Is the lap band healthy?

[lljpaisley 0]

I am so glad you said that. I am pretty tight and for some reason junk food goes down better than even some liquids. I can explain till i am blue in the face and my friends think i am chosing junk food over other things but i swear, in the mornings, sometimes the only thing that will go down is potato chips. My theory is that chips etc, are totally smashed in the mouth so there is nothing to get stuck. This weekend, i made a wet scrambled egg and had trouble with that for over two hours.

[kwhenrykerr 0]

I have no trouble with steak, but give me scrambled eggs and I choke up. I think that I know that steak must be chewed to mush. Scrambled eggs are soft and I do not chew them enough...anyway its an idea.

[chattanoogabrat 0]

The lap band is healthy way to go, You do not hear people having anywhere near the same mortality weight as you do with other surgeries. I have worked with people or use too that did not make it through the gastric bypass. If you are barfing and sliming is it really the band's fault or is it the doctor, or are the lap band rules being followed. I would do the lap band all over even if i had to do surgery again and the pain I felt after.

[jeansk 0]

I only stopped following rules when I became desperate to get something down, Soon after I started solids at 5 weeks post-op, I started getting painful sticking and PBing. I soon discovered that junk food would go down when nothing else would. After finding this site, I discovered that many of my symptoms were common. I am tight in the mornings, and now only have a cup of hot milk .Some days even this won't go down, and I have to pour it out. Often I will have problems all day and ,therefore, leave most of my eating until evening. By then, my plans of eating healthily are difficult to follow. Also, it's difficult at the gym in the mornings when I have had little or no Breakfast. I can't drink Water while I exercise because cold water sticks in the morning.

Because of these problems, I have lost 62 pounds in the first 3 months after my surgery. And...I have never had a fill. I am going back to see my surgeon in Feb. He has never had anyone with this problem before.Just my luck.:mad:

[susieq321 31]

I am a rare person.. I have gone through just about every complication you can have with a band except erosion and I still lost all my weight.. and made it to goal and have maintained there for basically 3 years now.

My history is as follows

Banded Jan 7 02 (Innamed 9.25 rigid band)

Port flip and disconnect Feb 02

Repair March 7 02

Band Slip August 02

Defill Sept 02

Refilled Dec 02

Band Slip Jan 03

Slip Repair Jan 7 03

Band Slip March 03 During SARS and couldn't get a defill

Defilled in April 03

Band Slip in may 04

Band removal May 04

Band insertion oct 6 04, Swedish band

I know problems.. I know how discouraging they can be. I also now know that different bands react and function very differently in the body. I think there would be less issues with bandsters not reacting well to the band if the surgeons all offered all the varieties of bands giving the surgeon more options to choose from for the patients body. You would think that all the bands are designed basically the same way and would function the same way in your body. But I can honestly say my swedish band is like night and day from my innamed band. What I can and can't eat is very different, with the innamed band I couldn't touch bread or steak.. with the Swedish band there is nothing I can't eat in moderation.

And no for those out there who think vomiting is normal it isn't you shouldn't be vomiting your way to weight loss to do so is dangerous to the band and you are more likely to slip if you vomit excessively and forcefully. And I call anything I swallow that comes back up vomit.. I do not beleive in the terms PB, Slime etc it is all vomit to me. I vomit once in a while but rarely and it is usually because I am eating too quickly or not paying attention to what my stomach is saying... after 5 years I vomit on occasion but it is rare.

I still believe the band is the best option when worked with by the patient and the doctor in a consistent, dedicated and effective manner. I can say I was at a party last month of WLS patients all of us were several years out and there was many types of WLS represented including the VBG, DS, RNY and two bandsters. The bandsters were the only people who ever had reached their goal and were able to maintain the weight loss. Everyone else had never reached goal and had gained weight which I found interesting. With that said there are people whose bodies don't react well with the band and can't keep it in their bodies.

I still think other WLS options are needed and if I ever lost my band and couldn't have one back in knowing what I know now I would opt to have another WLS option right now the sleeve as per discussions with my surgeon I have had seems the best and least invasive option. I know there is some concern about pouch stretching like with the RNY, but from what my surgeon has seen with the length of the sleeve it doesn't stretch in the same way as the RNY pouch does.

Just my thoughts on the subject as someone who has been there..

[GeezerSue 7]

Boy, Heather! You have been through the grinder with your band.

But my experiences in observing which wls surgery is the most effective don't match yours. Mine more closely match what all the medical research says. A group of us--about 40-50 wls patients--got together a couple of years ago. Someone asked, "Which ones had the DS?" I--inadvertantly, because I was still banded--said, "Just look around...it's the skinny bitches." And it was.

I've been researching wls since about the time you were banded and I haven't met anyone--not one person--who had a DS and was unhappy with the way the surgery had performed. I *DID* encounter a person with a drug and alcohol problem who returned to drugs and alcohol and regained about 50 pounds, but even she didn't regain everything. OTOH, many of the banded people I know have had to have revisions and many are still MO, even after years of trying to make the band work for them.

I really think that, especially for someone who has had all the problems you have had, your success is really outside the normal range of results. But bravo to you for achieving it!

Sue

[kwhenrykerr 0]

Good comment Sue.

DS is a more drastic type of opperation. Observations and comments like you make are needed to help people do their own homework. I for one like your efforts.

[susieq321 31]

Sue,

Actually I know several people who have had complications only one is similar and as convoluted as mine but add in erosion to boot.. and again made it to goal and has been there since a few months after her second lapband was re-inserted.

The one DS person at the dinner I was at never made goal. Mind you one person is not what you judge a whole WLS procedure by, the DS is rare to see in Canada, there aren't any docs in the country doing it anymore as far as I know. My surgeon is one of the few trained to do it and he finds it to be too drastic a surgery and prefers the band, the sleeve or the RNY in that order.

Keep in mind part of my bias comes from being successful with the band, knowing literally 100's of other success stories over the years from my personal experience, and most of them are not on the net. In my province you will wait up to 7 years if you want an open RNY, the VBG is no longer an options so self paying for the band or the lesser known sleeve (again only two surgeons I know of doing the sleeve) are about your only options if you want surgery in a reasonable amount of time.

The post was for is the lapband healthy... absolutely it is healthy, I have had my Vitamins checked with my yearly physical since my first year of having it... all my levels are perfect, my blood sugar has dropped, my knees feel so much better. Overall I am what I got the band to be a much healthier person who will hopefully carry that through the rest of my life.

[cinward2001 0]

I find it sort of ironic when people measure the success of a particular type of WLS by whether or not someone achieves their goal. Yes, we all want to reach some goal weight, whether it's set by our own desires or the doc's. But the success of WLS shouldn't be measured JUST by that. There's also the quality of life to be considered and any accompanying health issues.

I used to work with an RNY patient. She was thrilled with her surgery because she was thin. Her saggy skin, poor complexion and gray, wasted look didn't seem to matter. Then, she started passing out at work. Evidently, her insulin and sugar levels were going haywire. This was a problem for quite a while...I don't know if it was ever resolved because I no longer work with her.

I recently met a DS patient. She, too, is thrilled with her surgery. She's thin and, I think, actually looks pretty good. But when she talks to people about how great DS is, she fails to mention that she's had 3 IV transfusions of Iron because she gets dangerously anemic.

At a recent presentation by a plastic surgeon specializing in WLS patients, she stressed that WLS patients *always* have more post-op problems than non-WLS patients. She said that drains usually have to be in longer, incisions don't heal as quickly, and results just aren't as good. Her practice deals mostly with DS and RNY patients. When I asked her if she noticed a difference with banded patients, she wouldn't answer because she said it'd be "controversial within the group." Of course, the group was all RNY and DS except for me. Hmmm, I wonder what she was trying to say?

I don't care how many times and ways someone tries to convince me that RNY or DS is the "better" surgery because you're more likely to get to your goal weight, I'm not buying it. Getting to my goal weight wasn't the only reason I needed WLS. I want to have a healthier life and be here for my children longer. Just reading the FAQs for DS (http://duodenalswitch.com/faq/faq.html#13) is enough to convince me that DS isn't much better than RNY. Here are some highlights:

It is true, however, that because of the reduced absorption of nutrients and fats after a distal gastric bypass, patients can experience loose stools and bad-smelling flatulence?

Well, that sounds pleasant.

However, timed-release or coated medications may not be fully absorbed after a distal bypass.

Just another indication of malabsorption.

You will need to take daily Multivitamins in order to maintain your health. You may also need extra Calcium and Iron. Extra Protein is sometimes recommended early on, just after surgery. Your doctor may require occasional bloodwork to make sure that you are maintaining the proper levels of Vitamins and minerals. If you follow these simple guidelines, malnourishment is very unlikely to occur.

I have yet to read ANY recommendations with lapbanding for "needing" to take a Multivitamin (it's always recommended for everyone), or extra Calcium or iron. No need for extra Protein or labs to check Vitamin and mineral levels, either.

The recommended daily allowance of protein for the general population is 60 grams. In order for DS patients to absorb an adequate amount of protein in our altered digestive tracts, it is generally recommended that we consume around 90 grams of protein each day.

So, add extra protein to the Multivitamin, calcium, and iron regimens along with making sure that your time-released meds are absorbed properly.

I used to be able to eat dairy products, but now they give me gas and diarrhea. What’s wrong with me?

You may have become lactose intolerant, which means that your digestive system can’t handle lactose (milk sugar).

Sounds pleasant, doesn't it?

The only thing that I have to modify with the Lapband are my *behaviors.* I have to eat more slowly, take smaller bites, and not drink with my meal. No need for extra protein, calcium, or iron, no need to worry about excessive flatulence or diarrhea, no need to worry that my labs need checking.

Cindy

[annette leyba 0]

My nephew had gatric bypass and has very wicked gas. He takes chlorophyl tablets; it helps. I was told that the band can irtate the linning of the stomach as the end of the port may rub against the stomach or other organs. How true is this?

aleyba

[kwhenrykerr 0]

If the band moves from its placed position or is installed wrong the ends of it may cause problems.

[Texassippi 0]

are the lap band rules being followed.

I'm newly banded and have never been told what the "rules" of the lapband are. Is this something general, or are there actual rules and guidelines to follow?

[mel07 0]

I researched the mgb and found that there are some concerns. This web site makes reference to them, but does not go into detail. I think any surgery, lap band RBY or MGB is a personal decision and you should research the good and the bad before you make your decision.

Good luck.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass_surgeryerns.

[marys 2]

I'm going for a consult next month re: band removal as it hasn't worked for me in the sense of weight loss - although i've not gained which is a plus. But in my mind i still have all the preband craziness around food, dieting, body image, etc plus the trials and tribulations of the having a band. It's fickle, i still pb etc. so i do understand what you mean. Believe me I want it to work and my doc prefers i keep it in and if i lost it to slippage i still would be sad but having said all that - i am leaning toward getting it out and working on acceptance in a large body. Since my guy accepts me as is i figure i could too. good luck to you.

[susieq321 31]

Mary,

No WLS will take away the crazy about the food sometimes it helps change it a bit but doesn't take it away that is a battle we all have to face on our own sometimes it is easy sometimes it is hard, good luck with whatever you decide