kristallynn13

Three years ago I had set my mind into having bariatric surgery. I searched information on the internet and came across lapbandtalk. Through this website I found the information I needed to make a decision and a commitment to have lap band surgery. I lost about 50 pounds before I was banded in Sept 2011. I lost another 60 pounds by Feb 2012. I felt like the model lap bander. I loved working out. I loved Protein shakes. Everything was easy peasy. I had a really bad break up from my boyfriend on Valentines day, 2012. After that day, I just didn't care anymore what happened to me. I gave up. I ate with reckless abandon. Fast forward to now. I have gained ALL but 24 pounds of my weight back. I finally went back to my surgeon a few weeks ago after my gastrointestial system began rebelling and causing great discomfort. He removed all the Fluid in my band and sent me for an upper GI series. Thank goodness everything was ok with my band. I just got home from seeing the surgeon. He and I had a very long discussion about the band, my weight gain, and where to go from here. We discussed having gastric bypass. I am cautiously considering this as an option. In the mean time, I have to give my band another try. The surgeon gave me a 3cc fill. He is sending me back to the nutritionist and the psychologist. I know I have it in me to get it back on track, but I need some help. So I am reaching out to the good people at the place where I began this journey. I would love to find a texting buddy or email buddy that will hold me accountable and encourage me to make positive choices.

I too fell off the wagon and making a commitment to myself to turn this around. Good luck to you!

Sharpie I am not 188. I am 284. I can't figure out how to change my weight that shows on my profile. I also don't believe my surgeon is pushing me to make money. I am probably pushing him more. He told me flat out that my success rate with GB isn't going to be any better. He said it is an option but that I should give my lapband another try. I have failed the lapband. I know it is all me. I know I need to go to counseling but I have done all that and am unsure how much it really helps me. In the past year or so since I have been gaining my weight back I have been suicidal most days. So taking care of my life was something not high on my list of priorities. The band does not like my antidepressant Zoloft. For some reason it gets stuck and I have terrible heartburn for hours later. I have worked with my PCP to try other antidepressants but none seems to work as well and I am tired of feeling like a guinea pig for pharmaceuticals. Six weeks ago my surgeon removed all the Fluid from my band and I was able to restart my Zoloft. I was feeling much more upbeat and eager to start losing weight again. After getting a 3cc fill yesterday, my Zoloft got stuck. I am going to try and crush the pill and see if I can tolerate it. I do believe that every new day we are blessed with is an opportunity to make a change. I am making this change again. I just really wanted to reach out to someone that could help with support. I welcome and appreciate all constructive criticism.

Congrats Prettythick1 for your success!

I wouldnt consider my journey a total failure, but if I had know then what I know now, I probably would not have had the surgey. Okay, let me lay down the ground work of my story. I have been overweight my whole life, numerous failed weight loss attempts, etc, etc, etc. About 2 years ago, I found myself with a job that had excellent benefits and would pay for weight loss surgery. I searched the internet. Considered gastric bypass vs banding. Banding obviously won. I started the Atkins diet May of 2011. Lost weight very rapidly. Loved the diet. Had lap band Sept 2011. Had already lost 65 pounds before surgery. Times were trying and difficult after surgery, but weight loss was great, loved working out, could not see myself ever being fat again. By Feb 2012, I had lost 135 pounds. Weighed 183 from well over 310 pounds. I was on top of the world. I was within 25 lbs from goal, no major setbacks with the band. I was beginning to get a little cocky about my weight loss. I was smaller than my teenage daughters. This created alot of anxiety among all three of us. I was madly, deeply in love with my boyfriend. Life was perfect. Valentines day 2012, I had intended on asking my boyfriend to marry me. Never happened. I found out that day that not only was he cheating on me, but he was having affairs with no less than 4 other women. I was totally devastated, heartbroken, suicidial, despondent. The women were all bigger than me. I went into a couple of months of really being anorexic. Working out to the brink of passing out. Got in really great shape. But then, it just all started to fail. My weight loss, and mental health has been downhill ever since. I am up about 30 pounds. I hate myself for gaining weight back. I told myself I would never weigh more that 200lbs again, but here I am. I know it is not the bands fault, it is mine. But my problem is not weight, it is not food. My problem is the lack of effective coping mechanisms in dealing with emotions. No surgery, exercise, or diet is going to fix that for me. It is a mental problem. I have had overfills, underfills, stucks, PBing, vomiting, everything, you name it. I am probably really in the green zone right now, but I abuse my body and get my stomach angry. So I am sitting in front of a very small plate of normal people's food, PBing in my plate. I used to get up and hide it from my family, but what is the point. It isnt a secret. I get mad alot of the times, because I want to binge and stuff food down my throat. The band doesn't allow me to. I try to eat what I am supposed to. I can't. The band doesn't like chicken, or vegetables, or anything else. It loves shakes and chocolate. Never once have I been stuck on a piece of chocolate. McDonalds shakes have become a mainstay of my menu. I can always drink them no matter what the time of day, and I can drink them as fast as I want. It almost satisfies my need to binge. Tonight, I just wanted to eat a nice healthy meal with my family, but the band wont let me.

Jennypenny, I feel your pain and I can totally relate. I was banded 9/2011. I lost all my weight because of the Atkins diet, not due to the band. I was diagnosed with kidney stones in March and was told my high protein diet was probably the cause. Everything I eat healthy gets stuck now. I dont know if I have gained weight back or not. I dont weigh myself anymore. I have been throwing up alot, can not take my pills, and am so totally frustrated that I too have considered having the band removed. I keep telling myself this is a phase and it will pass. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope for the best. I have had several fills, and suspect I need an unfill, but I just cant bring myself to have an unfill. Good luck to you!

I am a an RN and work in an ambulatory care center. I needed at full two weeks. Not so much because of the physical activity, but because I was so weak from not eating or drinking much. Good Luck to you all!!

Does the pain subside after some time? I too hate fills. It is because I had alot of pain from the injection one time. Now I cringe when I even think about getting a fill.

I have noticed that before with me as well. I attribute it to my body having to work harder to digest the food, therefore creating more body heat.