If there was a Class Action Lawsuit against the band....

[Jan Karsten 0]

Yes, I have almost died.

[lapnicky 39]

Absolutly I'd be included in the suit. I had the band for six years and had it removed and sleeved in February this year. I can eat anything I want with the sleeve and loosing. iys just in small amounts and my tummy isn't angry any longer. No throwing up every time I turned around. The band caused me terrible pain and anxiety in public places because I never knew if I could eat or have to run to the bathroom and barf. It would be embarrassing in front of clients. Sign me up!!! Allergen needs to get out of the band business!!

[boccob81 244]

I almost died with the first band it slipped so bad

[BarbCB 8]

I was never advised...I also was ed to believe that it was permanent..

[LisaNLasVegas 91]

No I wouldn't. If I did not have the band, I would be 100+ pounds from where I am now. My weight was continuing to go up and up and up. It was my tool to STOP the madness. Yes, I am getting a revision and still have a BMI of 39, but I know if I didn't get the band my BMI would be WAY more than that. It served it's purpose and now I'm ready to trade it in for a newer model!

[somsgal 23]

I almost died, too! Love the sleeve!

[codergirl 0]

I use to love my band and probably still do. But I have gone through a lot with it. I suppose we failed each other, but it failed me first. I only lost 45 lbs in 4 years and I really tried. After all of the pain,stomach bloat, and reflux that was horrible I went through....sign me up too. I cried all the way home from the Dr. yesterday because it's not working any more and I've known that for a while now, but just to hear it again and the fact that my insurance may not cover the sleeve but will cover the bypass really saddened me.

I like many more here have had persistent problems with my band to the point I had all the Fluid drained and have gained all 100+ lbs back over the last year and a half. Very depressing to say the least. My employer is about to switch from BCBS to Cigna so I'm hoping Cigna will approve the gastric sleeve or a full bypass. I'd love to hear people's experiences with getting insurance approval for this.

[Jeannette Anndaisia 10]

Yes! I would certainly join. And no! I was never told that the band was not meant to be permanent. I was told that after I reached a reasonable amount of weight loss, they would just remove the Fluid out of the band and I would eat and exercise to maintain the weight loss.

[freezepop 13]

Exactly. I just got my check from Skechers last week for 35 for the false claims they make with their Shape-Ups shoes

Lol

[manuela 11]

Yes, I would!!! I strongly believe the device itself is a failure and deceitful!!!! I only wish my dr would have allowed me to initially have the sleeve done rather then the band!!!! Oh well, live and learn!!!!!!

[Malsr 49]

I think the blame is being misplaced here. I think the majority of the blame is with the doctors not properly informing their patients and patients (us) not taking the time to educate ourselves. I have an excellent doctor that I trust. He did both my band and sleeve surgeries. He was named one of the top 15 bariatric surgeons in the country by Newsweek and he told me in 2009 when I had my surgery that he could not tell me how long it would work for me. He said that the band was fairly new in terms of the fact that no one has had the opportunity to even determine if it could be a lifetime tool since it had not been on the market long enough. He said that there was nothing to say at 50 years old I would have to get it replaced.

I had tons of trouble with my band and made many trips to the ER because of it. Do I regret getting it? Nope. I made the choice based on the information I researched and what was given to me by my doctor. I knew my eating habits would change drastically, I knew there was a chance of it slipping, I knew it may not be forever, and I knew it may not work. I took the chance and lost close to 100 lbs. It saved my life. Did it eventually fail? Yes. Would I be where I am now without it? Nope.

I think as a country we are a little too sue happy. I took the risk of attaching a foreign object to my body, a body that is unique from everyone else's in this world. I knew that my band might not work like the person's next to me. I knew that it might not work the way I wanted it to at all. I was altering my digestive system with a plastic ring. I dunno. Call me crazy, but I have no regrets. I would do it all over again if it meant getting me to the place I am now.

[KattattaK 45]

Nursebarbie, heck yeah!!! I'd be all over that law suit with all I have had to endure emotionally and physically with this thing!!! Also, everything I read prior to surgery in 2005 stated that the band was meant as a permanent weightloss device, which COULD be removed if deemed necessary. My surgeon told me the exact same thing and told me I could expect to be burried at a ripe old age with my band still in place. IN FACT, I have been fighting for YEARS to have this thing removed! Guess what I was told by 5 different surgeons? That it could not be removed because I was not experiencing any life threatening complications due to the band and that it was meant to be a permanent device. Yes. That Is what I was told until last year when I stormed into the doc's office, acting like a deranged lunatic. We got into a full-blown yelling match, him disagreeing to take it out and me demanding that it be removed because it no longer functioned and had been deemed malfunctioning. I had a panic attack and had to take a Xanax. It was such a traumatic experience. He finally threw his papers on the floor and yelled "fine!" and I was approved for band removal with a sleeve revision later down the road. I have not had it removed yet, because I don't know that I trust him to remove it or if I will wake up from anesthesia to be told I had been revised to the sleeve. A law suit would serve the companies right!! It's what they deserve in my honest opinion. So many people have suffered so much physically and mentally due to the band. It would be nice to just have it thrown out as a wls option as far as I'm concerned!

[Nychkole2 14]

I would participate in a lawsuit because I had many of the same complications as others, and then some. After having the band in for more than 10 years, I began having symptoms similar to lupus, and the doctors could not figure out why this was happening to me. I had a full blown autoimmune response where my body began attacking itself. It pushed me into Grave's disease and almost a thyroid storm. I had pain in my body all day, and it would wake me up out of my sleep at night. I was taking pain medication round the clock...and all of this ON TOP OF THE "USUAL" complications. I had the lap band removed, sleeve gastrectomy, and hiatal hernia repair on 8/5/14, and I haven't had to take my pain medication or sleeping pills since then. The sad part is, after surgery, my surgeon told me that it was a good thing they went in and did this surgery right when they did because everything was much worse than he anticipated. Those complications were NEVER explained to me, and frankly I am pissed that I went through so much with this. That was NOT what I signed up for. And yes I've done my homework, and I'm well versed in the medical field (I'm a nurse), so I knew my stuff before I got on the table the first time. What happened to me wasn't ever a disclaimer.

[KattattaK 45]

Nychkole2, oh my gosh!!!! Same here! All of a sudden, after 9 years with the band, I have these weird symptoms similar to autoimmune disorder and lupus. Crazy pain in my joints, tiredness, dizziness, unable to sleep. It has been awful. A few of my doctors have actually suggested in the past that this is due to the band and have encouraged me to have it removed. I am not looking forward to going under to have it taken out, but I know this has to be done soon if for no other reason than to see if these mystery symptoms go away once it has been removed.

[Nychkole2 14]

Nychkole2, oh my gosh!!!! Same here! All of a sudden, after 9 years with the band, I have these weird symptoms similar to autoimmune disorder and lupus. Crazy pain in my joints, tiredness, dizziness, unable to sleep. It has been awful. A few of my doctors have actually suggested in the past that this is due to the band and have encouraged me to have it removed. I am not looking forward to going under to have it taken out, but I know this has to be done soon if for no other reason than to see if these mystery symptoms go away once it has been removed.

OMG! I didn't know if anyone else had the same or even similar experience, but it was absolutely awful. It only gets worse. I learned to deal with the symptoms for a while until I noticed my hair fell out, and even the texture had changed. I went to several doctors and they implied that it was all in my head and that I was crazy. I went to a different hospital because I was getting to the point that I couldn't work any more because of the pain, fatigue, and insomnia. By the time I got to the new doctor (endocrinologist) I had been awake for four days straight and my resting heart rate was 170. That was so scary to me, and that was the beginning point of finding out that something was making my body attack itself...I think undoubtedly this was the best decision to get that lap band out of my body. I am not 100% yet since having it removed (because of all the damage that has been done already) but I feel so much better than before. My thyroid levels are basically back to normal and easier for my endocrinologist to control. I don't have pain everywhere like I did before. I just feel BETTER. That thing was poisoning me. My own mother told me that she thought I was dying before I had it removed because I was so bad off and so young...I urge you to think long and hard about getting it out of your body. Especially if you feel anything like what I've described.