Weight Loss Surgery

I  had the band with a well known national company, my 2 friends had bands at the same time. We were in it together!! We were so excited.
The thing is – my 2 friends have had big problems. One has had to have the lap band taken out cos it’s  slipped and the other is so depressed cos she can’t socialise as she’s sick all the time. They wish they’d not had it done in the first place.
I’ve lost half of my fat so far but I’m scared I’m gonna end up in the same boat as my friends. I don’t know what to do. Please help?  Nobody told us about any of this and we’ve been told we’ve no chance of getting our money back.

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

We have many patients telling us similar stories. Unfortunately there is still bad practice out there.

If your friend had had the correct follow up , including support and education then the band slippage could most likely have been avoided. Persistent vomiting causes slippage.  Poor eating habits and not working correctly with the band cause poor eating habits. The band is a TOOL to reduce portion sizes. It does not work unless the patient uses it correctly. We cannot emphasise how important the correct follow up is.

NIOPPS (www.niopps.co.uk) should be the first port of call for anyone considering a weight loss procedure or looking for aftercare.

Regarding your friend who is unable to socialise due to frequent vomiting. This certainly should not be the case. It sounds like she is over restricted. She needs some fluid removing from the band and she absolutely needs to be taught how to use the band correctly.

The same applies to yourself – get in touch with a Niopps registered provider to ensure the Gold standard in programme practice delivery.

You have been fortunate in that you haven’t had any adverse symptoms so far. Get yourself into a good quality aftercare programme. Learn how to use the band correctly, get to the right level of restriction, learn how to get to your ideal weight and to stay there for the rest of your life.

I’ve got to get a loan from the bank to have the band operation. I’ve seen some cheaper deals advertised. Surely if the surgeon knows what he’s doing and they say they’ve got a lot of experience – getting the cheaper surgery has got to be the way to go?

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

The first step for anyone even considering surgery should be a visit to the NIOPPS site in order to check out who is registered and to check out what the minimum standards of after care should be

Of course the Surgeon needs to be experienced in the weight procedure you are considering.
It is vital that you realise that excellent aftercare equals excellent weight loss results.
Poor aftercare  equals poor weight loss results and a higher chance of surgical/adverse symptoms.

You are considering a procedure in order to lose weight.

1. Ask the provider if they are registered with NIOPPS
2. Ask what their published weight loss results are
3. Ask to speak to past and current patients
4. Do your research – look on the web for feedback from others regarding the provider who you are considering

Hello, I recently had to have my band removed (2 weeks ago) - it had been placed too high and caused me a lot of pain and discomfort…After 18 months of getting nowhere with my first surgeon/hospital, I changed surgeons and hospitals. I just wanted to know if you have come across many bandsters who have had poorly fitted bands - not to mention bad
aftercare. I am an NHS patient, so my op was in the UK…  Margaret

Hi,  I had my band fitted in August 2008 and I have been for countless fills I know have  7.15mls in my band but I can still eat big portions of food. Im getting a bit worried that the band may not be fitted right etc. I do have some restriction but not a lot . What are the portions of food that one should be eating when they have reached their “sweet  spot.  I have lost 50 lbs since August but I just thought things would be moving a bit  quicker.

YWLS replies:

There are a couple of things you need to consider. The first is that the portion size with a correctly fitted band is about the size of your own fist (when the food is compressed).  3 meals per day with no snacks.  The next is the texture of the food, the more solid, the less you will be able to eat at any one meal as the pouch will fill quickly and it won’t empty as quickly as it would with less solid food. Be careful though as you may get something stuck.  In our clinics the patients experiment with textures of food and amounts.  Also by selecting to eat a couple of bites of the more solid foods on a plate, you can reduce the amount of food you eat at that meal.  If you are at all worried, you should ask if you need a radiological examination to see if you have any problems re placement or slippage, size of pouch etc.

Hi  my friend had her  band fitted in January of this year and since this date has had 2  fills.  The latest fill, which she had 2 weeks ago, has made it very difficult for her to eat ny type of solid food.  She is  pleased in one sense, because the weight is coming off, but worried her band may be too full! Any advice?

Hi you were really helpful to me when I last asked a question my friend asked me to ask you this.

Can you tell me what is the percentage of people that have a gastric band experience the band slipping? My friend  is considering the gastric band,  but when consulting the surgeon she was told that she could be considered for the bypass.  As she is self funding and operation, which will take place in the UK,  this has really freaked her out as it was so unexpected and going to be a lot more money.

Michelle

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

Firstly a bypass is radical surgery, and is not easy to reverse or manage once you have achieved weight loss.  There are a lot of myths and legends about Bypass v bands.  At the end of the day it is your decision, you should do your homework to decide which is best for you.  In the last 4 years we have referred only 2 patients for bypass because of the potential problems with it.  In brief pros and cons.

Bands are adjustable and removable, have a lower mortality rate, are adjustable as you change through the years with age.

Bypass is radical, not adjustable as you age and it can be difficult to maintain a healthy dietry intake when you have lost the excess weight (not impossible, just more difficult than with a band).

Our latest results show equal or better weight loss with a band than published results with bypass, so it depends on who is looking after you after the surgery as to what results you get with both procedures.  We always recommend asking for the results of that surgeon or clinic (they should have them if they are managing their patients properly).  You could google search gastric band clinic to see who is doing it in your area and what their results are. One last thing if you are female and want to have children in the future a band is safer as it is difficult to ensure that the baby is being fed properly in the womb.
Keep in touch let us  know  what you do.

YWLS

Hi , please can you advise me.

I have had a 10 ml band with 6.75ml in. I  suffered with reflux before I had my band but afterwards I had 10 months with no reflux but it then came back far worst than before. I had a barium xray which said all looked fine,  it was suggested to perhaps have some of the fill out, but by the time l had arranged to have some out all was well again. It seems that the reflux comes back after a fill,  so l am only able to have small fills ie 0.25ml at a time, which is  expensive nowas  l am out of waranty. What has been interesting is that where l would have a vodka and juice in the evenings I stopped three weeks ago, YES no more reflux I now have a glass of wine with no reflux, I can also eat in the evenings, could you please tell me if  alchol is  the reason for my reflux?

Kate

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

Hi Kate,

alcohol is acidic and can cause reflux in people who don’t have bands.  Re the amount of fluid in your band, more isn’t always better. It is always better to adjust what you eat and the way you eat it before adding more fluid to the band.  Most of my patients have between 5 and 6ml in a 10ml band results show more than 60% excess weight loss in the first 9 months. They aren’t hungry and understand how to adjust what they are eating to reduce what they eat.  ~
Good luck  YWLS

Hi, I had my band fitted in May08, although I am pleased with the results of my surgery I dont feel as great as I thought I would. There seems to be one week every month when I feel unconfortable and find it very difficult to keep food down. I feel very tearful and tired and my hair has gone very thin and now I am anaemic and my b12 is so low I’m having injections. I’ve lost nearly 6 stone since 22nd of May!!  I thought weight loss was slower with banding? Have you any ideas many thanks

Michelle

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

Hi Michelle, We  see a lot of patients from other clinics that have come to us as they have  similar symptoms.  They have almost always got too much fluid in the band.  In order to answer you properly, we need to know hat you are able to eat, when do you get hungry, and  what type of foods you are eating.  A lot of our patients achieve similar weight loss none  show these symptoms,  so it is possible if managed properly to get great weight loss without becoming ill.  You should seek advice quickly before things get worse.  Look for a clinic with great results and nurses/dieticians who are able to adjust your band in clinic, it may take a couple of adjustments before it is correct for you.  Hope this  helps, don’t wait. YWLS

Hello,  I had an xray fill today but I was told there was a blockage and had to have it emptied. I wad told  it needed to be left for a moth to settle down before it is  refilled. Will it be filled back to were it was as I dont want to put weight back on

Katie

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

Hi Katie,

Firstly we rarely advocate the use of Xray band fills. We  prefer to adjust a band using a clinical fill based on the amount and consistency of food you are able to eat, coupled with the amount of time before meals that you start to feel hungry. In this way, you are able to experiment with foods and learn how to adjust what you are able to eat by changing how you eat. In this way you are preparing yourself for the long term whilst still achieving great weight loss. To date we can find no research or any published results using the Xray adjustment techniques. We can tell you our results show over 60% excess weight loss in the first 9 months post surgery. Our advice would be to go to a clinic that has published results and only uses X ray adjustment when the port is difficult to find. It is possible to change the consistency of your food to ensure you will eat less and still loose weight. Not sure what kind of blockage the radiologist saw, but if we were you we would want to know more. We hope this helps YWLS.

Question:

I’ve been told that once you have a lap band that you’ll never be able to eat solid food again, is this true?

Your Weight Loss Surgery Answer:

After the gastric band has been fitted it is essential to follow a liquid diet, this then graduates to soft foods then semi solid food and finally onto solid food.
The correct introduction of fluids and then food during the first few weeks is essential to preserve the structure that has been created at operation. It is important not to stretch the new ‘pouch’ that has been created. This allows the band to settle and stabilise.

We support all our patients closely before, during and for as long after the procedure as they wish. We will coach you through every step.

After a few weeks you will be eating small solid food meals. It is important to learn exactly how the band works in order to get the best weight reduction, we will teach you how to do this.
When you hear of patients from other providers who say they can’t eat solid food etc, they need education, support and the correct level of band adjustment in order to live their lives normally while at the same time getting to their idea weight.

We have many patients who have come to Gateway Health for their aftercare as they have been disappointed and let down by other providers of this service.

We cannot emphasise enough how important follow up, support and education is – delivered by experienced well qualified clinicians.
Always check exactly what after care you will receive with your surgery package, ask to speak to past and current patients, ask for their published weight loss results.

You will only do this once, make sure you make the right choice! Our weight loss results are the best in the UK – that’s a fact, ask yourself why. Visit Gatewayhealth’s weight loss surgery aftercare page for more information