Sue's Pending Lapband Removal...very, Very Long.

[desertmom 297]

Sue

The facts of the matter is that you see a huge amount of "re-operable" complications with this band...all the time....weather it is re-banding,removal,slipping,erosion..

I have been doing research because I have a lot of pain,reflux all the time...no interest in the problem from my dr's and no recourse because of where I stay....

Being part of other boards where 100's of women are enthusiastically being banded (a huge lot of them by the same guy that doesnt even want to check to see if something is wrong with me.....) because he has done 100's of operations and havent had a lot of complications only every 3rd patient suffers form reflux......point is even the experienced guys like this one has only been doing the band for the past 3 years or so.......It just seems like they are doing as much of these ops as they possibly can and no one even knows what the longterm outcome will be......but then we can always have it removed cant we.......which so doesnt make sence....

I have found that when there is a complication with the other operations it is more serious and can more often be fatal......but I see a lot less patients with complications than with the band....

The other thing is how this operation is a faliure even by very low standards.....people lose 40 to 60 pounds of 130 and then they think that is now ok.......that is not a success......it doesnt seem worth the expence or trouble or risk does it?

I keep wondering when are people and the medical world "watch dogs" going to wake up and smell the roses?

So many people think that they will grow old with this band.....I doubt that very much,but only time will tell........

When you are desperate and researching what you can do about your weight problems you are not very objective about things......

I fully accept responsibility for my decision to have the operation in the first place,after nearly 18 months of research......Only after things didnt work out did my eyes open to all I did not want to see or hear about the band......

Even now,I have lost so much weight that I am quite happy to suffer the way I am....I am on Atkins and dieting every day of my life otherwise I just dont lose weight and I cannot see my last resort as a faliure in that sense....even though my follow-up guy said we would have to remove the band around April...if that late....I WILL BE THIN BY THEN......

Dont know what to do after that but.......

Please everyone, dont see this response as only negative...this band has changed a huge amount of things in my life and I regret having it and dont regret having it.....People just need to know the upside and downside of deciding to have the band....and having problems with this band is sometimes so tyring and consumes so much of my energy and I have to think so positively to get through each day with this fire burning inside my chest and throat that when I see a thread like this I have to respond no matter what all the happy bandsters will say..

You are a brave girl and I envy you your courage to have the DS...I also have come to think that it is the most successful operation of all the WLS.

Good luck and I hope all your future plans with this works out very well....

[Anwyn 0]

Sue, thank you so much for sharing your story, and good luck with your DS. I have a question for you: When they remove your band will your esophagus return to normal over time?

[Alexandra 55]

The other thing is how this operation is a faliure even by very low standards.....people lose 40 to 60 pounds of 130 and then they think that is now ok.......that is not a success......it doesnt seem worth the expence or trouble or risk does it?

Well, that all depends on who is making the decision. The prospect of losing 30-50% of my excess weight seemed WELL worth the risk and trouble to me, as long as I could be sure there was a good chance it would STAY off. Nothing else I'd ever tried gave more than temporary success. Overall the risks of banding here in the U.S. are really quite, quite low when compared to other kinds of WLS, so there really was no contest in my mind. And the possible outcomes were all made crystal clear to me from the start.

I keep wondering when are people and the medical world "watch dogs" going to wake up and smell the roses?

I'd venture to say that the medical establishment here in the U.S. is steeped in rose fragrance, and is rather too reluctant to allow people who could benefit from being banded the opportunity to have it done. Certainly there are people for whom other sorts of WLS make sense as a first approach, but for the VAST majority of patients--no matter what the condition being treated--I believe doing the least invasive thing possible first makes the most sense.

[GeezerSue 7]

Hi, again.

Rachele! How about you looked into DS because of me, but have decided to go with it on your own? Otherwise, I'd have to stalk you all the time because I'd feel totally responsible.

Anne, generally, an unfill improves the dilatation. I think my dilatation is due to the dysmotility. Physics. (If it isn't in the stomach and doesn't come back up, it has to be somewhere.) I *THINK* the food will actually have a bigger place to land with the smaller stomach than it does with the band's "upper" stomach, but I'm not sure if that will cure the problem.

Desertmom, the "success thing" is touchy. For ME, losing about a third of my excess weight was a good thing, but it didn't stay lost without causing me complications. For others, losing half of their excess weight is fine. (I have an age factor involved here, too...if not now, WHEN?) But, you are right in that--more and more--the literature refers to a sustained loss of 50% of excess weight as a success for bariatric surgery...and I want more help than that.

But re smelling the roses...Blue Cross of California is no longer authorizing the band for patients with BMI's of =/+50. That's based on the math that a 50% excess weight loss for higher BMI people will leave them MO...and the comorbidities that exist DUE TO MO will continue to exist..which, to their bean counters, means that banding for BMI's of 50 or above is not enough bang for the buck.

Desertmom, I'm hearing that you feel that the band was a WRONG step for you, in that you are taking the "blame." STOP!! It was the FIRST step. It was a conservative effort to rid yourself of excess weight without slicing and dicing your innards. It works (regardless of who is defining that word) for a good number of people and there is no reason to be blaming anyone--including yourself--for that choice. (My DS surgeon says that so many come to him for revisions and are blaming themselves for "failing" their first surgery, whatever it was. That garbage gets in the way.)

Think of a troubleshooting flow chart. I use a Mac computer. If it gets hung up, I try to stop the procedure in progress (the diets, gyms, pills, shrinks, etc.). If that doesn't work, it's time to "force quit" the program (Band). If that ever fails, it's time to force a quit and restart of the computer (bypass or DS). Am I an idiot for not trying to quit the program (bypass or DS) at the first sign of trouble? I don't think so. I think it makes all the sense in the world to take baby steps.

Again, thanks to all for the support.

Sue

[Anwyn 0]

Sue, please don't stop posting here after your DS. You're obviously very wise, and we need your input even if your story did scare the bejeesus out of me. And you use a Mac, which always earns points in my book (DH works for Apple).

[bushbaby 8]

Wow...what insightful ladies you all are... I have been banded since it seems the beginning of time... not really... I have had no problems until now being pregnant... I never made it to my goal weight ( I stopped short by 20 or so pounds...but my focus changed... I was trying to get pregnant and now I am... I hope that my issue (reflux) is due to pregnancy and nothing more... but I am glad to hear all of the other stories. To be informed is the best that we can do... especially for those of us who have already committed to this journey. I hope that all goes well for everyone in the future and after the twins are born I will probably try to loose the baby weight without a fill... will it be possible...who knows...but my never being tight seems to be the answer to my not having problems (referring to myself only) it seems I needed help to push away... that's why I did not have the bypass... I knew I loved food and just needed a push in the right direction... Just my 2 cents

[flowers 0]

Thanks for your story, makes me wonder about myself too. I just turned 58, so you saying more problems after 50, hmmm. I was banded in Mexico, 10 cc band, but my fill doctor could only put in 1.8 cc and thought there was confusion with my band size, said maybe I misunderstood, it was 10 cc across or another size because she does 3 cc normally as a first fill and the barium wouldnt go into my stomach with 3 cc, so she took me down to 1.8 cc, which didnt give me any restriction. I can eat anything, so maybe I dont have the older age issues you mentioned?

At least you gave us something to think about. Im sorry you are having issues with your band and had to be unfilled.

I wanted to add that I went to a seminar, 8 of us I think? One had a lapband and had gained weight so wanted it removed and have bypass. The lady leading the seminar lost 120 lbs via lapband, but got reflux so bad, she too had her band removed and had by pass. I was sitting there thinking 2 of out the 9 in the room had or wanted their bands removed? I came home and cancelled my lapband surgery, it sure scared me. I later rescheduled and went thru with it, but those odds are telling.

Edited October 5, 2008 by flowers