To band or not to band ?

[Bella'sBand]

I have to say I am a sweet eater too but the band has worked for me. It's not a miracle cute it's a tool u have to have the ability to not put all that chocolate in your mouth.

A tool that does not work for many rendering it not a tool at all just a very expensive bad experience. I am glad it has worked for you though

 

[WeightlossDreamer]

Well it is a tool because you and you alone make a choice to make it work or not no wls is a miracle cure they all require hard work effort and determination. Very few ppl gain weight simply because their band 'does not work'

 

[joujou]

I would say NOT from the rooftops. I am almost two years post op and it has been as much help as a paper hat in a rain storm. I know it has worked for many and happy for them congrats to you but there are many, many of us living with regret. £5,000 and five scars worth of regret with no way of getting either back, my money or my scars which ps are horrific. I was sold it as a tool that would 1. Make me feel full. 2. Make me feel more satisfied on smaller portions. 3. Make feel fuller and satisfied for longer. Great I thought I am not looking for a miracle just a tool that's going to give me an edge. I did not expect miracles, I just wanted steady slow weight loss and hoped that my one year surgery anniversary I would be at least under the 200lb mark. Well..... What they don't tell you is the pain the band causes when you try to eat small meals. At one point I could not eat a boiled egg without feeling like I was having a heart attack. It was a miserable way to live your life. I could even have put up with it if I got results but nope! Also you are not told that everything you did before to lose weight that us yoyo dieters always fail at, you will still have to do, this tool is not any help in that regards. I used to love big bowls of veg and salad when dieting, not with the band I can't. I ended up being vitamin deficient because your not allowed bread, rice, pasta even sparkling water which I love. It just made eating a painful, joyless, dreaded chore. Now another thing I might add I am not and never have been a big portion eater which I told the surgeon when he asked me my portion size I answered med/small, he looked at me as if to say, yeah right... But it's the truth. I don't eat take always either hate fried food, have never cooked as much as a chip in my home, not even an oven chip. So I have been told since the band should not have been offered to me as really its for people who eat big portions. My problem is a sweet tooth, I cannot get through they day without a biscuit or chocolate bar or two or three, now I am being honest here and was with the surgeon. The band does not inhibit your ability to eat a dairy milk fact! It does inhibit your ability to eat chicken breast with a rainbow of veggies though. It's madness. Now people have told me, if you just stick to the rules it will happen... Well I stuck to the rules week after week after week after week with zero results. Dieticians at the clinic are no help. And the pain I suffered trying to eat when my band was filled was unexplainable, I kid you not every day I was salivating and spitting constantly in a tissue when trying to eat a small portion, my chest and rib cage would hurt for up to an hour after eating, I would dread trying to eat. In fact I ate so little by body just refused to give up any excess weight, it thought I was starving o death. The day I was crying from eating a boiled egg my husband said, that's it we are going to get this thing emptied, I was so relieved. After in the car on the way home I ate a whole wheat tuna sandwich and it was the best darn sandwich I had ate in my life. So here I am almost two years down the road with a band around my stomach (which still hurts me on a weekly basis) and a port in my body good for nothing, £5,000 poorer, 5 raised red keloid scars because I was given "internal" stitches which meant the two pieces of flesh did not fully come together ergo never healed properly. Basically getting a band FOR ME was a fruitless endeavour. If I knew before surgery what I know now I would not have had it done for free on the nhs never mind pay fir the privilege. If i had a spare £5,000 lying around i would have it removed asap. I would never after this experience op for sleeve or bypass! Not even if I was paid to do so. I know now with all my heart surgery is not the answer, not for me. And it has nothing to do with willpower either. And here endeith my tale. I would like to add now I do not diet, I got of the merry go round, love my body, enjoy life and don't set foot on the scales, because happy calories don't count

Hooray !!!!! Well said !!!!!! Chicken bye bye, salad noooooooo, veg has to be mashed....... Would I reeves the band YES YES YES YES.........

 

[sharon2014]

This is only my opinion and I respect everyone else's but I wanted to say something briefly regarding this:

I think for anyone who does the research WLS does work, I'm sorry it didn't work for you and it's good to hear other sides to people's journeys.

But it's up to everyone to make their own informed decision, which is what I have done and as far I am happy with the results. I am a large portion eater so I narrowed it down for my requirements!

I would say there are a few stories of negative side of every surgery and this site is invaluable for people to hear all sides of every surgery.

 

[WeightlossDreamer]

just to even this argument out both me and my hubby are banded combined weve lost over 10 stone. We both manage to eat salad, raw veg, fruit etc its all about respecting the band and the rules. I would say if you cant tolerate salad etc you may need a defill? x

 

[Crystalrainbow]

Oh blimey i love my band........ 6 months post op no fills as yet and over 6 stone down so far, i can eat everything including salad and veg...... apple skin has been my only problem lol i think its a common misconception that the band alone is going to do all the work.... in fact like every other 'tool' its down to the user of the tool to make it work. After all a screwdriver wont work unless you turn it !!! So for me a well informed choice, i want my band to work, i want to shift this weight........... so i have to do everything in my power to make it work. Dieting alone will not cut it in my opinion, we need to move more ...... less input + more output = loss simple maths i guess The band is a mere barrier to slow down the eating which gives the brain time to register its full....... so as long as were following the rules it will work
Im really sorry its not working for you, but as dreamer says maybe you should get it checked out......maybe its just too tight? all the best...........