Another one bites the dust

[DJV22 0]

Hey everyone. I don't post much (or ever?), but I have lurked here off and on for a while. Truth be told, I could never remember my sign on name/password when I felt inclined to post...so I never did. LOL

Just wanted to chime in and let ya'll know that I had my band removed on 6/30 after over 7 years with it. Bittersweet for me, but absolutely necessary.

Long story short- I tried. In the first year I lost 60 pounds (which was 20 pounds from my goal), but I did that mostly out of pure will power and fear. I was terrified to test the limits of my band because I was self pay and didn't have a very good or convenient follow up doc. The closest band surgeon who would see me was about 3 hours one way and either $200 or $600 (depending on fluoro). My trouble began when I decided to actually put my BAND to work and start getting fills. I had (gosh that's weird to say) the larger 9cm (11cc) band and turns out it was very tricky to get the right fill level. I teetered between too tight and too lose and going broke for about 2 years.

Then I decided about 4 years ago to have my band completely emptied. I needed time to reevaluate and let things calm down in my poor tummy. The problems got worse, the vomiting (pbing) got worse and I was not losing a single pound no matter what I did. I had a fill doc, but not a real "follow up" doc....if that makes sense.

I did give up for a couple of years and put weight loss on the back burner, figuring it would be there for me when I was ready to focus more on it. I got married, bought a house and tried several times to refocus on making the band work. But it seemed the more I tried and the more tests/fills/follow up I received the worse things got. In those 7 years I had 3 endoscopies, a couple of upper GI's and I think about 8-10 fills/unfills. I probably spent a good $2000 on trying to make my band work (and about a gallon of barium and way too much radiation)... I just couldn't do it anymore. Even when it was "empty" I struggled with eating. The unpredictable nature of the band is the most frustrating part. One day I could eat chicken, the next I couldn't manage to get down Water. I could never tolerate rice, eggs, many fruits and so many vegetables. I was a much healthier eater BEFORE the band. I also was not lactose intolerant before the band and became so within the first year (could be coincidence, but I don't know). My food options were getting less and less as time went on and I felt my HEALTH was in jeopardy. I honestly felt like I was consuming the calories, but not the nutrients because most of what I ate came up and out.

I have seen the inside of every toilet at every restaurant I have ever eaten in and me and my toilets at home are very well acquainted. I can deal with the "side effects" of the band if I was actually losing weight. But alas, over the course of trying to make my band work I gained almost all of my 60 pounds back and still suffered....for no reason. I don't blame the band entirely, but it definitely did it's fair share of making things difficult for me.

Finally found a surgeon who would spend some time with me and ultimately (but very reluctantly) remove my band. He did determine my band had slipped slightly, but he also told me he thought my band (the 11cm) was a piece of crap. That sealed my decision to have it removed.

I am a week out from removal and only drinking liquids and eating mushies in small quantities. I imagine my stomach will take some time to heal after the 7 years of trauma I did to it.

I just have one question for those who have had their bands removed after a few years...

Did you forget how nice it was to burp from deep down? I am a belching machine since removal and it feels good to have a REAL productive BURP. I feel like I have had gas bubbles waiting to come out for 7 years. I honestly can't eat much without feeling gassy, bloated and full. I hope this is temporary, I just want to feel normal again!

Anyhooo,

I posed this for anyone who is researching or interested in how things can go wrong. I do not regret trying the band, I made a decision I thought was best for me. It didn't work out, but I learned a lot. I do regret the over $11,000 I spent on the band and now the only thing I have to show for it is a scarred up tummy. :tongue_smilie:

Best advice for anyone of you reading this....find a good surgeon who believes 100% in proper follow up! And be realistic about that follow up. Make sure you can afford it - time wise and financially. It's a long term investment. Oh and be prepared to never know meal to meal what you might not be able to eat. :thumbdown:

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

DJV, you may not post much - but when you do, at least it is worthy! Thank you so much for your insight. If only I had read into more of the "complications" section, I think I might have not ended up getting the band.

I have struggled for majority of having the band. It's so difficult to know what I can eat at that very moment and what I can't. I used to love to eat healthy food, I just ate too much of it. Now I find it so cumbersome and painful to eat it, so I became addicted to "slider foods". I gained almost 30 Lbs back doing that!

I'm finally breaking those habits, and getting back to doing the right thing. However now I drink with every meal (fruit juices because of the acidic effect to break up solids) so I end up eating more than I should. It's still less than I would have before, but alas - its still too much.

Whatever. I'm starting to lose again!

Best wishes in all you do. :tongue_smilie:

[DJV22 0]

Thank you. Btw - name is Jennifer

Some of you might know me from over the years, I've been around these boards for a while :tongue_smilie:

MissDiva,

What you describe is SO common. I think avoiding "soft food syndrome" or resorting to foods that don't cause problems is one of the most difficult aspects of banding. Who wants to be in pain? Who wants to throw up? It doesn't take long to figure out the foods that don't cause you grief and yep, they are usually high calorie and CRAP. My beef with that aspect of banding is that even when doing everything right (chew chew chew) I would have pain pain pain when eating healthy foods. chicken needed "lube", vegetables were very tricky and fruit pretty much impossible. Not being able to eat Breakfast was wearing on me also.

But I'm glad you have found ways to make it work for you. With the right band, the right follow up and the right determination it can be such a great tool.

Another thing I wanted to add to my "complication" list is ANXIETY. I suffer from generalized anxiety (thanks Dad) and I fully believe this should be something that is discussed prior to banding. Anxiety effects so many aspects of life and eating is not excluded. Banding made this WORSE. I would feel my insides tighten up when trying to eat, almost like I was bracing myself for the pain. And I would get esophageal spasms with the first bite or two of food, making it worse. I know this sounds strange, but sometimes I think anxiety is one of the main reasons the band didn't work for me.

[greytz 4]

DJV22, I am so glad you wrote about your experience and did not sound so completely disgruntled just honest. I appreciate that very much. I am newly banded 06-19-09 and will have my first fill tomorrow. The reason I am posting to this thread is two-fold. I so agree with you about the surgeon and follow up care. I am one of the lucky ones and my insurance pays for my fills except for the co-pay which is only $20 bucks. I spent a long time choosing my surgeon and I feel very fortunate to have her as my follow up doctor. She and her staff have been wonderful and I appreciate them so much after reading some of the horror stories about doctors on here. The second part of my post is about anxiety. I too have suffered from anxiety and at times have to take medication. It is one of the things that my surgeon covered really well before my surgery. I was required to have a psych eval and the psychologist I chose who was a part of my surgeon's network, allows me to revisit anytime I want which is great. I believe it is a very important part of the process and should not be taken lightly. Thank you so much for allowing us into your bandworld experience. I know it has been painful for you and I am so sorry it did not work for you. I hope I am fortunate enough to have a better story down the road.

[Nanook 2]

DVJ22,

I had my band out for about 8 months before I revised and don't remember a lot of gas. I do remember feeling the food/drinks going down to a much longer stomach and than before and remembering how weird that felt after 14 months with the band.

Anyway sorry you had so many issues I always worry about you self payers as there can always be comps that make things financially difficult. Anyway hope you're feeling better now and take care, Nancy.

[SUEB55 0]

I believe I am the only one in history to be getting her lap band out so quickly. Mine will be coming out this Thursday - 5 weeks after surgery. I am miserable, and should have had a psych eval, because my anxiety level is through the roof. I hope I can get myself back soon!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Hey everyone. I don't post much (or ever?), but I have lurked here off and on for a while. Truth be told, I could never remember my sign on name/password when I felt inclined to post...so I never did. LOL

Just wanted to chime in and let ya'll know that I had my band removed on 6/30 after over 7 years with it. Bittersweet for me, but absolutely necessary.

Long story short- I tried. In the first year I lost 60 pounds (which was 20 pounds from my goal), but I did that mostly out of pure will power and fear. I was terrified to test the limits of my band because I was self pay and didn't have a very good or convenient follow up doc. The closest band surgeon who would see me was about 3 hours one way and either $200 or $600 (depending on fluoro). My trouble began when I decided to actually put my BAND to work and start getting fills. I had (gosh that's weird to say) the larger 9cm (11cc) band and turns out it was very tricky to get the right fill level. I teetered between too tight and too lose and going broke for about 2 years.

Then I decided about 4 years ago to have my band completely emptied. I needed time to reevaluate and let things calm down in my poor tummy. The problems got worse, the vomiting (pbing) got worse and I was not losing a single pound no matter what I did. I had a fill doc, but not a real "follow up" doc....if that makes sense.

I did give up for a couple of years and put weight loss on the back burner, figuring it would be there for me when I was ready to focus more on it. I got married, bought a house and tried several times to refocus on making the band work. But it seemed the more I tried and the more tests/fills/follow up I received the worse things got. In those 7 years I had 3 endoscopies, a couple of upper GI's and I think about 8-10 fills/unfills. I probably spent a good $2000 on trying to make my band work (and about a gallon of barium and way too much radiation)... I just couldn't do it anymore. Even when it was "empty" I struggled with eating. The unpredictable nature of the band is the most frustrating part. One day I could eat chicken, the next I couldn't manage to get down Water. I could never tolerate rice, eggs, many fruits and so many vegetables. I was a much healthier eater BEFORE the band. I also was not lactose intolerant before the band and became so within the first year (could be coincidence, but I don't know). My food options were getting less and less as time went on and I felt my HEALTH was in jeopardy. I honestly felt like I was consuming the calories, but not the nutrients because most of what I ate came up and out.

I have seen the inside of every toilet at every restaurant I have ever eaten in and me and my toilets at home are very well acquainted. I can deal with the "side effects" of the band if I was actually losing weight. But alas, over the course of trying to make my band work I gained almost all of my 60 pounds back and still suffered....for no reason. I don't blame the band entirely, but it definitely did it's fair share of making things difficult for me.

Finally found a surgeon who would spend some time with me and ultimately (but very reluctantly) remove my band. He did determine my band had slipped slightly, but he also told me he thought my band (the 11cm) was a piece of crap. That sealed my decision to have it removed.

I am a week out from removal and only drinking liquids and eating mushies in small quantities. I imagine my stomach will take some time to heal after the 7 years of trauma I did to it.

I just have one question for those who have had their bands removed after a few years...

Did you forget how nice it was to burp from deep down? I am a belching machine since removal and it feels good to have a REAL productive BURP. I feel like I have had gas bubbles waiting to come out for 7 years. I honestly can't eat much without feeling gassy, bloated and full. I hope this is temporary, I just want to feel normal again!

Anyhooo,

I posed this for anyone who is researching or interested in how things can go wrong. I do not regret trying the band, I made a decision I thought was best for me. It didn't work out, but I learned a lot. I do regret the over $11,000 I spent on the band and now the only thing I have to show for it is a scarred up tummy. :tongue_smilie:

Best advice for anyone of you reading this....find a good surgeon who believes 100% in proper follow up! And be realistic about that follow up. Make sure you can afford it - time wise and financially. It's a long term investment. Oh and be prepared to never know meal to meal what you might not be able to eat. :frown:

OMG I could have written most of that! I soooo relate to knowing the inside of every toilet in every restaurant.

I was on liquids for 4 months before I finally couldn't take it anymore and revised to a sleeve.

I have to say, even with great follow up care (I had very good follow up care) I don't think the band is going to last anywhere near a lifetime in anyone. (

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

It's really too bad that more people don't read this section of the board and consider the sleeve. There are more and more people with band complications and try to live with it when the sleeve works just like a band is "supposed" to.

There is no comparison to living with the sleeve and living with the band.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

It's really too bad that more people don't read this section of the board and consider the sleeve. There are more and more people with band complications and try to live with it when the sleeve works just like a band is "supposed" to.

There is no comparison to living with the sleeve and living with the band.

I'll have to agree with you there, and I don't even have the sleeve! (Not yet anyway... LOL [of course that's wishful thinking at this point])

I was watching the newest Big Medicine and they did a sleeve gastrectomy on a very large woman. I haven't watched all through it yet (on DVR) but I did see to the point where the young Dr. Davis was spelling out all the advantages of the sleeve. It's basically as successful as the gastric bypass, just without any of the harm of one. Who can argue with that!! :thumbdown:

[Headhunter 6]

It's basically as successful as the gastric bypass, just without any of the harm of one. Who can argue with that!!

As I usually do when i see something like this, i've gotta pop in and point out that the Bypass and the Sleeve are meant for DIFFERENT types of people and different eating disorders. It's not a simple matter of choosing one over the other.

And as far as the "harm" part, well....there can be "harm" with ANY of the surgeries. If you choose a surgeon that is WELL EXPERIENCED in the procedure you have chosen, and if you stick to the protocol, you will most likely not be "harmed" at all. Except for the band....because it's a foreign object and is, by it's very nature, more prone to diffculties.

I bring this all up (again) because I do not want anyone discouraged at picking a procedure that is RIGHT for THEM based on assumptions and info that is not entirely correct.

Again - different procedures for different people and eating disorders, and with an EXPERIENCED surgeon and a patient who FOLLOWS the RULES, most always, everything turns out fine.

HH

[msracefan 0]

Jennifer, I have had everything you described going on the 2 years I've had my band plus port pain that my surgeon just blew off as "in my head" type thing.

Today I visited another surgeon and am having my band removed on August 18th...Thank God!! I wish I would have looked into removal a year ago, but I kept hoping it might get better.

Thank you for your post...I don't think I'm "crazy" anymore.

Jackie

[yzplnxg 0]

Headhunter,

"Bypass and the Sleeve are meant for DIFFERENT types of people and different eating disorders"

Please elaborate...

Nechole

[1234567890- 2]

I was banded a week ago and I never looked at this thread...and I am terrified about what will happen if I dont succeed. I found myself losing the 21lbs that I have lost not because I feel full off of mashed potatoes and protien shakes, but because of pure will power! Which I had before the surgery...(I lost 40lbs on my own). I am concerned however that this was just a waste of time/money/pain. I hope that my surgery turns into a positive experiance but what if it doesnt? What if I am just as fat as I have always been and I cant eat what I want at all ever? I dont think that is how I want to spend the rest of my life....

[Headhunter 6]

I was banded a week ago and I never looked at this thread...and I am terrified about what will happen if I dont succeed. I found myself losing the 21lbs that I have lost not because I feel full off of mashed potatoes and protien shakes, but because of pure will power! Which I had before the surgery...(I lost 40lbs on my own). I am concerned however that this was just a waste of time/money/pain. I hope that my surgery turns into a positive experiance but what if it doesnt? What if I am just as fat as I have always been and I cant eat what I want at all ever? I dont think that is how I want to spend the rest of my life....

Pink, You need to NOT worry about that. You need to put all of your mental energy into doing what you NEED to do to make sure that your band expereince is a success.

The fact is that Weight Loss is ALWAYS about will power. The various Procedures and surgeries just make it so that you need a little LESS will power to succeed. And often, that is all it takes.

It is true that it's very important you make the RIGHT decision about which kind of surgery to have. But once you have had it, you should not spend ANY time trying to question yourself or wonder if you have made the right choice. Only time will give you that answer. What you NEED to do is to concentrate on following the protocol laid out by your Doctor to the LETTER.

It is a fact that you will lose SOME weight with ANY of the surgeries. I've seen people who really should have had the Bypass lose TONS of weight with the Band. But, that was because they were able to overcome themselves PYSCHOLOGICALLY. The PRESENCE of the band was enough to make them do what they needed to do. It's almost a Placebo effect. And it CAN work.

So, do your best to avoid spending any time second-guessing yourself and your decision, and move forward on your work with the Lap Band. Do EVERYTHING you are supposed to do, and NOTHING you are NOT supposed to do. And the chances are that you will succeed wonderfully!

HH

[1234567890- 2]

Thank you so much...

I just needed a little pep talk I guess... I really appreciate it.

Pink, You need to NOT worry about that. You need to put all of your mental energy into doing what you NEED to do to make sure that your band expereince is a success.

The fact is that Weight Loss is ALWAYS about will power. The various Procedures and surgeries just make it so that you need a little LESS will power to succeed. And often, that is all it takes.

It is true that it's very important you make the RIGHT decision about which kind of surgery to have. But once you have had it, you should not spend ANY time trying to question yourself or wonder if you have made the right choice. Only time will give you that answer. What you NEED to do is to concentrate on following the protocol laid out by your Doctor to the LETTER.

It is a fact that you will lose SOME weight with ANY of the surgeries. I've seen people who really should have had the Bypass lose TONS of weight with the Band. But, that was because they were able to overcome themselves PYSCHOLOGICALLY. The PRESENCE of the band was enough to make them do what they needed to do. It's almost a Placebo effect. And it CAN work.

So, do your best to avoid spending any time second-guessing yourself and your decision, and move forward on your work with the Lap Band. Do EVERYTHING you are supposed to do, and NOTHING you are NOT supposed to do. And the chances are that you will succeed wonderfully!

HH