Beachgirl11

I seen the doctor on Tuesday (I hadn't ate anything yet). Told him I had been having some trouble but he just thought it was from stress do to family matters. After I left and went to eat, I couldn't eat anything. Now on day 3 still unable to eat. Some liquids stay down and some don't. No food will go down, not even milk magnesium. Just wondering if I could have a slip.

At this point I would not, I have not been a so called poster child for Lapband. I will be seeing a new doctor on Tuesday and looking forward to a better journey. My opinion may change in time. It's great to see how many people have had success though, gives me hope that I can turn this into a great successful story of my own.

If it involves hot wax, I would pass.

Slowly but surely its coming off. 

As promised, here are my before and after pics.
200 pounds lost in 15 months.
I love my band!!

You look great!

Is there a reason why people use almond milk over skim milk, or is it just a personal choice?

Just had to share my pic....I'm sooooo happy with my new body and self esteem!

Well, a couple things stand out...
Your band slipped from being too tight for too long. I don't mean this offensively at all, but I hope others read your story here because this is a text book example of why walking around with a band too tight is dangerous.
I'm curious why your doctor didn't do a complete unfill for a couple weeks to see if the band wouldn't go back into position? Is it because he doesn't think it'll fix the slip? If the slip isn't corrected, be it through emptying the band or surgery, it will only continue to get worse. The fact you've been dealing with reflux for so long is worrisome in itself because it can lead to a lot of other problems in your esophagus, stoma, and throat that are far worse than a slip.
If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing whatever necessary to have my band fixed even if that meant surgery. It's simply not safe to walk around with a slipped band and reflux. As far as weight loss, you're on your own until you get your band fixed because a slipped band will only get increasingly useless.
You really only have two choices- continue as you are with a slipped band, pray it doesn't get even worse or jeopardize your health, and diet as though you don't have a band at all. Or, learn from this slip, get fixed, and start over fresh.
Best wishes and I hope this all works out for you.

Please keep posting here. This is the greatest support group EVER!

i agree with AJ and Jeannie
my surgeon saw me at my highest weight..why would i be scared to see him now? i am sure it will be fine. the only way to find out is to make that appt and go.....as rojo said, you went through all the stuff to have surgery and then the surgery itself, why waste any more of your precious time (in avoidance).....go and get it over with. betting it wont be as (bad) as you are leading yourself to think it will be.

I completely agree with you Jean. My success so far is due to my aftercare. I see my doctor every month, don't always get a fill. We discuss my eating and exercise for the previous month and how to improve it.
It's so very important to keep going to your doctor. Don't be afraid of what they are going to say, chances are you need to hear it.
Good luck.

It's your surgeon's and dietitian's JOB to help you lose weight. They are better qualified to do that than anyone else you know, and avoiding seeing them is (as you've discovered) self-defeating.
So many bandsters are embarrassed or fearful to admit their problems to their surgeons, but unless the doctor has a lousy bedside manner, I can't think of a single good reason to avoid a come-to-Jesus meeting with him/her. Your surgeon and dietitian already know that you have an eating problem, as evidenced by the obesity that brought you to their office i the first place. Every single bariatric professional I've ever talked with or heard speak at a WLS convention has expressed chagrin over losing patients to aftercare. It's very, very frustrating to them to have a patient drop out of sight.
That said, I will also say that the prodigal bandster may not like what he/she hears when finally talking with the surgeon again, but sometimes we need some tough love to get us back on track.

when I got enough in my band it really helped but like anything else you have to work at it and stay on track. Get rid of anything in your house that you eat to much off and fill it with the best of food.track everything and come to the chat room daily to share and get a boost.....good luck you can do it................line dancer

I will preface by saying I am not meaning to be self promoting or in any way rude... but one of the reasons I was so successful in my opinion is because I saw my Dr every single month. We worked together decided on calorie counts, fills and anything else that was going on.
In fact last spring the Dr said I was doing so well we could make it every 2 months and I about had a panic attack thinking I would fail with out the monthly visit..... but I didnt. Because I had a good foundation of 15 months of visits I knew what to do.
Now I am on quarterly visits and I am ok with it... but I also know that if I need a fill or anything else in the meantime my Dr is a phone call away.
Glad you are going to see the Dr. I really believe it makes all the difference.

You both need to check in with your doctor or you have done the band for nothing. It's okay if you have gained some weight, then doctor will make comments but use them as getting back on track. You both sacrificed on the operating table, and why don't you use the tool as a positive way. Start over by drinking liquids and Protein shakes again, then start introducing some food. I know YOU can DO it!
Best wishes and Keep the Faith.

I haven't made an appointment since March, I got discouraged because I wasn't losing any weight I need to call, but I'm to nervous! I got banded almost a year ago.

As many of you know, I was stuck for more than a month. I was monitoring my calories, getting in all my Protein and exercising, yet the scale didn't budge. I know, plateaus are normal, but they still suck. Around the time the plateau hit I also started taking birth control pills. I even gained 2 pounds, which for me was the deal breaker. I had to find a way to break the plateau and start losing again.
So I started researching. Low carb, high carb, no carb, etc. I see so many variations on here! What's right? What's wrong? I already knew it was a matter of choice without a clear right or wrong answer, but I also knew individual body needs also played a very big part in it. During my research I kept coming across something called carb cycling, so I decided to look more into it.
Carb cycling is essentially trying to optimize your metabolism by alternating high and low carb days. Body builders often do this to build muscle and burn fat before a contest but it's also very helpful for weight loss. Then one day I turned on Doctor Oz...and wouldn't you know it... it was an episode on carb cycling. Chris Powell, of The Biggest Loser, was on his show talking about he has all the contestants on the show carb cycle and how he does it. For me, this was the point I decided to give carb cycling a try.
Chris Powell's method is specifically for weight loss so I decided to go with his (there's many out there). He has an excellent book called “Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution”.
His theory: No carb diets don't work. It's not sustainable long term and eventually it significantly slows the metabolism. Worse, people who cut out carbs usually end up gaining all their weight back and then some when they do suddenly reintroduce carbs. Carbs are the energy block of the body and a long term lack of carbs will cause the thyroid to slow down significantly.
7 day diet/carb cycling: High carb day followed by low carb day, alternating daily. Start on a high carb day and always eat within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. Always limit or omit carbs after 6pm.
All this is within your own personal daily calorie allowance.
High carb day/energy day:
Preferably complex carbs. Protein, low fat. unlimited veggies.

Low carb day/burn day:
A little carb in the morning to boost metabolism
Cut carbs the rest of the day.
Protien, healthy fats, unlimited veggies

3 of each/low carb and high carb. 7th day is cheat day
Cheat day:
Boost calories to boost metabolism
Boost to no more than 1000 extra calories a day
Cheat at Breakfast and lunch, not dinner. 6-12pm “behave”
Cheat at a table. Not in a car, or at a sofa, etc. No “hypno binging”
No leftovers allowed.

Mind you, this is the short version of all this. If this interests you, I'd strongly suggest buying his book for a better understanding. It's very enlightening.
...So this is what I've done for the last week. I am very happy to say, carb cycling broke my plateau, despite still being on the birth control pill too. I lost 5.4 pounds this week!
I have decided I am going to continue to carb cycle. I am not a fan of the low carb days, but I am getting more used to them. Plus, I find my "carb cravings" have all but disappeared since starting this- something I didn't think possible.
For me, it's working. I just thought I'd share the results of my little self experiment

So I decided today to get a fill today found out I'm 190 total weight loss 73lbs. I started at 263 my surgery was 4/25/12. The doctor's goal for me is 144 so that's 46 lbs to go. I kinda want to stop anywhere from135-140. I jus want yo be as far away from 200 as possible while still looking good. Everybody that sees me thinks I've hit goal already. I'm enjoying every compliment. I still don't feel small I can only tell how my clothes fit. I guess I'm so worried about the fat rolls I still see and when I look in the mirror I still see the fat me. But here are pics you can see for yourself

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Anybody feel ashamed to meet your spouses co-workers? Maybe it's just me, but I would rather climb under a rock then meet any of them. I'm so ashamed that I allowed my weight to get so out of hand.

It's a huge misconception, based on ignorance, that WLS is the easy way out. Those of us who've had WLS know it's definitely not an easy way out. If it were an easy way out, there wouldn't be so many people on these forums saying "I'm not losing weight" or worse "help I gained".
The band is a great tool but it's just that- a tool. Changing our eating habits to healthy ones for a lifetime, restricting our portion sizes, and exercising is all our work to do.
It's definitely not easy...though it is worth it

what works for her may not work for you or me or whomever
you did what worked for you
that doesnt mean she's better or we are (taking the ez way)
we did what we had to do to make ourselves well
end of story. now keep on keeping on

Had my appointment this morning...no surgery and even left with a small fill...I'm very very happy

Congratulations, you are truly a inspiration to me and every one else. Your doing fantastic, keep it up.