Banded 9/2001, now must be dis-banded

jacqueinTexas · August 20, 2007

I was banded 4/16/03. Weighed 240+. I got down to 150.

Once I got down to 150 which I wanted to be 138 doc said I could introduce starches again. Well that was like giving a burglar keys to the bank. I have yoyoed between 165 and 185. I had a leak Jan 06 in the tubing. He went in and repaired that. I had him give me a fill during surgery. I cannot remember how much it was but not much at all. I have had restriction on and off since then. I have been battling reflux for a while. About 3 weeks ago it really got bad. I ate dinner at my moms which I ate about 5 bites. I violently PBed to the point of extreme stomach pain. Since then I wake at night coughing from the acid. I take prilosec in the morning and drink zegrid at night. I can not eat much. Really bad in the morning, and at night. After reading your post I

think I need to get into the doc and see what is going on.

Like you though I have not gone by the rules. The absolute worst thing I did was start drinking carbonated drinks though they are diet it was still the worst thing I ever did. All you newbies don't listen to them tell you it will not effect the band. It does stretch the pouch as I had this in the past also.

Also I don't want people to think this is a bad thing. I would do it again if in the same situation. The band is an awesome tool. It is a tool not a miracle.

Once banded people should get counseling as we over eat for other reasons.

I went from over eating to obsessing on shopping. That's not a good one either lol.

One other thing any older bandsters have numerous kidney infections?

Anyhow please let me know how this turns out for you.

thanks,

Jacque

jazzey · June 27, 2008

I also wanted to mention for the benefit of those people who have been more recently banded or will be banded that this tool is something that I should have treated more carefully. I am not beating myself up here, but I really need to be honest and say that I think my own behavior contributed to my band slipping. I have had it in place for more than 5 years and after a while, complacency sets in and sometimes frustration over not being able to eat like a "normal" person. This truly is a lifelong decision and I was not as diligent as I should have been in caring for this tool over the long term. Five years of Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners and restaurant eating and being surrounded by people who don't know that I had surgery all those years ago and ask me "what was wrong with your food, you didn't hardly eat anything". I started developing bulemic behaviors and would overeat and then go purge. This was partly because I got sick of having to explain to people that I have a band around my stomach and partly because I would go into frustration mode because I could only eat 5 bites of food at a time and then sit there at the dinner table while everyone else ate like a starved football player.
So, the bottom line is that you really, really must stay diligent in not overeating/purging or gulping down large quantities of liquids and learning to manage stress for the rest of your life. I feel that these are the things that eventually contributed to me damaging my band.

Which brings me to another potential poll question: What do you tell people when they ask you in a restuarant or at a party or other dinner party type of function: "What's wrong with your food, you didn't hardly eat anything?"

My answers have ranged from the truth: I had weight loss surgery and this is all I can eat at one sitting, but the food was really good and I enjoyed it.

or: It was really good, but I just wasn't as hungry as I thought.

or: It was so good, I wanted to save some for leftovers tomorrow.

or maybe I should go with: The food was terrible and I want a refund for my dinner. I could save a lot of money this way, ha ha ha. Just kidding.

I would just say nothing is wrong with the food I have enough.I'm pretty sure nothing tste as good as being slim feels

:blushing:

jazzey

hyacinth · June 30, 2008

I am not in your situation, but I know I would regain my weight without the band, so Im pretty sure I would opt to repair repar repair....and if eventually it failed again, I'd do gastric. I just know that new habits won't overcome my cravings without the band.

Hi. Sorry to hear about your band situation. Do you know about the MGB procedure, done by Dr. Rutledge? If your insurance covered the lapband, it might cover MGB. It takes 30 minutes and is reversible,but with nothing inside your body that can get ruined. It's a much nicer, easier surgery than the sleeve, or any other WLS. Just type his name or MGB into your search bar. A whole new world will open up before your eyes! The beauty of this procedure is that you do not get food cravings like you do with the Lap and most other weight loss surgeries. It's worth looking into. Good Luck! Hyacinth

Edited June 30, 2008 by hyacinth
forgot some information

WASaBubbleButt · June 30, 2008

Hi. Sorry to hear about your band situation. Do you know about the MGB procedure, done by Dr. Rutledge? If your insurance covered the lapband, it might cover MGB. It takes 30 minutes and is reversible,but with nothing inside your body that can get ruined. It's a much nicer, easier surgery than the sleeve, or any other WLS. Just type his name or MGB into your search bar. A whole new world will open up before your eyes! The beauty of this procedure is that you do not get food cravings like you do with the Lap and most other weight loss surgeries. It's worth looking into. Good Luck! Hyacinth

Rutledge has one of the worst reps on this board as well as in the medical community. MGB was a procedure that was tried a long time ago and failed, none of the good doctors will even do that procedure because it is so dangerous. Bile can leak out and burn your esophagus. It is a very dangerous procedure and Rutledge passes it off as something safe.

Here is some info:

Loop Gastric bypass ("Mini-gastric bypass")
The first use of the gastric bypass, in 1967, used a loop of small bowel for re-construction, rather than a Y-construction as is prevalent today. Although simpler to create, this approach allowed bile and pancreatic enzymes from the small bowel to enter the esophagus, sometimes causing severe inflammation and ulceration of either the stomach or the lower esophagus. If a leak into the abdomen occurs, this corrosive Fluid can cause severe consequences. Numerous studies show the loop reconstruction (Billroth II gastrojejunostomy) works more safely when placed low on the stomach, but can be a disaster when placed adjacent to the esophagus. Thus even today thousands of "loops" are used for general surgical procedures such as ulcer surgery, stomach cancer and injury to the stomach, but bariatric surgeons abandoned use of the construction in the 1970s, when it was recognized that its risk is not justified for weight management.

The Mini-Gastric Bypass, which uses the loop reconstruction, has been suggested as an alternative to the Roux en-Y procedure, due to the simplicity of its construction, which reduced the challenge of laparoscopic surgery. However with time it has been obvious that there are unacceptable complication rate long term and it is not recommended by American Society of Bariatric Surgery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass

It has tons of potential long term complications unlike sleeves. Your info is very wrong regarding the safety of this procedure.

Edited June 30, 2008 by WASaBubbleButt