seldom78

Old lapbandster here too! Have been banded for 10 years. Love my band most of the time and have no plans to remove it. Not for now at least. I think a lot of the problems are due to a band that is too tight. I was having issues in the past two years and found that an unfill + progressive fills to a lower level to have solved 90% of them. Don't let the band get too tight as it can happen even if you have not had fills for years! I am 14 pounds heavier now at a lower fill level but would rather be a little heavier and comfortable than thinner and miserable.

Old lapbandster here too! Have been banded for 10 years. Love my band most of the time and have no plans to remove it. Not for now at least. I think a lot of the problems are due to a band that is too tight. I was having issues in the past two years and found that an unfill + progressive fills to a lower level to have solved 90% of them. Don't let the band get too tight as it can happen even if you have not had fills for years! I am 14 pounds heavier now at a lower fill level but would rather be a little heavier and comfortable than thinner and miserable.

I have had fills and unfills as tiny as 0.05 cc.... Can make all the difference.

Thank you all for your replies. I have decided against getting the fill back as I do not want the same issues to reoccur at some point and run the risk of either having a bigger unfill or losing the band all together. I cannot afford the cost of a revision surgery (I was a self-pay). The band is at a much healthier place today than a year ago with it on the loser side. I feel healthier, eat healthier. If this means I have to accept myself at 199lb instead of 190 or even my lowest weight ever of 180 lb, so be it. I was 270 lb six years ago. I would have been tipping the scale at +320 lb today if it wasn't for the band.
I have to keep reminding myself that the enemy of good is better.

Thank you all for your kind replies. It's such a fine balance as many of us long-term bandsters can attest to. I think the common problem that I see in many of the posts of long-term bandsters (and that I myself suffered from) is that the "perfect" fill (if such a thing ever exists) ends up becoming too tight a few years down the line, which leaves us with one of two choices: 1) a small unfill + being extra careful in order not to gain weight back 2) complications that may lead to larger unfills (and thus more risk of weight gain) or revision surgery all together.
I am not the most compliant bandster but not the worst either so this continues to be a struggle for me, 5+ years out. I also suffered from an eating disorder in the past (binge eating) so need to be careful of not overly restricting my food choices as this seems to fuel it.
Thank you all again. I will definitely keep you posted...

Thank you all for your kind replies. It's such a fine balance as many of us long-term bandsters can attest to. I think the common problem that I see in many of the posts of long-term bandsters (and that I myself suffered from) is that the "perfect" fill (if such a thing ever exists) ends up becoming too tight a few years down the line, which leaves us with one of two choices: 1) a small unfill + being extra careful in order not to gain weight back 2) complications that may lead to larger unfills (and thus more risk of weight gain) or revision surgery all together.
I am not the most compliant bandster but not the worst either so this continues to be a struggle for me, 5+ years out. I also suffered from an eating disorder in the past (binge eating) so need to be careful of not overly restricting my food choices as this seems to fuel it.
Thank you all again. I will definitely keep you posted...

Thank you all for your kind replies. It's such a fine balance as many of us long-term bandsters can attest to. I think the common problem that I see in many of the posts of long-term bandsters (and that I myself suffered from) is that the "perfect" fill (if such a thing ever exists) ends up becoming too tight a few years down the line, which leaves us with one of two choices: 1) a small unfill + being extra careful in order not to gain weight back 2) complications that may lead to larger unfills (and thus more risk of weight gain) or revision surgery all together.
I am not the most compliant bandster but not the worst either so this continues to be a struggle for me, 5+ years out. I also suffered from an eating disorder in the past (binge eating) so need to be careful of not overly restricting my food choices as this seems to fuel it.
Thank you all again. I will definitely keep you posted...