As you may have guessed, I think some serious questions need to be asked regarding experimental gastric banding and some unbiased and factual answers given to those questions rather than banding being considered the ‘magic cure all for obesity’ that it is currently touted as. And I am going to refer to it as ‘experimental gastric banding’ because in reality, that is exactly what it is. Banding hasn’t been around long enough for there to be a comprehensive collection of literature and research as to the long term consequences of the procedure – both physically and psychologically.

Following yesterday’s post featuring Emily’s story, I have received several emails from other ‘band failures’…

M. had her band inserted in late 2005. She weighed approx 110kg at the time (and was healthy and gorgeous at the time, I can say this because I know M personally). Within 2 years she had to have her band replaced as she was continually finding her mouth full of what she referred to as ‘battery acid’. Both before and after the replacement banding, M suffered from vomiting when she ate certain foods, such as bread and her weight has fluctuated greatly. She has lost approx 20-25kg (depending on the fluctuation) and is still in the ‘obese’ category of the BMI. She isn’t sure the side effects have made the whole thing worthwhile – not to mention what it has cost her in private health insurance premiums. M had no psychological screening before either of her bandings and no psychological, nutritional or any other kind of follow up after her procedures.

S. got her band in mid 2008. Like Emily, within months, she too had to have her gall bladder removed after she started having gall bladder attacks provoked by sudden weight loss (15kg in approx 6 weeks). S also has the chronic diarrhoea issue that Emily deals with and hasn’t lost any more weight since the initial 15kg loss (she actually thinks she has regained some but doesn’t weigh herself so isn’t sure). S says she doesn’t experience any feelings of satiety  despite having the band and while certain foods have become stuck and caused her pain, she hasn’t experienced any vomiting at all since getting the band. Her surgeon thought this lack of vomiting showed that S had been eating too much and had stretched the upper pouch of her stomach. If she was following ‘the rules’ apparently she should have vomited at least once in 18 months! Sounds like S sees the same surgeon Emily did! S is still in the ‘morbidly obese’ classification of the BMI and refuses to go back to see her surgeon. S also had no psychological screening prior to her banding let alone afterwards.

C. got her band about 3 years ago. Again, there was no psychological screening or follow up (are we sensing a distinct pattern here?) C lost a considerable amount of weight (approx 35kg) but is still in the ‘morbidly obese’ classification of the BMI and still has active Type 2 diabetes, the very same diabetes that banding is meant to cure! C vomits if she eats solid food and finds the only foods she can keep down are the sorts of food she ‘isn’t meant to eat’.

While I am aware these stories are all anecdotes and secondary evidence, I think they aptly illustrate that there ARE issues with gastric banding and that these issues are being covered up at worst and glossed over at best, by bariatric surgeons who are able to make a quick buck (or 9 thousand) with each band they inflict on their unsuspecting patients. Because in Australia, the vast majority of banding is done through the private sector, it is difficult to get information regarding the banding procedure, how many people are continuing with follow up (either short term or long term), the complication rate and the failure rate (which does exist despite what the surgeons and the manufacturers would have you believe). It boggles my mind that these people can insist that banding recipients are ‘the happiest patients you’ll see’ when even a basic Google search turns up umpteen hits for message boards saturated with posts from people who the band has failed. The main problem here is that the surgeons, the manufacturers and many of the patients don’t see it like that, they don’t see that the band has failed them. They see it as the patient being the failure. If the band doesn’t work, it is the patient’s fault. It is typical victim blaming and it makes me sick. Banding is made out to be the wonderful magic cure-all for fat and it is nothing of the sort. Until we have nonbiased long term research studies it is totally unethical and completely misleading to say that the band is 100% safe and guaranteed to work (if used properly of course). There are no guarantees in this world, including damned gastric banding.