kris102003

On June 28th I will be saying goodbye to my lap band. It is very bittersweet for me. I got banded Dec 2007. I lost 150 pounds and wearing a size 5. I don’t think I had ever in my entire life been a size 5. I thought that the lap band was the best thing that ever happened to me. Then about a year ago I experienced my first slip. I had a complete unfill for three months. I gained 30 pounds in that time frame despite my efforts to eat right and exercise. Over the last year we tried to slowly add fluid back in. I never lost one pound the entire year, never felt restriction really again and then last month found out it had slipped again. Frustrated with the weight gain and tired of not losing weight I have decided to go ahead and go with the sleeve. I was not sure that my doctors would actually do it or that my insurance company would approve it. Being 170 pounds and 5'9 is not really considered super overweight. But much to my surprise, the insurance approved by removal and revision to sleeve within a matter of days. They are paying for it 100%. My doctor agreed to do the procedure without even giving it a second thought. To me I feel like the lap band was a start for me. It proved to me that I have what it takes to live the lifestyle of a bariatric patient. I have not had soda, bread or pasta in 5 years and I don’t even miss it. Even today as I wait for surgery with an empty band I could eat bread without problem but I won’t because I don’t even miss it anymore. I am ready to make this permanent commitment to have 65% of my stomach removed in an attempt to never have to worry about gaining weight again (as long as I stick to the rules). For me, now knowing what it was like to be thin for those couple of years, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for that feeling of accomplishment. So I am scared and nervous but excited and ready!!!!! So good bye lap band....thank you for changing my entire life and for allowing for me to prove to myself that a skinny me is possible.

I had a slip January 2010, the doctor did an unfill for three months and then started to fill back slowly. While unfilled I went from 150 to 180. I struggled for 1 whole year trying to loose the weight and it never came back off, all I did was maintain. Then in January 2011 I find out my band slipped again. Once it slips once it is likely it will slip again. Now, I am having it removed and going with the sleeve. I got a surgery date for that today. I am sad to loose my band as I feel like going from 285 to 135 in two years was a huge success. However, not loosing any weight in 1 year despite diet and exercise is just not okay with me. I know everyone has a diffrent take on it, but this is mine. Good luck to you!

I found out on Friday that my band had slipped for the 2nd time. The first time we tried to correct it with a complete unfill and then slowely adding fluid back. After a year of doing that and no weight loss, it was determined that it had slipped again. Therefore, I am having the band removed and the gastric bypass done instead. I guess you can say that I now get to be added to the "failure rate" of the band. But you know what? I would do it all over again in a second. Yes, the complications are horrible at times and sometimes not getting to eat like a normal person was frusterating....but I lost over 150 pounds at one point, I have kept 100 of those pounds off 5 years later. I have learned to love myself and be confident, those are things that I would have never gained without this band. The band changed my life, if even only for 5 years. For that I will be forever greatful wether you call my band a failed band or not. Just my thought!!!

Well after my slip a year ago, I went back to the doctor on Friday and confirm that the reason that I had not lost any weight in the last year was because the band slipped yet again. It was decided after two slips now that I would proceed with revisional surgery. I will be having gastric bypass surgery sometime within the next month or so. I am waiting on a surgery date now. While I had great results from my band at first, 5 years later and two slips has made it time to say goodbye. I am 100 pounds lighter because of the lap band so I do not think it was a total failure. However, I need to look forward at longevity of weightloss and therefore think that gastric bypass is right for me. So bye, bye to my band.

I wanted to reach out to see how many other people have maybe had a similar issue. In September 2009 I was looking and feeling great at 135 pounds. I lost 150 pounds in two years and my doctors just could not believe my results. I didn’t work out, the weight just fell off. I had never been happier. I thought that I would never struggle with my weight again. Well in December I started coughing at night, throwing up all the time, thought I had an ulcer and was eating tums like crazy and had to stand up to eat. Then I started noticing my weight creep up about 10 pounds. I went to the doctor asked for a fill and ended up finding out that my doctor was concerned that my band had slipped. Sure enough my upper GI confirmed it did. My band had been to tight for about three months and even though I knew something wasn’t right, I liked the results and so I didn’t say anything until I started gaining weight. So in January they removed all of my fluid. I went on a three month liquid diet. Finally in March they started adding the CC's back one at a time. Now I am back to the same CC as before I went to tight. The only problem is, my band DOES NOT work the same. I have gained more weight and I am up to 173. You would think that if my band is tight again, that there would be no problems getting that weight off, but it won’t move. I went from a size 5 to a size 10 in 6 months. While I know that I should not complain about being a 10, I am so unhappy. I really thought that I would never have to face this struggle again. Is it possible that my band will not work anymore? I just don’t know how this happened to me. I am very discouraged!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

This happened to me for a very long time and I did not know why. I let it go and let it go, I was eating tums like they were candy, had weird noises when I would eat or drink, would wake up coughing cause I was choking on whatever I had drank that night. Finally due to small weight gain I went to the doctors. It turns out my band was to tight and had been for about three months. My esophagus was 8 times its normal size when they sent me immediately for my upper GI. This was due to the fact that the liquids were sitting in my throat at night tearing away at the lining. I ended up having to have my band unfilled for three months, on a liquid diet all three months and had to pray that the swelling would go down. My band ended up slipping. I have been able to get it filled again as the swelling did go down, but my band DOES NOT work the same as it did. I have gained about 30 pounds and my weight is a struggle to keep off now. I went from a size 5 to a 10 in just 6 months. I am at 6.5cc's in my 10cc band. I would speak with your doctor as soon as possible. I would hate for you to have to struggle like I am now. I took being skinny for granted!!! I wish you all luck!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I have lost 120 pounds on lap band in 11 months. I have been going back and forth between 5 pounds here and there, which means it is fill time. I only have 6.5 cc's in my 10 cc band. I really have not exersized that much or really done anything that went above or beyond. I truly feel that I was just lucky. For me it was all about portion control. Lab Band really gives me that portion control. I am so blessed to be in the place that I am at right now with my life. My husband looks at me as a whole new women because of the confidence that I have. Our relationship has never been better, he gets jelous when guys look at me, and I love it. I go out with my friends all the time and I use to just want to stay home. In the next year we are going to start our family, after being married for 5 years and I now can be healthy for my future child (which is one of the main reasons I did it). I am only 25 and finally I am living my life like a 25 year old should and making the most of it. I love the shopping that I get to do in the Juniors or Misses sections. My sister is only like 110 pounds and it is so nice to go in to a store and not have to split up because we can shop in the same area. No more red face because I am in the plus size section. I feel free and full of energy. This is such a rush and such an amazing journey. I just can not tell you all how blessed everyone is who gets to have a lapband and ever more blessed when your insurance company pays for it like mine. But even if they would not have, I would gladly pay $10K plus to feel the way I do. I would do it over and over again a million times. We truly are lucky people!!! I LOVE my band!!!

OMG... i have to agree with everyone here. After my first fill I could not get enough of my scrambled eggs. I think I was craving the protien in the them. I also really enjoyed my packet of sugar free oatmeal every morning. Now, I can forget about both of those. They make me so sick. I only tried eggs once after my last fill and that was enough to make me never want to look at an egg again. I have thought about going back to the doctors to have some taken out but I think maybe it is just because I am frusterated. It is hard for me to be able to find things to eat recently. But that just might be my mind missing certain foods. I am happy with weight loss thus far. I never dreamed this would have gone so well for me so the food is just a small price to pay for happiness.

I have really noticed that I now have collar bones that stick out. Ha,ha! I love knowing that I only have one more size to go before I can get out of the plus section. I love knowing that I can make the garlic bread and pasta at dinner time and know that I can not eat any of it even if I wanted to. Such great things!!!!