The end of the band???

Hey everyone,

I attended an informational seminar yesterday. I had already went to one with another hospital but due to new job and insurance, I was told they weren't listed as a "center of excellence" (coe). So I'm with a new dr and hospital and hence had to attend their seminar. But any way during the seminar the surgeon says that lap bands aren't being as widely recommended as they once were!! He went over all of the surgeries, their complication rates, mortality rates and success rates. The band was the last to be covered, I know it is less invasive than other surgeries, so wouldn't that make it the better option of all the weightless surg options? I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. He made it very clear the band was a less than favorable option and even went as far as to say they make sure people know the "risks" involved so that they can choose a better option. I felt like he was saying that if people want the band they will try and steer them in another direction. Can they do that? Is this really the end of the band? The numbers he presented seemed a little bloated as far as complications go, I was under the impression that the band was the best option for people who don't want their intestines re-routed, and have to take vitamins for the rest of their lives or have most of their stomach removed and be stuck taking Tylenol because NSAIDS can cause ulcers. I am in no way bashing other surgeries and I am still in the undecided phase as far as what I want done. After that seminar I kinda feel like my mind was made up for me....I don't think I will choose the band...

PLEASE OH FAMILY FEEL FREE TO COMMENT!!!

He speaks the truth. Many surgeons won't perform the surgery anymore or offer it as an option because of all the complications. Take a look at these forums,  plenty of prone revising from a band to some other surgery. The complications are common and can do permanent damage to your internal organs. 

I personally know several people who had horrible complications that ranged from losing no weight,  to erosion, to slippage. I suggest doing a search here and reading up on it. There are some that do well with their band,  but it seems the majority do not. 

Umm....the font color you are using is soooooo very light that I can barely read this.  Maybe you could make it darker?  A lot of people will just skim past this and won't bother to read it.  

Hey everyone,

I attended an informational seminar yesterday. I had already went to one with another hospital but due to new job and insurance, I was told they weren't listed as a "center of excellence" (coe). So I'm with a new dr and hospital and hence had to attend their seminar. But any way during the seminar the surgeon says that lap bands aren't being as widely recommended as they once were!! He went over all of the surgeries, their complication rates, mortality rates and success rates. The band was the last to be covered, I know it is less invasive than other surgeries, so wouldn't that make it the better option of all the weightless surg options? I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. He made it very clear the band was a less than favorable option and even went as far as to say they make sure people know the "risks" involved so that they can choose a better option. I felt like he was saying that if people want the band they will try and steer them in another direction. Can they do that? Is this really the end of the band? The numbers he presented seemed a little bloated as far as complications go, I was under the impression that the band was the best option for people who don't want their intestines re-routed, and have to take vitamins for the rest of their lives or have most of their stomach removed and be stuck taking Tylenol because NSAIDS can cause ulcers. I am in no way bashing other surgeries and I am still in the undecided phase as far as what I want done. After that seminar I kinda feel like my mind was made up for me....I don't think I will choose the band...

PLEASE OH FAMILY FEEL FREE TO COMMENT!!! As requested in a darker cOlof.sorry guys purple is my fav color!

I just wanna say thanks to everyone that has posted a reply with their opinions, suggestions, struggles, and victories!! Thanks also to those that will reply in the future, you all are much appreciated.

The band has been shown to be less successful in the long run.  Many patients do not achieve the same level of excess weight lost as seen with the other options.  On top of that, many patients experience weight regain after initial periods of success.

That said, weight loss is a mind game, and if you're not ready to make the changes, then every tool is going to fail.  You can either eat in a compliant manner, or overload the system with milkshakes (or similar behavior).

Also, I think you misused the word "Invasive".  All of the options done these days are generally done as "minimally invasive" procedures.  Instead of opening you up and performing surgery, the procedures are done with limited punctures with equpment specialized for this purpose.  Laproscopic is term I believe.

I think you meant to compare the relative natures of the surgeries where the band is an inserted constriction device, the sleeve is a gastrectomy, and the RNY is a rewiring of internal plumbing.

Under those descriptions the band might seem to be less shall we say "intensive" of a process, but that might not hold true.  With any inserted device there is the possibility things can go wrong.  I've heard "slippage" is a common complication of the bands and requires subseqent surgery to repair or remove.

With the sleeve, it's as simple (and yet technical LOL) as removing a portion of the stomach.  That's the easy part, the hard part is making sure your stomach functions properly in it's new shape.  A good skilled doctor is trained for this.  Once completed, you get very few complications as long as you're compliant with post surgical instructions.

They can do that, to answer your question. The information they are presenting is true and they also highly discourage it where I got my surgery. In fact, one of the doctors will not even perform it anymore because it is a terrible choice for most.

There are SO MANY people on this site who were banded and suffered terrible complications. Many have it removed and have a revision to either the sleeve, RNY, or DS. 

While it might be "less invasive" WLS are all done laproscopically in most cases, which is minimally invasive as well. Do your research before you make a decision. 

Good luck!

P.S. Yes to reiterate another commenter, your font color is kind of jarring/difficult to read, and some people won't even try to read it. Just an FYI.

I researched ALL the surgeries before I made MY decision back in 2007 and the band complications were YELLING to people not to get it.  The so called "less invasive" was the selling point.  The ability to tighten (the real selling point was loosening) the band was great.  If you do any research you'll find that what he said to be quite obvious. 

There are numerous band to sleeve revision on this board.  The sleeve works how the band "should"

Based on my reading of the Lap-Band board here, that seems entirely plausible to me.  It seems like a horrible surgery that works for some people, but causes no end of issues for most people.  

In my experience in the WLS community (which is relatively short at 18 months), your surgeon is giving you very accurate information. If you spend just a week on these boards, you'll see plenty of people asking about RNY or VSG because they are revising from the band. The complication rate is very high - my surgeon's office does not perform them anymore because they realize it's a bad choice.

Now that I've been sleeved for almost year - I will just say that I wouldn't take back that 80% of my stomach even if you paid me. I don't miss it at all and am happier than I have ever been - a lot of that has to do with the hard work I've put in emotionally, mentally, and physically over the past 18 months. I would absolutely explore other options if I were you. Just my two cents!