My story--banded for 9.5 years.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

I was like some of you a year or two out from getting my band. Nobody could tell me that it wasn't the best thing I ever did for myself.

I just want to be clear: I am here to voice my story and my opinions about what the band did to me and to lots and lots of people I know. I had a great group of "bandsisters" when I was first banded right on this forum. NONE of them have their bands anymore. I am the last one.

Please do not be in denial about the damage that the band can do. Be vigilant with your complications and please, please know that if you are out a few years and you are gaining weight back, this is the biggest complication yet. Do not blame yourself or feel shame that "you failed" again. Private message me so that you are not attacked by people that are still in the glory days of their bands. I will help you in any way I can.

I wish someone would have posted something like this when I first started to have complications because I felt very much alone. This is why I am here.

some people maybe in denial

and i think some people are in total LALA land who think any WLS will work just because they had (gasp) WLS

and then when the pounds start creeping back up or they are not losing (water weight) like they did on pre/post op, they start to spazz out....

we are all adults and we all made the decision to have surgery followed through all the dr appts and signed paperwork that clearly states complications can and do occur....it was a risk we all took...sometimes things

happen and sometimes things dont

this surgery saved me as it has others and i am sorry it did not work for you and as i posted above, i want you to happy/healthy forever....

but if a banded person, or a sleeved or a bypass begins to gain weight --it is because they overate more calories than they burned off .......it is not because the band failed.....the band wont stop a person from eating junk food or keep them from exercising...

i have no idea if my band will last forever

i have no idea if i will get hit by a falling star tomorrow

but what i do know is that i am gonna do my very best TODAY with the band i have and hopefully continue to better my health.....

if/when sometimes happens, i will deal.....

just like you are......right now

all the best to you.

[forensic6 89]

I got to my "sweet-spot" once. I lost 70 pounds. I threw up almost several times a week' date=' even though I followed doctors orders and all of the rules.[/quote']

Buzz! Wrong! You don't throw up almost several times per week while in your "sweet spot" or green zone. I propose you never got there at all. Sorry you had a bad experience but you had an ATYPICAL experience as compared to the normal bandster. Hope all goes better with the sleeve.

[chasingadream 1,311]

Let me begin by saying I am sorry for the years of pain that YOU have experienced and truly hope that your revision surgery is a POSTIVE experience for you....

I revisited my surgeon after the last thread that was posted similar to this and we had an in-depth and lengthy conversation with the multitude of questions I had from that thread and questions from my own research.

I have one of THE best surgeons around and had each and every one of my questions answered. And as an educated and responsible person I DO UNDERSTAND there may or may not be complications with this WLS. But I also understand that my doctor has the best and most complete aftercare program in place for his patients and I will NOT be allowed to go years with problems and in pain, as apparently you have. Hopefully your new doctor will not allow problems to go as long with your sleeve as your previous doctor did with your band!!

And please, I am NOT arguing or debating with you about your complications and YES, you are very much allowed to share YOUR EXPERIENCES but let me just quote you "I am writing this post in the hopes that I help others really understand what life with the band is like." When someone reads that sentence that tells people that you have all the answers as to life with the band...and while your experience obviously was horrible there are many people who've had success...and not just people with 1 or 2 or 3 years experience...people with well over 5 years.

As someone who is yet to be banded reading posts like yours do scare and send people running...especially newcomers who are looking for information (good AND bad).

And since this will be my ONLY post on this thread since I will not allow this negativity to continue from my end...perhaps you need to see someone to discuss the effects that all of this has had on you...both physically and obviously emotionally....you are an educated person as you once stated on the other thread....but in my very humble opinion, an educated person DOES NOT ALLOW THE COMPLICATIONS YOU HAD TO GO ON FOR 8 YEARS.

Wishing you all the best and in 10 years time I hope to come back on here and we can BOTH be boasting about how great our experiences have been and how lucky we were to make the choices we did and be able to share great pictures of successful LONG TERM weight loss!

Be well and good luck Megan!

[dawalsh 919]

Hi Megan' date='

I suppose at 5 years post banding, I am not what you would call someone in the 'first flush' of the glory days of my band. Nor am I by any means a newbie, and as time goes on I am more interested than ever in posts that discuss the longevity of the band, especially with regards to symptoms experienced, in the hopes that I can in fact be vigilant of possible complications.

First let me qualify that I'm Australian, and Australian surgeons have been placing bands for a lot longer than American doctors. My surgeon has well over a decade's worth of experience and to this day, still thinks the band is the most effective wls there is. I just wanted to make that clear so you understand where I stand on this.

I recently had band replacement surgery as a result of a leaky band. I had the option of revising to a sleeve but both my surgeon and myself agreed that the band was a better choice. I have lost 100% of my excess weight, I have not experienced pain, reflux, nothing at all that has caused me concern, and even when my band was leaking for 15 months, I only gained 35lbs of which I then lost 40% of without the band's help before my replacement.

All the recent posts I have read regarding complications experienced by banders who have had the band for 5 years or more have the same theme to it: pain, reflux, weight gain, discomfort, damage etc. I have experienced none of these. I maintain my weight easily when my band is working. I live with my band very easily. I have had a multitude of tests as a result of my leak and I have no physical issues or damage caused by the band. I have no reason to believe that will change, either, seeing as it hasn't happened yet, and if it was going to, I'd expect it to have happened before now.

I also have a good lot of bandster friends on FB who have been quietly living their lives with the bands without complications, who have had their bands as long or longer than me, who just don't talk about it that much any more, unlike when they were first banded.

So just to provide some balance, I do believe people have complications, and in many cases, serious ones too. And I do believe you have and it's always a wake-up call to see it talked about. But I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that everyone will, or that it will even be as common as some people make it out to be. Nothing you've said about your personal experience or anything I've seen posted about complications just recently has convinced me of that at all, especially since I see so few similarities with my own experiences with the band.

So I'm piping in, I guess, to give a different view of what long-term life with the band is like so anyone reading understands that there is more than just one point of view to everything. And I personally have nearly nothing bad to say about my experience with the band.[/quote']

Very well said! I have a 10cc band and I'm very sure complications can be had with any type of surgery. I'm just hoping you have no complications with sleeve surgery. Even though your post had a tone of scare tactic to it I appreciate your telling us your experience. However, I will be the judge along with my doctor's advice as to when I experience complications.

I'm truly sorry you have had the complications you described. Wishing all your health complications are resolved.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

That's too bad you got one of the older models before they had made the advances they have today. Hope everything works out for you and you get the weight back off.

[hnladue 7]

I have to agree with Megan. I've had a 14cc band for 10 years and have lost nothing. I've been working with my surgeon and a nutritionist. The surgeon has almost stopped doing bands as they do not work as they thought. More banded people have been going to other methods. The band just isn't as good as was once thought. More people need to be aware.

[Ivy Verde 68]

I've been around just about the same length of time, Megan. I got my band done over 10 years ago, had it removed, and still have damage.

Overall, people are very resistant to hearing about the downfalls of banding, though, I've found. Until they go through it themselves, there's really no convincing anyone that you're trying to help. And that's a real shame. With many insurance companies saying, "One WLS per lifetime" it's kind of important to make the correct decision the first time. It may be your only chance.

Best of luck to you.

[lisacaron 5,075]

Thank you for sharing your stories. You are right when you say that is what they are, YOUR stories. YOUR experience. I am living MINE as is each person on this site.

Please don't cloud the issues with your issues. We are all aware of the risks vs. gain in getting banded today. There is extensive research that can be done and that is provided by health care practitioners who are still placing bands today. Are you a surgeon or medical doctor? Do you have a degree in the medical field or technology field that produces bands for WLS? Do you work in the OR / ER as a registered nurse for any of the hospitals you mentioned? Or did you gather that information from Google or Wikipedia?

No matter if you are new, just banded, about to be banded or banded for 10 or more years. Your experience is always going to be just that. YOUR experience. You can be a statistic if you wish to be. You can be 1 in 10 or 1 in 5 but I suggest you just be you.

If WLS surgery is an option you or a family member is considering, please do your due diligence. Research reputable surgeons and speak to your doctors. Get out and see for yourself meet people talk to surgeons check out the manufactures of bands today gain some firsthand knowledge, and then choose to walk the path or not without judgment.

That is where this thread falls short, it's passing judgment on those before and after, and the last time I checked no one asked for that.

This is an open forum to share your story and for others to share their stories and their onions not to judge, disillusion or harm others as you do when you make broad statements that are not matters of fact and cannot be substantiated by more than your individual experience.

Good luck in whatever path you choose, and I hope that you have a much better experience in the future with no complications.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

I will freely admit the band is not for everyone. It is not a set-it-and-forget-it surgery that many people think it is or actually need. It's worked for me and I've been happy for almost 5 years. But I've literally worked my ass off to make it where I am today. Will I always be happy with it? Who knows. So far it was a good decision for me and I have to work continuously to make it successful. The lap band does take more work, in my opinion, than other surgeries and I have seen many clinics/hospitals do a poor job of educating their patients on the lap band and the lifestyle choices that make it successful which is a shame.

[lellow 1,713]

I have to agree with Megan. I've had a 14cc band for 10 years and have lost nothing. I've been working with my surgeon and a nutritionist. The surgeon has almost stopped doing bands as they do not work as they thought. More banded people have been going to other methods. The band just isn't as good as was once thought. More people need to be aware.

But I HAVE lost. And so has many thousands of other people. I'm not sure how you not losing means that the band doesn't work. Can you please expand on that?

And can I just say I read ALL the complication posts. Because I'm not at all resistant to hearing about possible complications. I like being aware. But you can't MAKE me say band things about the band when I'm not experiencing bad things. It's like saying 'men are pigs and will cheat on you, and while you think you have a good man, just wait until he cheats on you, because he WILL cheat on you."

Umm, how about you treat me like the responsible, capable person I am and allow me to weigh the (so far considerable) benefits of my choices with the risks they pose? Everyone should be doing that. Everyone.

But both sides of the story should be told too. And every time I come in and say 'oh look I don't have pain, I lost all my weight, I did great with the band" i get this "you just wait, you're going to find out soon' rubbish. Except I have NONE of the problems that people talk about when they suffer these types of complications. Seriously, I accept that you have complications, can you not accept that the band has and continues to work for me?

[hnladue 7]

I'm glad to hear there are many that the band has worked for. When I joined this forum many many years ago the band was still new and there were a lot of people that had success with it. But as they years have gone on, not as many are having success. Again it's a personal experience. The band has not worked for me and I won't go into the details as that's between my dr and me. He is the one that has declared that it is not working right. Not me. I still haven't given up on it. But he has stated that the band isn't what they thought it would be and they are not doing as many bands anymore and are doing more and more revisions. I would hate to see newbies come to this site and see all rainbows and sunshine like I did when I started here. Both sides need to be shown. But again, I am glad it is working for some!!! It's good to hear and I congratulate you all!

[Mrs. Curtis 42]

I have to say that I think the band is not for everyone. My band adjusts with my body so every day is different for me. My father on the other hand had the band and is down 100lbs. My port sits at a tilt, makes it hard to get fills and my father is in and out in seconds as his is just in the right direction as it should be. I think there will always be good and bad with each persons adventure with the band.

[MikeFromNY 14]

I will be banded in 10 days. I've done a ton of research and have spoken to people that gave up on their band. The vast majority of those that gave up on their bands were non-compliant, never followed through with office visits, never got past their psychological bond to over-eating, and basically had unrealistic expectations of the effectiveness of the band under those circumstances. Yes, there were a few genuine cases of bands needing to be removed due to complications but those were dwarfed by the number of success stories. For some one to go years and years and state that they didn;t lose any weight is just plain foolish. It just goes to show that your food choices were poor and your effort to exercise was minimal, and you lack the motivation to change that. Good luck with the sleeve, but be aware you can sabotage your efforts with any WLS as you already know.

[carol285 145]

I think there are risks and/or complications with ANY surgery, weight loss/cosmetic/medical treatments/experimental treatments etc. There are too many variables in the human body (genetically & mentally) to say that complications or damage WILL ALWAYS or WILL NEVER happen. As the mother of a child with Autism & living the hot debates on causes, effects, cures etc, the in fighting when one person doesn't believe this approach or that approach. It gets ugly & completely not needed!! What the heck is wrong with just being informative about your personal journey BUT not telling others they are kidding themselves? Again no 2 peoples body & mind are the same so no 2 people will have the same exact results. That is the beauty of there being multiple surgical options for people who choose this route as well as multiple diet plans for people who do not. I for one do not want to be told never, I want choice along with information. We are all on a personal journey & being frank some will have horrible complications & some will have none, some will not see good success even with good effort & some will see amazing success. My wish for everyone is success with whatever option they choose even if NO especially if it isn't an option I choose because you know what I have no right to choose for anyone else but myself.

So live long, be healthy, be happy each and every one of you & good luck on you journey!!!

[atroglet 29]

Wow... didn't those 4cc / ten year old bands pave the way for our "new" & "modern" bands!

Shouldn't we be slightly interested in any & all complications for "future reference" and education?

Note to self.... never ever ever ever ever ever ever post anything about a bad experience on this forum... geez!!

-I just felt like I witnessed a slaughter-

I'm a newbie and reading these brutal replies to someones post is the only scary experience I have had thus far! WOW

Amen, sister! I found out the hard way by posting my story on here and unless it's positive - forget about it!

I wonder what makes all these people so defensive. They have success on their side but have to bash anyone that didn't have a positive experience! So sad!

As I was told you must just be doing it for the "I'm sorries" I get. Ya okay! Good luck OP on your sleeve!