Kalipso2

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?

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 have no problems going to mexico... if it saves me $5000+!

i was banded in 2008 and lost 100% of my goal weight.... then my band slipped and i got down to a very skeletal weight before having the revision.
i didn't know if is should have the revision because i don't need to lose any weight BUT i need help maintaining.
i'm 2 weeks post-op and i don't follow the "normal" post-op diet because i can't really afford to lose a lot of weight so i eat as many calories as i can.
hopefully i made the right choice!

i did a detailed description of my experience with Dr. Almanza just a few days ago. i think it really helps future sleeve patients read about the day to day activities instead of something short and sweet. great job!

imagine how upset my family was when they asked how i was paying for the surgery and i told them i cashed in my personal life insurance policy! i still have a work policy : )

i did a detailed description of my experience with Dr. Almanza just a few days ago. i think it really helps future sleeve patients read about the day to day activities instead of something short and sweet. great job!

i try not to go by weight but by pant size. i'm 5'4" and wear a size 6. i think i'm "normal-sized"... not too skinny but not fat either.

i had revision surgery from the lapband to the sleeve in October. when i found out my lapband slipped, i was so afraid of gaining the 70+ pounds back so i started researching the sleeve. i had to have all liquid removed from my band so my stomach was "normal" and i was able to eat whatever i wanted. i decided to gain 20 pounds before my revision surgery so i'd have a buffer of weight to lose after surgery during the liquid food stage. i didn't want to go in to surgery at my goal weight and then lose more weight.
i weighed 147 pounds the day of my sleeve surgery. today, almost 6 weeks later, i weigh 137... so i've only lost 10 pounds. i would like to lose the other 10 pounds i gained "on purpose" but i'm okay just maintaining too.

i did a detailed description of my experience with Dr. Almanza just a few days ago. i think it really helps future sleeve patients read about the day to day activities instead of something short and sweet. great job!

i did a detailed description of my experience with Dr. Almanza just a few days ago. i think it really helps future sleeve patients read about the day to day activities instead of something short and sweet. great job!

i had surgery in Mexico with dr. Almanza... i'm a 41 single female and went alone. i did enough research of the surgeon and facility and watched all the youtube videos i could find on the clinic.
was i nervous? sure. all i can say is, you are NEVER left alone. someone from dr. almanza's staff is always with you. i was scared when i got there because i had to leave my group of people i was having my surgery with to go have a special xray and a different clinic. i asked the driver if he was coming in and waiting for me and he said, "of course!"
dr. almanza always has a driver available to you to pick you up from the airport, taking you to the clinic, taking you to the hotel, taking you back to the clinic to get your iv and drain removed. the drivers will also take you shopping if you feel up to it. i didn't feel up to it.
some people in my group felt comfortable enough to go shopping on their own. i wouldn't have done that.
dr. almanza makes it as safe as possible because this is how he makes his living. he can't have patients being robbed and killed... bad for business!
while at the clinic, i couldn't sleep. i think even the night time nurse may have been napping. i walked around the clinic and walked to the front door. curiosity had me wondering if the door was locked or unlocked. it was locked and there was no handle on the outside of the door... you had to be buzzed in. and they also had cameras all over.
you will be fine. i'm a female that went alone and had to separate from my group for an hour and i totally felt safe!!

i used to be a lapband patient that had an unknown slipped band. i was losing so much weight that i looked sick but i was obsessed with losing weight. i vomitted multiple times a day but i thought i was bulimic. i weighed a skeletal 116 pounds before i decided to get my band checked. when they found the slip they took all the Fluid out and told me to EAT. and eat i did! i gained 30 pounds in 2 months before deciding to revise to the sleeve. i basically feel like i have the same restriction with the sleeve as i did with the band BUT i no longer throw up. i know now i'm not bulimic, just a person with a slipped band. i'm so much happier now being able to eat and not worry how close i am to a bathroom!

i was banded in 2008 and lost 100% of my goal weight.... then my band slipped and i got down to a very skeletal weight before having the revision.
i didn't know if is should have the revision because i don't need to lose any weight BUT i need help maintaining.
i'm 2 weeks post-op and i don't follow the "normal" post-op diet because i can't really afford to lose a lot of weight so i eat as many calories as i can.
hopefully i made the right choice!

i just had surgery 14 days ago and i had a revision from lapband to sleeve. with a revision, i had to have a tube down my nose for 2 days plus the drain. hands down, the tube down my nose was the worst. it was uncomfortable and the removal disgusted me. after that, nothing could be any worse.
to me, having the surgical tape removed hurt more than the actual removal of the drain. i was told to lay on my back, breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth and each time i did that the tube was pulled. i did that like 5 times and honestly, i didn't hurt... it felt weird, it was uncomfortable (because it's extremely long) but you will feel SO much better when it's out.
i had the drain for 3 days.

Well... no. I didn't make a food bucket list. I did go to 2 of my favorite resturants the week before I started my liquid diet though. I didn't want food to control me anymore... thats why I'd decided to have surgery, so I decided not to stuff myself and not to go crazy nuts and gain 10 pounds extra.
Another thing that I know I did pre-surgery, and right after, that now that I'm on the other side I learned is a misconception... you can still eat nearly everything again eventually. You will have to let go of somethings because they fill you up fast (rice, Pasta, etc.) but, I can eat anything again, just a lot less of it. Which is both a blessing and a curse.

i just wonder... mexico or not... will they reband me if i'm under my goal weight? before surgery i was 213, now i weigh 118.

I edited the list to add you in. Welcome!!

free@last518, Oct.23,12 Dr. Almanza

thank you for all your help! and i wish you the BEST of luck with your surgery and after. even with all my problems, i love my lapband and i don't think i'll be able to keep the weight off without it. since i'm already at a reasonable goal weight, i'm not sure if they'd do the sleeve on me only because its so permanent. my starting weight was 213 and after 4 years i'm 118. i'm just worried they won't put another lapband on but at least its adjustable so it will allow me to gain weight if needed.
i'm going to contact WeightLossAgents.com and see what they have to say!!

i was not the best lapband patient. i was in such a hurry to lose weight that i developed an eating disorder (bulimia). i knew i was possibly doing damage to my band but the disease had a hold over me. after months in therapy and some great anxiety medications, i no longer feel the need to purge.
i decided to visit my surgeon since it had been 2 years since i'd had a check up. after telling my story they quickly led me the the fluoro machine and yes, my band had slipped even though i was having no symptoms (pain, vomiting, not being able to eat).
my band (named pauly) has to go. to just remove the band is $4,000. to try to reposition the band is $9,000 and to have the band replaced is $12,000. now you can probably see why i need to go to Mexico. they will replace my band for $4000.
i have talked this over with my surgeon and he will continue to see me as a patient, even after going to mexico. i've just begun my research into surgery in mexico and i have to get my passport renewed, etc. i'm not in any hurry right now... i've given myself 30 days to see if i can maintain my weight without having any Fluid in my band but i need a back-up plan.
that's my story!

i have no problems going to mexico... if it saves me $5000+!

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.

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.

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!