Tell Me the Bad Stuff

[monicapv 0]

Please - be honest - be brutal - be gross if you have to (anyone whose ever taken Alli knows what gross is). Why shouldn't I get this done? What aren't all of you telling me? I want to be as well informed as possible before I do this and I NEED to know! Help me help me.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I am glad I got my band; there's not a thing I would post to dissuade you. Are you just trying to get balanced information? Or do you WANT to be talked out of it?

[als74 1]

We could tell you everything, but hey- if I had to shovel a ton of shit to be healthy, I would do it. Is what we tell you really going to deter you if you really need the surgery?

[monicapv 0]

It's not that I want to be talked out of it - it's more that I want to hear about the stuff I should really know. For example, I read about constant stomach rumblings and noises. Is this common? What else?

[chrisssssy 0]

Well I was banded in Sept and I dont have anything bad to say! (I am down 65 pounds) I do not have constant stomach rambling or noises. If you decide to do this, I would just recommend that you follow your doctors instructions and you will be fine! Trust me I have pushed the envelope a few times and ended up in pain or puked but it was my own fault! Good luck to you!

[gingerbug 3]

None of the nasty stuff I have to deal with even ccome close to comparing to the nasty stuff I had to deal with when Iweighted 295 pounds. I will take the chronic Constipation, the weird burping, and the sudden need to find something to spit in over the embarrassment I felt 105 pounds ago.

[plain 12]

Please - be honest - be brutal - be gross if you have to (anyone whose ever taken Alli knows what gross is). Why shouldn't I get this done? What aren't all of you telling me? I want to be as well informed as possible before I do this and I NEED to know! Help me help me.

I think the closest thing that the gastric band has to a deep dark secret is this:

It's only a tool that helps one feel more full with less food. Now, you might be thinking <shocking>, but let me explain.

Every day I see semi fresh bandsters lamenting about how they are disappointed in the band (they still feel hungry, they are still able to eat large portions, they cant....won't....blah blah blah). Her's what the band will not do:

It will not magically remove your desire to eat. If you are a compulsive overeater that tends to eat even when you are not physically hungry.....the band doesn't do so much for "head" hunger.

It will not make good food choices for you. You have to eat healthier food. A lot of newbies don't want to hear this......a lot of them want to hear that they can still eat the same mega bad junk and lose weight.

It will not change you by itself. You have to put in much blood, sweat and tears to have success.

I'm not trying to be negative. I love, love, love my band. I just wish more people thought more carefully before they made up their mind to have one. You are to be commended for asking questions, monica.....if more people did, the success rates for the band would be even higher.

Gross stuff - the worst that it gets is what we bandsters call a "PB" (for productive burp). It is kinda like vomiting, but.....not exactly. A PB can happen if a bandster eats too quickly, or doesn't chew well, or eats too much, or eats a food that their individual band doesn't agree with (things that are difficult to get through the band vary greatly from person to person).

Sorry about typing the novel-length response to your question....guess I'm a little bored, LOL. Good luck with your research and on your weight loss Quest, Monica!

[FrogStar24 0]

I'm fairly new to my band, about 5 weeks in, just had my first fill a couple of days ago.

The only bad thing I'd say is that sometimes it's freaking hard. I had a few bad days last week where I thought to myself it'd just be so much easier to be fat. I just WANT to eat a burger or I just want ice cream.

Someone wrote before me that the band is just a tool. It's true! The hard part is changing your attitudes towards food or whatever. There are some days when I want to eat for the sake of eating. That part is hard, but I've come this far and I'm the only one who will be hurt if I cave in.

I've tried tons of diets and exercises and whatnot. I feel within myself that I'm really ready to commit this time, that's why I went for the band. If you're trying to be talked out of it, or you're afraid of being in pain or missing food, then maybe you're not ready. I was in tons of pain after my surgery, but the first day that I could get out of bed by myself (about day 3 or 4) that was my first small victory! There's no time to feel sorry for yourself, though I totally did, don't get me wrong. But the vision of myself at my goal weight was stronger than the urge I had to eat everything in sight.

Good luck with your decision.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

What PLAIN said.

It's slow, it's work. I don't have problems, otherwise. I'm not constipated. I haven't vomited (yet). I don't slime. no indigestion, no gerd. No weird pains. No nothing. My hair fell out (as my surgeon said it would, no secret there) and I never needed a wig and now it's growing back. I had little pain post op, I LOVE my band. I was well read (3 books plus this site plus others plus quizzing the surgeon etc) on the band, I'd wanted it since 2002, and I have never regretted it and don't expect to.

I know I will have to choose the food I eat, and when, and how much. ALL THE BAND DOES....when I follow the rules, and eat Protein first, then veggies, and follow the rules...(very important)....I do NOT get hungry again right away. Not being hungry makes it easier to not snack. And when I'm hungry again I eat, and it happens all over again. Head hunger? I deal with it. True hunger? The band takes that one. LOVE IT

[SunnyRachel 7]

Okay. Okay. I am making a simple list here of what I thought was the worst, but like everyone else says, it's worth it to me. I'd do it again.

1. GAS!! (OMG I have so much more gas.)

2. The fear in my head I had of my first fill, even though it was just a pinch and does not really hurt... I was still scared.

3. I either did not chew well enough or ate meat that was too tough or I ate it too quickly on two occasions and felt like I was stuck. It felt like a rock was in my stomach. It was so painful. Then the slimes came and I thought I was going to vomit. I tried so hard not to vomit. That probably was the longest 10 minutes ever!

4. The gas pain in the left shoulder the first couple days after surgery was unpleasant.

5. When I woke up on the table after the surgery was complete, I felt like an elephant was on my chest and the pain was incredible. Luckily that only lasted until I got to recovery and got some pain meds.

That's it so far. I'm pretty happy. Everybody though experiences it differently, and in different degrees.

I wish you all the best!

[likebefore 0]

i understand why you want to know all the aspects of this surgery before you "jump in". I wanted to know too, especially if I was going to drop 15 grand for something that was "bogus" or "didn't work". I was banded in October, and I HAVE NEVER ONCE REGRETTED IT. I only regret not doing it sooner. There are things I can't eat without some pain, but I am fine with that. There was no gas, no pain after the surgery like I thought would happen. To be honest with you, the very hardest thing I have had to get through was not drinking while I eat. It was a habit and a hard one to break. I have lost approx. 42 pounds and feel great. What you need to ask yourself is this: Do I have enough self control to lose all my weight with this surgery or do I need something to help me? I didn't get to 300 pounds because I have self control. I needed something to help me. Good luck with your decision. I hope you make the decision to live well, whatever it is.

[Weas123 0]

I'm not going to lie, the sticking food and the puking isn't fun.

The rest is, though!

Puking aside... it's totally worth it. I would do it again in a New York minute.

[lellow 1,713]

I completely agree with everything plain said.

The worst thing about this band? It's only part of the solution.

The PBing and getting stuck is the absolute pits, but everytime I read about how people go into this thinking that it will be some magic bullet that will take away all their desire to over-eat, I get worried for them. Over-eating, for many of us, is a psychological desire, not a physiological desire, and no band is going to help with that.

I also think you need to realise that for the band to work so you will lose ALL your excess weight, you will likely have to exercise. And not just exercise, but exercise for the rest of your natural life. That was hard for me to get my head around too.

Lastly, you need to know that because you're going to live with this band for the rest of your life, you can't go into it thinking it's a diet. It's a change in your whole life, for the rest of your life. I am getting close to goal, and realising that it's not all about how much I'm losing, but how much my life has changed. The number on the scales going lower has been wonderful, but more wonderful than that has been how over time I no longer consider food my comfort, and exercise my enemy.

If you can get your head around those things, you'll be fine. :confused: The only true gross part for me is the PBing. But it's never been the hardest part of the band.

Edited January 9, 2009 by lellow

[jack&kota 0]

Okay two things.

Bathroom issues: Try to have a bowel movement within a day or so after surgery. Waiting too long is painful. After that, be aware the liquids in can mean liquids out. And sometimes without much notice (beware of what could be an innoncent fart). This does not last long luckily.

The real hard part is how hard on the process you can be. Even though I have lost half of my excess weight in 5 months which I could not have done pre-band, I still expect more. Faster results, comparing to others loss. Not because I expect it to happen without my following the plan and exercising, it just my body will hold on to weight at times without anything I am doing wrong and then let go of it at times when it seems unlikely. I can be tight and pb but still want a fill to speed things up even though I am losing. This process is not for the faint at heart. With anything in life worth having is worth working for. I guess I wish I allowed myself more grace and celebrated more what I have accomplished.

I love my band.

[TQUAD64 9]

I am two months out with the band. I am a bandbaby really quite new to it. But I have not had any problems.

I can eat all food types in moderation of course. I have not gotten stuck. I have not vomitted. I lost 30 pounds, which I love. I have tons of energy and I have lost three pant sizes. I am more active and exercising.

As far as the down side, I cannot think of anything. I just went into this journey with an open mind, realizing that it will take a team of health care workers to help me break 20-years of terrible eating habits. And knowing the band is a tool and I have to work it. :confused: