endzone

Thank you so much for responding so quickly and for giving me piece of mind!!! I'm so glad I'm not alone and that this is somewhat normal. Best of luck to everyone out there! I hope these posts help more than just me!

@@loulou29 Welcome to Bariatric Pal! I understand your fears and applaud you for making the choice to change your life in a positive way.
Much of what the posters above said is accurate. Not much is known about the surgical procedures performed today 20 years out since they have been revised from procedures that were performed 20 years ago. As we learn more and more about obesity and it's causes, effects, and ways to combat the disease and resolve the symptoms technology and medical science change the way procedures are preformed and apparatus are improved.
I understand your hesitation in having something foreign in your body for the rest of your life especially given your age, that can and hopefully will be a long long time. My husband recently had hip replacement surgery and he and some of the less experienced doctors were also afraid of how/if that might break down on him over time since he is much younger then most people who receive hip replacement surgery. The pain for him was so great that there was no choice, when we consulted a specialist in the field he advised my husband that the risk of needing another revision was minimal. When we went to the hospital and spoke with Dr. and nurses who had been there for 20+ years I asked them how many revisions and replacements of parts they had seen in the years from patients and they all replied Zero! That boosted his confidence he had the surgery this May and has been running around literally ever since!
The lapband is meant to last your whole life long. However that does not mean that you might not down the line revise to another surgery, and/or have some parts like the port switched out as you lose your weight. There is a low profile port that they can use once the weight is lost to minimize seeing anything under the skin. They can also "relocate" the port to make it less visible. These are all things to discuss with your doctor’s office when you go through the process of scheduling your surgery.
As improvements come along, we all like to be able to take advantage of them. Years ago port revisions were not an option today they are, so keep an open mind and know that there is always improvement in all areas. At your age the band is the way I would go. In fact I advise my step son who is 25 the same way.
With the band you have options with other surgeries you don't have as many options but the other surgeries can become options as you move forward if you wanted a revision down the road.
Do your research and due diligence when choosing your surgeon, ask many many questions. Read through this site, ask lots of questions here too. You will get a million and one helpful, not so helpful supportive, informative sometimes scary answers. Take them all in keep what applies to you and discard the rest.
Read @@Alex Brecher WLS books and once again Welcome to Bariatric Pal! Hope to hear more from you!!

Thank you everyone for the kind words, I am feeling a hell of a lot better now just that first week was awful!!

I too told no one but my husband and even him I pondered about. He has been very supportive though. I was planning on taking a taxi to/from the hospital but then I started to think, if things go wrong I may need someone.
endzone, you are so funny. Telling your mother what your husband ate was a strike of genius.I will remember that.
Yes, I too plan on having an hernia or gallbladder that will have to be removed. I have been complaining of tummy pain already. I do take my pre-op seriously.
I will also have a case of the flu come Thanksgiving or perhaps my gallbladder will have an attack. I haven't decided yet.
FYI: My bypass is Oct 28th

My band is a big secret also, I feel sort of crappy lying to everyone all throughout the pre op liquid stage and now that I am post op.....I am telling people I have the flu.....hopefully I will feel better soon and be back on the social scene....even my mother doesn't know .....and she is quite a foodie, telling me what she ate everyday and asking me what I had lol.....I lied and told her what the hubby ate.....it should all be worth it in the end!

Hello!
I would like to start this thread by assuring all readers that I love my band. I have been banded for 3 months now. Even if I never lost another pound, I understand things about food and eating that I never did before. For instance, what full feels like. Or, the joys of bringing home leftovers from a restaurant. Or, not feeling like I have to order the largest plate on the menu and eat multiple large helpings in order to feel satisfied. Actually, eating is now more enjoyable because I can savor it, rather than shovel it.
With that being said, I have to admit that I'm quite an impatient person. I understand that I have an underlying desire for all things to happen immediately as I want them. In regards to the band, weight loss is feeling slow. So far, I've lost 25 pounds since day of surgery. I suppose in three months, I expected to be losing more. It would be my goal to lose 100 pounds by my first 'bandiversary'.
Are there any veterans who can speak to what feels like a slow start? Do the first few months have a tendency to feel like a shit show? I know this sounds ridiculous, but how important is exercise in motivating results? I know people have lost plenty of weight without it, but is that really an effective approach? Can anyone speak to how they felt after their first 3 months or so.
This is an interesting time in the life of a bander. It almost feels like being a toddler. I can say that my experience has been fantastic. Never have I experienced sickness, pain, or any other undesirable moments. I'm interested to know when veterans starting "seeing" results.
And please, (kindly) feel free to tell me I'm being a little whiny, impatient banded toddler. It's confusing because who really knows what normal is? It is an entirely subjective situation. It's like going to the doctor and being asked if you have a "normal period." How the hell am I supposed to know if it's normal, I've had no other experience but my own!
Thanks all!!!

Hi everyone.
I recently found the forum again after some time away. I've had my band for 12 years and did a good job of maintaining a BMI of about 27 (still overweight but not obese) until this past 6 months.
My total loss was 134 pounds but I have gained back about 30 pounds since January. I've been very stressed out with work, a pending divorce, new relationship and a son who is having issues in school and I basically found myself eating too much and the wrong foods.
I finally got the nerve to get my first fill in about 7 years. I was really nervous. I only ended up getting 0.2 added to my band but my hunger and general interest in food has gone way down! I am so looking forward to getting back to that weight where I felt and looked so much better.
Well just checking in and saying that it's never too late to get back on track.

Thanks ladies! I'm so happy to hear these things, and the little shake Diva! I know everyone needs a place to chat, I think four or five of the last few days, some of the email I've had has been terrible situations for folks that are having bands removed or no weight loss, regains... Yes, I need to reset some settings, I'm almost afraid to open my email. I really love hearing from long term banders, it really helps! Thank you.

Well, let's see...before I was banded, I was morbidly obese and my joints were so bad that I was looking at living the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I was already using a cane and walking was getting more and more difficult. I tried to diet with not much luck yet again and finally hit rock bottom and decided to get banded because my pain management doctor told me I would need knee replacement and was at that time, too overweight to have a good outcome.
I was very very fortunate. I was banded in January 2013 and followed the post op instructions almost to the letter and had no issues. I could not exercise so I made sure to do my best to stay under 1,200 daily calories. I lost enough weight in six months to become eligible for surgery. Everyone thought it would take at least a year for that to happen but it was a good thing I lost quickly because I had found out that I needed both hips replaced even before the knees. This was devastating news to me but I moved forward as I had no choice and had bi-lateral hip replacement surgery in October.
As most of you know, it was a very hard surgery and a long and difficult recovery but I am almost a year out and the quality of my life has improved a thousand fold. I can walk fine now and the cane sits in the corner of my bedroom to remind me of what was. I will not need a wheelchair because my pain is a fraction of what it used to be. I couldn't walk a block without having to stop because of the pain and now I'm planning a trip to China next year with my sister because my sister-in-law is moving to Beijing for a year and The Far East has been on my bucket list for the longest time. I never thought I'd be healthy enough to make this trip but I know now that I can.
The band has saved my life. Without it, I might be dead and that's not being dramatic, it's being truthful. I also have to say that I was not in a good frame of mind when I was banded. I expected to fail in this as I had failed in all other weight loss attempts but it worked for me just as it was supposed to. It didn't stop me from making bad choices or being hungry. It eased my hunger just enough to make good choices and to not overeat.
Also...as I noted, I was morbidly obese. I needed to lose more than 100 lbs. and my primary doctor said I'd not have success with the band because I needed to lose so much weight. I'd never leave my PCP because she is an excellent doctor but I must say that it gives me great satisfaction to say that I am thinner than she is now.
I know that there are many people who do not do well with the band but you asked for success stories and I'm the poster child for success with the band and getting back a quality life again. To say I've been reborn is no exaggeration.

I felt much better by day 6 and felt pretty good by 2 weeks. Give yourself the healing time, drink plenty of fluids and avoid giving in to the hunger and eating real food until your surgeon gives you the green light. Also remember, the band is virtually empty at this time therefore you aren't getting the full benefit yet. Once you've had a few fills, you will see more benefits. I have no regrets, but I will tell you the first 3 or 4 days, I had many.

My band is a big secret also, I feel sort of crappy lying to everyone all throughout the pre op liquid stage and now that I am post op.....I am telling people I have the flu.....hopefully I will feel better soon and be back on the social scene....even my mother doesn't know .....and she is quite a foodie, telling me what she ate everyday and asking me what I had lol.....I lied and told her what the hubby ate.....it should all be worth it in the end!

The biggest pain was gas. Getting up and walking cured most problems. Follow the instructions and all will be well. 5 weeks post op and feeling great here

Thank you for this post ! In real life there are times you eat fast food....

I like to pop in on this forum and get tips, advice, provide support where I can, but it DRIVES ME CRAZY to read multiple posts where I see the following:
How much can I LOOSE?
When will I LOOSE weight?
Will eating ____ make me stop LOOSING?
:angry: :angry: :angry:
People... the word is LOSE!! LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE!!! ACCCCKKKKK!
Ahhhhh. I feel SO much better now. Thanks for letting me get that off of my chest.

@@endzone big day! Take it easy and have a good recovery time. The walking really helped me so much. Whenever I got up for anything I'd walk, walk, walk -- I think it kicked my body into healing mode and helped relieve any trapped gas. I still got the dreaded left shoulder pain -- think that was day four -- but a heating pad really helped with that. All in all I was so elated and just so happy to be banded. I didn't take my prescription medication but got very constipated -- that's something to stay on top of and I'm surprised it isn't addressed more in post-op instructions, etc.

Thank you Bandista!!

Why 4-5 weeks? Seems long to me I was banded yesterday and they said liquids for a week, then mushies for a week, then soft foods , then real food......be careful! And don't rush it but check with your dr

@@endzone this is your big day! Congratulations on your surgery and all that lies ahead.

I can drink quite a bit at once. I'm six months out with four fills.

I can still gulp my Water. Not quite as I did before surgery but enough to quench the thirst.

Good for you! I've been banded for 3 weeks and still sipping Water

Can you believe I've basically healed myself! I went back to eating as if I just had surgery. Soups and liquids for a few days, then mushies, then solids but this time I'm really chewing and watching what I eat. My heartburn has all but completely disappeared. And I've lost weight again. Lesson learned. It's amazing that even after over a year my old eating and chewing habits can creep back into my life.

Yes thanks for sharing, I needed to hear that I am getting banded tomorrow morning and I am still "feeling" like I will miss all my old "food friends".....

Yes thanks for sharing, I needed to hear that I am getting banded tomorrow morning and I am still "feeling" like I will miss all my old "food friends".....

I had my band placed six months ago. Since then, I have lost somewhat over 90 pounds. I've changed the way I eat, and the way I look at life. I am so happy that the surgery was available to me. I don't know what I would've done if I had continued to live in the food. My life was miserable, and I was merely surviving.
Today, I look forward to getting outside to walk every day. I look forward to healthy food. I enjoy foods that I never would have looked twice at before. Hummus? Yes! Delicious! I never thought I would be able to turn away from fried food. But I find myself choosing healthy food over unhealthy food more and more each day.
I started the weight loss surgery process one year ago in September. One of the things that was heavy on my mind was what I had to give up. I remember being very sad on Thanksgiving thinking that I was not going to ever be able to indulge in greasy turkey skin again. Yes, I really was depressed about that. What I knew intellectually, but didn't feel in my heart yet, was that by the following Thanksgiving that would not matter. Yes, I knew it in my head. But I was still sad. I was starting a process that was going to leave behind all of my addictive behaviors.
I am not the perfect WLS patient. I still want to do things "my way". The difference is, many times now, I will simply follow directions. I still want to do it my way, but many times I am able to say, let's just try it their way.
I found myself in a food rut over the past month. I was consistently eating enough junky food that my weight-loss had stalled. My past patterns would have been to give up on myself. Slide back into disordered eating. Hide from everyone. Reach for the food over and over again.
Instead, I came here to these boards. I asked some questions. I got some advice. I tried something new. I ditched my scale for a week. I cleaned up my eating. I listened to my body. And maybe most importantly, I found help outside of these boards as well. I go to a few different support groups, not all for weight loss. I find that the phrase, "it's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you" applies to me. I am able to look inside, and uncover some of the reasons why I reach for food.
Knowing why doesn't solve my problems. But knowing why, acknowledging that, and allowing it to be the truth, helps me to deal with it. If I can identify it, I can change it. Eating my problems away never ate my problems away. It only very temporarily masked my problems from my awareness. When I would come back out of my food coma, my problems were still there, sometimes worse, and I had self blame and shame to add on top of that.
Today, my recovery from disordered eating is twofold. I am addressing the underlying reasons for why I reach for food. I am also addressing the physical reality of my disordered eating by allowing the lap band to help me remain in control of my portions.
I don't think I could do one without the other and still have success. I am grateful that I don't have to.
For any newcomers here, know that there is hope. I am living proof. I have my life back after decades of simply hanging on.