Is the lap band healthy?

[GeezerSue 7]

Geezer Sue, did you have the gastric surgery that is similar to the bypass? I can't remember the name? And I only recall a little of your story. Did you have ongoing problems with the band?

I thought I was OK until my first small fill at 17 weeks postop. I either had a delayed reaction to the fill or am ill. I've been nausea for about a week now, on liquids. I've never PB'd or slimmed. Any input on the nausea I am having? It seems most people who have too tight of a fill just vomit not get continuous nausea.

Yeah,I had esophageal problems caused by the band and which ended after it was removed.

I had the duodenal switch. www.duodenalswitch.com It leaves a bigger stomach than the RnY, and depends on more malabsorption. Long term it seems to have a higher percentage of excess weight loss.

Nausea FOR ME was the brain's interpretation of the restriction as a blockage. First, it would send slime. If that didn't clear the non-existant blockage, the only other way to do it (per the brain) was to barf up whatever was causing "the plug." That's when nausea started...when the slime didn't solve the problem.

Does that sound like what you're doing? If so, you may be a little too restricted...at least too restricted for your brain.

[health1st 1]

GeezerSue, I though I remembered you getting the DS.

I just went to see my Doc, a GP and she thinks I have a sinus infection that is draining into my stomach and might be causing the nausea. I am still trying to reach my band Doc to get his thoughts. I am doing all I can to get down 400-500 calories and Water. Just makes me nauseous. No slime. No vomiting.

Thanks for the information. It makes so much sense. Our brain really does have to adjust (or not) to a foreign object wrapped around our stomach. The band has a steep learning curve and changes so much. No matter how sick I've every been pre-band, 99% of the time I can at least eat! The good and the bad of the band. I'm losing weight but man, this is a hard way to do it.

[Jachut 487]

I think you can be lucky. I've never had ANY of those problems, never PB'd, never had a sign of reflux or anything like that, can eat ALL foods, healthy and unhealthy and have lost well. But its taken me 10 months to get to the point where I feel my eating habits have truly changed and I firmly believe there's a point of restriction which its best not to pass. Once you cant eat healthy foods you've gone too far, and I think you just have to dig deep and learn to discipline yourself not to eat the unhealthy ones, not rely on your band to do it.

I still have to stop eating before I'm completely ready, I dont wait for the band to stop me and I still have to use my willpower to avoid things I shouldnt eat most of the time, I do have the odd treat.

So I think the band CAN be healthy. But everybody's body is different and unfortunately some people dont seem to physically tolerate a band well and others just cant get a handle on their bad habits and work well with it.

[Iulizbug 0]

Excellent post Jachut!! I agree with you 100%--I think the band is perfect for some and disasterous for others. I wish there was a better way to screen people before surgery to determine who would be a better candidate for the band.

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/165/160

5'7''

[angwilliams 0]

I had my band for two years and the problem i am having is there is scar tissues around the band and it is painful also there is a perminent pain in my left shoulder. Has anyone experience these things. I was 233 lbs and now i am 190 i am very happy because i have diabetes and also high blood preasure; since my weight loss i am taking less medication. I have a hard time getting things down and also have lost a lot of hair. I just started taking a hair vitamine and also a liquid vitamine i hope this will help. I got my band 4/3/04 i am happy with my weight loss because my clothe look a lot better and my health is a lot better. Lately i find out that i am choaking in my sleep if i drink Water before i go to bed so i am not sure what is going on. I don't want to take my band out because i tried everything else and this is the only thing that made me loose weight.

[health1st 1]

ang, congrats on a long term weight loss!

I don't know for sure but I'll pass on what I heard at a lapband support meeting just last night. Someone there has had her band 4 years and she says she still gets pain in her left shoulder at times. The pain is very similar to the pain you get right after surgery when the gas gets stuck in your shoulder. Her doc told her it was scare tissue or adhesions on her diaphragm and the shoulder pain is related. Not sure how it works but she wasn't worried about it and a few others at the meeting expressed the same pain.

The choking at night might be acid reflux. I had that acid reflux pre-banding and took Nexium which cleared it up. I still take it.

Best wishes to you.

[angwilliams 0]

Health1st i guess it is a small price to pay just to be healthy i feel so much better and i am motivated to exercise; my son is 16 years old and he just found out he has diabetes and also he has sleep apnea cause by his weight. I am having a hard time getting him to eat healthy and loosing weight he weighs 284 lbs the doctor is trying him with a lot of medicine to see which one will help to get the diabetes under control but it is so hard to see him so unhealthy and unable to help him. I don't know if they do the lapband on kids his age but i would let him do it. I have a feeling he will have to wait until he is 18 years old. I hope he does not do too much damage to his body by then. If any one have any suggestion please let me know. I do have discomfort some times but most of the time i am happy that i have the lap bank

[health1st 1]

Ang, I have heard of teen-agers getting the band, I don't know what age that means specifically.

I feel for you, it is so hard to see the ones we love suffer. And we've been there so we know the pain of being over weight, physically and emotionally! Since you've been there you can be the best support for him as opposed to a "normal" weight parent thinking he is weak-willed or whatever. Hang in there.

[health1st 1]

Jachut, down under.

So I think the band CAN be healthy. But everybody's body is different and unfortunately some people dont seem to physically tolerate a band well and others just cant get a handle on their bad habits and work well with it.

I agree with you, all of it.

Which band do you have?

Time will tell and most of the time I am very happy with my band. Because I had problems early on and seem to have a real sensitivity to the band I am just hoping I am not the kind that just can't tolerate the band at all. I'm doing my best to follow all the rules. I've never pb'd. And never really slimmed except lately with the nausea I've been having, but not related to anything I ate or something getting stuck.

[momof4 0]

The band is so new here in the U.S. that the "failure" rate is still not yet known. Some people do gain weight back with bypass, but it looks like more and more people are having problems getting the weight off at all with the band.

I have had health problems since getting my band and for the first 8 months, I wasn't even thinking that it could be the band. Now, it looks like my body is going through some autoimmune type of condition, but I don't have any of the diseases (such as lupus, etc.). My doctor thinks it might actually be the band. I am getting the band taken out and am seriously considering getting the "mini gastric bypass". This has shown to have the same weight loss as RNY and the normal bypass, but the people with the MGB seem to be keeping the weight off beyond 7 years--unlike the others. It is completely reversible and if you aren't losing enough weight, they can bypass more intestines or if you're losing too much weight, then the doctor can bypass less intestines to slow it down.

I've already been to seminars on the MGB and have researched it--including speaking to about 30 people who have had the surgery (one being my neighbor). I was self pay for the band and will be for the removal and MGB, so I want to make sure that I get my money's worth this time. I did well with the band until I started getting sick. I'm curious to see if taking it out takes care of my health problems.

Tricia H

[Iulizbug 0]

Tricia,

Do you still dump from the MGB like the regular one? I am curious about it...is it safer than the RNY? Good luck to you on your removal and upcoming surgery.

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/165/160

5'7''

[health1st 1]

Mom of 4, sorry you seem to be rejecting the band. Best wishes on whatever you decide to do

What were your symptoms of the band problems?

[lljpaisley 0]

You know, I have had the band since June 2005. I have my periods of nothing wanting to go down and i certainly have foods that I can't eat. My biggest problem right now isn't with the band but with me. I find that I am eating more junk because it goes down easier than food that is good for me. Anything that totally breaksdown in my mouth - foods like potato chips, pretzels, popcorn - go down with no problem at all. I can't figure out what to eat in the mornings because even yogurt causes a problem. I have to get back to being serious.

I also had a few instances of reflux for the first time. I remedied that by taking my nighttime medications much earlier in the evenings.

When all is said and done though, i wouldn't trade my band for anything!

[deniseb 0]

Mom of 4

I researched getting the MGB too but opted for the band only because I knew of an excellent band surgeon and here in Michigan we did not have an excellent MGB surgeon at the time I was banded. I think you are making a wise choice. IMHO the MGB is superior to the band. I read it is the only WLS that affects the grhelin hormone and that is major in keeping your weight off long term. I do think your money will be well spent, just be sure you have a surgeon who has performed many of them. Good luck to you and let us know how it went.

[momof4 0]

I have been having problems with dizziness, vomiting (not PBing), and extreme fatigue and weakness. I even have burning in my joints (like an arthritis), but I've been going through testing since January of this year and I have nothing that my symptoms lead to. That's the good news.

Six months after getting the band, I woke up, got out of bed and hit the floor. I had to crawl to the bathroom as quickly as possible and vomited for the next hour. We all know that with the band, you can't truly vomit because everything is in the lower part of the stomach, so I am pretty sure I have slipped my band. My "band doctor" doesn't even want to pursue that option though. He doesn't want to have to report any complications. I have been to internal medicine doctors, General Practitioners, neurologists, otolaryngologists and they are all baffled by my condition. My lap band doctor says that people's bodies don't reject the band, but I have spoken with another lady on here whose body went through something similar and she had her band removed and the symptoms are improved. She said the longer after her band removal, the better the symptoms get.

As far as the MGB, I have been researching this all year. I have been referred to this by a general practitioner and as mentioned earlier, I have been to several seminars. The doctor I'm going to, gives out his personal cell phone number (and actually answers it), gives his e-mail address and is available 24/7. He said that he's getting more and more people with the band because the band simply requires will power and let's face it, if will power lasted forever, then we wouldn't need the band. I have spoken to 30+ patients who have had the MGB and they eat anything they want. There is no PBing, there's no stuck, there's no acid reflux, and there is NO dumping. And it's reversible!!! If you want to learn more about MGB, send me a private message and I will lead you to a web site where you can research it yourself. The doctor I'm going to is the doctor who invented the whole system and has performed 33,000 of these operations himself over the past 9+ years. Studies show that the long term results are better than regular bypass and none of his patients have gained back their weight. He has trained many doctors in this surgery and you can probably find one on his web site. Hope this helps.......

Tricia H