Gastric Band discussion
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Pepperpony wrote: »I used to think about having weight loss surgery until I sat in the ER next to a girl in her 20’s who said she had so many stomach infections/issues and complications with her surgery that she had to go to the ER pretty much on a weekly basis.
my friends daughter had weight loss surgery(not sure what she had done). she ended up in the hospital for 3 months in a coma because somewhere somehow her stomach started leaking (she ended up with a hole inside) and it was casuing sepsis. anyway it was touch and go,they repaired it a few times. finally they repaired it. she died this past december she was only a little over a year out from her surgery. she had gotten another infection and they couldnt get to it in time.so complications can happen. my hubbys friend has the bypass and hes doing pretty good almost a year later but it was tough going for him eating so little in the beginning. he still has to lose another 50-100 lbs before he can even get the skin removed.0 -
I had the gastric sleeve in 2013 and it was the greatest thing I've ever done. My husband also had it done also. I went from 235 (I'm 5'6") to 148 in about 8 months. I gained about 12 lbs the year following but was pretty happy with the way I felt at 160. I got pregnant in 2016 and a week after delivery weighed 170... so not too bad of a gain. Unfortunately I packed on 15 lbs AFTER my kiddo was born. This year I finally got back on the wagon and have lost 20 lbs. I now am back to 164. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs more. The great thing for me was that the surgery had virtually no side effects. No dumping syndrome, no problems with food getting stuck, no leaking etc. The surgery itself was relatively painless (after the first day) and I was back to work 3 days later with no problems. 5 1/2 yrs later I can eat essentially a normal amount of food. Sometimes i still feel a little restriction, but not much. I do feel the surgery helped remove some of my hunger drive.
My husband also had zero complications. He went from 340 to 200 (5'10") Honestly, he hasn't made many lifestyle changes, and 5 1/2 yrs later he weighs 250. Although the 50 lbs gain isn't great, he's still 90 lbs less than he was, with very little effort. He actually feels more restriction now than i do, and quite frankly I can out eat him if I feel so inclined. I think the surgeon made his stomach tighter than mine. (Wish he would have done that for me too)
I did a lot of research and felt the sleeve was a better option than the band. Although the sleeve does alter your body, it's not really changing how the body functions.1 -
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I just wanted to share that gastric surgery is just another tool in the weight-loss tool box. It's not that only nor is it something to consider a failure if the person who gets the surgery gains weight. It's one of many tools I use, along with weighing, measuring and logging my daily food, and having a network of friends who also strive to eat healthy and deal with the reasons they use food for more than fuel.
Today I lost my 80th pound! I gained weight through the years but pretty much stayed near my weight loss until I had a lot of dental work that stopped me from being able to eat on either side of my mouth. For 6 months I ate grits and cheese (mac and cheese was too hard to eat, seriously). I didn't have to chew this food at all but it really put the weight on. No one can eat that for months and stay the same weight. When my dental work ended I returned to MFP and a daily commitment to lose weight. Today I am feeling great and I want to keep going! The surgery works on the plumbing only - the issues with food are in my head and my emotions. By dealing with that I'm able to maintain commitment to eating healthy and using food for fuel.1 -
I am not a big fan of gastric surgery - of cause it can be helpful for a small amount of people, but in my oppinion it doesn't solve the main problem. Everybody who is in a range of bmi for a gastric surgery has a problem concerning food. Most use food as a coping strategy for their problems. A gastric surgery just forces them to find another solution/coping strategy, because they are for a short time not able to use it. Most of the persons i know who see their surgery as a success story and changed their life to healthy eating could've done it without the surgery. They used the surgery as a "click moment", but afterwards the surgery just made it more complicated in my eyes. And on the other side (and besides the risks of the surgery itself) there are the people without that "click moment". In my circle of friends and acquaintances there are two types of people, who didn't have that moment and it resulted in:
a) after a short time they gained back their weight, because they didn't change their mind ("If i can't eat my buttertoast with extra butter, i eat it in eight portions over the time")
b) they got another coping strategy or mixed it - a friend started heavy smoking while he lost his weight and now he falls back into "old behavior". As a result he damages his health in both ways.
Besides this aspects there are the physical risks of the surgery and living withit after the surgery.
I am happy for every person who uses the surgery without any problems and with succes, but especially here in germany there are a lot of people getting this surgery without any knowledge of their personal problem at all. Sometimes it's even recommended by the health-insurance company. The insurance appealed to the mother of a good friend of me to think of a gastric surgery (and offered to pay for it). She did it and lost about 50kg within the first year, but gained it all back, because nothing has changed in her mind at all.5 -
Hi Everyone, I thought I would pop back on my other account to give you an update.
I deleted my original account that I posed this on due to the amount of negative communication I was receiving privately following this post. People saying I must just be lazy, I'm stupid.. you know..all the nicest things. Even to the extent of being told to get off the forum and that I wasn't welcome nor worthy of any advice.
I went ahead and had the gastric band fitted on 16th July 2018.
I completed the liver reduction diet for 4 weeks leading up to the surgery and lost 19lb in those 4 weeks. 19lb is an enormous amount of weight and something I had never managed to achieve.
The purpose of the LRD was to shrink my liver to make it small enough to maneuver during surgery so they can get at my stomach but not only does it do this, it also helps you adjust your relationship with food.
By day 4 of the LRD, my appetite was gone, I will filling up quickly, my skin was he healthiest it had ever been by 10 and the diet was so easy.
All I could consume during those 4 weeks were 2 slimfast shakes, 3 yogurts and lots of water.
I kept to it word for word and my surgery complimented my dedication and said my results were exactly what he was looking for.
I had dropped so much weight that an ECG was not required on the day of surgery and they were able to fit me with a small 10ml band rather than the 12ml they were expecting to fit.
My surgery happened at 8am and I was awake by 12pm in my hospital bed watching some good day time tv.
I didn't eat anything that day but drank plenty of water and even tried a cup of tea.
A few days later, after the anesthetic was wearing off, I was in pain but just as expected, I stayed in bed for a week and just dined on a selection of babyfoods and pureed foods.
I was back at work the following week and my weight loss has been consistent since.
I have no nightmare stories to share, no complications, no regrets.
I am 32lb lighter, I have dropped 2 dress sizes. My skin and hair are healthier than they have ever been.
I had my first band adjustment on 25th August and 4ml of saline was added, it has unfortunately not given me any restriction yet as it can take 4-6 adjustments until I reach my sweet spot but my motivation and will power is keeping the pounds off. I walk every day and I treat my band well.
It is the best tool I could have wished for, the best investment, and definitely the right decision.
Remember, thousands of people go through WLS every day, and there is a less than 2% of those people that ever experience any side effects.
I chose the best doctor in the country to perform my surgery and even spoke to 2-3 of his patients from a couple years ago who have been my mentors and are massive successes. One of which had her surgery in 2016 and now is her goal weight of 100lb! She was 256 to begin with.
Also remember, diet and exercise is not always the answer for everyone. As much as it is a simple equasion to ensure you can lose weight, circumstances in peoples lives mean it cannot always be black and white, so to the people who sent me the abuse, perhaps next time its best to just step away and say nothing at all, as I am sure there are decisions that you have made that majority of us wouldnt agree with, but we certainly wouldn't be so mean about it.
Be Kind, Be happy, Behave.5 -
Good luck with your journey, I wish you every success.1
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JenSchimanski wrote: »Good luck with your journey, I wish you every success.
Thank you, I wish the same to you
xx 1 -
Sorry to hear you received so much abuse, I hope you reported it all it's appalling!
I'm glad it's working out for you, best wishes.0 -
Duodenal Switch (DS) is also an option, but perhaps too invasive for what you are looking for. Statistically, far better success rates in keeping weight off long term (harder to abuse this tool vs. others like the band) but that comes with higher risk post op without strict vitamin compliance and monitoring, but also, a lot less restrictive from a lifestyle perspective and quantity of food in one sitting (no 2oz. meals). I've kept 100+ lbs off successfully for almost 9 years. I am, by far, a non perfect patient and I fall off the wagon which results in me struggling with the same 20 lbs of bounce back weight. Getting back on track with my intake and exercise helps me lose that weight - the tool continues to assist me when I need it to. Others are correct, it does not fix your behaviors and that is the hardest part of all. That being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat, regretting only that I didn't do it sooner.
Overall, and this is only my perspective (you should research extra thoroughly and review the medical studies for proof), through the years I have come to know many people, both in real life and through the internet/facebook, who have had these surgeries. I know far more people who have remained successful with the Sleeve, DS and less so, gastric bypass. I know very few who continued to be successful with the band.
I wish you the best of luck in making your decision!0 -
I have on occasion toyed with the idea of WLS and in the end I put it on the back burner. My hesitation tells me I'm not ready to make the commitment so I will continue to do my best right here. I wish great success to anyone who's courageous enough to take the WLS path.2
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kellyjellyjeanbean wrote: »Duodenal Switch (DS) is also an option, but perhaps too invasive for what you are looking for. Statistically, far better success rates in keeping weight off long term (harder to abuse this tool vs. others like the band) but that comes with higher risk post op without strict vitamin compliance and monitoring, but also, a lot less restrictive from a lifestyle perspective and quantity of food in one sitting (no 2oz. meals). I've kept 100+ lbs off successfully for almost 9 years. I am, by far, a non perfect patient and I fall off the wagon which results in me struggling with the same 20 lbs of bounce back weight. Getting back on track with my intake and exercise helps me lose that weight - the tool continues to assist me when I need it to. Others are correct, it does not fix your behaviors and that is the hardest part of all. That being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat, regretting only that I didn't do it sooner.
Overall, and this is only my perspective (you should research extra thoroughly and review the medical studies for proof), through the years I have come to know many people, both in real life and through the internet/facebook, who have had these surgeries. I know far more people who have remained successful with the Sleeve, DS and less so, gastric bypass. I know very few who continued to be successful with the band.
I wish you the best of luck in making your decision!
Thank you, however I have already had the Gastric band fitted. And it is a working success at the moment Im very pleased. 1 -
pizzafruit wrote: »I have on occasion toyed with the idea of WLS and in the end I put it on the back burner. My hesitation tells me I'm not ready to make the commitment so I will continue to do my best right here. I wish great success to anyone who's courageous enough to take the WLS path.
I was the same. it was something that crossed my mind daily for around 5 years.
I never thought I would be in the position to justify it and thought 'Oh Ill just give it one last try on my own' and it never worked out. Obviously life gets in the way often which hinders your decision but it was the best thing I ever did.
No regrets so far and my health has improved massively.
I have already dropped 14% of my excess weight which is enormous for me.
I just advise, do your research, then do more research, and when you think you've done enough, do some more.
Meet consultants, listen to them, ask them hundreds of questions, seek out people who have had similar experiences, seek out people at similar start weights and when you think you're ready, your body will do the rest.
The liver reduction diet is usually predominantly milk which is a natural hunger suppressant and really gives you a head start and as long as your head is in it, you won't regret it.
People are really quick to tell their horror stories, but they are a tiny percentage. The success stories out number them by hundreds of thousands.0 -
New Post: I didn't realize this was an update so I apologize for all my additional commentary in the prior post.
That's terrible that the reaction you got was so negative! Everyone's journey is unique. Success can take many different paths and what works for one person isn't always going to work for another. The prejudice and stereotypes on being overweight, even from people who suffer from it themselves, is strongly embedded into our society. Sad, really.1 -
I have a gastric band. It was placed about 5 years ago. I wasn't ready for it. I lost probably 30 or 40 pounds and then put on about 70 pounds. I learned how to "eat around" the band. If it works for you, then great! It just didn't work for me. My dad also had a band placed. (His was placed prior to mine). He lost a bunch of weight, but he's gained most of it back. Speaking from experience, eating around the band gets really easy. There's also the risk of a bacterial infection or your stomach prolapsing. I've been very lucky so far. I'm actually planning to have the band removed.1
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I haven't had a fill in years - but - try to wolf down the food like you used to do and find out just how much restriction you really have... lol. The only time I am really tight is during TOM.
Glad you have no complications - and I hope you can keep up the great work!
Alas, it IS still work - as it is possible to eat around the band quite easily... (see above post) chocolate still goes down smooth... but, if you choose your foods wisely, the band will help you now and keep helping you for years to come.
Enjoy your new life.
Hugs!
@SimplementeSM - Unless you had the band removed, when you ARE ready it will still help you. I had about a ten year gap between losing the first 100 lbs and losing the most recent 100. Good Luck.
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My Aunt died of malnutrition. She had the bi-pass. It was less then 2 yrs after her surgery.0
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Diatonic12 wrote: »
Only 7% of WLS patients maintain their weight loss after 5 years and 5% of dieters that can maintain a major weight loss after 5 years.
That's interesting. It never crossed my mind to have anything done as I was only 30kg. over my healthy BMI range and I knew I could do it by eating healthier and being more active. But today I was watching an American episode of the Bigger Looser and it shocked me to find out that one of the biggest contestant has one of this procedures done. Despite his stomach extremely small, he kept eating and eating, and the doctors were explaining it to him how dangerous his situation it was.
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my mom got a gastric band. she lost about 60 pounds before she had some kind of esophageal complication and had to have it removed. she probably lost 60 pounds because she basically threw up everything that wasn't a cake-like texture. she also couldn't eat meat. she'd chew it up and spit it out. it was disgusting. she has regained most of the weight since the removal. i wouldn't recommend it personally.0
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Its pretty easy for people to put the gastric band, gastric sleeve, and the gastric bypass all under the same category, it is important for people to understand, that these procedures are all COMPLETELY different.
If someone says they have had weight loss surgery, this can either mean, they've had either one of the procedures but doesn't mean they've had what you think.
Gastric bypass and Sleeves are massive procedures.
Gastric band takes 15 minutes, recovery is short, success is slower and risks are fewer. Having a bypass or sleeve never crossed my mind, purely because I didn't want a quick fix, I wanted help!
I wanted the help that my health provider was failing to give me and I wanted to get healthier before my body starts retaliating in the form of heart disease and diabetes.
I knew my problem, it was my hunger, and portion control. I have a lifestyle which doesn't allow me prep time and tonnes of exercise so without going for a completely invasive procedure, the band ticked all my boxes.1
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