Does something have to be wrong with you band to get it removed?

So I was just wondering if something had to be wrong with your band to get it removed? I get filled and its either Im to loose or to tight. I have heard that for some people they never get restriction and Im thinking after almost two years I just might be one of those people. I just dont see the point in having it inside of me if its not working not to mention I read on hear about some of the problems they cause people and its pretty scary i dont want to wait until something goes wrong and then have it removed. It doesnt work for me I would rather have it out now. Its bad enough I have to look down at my stomach and see the scar that reminds me that this didnt work. I just wonder if my insurance will cover taking it out just because I dont want it in.

Amber, you've been banded for 2 years and how much weight have you lost?  I was banded for 5 years and never found my sweet spot but I did lose 92 pounds.....only to have my band removed and gained most of it back. 

Tell me a little more about your weight loss and whether or not you've had other things that you might be concerned about and I'll post again later.

LaWanda

why did you have your band removed? 

Karen....errosion?  I'm so sorry to hear that.  I know a few people who've had errosion and in one person the surgeon kept telling her there was no problem and when he did find it, he had to remove part of her stomach because it had died.  I saw the pictures for the surgery.  Not a pretty picture.  I'm sure hoping that is NOT the situation you've had to deal with.

As for me......I had a port infection and had the port removed in the doctor's office.  No big deal.

I had to let my body heal for 6 weeks.  Because I was now in  new year, my insurance no longer covered wls and I had to appeal.

I was a year out when I had the port removed.  Three months later it was put back in on the other side.  I gained a lot of weight without my "crutch".

Four years later, the tubing protrouded thru the incision above my belly button.  No, I didn' tknow that could happen and nobody I saw for care had ever seen that either.  I changed surgeons and he said he'd take out the tubing and put in a new tube.  He said he may have to remove the port if it showed any infection.

When I woke up, I found out the surgeon CLEANED the tubing and put it right back in but he did remove the port.  Now I'm worried about the tubing just floating around in there but the fact that the incision where he pulled the tubing out to clean it....well, that stayed infected for 10 months and that became even more concerning.

I saw the surgeon regularly until we got to th epoint of my paying the copay and him taking off the bandage and putting on a new one while he told me all was well.  Uh, apparently, it wasn't.  He had to reopen the incision in his office one day so it would drain as it was closing and the red appearance, swelling and fever at the site wasn't a good thing.

So, before too much time went by, I knew I'd never have the port put back in.  I've had a port on each sign of my bellybutton and I'm almost afraid to think where they might have to put the next one. 

I'm done with banding but I've seen lots of people with every different type of bariatric surgery.  I've seen wonderful successes and I've seen the total failure when all the weight is gained back. 

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt you have to have your head in the game.  Right now, I don't have my head in the game as the depression from the whole situation has completely engulfed my life.  I gotta solve one problem at a time and right now the weight loss issues is secondary to the constant sadness.

LaWanda

Amber,

I doubt that your insurance company would pay to remove your band solely because you don't want it any more. Your surgeon would have to prove that removal is medically necessary.

Although the adjustable gastric band is removable, removing it is not as easy as it might sound. It's not like unclasping a bracelet to take it off your wrist. Your band was sutured to your stomach and has since then settled into a nest of organ tissue and scar tissue. So your surgeon would have to be very, very careful in order to remove it safely and not cause damage. I know of 2 bandsters *****cently had their bands removed (by different surgeons in different locations). The procedure resulted in perforations of the stomach in both patients, with a lot of bleeding so that one patient had to be hospitalized and fed intravenously for a week and the other one died.

So if I were you, I'd leave that band alone for now. Also, I want to offer you a few rays of hope. Looking back at my 4-year WLS journey, I feel that I lost 100% of my excess weight long before I ever got close to the mythical "sweet spot." It wasn't until after I had my band completely unfilled, then gradually re-filled (to treat a band slip) that I realized what an amazing help my band is.

Jean

well thats sounds pretty scary! but dont alot of people get the band out for revisions? Im not so sure I would say it was medically necessary as far as physically but mentally Im starting to think its very necessary to come out. I have always been one to obssese over my weight. But now its way worse than it ever was before the band, to the point of really bad depression. I mean before I was just over weight and I mean I had days that I was down about it but I was a pretty happy person even over weight. BUT now my weight consumes me and its all I can think about. Its one thing being over weight its another thing still being this over weight after WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!  I dont even see alot of my friends anymore because whats the number one thing you constantly get asked after surgery???? how much weight have you lost....and the embarrasment is just a little to much. I recently went and got on some depression medicine but got off shortly after because I would like to have children in about 3 years when im done with school and there has been alot of stuff that concerned me with taking. However before my surgery depression meds would have never even crossed my mind. And Please Please dont say that I shouldnt be concerned with what other people think Im 23 years old im in college and most of all im human everyone cares what other people think. I have started walking at a trail near by my house for about 2 weeks now and hour a day with my fiance. I just want to feel some kind of restriction. I want to eat a cup of food and feel satisfied for hours is that not how its advertised?

I am very sorry to hear about the complications and death associated with the band removals for the people Jean was referring to...that is scary.

While revision surgeries do carry a higher risk than virgin WLS, you are also right in that lots and lots of people have their bands removed. I had my band removed and my revision done in the same surgery and was lucky enough to have everything go smoothly. Sometimes the band causes such damage that there must be a waiting period between the removal and the revision in hopes that the stomach will heal. Just find a surgeon who is experienced in removing bands.

I wish I had some advice regarding moving ahead to have the band removed. Of course, there is always self pay, but I know that is difficult for a lot of people. Have you had any fills under fluoro? I am not 100% sure about my own cir****tances actually (I hate to write that, but I was so happy to be getting my band cut out, I didn't ask as many questions as I should have), but I believe I had a slight pouch dilation noted on fluoro and this may have been used to help get my revision approved.

I also just want to commiserate regarding the feelings of depression/embarrassment following lack of weight loss after WLS. I had this same thing. I lost about 65 lbs in the first year with my band and then spent the next couple of years gaining back everything I lost once I began to have complications.

It is very hard to place so much hope on and put so much effort into the band, only to have it offer no help and leave you struggling just the same as pre-op. Friends and family do not understand how this can be and it can be difficult to keep explaining. Especially if they know some other bandster who was able to get benefit from the band.

My family knows of one other bandster who was able to go from, I believe, 400+ down to about 300. I would always hear about how well his band worked and blahblahblah. And although I realize he has accomplished quite a bit, I would hardly say that his band has gotten him to his goal (and I don't know this guy personally, so he may very well be elsewhere at this point).

Anyway, it is embarrassing and I'm sorry you are experiencing it right now. The band has a high rate of failure and if it is of any consolation, your experience is not uncommon.

I hope you are able to find a way to revise. Once I got a WLS that worked the way it was supposed to, I was able to enjoy a lot of success and it also helped me shed that shame I had internalized from the lap band's failure.

Best of luck,
Lindsey

I just wanted to say thanks because it feels good to talk to someone who actually understands how Im feeling. It has been really hard on me sense I got the band. I would truely rather have back the 40 pounds I have lost in these two years then all the depression and embarrasment it has caused me. I wish I had the self control to not over eat but thats like my biggest issue! Im not really sure if I would have a revision to another surgery. I chose lapband because I thought it was the least invasive and I heard that if you havent had children yet or are planning to have more that its the safest. My aunt got gastric bypass the same time I got mine and she was over 400 pounds and she is at her goal of 150. But she has lost some of her hair and has had a few other problems. Also I never really did any reasearch into the sleeve but I know its a newer surgery kind of like the lapband was and Im just scared to revise to it and it not work for me either. Right now my plan is to just try and go the old fashion way for a few months and try and work out and eat right. My biggest issue is portion control and with no help from the band its going to be tough but im going to try. I just recently changed majors and schools so I have been out of school for the past 6 months and I dont work so I dont think staying at home all day everyday has helped the situation. Thankfully I start back in January and Im planning on going to do laps everyday after school at the pool at my gym (swimming is my favorite excersise) have been overweight sense I was 13 years old and it has held me back from so many things joining the swim team, everytime I like a guy I always ended up trying to set them up with my friends because I thought they would never like me in that way. Now Im 23 still overweight and yet again I dont go do the things I want to do because of my weight. Go to amusment parks. I live 5 minutes from the atlanta braves stadium but I never go because the seats are so small. My friends go out to clubs but I have always been embarrased to dance because of my weight. Now the next stage of my life is coming after school marriage and kids and I DO NOT WANT MY WEIGHT TO AFFECT THOSE THINGS AS WELL!!!! I want to be an active parent. Im in school to be a high history teacher I dont want to be crying in the dressing rooms because I cant find any work clothes. I have to lose this weight I dont want to be 40 and saying these same things. Well thanks for listening just writting this kind of encourages me. I hope you do great with your weight loss and your revision!

I'm a few years older than you and I can completely understand everything you're saying because I have lived through college overweight as well and have missed out on similar experiences because of my weight.

You have to be ready for WLS and there is nothing wrong with giving it the "old college try" on your own again. In fact, I did this too (said almost the exact same words to my surgeon, who said the words "old college try" to me that I just passed on to you, lol), except I didn't do it very well and ended up actually gaining a lot of my lap band lost weight back. But, oh well.

The sleeve is "newer" for WLS, I suppose, but it has been done for many, many years for cancer treatment. For me, my sleeve has worked like I thought the band was supposed to...I have consistent restriction and no food intolerances, I just get satisfied quickly. I do try to follow a low carb diet to try and get in all my protein throughout the day, but there is nothing that I can't physically eat. I have never vomited with my sleeve. I can eat whether its morning or night...summer or winter...on an airplane or in a boat, etc. etc.

Oh, and I've lost almost 115 lbs in 10 months and am now 9 lbs above a normal BMI. I've gone from a size 20 on top to a 10 and 22/24 on the bottom to a 12....so far. I can shop in regular size stores for the first time since I can remember. And plane seats actually feel roomy now.

Despite that last paragraph, I'm really not trying to talk you into a revision to a sleeve! lol, But, I do want you to discourage you from internalizing the failure of the lap band. It doesn't work for A LOT of people. A LOT. I bet if you check out the VSG board, the RNY board, and the DS board, you will lots of people who did not lose weight with the lap band but went on to great success with their revision types.

Don't let the lap band scare you out of WLS, please. It's the least effective surgery type. It does not mean for one minute that you wouldn't do well with another surgery. So, try it on your own, but if that doesn't work, don't count yourself out just yet.

As for the pregnancy thing, we have a very successful VSGer on the VSG board, USAF Wife, who will be delivering in just  a few weeks and she posts updates on her visits and progress and the baby couldn't be healthier.

Another odd thing...swimming is my favorite exercise too! I swim 2x a week with a good friend of mine. I have to get up at about 4:15am to do it before work and I must be crazy because I do! lol Swimming is great exercise and I know you will be feeling a lot better when you can get back into a routine.

Best,
Lindsey

Of course people get the band removed for revisional surgery, usually after they've had enough problems or complications to warrant a revision.