Am I going crazy?!?
So, I am scheduled for revision from my lap band (2008) to sleeve on May 2. I am having the revision because I've gone back and forth for the last three years between being too tight and then too loose. I've gained back 50 pounds of the 100 that I lost. I am 38 years old, a type 1 diabetic with PCOS and Hashimotos thyroid. The regain has made it difficult to control my blood sugars and I've also noticed irregular cycles again and even worse, I had high blood pressure previous to the band and it was gone post surgery. Now, I've noticed a few highs when I go to the doctor. This all seems rational to me...my decision to have the revision. However, in the back of my mind I keep thinking...maybe I should get fluid put back in the band...maybe if I give it another good try, I can make it work and lose this 50 lbs again. I think my fear of complications is driving my thoughts of trying to keep the band. To further complicate matters...Allergan (makers of the band) have admitted that long term success is not as they expected and they are selling off that division of their company. They have also admitted that the band should not be expected to last more than 10 years. So, I keep telling myself...hmmm...it makes sense to do the surgery now...while I am relatively young...rather than waiting for a slip or erosion to happen and then need emergency surgery in another 5 to 10 years. Am I crazy or does this all make sense? Do my reasons seem rational? My in laws and my mother both looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was having a revision. My own mother said "can't you just have the band off and then watch what you eat?" Um...NOOOO...don't you think I tried that when I weighed 310 lbs? AHHHH. Someone please get me off the ledge and tell me I am not nuts for doing this! I need to lose 100 lbs. Even if I lose 80, I will be happy! I know in my heart that having that constant restriction will get me where I need to be. That's how the band worked for me initially. However, over time, the restriction lessened and then it was either way too tight or way too loose. One day, I wouldn't even be able to eat yogurt and the next, I could eat a full size dinner plate of food without feeling full. I would love to hear from others that have had the revision!
Thanks in advance!
Christina
Get that crap band out of there before you end up where I am today! I'm sitting here deperately trying to swallow some soft scrambled eggs and not having much luck. I had my band out in Feb. but not soon enough to keep from getting damage from it. I'm going to have to see a gastroenterologist probably to see what is going on. Unfortunately I can't even have it fixed surgically because of my lung disease so I'm pretty much stuck with where I'm at. Just get it out and move on, the band has failed so many thousands of people you can't even believe!
I haven't even had WLS yet, but I can tell you that after reading your post I think your decision to have the revision to sleeve is very rational. It sounds to me as though the band is not working for you despite several back and forth adjustments, and that's that.
You know what they say about crazy: it's when you do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. You're not crazy :)
DOB 1958, HT 5'4" . . . HW 310, SW 281, CW 184.3
M1 -25, M2 -7, M3 -11.9, M4 -7.6, M5 -11.8, M6 -9.6, M7 -1.7, M8 -10, M9 -5, M10 -5
Christina, my story is similar to yours. I had the band for 7 years, and numerous fills and unfills never got me to that sweet spot I had heard about. Sometimes I couldn't have broth soup without vomiting it back up; sometimes it felt like I didn't have a band at all.
My original band surgeon is the one who alerted me to the fact that I needed a revision. The band had slipped, caused a hernia, and he felt positive that I would gain weight without the band. He was right - the band was unfilled for 3 months before my revision and I gained almost 20 pounds! Most of that was trying food that I couldn't eat in the last 7 years - bread, pasta, etc.
I had the band removed and revised to VSG in one surgery - I was lucky; my new surgeon warned me that it might have to be done in 2 surgeries. VSG feels like what the band was supposed to - I just get full on less food. Food doesn't get stuck, I don't vomit, and almost a year after surgery, I eat very normally. I no longer have to scope out where the bathroom is in restaurants just in case.
Look - there is no magic bullet. Obesity is an incurable disease. But if you use the tools available, you can put it into remission. VSG is only one tool in the arsenal - you need proper nutritional counseling, perhaps therapy, and exercise. In the end, the only tool you'll need is yourself.
Ignore folks that tell you to lose weight on your own. It's like a rocket scientist listening to a 5 year old on how to design the next rocket to the moon. They don't have the same knowledge you have, and there is also a real stigma about being overweight.
Good luck to you whatever your choice may be!
Height 5'4" HW:223 Lap band 2006, revised to Sleeve 5/8/2013, SW:196
Sandy,
It is so refreshing to see I am not the only one with these exact problems. I cannot believe the amount of weight I've gained and so quickly after having fluid removed from eating bread and other junk I would normally not have eaten.
Apparently, my doctor does the surgery all at once. They did an upper GI, chest xray, labs, ekg, and it seems like everything is normal. The band is in place, so no slips and no erosion. Thank goodness.
Ah, I almost laughed when you mentioned scoping out the bathrooms in a restaurant. That's the first thing I do now...it's almost second nature. That's just awful too. Guess they didn't mention that on disclaimer for potential side effects of a lap band!
You're right about it being a tool. When I got the band, I thought "This is HEAVEN!" I feel full quick and I am losing weight! AMAZING. Until it was too tight and then too loose. Then it all went downhill. I had followed all the rules...no carbonated beverages, no drinking with meals, no snacking, no slider foods, exercise...all of it. So, I feel like I did everything I could to make my band work and I guess I did..since I lost 100 lbs! The disappointment of gaining half back has been devastating to me and made me feel like the failure!
The sleeve sounds like what the band should have been all along. I wi**** had been available when I got the band!
Thank you so much for your insight and sharing your experience. It definitely gives me some comfort!
Christina
same story here, band 2010 did great lost 80lbs. at about 1year or so out started having issues with being too tight, vomiting, GERD. unfill then could eat like crazy, refill, vomiting Gerd, vicious cycle that I fought for over 2 years. kept telling myself it was me, tried to get "back on track" but when it came to a point my sliders were making me vomit I knew it was time. I revised to leeve in aug 2013. wished I had of done the sleeve to begin with. it was rough the 1st few days and I had a lot of nausea but I can honestly say it has been worth it. I initially only wanted to lose the 67lbs I had gained back but I have lost 80lbs. I am maller than I have ever been in my adult life. go for it!
