Bandedboomer

My port is constantly quite painful. When I saw the doctor's assistant she said it is common for the port to be painful because it is attached to a muscle and when you lift something it makes the port painful. She told me not to worry, but it has been years and it hurts every minute. Plus it swells up like I have a walnut under my skin. I think I am going to try to see another surgeon to see if this pain is truly normal. I would really like to know if anyone else has this problem. In addition to that I also have had pains throughout my abdomen for the last five months. I just had a CT scan and the radiologist told my doctor that it didn't show anything at all. I am now waiting for an appointment with a gastroenterologist. The pain is not in my stomach, but seems to travel all around my abdomen. With all my tests showing nothing, I am now wondering if my band is causing problems that cannot be seen on a CT scan. I am not throwing up and I don't feel my band is too tight so I just cannot figure out what the problem is and neither can my regular doctor.

I was happy to read this information. I have not had much luck with my band. I also have three friends who got banded by the same doctor and none of us have had much luck with the band working. We all got fills, but never had the "sweet spot" work for us and we had a very, very difficult time staying on the Lapband eating program for weeks. However, my real problem is that the port swells up almost every day so it looks like a golf ball is inside the skin. The area around the port almost constantly is quite painful and I have to use a heating pad on it. When I asked the doctor's assistant about it three years ago, she said it was nothing to be concerned about and that it just meant that the port was straining against the stomach muscles when I over used them. I am concerned that something else might be a problem, but the doctor continues to tell me things are okay. I am thinking that I might want to either have it taken out or have a sleeve put in. However, I am not sure about the sleeve when the band hasn't seemed to work at all. Any ideas? Thank you.

I read your post and feel exactly like you do. I had my surgery over three years ago and have only lost 30 pounds. I got a reboot(took liquid out and put it back in the port) a couple of months ago and I felt like I finally reached my "sweet spot" and could actually keep on the Lap Band program. However, after about a month, I couldn't feel the band working any longer except when I ate bread or spicy food. I get depressed when I keep reading about all of these Lap Banders who are SO successful and keep losing weight until they have lost 100+ pounds and then those that keep it off for years. I keep trying to stay with the program, but I keep getting so hungry that I go off of the program. I would love to know exactly what the successful people eat each day that allows them to be so successful. Also, although I have had it checked many times my band port really hurts. The doctor said it is just because it is pulling on a muscle but it still doesn't seem like it should hurt after all of these years. I do wish we had a local group of Lap Band folks here so we could talk about our bands and how some people are so successful. However, the closest group is four hours away. Maybe I am missing a site on the Internet that gives better information on how to work with the band so you eat right and lose weight without always being hungry. Then too, maybe I need some therapy because I am not as successful as most people are who have had the Lap Band? When you learn the secret of success with the band I hope you will post it for those of us who are also frustrated. Good Luck and I hope you do find success!

I would answer questions 1 and 2 like Labwalker. However, I have only had one fill hurt and that was by a nurse who had only done a couple of fills! However, after having ten fills I don't feel they hurt as much as a bee sting. My fill nurse also has me lift my legs right before she gives the shot and it somehow makes the port easier to fill and it doesn't hurt half as much as much as a flu shot. Congratulations on getting surgery. You are so young I am sure you won't have lots of extra skin. However, if you do, I have a couple of friends whose excess skin caused a rash at the fold so their insurance paid for a tummy tuck! Now they look fantastic!

I actually had three friends who had the surgeon that eventually did my surgery. Each of my friends had very good results and really liked the friendly and professional manner that my surgeon displayed with each of them. After thinking about the surgery, I decided the best way to know about the surgery was to accompany my good friend when she had her Lap Band surgery. In that way, I met the surgeon and followed my friend through her first few days of surgery. After spending this time observing how well she was treated and how fast she healed I knew I wanted Dr. Michaelson for my surgery as well and I was not disappointed.

I had my Lap Band surgery in March of 2011. At that time I weighed 283 pounds at 5'8'. The surgery went fantastically well, however, I had a hard time following the program so it took a year and ten fills to lose 30 pounds. I could never understand what the "sweet spot" was and how it was supposed to work. Then in October of 2012 I had a fill that was a little too much and I was sick to my stomach constantly for two days until I had some of the fill removed. At that time, I just gave up because I read about all of the success stories and I never really felt the Lap Band made much of a difference and I certainly wasn't losing weight like so many others were doing. Although I stopped the program in October 2012, I kept reading all of the fantastic success stories and became more and more depressed that I wasn't one of them. Finally, I decided to call the Lap Band Clinic a couple of weeks ago and set up an appointment to talk to the Fill nurse. She spent more than an hour with me and discussed all of the things that I was doing wrong. The main thing was that I was eating "Protein Bars" as a meal thinking they were loaded with protein, therefore, they would fill me up and keep me satisfied so my band would work. However, after about an hour I was hungry again so I would eat again (often another protein bar). After discussion, the nurse let me know that Protein Bars are really more of a snack and I was not eating enough at my three meals so I was hungry all the time and started snacking instead of eating proper meals. In addition, I often drank milk with meats (yes I know this sabotaged the Lap Band, but I didn't think it would hurt much!) Anyway, after spending a lot of time going over what I was doing wrong and then learning exactly what and how to eat using the band as a tool I FINALLY understand how the band works. I also understand what the "sweet spot" is and exactly how and why that works. I am not dumb, but I never understood how the Band worked until this particular fill nurse actually spent the time with me and explained things much, much better and more in depth than anyone else had done. With my new understanding, I finally have worked successfully with the program over the last couple of weeks and am using the Band exactly how it is supposed to work as the tool to help me stay with the program. In addition, when I went in for the consultation with the new fill nurse, she took out all of the fill and then put it back in. She called it a "Reboot" and it really has made a huge difference! I now believe I can follow the program correctly and will be able to lose the weight like I should have been able to do two years ago. I love the idea of being "Rebooted" because it is also a psychological as well as physical boost to my success!

I was banded two years ago and was so excited about the program as were two of my friends who were banded about the same time. Each of us lost about twenty five pounds in the first couple of months, but none of us lost any more weight over the last two years! None of us have gained any weight either but just plateaued at twenty five pounds loss and stayed there. There are no support groups in our area so we tried to support each other. We are now going back over all of the information to see how and if we can start over and be more successful at losing weight. It is both exciting and depressing to see all of the many people who have been banded and have lost enough weight to have reached their goals. We were instructed to eat no more than one cup of food for each meal with a small Protein snack at night. None of us could keep that up very long without being really hungry. Is that what each of you successful banders have been able to do to lose all your weight? Did you just work past the hunger until you could be successful? I think the three of us may go back to our surgeon ( 5 hours away from where we live) and see if we can have our bands checked so we can start the eating program a second time so we can be more successful like so many of the banders are on this site. Have any of you had the same problems and then started all over again? I would love to talk with you to see if you were successful the second time around.

Thanks to each of you who gave me some ideas for getting back on the program and how to better fight my hunger. I bought soups and lots of high protein foods and am really sticking with the program like I should have in the beginning. Although I am behind in losing weight, I am excited again about stickicking with the guidelines so I can do as well as most of you. Congratulations on all of your hard work! Hopefully, next year I will also have a nice "After" picture to post too! Thanks again.

I had a similar experience and it was very painful. However, I contacted the doctor and asked him whether or not a fill should hurt that much. He said definitely not! He then had his assistant visit the particular nurse and show her how to find the port. She was instructed to use a pen and follow the outline and draw a circle. With the circle, she couldn't miss the port. After that she now finds the port and no painkiller is necessary. I was also instructed to raise both legs and it makes the port stand out so the fill is easier and now I have fills without pain. I have had six fills by four different people and only the one nurse gave painful fills. The others were painfree. Good luck!

I feel like a total failure! I lost 25 pounds in the month after my June 1, 2011 surgery and have not lost a pound since! I am filled to 10.5 on a 14 band and the nurse is concerned about not going higher. Right after a fill I do get full fast and am able to lose about 5 pounds. Then in the second week after the fill I am hungry about every hour! I am not eating the types of food I ate before surgery, but I still eat enough to keep from losing weight. Are those of you who are successful actually satisfied with the tiny bit of meat or protein and cup of vegetables three times a day? I also found I have become addicted to milk and drank way too much. How are you doing so well on the diet? Aren't you hungry every hour? I am beginning to think I need to see a counselor because maybe this is something I am emotionally fighting. I would LOVE some help and maybe I can start again on the right path. Thank you so much.

I read your note and I guess I am asking the same question. I am SO upset. I had my surgery in June and have only lost 18 pounds. I have been the same weight since August and keep getting fills, but I feel hungry every two hours! I am eating great, but just too often because I feel hungry and cannot east three cups a day and nothing else. I am thinking I need to see a therapist too because this surgery is not working like it has on four of my friends who ALL lost between 50 and 80 pounds after six months. I go for another fill next week, but it seems to help my hunger for about a week and then wears off. I cannot believe I went through all of this and it isn't working very well!

Lots and Lots of Luck! I just had my surgery last Monday and it was fantastic! I had no sickness, little pain or gass and got up and walked right away as the doctor suggested. I have read several articles that suggest that if a doctor or anestheseist makes a suggestion during your surgery your brain takes it in. Therefore, I asked my anestheseist to tell me, "Delphine, you will recover quickly and have little pain." He agreed to do so and I honestly feel that is why I am having such a great recovery. You might just ask him or her to say it because it certainly can't hurt. Again, Extra good luck!