Any old timers still around?

[maudeispam 2]

I started out like a bullet out of a gun. Lost around 75lbs total. Then started having problems. I was always constipated, no matter what I ate or how much Water I drank. The doctors wer clueless. Then the weight started back on. Now I am back to my initial weight, prior to ever hearing of the Lap Band.

[CarrieH78 1]

This is my not so "Peachy Story" on my experience with the Lap Band and a few surgeons. Right now my husband is trying to get the band out of him and a revision as well; I used to post herea lot a very long time ago and even met some of the ladies from the DFW Band Group! I thought for a long time I failed the band, but according to the company's own research it is a rarity to make it as far as most of you guys have without complications. I myself had plenty of problems with the band and i hope those who were talking about problems drinking Water read my story below:

Hello everyone my name is Carrie, I am originally from Texas, but currently reside in Washington State. I am 32 years old and I once weighed 302lbs at my all time high standing "tall" at 5'4". I was squeezing into a tight pair of 24 blue jeans and 3x T-shirts. It was at my highest weight I became pregnant. I was scared to death as I knew my blood pressure WOULD be a concern. Eventually it was at a level that put me at risk of having a stroke at 26 yrs old! Thus I was induced and eventually because my body wasn't ready to have the baby at 38 weeks after 18 hours of labor I failed to progress and ended up with an emergency C-section.When our oldest daughter was 10 months old we (my husband and I) began to look into surgical help as I was 297 after giving birth and he was 360lbs. We had a friend's girlfriend who had the Lap Band. She was doing great and totally loved life with the band. At 26 I was concerned about the safety of having my digestive system tampered with and decided that the band would be the best place for us to start, afterall it's reversable right?

I had my lap band surgery in August 2005. I went from 297 to 160lbs in about a year. I was very close to reaching my goal of a normal BMI for my height. My hubby had his band surgery in January 2006. He works for a major computer software company here in Redmond, WA and isn't very active. He was raised to clean his plate no matter what and he eventually had to have his Fluid removed due to a dilation from over eating.

Eventually I started having problems. I called the office of the Surgeon we used only to get a recording. He was gone. All of his patients were given away based soley on insurance to other doctors. It was at that time I began to realize that he was only in it for the money, he never cared what damage he did to the "meat" he operated on. He currently continues to Band people in California.

So, I had done research and was told by this surgeon that the band is reversible. Well, yes, they can remove it but not the damage that IT CAUSES. I have permanent Esophagus Damage at 32 years old.

I had two EGD (upper edoscopies) done and our surgeon's replacement only gave me a PPI and said the band looks great. He too didn't seem to have an issue in the fact I couldn't swallow Water anymore and it took the nurses 6 tries to get an IV started in my dehydrated body!! Needless to say eventually he offered to remove my band and do a Vertical SLEEVE Gastrectomy. The Sleeve was a brand new surgery that he had recently learned how to do. He had never done a single surgery revision from Lap Band to Sleeve and insisted that it MUST be done in 2 seperate surgeries months apart. Of course he couldn't recall exactly how many times he had done this surgery, which his office manager didn't know either. Surgeons are generally very proud of their work and have no problem bragging about it. Thus I had a problem with his indirect lies. I told him he was just as bad as the other doctor as he was in it for the $ as well. His practice continues to grow and prosper in the DFW area.

I found a surgeon based upon another lady who had suffered with a failing Lap Band and she had written about it on a forum directed to VSG. He was in Dallas and very close to my home at the time. He was educated in Mexico and praticed in Mexico for many years before coming to Dallas, so his English wasn't that great but for some reason I trusted him. I was very much the "dog who had been kicked too many times and snappy". I had constant sharp pains in my chest and couldn't swallow water very well. He had done several hundred revision from band to sleeves and mareketed himself as an Expert of the surgery.

On August 26, 2010, I FINALLY had my Lap Band removed and the VSG surgery done. My new surgery was of course considered to be "investigational or experimental" thus our insurance covered the removal of the band and that part of the surgery. We paid $8k for the additonal time and skill needed for the VSG. I spent ONE night in the hospital and was more than ready to go home. The next few months was VERY rough. I had been primarily on an ALL liquid diet because my band had failed I had a hard time learning how to eat again. I knew if I ate too soon I could vomit and have staples pop thus getting the nerve to actually cheat was scary. My newest surgeon found that the original doctor had put my band in BACKWARDS and the second guy who did TWO scopes on me along with several films knew it. .

The truth is most bands fail. Most are removed when the person it is put into can no longer tolerate the issues it causes. Do a Bing search for "Lapband Lawyer", yes, they too are starting to rack in the money trail for damages people had and bad medical care we got from doctors who didn't care if we lived or not.

I weighed 243 on my day of surgery back in August 2010. I have since dropped down to 195. Take it I am still not "Skinny" but I can eat anything I wish, just not a lot of it. It's like I am ALWAYS walking away from the table of a big Thanksgiving meal. I no longer have intense hunger. As I am getting further out I notice my hunger is slowly returning which I'm happy about as I've not been interested in eating since surgery.

All I can do is share my story and you must do what is right for you. I will say before you have any surgery you need to know the truth about what the risks really are.

It seems that 2 out of the 3 surgeons I dealt with were after the money and didn't care about me as a fellow human being or someone's wife or the mother to two little girls who would have missed me had I passed away, which COULD have happend during my second pregnancy, I had a big belly from a full-term infant and a backwards band that was a few inches from my aorta, at anytime my baby could have kicked that band and ruptured my aorta. Scary huh?

I'm here for anyone who wants to ask anything. As for future surgeries, even at 195 I am better off than I was at 295, so I will NOT be having anymore weight loss surgeries. My life is the most normal it has been since prior to my Lap Band surgery!

The Sleeve has given me EVERYTHING that the band promised without the side effects, That alone is work a ton

[OH Juli 15]

Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to an authentic life. Coming out late in life has its challenges but also its rewards. Good for you.

Nice to see this thread, I was banded April 22, 2009. I have lost 170 pounds. I had major restorative dental surgery which made me super sick for about 6 months so I did unjury the whole time and that helped. I had a revelation of why I overate, an internal change to match the outside. I am back in college 23 years after the first round and majoring in Psychology with a 4.0. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi and I thought I overate because of a domineering mother, the pre-mature death of my dad when I was 3, a gradmother I was afraid of or the fact that I was adopted and felt very lost. The truth was, I was and am a lesbian and always have been. I always knew it but could never voice it. I grew up in a super religious household and there was no support, no nothing so recently I came out to my entire family, all of my friends of Facebook after I chopped about 200 insignificant people that never spoke to me and noone has said anything negative. I feel for the first time that the inside matches the out. I had lost 170 pounds but still looked in the mirror and couldn't see any changes, I was miserable. Once I came clean with my authentic self and didn't worry about the outcome or consequences, I could see the slimness of my face, the gentle curve of my body. I went from a size 30 to a 12/14, I have a great deal of excess skin so I really prefer a 14. I will be having plastic surgery once I get the final 20 pounds off. I have never regretted the band and feel amazing, truly. Thank you for allowing me to share.

Peace and Blessings......Katie

p.s. this picture is very old, only one month in, I had only lost about 17 pounds here

[Coo 1]

Hi all

I too have not been here for years, I couldn't even remember which year I had my surgery until I read Oregan Holly's post, and remembered her *waving!

I feel my brain still overrides any success the band gives me. I don't have tight fills, and haven't had mine touched for over 2 1/ 2 years, probably a bit longer. I got down to within 30 pounds of my goal, but have succeeded in twice putting 20 pounds back on and then losing it and it's back now and I'm just starting again. So it's not the quantity for me it's totally the sugar addiction and comfort / stress eating.

Like others, life's downs have tended to be my achilles heel, and I although not hungry all the old patterns are right there, sugar, fat and carbs. I have a bit of a tooth issue one one side, and have never been able to much up salads since the surgery. I can have finely sliced fresh stuff, but still often have issues as soon as I take on "healthy summer food". Winter in some ways is easier, Soups and veggies, not a lot of crunchy stuff to get stuck!

I don't feel it was a total loss, and my surgeon say to expect 30% of what I wanted to lose, well, for me 60% will be an acceptable amount, but whether I can ever get back there, and stay there is in the future.

[Wheetsin 714]

We have a sister site called VerticalSleevetalk.com that serves the Gastric Sleeve community. You can just log in with the your LBT username and password. No need to sign up again.

Hi Alex, I've tried to login there using my account info from here, but it just tells me username & password are incorrect.

I can register over there, no big deal. But if using your same LBT info somehow populates/ports data from here to there (settings/preferences/etc.), I'd prefer to do that.

[Coo 1]

Now there's a PA who manages fills & complications. You don't even see the surgeon unless you're having surgery. Kinda makes since because of the whole SURGEON thing, but I really liked the idea that the surgeon maintained your care comprehensively.

Wheetsin, me too. I heard/read somewhere you can't ever get to see my surgeon, he was great and he did the first six months care. I found I didn't feel comfortable with a total stranger doing all this and discussing my issues, staff also changed. And then I found I seemed to be coming face to face with 3 people I seriously didn't want to meet unexpectedly in a doctor's rooms (anxiety attacks and acute embarrassment at banding which is a total secret) and I haven't been back.

I pretty much pray the band remains in it's current status quo for quite some time.

[Alex Brecher 10,512]

Hi Alex, I've tried to login there using my account info from here, but it just tells me username & password are incorrect.

I can register over there, no big deal. But if using your same LBT info somehow populates/ports data from here to there (settings/preferences/etc.), I'd prefer to do that.

PM Sent....

[Snowgator 3]

Hey all,

Life is good..who could have thought things would be so different in just a couple years. Still have those nagging last 10lbs to go. Am joining WW this weekend to try and get a little extra motivation. So much more active now than before.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I revised to a sleeve almost 2 years ago. I didn't realize just how many things I could not eat with a band.

I love the sleeve. I never PB, and food never gets stuck. I can eat anything I want in small portions

and I have been maintaining at goal for over a year.

[cardshark 0]

You dont have anny side effects? What cant u eat? I have band and just told I have slip and must have replacement but not sure thats what I want to do. But want to know truth from real people not the doc truth(if they even know how to) I have ulcars and have to be on antibioatic before they do anyting and my mind is going crazy. I only lost 40# but I am happy and feel so much better family doc would like me to lose 40 more but not happening . really you can eat and not have that dump problem which is my big fear? cardshark

This is my not so "Peachy Story" on my experience with the Lap Band and a few surgeons. Right now my husband is trying to get the band out of him and a revision as well; I used to post herea lot a very long time ago and even met some of the ladies from the DFW Band Group! I thought for a long time I failed the band, but according to the company's own research it is a rarity to make it as far as most of you guys have without complications. I myself had plenty of problems with the band and i hope those who were talking about problems drinking Water read my story below:

Hello everyone my name is Carrie, I am originally from Texas, but currently reside in Washington State. I am 32 years old and I once weighed 302lbs at my all time high standing "tall" at 5'4". I was squeezing into a tight pair of 24 blue jeans and 3x T-shirts. It was at my highest weight I became pregnant. I was scared to death as I knew my blood pressure WOULD be a concern. Eventually it was at a level that put me at risk of having a stroke at 26 yrs old! Thus I was induced and eventually because my body wasn't ready to have the baby at 38 weeks after 18 hours of labor I failed to progress and ended up with an emergency C-section.When our oldest daughter was 10 months old we (my husband and I) began to look into surgical help as I was 297 after giving birth and he was 360lbs. We had a friend's girlfriend who had the Lap Band. She was doing great and totally loved life with the band. At 26 I was concerned about the safety of having my digestive system tampered with and decided that the band would be the best place for us to start, afterall it's reversable right?

I had my lap band surgery in August 2005. I went from 297 to 160lbs in about a year. I was very close to reaching my goal of a normal BMI for my height. My hubby had his band surgery in January 2006. He works for a major computer software company here in Redmond, WA and isn't very active. He was raised to clean his plate no matter what and he eventually had to have his Fluid removed due to a dilation from over eating.

Eventually I started having problems. I called the office of the Surgeon we used only to get a recording. He was gone. All of his patients were given away based soley on insurance to other doctors. It was at that time I began to realize that he was only in it for the money, he never cared what damage he did to the "meat" he operated on. He currently continues to Band people in California.

So, I had done research and was told by this surgeon that the band is reversible. Well, yes, they can remove it but not the damage that IT CAUSES. I have permanent Esophagus Damage at 32 years old.

I had two EGD (upper edoscopies) done and our surgeon's replacement only gave me a PPI and said the band looks great. He too didn't seem to have an issue in the fact I couldn't swallow WATER anymore and it took the nurses 6 tries to get an IV started in my dehydrated body!! Needless to say eventually he offered to remove my band and do a Vertical SLEEVE Gastrectomy. The Sleeve was a brand new surgery that he had recently learned how to do. He had never done a single surgery revision from Lap Band to Sleeve and insisted that it MUST be done in 2 seperate surgeries months apart. Of course he couldn't recall exactly how many times he had done this surgery, which his office manager didn't know either. Surgeons are generally very proud of their work and have no problem bragging about it. Thus I had a problem with his indirect lies. I told him he was just as bad as the other doctor as he was in it for the $ as well. His practice continues to grow and prosper in the DFW area.

I found a surgeon based upon another lady who had suffered with a failing Lap Band and she had written about it on a forum directed to VSG. He was in Dallas and very close to my home at the time. He was educated in Mexico and praticed in Mexico for many years before coming to Dallas, so his English wasn't that great but for some reason I trusted him. I was very much the "dog who had been kicked too many times and snappy". I had constant sharp pains in my chest and couldn't swallow water very well. He had done several hundred revision from band to sleeves and mareketed himself as an Expert of the surgery.

On August 26, 2010, I FINALLY had my Lap Band removed and the VSG surgery done. My new surgery was of course considered to be "investigational or experimental" thus our insurance covered the removal of the band and that part of the surgery. We paid $8k for the additonal time and skill needed for the VSG. I spent ONE night in the hospital and was more than ready to go home. The next few months was VERY rough. I had been primarily on an ALL liquid diet because my band had failed I had a hard time learning how to eat again. I knew if I ate too soon I could vomit and have staples pop thus getting the nerve to actually cheat was scary. My newest surgeon found that the original doctor had put my band in BACKWARDS and the second guy who did TWO scopes on me along with several films knew it. .

The truth is most bands fail. Most are removed when the person it is put into can no longer tolerate the issues it causes. Do a Bing search for "Lapband Lawyer", yes, they too are starting to rack in the money trail for damages people had and bad medical care we got from doctors who didn't care if we lived or not.

I weighed 243 on my day of surgery back in August 2010. I have since dropped down to 195. Take it I am still not "Skinny" but I can eat anything I wish, just not a lot of it. It's like I am ALWAYS walking away from the table of a big Thanksgiving meal. I no longer have intense hunger. As I am getting further out I notice my hunger is slowly returning which I'm happy about as I've not been interested in eating since surgery.

All I can do is share my story and you must do what is right for you. I will say before you have any surgery you need to know the truth about what the risks really are.

It seems that 2 out of the 3 surgeons I dealt with were after the money and didn't care about me as a fellow human being or someone's wife or the mother to two little girls who would have missed me had I passed away, which COULD have happend during my second pregnancy, I had a big belly from a full-term infant and a backwards band that was a few inches from my aorta, at anytime my baby could have kicked that band and ruptured my aorta. Scary huh?

I'm here for anyone who wants to ask anything. As for future surgeries, even at 195 I am better off than I was at 295, so I will NOT be having anymore weight loss surgeries. My life is the most normal it has been since prior to my Lap Band surgery!

The Sleeve has given me EVERYTHING that the band promised without the side effects, That alone is work a ton

[cardshark 0]

Can u really eat without dump problem that is what I am afraid of because I am at times a sugarholic? Doc just told me I have slip and must have replacement but not sure that is what I want and not sure what insur will pay for, cardshark

I revised to a sleeve almost 2 years ago. I didn't realize just how many things I could not eat with a band.

I love the sleeve. I never PB, and food never gets stuck. I can eat anything I want in small portions

and I have been maintaining at goal for over a year.

[Jack 855]

Cardshark: Sorry to hear of your situation. At least you have the opportunity to do research over the next 30 days pending your own surgery. I don't know what the current statistics are about long term Band success. All I can say is 6+ years postOp, the Band saved MY life and continues to work as designed with no complications. Yes, there are days that make me wonder whether there is 'something better'. I remain a Happy Bandster at this point. Should that change, certainly I would be investigating options, just as you must. Cheers on your journey.

[faybie 0]

Hello! thanks for the invite back! I recognize so many names. It is nice to read about each of you. I was banded Aug '06. I went from a size 24 to 4.

I have been 100% successful with my journey. I am now eating a diet of 50% raw foods. I do not eat at any fast food restaurant (and most other restaurants too) except Chic-fil-a because of trans fat and hydrogenated oils. I avoid most processed foods and seek out organic non-processed versions. I try to avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup!! I also worked with a personal trainer for a year and a half in 2008 using free weights to regain lost muscle tone from being obese. At one point, I was running 6 miles a day, 5 times a week.

I am sorry to hear that some of you have had some rough times.

It took me about 2 and a half years total to drop all of my weight and get in shape, the rest has been maintenance. I strive everyday to continue to evolve. I had soooooooo many "food demons" (as I like to call them) that would beg me for comfort food and insist that I NEEDED fried, fatty foods. It has been a LONG journey by sheer will to overcome the urges and the voices (thoughts). One by one, I have observed them, and slowly converted them to healthy choices and it is still an ongoing process almost 5 years later.

Just in the last year have I dealt with the voice in my head that would demand Cookies EVERY night. When the craving would come up, I would sit with it and contemplate "who wants the cookies?". I never really fought with the urges, I would just observe them, question them, then eat a small version of my craving and over time, my body gradually began to want healthier options.

I still eat small portions of things that I shouldn't thinking that it might be a good idea or that I really, really want something, however my body reacts horribly. The other day I had a half of a doughnut thinking it was a great idea and ended up completely crashing into a 4 hour nap over a half of a doughnut. Needless to say, I won't be doing that again. ha ha!

Big Hugs to everyone!!

[Jack 855]

nicely done faybie!!!! Great to hear of your success!!! cheers....and I'll talk to my 'belly beasts' involking your name that I have back-up at hand should they get too demanding!!!

[the best me 6]

Jack is a female? Wow, I HAVE been gone a while. I never knew. Hey Jack!