I feel like I am going around in a circle. I would say " Full Circle" but that to me makes it seem like I have accomplished something. I feel like I have done nothing in the last 5-6 yrs since I was banded. My depression, isolation etc is creeping back up as my weight comes back on . I am finding myself becoming that same bitter nasty person I was 6 yrs ago before my surgery . Ok you think , "Do something about it " I feel like im stuck.
No insurance to get my band out , no money to get insurance, if i could get the insurance i could probably get the band out . I feel like i did when i wanted my band surgery so damn bad. I am not sure what to do .

I am even afraid at this point to loose any weight if i can . Or try to loose weight. I am afraid if I do once I finally get insurance my BMI will be too low and wont be able to get any surgery ! This is a vicious awful circle !

The more I read the more I want it out !

I have been reading for over an hour on these studies from the Thinner Times studies I posted earlier. If you have time read them. You will notice as the years go on the findings , conclusions get worse and worse.....
CONCLUSIONS: LGB appeared promising during the first few years after its introduction, but results worsen over time, despite improvements in the operative technique and material. Only about 60% of the patients without major complication maintain an acceptable EWL in the long term. Each year adds 3-4% to the major complication rate, which contributes to the total failure rate. With a nearly 40% 5-year failure rate, and a 43% 7-year success rate (EWL >50%), LGB should no longer be considered as the procedure of choice for obesity. Until reliable selection criteria for patients at low risk for long-term complications are developed, other longer lasting procedures should be used.

Would you have gotten banded had you know THAT 3,4,5 years ago ?

Whats The Problem ? With the band ??

I wanted to address a couple things .. I do not want people to think that just because I am not losing weight anymore that I am anti band , or going bitter etc.
I want to explain a couple things. For the last couple of years I WAS under the impression that I Was not working the band , I was failing. I was told several times by my doctor and other people " go back to basics ". Which I tried and it did not work . Then I slipped my band again . Then I was told my band was useless, It could not longer be filled and I had a $14,000 piece of shit in my body.
I want to also say that I like most people who were banded in 07-09 believed what we were "Sold" on the band . ( Im looking the differences of those up now )
The band did work for me initially . Am I the only one who has had issues ? NO... What Issues ? I will tell you in just a second. Also keep in mind some of these issues I did not realize were " Band related" or could be " band related" until I started talking to other lap band patients 5-6 yrs out and realized I was not the only one, they had the same issues.


From the Thinner Times

CONCLUSIONS: LGB appeared promising during the first few years after its introduction, but results worsen over time, despite improvements in the operative technique and material. Only about 60% of the patients without major complication maintain an acceptable EWL in the long term. Each year adds 3-4% to the major complication rate, which contributes to the total failure rate. With a nearly 40% 5-year failure rate, and a 43% 7-year success rate (EWL >50%), LGB should no longer be considered as the procedure of choice for obesity. Until reliable selection criteria for patients at low risk for long-term complications are developed, other longer lasting procedures should be used.

So what kind of other issues do I have ?
1.The obvious 2 slipps

2. Band Is Useless can not be filled

3. Esophageal Dilation symptoms

4/ Reflux DAILY ( this started about 2 months ago)

5. Unable to eat the following with out , getting stuck , throwing up or being in pain for hours after wards
A. Red Meat
B. Pork
C. Chicken
D. Bread
E. Anything Breaded
F. Rice (White or brown )
G. Pasta ( White or Wheat or any variation such as Couscous )
H. Pork
I. Sea Food depending on what it is
J. Milk ( Lactose intolerant )

5. I vomit at least once a day due to my eating issues. After vomiting I usually have to stay on liquids for anywhere from hours to days in order to eat normal again .

6. Weight ReGain .

7. Had to have MULTIPLE fills and unfills to be told Im just " sensitive to fills " I had more unfills than Fills I believe

8. Financial strain its put on my family .

9. Emotional toll its taken on my as well as my family .

10. The Auto Immune disorder symptoms I have and have had for a couple years I now believe are related to my band . I still suffer from the symptoms and docs act like Im crazy and no one will do anything about it.


So, Did i believe the band worked ? Sure I did at first , its all I knew .
However, now knowing what i know i caution anyone before getting the band.
Do I wish anyone who has it the best of luck and HOPE TO GAWD they do not have any issues, of course ! However, dont judge someone who has had issues and be self righteous by saying " WELL Its WORKING For me " , or YOU Are not doing something right " WATCH what you say !! It might bite you in the ass one day !

Think twice about lap-band surgery for weight loss

Think twice about lap-band surgery for weight loss


The above article is a consumer reports article on the lap band.
It warns of the dangers and speaks of the more common issues people who have the lap band have. No surprise huh ? Some people NOW may say , well duh Mindy.. But here is the problem , The issues listed in this article were not made "known" to the public and even not added more clearly to the makers website and info until well after myself and many others had their surgeries .
Do I want to be a " Negative Nancy " now about the band ? Not really . Do I think the band can work for some people ? To be honest that remains to be seen . Of the many many many people I know who were banded around the time I was ( 2007) I would say 80% of them have either not lost all the weight, are at a stand still with weight loss or lost their bands all together and around the same amount have had SOME kind of problem.
Are the later bands not as big of a problem than the earlier bands ? I dont know ..
I do want people to know to be very cautious of the band now . If I knew then what I know now I would have gotten a sleeve .

Credit: I saw this article on Formerly Fluffys Blogg and wanted to repost it !

The Story of My Band

I decided to put the " whole story of my band" in one place . Now that I am having to tell it some with having issues with it . After going back and reading past posts from my blog , its rather depressing seeing all the crap I went through . So Here is a time line i guess you would call it.

July 2007 Lap Band Surgery
My surgery went well. I was losing weight on a regular basis after post op . My first fill I had restriction , I believe I had a second fill and started to not feel well and had to get a slight unfill .
6-10-08 First Total Unfill due to too much throwing up , not being able to keep food down etc.
I was getting fills about every 6 weeks but it seems like every fill I would need an unfill a week or 2 after , it was just too much .
August 2008 Down 109 pounds
10-08 Doc thinks I am "sensitive to Fills" after having to have many fills and unfills, he decided I needed to get smaller fills to see if that would help eliminate unfills.
3-09 Band slip. Not only had it slipped but i was about an hour away from having to have surgery ! I was severely dyhradated as well.
The doc after totally unfilling me told me to wait and we'll do another X ray . We did and the band had not "Un done " Its self. ( It was also flipped , you know when you look at the band in flouro you can see the outer rim ? MINE you could see the INSIDE part that your stomach goes through ) So he said to wait until he was done seeing patients , In the mean time he was calling the hospital to make arrangements for surgery . $4000 !! Is what it was going to cost me.
He saw the rest of his patients and we did another x ray and BAM my band moved on its own !!! NO SURGERY . My doc told me " You are VERY LUCKY " he was not happy with me for waiting to come in !!!
4-44-09 Slight fill after slip. I went to my doc appt last week and my band is fine. Its stayed in place and he even gave me a slight fill which I was not expecting. So as of today i am on mushies after nearly a month on liquids. things are going down fine, no issues. He actually gave me a larger fill than I have now and after waiting around the office i realized it was too much so i had him take some out.
So I am doing well. Another couple weeks I should need another fill. I have to get these 11 pounds off i gained in the nearly 3 weeks I had been totally unfilled.
Needless to say Dr R was not too happy about that weight gain !!!
7-29-09 Band Slipps Again:
I got SEVERE Stomach pain . At first ( sorry TMI) I thought it was constipation . It did not go away . Saturday same thing, stomach pains, cramping , aching. Just BAD. I was not really eating hardly anything or drinking anything cause it hurt too bad . So after everyone bugging me to go to the ER I decided I did not want to do that in CASE it was band related ( which I honestly did not think it was at all ) I did not want anyone but MY doc touching my band.
SO i called my doc on Sunday (I was starting to get nasueased ) and was afraid I would throw up . He called me in some phergan and it did not help . He said if i was not better to get to his office Monday .
So i did.
Get in there drink the barrium and he says " uhh ohh that's not good" It sitting there. NOTHING is moving through my band . Which was a little odd cause i COULD drink stuff but it seemed like once it hit my stomach it came back up .
SO he totally unfills my band. NOTHING. Its not moving.
So i wait a while , he comes back in and takes another X ray and the barium has gone though a LITTLE but not much at all. By now , however i can drink water fine.
So he thinks that either my band never completely healed on its own or i have what he calls a "Chronic" Slip. Either way , he does not think it will get better OR for that matter that it WILL Keep happening with out surgery . SO I have to go in on Monday to get checked and then decide about surgery . AT this point im prepared for it. However im TERRIFIED Of losing my band. People do not understand. They say " OH well you are at your goal weight ( Which BTW I lost 10 pounds in 3 days ) what do you have to worry about now , JUST eat Less " OK DUMB ASSES If it were that EASY I would not have needed the band to begin with . The THOUGHT Of losing 125 pounds and it slowly coming back on is almost more than i can bare ! So that's what's going on . ( Exerpt from my blog )
10-09 Check up on Slip , Getting stuck , Doc checks band looks fine.
8-11 Band useless. Cant be filled .
I went to get my fill today and doc went to fill my band . I had my barium swallow and when he filled it , the barium sat there ! Nothing , So he backed off , nothing sat there .. he backed it out to .01 NOTHING ! Sat there .... He took all of it out and the barium barely trickled through . He said I have scar tissue or something that has built up . I can either have it repositioned ( not recommend ) Or I can and probably need to have it revised to a sleeve. Nothing major is going on for me now , i am not having any problems BUT I could at any time, if i got sick or something because I do not have much " wiggle room" so to speak . The cost for the new surgery ????? $13,000 !!!!!! Its basically 2 surgeries, one to have the band removed , wait 3 months then have the sleeve done !!! SOOOOO I am going to have to do what I can on my own for now to lose the 50 count them 50 Damn pounds I have put back on !!
I am very upset and disgusted w/ the situation and partially myself ! Part of this is my fault for eating the way I have the past year when my band had next to nothing in it !



Fill Schedules
8/27/07 1.4 cc
10/5/07 2cc Fill
10/30/07 .5cc Unfill
12/10/07 1cc Fill
12/17/07 .5cc Unfill
02/14/08 .5cc Fill
4/22/08 .2 unfill Fill
5-19-08 total 2.5cc
6-10-08 Total Unfill !
7-31-08 1.5cc Fill
8-25-08 .50 cc fill
10-7-08 .50cc Unfill 1.5 Total
3-31-09 Total Unfill
4-22-09 Small Fill .25 Cc
7-29-09 Slip Total Unfill


There is my story ! I now know I was not at fault so much for my weight gain .
But I still am frustrated with this whole situation . What I did by having surgery I thought was bettering my life, prolonging my life for myself , my family and most of all my kids. It turns out it may have did the opposite and caused my more problems .

Lap Band And Auto Immune Disorders .. Maybe I am NOT Crazy after all !!

Some of you may remember a while ago I was having ( and still am ) some issues with my feet, muscle aches, and some others issues. The doctors never really could tell me what they thought it was, although one Rhemtologist (sp) said my blood work was possible for Chrohns disease.
Well, since I have been researching getting my lap band removed and the issues that people have been having along with that I came across this from LapBand Central :

There have been no reports of autoimmune disease with the use of the LAP-BAND^® System. Autoimmune diseases and connective tissue disorders, though, have been reported after long-term implantation of other silicone devices. These problems can include systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma. At this time, there is no conclusive clinical evidence that supports a relationship between connective-tissue disorders and silicone implants. Long-term studies to further evaluate this possibility are still being done. You should know, though, that if autoimmune symptoms develop after the band is in place, you may need treatment. The band may also need to be removed. Talk with your surgeon about this possibility. Also, if you have symptoms of autoimmune disease now, the LAP-BAND^® System may not be right for you.

Hummmm WHAT THE HELL ?? I have been talking to lots of other people who are in the same boat as me and looking around on message boards, LOTS and I mean LOTS Of other people have developed auto immune symptoms since getting their bands !

I am doing everything I can to try to get my band out , this is just one more reason to try and get the damn thing out now !

My other health issue posts can be found under Health or Auto Immune tabs.

Thanks so much .

Its worth a shot ...

FUNDRAZAR Page to help raise money for Surgery Deductible !
Someone suggested I take a look at a page called FundRazr. That I may be able to raise the money for my revision deducible through this site, its basically a fund raiser page.
This is difficult for me to do . Since having 3 friends children diagnosed w/ cancer recently I KNOW there are other things that people can donate their money for.
I am asking on the off chance someone can see this is important to me and my health , But I understand if they cant.
Thanks !

Roller Coaster of Emotions

The past day or so I have been on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
I may have found a solution to my revision surgery . I thought .. The US Government has an insurance program for people with pre existing conditions its called PCIP. I cant get insurance because of my failed band. I started looking into this and found out they can ( not always) but can cover the removal surgery and the sleeve conversion . YAY !! (Up up up goes the cart)
That's all great I talk to hubs about it he says go for it , its expensive about $250 a month for just me . That's ok we will find away to get it . (Still going up on the cart here )
I see the deductible is $2000 ( Middle of the road deducible) Ok not too bad ( kind of on a straight away now ) and then i see you have to pay 20% of out patient and in patient hospital stays. Ummm that might not be so good . (going down now ) Then i see the maximum out of pocket for a year is $4000 . UMM MOST likely the surgery would cost me the Max out of pocket . I cant do $4000 ! (Fast down hill slide now ) So I go to bed crying last night upset that this wont happen for me .
Then i get up thinking maybe I wouldn't have to pay the full $4000 up front ? So I call the place i want to have the surgery and she says depending on the insurance sometimes you just have to pay $2000 at time of surgery and the rest the bill you for. ( ok things are looking up again )
Then I find out that although my BMI is JUST high enough ( Meaning im JUST FAT Enough ) that I need MORE things wrong with me most likely in order for this to work . (DOWN )
SO the short version ( after the long version you just heard ) is I dont think i will know for SURE until I get the insurance ( I just applied for it ) and apply for the surgery .
I dont know how else to do it. Im so depressed right now I just want to get this done. I have heart burn everyday all day long. Its like you dont have ENOUGH wrong with you and your not FAT Enough now to get this fixed !
We will just have to see .

Lap band to sleeve conversion

Since I have been looking into having my band removed and having a sleeve put in I have learned alot. I have learned: ( Keep in mind this is only how i feel )
1. That the lap band was " sold' to me as the newest and greatest thing. ( not necessarily by my doc but my the manufacturer) We were all told how much weight we could lose how it would stay off and if we regained it " just get a fill it will come back off "
2. The lap band has failed me , I have not failed.
3. I have an addiction and issue with food , i need a tool to help me with that, the lap band is just not that tool.
4. The feelings, the weight gain , the heart burn etc are all thanks to the bands " after math "
5. I have figured out that because i can not eat " normal foods' solid proteins , rice , pasta, etc with out being in pain, I am then resorting to things I can get down such as ice cream , milk shakes, high calorie foods because those do go down .
6. I have also learned, ITS NOT JUST ME. Nearly EVERYONE I know who got banded 5,6,7 yrs ago are having the same issues, most do not have their bands or are getting them out.

I am doing everything I can to try to get mine removed and revised. It may take me some time.
The only thing i can try to do in the mean time is not gain more weight while I am waiting for this process to happen .