melzie_99

I did Weight Watchers to help me lose my last 20 or so pounds...it was easier for me to have the program help me chart my food and keep me accountable.

This concerns me a bit, as it sounds like what I have been experiencing! I will be seeing a new lapband dr soon (hopefully) as I have moved to a new state so I will mention this to him...thank you for the info.

I will offer my honest band experience, both good and bad. Have I had complications? Yes. Do I regret getting the band? Absolutely not. Here's a little back story... I was banded Jan 2011; highest weight was 284, lowest since being banded 165. My weight was in the 270's when I started this journey, so I can safely say I have lost about 110lbs. My normal weight is around 170-175, though I am up to about 177 due to being 5 1/2 months pregnant. While I will say the band is responsible for about 75-85% of my weight loss, I will honest and admit that I used Weight Watchers to help shed the last 20 or so because I needed the accountability. I unfortunately have been someone who has rarely if ever felt satisfied eating just 1c of food as suggested, but getting another fill would be too much for me. I currently have somewhere between 6-7cc's of Fluid in my band. Like Megan mentioned, reflux and vomiting are possible, even with the new bands. I actually got aspiration pneumonia as I would wake up vomiting and would then hyperventilate because I have a very sensitive gag reflex; the band only exacerbated this. It was to the point that I would wake up vomiting even sitting straight up sometimes, not just lying down. To this day I am aware that I cannot go to sleep within 2 hours of eating or drinking or risk having this happen. Another thing Megan mentioned was vomiting and having food from several previous hours come up; I have no idea how or why this happens but this has occurred to me. I have seen food regurgitated that I hadn't eat in 10+ hours, so perhaps my pouch doesn't empty properly...I have no clue. That being said, I do not regret my decision. I am healthier than I have been in about 14+ years, and I know I have the band to thank for that. Being banded helped me not only physically but also emotionally, as it forced me to find positive ways to deal with my problems instead of using food as a crutch. I feel so much more confident and believe I am finally able to be that person that was hiding under all those pounds. I can't tell you what your experience will be, I can only share mine. I accept the responsibility of knowing some of my issues were probably caused by the fact that I have not followed the 'lifestyle' to the letter...had I who knows if I would have had these things happen. What I do know is that, like I said, I am grateful for what the band has done for me and should complications continue then I will take the necessary steps, but I will not badmouth the band because at the end of the day I made the decision that was the best for me at the time.

I'm not going to lecture you, I'm honestly just fascinated that you WANTED to eat! I cried daily the first week because I was so tired of having to have my shakes/protein drinks every couple of hours and I had absolutely no appetite. It was so depressing to me initially to still be cooking for my husband and missing the food I used to eat but having no desire for it whatsoever...I felt like I had lost a friend! LOL But yeah, like the others said, I wasn't allowed soft foods for about 2 week and even then it was hit or miss; 2.5 years post surgery and I still can't eat some of the foods you tried.

I got my band in Jan 2011 and am currently 24w pregnant with my first. Surgeon asked me to wait at least 18 months before trying to get pregnant, which I did. Have had no fluid removed so still somewhere between 6-7cc's in the band. I've noticed my appetite has diminished these past few weeks, almost like it was when I first got the band, so I suspect my growing belly might be affecting things a bit. Otherwise my only concern/complain is that my port is beginning to protrude horribly and feels like it's trying to flip when I lie down, though this was a problem before I got pregnant due to weight loss. I've only gained about 5lbs, and my OB is well aware of the band and has no problems or concerns about it. ETA: Oh, and I'll be 32 next month.

Really depends for me; depending on what got me stuck I do have to go back to at least soft foods for a day or two because I guess my stomach get irritated easily. If I keep trying to eat those foods I continue to get stuck and then I really CAN'T do anything but liquids...

Wonderful responses from catfish and the others. I think the emotional eating component is the hardest thing to deal with as far as the band is concerned. Because you are physically unable to eat away your emotions you're forced to face a lot of demons, and it's HARD. The beauty of it all though is that as you grow into a new person physically you will also be growing emotionally, and it's a wonderful thing. I'm 2.5 years out and I still struggle sometimes with that urge to eat away my feelings but have been able to learn so much about myself because I've finally had to confront the things in my life that were keeping me overweight. This is a lifelong journey and we all stumble along the way. Congratulate yourself on taking the first step, and remember it DOES get better!

My port protrudes quite a bit now that's I've lost weight when lying down, especially now that I'm pregnant. Can cause some discomfort if something rubs against it but otherwise I really don't notice it. I can lie on my stomach but it will bother me if I lie on my side for too long (again, exacerbated from being pregnant). Haven't had issues with roller coasters or flying, but for some reason it gets a little uncomfortable if I'm swimming (almost as if the buoyancy messes with it or something). Fills can be a little uncomfortable but the nurse always gives me a numbing shot beforehand so it's tolerable.

How did you guys find out you had scar tissue? About a year or so ago I had such bad reflux I ended up getting aspiration pneumonia because I would wake up vomiting on a regular basis and would then hyper-ventilate...it got bad enough that this would happen even if I dozed off sitting up, not just lying down. They did a slight unfill but I'm back to I think about 6 cc's and can't have anything to eat/drink at least an hour before sleeping or risk the reflux. That being said, I haven't had any x-rays of my band since my original swallow test so just curious what made your doctors check for scar tissue...

Gotta agree with the others...I'm 2.5 years out and still struggle with chicken. Your band is probably way too swollen at this point for solid food, and getting stuck can be very painful so please be careful! Big bites are a problem as well; I've had to learn the hard way about not cutting my food small enough on more than one occasion. Take it easy on the solids for now, and good luck!

I will be honest with you: I have been banded since Jan 2011 and I STILL struggle with my diet. I would have to say that after about 4 months out I have almost always been able to eat at least a cup or more of food at a sitting and not feel stuffed, and I have I think 6-7cc's in a 10cc band. I started my journey at around 275 (highest weight 284); I got down to my goal of 165 but am usually somewhere between 170 and 175 (pregnant at the moment so I'm up to about 177). That being said, I think you already identified your problem: you stopped tracking. I personally ended up having to do Weight Watchers to lose my last 30 or so pounds because I needed the accountability, and it did the trick. Some will undoubtedly argue with me on this, but I don't think it's realistic to expect an adult to eat half a cup of food for the rest of their life and be healthy and satisfied. That being said, I think one of the biggest mistakes we can make with the band is not listening to our bodies; there have been way more occasions than I'd like to admit that I got stuck or ended up in pain because I took too big of a bite or kept eating even though I was satiated. Emotional eating was a hard habit to break and I still have moments where I want to cram my face, but have had enough negative experiences to know better now. Remind yourself why you chose this journey in the first place, and don't be so hard on yourself when you have slip-ups; it happens to us all. Use the resources available to you, whether it be your doctor, support groups, or even posting on here. There are days when I curse my band, but I look back on the "life" I used to have and I thank God I had the opportunity to get the help I needed. Just remember to take it one day at a time. Here is a link to a page I have used when I feel like I have 'strayed' from the path (don't always do the full 5 days but 2-3 is usually enough to get the ball rolling)- http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html . I wish you well and please continue to check in so we can see how things are going!

@Hope: I had to switch to Vitafol-One because the generic ones I prescribed were just not working...love them! I have no trouble taking them and there's no fish oil so nasty aftertaste.

I was told 18 months; I think it was about 2 years to the day when I found out I was pregnant (miscarried but got pregnant again in Feb and am currently 5 months along)

I've gotten mixed messages on this one; I guess it depends on your starting weight. If you've lost most of your band weight then they'd probably tell you no, but I've known women who got pregnant like 2 months after getting banded and their doctors were okay with them losing weight because they had a 'buffer' to work with. I know my doctor told me to wait at least 18 months after surgery to try and get pregnant (it was a little over 2 years since surgery for me) so I don't think he'd be thrilled if I was still losing weight while I was pregnant.