Sharpie

I cannot even feel my port, barely have a scar where it is. I suppose it depends on your surgeon but even getting a fill for me has been easy peasy. if you can't sleep because your port hurts you need to get another surgeon or someone to fix it.

I went to my Surgeon because he had thousands of lapband surgeries performed successfully. He also does sleeve and by pass. I did not want my intestines re-routed and a large portion of my stomach removed or stapled. the sleeve seems to be the flavor of the week, everyone is rushing to get it. I think over time there will be as many issues with the sleeve as people claim there are with the band. no surgery is 100% guaranteed. I chose the band because I wanted an option of removal or revision if needed. the follow up care has been good for me. I haven't had a fill in 6 months or more, haven't had any issues with my band. I have lost what I wanted and slowly , never lost my hair, never had dumping syndrome or malnutrition. I only take 3 Vitamins a day, B12, D3 and a Multivitamin. I am no longer on diabetic meds, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
I pray that I never have to have my band removed but I will most likely have it replaced if needed. All in all we all have to make the best decision we can for our own health.

I cannot even feel my port, barely have a scar where it is. I suppose it depends on your surgeon but even getting a fill for me has been easy peasy. if you can't sleep because your port hurts you need to get another surgeon or someone to fix it.

In 2005, I walked away from a ten year second marriage because his mental health issues were becoming worse and he refused to take medication to ease and control his symptoms. I made a strong effort to pray and stay, but when he began to mistake me for a punching bag, I had to go. I escaped to a womens shelter in the middle of the night and never looked back.
After leaving that relationship, I was confused for a while. With my first marriage of 23 years I had to leave because he became a serial cheater. My first marriage was when I was 19. I had been Daddy's good girl for 19 years, Green Meanie's good wife for 23 years , and mean ol' rotten A**hole's domestic slave for ten years. After I freed myself, I had no idea what food I liked to eat, what clothes I liked to wear, or even what music I liked. All my life was spent doing what the men in my life wanted me to do and be.
It took a while to figure out who I was, when no one was there to influence my decisions. Leaving was not as tough as I thought it would be. I have enjoyed being a strong and independant woman. I even went back to college at the age of 54 and completed my bacheor's degree in Business Management.
In 2006 I met a lovely genetlamen whom I am still with. He is kind a sweet and even nursed me through some serious surgeries and a stroke. He treats me like the queen of his universe. If I had been too timid or a afraid to leave those two other idiots, my life would still be a living hell.
What I am trying to say is that leaving a bad relationship where you are neither loved nor respected is not a bad thing. A one-sided relationship does not nurture our spiritual essence that lives inside our human containers. Men and women both deserve to have loving companshionship. I say that if your closest relationship is a hot mess, then do what the original poster and I have done. Walk away and don't look back.

So happy for you Julie, I hope you took lots of pictures. My granddaughter recently got married and I felt so blessed to be healthy and happy enough to enjoy her wedding day. Thanks to my lapband I was able to look good and feel good for her special day.

I was taking insulin and oral meds....and then could not get my Glucose under control, A1C's were always high...
That is all behind me now, for almost 4 years.....no more meds at all!!
Threw away all my pens and needles....to be honest, I don't check my blood levels anymore....I see my PCP every 4 months and my A1C's are always normal....

definitely would do it again... my health and life have improved 100 fold. I only wish I had done it at least 10 years ago but I know I will have more quality of life for as long as it last. Any issues I have had were from my not doing what I was supposed to do but I get back on track easier than on any other program. I am very fortunate to have had the best surgeon ever do mine and a really great support team at home.. My husband and daughter and grandkids are my biggest fans.I am very blessed.

Lapband has saved my life. at age 66 I had lapband surgery. I had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I was becoming immobile to the point I almost could not do my own shopping or cleaning. I would clean the bathroom and be wiped out the rest of the day. I was miserable could not participate in shopping trips with my granddaughters, could not ride my horse any longer. 2 1/2 years ago I had lapband surgery, I became totally compliant and followed all of my Dr's instructions. I am no longer on any medications except my Vitamins, vitD3, B12 and Multivitamin. I do not have dumping syndrome, occasionally have some pb episodes due to my eating too fast, some habits are difficult to break . I have recently competed in an obstacle challenge on my horse and have spent hours shopping with my girls. My life is 100% better. If for some reason I have issues with my band I would have another band put in. I do not want to reroute my intestines nor do I want to lose 80% of my stomach . I might need it one day.

I am kinda like B52 , I eat pretty much what I want but I don't want a lot. This past weekend was busy we had a graduation and of course Memorial Day. I ate some Pasta, pizza (mostly the top) and salad, yesterday we had bbq pork, corn on the cob and some chips. all of that is not super health foods but I ate small amounts. I did gain a lb over the weekend but no doubt that will be gone by tomorrow. I am happy this morning , feel like I was not the odd man out at the party . My problem was huge portions and no matter how much I ate I never felt full. So, today 2 1/2 years later I was happy with my small portions and we also had so much physical activity I feel great.

Everyone follows their particular "Diet" that will lead them to weight loss...if they should change, ie; adding sweets, then I would imagine they would disrupt that diet and start to gain weight?
Myself, I never been on any particular diet, never counted calories, and never deprived myself of the things I enjoy...sweets.
I was fat - Morbidly Obese....because I simply ate too much...enough to feed multiple people....
Since having the lap band, and getting it properly adjusted...I can still eat what I want to eat, just less...a lot less. Like a Bird...
Granted, there are some foods my band will not tolerate so I will never eat them again...And since I eat so little each day...again, thanks to the band, not me....I try to make the best of what I do eat nutritionally speaking.
But I don't deny myself of lifes pleasures, I am not on any "Diet", I am following a new "Normal" way of life that I will for the rest of my life....

I eat what I want, when I want....(loosely said)
I do not consider myself to follow any particular diet plan....simply put, because of the Lap band, I eat about a 1/10th of what I used to eat over a 24hr period....so considering I eat so little, I try to make the best of what I do eat....
But to answer your question, yes I do snack, when I am hungry...which is very rare.
Yesterday was Memorial Day..lots of food around at backyard party....I snacked all day...but when I sit and think about what I ate over the entire 24hr period, it still adds up to 1/10th of what I would have normally eaten before surgery....

nothing specific for me except I love ice cream so now and again I do get a small ice cream cone but honestly I don't feel guilty and I eat pretty much what my band let's me eat.. been maintaining with a few lbs or so and just don't stress about it

nothing specific for me except I love ice cream so now and again I do get a small ice cream cone but honestly I don't feel guilty and I eat pretty much what my band let's me eat.. been maintaining with a few lbs or so and just don't stress about it

my dr said no straws no carbonation, no gum. I paid him good money for his expertise. he has done thousands of lapbands. if he says stand on your head while eating or whatever,that's what I do. I have tried to be complaint and so far so good. I don't need to use a straw and I don't need gum and I don't need soda. I am happy to follow the rules. I have also rules for eating which I follow. so far I have not experienced any problems with my band and I want to keep it that way.

my dr said no straws no carbonation, no gum. I paid him good money for his expertise. he has done thousands of lapbands. if he says stand on your head while eating or whatever,that's what I do. I have tried to be complaint and so far so good. I don't need to use a straw and I don't need gum and I don't need soda. I am happy to follow the rules. I have also rules for eating which I follow. so far I have not experienced any problems with my band and I want to keep it that way.

Like B52 and Bandista I miss Lapbandtalk. I am sure that is why some of our veterans have signed off. It gets very discouraging to have your choice to have lapband talked about negatively all the time. There are a very few of us who still come here for any advice or encouragement. I check in some but mostly get aggrevated. Even though I chose Lapband over the other WLS forums I still get the same ole "My surgery is better than yours" on here. There are many , many successful lapband patients who were here at the beginning but have since moved on. Sadly sometimes change is not for the better and I for one loved the lapband site. I don't think that there are any bad surgeries and I encourage everyone no matter what type of surgery they had or are going to have but my choice should also be respected.

Welcome back! Never ever ever give up on yourself. Keep posting!!

Hi there, I miss Lapband Talk -- great to have more banders on here as we are such a minority. Sorry about your back. My husband had PEEK cages installed a couple of years ago after some horrendous years -- this was his third surgery L4L5S1. He's doing great and it sounds like you are, too. Way to go regrouping to get the weight back down. I am working on the last chunk. You know how that is. I have become a major walker; don't think I can run due to joint issues. Love being an exerciser now and cannot believe that's me saying it. Band has changed my life.

my stepdaughter is morbidly obese. she is only 45, my husband asked me to talk to her about having surgery like I did. I refused because I know how mad I would be if someone had done that to me when I was obese. She is having mobility issues and teaches kindergarten I know she is getting more and more problems with her knees, which were bad genetically before she became obese. Her husband is a full on health nut, he runs in Spartan races and never eats bad, I'm not sure how that is working In their marriage but I am afraid she has given up. She had lost about 80 lbs 2 years ago by using MyFitnessPal and walking but she put it all back on and then some this year I feel so sorry for her and I would love to make her understand how beneficial surgery would be for her. As much as I love her and am afraid of her future health, I just cannot bring myself to say anything to her. She knows how I am doing and when she is here we just stay away from the subject of diets or exercise.

my stepdaughter is morbidly obese. she is only 45, my husband asked me to talk to her about having surgery like I did. I refused because I know how mad I would be if someone had done that to me when I was obese. She is having mobility issues and teaches kindergarten I know she is getting more and more problems with her knees, which were bad genetically before she became obese. Her husband is a full on health nut, he runs in Spartan races and never eats bad, I'm not sure how that is working In their marriage but I am afraid she has given up. She had lost about 80 lbs 2 years ago by using MyFitnessPal and walking but she put it all back on and then some this year I feel so sorry for her and I would love to make her understand how beneficial surgery would be for her. As much as I love her and am afraid of her future health, I just cannot bring myself to say anything to her. She knows how I am doing and when she is here we just stay away from the subject of diets or exercise.

I have eaten good ole movie popcorn with butter, it was good but couldn't eat a bunch. it didn't make me gain or anything and I don't eat it as a snack every day but there are way worse things you can eat. if you like it and it's okay with your Doctor, go for it. I actually do not eat like i'm on a diet, just eat what I want in much smaller portions. not saying I eat fast food or junk food all the time but occasionally a little treat is okay.

No matter what you can show confidence and I am sure you looked wonderful. Looking better and feeling better plays a big role in success. I have a definite attitude change when I feel and look better. fingers crossed for a good outcome

Kinks in the tubing is more common than people know....
I had one.
However, it was easy to fix....my port is right under my skin, and you can see the port and the tubing before it goes deep.
There was clearly a kink, like a garden hose, and the harder the Dr. pulled the syringe, the kink just got tighter....
So between the two of us, one pulled the syringe and the other massaged the tubing and it straightened out.
Good luck on reaching the Green Zone....once I did, this all became the easiest and effortless thing to do...it became a natural way of life, without much thought from day to day.
Portions fixed, hunger/cravings gone, no more overeating.....only thing left to do is eat smart, and stay active (exercise)
But you have to go through Hell to get to Heaven
...the learning curve can be tough, changing ones behavior and habits as one's band gets adjusted from fills...and all too often people fight change, and even back down and retreat.
It can be tough!

I hope I've had enough posts.. apparently I have.. I am still under a year but doing well.. I have about 15 lbs or so to goal.. Floridays was one of the first people to give me advice before I was banded and I felt she was very motivational... I hope this group will continue to post their wisdom and helpful advice...

It's from the ET Tube....one of the things everyone should be aware of.
Simple solution is to suck on throat lozenges, cough drops.