Serious Problems

Julie, i know you had an awful time. And I am truly sorry for that. All surgeries carry risk. At least you could have your band removed unlike someone who has problems after having had part of their intestines removed.

I have no explanation as to why we apparently have fewer problems in the UK or in Australia where over 90% of wls is gastric banding. Or in Germany where the complications rate is low.

Kate

Kate,
 
This could be at least part of the answer to why there are different results in LB complications:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10375877.stm

Nice to hear such good things about our health care! I have always found our NHS to be excellent but there are always people prepared to run it down!

But, in fact, most bands are not done on the NHS. They will cover it but only if you avhe really serious co-morbidities. But, once the wls has been done (whatever type) the NHS will take you over!

kate

Do not get the band.  I have seen too many people (including myself) with major complications from the band.  I was in the ER 10 times in 1 1/2 years (vomiting, inability to swallow my own spit, vomiting blood and eventually my body completely rejected the band) and then had the band removed and a revision to RNY.  Even with my insurance I owe thousands of dollars to ER's, my surgeon and hospitals due to complications.  Will your insurance cover an RNY, Sleeve or DS?  You should really consider looking into those. 

I will also add that there are possible complications with ALL weight loss surgeries.  Write a pro/con list and see what you can live with.  Just know the band is very high maintenance, and I have seen many, many people need to have additional surgeries for slips, erosion's, port failures etc.  Just be very cautious!!

 I have no problems with the band and I have many co-workers and friends who have had the surgery and have had great success.  I would say discuss all these issues with your surgeon.  Find out about aftercare and cost.  

People do have complications but with my surgeon's practice he only has 1% who experience any problems. He is the top bariatric surgeon in my area. 

Good luck with what ever you decide and just take the negative nasty people as just another opinion for the pros and cons list.

Honesty does not equal "nasty and negative."

After receiving a few PMs from people that know I have Kate and Jean blocked, I need to clarify a few issues here.

I never claimed to be a band fan, nobody asked me to be a band fan and I never suggested otherwise. Why does one need to be a fan of bands? Is there a rule somewhere? I have personal experience with one, isn't that enough? I think Allergan's website makes it perfectly clear about the problems with the band. If they had better info to post on a site designed to sell lap bands, don't you think they would?

http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/safety_information/

Let's get real here folks, Allergan is trying to sell bands, they are in business to do so. If they had better stats to post, wouldn't it make sense that they would?

Kate is great about claiming all these various studies exist. Where are they? Where are the links? Instead we are just to believe she is telling the truth and the whole truth. She is the one that keeps talking about the new and improved bands, if anyone dares to post a study showing the smaller bands she jumps in and claims those are the OLD bands. Well, what are her own long term studies based on, new bands or old bands? We don't know because she doesn't post links to her studies. Again, we are just to believe her that she is being fully honest.

Jean writes:

~~I have had some problems that made me glad I have such great health insurance, though I wouldn't call them serious.~~

Oh hell yeah! Jean has insurance that covers band costs. Of course it isn't serious when you aren't the one paying the bill! Any self pay person is on their own. Anything goes wrong with the band mechanically? Another self pay surgery and make no mistake, something will go wrong with it. Just like Jean's:

~~1. 2 ER visits because my band was too tight and I had chest pain that made me worry I was having a heart attack (an unfill solved that one)
2. a band slip (a complete unfill and rest period fixed that, but I had to have an upper GI x-ray, which could cost you $100-$200 depending on where you live)
3. my port flipped into an inaccessible position (don't know why), so I eventually had surgery to reposition it.~~

And how much would that have been self pay? Maybe... $20K? Sure it isn't serious when someone else is paying the bill but for self pay, would Jean have considered these issues minor? BTW, Jean, a self pay upper GI ranges from $700 to $1200, not $100-$200.

Of course I don't advocate self pay for bands unless someone has cash to burn.

And Jean continues to blather:

~~As someone else mentioned, self-pay patients are often offered a package price that includes the surgery and a year (or whatever) of aftercare.~~

So Jean, did all your complications happen in the first year? Or did your expensive 'insurance paid surgery' happen after the first year? No need to answer, it was after that 1 year package would have expired. Shame on you for your manipulation.

Our favorite TN hillbilly continues:

~~She is entitled to her opinion, but keep in mind that she has pretty much dedicated her life to bashing the band. Someone whose input is 100% negative is just as suspicious to me as someone whose input is 100% positive.~~

Shall we look at the facts? Here you go:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/board_id,5359/user_id,758517/a,messageboard/action,memberPosts/

Does this show that every single one of my posts is negative? Look, I have yet to start a thread here bashing the band. I don't bring it up for the heck of it, if asked, I respond. Do I think it is a good idea for a self pay person to get a band? No, I do not and Jeans own complications and medical expenses are a prime reason why.

Then we have Kate who claims she knows better than the band manufacturer about post op complications. When the silly band maker is honest, why isn't Kate? She claims there are fewer complications while knowing full well the huge number of people posting right here over the years with band problems, mechanical problems, esophageal dilation, esophageal damage, slips, erosions, major surgery to fix problems, ... what a LOAD! The country of Chile has pretty well stopped doing bands because of the long term results and complications. Europe is backing away from bands instead opting for sleeves. Many doctors in the US are refusing to band people, if they want a band they'll have to seek out a band mill because the better surgeons are saying no more bands. But Kate knows better, we all know that.

Kate writes:

~~A lot fewer than you would think from reading on here. People post more when they have problems! The only scientific peer-reviewed study I actually know is a German one (Stroh and Monger) and they found that out of the over 4000 bandsters they assessed, after 5 years of being banded, 8% had complications but the rate for slips was only 2.6% and for erosion 1%. Slips MAY require surgery, erosion always does.~~

Well, if Kate posted a link to all these studies she's claimed over the years including the one in this thread, we could see if her long term studies are based on old bands or new ones. But, she doesn't post those links, we are left to .... just trust her. Yeah, trust... not so much.

Whether or not these ladies like truth, the truth is that bands provide the slowest weight loss, the least weight loss, and the highest regain. They have as many complications as bypass but usually the complications are not fatal. But the sheer numbers are there. If you want to know how long term banded folks are doing I would suggest going to the sleeve, bypass, and DS forums, their new surgery type, that is now their home. I know I know, those people don't count.

I think they would differ.

And btw, for 3 years I have tried to explain to Kate that there is no surgery type that removes intestine. None! Gastric BYPASS is called that for a reason, intestine is BYPASSED and not removed. It can be reversed. Kate continues to explain the benefits of banding over surgeries she doesn't even know of the basics. She has no clue how they work. Who is she to tell why one surgery is superior to another when she doesn't know how they work and is clearly unwilling to educate herself?

Kate and Jean, you know I have you blocked. If you continue these childish games of yours I will continue to show your own true colors. Keep it up and so will I. It just gives me more opportunity to show the facts of your posting style and band facts.

Cheers.

I agree with you completely!!!

When I got my band my insurance was average, but I had to pay all of my co-pays out-of-pocket plus my NUT, Shrink and Exercise "Specialist" required by my insurance which was not covered.  My vitamins were also not covered. After that my insurance got slightly worse - a $3000 deductible then a % afterwards, plus the items mentioned above, plus more specialists out of network and 10 ER visits - all with CT Scans and other tests.  Now my insurance has a $5000 deductible - thank god I have no more band.

So, I totally agree with you - unless you have money to burn the band is a bad choice -  the aftercare is pricey at best.  Even with good insurance it is expensive.  If you are under insured (like I was when the complications started) the band is not a good choice either - I have thousands of dollars in debt due to complications.  And frankly - I'm pissed about it.  I had insurance, I did my research.  I was dumb!!!!!  I pay $10 a month to about 30 different doctors/facilities/specialists/collection agencies.  My phone rings constantly for collections.  I never thought about these potential costs when I first got the band.  I went into it with rose colored glasses because everyone has to ***** foot around this joint not to "scare off the newbies".  I've been PMed so many times asking me not to tell my story.  I'm over it - I think newbies need to know the good the bad and the ugly.  Call me a band basher or whatever - I don't care - I will continue to tell my story.

Now I'm going to throw another wrench into things.  I don't know that it is a smart idea to have any WLS without insurance.  There is a risk of complications with any surgery.  One trip to the ER can EASILY cost you $10,000 - easy.  Even with my RNY - my monthly vitamin cost is around $175 a month with bariatric advantage - insurance won't cover vitamins.  But I must say - every penny spent on my RNY has been worth it. 

WLS is expensive no matter how you look at it.  To the OP - please think long and hard about this - I would hate to see anyone end up in my position.  Yes, I may have lost 100 lbs since my revision, yes I may feel physically better, but mentally, the money issue has got me down, big time.  People calling and demanding money.  Paying $10 a month on a $3,000 bill  (which is just one of them.....) and thinking about how LONG it will take me to pay that off.  The mental part is tough.   Please, please, please think long and hard.  If you are in a position where you can cover those types of costs then more power to you, if you are not please consider the possibilities.

Sorry for my rambling...........I'm pretty passionate about this (if you couldn't tell!)

Jules

 
Wow, what BA vitamins are you on that you are spending $175/m.  I'm spending less than half that.  I have yet to see an insurance company that will cover vitamins, but you can get an FSA account to cover them if you show medical necessity.

MWG, that's funny you discuss Kate's argument that the newer bands are better with less complications.  I was wondering the same thing.  I would love to find a study discussing the differences and detailing why the newer bands are better than the old ones.  As time pasts, the lap band makers may have better perfected their product.  I wonder if that is in fact the case?