GuyMontag

Not to upset anyone but I did hear the word statistics so I would like to throw this out there so we can have a discussion based on actual studies rather than anecdotal evidence alone: 1.1. Allergan, the manufacturer of the Lap Band, published the following as part of their Patient Safety Information. “In the United States clinical study, with 3-year follow-up reported, 88% of the 299 patients had one or more adverse events, ranging from mild, moderate, to severe. Nausea and vomiting (51%), gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation) (34%), band slippage/pouch dilatation (24%) and stoma obstruction (stomach-band outlet blockage) (14%) were the most common post-operative complications. In the study, 25% of the patients had their band systems removed, two-thirds of which were following adverse events.” 1.2. Published in the journal Obesity Surgery in 2008, the study Long-Term Results of Bariatric Restrictive Procedures: A Prospective Study lap band failure rates were documented at 54% with the most frequent complications being pouch dilatation (21%) and anterior slippage (17%). 44% of the patients required repair or revision. 1.3. In the study Analysis of poor outcomes after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding published in June of 2010 by George Washington University[ii], the authors indicate a high complication rate for gastric banding procedures including reoperation for 16.7% of the patients in the study. The majority of the patients also failed to achieve a 50% excess weight loss. They also noted that 11% of the patients in the study required revision to the sleeve gastrectomy. 1.4. In another study that included patients observed over 9 years, Long-Term Results and Complications Following Adjustable Gastric Banding[iii], 52.9% patients had at least one complication requiring reoperation and the band was removed for 28.6%. 1.5. Most significant is a recent study A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates[iv]. In this study, a group of physicians from Switzerland led by Dr. M. Suter, MD, PD, FACS, examined the long-term complications related to LapBand weight-loss surgery. The study demonstrated that LapBand long-term complications increase over time. Overall, 33.1% of patients had at least one long-term complication related to gastric banding. This study concludes: “LGB appeared promising during the first few years after its introduction, but results worsen over time, despite improvements in the operative technique and material. Only about 60% of the patients without major complication maintain an acceptable EWL in the long term. Each year adds 3-4% to the major complication rate, which contributes to the total failure rate. With a nearly 40% 5-year failure rate, and a 43% 7-year success rate (EWL >50%), LGB should no longer be considered as the procedure of choice for obesity. Until reliable selection criteria for patients at low risk for long-term complications are developed, other longer lasting procedures should be used. Long-Term Results of Bariatric Restrictive Procedures: A Prospective Study Schouten R, Wiryasaputra DC, van Dielen FM, van Gemert WG, Greve JW. Obesity Surgery, 2008 [ii] Analysis of poor outcomes after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Kasza J, Brody F, Vaziri K, Scheffey C, McMullan S, Wallace B, Khambaty F. Surg Endosc. 2010 Jun 30. [iii] Long-Term Results and Complications Following Adjustable Gastric Banding. Lanthaler M, Aigner F, Kinzl J, Sieb M, Cakar-Beck F, Nehoda H. The Journal of Metabolic Surgery and Allied Care, 2010 [iv] A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates Suter M, Calmes JM, Paroz A, Giusti V. Obesity Surgery, 2006 [v] Weight Loss and Quality of Life After Gastric Band Removal or Deflation Lanthaler M, Strasser S, Aigner F, Margreiter R, Nehoda H. Obesity Surgery, 2009 From the post: http://vsgappeal.blogspot.com/ Our bands are surgical devices and we need to remember that. We can screw them up and they do screw up on their own so to speak. We don't need to go giving them reasons to fail like throwing up all the live long day. I hear the term, baby your band, and I think that's good advice.

Exclusions are pretty air tight usually. I had to self pay to get mine done.

The band can definitely be a pain in the ass. I'm not going to lie. I would definitely look at all of the surgery options out there. The band is a great tool but it has its risks and its shortcomings. As many in here will remind you, so do most surgeries. Overall I'm happy with my results but if I had to do it again I would definitely consider my options. I'm very interested in seeing how the sleeve turns out after more years under its belt. I've heard it's a good alternative but it might be too early to judge its results. I don't think you should jump into this without realizing that there are downsides and you may have to live with them the rest of your life. The upside is the possibility of losing a bunch of weight and keeping it off which I could never do on any diet I tried before. Good luck on your journey!

My fills were free for the first 2 years and I needed a lot to get restriction. I currently have over 14cc in my 14cc band.

Took me 18 fills.

Yup. You're swollen. Take some liquid ibuprofen or motrin and stay on liquids for a few days to be safe. Transition back to mushies and then solid foods slowly after the liquids. Also, make sure you HYDRATE big time. Good luck!

If you're throwing up all the time, have acid reflux, and aren't losing weight, then you're probably too tight. If you just have difficulty eating some foods then you may be fine. It's kind of up to you. Everyone keeps themselves at different levels of restriction. Personally, I like to stay on the loose side because when my band tightens up...WHOA BUDDY!

Are you getting a revision to another type of wls? Just curious. I do wish you luck though.

I've been stuck in the stomach over 20 times and it honestly doesn't hurt. It's just a slight pinch.

I read this backwards and thought the thread was FREE CANDY so I started looking for the van

Keep on trucking!

Sometimes the band just causes lifelong heartburn for some people even with no Fluid. At least a daily Prilosec is an easy solution.

I think your port is on top of the muscle but under your fat. It may be difficult to find but it shouldn't be that hard. Not sure what waiting months will do accept allow you to heal more if you're really that tender at the port area. Getting stuck doesn't usually hurt that much.

I would get restriction, lose weight, lose restriction, over and over again. I now have over 14cc in my band and keep more consistent restriction.

I get heartburn from everything after the band. I have take a Prilosec daily.

I get headaches after I drink alcohol from the dehydration. When drinking it's a good idea to follow the old 1-1 rule of one glass of water for every alcholic drink you consume. I was getting headaches every single day in the back of my neck and it turned out that the caffeine in the coffee i was drinking was the culprit. I switched to decaf and never had problems again. If you're getting headaches in the back of your head they may be caused from constricting blood vessels.

I get headaches when I dehydrate, go off caffeine, or believe it or not, actually from caffeine. Sometimes it's hard to find what external factors trigger your headaches if there are any to find.

From what I've been told there's practically nothing you can do outside your body to hurt your band. The main things to worry about are what you put in your mouth or what comes back out of it.

Depends on the day for me. I generally avoid it because it tends to hurt going down but there are some days where I can tolerate it fine.

http://tonylittle.ytmnd.com/

I burp therefore I'm banded. Lol.

Yeah. The drinking with eating isn't about weight loss it's about not dilating your pouch. Keep doing it and you risk damaging your pouch and even your band. I can't tell you how many people I know who have done this and regretted it. I'm not trying to be a doomsayer but it's not a matter of if you hurt yourself as much as when. There are many things that doctors disagree on such as carbonation but drinking with meals is universal and not allowed for good reasons.

Fills can be tricky for up to a week after. Many people get a fill and don't think much of it and then it hits them later in the week. Just take things slow for several days and get used to it slowly. If you get to the point where you can't drink liquids you need to call your doc.

Yeah. The only thing you need to worry about with drinking is not doing it with meals. I take normal size gulps when I drink.

It might just be the food squeezing through the stoma. Since there is no pain I'm not sure I would worry much. Is the food coming back up at all or are you able to eat okay?