inanimate peanut

Well, they were $130 when I stopped a year and a half ago. I would imagine they are $150 now! That stinks!

Hi, I was banded in 2005 in Belgium (I don't remember the doctor's name). I started out at 284 lbs. (5'10") Within 1 year, I had lost 100 lbs! I continued to lose another 20 within the next couple years. I was a really good size for my body. I was teaching step aerobics and working out for another hour after that in a Water aerobics class. I was really careful about what I ate-- lots of protein! Then I got a new boyfriend, started eating out all the time, etc. and gained a few pounds. So, I went in for a fill. The fill was too tight and I knew it but I was losing weight so fast that I couldn't give it up. I could throw up almost everything I ate (and therefore eat everything I wanted.) This continued for a few months (I'm lucky I didn't slip my band) and I got sick of throwing up so I just started eating soft foods that would go through- ice cream, sugary Cereal, etc., and I started to gain the weight back. So finally I went and told my current doctor what had been going on and they had to take ALL of the Fluid out of my band! It felt like I was starting over. They would only give me really small fills now since they were worried about it getting too tight and I ran out of money to get fills. I tried Topamax, which worked great for awhile. Then, I started a medical med (nothing to do with my band) that made me gain weight regardless of how much I ate. I was so frustrated but used the Topamax to keep my weight down my only eating about 600 calories per day. Well, the topamax stopped working so I gained about 30 pounds over the next year (2009). That's when everything went wrong. I was put on another medical med that made me STARVE all the time (even if I'd just eaten). I also started getting specific cravings (like for cheesecake or donuts) that I couldn't resist. My band is not filled enough to help me with this, so I gained another 120 pounds in the last 9 months! I should have just scraped up the money for a fill but I figured I would just eat around it anyway (cheesecake with go right through the band, as will cake and ice cream). I now weigh about 320 pounds and am still gaining. I have horrible problems with my back and knees and am worried about becoming diabetic. My blood pressure has been running high too. I decided today that I AM GOING TO GET A FILL, SEVERAL IF NEEDED and work with the band to help me lose weight. I want to be a part of this support group to help me along the way and also to encourage people who are about to be banded that you have to work with the band and your doctor-- the band on its own does very little.