I had surgery in Aug 2010. My first fill, a month or 2 later, was (in my opinion) extremely aggressive... 2.5 cc (on top of the 2cc from surgery). No one gave me a clear idea what to expect so it took me a week to go back due to being unable to eat or drink anything. I had a partial unfil and things seemed to be fine.
I went through 2 or 3 more fills, frequently having PBs or foaming, when I reached a point of total unpreditability with food consumption. A sip of coffee might make me vomit. But if I vomited I could then eat anything I wanted - as much as I wanted. Or vice versa: the coffee would be fine but food would make me vomit non-stop. Overall, I was stuck at a loss of only 30lbs.
After seeing the surgeons, I was sent for GI exams and determined to have band slip. All fill was removed from my band in April 2011. Three months, and regain of 20lbs, later I was cleared to resume fills. I had 1.5cc put in my band in July or early August 2011, rapidly lost 10 lbs then gained it back over the next 2 months. I made an appt for another fill but had to cancel due to allergies (which caused stomach problems) and a cold... and gained another 5lbs.
Now, nearly 14 months after surgery, I'm down only 8lbs, despite 2hrs/week with a trainer.
Had there been any idea that gastric sleeve would be approved by insurance so quickly, I would have waited for that surgery. I'm told that having band slip once greatly increases the chance of it happening twice. If I have another slip, I'll go for revision surgery - to the sleeve. That potential is the only reason I stay at my current job (for the insurance coverage).
While I haven't had the weight changes I wished for, the initial weight loss allowed me to begin working out with a trainer. A year ago, I was on crutches nearly full time and facing a future of being in a wheelchair. Now I can walk/stand like a normal person. Although I'm extremely disappointed with my surgical results, and live in fear of another band slip (it was extremely painful whenever I ate anything), I have to remember to focus on my improvements - and to hope that this round turns out better than the first.
