Did the BAND really FAIL????

I begin this post to say I am not looking to start (continue) an argument. I sympathize with anyone who are committed to lose weight with the band, and aren’t successful. I can’t imagine how disappointed you were, and I don’t know what I would have done in your shoes. However to say the BAND failed IMHO is an incorrect statement (unless there was an actual mechanical failure).

 

I’ve seen a lot of post concerning “the BAND FAILED". In the 4+ years with my band, I can count on one hand the people I met whose BAND actually failed. Meaning, the device was either defective, and/or they had complications (band erosion; slippage; port displacement; tubing leakage/separation; leakage, etc).

 

I will admit I have met many people who DID NOT GET THE RESULTS THEY EXPECTED using the band. In this case, it’s not that BAND which failed. The truth is the desired results were not obtained with THAT OPERATION CHOICE. It had NOTHING do to with the BAND itself.

 

Like with ANY BARIATRIC surgery, there will be success and failures. There is NO ONE BARIATRIC OPERATION/PROCEDURE which can/will 100% GUARANTEE weight loss, and/or even long-term success. If there was, then there would be no need to do any other operation. And if don’t believe me, feel free to go onto other surgery forums, you will find those distracters

 

Why someone doesn’t obtain the weight loss they desire is based on many factors. It ranges from: unrealistic goals; not following rules; not knowing the type of eater one is; Doctor’s poor pre-operation in-depth expectation explanation; Doctor’s poor post-operation follow-up; to (admittedly) NOTHING – it just was the incorrect operation choice. It’s very rare that is has anything to do with the device itself.

 

Over this past Winter Holiday season I gained about 20 pounds. Could I blame the band, of course I could. But the truth is, the band did what IT was suppose to do. I didn’t do WHAT I was SUPPOSE to do. The band WILL NOT stop a person from making bad choices.

 

I know many who will point to “research" that “PROVES" the band is terrible. But for every negative report you show, I can find positive reports. I remain steadfast, that if the band was a bad as some would lead you to believe, it would be band (no pun) from the medical community.

 

For those who suffered with the band, but are now successful because of another bariatric choice, I applaud your success, and I admire your determination and strength to choose another procedure. I am not sure how I would react. However also please remember one person’s results/experiences may/will be different compared to another. For every person who had an issue with their band, I can honestly say I have had NO issues, and have been successful because of the band.

 

Please remember, no matter where we may “stand" on THIS issue, know I am here if you need help along your journey. For me, it doesn’t matter which operation we have in order to get us healthy, the ultimate goal is TO BE healthy. 

 

Best of luck

Yes, the band failed in my situation. Because my stomach is that of a human person, the band caused extreme damage to my stomach, diaphragm, esophagus, and intestines.  It caused a hiatal hernia, reflux, gastritis and ulcers. I had none of these issues pre-banding.

Add to that, malnutrition from not being able to actually eat solid foods and voila... failed band. Big time failed band.

I had to do a MONTH LONG liquid diet pre-surgery. I stuck to it. I was determined. I was ready, willing and able. And I came out of surgery damaged, in chronic pain and unable to eat.  I should have gotten the band removed immediately because the longer it stayed in my body, the worse the damage got. But I believed all the well meaning people who told me to "hang in there, it's just 'gas' and 'it'll get better soon!' "

I believed the propaganda that it "must be my fault"... and I resent that I believed it for so long. I see this idea being propagated all the time. It's based on fear, I understand that. People want to believe that people with failed bands must have done something wrong... because that way, it won't happen to them. But, if you're a human person with human anatomy, the band will most likely cause damage. It might occur immediately or it might be years down the road. But very few people come out unscathed.

I've been witnessing failed bands since about 2003. I've watched it happen again and again and again. You simply can't go through the amount of pain I did with a band and have anything good to say about it. It's impossible and it's not something that's ever going to happen.

I don't come here to "bash" the band (although, I think I've certainly earned the right, if I wanted to)... I come here because it's hell to be going through complications and feel completely and utterly alone in them. And I see people who don't seem to have done a minute of research flying headlong into banding... and I feel the need to at least TRY to warn them of the possibilities of complications.  Maybe that makes me arrogant... or a jerk... or whatever... but I'm willing to be the arrogant jerk if it helps someone to avoid what I went through. I'd much rather be friendly with people, but sometimes being friendly isn't enough. Honesty is more important when it comes to matters of health.

I DO wish everyone well, however, no matter how I come off over a computer screen. I want everyone to live happily and be healthy.

If you can't eat solid food, your band is probably too tight

I never had fluid in my band. The band simply being there, in my body, caused my stomach to twist into a Figure 8, my intestines to kink, and it almost killed me.

The surgeon did several fills and unfills in an attempt to alleviate the pressure upon my diaphragm. If there was any fluid in the band, I couldn't even swallow my own saliva.

I lived on soup and protein shakes for 2 years. And even those things caused massive pain.

 Nic, your story is frightening! So sorry you suffered for so long! Your doctor was wrong to allow that to continue! I think your story is very valuable! The Band does fail and it often times has nothing to do with the Banders! I spoke at length with my new Lapband doctor on Thursday about this since I am now 4.5 years post banding. He said for some - the band settles in a lower position after massive weight loss. This can cause problems in the later years for those who lost very large amounts of weight. I am afraid I may have problems years later. Problems can happen and they are real. It concerns me when I read anyone getting any WLS or plastic surgery without research! We are not here to spoon feed the info. If a person wants these procedures they must research! Coming here is only a small part of that. Thank you for telling your story. 

It was incredibly frightening to go through. I know a lot of people will say that I should be "over" it by now... but it seriously screwed up just about every aspect of my life. I'm thankful to have made it through alive.


RESEARCH... you hit the nail on the head. There are so many people *****ad *a* paragraph, see one photo of someone's before and after, and proceed, not knowing any of the less than desirable outcomes.

I see several people on this board right now who are entering into this wholly unprepared. And while most of them have me blocked, I do have concern for their well being.

Thank you for being nice. I feel like I'm often misunderstood because I feel so strongly about this. It's impossible NOT to, after the experience I had. Your having compassion and empathy is appreciated.

 Nic, in my personal life I only know lapbanders who have issues after 4 years out. I think it is vital for your story to be told. I always emphasize the negative when I am counseling a Pre-op. not because I want them to be discouraged but because I want them to be aware. I get frustrated sometime when I am counseling one and they say, "oh yeah, sure." like they just do not want to hear it. Recently I talked to a group of new banders and they were angry at me for mentioning that bad things can happen the longer you have your band so you have to be diligent and pay attention to things like frequent stuck episodes, feeling tighter when you have not has a fill for a long time and reflux. It is easy to dismiss these symptoms until they are screaming at you! Not one if us came here to get a Lapband hoping it would fail or worse yet injure us permanently. We need to be kind and understanding of everyone, because we are all in this together. 

 It is not always the scar tissue. It is the settling of the band in a poor position after the weight loss. Regardless of how it is sutured in - it will reposition itself with weight loss. That is the cause if many problems further out.

 I am sure scar tissue has something to do with some issues, but a surgeon who is doing a lot of band to sleeve revisions said it is more often the band settling in a bad position after massive weight loss. I think we are talking about two different issues. I only mentioned my information so that those who have lost a lot can pay attention to their bodies and seek attention should they start having problems!

What I've been told is that every time the band is totally unfilled the band will "reset" and there are many underlying factors in this, there could be scar tissue involved to interfere with how tight the band fits around the stomach and also when someone loses a great deal of weight...like myself the band also resets itself around the new smaller stomach since most of the fat around the stomach shrinks.....

BUT....if the lap band is INSTALL PROPERLY FROM THE GIT GO....USING THE APPROPRIATE SIZE BAND...THERE ARE MANY SIZES NOW TO FIT A LARGER ANATOMY ...THE BAND SHOULD NEVER EVER GET TOO TIGHT.

If someones band gets too tight even with NO SALINE, this indicates that the surgeon used the wrong size band in the beginning OR ...another reason why the band gets too tight with no saline is lap band damage and slippage, --some people actually live with a slippage band for years that don't have proper aftercare --- some band slippages are not URGENT...it just makes the quality of life suck for those who have suffered band damage (usually from being too tight and frequent vomiting) I think people do not clarify exactly what happens in their situation and many don't know or care to know what REALLY happened...but I've been on the boards long enough to have heard why this happens...

Typically a well installed lap band can "handle" the fluctuations in massive weight loss and scar tissue issues....as my surgeon says if someone has a well installed lap band the threshold would be about "halfway" of saline needed for the sweet spot -- this way the lap band will never get too tight...if someone is too tight with little to no saline or if it takes someone to get near full capacity to feel restriction...their surgeons used the wrong size band....and unfortunately this HAPPENS A LOT...so their are various reasons why the lap band really fails...but MOST reasons are NOT mechanical as TOM mentioned it's patent's failure to exercise and follow the band diet and follow up with their surgeons with fills/unfills.