Dr. In My Area No Longer Does Lapband. Ugh!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Hi Essence,

Overall my sister is doing ok, the issues that she's had over the years has been, one hospitalization for ulcers, when the had to remove part of her stomach due to the staples, so she has a "Sleeved like stomach WITH staples.

The weird thing is she still can't eat that much food after 30 years, but she learned to EAT AROUND her surgery and ate sweets, and her stomach stretched back out too big to help with weight loss, if she wants to lose weight now she has to do it the old fashion way with diet and exercise.

The only negative things I've seen her do for MANY years is that when she eats, she will vomit her food, it's not like a Lap bander getting food stuck and just upchuck slime undigested food, it's REAL vomit (gross) and she gets SICK ALL THE TIME, and she says it because of the staples in her stomach, I have to be honest -- SHE VOMIT EVERY SINGLE DAY...I am not sure if this is healthy or not, but she's had to have her teeth capped twice.

I DO NOT VOMIT AT ALL with my Lap band because I don't keep it too tight and I chew well, so her vomiting seems to be uncontrollable due to the staples in her stomach.

Another negative, she will get sick with Hypoglycemia (dumping like syndrome) this is SOMETHING THAT MANY SLEEVERS get too, and this is disrupting her life, if we go out to a restaurant and eat, she can't eat certain things, and she has these attacks now every day, her symptoms, are weakness, shakiness, and feeling faint, she CANNOT work due to all this. When she gets an attack, she has to sit down and hold her head down, and drink cold Water, I asked some Bypass people what can she do to help her, she's been to specialist and they told her to modify her diet, but that is still not working, so now when she gets an hypoglycemia attack she drinks or eat some juice or Peanut Butter crackers. Also Hypoglycemia can get dangerous and life threatening if it chronic and if you have frequent fainting.

, I am being honest.

I do not recommend the band to people unless they have a good income or insurance for upkeep, and willing to change their lifestyle.

.......

Wow....I could not keep silent to this any longer. Nana....you're far from honest here. There is so much wrong with your post I hardly know where to begin. You may be a lap band expert, but you know nothing about the sleeve.

First of all, your sister had stomach stapling 30 years ago? Nothing like the sleeve. Did they target her gastric fundus? Or did they just staple it shut....then go back and remove the ulcer laden tissue? I'm guessing the later. Meaning she was not sleeved.

You say that she cannot eat very much, but that her stomach is stretched out....this seems to be contradictory. If she can't eat very much, you don't know her stomach is stretched out. Your speculating. Then you say she eats around her "sleeve" with sweets.....bingo!!! NONCOMPLIANCE! A term you love to throw at every single failed lapband patient.

Also....she vomiting her food? Isn't that called bulimia??? It has nothing to do with being sleeved...I'm sorry she's suffering with that but it's unfair for you to infer a correlation between the 2.

Lastly....hypoglycemia. You keep spreading this bullshit that so many sleevers develop hypoglycemia. I'm sorry but that's a load of crap. This is where I say you are flat lying. Completely dishonest.

It's true that many morbidly obese people develop hypoglycemia....but there is no proof that it is caused by the sleeve. Lapband patients and RNY patients can also develop it...and guess what....it's not common. To say most sleevers get it is disingenuous just because you have two sleeved friends who are hypoglycemic.

Dumping....also not common in sleeved patients. Not common at all....FYI.

And finally....the sleeve does not stretch....not often. It is very difficult to do. It takes decades to stretch a normal stomach through overeating and abusing food. To stretch the sleeve will be even more difficult because the stretchy part has been removed.

Please please quit spreading all the misconceptions and outright lies about the sleeve. Stick to what you know best which is the lapband. There are so many things about the lapband you can teach us. Stay with your area of expertise and quit spreading untruths about the other surgeries.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Butterthebean,

"You may be a lap band expert" Uh, nope!

"Please please quit spreading all the misconceptions and outright lies" Good luck with that.

[No game 14,437]

I call B.S. On the two friends...

[NaNa 878]

Stomach stapling is. It the same as the sleeve or bypass. Stomach stapling is a very old bariatric surgery that is not performed anymore. Staples in and of themselves are not the problem. For the sleeve, some surgeons don't even use staples. Some use dissolvable sutures. Some use staples for the initial closure, but suture over the staple line, completely covering it. This is to protect against leaks for the first 6-8 weeks until the suture line is totally healed. This is bet sleeve patients have a graduated diet from liquid back to solid, and this is why the (very small) risk of leaks goes down to nearly zero at the 6-week mark.

Please don't mix up your bariatric procedures when you are making decisions regarding surgery. You need all the facts.

Hello,

I am not mixing up Bariatric procedures I am well versed on all of them.

My sister had the old stomach stapling procedure also called (VBG) which was used in the late 70's to early 90's, however she also had a partial gastrectomy, (part of her stomach removed) due to ulcers, so she DOES have a Sleeved like stomach WITH staples in her stomach.

Surgeons in the US no longer perform the older stomach stapling procedure, because of the horrible long term complications, of bile reflux, (constant vomiting) and other health issues.

Keep in MIND just because a Bariatric surgery is POPULAR TODAY, does not mean they will be POPULAR tomorrow, patients are usually guinea pigs with "newer" surgical types, since surgeons don't really don't know the long term consequences or issues with them, they only find out by patients long term complications, aliments and issues.

Also, FYI, All Sleeved stomachs ARE stapled, sure some surgeon may use additional sutures, but surgeons use staples to staple the stomach. Late complications from Bypass and Sleeved stomachs can be staple line breaks and other issues, I can post these studies too if you need me too.

The Lap Band and the Banded Plications are the ONLY surgical procedures that do NOT staple the stomach they use sutures and the Plication procedure folds the stomach.

These Bariatric procedures uses Staples in the stomach:

1. Gastric Bypass (RNY)

2. Vertical Banded Gastrectomy

3. Sleeve Gastrectomy

4. DS (Duodenum Switch)

Here is a video of Dr. Alvarez demonstrating how the Sleeved stomach is stapled with Titanium Staples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRWaAlaJF8

[mistysj 1,940]

Butterthebean, a well-respected sleever with 18 months of the sleeved life, has already told you on another thread that his sleeve was sutured and not stapled. And just because your sister had part of her stomach removed does not mean she had a sleeve. First, she must still have a great deal of fundus tissue if she was actually able to stretch her stomach. There is no reason to assume that the ulcers were in the fundus or that the surgery she had created a thin tube-shaped stomach. So she had an altered stomach but not a gastric sleeve. You actually seem quite fuzzy on what your sister ended up with, which is completely understandable because you aren't her doctor. It also doesn't seem like she is complying with the protocol for the procedure or that she is particularly eager to get the facts. Of course vomiting to the point of tooth damage is not healthy and it's not caused by staples. That is a symptom of bulimia and I pray that your sister seeks help, whether the vomiting is from physical reasons or other reasons.

I haven't seen any sleevers misrepresenting the band, but you continue to spread misinformation about the sleeve. I'm sure you mean well, but please consider your "facts" about the sleeve, RNY, or other procedure you haven't had, before you state falsehoods as facts. People are here to find out about all the options and make educated decisions. Spreading misinformation could cause someone to have a procedure that they are not happy with in the long run. If you do want to learn more about the sleeve or RNY I highly recommend the books written by Alex Brecher, who founded this site. Alex is a band patient who had given excellent and objective information about all of the bariatric procedures.

[NaNa 878]

Wow....I could not keep silent to this any longer. Nana....you're far from honest here. There is so much wrong with your post I hardly know where to begin. You may be a lap band expert, but you know nothing about the sleeve.

First of all, your sister had stomach stapling 30 years ago? Nothing like the sleeve. Did they target her gastric fundus? Or did they just staple it shut....then go back and remove the ulcer laden tissue? I'm guessing the later. Meaning she was not sleeved.

You say that she cannot eat very much, but that her stomach is stretched out....this seems to be contradictory. If she can't eat very much, you don't know her stomach is stretched out. Your speculating. Then you say she eats around her "sleeve" with sweets.....bingo!!! NONCOMPLIANCE! A term you love to throw at every single failed lapband patient.

Also....she vomiting her food? Isn't that called bulimia??? It has nothing to do with being sleeved...I'm sorry she's suffering with that but it's unfair for you to infer a correlation between the 2.

Lastly....hypoglycemia. You keep spreading this bullshit that so many sleevers develop hypoglycemia. I'm sorry but that's a load of crap. This is where I say you are flat lying. Completely dishonest.

It's true that many morbidly obese people develop hypoglycemia....but there is no proof that it is caused by the sleeve. Lapband patients and RNY patients can also develop it...and guess what....it's not common. To say most sleevers get it is disingenuous just because you have two sleeved friends who are hypoglycemic.

Dumping....also not common in sleeved patients. Not common at all....FYI.

And finally....the sleeve does not stretch....not often. It is very difficult to do. It takes decades to stretch a normal stomach through overeating and abusing food. To stretch the sleeve will be even more difficult because the stretchy part has been removed.

Please please quit spreading all the misconceptions and outright lies about the sleeve. Stick to what you know best which is the lapband. There are so many things about the lapband you can teach us. Stay with your area of expertise and quit spreading untruths about the other surgeries.

Hello...

I am confused by your post...why should I lie about my sisters aliments? Anyone can just do a google search on the long term health issues with stomach stapling procedures and issues.

I hope you have a very successful and uneventful journey, and never experience the horrible side effects that my sister has.

My sister has no idea of what was done to her stomach, all she knows is that part of her stomach was removed due to the ulcers caused by the staples in her stomach over the years.

Has technique improved with the "newer" stomach stapling procedures? Sure, but again staples are still in the stomach regardless of how well the techniques has improved, so these same issues probably can occur regardless in the Old stomach stapling or the newer techniques with the Sleeve.

What I mean by my sister can't eat very much, I've rarely seen her eat a Big Burger and fries or a huge plate of food after 30 years, however, she CAN eat too much for her to lose weight with the HELP of her surgery.

What I mean by she "eats" around her surgery is that she will eat sweets and carbs because they are easier for her to digest, she can't eat most meats, they don't digest well with her stomach, I guess the reason why she's gained all her weight back.

Can she eat more than the palm of her hand in one sitting? Sure she can, in fact she can eat way more than I can when my lap band is properly restricted, however she can't eat as much as most obese people, so YES, her stomach as stretched back out to the point where it no longer HELPS with weight loss unless she diet and exercise and she CAN eat unlimited amounts of carbs and sweets, chips, etc..

My post was not about Bashing the Sleeve or Bashing her stomach stapling, it was about telling how she lives with this surgery and problems she has experienced, I only speak the truth and being honest about her experience over 30 years.

My sister is not bulimic, she has some serious stomach issues caused by those staples in her stomach, and they cause her pain too.

Sure, anyone can develop hypoglycemia without any weight loss surgery, those who are diabetic have the same issue.

Here are reasons why Gastric Bypass and Gastric Sleeve patients suffer from dumping syndrome, because of rapid emptying of the stomach due to the small stapled stomach, however Gastric Sleeve patients don't have true dumping syndrome because their pyloric valve is still intact. But BOTH procedures can have dumping syndrome.

http://www.nationalbariatriclink.org/bariatric-blog/tag/gastric-dumping-syndrome/

Here are other links and studies on Sleeve and Bypass Hypoglycemia issues long term..

Hypoglycemia in Gastric Sleeve and Bypass patient clinical trial study

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01581801

Sleeve Dumping syndrome and hypoglycemia

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22773085

Hope this helps you.

[NaNa 878]

Butterthebean, a well-respected sleever with 18 months of the sleeved life, has already told you on another thread that his sleeve was sutured and not stapled. And just because your sister had part of her stomach removed does not mean she had a sleeve. First, she must still have a great deal of fundus tissue if she was actually able to stretch her stomach. There is no reason to assume that the ulcers were in the fundus or that the surgery she had created a thin tube-shaped stomach. So she had an altered stomach but not a gastric sleeve. You actually seem quite fuzzy on what your sister ended up with, which is completely understandable because you aren't her doctor. It also doesn't seem like she is complying with the protocol for the procedure or that she is particularly eager to get the facts. Of course vomiting to the point of tooth damage is not healthy and it's not caused by staples. That is a symptom of bulimia and I pray that your sister seeks help, whether the vomiting is from physical reasons or other reasons.

I haven't seen any sleevers misrepresenting the band, but you continue to spread misinformation about the sleeve. I'm sure you mean well, but please consider your "facts" about the sleeve, RNY, or other procedure you haven't had, before you state falsehoods as facts. People are here to find out about all the options and make educated decisions. Spreading misinformation could cause someone to have a procedure that they are not happy with in the long run. If you do want to learn more about the sleeve or RNY I highly recommend the books written by Alex Brecher, who founded this site. Alex is a band patient who had given excellent and objective information about all of the bariatric procedures.

I never said my sister had a Gastric Sleeve, I said she has a "Sleeved Like" stomach, she had part of her stomach removed, and she also has staples in her stomach.

ALL Gastric Sleeves has staples in the stomach, so does Bypass patients, anyone can ask their Bariatric surgeon this question if they are not sure of what is done to them.

[Sydney Susan 333]

What are the issues with titanium staples? I have loads of them, some from VSG and others from major cancer surgery 7 years ago... I was told titanium was 'inert', and that's certainly been my experience. Clips, staples and rods made of titanium are extremely common, and although I know they are not recommended for those allergic to nickel (although their level of nickel is apparently quite low), I've never heard of anyone experiencing problems. Certainly I've never seen any information about corrosion or opening up of the staples, and I can't imagine what else people are worrying about.

Staples speed up surgery and provide more secure suture lines in situations where there is a risk of blood, bowel or stomach contents leaking through hand done sutures... they've been credited with significantly lowering the mortality rate in some operations.

[mistysj 1,940]

Butter, you did say you don't have staples, right? If so, it seems like NaNa knows more about your surgery than you do.

[mistysj 1,940]

And staples don't make you vomit. Eating too much food for your anatomy makes you vomit.

[NaNa 878]

What are the issues with titanium staples? I have loads of them, some from VSG and others from major cancer surgery 7 years ago... I was told titanium was 'inert', and that's certainly been my experience. Clips, staples and rods made of titanium are extremely common, and I've never heard of problems.

I don't have staples in my stomach so I don't know, I am not sure what type of staples that my sister has in her stomach, but I am sure the Titanium staples are probably better and improved than the old stomach staples.

If you don't have problems hopefully you will never have problems, I hope everyone stay "problem free" from all these surgeries.

I was just reporting the problems my sister has had over the years, and what I've seen her go through personally and what my Sleeved friends report, backed up by studies.

I report studies on lap band complications too, so I am not biased with any surgical type. I report any and all negative side effects of the lap band too.

[NaNa 878]

Butter, you did say you don't have staples, right? If so, it seems like NaNa knows more about your surgery than you do.

I've never heard of a "sutured" Gastric Sleeve, I can't find any cited studies to back up this claim. I've asked MANY TOP Bariatric surgeons on how the Sleeve is performed and ALL says they used staples.

If he has a "sutured" Gastric Sleeve, can he post the study and technique on this? I am curious.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

[m1aman 944]

Why would someone who doesn't have a band or plan on getting a band come to the lap band forums and argue with people?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Butter, you did say you don't have staples, right? If so, it seems like NaNa knows more about your surgery than you do.

Correct. My surgeon does not use staples. I also do not have "rapid emptying of the stomach." My stomach functions exactly like any normal stomach. It's simply smaller.