Hey everyone. I don't post much (or ever?), but I have lurked here off and on for a while. Truth be told, I could never remember my sign on name/password when I felt inclined to post...so I never did. LOL
Just wanted to chime in and let ya'll know that I had my band removed on 6/30 after over 7 years with it. Bittersweet for me, but absolutely necessary.
Long story short- I tried. In the first year I lost 60 pounds (which was 20 pounds from my goal), but I did that mostly out of pure will power and fear. I was terrified to test the limits of my band because I was self pay and didn't have a very good or convenient follow up doc. The closest band surgeon who would see me was about 3 hours one way and either $200 or $600 (depending on fluoro). My trouble began when I decided to actually put my BAND to work and start getting fills. I had (gosh that's weird to say) the larger 9cm (11cc) band and turns out it was very tricky to get the right fill level. I teetered between too tight and too lose and going broke for about 2 years.
Then I decided about 4 years ago to have my band completely emptied. I needed time to reevaluate and let things calm down in my poor tummy. The problems got worse, the vomiting (pbing) got worse and I was not losing a single pound no matter what I did. I had a fill doc, but not a real "follow up" doc....if that makes sense.
I did give up for a couple of years and put weight loss on the back burner, figuring it would be there for me when I was ready to focus more on it. I got married, bought a house and tried several times to refocus on making the band work. But it seemed the more I tried and the more tests/fills/follow up I received the worse things got. In those 7 years I had 3 endoscopies, a couple of upper GI's and I think about 8-10 fills/unfills. I probably spent a good $2000 on trying to make my band work (and about a gallon of barium and way too much radiation)... I just couldn't do it anymore. Even when it was "empty" I struggled with eating. The unpredictable nature of the band is the most frustrating part. One day I could eat chicken, the next I couldn't manage to get down Water. I could never tolerate rice, eggs, many fruits and so many vegetables. I was a much healthier eater BEFORE the band. I also was not lactose intolerant before the band and became so within the first year (could be coincidence, but I don't know). My food options were getting less and less as time went on and I felt my HEALTH was in jeopardy. I honestly felt like I was consuming the calories, but not the nutrients because most of what I ate came up and out.
I have seen the inside of every toilet at every restaurant I have ever eaten in and me and my toilets at home are very well acquainted. I can deal with the "side effects" of the band if I was actually losing weight. But alas, over the course of trying to make my band work I gained almost all of my 60 pounds back and still suffered....for no reason. I don't blame the band entirely, but it definitely did it's fair share of making things difficult for me.
Finally found a surgeon who would spend some time with me and ultimately (but very reluctantly) remove my band. He did determine my band had slipped slightly, but he also told me he thought my band (the 11cm) was a piece of crap. That sealed my decision to have it removed.
I am a week out from removal and only drinking liquids and eating mushies in small quantities. I imagine my stomach will take some time to heal after the 7 years of trauma I did to it.
I just have one question for those who have had their bands removed after a few years...
Did you forget how nice it was to burp from deep down? I am a belching machine since removal and it feels good to have a REAL productive BURP. I feel like I have had gas bubbles waiting to come out for 7 years. I honestly can't eat much without feeling gassy, bloated and full. I hope this is temporary, I just want to feel normal again!
Anyhooo,
I posed this for anyone who is researching or interested in how things can go wrong. I do not regret trying the band, I made a decision I thought was best for me. It didn't work out, but I learned a lot. I do regret the over $11,000 I spent on the band and now the only thing I have to show for it is a scarred up tummy. :tongue_smilie:
Best advice for anyone of you reading this....find a good surgeon who believes 100% in proper follow up! And be realistic about that follow up. Make sure you can afford it - time wise and financially. It's a long term investment. Oh and be prepared to never know meal to meal what you might not be able to eat. :thumbdown: