Why are a lot of people against the band?

 I had the band and can tell you it was an Epic Fail!  Dont Do It!    Got a revision and so glad I did.

I heard someone call it the crap band...and that is so true!!  Nothing but problems with that.  The other posts say it all so I wont repeat but I wouldn't take one of those if they gave it to me for free.  I am so thankful for my sleeve!! 
I think you were meant to have the sleeve...it was a good thing you didn't follow up with that band a few years agao.

Patty

 My decision was based on the fact that after researching and talking to so many that had it therewere so many complication and issues the biggest thing was knowing that I would at some point have to have another surgery to remove  it why would you not want something permanent been trying to long up down didn't want that so went with sleeve couldn't be happier oh yea and btw you don't find too many unhappy sleeve peeps here that was big too best wishes to you on your. Journey cheers 

I created the following post in October 2010 and SINCE I've seen even MORE problems with the BAND.  And NUMEROUS folks revising.  I've READ the damage it's caused etc etc.

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While I never got the band I will tell you about my story.  I was always fat upwards to 345 in my 20's, 325 when I started researching WLS in 2006 when my mom died.  I actually saw a LapBand commercial (the greatest ad campaign I have EVER seen).  I was never ever going to get the RnY because of the fact they have a hole at the bottom of your stomach (stoma) that basically just dumps the food you eat into your intestine (where the term dumping comes from).  I have seen COUNTLESS people in my personal life and read who CAN have complication etc.  Please note that I say CAN because it's not guaranteed that anyone WILL have complication x, y or z, but they can.  Ok so I'm researching the all mighty LapBand (and that's how I felt) I needed a surgery that would HELP me the most, and I believe that I needed a surgery that would keep my stomach as a normal stomach.  Where the stomach acid helps digest and mix up my food, where my pyloric valve once the stomach was done doing it's job would open and let my food continue on the digestion road.  I wanted a surgery that would REDUCE the amount of food I could at at any one given time.

So research I did.  Now I saw the website where there is a (and I think back then in 2006 there was like a 50-60%) complication rate and you MIGHT not lose ALL your we ight but I also believe that given the right mental aspect of this surgery coupled with the restriction you can do almost anything so I kept on researching.  I came to OH thanks to a friend and well what I saw here made me nervous.  Instead of some arbitrary number on a website about complications I was seeing ACTUAL living breathing people with the LapBand who WERE having complications, some minor others not.  So I in total research mode started a pros/cons list.  I had page after page of "possible" complications with the Band and of course RIGHT next to it I had the "words/advice" of those who loved the band saying oh if you do this or do that you will NEVER suffer from these complications.  In my research I am ALREADY forcasting that I WAS going to be the PERFECT bandster.  Like someone already said I was aiming to be ONE of the LUCKY ones.  The more I researched the MORE I found people who were banded in like 05/06 with these complications and they were CLAIMING to have been "perfect" bandsters.  But STILL I did not want the RnY because of the false stomach, nor the DS because I just do not consume that much fat and I had NO medical issues.  THEN boom bam thank you Jesus a young lady on the LapBand forum asked Dr. Curry about the VSG and that her insurance (just happened to be MY insurance) suggested she get that instead of the Band.

WHAT you say girl.  There is a surgery out there called the Sleeve...what is this...tell me more.  Well you guessed it I started researching the Sleeve and OMG it "appeared" to have EVERYTHING that I wanted....normal stomach, food restriction and to boot there was a CHANCE that I would wake up from surgery and NOT be hungry because it removed over 1/2 your stomach and the hormone called Ghrelin.  Well tell me more all mighty Sleeve.  I then simultaneously was researching the Sleeve but not taking my foot all the way out the band camp.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING I could about the sleeve.  After all I was willing to say GOODBYE ADIOS to over 1/2 my stomach (NOT that my stomach ever did anything for me, I still am VERY fond of ALL my body parts).  I took my research AWAY from the WLS forums and researched Full/Partial Gastrectomies as done on people who have stomach cancers and ulcers which has been done for over 30 years or more.  I read about peoples LIVES after having a partial gastrectomy, What LONG term vitamins "may" be needed.  How they just eat way smaller portions then before.  How yes they would lose weight.  How yes they weren't really hungry.  How yes you could even live a full and productive LIFE even without ANY stomach.  How a family who had a history of stomach cancer voluntarily had their stomachs REMOVED as a preventative measure.  How people were LIVING life YEARS after their gastrectomies with virtually the same restriction and the "bonus" of weight loss.

Now the whole time I still had my pro/con list.  The Band one was LONG and extensive on the "possible" complications, slips, erosions, esophagal dialation, adhesions for IF the band had to be removed all the risks involved in removal.  The VSG after researching had a few questions/comments.  What size bougie would the surgeon be using?  How does the surgeon check for leaks?  After surgery I did research to KNOW if I did have a leak what SHOULD I be looking for in those weeks after surgery?  How long does it take the stomach to fully heal over the sutures/staples?  That was IT.

I was fortunate that my insurance DID cover the sleeve back in 2007.  Blessed if you will because back then Insurance companies weren't.  I don't know what I would have done in 2007 once I KNEW about the VSG, if my insurance would only cover the RnY or the Band.  To be honest I don't like the GAMBLE of either of those surgeries to NOT be one of the "lucky" ones.  For the VSG I took a gamble that I might still be hungry.  I did take a gamble that hey you could have a leak but as of yet I have not seen a VSGer die purely from a leak.

My reality after my VSG.  I woke up from surgery with INSTANT restriction.  I have been blessed with NO physical hunger.  I am almost 3 years out, still not hungry and still with restriction.  I have lost over 100lbs.  I COULD have gone lower then my current 192 and I'm working out it, but at 1 1/2 years out, I decided a little carbs here and there won't hurt, well they do and depending on YOUR body...well **** I'll say CARBS are the DEVIL.  I am referring to PROCESSED carbs, not fruit but yes fruit for some can be "danger Will Robinson danger."

I wish you well on your decision.

Ms Shell

Hey Shell!  Just wanted to say I missed you

Everyone else has said what I wanted to say.... ha ha

I am revising to the sleeve next week.  I had my original LapBand surgery, a surgery 2 years later to re-position my LapBand, and now 2 years later, surgery to get the thing out and revise. 

I never knew how reactive my body was to outside stimuli until I had a band wrapped around my stoma.  Who knew that my stoma swelled up when I was stressed, thirsty, sad, mad, PMSing or working out?  I found out quickly that it does because my band would get so tight during those times, it was nearly impossible to eat something healthy. 

I gave it my all, and was able to lose almost 100 lbs, but over the last two years, I gained back 30 of those pounds. 

I am now graduating to a better WLS, and couldn't be more thankful and happy about it. 

 I know some people get very religous about this decision, and I just don't understand that.  There are some people who do really great on the band.  There is a couple in my support group who lokk really fantastic and had great success with it.  Bless them and I am Happy for them.

When I started looking into WLS I was convinced I wanted the band.  It seemed like a less invasive way to get what I needed.  As I looked into it more, and listened to other people, I discovered that maybe it wasn't what was right for me.  

In my case, the decision came down to numbers and what was going to give me the best chance of long term success.  I was 171 lbs above my ideal weight.  Thats a lot of weight to lose.  I was having serious comorbidities that were destroying my life.  I needed to start losing immediately.  The band produces slower weight loss and requires regular maintenance.

On the medical side, the complications with the band didn't sound good.  Band slippage, ulceration of the stomach or the esophogus, etc.  Having to go in for regular fills was also not attractive, then there are complications with the ports failing and needing to be revised.  

When I put all of this together it just wasn't a path I wanted to go down.  The sleeve offers faster weight loss.  The sleeve has a lower rate of overall complication.  The sleeve works through restriction, but also has the side effect of apetite reduction through the near elimination of Ghrelin production by the stretchy part of the stomach.  Finally, the amount of weight loss on the sleeve more closely matched what I needed to lose.

There are those who say that the sleeve is "new".  What is new is its application to WLS as a stand alone procedure.  Sleeve gastrectomies have been around for decades.  They have even long been performed in WLS as part of the DS procedure.  Recently, doctors have noticed that patients undergoing DS lost significant weight from the sleeve alone and didn't need the intestinal portion of the surgery to achieve their goals.  That is how the sellev became a stand alone WLS.  

I hope this helps.  This is just my own experiences, I am sure other will have different approaches.

I originally went to my consultation for a lap band surgery. My surgeon didn't speak highly of the procedure and said that they should really take it off the market.  He told me about VSG and I made my decision righ then to switch to the VSG. I also went home and immediately researched it.  Then from there it was on like a pot of neckbones.

The lap band was hard for me. It worked great when i was in the liquid stage but once I got it filled it was very difficult. It was almost impossible to eat healthy foods without being in real pain, sliming and vomiting. I could not eat a few oz of chicken breast and broccoli or any dense proteins. But cookies and cake went down no problem. I found out if I had a few drinks it would relax and I could eat more. So here I was having 2-3 glasses of wine at night just so I could eat dinner. Crazy!

I was able to maintain only a 35 lb weight loss with the band which was better than what I could do without it but I as still 200 lbs and 5 ft 1 1/2. Not good. Then after 4 years they told me it could not be filled, had to be unfilled and the weight came back.

For me it really was 3 surgeries. One to have it put in, one to have it removed and the third to have my sleeve done. I love my sleeve!!

ps. I do have a friend who lost 165 lbs with her band but she is always throwing up and cannot eat most things. She starves herself living on soups or is, as I said, always vomiting. But because she is slender now she would not have her band removed for anything. She knows she would have to gain her weight back to get a sleeve or RNY. So she is in band Hell.

Ummm cause it just seems to disappoint like many people.  I wanted to say something else but I won't.

Best,
Leila