nor causes malabsorption, the decision as to whether we eat in a manner which leads to weigh loss is entirely ours. The band is an inert object which simply makes us eat slowly and mindfully. So, yes, of course it is weight loss surgery. But ours are the choices. It is very easy to have a band and not lose a single pound. This is not the case with other surgeries. RNY causes malabsorption, a limited capacity and, for some, dumping. VSG makes it physically impossible to overeat. DS causes so much malabsorption that a very intense regime of supplements is necessary.

Please bear in mind that I am a very happy and very successful bandit now 9 years post-op. I do not regret my band, would do it all over again and if I ever have to have it removed, I would hope to have a replacement. When I was banded in 2006, it was a miracle surgery. And for some people, who accept that they will still have to work hard, it is just that. It was and still is for me. But over the years it has become clear that serious complications necessitating further surgery are much more common than originally thought, some of these are avoidable by careful eating and by not keeping the band tight; unfortunately others are beyond our control. We used to be warned about band slips, leaks and about ( very rare) erosion into the stomach tissue but it turns out that a build up of scar tissue round the band (causing it to tighten) is quite common. It can be very difficult to get the right level of restriction and some people are tempted to keep it tight enough to physically limit food, in fact it was once thought this was how it should be. But this causes food to back up into the oesophagus and that risks problems such as oesophageal dysmotility which may be irreversible. It can also damage the vagus nerve. Band removal is increasingly common and I am pretty unusual in being 9 years out! We still need lots of will power. The band makes it easier by dimming hunger, but it does nothing for head hunger and, contrary to popular opinion, it does not and should not physically stop us eating. If it does it is too tight! Slow loss does not make any differences to loose skin. That is down to age, how obese you were, how long you were obese, your genes. Having said all that, I love my band, I know many successful long term bandits in real life. But the long term statistics are not good when compared to sleeve. But my own experience has been good and so has that of almost all those I actually know and have met.

No. And I am nine years out and a success story! 2 or 3 bites of food and feeling full?? IMO ths wouid be too tight, we shouid always be able to eat a reasonable amount of food as long as we chew well. The band shouid never actually stop us eating, I just had my dinner (European time!). I had a piece of salmon fillet, probably 4 oz, two very small potatoes and about three tablespoons of peas. I am not hungry and still won't be by the time I go to bed in about 4 hours. I could eat more! Without doubt. But I am not hungry. After just three bites, I still wouid have been!

Great. I only said that because sometimes people, without the background knowledge you have, leap in not knowing about scar tissue etc,. You obviously aren't one of them! So many people post to say they wish they had known! Doctors who still do the band don't seem to be good at warning. When I was banded in 2006, that was fair enough- doctors didn't know about it! My best wishes! Hope you didn't mind me saying that!

Best wishes. Make sure you have done all your research! Two weeks is not long for such a major decision. I love my band but as a weight loss surgery, it has lost a lot if its popularity due to the high complication rate. I wouid still be banded if I knew then what I know now - for me it has been wonderful. But the statistics are not in favour of me still being banded in a few years time!

I am not a doctor, but I have never heard of anyone having a band replaced simply because it was an earlier model. Compared to mine (4cc), the 10cc one you have is modern! As the new bands have not been shown to be safer or more effective than earlier ones, it wouid seem an unnecessary operation unless there is a problem.

General .

The band doesnt make us lose weight. It just helps us to feel a little less hungry. Weight loss is down to us taking in fewer calories than we burn. Exercise helps but only slightly. So if you are not losing as fast as you hoped, you are eating too much! It really is that simple. January 28th is only 6 weeks away, isn't it? Maybe that was a typo as you had a fill on Feb 3rd?? With a comparatively small amount to lose, your loss will be slower than for someone with 100 or more pounds to lose but 8lbs in 6 weeks is within the normal range of 1-2lbs a week. If you are comfortable with your current good intake, keep on as you are. Slow but steady loss. If you aren't, eat a bit less. If it is 8lbs in 10 weeks, yes that is slow! But that's how it goes for some people. We all differ but I lost all my excess weight on just under 1200 calories a day - many need to go lower. Are you counting/ measuring food?

Trouble is, I am not sure what he means! If the band is not in the originsl position, then it IS a slip. May not be serious but I would be concerned to know there was any change as the band should be firmly sutured into position. A slip is actually not band movement but stomach movement! The band remains static, being stitched on to the tissue, but stomach tissue moves through the band. If there is now "a small gastric pouch", that presumably means there is slight dilation at the base of the Oesophagus? Or is he saying that due to the "non-slip" the area above the band is smaller than expected? In your place, I would be trying to find out what he actually meant!

I went to bed with perfect restriction and woke up the next day with none! Nothing ambiguous about it! None of these slow leaks! Doctor injected dye into the port. Saw under XRay where it was coming straight out of the tubing about midway between the band and the port. Two weeks later, he went in through an existing incision, chopped out the bit where the leak was and reconnected the two ends. Has been fine for five years now! The cause (probable) also made the solution possible! When my band was implanted, there was lots of internal fat. As I no longer have this, the now excess tubing was rubbing against muscle, hence the leak. But the fact I had excess tubing meant he could chop some out to cut out the leaks.

I am 9 years post-op and have the old, now obsolete 4cc band. In my case, it works perfectly and unless that changed, I wouid not consider changing. All surgery carries risks and from everything I read, newer bands have as many complications as older ones. I have never heard f a doctor suggesting removing and replacing simply to get a newer version, I had a leak repaired about five years ago and have had no issues since. It is less than helpful of your doc just to dismiss lost fluid!

If you are eating real Thai food rather than in international restaurants or those aimed at Western tourists, , I always find it a good place to eat. Not heavy or stodgy, usually already in very small pieces, especially the meat. And not too fatty, nothing like the Thai food we tend to get outside Asia. We usually eat from street stalls and I find it very band friendly,