Jerseygirl

I love this post. I have been banded since June, 2010 and reading this has greatly helped me. I thought I would never get restriction but I finally did, and in total I lost about 98 lbs. Then I started having episodes of getting stuck or too tight. I would be very uncomfortable, couldn't keep food down and developed acid reflux. A trip to the doc's office and a slight unfill would usually do the trick. But back in May It happened again and my doctor was out of town. So I agreed to see another doctor in the office. Over my strong objection, he completely unfilled the band. I had to wait six weeks to have it refilled again on June 19th. The doctor put in 6 1/2cc, but as of today, I have no restriction and have gained 20lbs. Now. I realize that unfilling the band, at that time, may have been a reasonably sound medical decision. What I am irritated about is that this doctor would not listen to anything I had to say. I have a medical history of 1) Hypothyroidism, and 2) Diabetes. Not to mention the fact that this decision was in the middle of the freaking summer when most of us are more challenged by the foods we encounter. I needed my tool, and it was taken away from me at the worst possible time, and without me being able to even mount a defence. I will see my regular doctor in about a week, at which time I will let him know of my dissatisfaction with the matter. I hope this nest fill will send me in the right direction. If I can lose 98 lbs. I can lose 20, and your post has made this unnecessary set back a bit easier to take. Thanks

I am 70 and was banded back in June of 2010. My experience has been wonderful up until this past June. I lost a total of 98 lbs. However in June I got stuck and against my wishes the doctor emptied my band. When I went back for my refill I got 6 1/2cc, but no restriction. I went in again and I am now at 9cc in an 11cc band. Still no restriction. The doc will not put any more in. They are talking band replacememt or the sleeve. I'm not sure I want to undergo two more surgeries to make that happen. I have gained about 15 lbs. so I am going to try to do everything in my power to keep it where it is. Although I don't have restriction, I am not hungry and I have learned to eat smaller portions. I have increased my activities and I'm praying to God to give me the strength to at least stay where I am. I intend to live with the band in place inless some other complications arrise that require its removal. What I need now is plenty of encouragement.

A couple more things...some of the big mistakes I made were: 1.) Thinking that tighter was better and that it would get the weight off quicker 2.) Drinking during/after eating (this causes pouch enlargement and esophagus distention), 3.) Drinking carbonated beverages (my nurse practitoner now says "no pop!!"), and 4.) Not following the basic guidelines (eating meat first, then veggies, and very little carbs/starches. I would eat things that passed through easily (cheetos, Cookies, mashed potatoes, etc), therefore, I didn't have the feeling of being full.

Thanks to all of you for the support! I'd love to be starting over buddies! The circumstances were: I had a slip 5 1/2 months out...from being too tight and getting some Ibuprofen caplets stuck. I vomited about 5 times in a 2 day period and that was enough to slip my band (although they told me it typically takes WEEKS of violent vomiting to slip a band..... that is not so!!! It can happen very easily - I'm the proof!) I then had a revision surgery and I did ok for a while, but around November of last year I started having acid reflux, coughing all night, having to sleep in the recliner, being able to eat too much, weight gain, etc. My Dr. ordered an upper GI and it was discovered that I was (again) too tight. This time, instead of feeling uncomfortable or feeling like vomiting after eating too much, the food was not passing through my band at all and was accumulating in my pouch and in my esophagus, causing my esophagus to stretch out to three times it's normal size. I could not figure out why I was able to eat normal sized portions and why I was gaining weight. I could not tell that the food was not going through. It felt normal the whole time, except for the terrible heartburn anytime I layed down. I kept going in for fills telling them I needed to be tighter (hence, making the problem worse). Also, I was drinking a lot of diet pop, which my Dr. allows (I know some Dr's say don't drink it, but mine always said he didn't think it mattered). The treatment for a distended esophagus is a complete unfill for several months to allow the esophagus to return to normal size. That meant even more weight gain. If I was able to control what I eat, I wouldn't have needed a LAP-BAND®, right?! LOL
I went for my first fill yesterday and have already lost 2 pounds!! I just didn't know all these things could happen. I am a Registered Nurse who researched the LAP-BAND® for nearly a year prior to having it done! I considered myself to be the most likely person to succeed, with all the knowlege I thought I had. I see people on here with the exact same problems I have faced. I joined this site right after my initial surgery, but for some reason I never got on here. I think I was scared...I didn't want to hear about complications because I wasn't planning on having any! As I said before, I think a lot of my problems could have been avoided if I had learned from others ahead of time. Let's all keep in touch!