LAPBAND DIDN'T WORK FOR ME

[JACKIEO85 308]

I've had my lapband for 5 years. It has never worked for me. I lost 24 pounds on the liquid diet and I have managed to keep about 20 of that off. But, I never lost any weight with the band. I've had 13 fills and they kept saying, "Oh they put a large band in you". They finally sent me to the nutritionist who was a 90 pound vegetarian (not sure why she felt the need to tell me that) who was more interested in her phone than me. Her big suggestion after glancing at my diet sheet was to tell me if I get hungry in the afternoon, to have tuna on cucumber slices. Really? $16,000 and that's the advice I get? I left that day feelling like this whole thing was a mistake and I never went back. Now, five years later, I'm having pain around the port. I guess I'll have to go back, but I'm not looking forward to that. My advice would be to really do your research before you spend this kind of money. I would not do it again and I would have to advise other people to really think about it before they did it.

Pam Stevens

Sorry that you had to go through what you have gone through, This board isn't really very band friendly,OH if your doing great yeah, plenty of support, otherwise it's your fault, you did something wrong. When in reality yes not losing weight is considered a Band complication. I have no idea why you didn't lose, I don't judge. I totally agree with your comment about Lack of education from the medical professionals.

But you do realize that If you eat more than you expend then your not going to lose weight? NO WAY!!?? really? This is the best advise/support you can offer..I think if your on a WL board that is Obvious.That's how the majority of people ended up here.

If you want people to talk to Pam send me an IM I'll send you the information.

[scratchibali 17]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Have a talk with your doctor and surgeon again. Im sure they can help. The dietician cant do anything for the band or the way you feel. Dont give up, you habe the tool, put those docs to work or get them to see if something is wrong with placement. Best of luck

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Sorry that you had to go through what you have gone through, This board isn't really very band friendly,OH if your doing great yeah, plenty of support, otherwise it's your fault, you did something wrong.

Well statistically speaking, it's true. Only 5% of band complications are by no fault of the patient. That's not a band complication that's a patient complication

But you do realize that If you eat more than you expend then your not going to lose weight? NO WAY!!?? really? This is the best advise/support you can offer..I think if your on a WL board that is Obvious.That's how the majority of people ended up here.

Well unfortunately history has proven common sense isn't so common. Many people go into this surgery totally ignorant to the facts and expect their band to be magic fix fat while they continue to mow down on McDonalds. If you read thread after thread, you will find tons of people who talk about how they're not losing weight but they do nothing to count calories or measure portions, either. So yes, sometimes telling someone If you eat more than you expend then your not going to lose weight IS the best advice we can give.

[LL112 63]

I sympathize with the poster in this matter. My initial 3 years with the band, the band did fail me. I was in a similar situation, i had the 14 cc band, and after 13 fills or so, i was at max volume and still felt no restriction. I've had fluoros done many times and the operating doctor couldn't figure out why there was no restriction and basically told me it was my fault. "diet better".... I did manage to lose some weight b/c i was tired of being overweight by eating healthier and excising tons, all in the while with absolutely no restriction. it wasn't until i switched surgeons, that he determined quickly the band was placed around a piece of fat tissue and was never actually around my stomach....!!! my new doctor redid my lap-band and for the first time in 4 years, i actually know what restriction feels like...i'm just saying, sometimes the band can fail you, in my case...my ass of a surgeon.

[doxipups 3]

Hi Pam - I am sorry to see so many assinine responses to your post. The band did not work for me either - I never lost much weight in the 14 months I had it. I remember coming to these (and other) boards looking for support and answers. Groups like Slow Losers Unite, etc. all said hang in there, get a second opinion, keep working your program. .. blah blah blah. I truly wondered what I was doing wrong rather than what was wrong with my band.

I started having some seemingly minor complications which were pooh-poohed off by my surgeon who eventually had to remove my band in an emergency situation, I almost died.

It's hard to find help when the band doesn't work - these boards are full of cheerleaders who refuse to see someone else's situation - and getting a second opinion with another surgeon is practically impossible. Even in the ER the docs will send you back to your surgeon. There are other groups I have since found where people discuss and share problems, complications, lack of results, whatever. If you're interested send me an email - I'd rather not get flamed again by this community.

You are not alone Pam.

Amie Beckett-Montney

[GuyMontag 1,264]

There are lots of different reasons a band may not work in an individual case from the individual themselves, and I'm not necessarily saying the individual didn't try but their body could not be very compatible with the band, or the surgeon may have placed a band in a bad position, or the band itself could be defective. These are all possible complications that we have to realize are real when we go into banding. I've known plenty of people that the band 'didn't work for them', I've also known people it did work for, and I've even known people that their first band didn't work well for them but their second did. It's unfortunate that your specific experience with the band wasn't a good one but that's the chance we all take with any kind of weight loss surgery.

[kll724 3,055]

Well said Mis73! i don't think we are bullies, we just want others to understand what we have already heard or learned. Best wishes to folks just starting out, Most of us are experienced enough to know, 1st, we are not your medical team, 2nd, we are hear for support and all have been through the same weight loss problems, that's why we have had bariatric surgery, and need the "tool" for help.

[barbie2009 7]

it worked for me. I lost 76 pounds the first 8 months. and kept it off till I had some other complications where they had to take out all the liquid from my port and gained back 33. but im back on the wagon and have now lost 12 pounds with a few fills. it did have a difficult time find my green zone again from fills to unfills.... you just have not give up hope and keep trying.

[Sunshyne068 97]

it worked for me. I lost 76 pounds the first 8 months. and kept it off till I had some other complications where they had to take out all the liquid from my port and gained back 33. but im back on the wagon and have now lost 12 pounds with a few fills. it did have a difficult time find my green zone again from fills to unfills.... you just have not give up hope and keep trying.

Barbie what were you doing to have so much success? I'm a slow loser and I need some help.

[PrettyThick1 1,860]

I am new to this board and want a band but only heard the negative. It is nice to hear that as long as you work it, it will help you with your journey. I am so not saying that there are not other circumstances that can happen to not have success but seems like I keep hearing, you get out what you put in. I'm so glad I found this I was really starting to think of the sleeve but have small children and it scared me.

Think long and hard about the sleeve dear...I have friends who have had that done and I would rather have band complications than sleeve complications - those are deadly. One of my friends made a TINY mistake and ate like a spoonful of Beans - 16 hours later she was in the hospital, where she stayed for nearly a month. When she got out...she was 1/2 way to her goal but not at all happy with the decision she'd made. The sleeve is serious business.

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

I'm sorry to hear your band experience has been disappointing. It sounds like you've given up on yourself. Why? If I spent $16,000 for WLS, I'd be determined to stick it out come hell or high Water. But like many Scotsmen,I'm extremely stubborn. Have you considered getting a 2nd opinion from a different bariatric surgeon, perhaps one that has a better post-op education and support program?

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

They finally sent me to the nutritionist who was a 90 pound vegetarian (not sure why she felt the need to tell me that) who was more interested in her phone than me. Her big suggestion after glancing at my diet sheet was to tell me if I get hungry in the afternoon, to have tuna on cucumber slices. Really? $16,000 and that's the advice I get?

Pam Stevens

My nutritionist is a skinny minny also, but that doesn't mean she's not qualified to teach me about nutrition. And what you eat is directly related to your weight, so sending you to see her was actually a good idea. What's wrong with tuna on cucumber slices? Do you not like tuna or cucumber? What else did you expect her to say? She's not a doctor and isn't qualified to advise you on medical or surgical issues.

There are far too many factors that could be affecting your disappointing weight loss to address in a single forum thread. I just want to reiterate that giving up on yourself and your band now is literally throwing away that $16,000. Don't you believe that you and your health are worth some extra effort?

Finally, I think it's extremely rude of people to play with their cell phone when they're supposed to be giving another person their attention. I suggest that you call her on that should you ever cross her door again. I can give you suggestions for ways to say it that will solicit her sympathy instead of turning her off. Just let me know if you need help with that or anything else related to your WLS journey.

[Tomander 614]

So sorry in didn't work for you. The band was the best tool I ever bought. I still work with it. I still get weighed in every month with my family doctor and I still go to support group meetings. These things keep me on track. I started with a 54" waist... now 30".

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

[Instyle98 240]

The Lap-Band obviously isn't a solution for everyone. I too know people who have had gastric bypass and lapbands, some are "failures" and many have been quite successful and others who have had complications from not following instructions, lack of education, inadequate medical care or incompatibility with their body.

I think the key to any weight loss program is understanding the basics. Short of wiring your jaws shut, there is nothing out there that will stop you from eating foods you shouldn't or eating too much of them. Even "good for you" foods can backfire if you eat too much of them. If there is a will, there is a way. Sure folks that have had WLS surgery shouldn't eat pizza, candy, chips, dips, etc., but that doesn't mean you can't. The band has no control over my taste buds, cravings definitely cannot stop my hand from bringing a fork to my lips! There are some foods that I love and crave and I know if I start eating them, I'll keep eating them. However they are not good for ME! Some foods are my cryptonite. Although I don't think I have reached restriction yet (especially since I just had Fluid removed for upcoming ortho surgery), I still try to eat as if I do. The band does help me to not consume the amounts of foods I used to in one sitting and through education, support, and desire, I try to stick with it. No matter what I have done in the past, I have always been a slow loser so I don't expect any different from my band. Although I have a Lap-Band, I still have the same body with the same crappy metabolism and love of tasty food. Have I lost weight before? Yes - 165 lbs, no surgery, no pills. There were a lot of circumstances at the time and I didn't lose it in a healthy way but no one noticed that at first because all anyone, including myself, saw was that I was finally losing weight and looking good. Unfortunately, it caught up with me and I had some problems. Obviously I gained almost all of it back or I wouldn't have a band. However while I don't have good restriction yet and right now am having some discomfort with my band for some reason, I am steadily losing weight, which is a miracle in itself since my activity is quite restricted. I can accept that because before surgery I was one of those who was willing to do almost anything to lose weight or at the very least, stop gaining.

No matter how you chose to lose weight, there are some things one must understand and accept about oneself to be successful. Responsibility, acceptance and honesty are the three most important ones. You are responsible for what you choose to put in your mouth and you must be honest about what you really are eating. How many times have you said you didn't eat a thing all day, but when you really think about it, you had a soda here, a bite of this there, a cracker here, some cheese, etc. Just because you didn't sit down to a full meal doesn't mean those calories don't count and probably add up to more than a single meal sometimes. You may not be counting those calories, but damnit your body is! Overweight and formerly overweight people just cannot eat the same way other people do. You have to accept this, know your triggers and avoid them. Your body will happily betray you and shut down your metabolism and re-inflate those old fat cells in a heartbeat. As much as I hate to admit it, food is an addiction for me. I love it. I like to look at it, read about it, watch shows about it, buy gadgets, utensils, dishes and cooking vessels, talk about it and eat it! But many of those same foods I love will make me unhappy in the long run so I don't eat them, not even in small amounts. You have to re-train your brain.

While I'm at it, let me be honest. Do I measure my food? No, for some reason I haven't accepted that I need to yet. Do I eat much smaller portions? Certainly and I have greatly changed what goes on my plate and in my grocery cart. Have I eaten a "forbidden food" since my band? Of course! There are a lot of foods I haven't eaten since 2 weeks prior to surgery (ice cream, pastries, sodas, etc.). I also make much healthier choices regarding the types of foods I eat. Could I have done this without the band? You bet and I have! However for some reason having the band helps me to keep making better choices and motivates me to do it. What has the band done for me? It gave me a jump start when I was at a point that nothing I tried worked. I felt helpless and out of control. With the band I have taken charge and figured out how to help myself. How or why did it happen? I don't know and I don't care. All I know is I weigh less than I did before the band and that is a good thing.

BTW, I know someone who had gastric by-pass several years ago and would probably fall under what folks call a "WLS failure". I don't because to me as long as you keep trying, you are not a failure. Any way, she is the type of person who thinks she knows more than anyone about everything. She knows more than people who are educated, experienced and/or licensed in whatever area you can possibly name. First thing she asked me when I was home recovering from my band surgery was if I had thrown up yet. I asked her why on earth I would do that. Her answer was something along the lines of if she was told she shouldn't do something, she just had to try it, just to see if it was true or prove that she could do it. She also asks me every so often how much weight have I lost and if it will make her jealous. Makes no sense to me since she has had by-pass and knows what she needs to do. She also has no idea how the Lap-Band works or that it's not an instant fix. I know there were several times when she ate something she shouldn't have or over ate and ended up vomiting. She knew she shouldn't do that, but she did. We used to go out to lunch quite a bit and her favorite place to go was an Italian restaurant where she always ordered Pasta and ate bread with oil (after her WLS). She thinks she is dieting (I hate that word) if she limits herself to one soda (regular,not diet) per day. Her answer to any problem anyone has who is overweight, whether it's financial, legal, etc., is for them to get WLS. I always want to ask her one question, but I don't, because it would be rude and in her case pointless. That question is, "How's it working for you?" She certainly is not working with her gastric by-pass.

[kll724 3,055]

Well said instyle98. You are a junior guru!!!