Kalipso2

i just found out my band has slipped. i was banded in april 2008. my surgeon says that even getting completely unfilled will not cause my band to reposition itself on its own. my choices are to pay $9000 to have the band removed or $4000 to have the band repositioned.

i don't want to lose my band.

does anyone know if a surgeon in Mexico will reposition for a much lower cost?

thank you, jen... i appreciate your support. i never thought i'd go from obese to anorexic. every pound i gain back i have to use extreme will power to NOT purge and to continue to eat. the thing is... i was happy at 145 pounds and i don't know what triggered me to go on a weight loss bender so to speak. i make myself eat something every 2 hours... using my phone alarm as a reminder... but i can't seem to get above 120.

while my heart knows i look horribly thin my brain sees every pound gained as a failure.

i'm a little nervous... i'm 4.5 years post-op and have lost all my weight plus some i probably shouldn't have lost. i haven't been to my surgeon since my 2 year anniversary. the last 2 years i've been bulimic/anorexic leaning more towards bulimia for the most part until the last few months. i'm in therapy, i see a nutritionist and psychiatrist now and am slowly gaining weight but not enough. i decided to go see my surgeon and see how my band looks under flouro. if i haven't done some damage these past 2 years, i'll be surprised. i only have 4.5cc in my band now and i'm thinking of having some removed. i'd like to gain 15 pounds back. if you were me, how much would you have removed? my support team seems to think i shouldn't take any out since i weighed and maintained for months before i let my habits get out of control.

any thoughts?

i'm with maegan... i like my scars. the only one you can still see is the one where my port is. it's raised up a little but since i can wear a bikini this summer (woot! woot!) everything tanned up very nice.

my surgeon is 4 hours away... each way. since i was self pay, cost was an issue but when i met with him i felt the most comfortable with him than any of the other surgeons i met with. even 4 years later i can still email him and he'll answer any of my questions within 24 hours. yes, it was a hassle the first year while getting fills (or unfills) every month but you have to trust your surgeon and he was the one!

am i the only one out here that has an eating disorder and a lapband?

i was binging/purging before surgery but i was obese. i decided to get the lapband to help me lose the weight that the binging/purging wasn't helping with.

at my 2 year anniversary i weighed 175 and my surgeon told me that i had reached the 60% goal of my weight loss and i probably wouldn't lose any more.

here i am coming up on my 4 year anniversary and i've lost an additional 47 pounds bringing me a weight of 128 (and a total of 85 pounds lost).

unfortunately, 3 years of my weight loss has been my becoming bulimic and/or anorexic... depending on my mood.

i can't seem to make myself stop losing weight. i've been to a therapist but it was so stressful that i lost even more weight.

my next step is to try medication to stop the urges and if that doesn't work i'll have to break down and get unfilled.

i just wondered if i'm alone in this?

before surgery i used to do that.... compare myself to all the other women around me. i STILL do it even though i lost 70 pounds and went from 213 to 144.

i was totally excited when i started losing weight... now, i scare myself sometimes.

i'm smaller now than i've ever been... even in high school. i recently bought dress pants in a size 6 and that's NEVER happened. the other day i put a pair on and they were loose. i don't know why but the thought of wearing a size 4 or smaller terrifies me! i wear a small top now too... if i lose more weight, what size will i fit in to???

i've become a shopaholic too... thankfully i'm single and have no kids because Kohl's is my best friend. every spring and fall for the past 3 years i've had to buy entire new wardrobes... including shoes!

coming from someone who is 3 years post-op.... eat while you can! your eating will never be the same again!

you might be able to eat the same foods but never near the same amount ever again!!

i had 2 weeks of "last meals" before my surgery!

yes, i had to remove my piercings. i could have put my belly ring back in but my stomach was so bloated and ugly i kept it out. i re-pierced it about a year later though.

i saw a therapist for years after i had a bad breakup with "the love of my life". i truly support the idea of talking to someone who can be 100% nonjudgemental. talking to family members and friends is nice but they can be judgemental at times. BUT therapy isn't easy. i cried all the time during my sessions because we were digging deep into my past but i knew i had to sort through all those feelings. i stopped therapy about 4 years ago and have thought about going back again to work through my issues with food. there is nothing shameful about wanting or needing help!!

i think that's a great idea.... working towards something!

i've had this tankini bathing suit that i bought 5 years ago and it didn't fit then.... i've been working towards losing weight so it WILL fit and this summer i'll be rockin' that tankini!

i wonder what your home situation is... are you married or live alone? have kids?

it sounds like you need to have someone prepare your meals for you until you're able to do it yourself.... almost have a 24 hour caretaker who will do all the shopping and all the cooking until you are able to make the right choices.

i had been diagnosed with an eating disorder because of my love of binging. my psychiatrist wanted me to participate in an in-patient treatment.

is that something you could do?

hi steve... welcome! i live in the cleveland area too but i was banded in cincinnati. good luck on your journey!

i'm one of the lucky ones... my surgeon allows carbonated beverages 3 months post-surgery so i still drink 1 diet pepsi a day.

right after surgery you're learning new ways of eating and drinking. you're learning to take small bites and eat slowly and take small sips of drinks.

for me, after awhile, the drinking hasn't been an issue. now, i haven't chugged a 20 ounce bottle of Water at one time but i can take 3 drinks right in a row without any problems.

don't give up!

there are many of us that are slow losers... and i'm one of them. i've gone thru so many lengthy plateaus i've lost count... along with a number of physical problems with my band.

i was banded april 2008 and had a relatively low BMI. i wanted to lose enough weight to get me to the "normal" BMI weight which ended up being 68 pounds.

i lost most of my weight the first year but i had a lot of problems that first year too. i let myself be too tight for about 5 months. i lost most of my weight during that time but i was throwing up a lot and have severe acid reflux.

i got unfilled and then slowly refilled during the 2nd year. it too me 2 years and 10 months to lose 68 pounds but i did it!

i was a anesthesia virgin too before my surgery but i was more worried about the I.V. in the hand and having it stay there than being put under.

when i was wheeled into the operating room, they had me put both arms out to the side and a mask was put over my mouth and nose. that's the last thing i remember. i think i took in 2 deep breaths and i was out.

next thing i knew, i woke up in the recovery room. all these annoying nurses kept trying to get me to wake up and i just wanted to sleep so i ignored them until i couldn't stand their voices anymore and said, "yes, i'm awake!!"

i spent the night in the hospital and i barely remember the trip from recovery to my room.

i wasn't given anything to relax me before surgery because i got bumped up from the bottom of the surgery list so there was no time.

i received that same kohl's ad and thought to myself, "why am I getting this???" forgetting that not long ago... i WAS that!

being newly banded, you won't have any restriction. most surgeons don't put any fill in the band during surgery so, as you heal, you'll be able to eat normally... not saying you SHOULD eat normally, only that you could.

some people even gain a few pounds during this stage and it's called "BANDSTER HELL" because you're banded but don't receive the benefits until your first couple of fills.

BUT, please, please follow your doctor's post-surgery diet. that is VERY important!! you're still healing even though you may feel fine.

yeah, there is no way of knowing what your body can handle.

i have a 10cc band and after 3 years, i only have 4.25cc's in my band. i can't tolerate anything more.

my fills were all done under xray but i've heard of some drinking Water while getting filled and the doc can tell by the sounds in your stomach if the Water isn't flowing thru the band properly?

just remember... your doctor isn't trying to hinder your weight loss. he's there to help you in a safe and healthy way!

hi kayleigh, i don't have any idea about insurance since i was self pay but no, i don't think you're too young for the surgery. i have read that some as young as 16 have been banded but it might depend on your insurance. i think there is a group on here somewhere that is for "teens". going to see your family physician is a great start but he might try to talk you into just dieting since you are young. research bariatric surgeons in your area and attend their free seminars. i'd find at least 2 different surgeons so you can pick the one you feel more comfortable with after the seminar. i think consultations are free as well.

what size band do you have and how many cc's do you currently have in your band? hopefully once you have a couple more fills that will help with your fast food eating. you can still go to fast food restaurants but make the healthier choice... grilled chicken instead of fried chicken, a salad with dressing on the side instead of a burger. you KNOW what you have to do so you just have to put forth the effort.

as for the drinking... i don't live in L.A. so i don't know what it's like there but i can see where you're coming from. what do you drink when you go out? have a "skinny girl" margarita or rum with diet coke. instead of having 5 drinks, maybe have 3?

and yes, dating suck while banded but it can be done. i usually order an appetizer instead of an entree. and eat slow... that will give you time to get to know the person better : )

only YOU can make this work... the band can't do it alone.

welcome! i had a relatively low BMI and i was self pay so my surgery was scheduled pretty quick. we're all nervous when it gets close to the date of the surgery.

my banding experience hasn't exactly been smooth sailing and if i knew then what i know now, i'm not sure i would get banded again BUT i have reached my personal goal weight which is "normal" on the BMI chart.

at my 2 year anniversary, my surgeon told me that i probably wouldn't lose any more weight (i was at 171 pounds at the time) because i had lost 60% of my total weight. well, i wasn't happy with that because i was still in the "overweight" category. so, i pushed on and during this past year i've lost another 26 pounds which got me to my goal of "normal".

i has taken me almost 3 years to lose 68 pounds and although i've never gained any weight back, it's taken forever! BUT i didn't exercise at all either. things might have moved quicker if i had.

the most difficult part of this entire process is eating (or not eating in my case). i've been a binge eater for many, many years and it's still hard to control. i've said many times that i have a devil (my brain) sitting on one shoulder and an angel (my band) sitting on the other shoulder. every time i eat, the devil tells me to keep eating... it tastes SOOO good, just one more bite but the angel tells me i'm full and satisfied and its time to stop eating.

if i listen to the devil (brain) and keep eating... i throw up everything that i've eaten. if i listen to the angel (band) and stop eating... i'm left feeling depressed because i want to eat more. i still struggle with this on a daily basis.

i have gone from a size 16 jeans to a size 6... a size 14 skirt to a size 4... a size XL shirt to a S.

good luck on your journey and please, tell your husband i said, "Thank you for all you do!!" he's such an honorable person to be serving our country!

it's possible....

i have a 10cc band and at one point had 5.5cc's. i was constantly throwing up and my acid reflux was horrible.

i went in for an unfill and for some reason, my band cannot handle anything over 4.2cc's... and i still occasionally have bad acid reflux at night so i think i need another .2cc's out at least.

BUT, with that being said, i do have restriction. i'm rarely hungry and i've never gained even 1 pound back. it took me 2.5 years to get to my goal weight but it worked!

i live 4 hours away from my surgeon so imagine THAT ride home! i think i cried almost the entire drive home. my poor parents felt SO bad but it wasn't their fault. thankfully i had my paid meds with me.