jmcadams
I was originally banded in 2003 (5 years ago, almost exactly) in France by Dr. Vincent Frering. I chose to go to Dr. Frering in France for a number of reasons. Back in 2003, the band was fairly new in the US and most docs had less than 200 under their belt. In comparison, Dr. Frering had done thousands and had input into the design of the midband (the European version of the lapband). I speak passable French and so the language barrier was not an issue. There was, at the time, a small, but very supportive contingent of folks who had gone before me, so I had their experience to learn from.
My surgery was uneventful, my hospital stay hilarious (I was put into a room with a British gal, whom I still correspond with today) and my husband and I spent the week after my surgery in Provence while I recuperated. Not bad! At the time, patients were required to be in the hopsital for three days and then not to fly for seven days.
The most important part of having a band is your follow-up care. For those of us banded outside the country, this proved to be far more difficult than I imagined. Finding a doctor who would do fills was virtually impossible. So much so that I went back to France 2-3 times just for an adjustment. I'm a social worker - so this wasn't an easy burden to bear! The docs stateside that agreed to do a fill, did so at a premium, sometimes close to $1,000 for a tiny fill.
I did lose almost all my excess weight that first year. Following that, the difficulty I had finding a doctor who would do an adjustment began to take it's toll. My band, for whatever reason, would not tolerate more than the teensiest of fills at the time, and so I was looking at several thousands of dollars - more in the end than my original surgery - just to be fill properly. Perhaps it was a blessing, but at some point, I became unable to tolerate even the smallest of fills. And, after a complete unfill, I gave up and yes, gained all of my excess weight back.
I find it amazing, even to this day, to think that for two years, I ate small meals, I ate healthy meals. I got rid of the head hunger. But, the minute I was able to eat more, I did. I am convinced, for me, anyway, that my overeating isn't necessarily all behavioral. SOme perhaps, but not all.
We moved to Washington DC and with a plethora of hospitals in my neighborhood I began to look for a doctor that might be willing to work with me in getting my band properly filled. Now almsot five years out, I finally found Dr. Brody who did a lot of tests and came back with some bad news. My band had slipped and he would not attempt to place any fill in the band. He said it was too dangerous and that unfortunately, I would need to have the band removed.
He mentioned the Gastric Sleeve as an option. He knew I wasn't keen on Bypass surgery - and thought that this might be a good option for me. I had never heard of it, but began my research and it did seem like a good fit.
So, now I am waiting for my surgery in just over a week. I have been warned that the band may have caused enough erosion and/or scar tissue that the Sleeve might not be a possibility. But, I won't know that until I wake up in the recovery room.