[Rhapsody]

Hi Linda,

Good luck with your lap-band surgery! So far (one year and four months) I've had a positive experience with the band. If you ever have questions, I'd be happy to help and support As for the lap-band being a "foreign object" in your body, remember that there are lots of artificial devices surgically placed to help many conditions - artificial heart valves, pacemakers, defibrillators, insulin pumps, artificial hips, just to name a very few. I view the lap-bad as a device that was put there to help my medical condition - obesity. It's good to know about encapsulation and rejection of course, education is key! Do you have a good surgeon that you feel comfortable talking with? The lap-band does require close follow-up care, and good rapport with your doctor is crucial.

Don (akdrummer22), I'm really sorry that you had such a terrible experience. What you went through sounds horrible. I had chills reading it. I hope you are feeling better now, and much applause to you for continuing your weight loss journey on your own, even after such a horrible experience. I am curious though - after carefully reading your initial post, it sounds to me like you had a terrible SURGEON. I'd put the blame there and not so much on the band or weight loss surgery in general. I am an RN with 18 years of experience, 10 of them taking care of patients in a surgical ICU. I'm horrified at some of the things you wrote about your surgery. In the process they nicked my spleen and I almost died on the table. uhhhh - that sounds like malpractice. Did your doctor actually tell you this? Did you have to have a splenectomy?

Things seemed fine for the first 6 months until I had my first "episode" as my local baritric surgeon called it. I suffered a total and unexplainable blockage. I felt a terrible cramping in my stomach and about every 15-20 minutes I would vomit up my own saliva.

Sounds like you got something "stuck", something that does happen to bandsters if they don't chew carefully. The excess saliva is your body's way of trying to get the blockage to pass through. Your surgeon didn't know this? Did you have fluid removed from your band?

It would take me, on average, over 2 hours to eat a bowl of soup.
Wow. How many cc's of saline did you have in your band at this time? If your band is that tight, the first move would be to have some fluid removed. If you were unable to eat, that should have been addressed immediately.

My tounge had turned a permant yellow and my general practicioner doctor was researching expensive vitamin shots to get me the necessary vitamins and minerals that she suspected I was missing as I was unable to even swallow pills.

Again wow. Is your tongue still yellow, or did proper nutrition return your tongue to a normal color? And again, it sounds like you had poor lap-band care. Lap-band patients usually take chewable vitamins. Did you have any follow-up care with a nutritionist/dietitian experienced with lap-band patients?

Again I'm truly sorry for your horrible experience. No one should have to endure what you did. That must have been truly a nightmare for you. But from what I can gather from your post, it seems like your near-death experience was more the fault of a bad surgeon, than weight loss surgery itself. Any surgery can nearly kill you if your doctor is incompetent.

I wish you the very best of luck on your continued weight loss journey!

Take care & all my best,
Lori

[clancythecamper]

Well said.

[bjbillcheck]

Thank you for sharing your story. It seems for all the good ones there will always be someone with a bad experience I am so sorry it was you. I had the laperscopic gastric bi pass....I lost 30 lbs the first week and was no longer diabetic. I am off 20 of 27 medications. It has been almost 6 months and I am actually able to do things that normal people do. I tried every diet immaginable and it was the only way I could go as it actually as a tool helped me to learn the right way to eat. Example....try a dish of ice cream and watch what happens. Makes you love sugar free jello and pudding etc. I am glad you wrote because people need to hear every side and be very very sure about their decision. For me I am only sorry I did not do it 5 years ago.....well maybe not was it done Laperscopically then...lol best of all good things to you. Click on my name and go see my pictures you will know why I needed this kind of help.....I was on my way to deaths door.

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by LindaFromKY

I appreciate your post. I am planning Lap Band soon. Your post does scare me a bit, but I am willing to take the risk for better health and a better fulfilling life. I asked my surgeon that exact question "can a body reject the band". And of course he said, yes, but it is rare and HE had not had a patient reject the band. My surgery will be performed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in TN. All I can do is educate myself and prepare myself.
Linda

Hi Linda,

Scary experiences are - well - scary but as someone else expressed a bit doubt about the poster, I confess I had the same feeling myself when I read that message and I am a non op!

A few things to ponder here....

1. "knicking" an organ is a risk with ANY LAPAROSCOPIC surgery and probably MORE of a risk with a surgery like a gall bladder surgery (where cutting happens) than with an adjustable lap band where there is no resection of organs. This is why if I ever need a gall bladder surgery, I might opt out for open. Open vs Lap is STILL a big discussion topic with surgeons... although I think most favor lap by now.

2. Not being able to even swallow spit sounds like the band was either (a) too tight - i.e. filled too much or (b) too small (there are several sizes). Again this sounds like a surgeon problem and NOT a band problem.

3. ALL WLS surgeries put "foreign objects" into the body... the bypass surgeries insert about 300-400 staples into your stomach and bowels, the band, well we know about that and so forth. So "foreign objects" are the nature of the beast of WLS and not just with the band.

4. It is unclear again, whether the "blood spurting out of the stomach" was simply a complication caused by a faulty drain or what (after reversal surgery). I've heard of that before but again, it's likely a surgeon problem and not a problem with the type of WLS.

The bottom line to all of these points is perhaps, the necessity to pick one's surgeon carefully, rather than it pointing out that any WLS is "bad" or "faulty".

There are possible complications with ALL surgeries and WLS is no exception. You can have your wisdom teeth pulled and get pretty sick, let's face it. But basically if you pick your surgeon carefully and you follow the after surgery advice (and a good surgeon ALWAYS will prepare you well regardless of what surgery you have) and you live healthy like DO NOT SMOKE etc (many of those who have had problems with all WLS surgeries are smokers, I have found - many surgeons will not operate on a smoker) and you are reasonably healthy when you go into surgery, you should be fine, regardless of what you have.

I see some folks go in who are too old, too many issues etc. Of course, they will have problems. But I know lots of folks who have had WLS who are very healthy and happy too.

To see some good info about the band from an extremely expert surgeon, visit http://drsimpson.net

Also check out the presentation here:

Lap-band surgery weight loss improves performance in life

Good luck on your WLS journey!

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

So far (one year and four months) I've had a positive experience with the band. If you ever have questions, I'd be happy to help and support. As for the lap-band being a "foreign object" in your body, remember that there are lots of artificial devices surgically placed to help many conditions - artificial heart valves, pacemakers, defibrillators, insulin pumps, artificial hips, just to name a very few. I view the lap-bad as a device that was put there to help my medical condition - obesity. ...
Lori

Enjoyed your message Lori and congrats on your success! You look great! You brought out a lot of good points!!! BTW, I have a "foreign object" in my body also... I have a pin in my ankle from where I was hit by a car while on my bicycle and dislocated and broke my ankle and broke the tibia in 1998 and needed "fixation surgery". I didn't like the idea and remember asking the doctor when the pin came out. He said it stayed in for life and joked that I might set off airport security checks. I think most of us get "foreign objects" in our bodies as life goes on (my sister has a hip replacement which she loves by the way). It's the nature of life, I think! I hope you visit often...

[Rhapsody]

Originally Posted by sue4491

Scary experiences are - well - scary but as someone else expressed a bit doubt about the poster, I confess I had the same feeling myself when I read that message and I am a non op!

Hi Sue! Thanks for your welcome, it's good to be here. And congratz on your success too, you've done magnificent! It's wonderful that there are so many different ways for weight loss now available, people can choose what's best for them. I have a sister who is considering the Gastric Bypass surgery, I shall refer her to this forum, there seems to be some good info for bypass patients here.

About your quote above - I tried to keep an open mind and be supportive of the original poster, since I only know him from a few forum posts. But I do agree with your confession - I have doubts as well. The title of the post, the huge red lettering, the way every complication seems so drastic and gory - it's just all a bit much, and does reek of "scare tactics" rather than true complications that can occur with any weight loss surgery. WHY anyone would want to do this, is beyond me. I feel dismayed when I see people post that this has scared them. If anything is to be learned from this post, it is to research your surgeon carefully! If you have any doubts, move on. Look for a Bariatric Center of Excellence. It is important to consider the good and the bad of any surgery of course, and each person must choose what surgery is best for them. The lap-band worked for me, but I'm quite happy my sister chose the gastric bypass - I think it'll work better for her.

You made several good points about foreign objects in the body - there are so many, and people do just fine with them. That's not to say complications can't occur of course, but it's that way with any surgery. There are always risks involved.

The websites you linked are excellent ones! Good information. The lap-band has changed my life - I'm a new person today, probably more healthy than at any point in my life. I was one of those people who suffered from obesity most of my life. I'm very happy with my band, it feels like a good friend that's there to back me up and keep me from overeating. However, I'm not here to "sugar-coat" the lap-band, nor say it's better than any other weight loss surgery - it's definitely not for everyone. I'll be happy to share my good and bad experiences during the pass year I've had with the band. The very best weight loss surgery is the one that works for you, and suits your lifestyle. Or non-surgery too!

Thanks again for the welcome Sue! I look forward to more chatter with you and others here in this forum.

All my best,
Lori =)

[DocSanae]

Welcome to the board, Lori, thank you for joining us.
Congratulations on your wonderful weight loss, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
((((((HUGS))))) May your journey go well.

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

The very best weight loss surgery is the one that works for you, and suits your lifestyle. Or non-surgery too!

This is soo true. It is the patient's life that is at stake, so, though the surgeon's are professionals, still the patient needs to weigh every thing and decide what suits their character and life and life style. And be on their toes with the goings on. Honestly, drs are human so they make mistakes, too. What we need to be aware of, is that we do make mistakes, be willing to hear out patients' complaints, be on our toes to correct our mistakes ASAP so the damage is small and can be reversed completely, and be willing to patiently work with the patients to help them get on the right track. To make this all the more effective, we need the patients cooperation and willingness to look straight at their problem areas and work to improve on what can be improved. There is a heck of a lot involved, and everyone has to pitch in and do their best for success with the journey.

[soon2Bslimgranny]

I think you are trying to scare people with one bad story...There are more positives than negatives and i have a friend who had the band and she said it is so easy to eat past it,and make yourself sick and the doctors not even know.She had her band removed and went for Gastric bypass and says she should have done it first.The band is for people who have alot of self control and not as much to loose.Sorry you had such a bad experience but...dont try to turn others away...it might be their last chance...May God Bless you.

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

Hi Sue! Thanks for your welcome, it's good to be here. And congratz on your success too, you've done magnificent! It's wonderful that there are so many different ways for weight loss now available, people can choose what's best for them. I have a sister who is considering the Gastric Bypass surgery, I shall refer her to this forum, there seems to be some good info for bypass patients here.

Great Info here, lots of inspiration and of course, our wonderful resident physician, Doc Sanae!

thanks for your kind words - I do feel good! I agree people must choose what works best for them. That's kind of what I love about here - many different ways of losing weight but a lot of respect for everyone, regardless of their path. A Great family here...

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

About your quote above - I tried to keep an open mind and be supportive of the original poster, since I only know him from a few forum posts. But I do agree with your confession - I have doubts as well. The title of the post, the huge red lettering, the way every complication seems so drastic and gory - it's just all a bit much, and does reek of "scare tactics" rather than true complications that can occur with any weight loss surgery. WHY anyone would want to do this, is beyond me. I feel dismayed when I see people post that this has scared them. If anything is to be learned from this post, it is to research your surgeon carefully! If you have any doubts, move on. Look for a Bariatric Center of Excellence.

So true and so well said!

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

The websites you linked are excellent ones! Good information. The lap-band has changed my life - I'm a new person today, probably more healthy than at any point in my life. I was one of those people who suffered from obesity most of my life. I'm very happy with my band, it feels like a good friend that's there to back me up and keep me from overeating.

Glad you loved the links. I know the surgeon personally. He is totally impressive and such a nice person. Many of his clients are those nurses who have taken care of his patients! That speaks well of his skills and caring. As for the band being your friend, I've heard other Bandsters say that - you seem to really know how to use your tool - I know you must have many helpful things to share so again, hope you visit often! I hear you about obesity. It's dogged ME all my life also...

Originally Posted by Rhapsody

Thanks again for the welcome Sue! I look forward to more chatter with you and others here in this forum. All my best,
Lori =)

Lori, I sure look forward to chatting more also... love your messages! * hugs *

[sue4491]

Originally Posted by soon2Bslimgranny

I think you are trying to scare people with one bad story...There are more positives than negatives and i have a friend who had the band and she said it is so easy to eat past it,and make yourself sick and the doctors not even know.She had her band removed and went for Gastric bypass and says she should have done it first.The band is for people who have alot of self control and not as much to loose.Sorry you had such a bad experience but...dont try to turn others away...it might be their last chance...May God Bless you.

Hi, I was looking at your stats and noticed that you have already lost 20 lbs... Congrats - that's great!!!

According to Dr Terry Simpson, it's easy to eat past ANY surgery, even the powerful duodenal switch (which he used to specialize in before he switched to the lap band). He says that success with WLS is 10 percent the surgery and 90 percent the patient.

I'm a granny too (4 grandkids)... even a great granny!