La_madam

Yes you were meant to have the band...even though it did not work out for you, your above comment would not be true without the help from your band..you strutting around in your size 18 jeans would not of been possible most likely without the band..so even though you eroded..it did something for you..I can hear it in your voice..I see it in your attitude..dont sell yourself short..and yes..you were meant to have the band, you have made some amazing new friends in your life that without your band you would of never met..Like me Your attitude and determination you have now without your band seem stronger then ever to continue this happier healthier lifestyle.. But you are right erosion is not the end all...still though for us eroders we have come to far to fail..not again..not this time! We will succeed

to give an idea of how far I have come here is a picture from the Vegas bash in Sept last year..since then I have lost 11 lbs... This is me and Coyotegirl ( Terri) in Delarla's backyard

OK OK Call me crazy but I'm desperate Being bandless is harder and harder each day..more so since I started a hormone regimen 2 weeks ago..my hunger at nightime has really kicked in. I lock myself in my room at 5:00 pm every night and practically chain myself to my bed and threaten my DH to kick my ass if he even remotel;y sees me near the fridge or cupboards... SO.... I just printed out 10 - 5x7's of my before picture and taped one to the refirgerator, one to the food cupboard, one to my husbands candy cupboard..one to my bathroom mirror, one to the bathroom mirror in the guest bathroom..one to carry in my purse..one taped to my closet, one taped to my armoire..one for the visor of my car...and one for my desk at work. ..if the sight of seeing that picture doesnt keep me from eating then nothing will tonight Iam going to have my son take an after pic and Iam going to print out 10 -5x7's of it and place them next to all of the before 5x7's I placed all over the house...I'm hopeful seeing the accomplishment I have achieved will keep me from eating, becasue as the saying says " NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS! " I WILL NOT GAIN THIS WEGHT BACK...I WILL NOT GAIN THIS WEIGHT BACK!! THIS IS MY BEFORE PICTURE AT 265 LBS..IAM NOW CURRENTLY 161

I did in 19 months..my starting weight was 265..right now I currently weigh 161

If anything mine has gotten better..I feel sexy for the first time in years..I now wear thongs and cute little matching bras and panties..my husband is lovin' it!

My biggest fear is gaining all of the wieght back I have lost with my band now that Iam bandless....

Call me crazy but I'm finding the opposite to be true,seems I can not get enough Water. I definately have drank all my water today and it is only 2:45 in the afternoon..been peeing all day long but it has been said that the San Tirbesman from the African Klalhari dessert used Hoodia to quench thirst.

Happy to hear you got answers and are on your way to feeling better, hopefully the unfill will correct the slip, one of our other members here Jonathan had a slipped band and he had an unfil land it did the trick..I hope the same for you

Susan, I was the perfect bandster...never drank carbonation, never took NSAID"s ...never stuffed my pouch, drank my Water, at my Protein first, never drank with a meal and waited the full hour after a meal to drink..if erosion is going to happen , it is going to happen regardless of what you do or dont do..plain and simple....try to relax and not live in fear of the dreaded "E " word, that is one of the biggest fears with us bandsters. it was something I worried about constantly, maybe that was my demise..who knows..all I know is my band did its job, Ilost over 100 lbs and the only piece of advice I can give to those still fortunate to have their bands is , work your band..dont mess around, dont eat past the band, follow the rules, lose as much weight while you can ...or you could wake up like me one day and be bandless..I have to say if I had not been so successful with my band, I would of been devastated to lose it had I not lost over 60% of my weight ..but as I said, my band did it's job because I was a good little bandster.. Ceira, my heart goes out to you my friend, I'm here for any supprot I can offer you..PM me or emai lme anytimer, we can help eachother...

I'm guilty of this too..every night while laying in bed fighting off the food demon, while being chained ot my bed so I wont go to the kitchen I say to myself " tomorrow I am going to exercise" and everyday I don't! Tomorrow is a new day..maybe just maybe I will exercise

Ceira... I'm so sorry to hear of your eorsion but as Donali said there are several of us here who can relate to what you are going through, me being one of them. I too am suprised to hear of an erosion happening in such a short period of time. If I may ask, who was your surgeon and where did you have your surgery done? If I can be of any support to you please do not hesitate to PM me or email me....us eroded bandsters need al lthe support we can get. It has been 2 months for me since I lost my band and it is a struglle but a struggle Iam determined to win. I was fortunate I guess you could say to not have any pain or symptoms from my erosion, I caught it early and was still losing weight 19 months out with great restriction. I wish you the best and just know we are all here for you during this difficult time. Do not go away, stick around , we can all help eachother. I still think of myself as a bandster and try to live as one, the minute I leave LBT is the time I will go back to my old ways so I keep coming here as if I were still banded, this is home for me, these people are family to me. Without them I would be a lost soul.

Hi my name is La_Madam and I lost my band on November 28th due to erosion. I had my band for 19 awesome months and lost over 100 lbs. It has been 2 months since I lost my band, the first month was great and this past month...not so great Right now I'm struggling to just maintain.....started hormone regimen 2 weeks ago that makes me hungry a crave food something fierce in the evenings..I am addicted to caffeine and am now taking appetitie suppressants just to not gain.. and like Delarla struggling to lose more Thank you Delarla for starting this thread, us Debandsters need a place to feel warm and cozy and cuss..... @!*&@!$%!@*!@%$^

TOday I started my Hoodia.... I'm happy to report it seems to be working, no jitters but controlled hunger...Hooray Hooray for me! I have made it through 2 nights of not going into the kitchen after 5:00pm only cuz I'm chained to the bed and have threatened my DH to kick my ass if he sees me anywehre within 5 ft of the kitchen.. now maybe by taking my hoodia I can unchain myself from my bed after 5:00 pm and go into the kitchen without doing much damage

Yep happened to me..I had to take B12 also, problem is when I had a good fill I had to cut the pill into tiny pieces to get it down..

Oh Man! This sucks! Yes curious to know who was her surgeon, when she was banded etc... Is she a member here on LBT My heartfelt condolences to her..I know how she is feeling right now

Angie if you are still trying to eat after a PB this could be the problem..you most likely have a ton of swelling from continuous PBIng, it becomes a vicious cycle. Take 2-3 days of liquids only give your esophagus and stoma a rest..you may see a huge difference. I know this first hand. I continued to eat after a horrific PB and got theworst case of esophagitis..

You all will be the first to know how it works It should arrive tomorrow. I do not liek to take anything that makes me feel like Iam on speed, I got enough energy...

I'm the opposite. I tell anyone and everyone who asks the truth about my band. I want the word out, I want as much publicity out abou the band as possible..it is such a great tool..I want ot help as many as I can and honestly I have sent several to MX for thesurgery and several who have been approved by their insurance. I have changed the lives of so many people with their new bands that I am seriously thinking of starting my own local support group at my restaurant for those who have been banded because of me God knows I need the support now that Iam bandless

Thanks for all of your input At this point I'm willing ot try anything to curb my appetite! I iwll let you know how it works for me

Anyone ever hear of Hoodia? sleep. Would love to hear others opinions on this or if any of you have tried it or heard of it. For me it is worth a try at this point. I refuse to gain this weight back !!!!

Francesca..Thaks you for posting this..I have been thinking about you alot lately as well as Penni and Lisa.. I have noticed a huge increase in my appetite this past 2 weeks ..it sucks! I just ordered some diet pills (hoodia is what it is called Here is some info on it if you are interested. I have heard great things about it, it has been showcased on both 60 minutes and the today show. I will let you know how they work If Iam not mistaken Dr. Ortiz told me that if I wanted to be rebanded all I had to pay for was the cost of the hospital..as much as I would love to be rebanded Iam scared oferoding again even tohuigh he says the chances are even smaller the 2nd time around due to the scar tissue from this first band. Just know Francesca you are not alone I think all 4 of us are dealing with the same emotions and hunger..I say we all get together in Vegas and have a huge bitch session Love you girl and I'm here for you call me when you are struggling we can help eachother. Call anytime

For me it does not matter what kinbd of sweetener or sugar it s...Carbs make me crave more carbs and sugar makes me crave more sugar..Plain and simple!

Very interesting..I eroded too my Dr. was a MX doc as well and my MX Dr. thinks it was from a stitch also. What he hell is this stitch they are using?? Anyway Tracy, I'm sorry to hear of your erosion..you are not alone here there are 3 or 4 Lopez erosion patients here on this board and 2 or 3 eroded Ortiz patients as well. And Lisa..I'm proud of you girl to be able to lose a few lbs without your band..baby steps my friend, baby steps..one pound at a time, its all we can do!

Get off the carbs and sugar, it will only make you crave more carbs and sugar..it is hard to stop once you have started , start journaling everything you put in your mouth, every single bite, it helps to see it on paper, it seems to help me make better choices with my food. Drink lots of water to purger the crap out of your system...come here nad post when you fel like eating the wrong things, call a friend..whatever you do do not give in. You can do this..we are here to help you

Turst me friend, these are gas pains..may not seem like it but they are. It takes 2-3 weeks for them to subside, you may even experience them after a fill..I did. Dont worry, what you are experiencing is normal...just keep walikng and some GAS X may help