My Lapband Horror Story

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

We need reputable information. Please provide reference sources or leave those of us happy with our decision alone. Thank you.

[LJCBF 363]

I was just thinking that myself...

What is OH ??

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Sometimes during the lapband surgery the vagus nerve gets damaged That's true. OR even worse some drs actually go on and wrap the Vagus nerve around the lapband in order to help curb hunger. Surely not. The vagus nerve isn't just dangling around in there like a rope waiting to get wrapped around a calf. Dissecting it would be the work of a neurosurgeon, not a bariatric surgeon. It is common practice for a bariatric surgeon to suture the band to the upper stomach, not to affect the vagus nerve or curb hunger but to keep it from moving up and down the esophagus and stomach. If the vagus nerve is affected by that, it's collateral damage, not purposeful. This fact was NOT disclosed to me ahead of time. The Vagus nerve is a main nerve that runs down through your ears, thru your heart, your stomach and other major parts of the body.

I was having all these symptoms in those areas and more, loss of hearing, AFIB (which I wound up having some major heart surgery for), extreme stomach pain and so forth. A very LARGE number of lapband patients develop AFIB. Also had to have my gall bladder removed after banding, again, another high percent of banded patients have this prob. Gall bladder problems are related to fast weight loss, not the band. Every bariatric patient is at risk for that. So are non-bariatric patients who lose weight.

Fast forward 3 years, so much pain, so many problems, yet all tests show my lapband is perfectly in place, not twisted, not eroded, etc etc. THEREFORE, insurance won't pay for its removal as of now! There is no test to prove the Vagus nerve is damaged. So there is nothing on paper to prove my theory that the Vagus nerve is damaged, and thus causing all my probs. Using the possessive pronoun "my" in front of the word "theory" indicates to me that yet again, a non-medical professional has diagnosed him/herself with a condition that hasn't been identified by a doctor. That in itself is not unusual, but it doesn't add credibility to your claims.

Next major problem with the lapband: I didnt go with gastric bypass because I didnt want to be on B12 shots the rest of my life ( a known prob with gastic bypass). But now, guess what? I am Vit b12 deficient. (also not told that this was a possible side effect with the band) The potential for nutritional problems was just one of the many items in the 4-page waiver I had to sign before I was banded. That kind of waiver is common practice in every hospital or surgery center I've been treated at for over 30 years. If you weren't required to sign one, I have to wonder about the qualifications of the surgeon who placed your band.

Third major problem: (was not told this ahead of time either) weight gain is guaranteed if you DRINK liquids with your meals, had I been told this I would have never gotten it because I know I drink with nearly every bite I eat. I knew there would be diet changes, etc, but not this! The prohibition against drinking while eating is common to all bariatric surgeries, and it's in the patient instructions published by Allergan and Ethicon Endo. If that prohibition is shocking to you, I would have to think you're an extremely sensitive person. Even a dental cleaning must be traumatic for you.

And yes, I DID do my pre-surgery research for over a year, and used a highly reccomended surgeon in my area, but without ALL the info fo what all can go wrong, as well as all the failures and removals of the lapband after banding, how was I to make a REALLY informed decision? I would NOT reccomend this procedure to anyone. If indeed you weren't advised of potential risks and complications of bariatric surgery, you need to take that up with your surgeon. Admitting ignorance about those risks and complications here on LBT isn't going to change your personal history, we can do nothing to improve your relationship with your surgeon, and you've probably noticed by now that we're not predisposed to believe wild claims. If you post again when you've calmed down a bit, you might find us more helpful.

In the meantime - and remember, this is coming from someone who lost her band and had to revised to the sleeve due to some serious medical problems - the sky is not falling in my little corner of the bariatric world. In fact, the sun is shining and the birds are singing, tra la, tra la.

[Rongen62 30]

What is OH?

[Maddysgram 6,159]

What is OH?

OH is The Obesity Help forum and most ppl there are so ill informed and nasty, I'd advise to stay away. There are a Few nice ppl there and I wish we could have them come over here and get away from such hog wash.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

Love your post as usual Jean, glad to have you back with us.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

What is OH ??

The Obesity Help forum. Not a nice place.

[Instyle98 240]

Although I'm newly banded, as with pretty much everyone here I'm very experienced with weight gain and loss. Before I was banded I lost 165 lbs. I didn't have surgery, I didn't have weight loss drugs, nor did I use a program like Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc. I won't bore you with all the details, but guess what? I had some of the same problems. I had to have my gallbladder removed. Why? Rapid weight loss. I suffered a severe Vitamin B deficiency. So severe in fact that I was sent to a neurologist initially because I had weakness on one side, slurred speech, I could not keep my balance and was falling down or tripping a lot, aphasia (Aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. It can make it hard for you to read, write and say what you mean to say. It is most common in adults who have had a stroke. Brain tumors, infections, injuries and dementia can also cause it. The type of problem you have and how bad it is depends on which part of your brain is damaged and how much damage there is.), etc. At first they thought I either had a stroke or MS. Turned out it was severe Vitamin B deficiency from rapid weight loss. I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency that caused me to be in pain. The cause was due to rapid weight loss. I could have been angry and decided I was better off being fat! Was weight loss to blame for all of my problems? Not exactly. My unhealthy behavior and obsession with losing weight to be thin combined with body dysmorphic disorder among other things was to blame. I knew I wasn't eating enough, I knew I should be taking Vitamins, but I didn't do it!

As you can see if you experience sudden and rapid weight loss without a doctor's supervision (as in my case) and/or do not eat enough of the right foods and take supplements you can have all of the same symptoms you did. I'm not saying your band did or did not cause your problems because I don't know you and I'm not a physician. However it is possible to have all of those things occur without being banded. I don't know what happened to you. Were you compliant with doctor's instructions? I don't know. Was your doctor competent and paying attention to your symptoms? I don't know. Was the band for you - I guess not. Like all methods and surgeries, it's not for everyone. Many of us here have chosen lap-band because we feel it is our last or only hope to get to a manageable weight. Your story simply illustrates the necessity of doing thorough research, weighing the pros and cons and determining if one is willing to follow guidelines. It is important to know your body and report and problems to one's doctor. You can't pick and choose which rules you want to follow and which ones you don't.

I'm sorry things turned out so badly for you. Perhaps you would do better serving as an example of what not to do and why the band is not right for some people even though it does appear to work for many others instead of coming off so bitter. Were you fully aware of the risks of the surgery and agreeable to take them? Life is a crap shoot. Things go wrong. Deal with it.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Been having a rash of them lately!

And who do you call?

Trollbusters!

(let's pretend I pasted a photo of Dan Ackroyd and Bill Murray into this post)

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

someone from OH perhaps?

[laurigee 545]

My surgeon was just at a seminar and was told that new information shows that there is no actual link between drinking with a meal and how fast the food leaves the stomach or pouch. However, he informed us that if we thought we felt fuller longer without drinking to definitely continue to do so. Everyone's bodies are so different that we need to experiment and find what works for us! The lack of Vitamins that your body is getting is totally YOUR fault. The band does not speed up the digestion process and remove food from the body before it can absorb nutrients like gastric bypass! Eat properly = proper nutrients. Any surgery can have negative side effects and I am sorry for that, however, this is not the norm and shouldn't be projected as that! I can understand your anger, I think you need to deal with that! I can assure you that if I had something in my body that was causing this kind of problems, I wouldn't care if I had to work 5 jobs to pay to get it removed I would!

[LeslieW 92]

OMG trollbusters. ROFLOL ... Oh no.. I still have incisions.. I dont know if I should be laughing that hard.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

OMG trollbusters. ROFLOL ... Oh no.. I still have incisions.. I dont know if I should be laughing that hard.

Not to worry. I know for a scientically proven fact (courtesy of Reader's Digest) that laughter is the best medicine.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

OMG trollbusters. ROFLOL ... Oh no.. I still have incisions.. I dont know if I should be laughing that hard.

I had the same exact thought as Jean. Laughter is the best medicine!

[LeslieW 92]

Well, I figure if the dog didnt kill me tonight when she tripped me a little laughing should be ok lol.