Manatee

Don't you all wish you could get the newbies to -really- understand what this process will be like? I was reading my old blog the other day, and frankly I had forgotten just how painful the journey was. 2 bands + a sleeve, and I'm still technically overweight. 208 at this point, which is 45 lbs(!) up from my low, and 80 lbs from my high (so yes, at one point I had lose 100+ lbs) The lapband was worth it in other ways -- I met my wife here -- but I cannot recommend it for anyone these days. Is there anyone out there with their original band, and that band is effective at this time?

Let's see, May 21 for me. But it's not 5 years with the band. Both of mine only lasted about 2 years total. So ~290 to ~170 with slips and vomiting blood, then revised, then out, then up to 250, then a gastric sleeve and down to ~200 and holding. I still want to lose about 20, but frankly haven't put the effort into it. Below is the biggest thing I got from the band: I met PigsRFlying in the chat room, that's our wedding photo . . . <edit> Well heck, it won't allow an attachment. Bleah. See http://killthefatman.livejournal.com/60517.html

See http://killthefatman.livejournal.com/27690.html

I had the sleeve after two slips, a revision, and a band removal. I strongly recommend those considering the band to go look at the 2005,2006,2007 etc forums and see how the thing holds up long-term.

Nimbleban, I too had a sleeve revision after the band slipped. If you can in any way make that happen I would strongly recommend it. It's just a volume restriction without the absorption issues of the bypass. See my blog for all the good and bad.

How were the CMAs?

I had the lap-band done back in 07, and while I don't have it anymore (long story) I was blessed with a good doctor and support function. My friend got one in 06. He hasn't seen as much success as he would like. The doc and support staff are inaccessible and refuse to admit there may be anything wrong despite years of adjustments, pain and disappointment on his part. We have found it impossible to get any other physician to take him on as a patient. We get the same story everywhere: if we didn't put the band in, we cannot touch it. "Liability, don't ya know." Right now he's having all the symptoms of a too-tight fill (reflux, vomiting, coughing, etc). We contacted the emergency rooms of the two local hospitals. Both do bariatric surgery. Both told us that their bariatric doctors would NOT do an unfill on someone who hadn't been banded there. God help you if you get a physician who moved, closed, is incompetent or died.

Did anyone else receive an email via LBT from this guy/company?

@Tamjpjb: You sound like you're too tight. Go get a checkup under fluro and see what the band is doing. Barium swallows suck but they're necessary and you can immediately see what's happening. We used it to diagnose the second slip on my former band. It sounds like you're slightly too tight. I can't give much advice beyond that. @the whole world: As an update, I continue to stay right around 185, which is a healthy weight for me.

Just an update. Post-sleeve I've been doing fine. Weight is holding in a healthy ~3 lb range. I'm not 100% happy with my body shape but who ever is? I'm finally getting a permanent place and will put a home gym to help that. Since the truest pictures are ones where you don't know you're being shot, here's a before-and-during comparison. White shirt is late 2006, at about 300 lbs and a 42" jean. The brown shirt photo is April 2010, at 187 lbs and a 36" jean.

Why the red hate? They are playing the game. Remember? This. is. a. game. With $$$ waiting at the end. Hell, if they had really played it right, they should have both laid up this week. I think green has had a piss poor attitude the whole time, and them attacking red when the extra weight made absolutely no difference just looks bad. I also don't like Jillian's attitude this season. Maybe she's burnt out or something, but I'm rapidly losing my Jillian Love, and I've never really liked Brother Bob.

Well, it -is- edited for TV. How do we know there wasn't a team that simply doesn't show up in the final cut? (*shhhhh* everyone, here's some $$$)

Interesting. To me it's the exact opposite; these folks are so big that even massive weight loss doesn't come across as that dramatic. Sure, they lost 150 lbs on the show, but they're still morbidly obese. Is that success? Is that inspiring for the mass majority of the viewing audience that is likely overweight/obese, but not at these extreme levels? I think they've gone too far in casting, IMHO. This was a better show when it was a little closer to most folks' real circumstances.

Well.... Nasty gimmick to play on the teams early on. As far as eliminations go, they might as well flipped a coin. Freaky though that both twins weighed within a pound of each other and lost the same weight. Crazy losses this week, but you know everyone was waterloaded like a camel. Besides, I haven't run the numbers but I suspect those high numbers actually translate into similar % losses as earlier seasons. How long before a 600lb contestant shows up? Jillian's right, these folks are starting to be too big to safely 'beat on them'. Wasn't Allen from Big Medicine just a bit bigger than some of these folks?