Alexandra

I had my band removed in April 2007 and was rebanded that August. (Wow, almost a YEAR ago now!) I have no regrets at all, but the second time around has not been the same. I have yet to lose any more weight since rebanding--though I waited a long time for adjustments and have only had any real restriction since this past June. Everyone's situation is different. I had a slip that became acute last year which was why my band was removed. Now I have a larger band and I'm much less concerned about it slipping--primariliy because my doctors are. But last year's "emergency" removal scared me cautious, so I've been taking things very very slowly. Anyway, take for what it's worth, which may not be much. I haven't given up hope that my band and I can really control this morbid obesity that's had me in its grip for more than 30 years. It's a lifetime thing, and I'm still on the road.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. We ultimately decided to have it two weeks before Mother's Day, even though it will cost us a bit more. The reasoning was that if we take advantage of the savings this year we become married to the discount, and we'll never get out of the MD rut. And I guess that makes a lot of sense. On to 2010! Thanks, everyone.

I need more votes!!

Oh, I'm not trying to decide whether to attend or not. I work for the organization sponsoring the conference, and we're trying to decide when to schedule it in 2009. That's why I'm trying to get a general sense of what most people would do faced with this choice.

There's no way to predict the "emotions behind it" on a large scale, of course. Some people are fixated on the date, others are not. I'm trying to get a sense of how many fall into which camp. Votes, please, people!!

I need some help with a work-related question. If you were an independent professional (a writer, let's say) and there were a weekend conference you wanted to attend in another city, would a Mother's Day conflict deter you from attending? You are self-employed and picking up all your own costs. A different weekend would cost you $30 more per night. The Sunday of the conference is an optional half-day program. The two big days are Friday and Saturday. Does that make a difference in your response? We need info by tomorrow to make a decision about when to hold this event in 2009. Some people seem to care a lot about Mother's Day and won't attend if there's a conflict, but it's possible that just as many care more about the dollar savings. Thanks for your thoughts!!

This is one of those really individual situations, and there's no way to know what will work for you until you try it. I've never been able to eat scrambled eggs at all--two bites and I'm done even when otherwise I feel wide open. But eggs in other forms have been OK for me to varying degrees, depending on my restriction at the time.

I agree with this more nuanced view. Sure, there are times when it seems like every new thread is something negative, and that's no accident. I daresay it's because one thread gives others who may have been reluctant to say anything permission to come out of the closet, as it were. So yes, these things are indeed cyclical. But why attack people for admitting they may have made a mistake? In the vast majority of cases no malice is intended, it's just an honest (if frustrated) sharing of experience. Every single piece of information becomes someone else's research. Let's not bash anyone, much less be hard on those who have hit a rough patch or are doubting the wisdom of their decision. If there's nothing in a thread that is meaningful to your experience, simply move along.

I've heard of people having a similar post-op experience that was chalked up to lactose intolerance--which, for some reason, had never been an issue prior to surgery. Maybe that's what happened to you?

That's really wonderful to hear, BigB! Can you talk a little about why you gained the weight back and why it's coming off now? Was it a matter of not having proper restriction or not working with it? And what are you doing differently this time? I'd love to hear more!!

Good explanation! But it isn't necessarily true that the OOP doesn't include deductible. It all depends on what your contract actually says. In most cases that I'm familiar with, the out-of-pocket (OOP) max actually DOES include all expenses except prescription copays. As with all insurance questions, your best resource is YOUR insurance carrier. Call member services and ask them your questions, write down the answers and keep track of who told you what.

Marys, I'm so glad you finally figured out what was wrong and how to fix it. Good luck in moving past all of this and finding your way to sustained health. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how you're doing!

Melissa, weight loss with the band is very much a personalized journey. If you are on board and ready to really make serious life changes (which are of course necessary with any WLS) then you can be successful. NO surgery is magic, fast, or completely without risk. It's up to you to decide which of the various options will fit your life and medical needs best. Gaining weight back after a significant loss is not uncommon, of course, and can happen to anyone. With the band there are several reasons such a thing might happen, usually related to a failure of the band or patient noncompliance. A fill is not a sure thing--it can be frustrating to find the right level of restriction. And there's no guarantee that you'll find your sweet spot and be able to keep it forever. Restriction is a function of many more things than just the amount of Fluid in the band. The good news is that fills do NOT hurt. They're like an injection, and the site is numbed before the needle is introduced. I've never had any pain associated with any of my fills.

Wow, I posted this question FIVE years ago! How cool that LBT is still here to help. :smile: I'm nowhere near what could be considered "goal" so the answer for me is, well, we'll see. I'm actually thinking about getting a third fill in my new band, since there are times when I have absolutely no discernible restriction.

You can "ignore" any user. Just go to your User CP and click on Edit Ignore List on the left-side menu. Adding people to your "ignore" list hides any posts from those people so you will not see them.

How horrible--I'm sorry you had such a negative experience! Your doctors were negligent indeed; having a band removed is and should always be the patient's decision. It's indeed true that the band isn't for everyone. But your experience is more a cautionary tale about substandard medical care than anything else, it seems to me. Is there more to the story? When did you start having problems and how were they addressed? Was there ever any reason determined for the problems you encountered? I hope your healing is complete and when it's all over you're healthy and happy. How are you now?

At one point in my banded life I actually enrolled my younger daughter in the Y preschool precisely in order that I would HAVE to go there every day to pick her up; it would be easy to work out at the same time. And it worked!! That's how dedicated I was to exercising for a while there. I had a personal trainer, played volleyball, did weights and all the various cardio machines, ice skated, swam, and rode my bike. All of it was "fun" but NONE of it was anything I can really say I "loved." That's my point--that turning point where movement and play are supposed to become something we "need" never happened. The closest I came was during a vacation in Cape Cod where I really, really enjoyed getting up early and going for a long solo bike ride. But that's never happened again. And with the realities of life with kids and work and commuting and schedules, etc.--it's really a challenge to find the time and space to creatively fit physical movement into the day in a way I can consistently enjoy. This too shall pass--when my kids get old enough to leave at home alone for a while, I will get up in the very early mornings to ride or walk or go to the gym--but for now I have to force myself to go to the gym a couple of times a week.

Thank you all for the wonderful support and thoughts. I agree with everything, and know full well how that inner dialogue goes. For quite a long time I was on top of all of it, and it's absolutely glorious when it all comes together. There is nothing like that feeling of knowing you're in control, and achieving goal after goal as the pounds fall away. And at such times, putting away the dieter mentality is easy. Not fighting with food is wonderful; feeling ready and able to move at all times is a miracle. I know it, I've been there, and it absolutely is marvelous. All of what you say, MacMadame, is absolutely true and was the way I lived for years. And I want it back. That's why I started this thread--because I want to remember how that felt and internalize it again. Talking about it here, and journaling, is going to get me there.

For a long time I swore by Atkins bars for breakfast--they answered all my needs and actually kept me full until lunchtime! No other brand I've ever seen has the good balance of nutrition that those bars have, particularly since most flavors have well over 5g of Fiber to boot. Jachut, in principle I agree with you about bars--well, about ANY convenience food, actually. But in my world sometimes convenience has to trump all. Atkins bars were a blessing to me and solved several problems at once.

That sounds like a FABULOUS idea!! I'm going to totally try that. Seriously! I've often thought how silly it is to want something that disappears so fast--I fight and fight with myself over it before eating, and sometimes I win and sometimes I lose but either way I've lost precious time out of my life just on the internal arguing. It's never occurred to me to tell myself I already ate it, and actually win that way. I love it!! Thanks for the inspired idea!!

I've been riding this rollercoaster a very long time, that's for sure. And post-band these pity parties are WAY fewer and farther between. They don't have the self-hate element that they used to, either. Banding has indeed changed my life and I'll be eternally grateful for that! But some things never do change. I don't feel like a failure, exactly, but I do feel sorry for myself that this is and continues to be so damned hard! That's why I'm posting--I know for a fact that it's helped in the past. It's so easy to withdraw when life gets busy, and I changed jobs a few months ago which really upended my schedule, so I'm taking this step back into "public" to turn the tide a bit.

Hee hee! I think you mean "sedentary" lifestyle. :huh2: But I get your point. I posted elsewhere about how exercise has never given me what others seem to get after a while--an endorphin rush or even a teeny tiny desire to move more. I exercise--less now than before I gained 50 lbs back, to be sure--but overall I don't lead a sedentary life. My relationship with exercise is just like my relationship with food: a continuous struggle. I know what to do, I know why to do it, I know how to do it, and I often DO do it, but my no matter what my inner self doesn't ever WANT to do any of it. That's what I don't understand. WHY is it such a struggle, even when all my stars would seem to be completely aligned for success. Sitting at the computer before I go to bed is part of my life, and it's not going to change. What can and MUST change is my instinctive sense that a day isn't complete without something sweet at the end of it, since "something sweet" turns out to be way too much.

Tarrn said it: It's your choice to ingest whatever you want. 480 calories is 480 calories, whether it's a drink or a slice of cheesecake. (Or an apple fritter from Starbucks, I just discovered.) That's a lot of calories to be taking in unless whatever it is has lots of nutritional value.

It's not heels I long to wear, it's BOOTS. My feet can't tolerate heels no matter how little I weigh, I'm afraid; I have very prominent bones in the balls of my feet and the pressure is too much. But my dream NSV would be boots, like these:

Thanks, Mindy. Listening helps, as does typing it out. The answer to the question about why that stuff is in the house is that my husband does the shopping. :huh2: He is able to eat just a few, and my kids are also, and MOST of the time I can completely ignore the goodies on top of the fridge. I grew up in a house completely without treats, and I can't/won't do that to my children. I honestly believe it's one of the reasons I have this sense of entitlement--now that I'm an adult, says my subconscious, no one can say NO and I can indulge at will. My inner deprived child comes out sometimes, I guess.