Happy Anniversary ? I think not ! 5 Years Post op .

5 years ago I was having surgery to do what I thought would change my life for the better. At that point in time I had PCOS, sleep apnea , migraines, fatigue, shortness of breath, sore joints , muscle aches all from being obese (Except the migraines and PCOS ) . The lap band 5-7 yrs ago was the greatest thing. It was something you could get to help you lose weight, you did not have to cut your stomach to have it done , it could be taken out " easily" if you wanted later on and the risks and complications were around where around less than 1%. So off I went to save my life , change my life and have a better quality of life.

Well that did not happen so much . I received an email today from a lap band group I was on and it was congratulating me on my "anniversary " . It has some questions in the email that I thought were ironic .

• Post Op Clinical Survey : how have your co-morbidity decreased over time? After losing 125 pounds I my sleep apnea went away for a while, but I am pretty sure that I have it again . So no good changes there .
• How are you doing on post op nutrition? I followed the "band rules" to a T until my band failed. I thought I was doing everything i was suppose to and I was, I was doing everything I was told to do and not to do. How is my nutrition now ?? Lets see what CANT I eat ?? Solid proteins, veggies, thick liquids. What can I eat ? Milk shakes, cookies, candies , all go down just fine .. Anything healthy will not go down and ends up coming back up ! Ironic isnt it ? 
• Check up on your peers: How are your friends doing ? My other band friends who have had the band around the same time as me ? They are almost all in the same boat, at least the ones who know it and or will admit it . I would say just guessing over 75% of us have lost their bands in one way or another . By choice or by necessity .

So here 5 yrs later how has my life changed with the band ?? It has not , its gotten worse and my quality of life in my opinion is worse. I still have joint and muscle aches , this time most likely caused by the band not just from being fat . I still have sleep apnea again from being over weight. I cant control what i eat, this time NOT By my choice ! My band or lack of band and scar tissue dictates what I eat , how i eat and when i eat . I still have fatigue , now its much worse . 
I find today a day I wish I had never had . I wish I had never had my band , spend the money , time and effort on it . My life is NOT better with it ! The sooner this comes out the better !