Nanook

I think you're wise to be objective about the band as it doesn't necessarily work out the way you expect it to as in my case. The one benefit it did give me was a respect for my body and to be careful what I do to it again and also a sense of what real fullness feels like. So for that I am appreciative. I think we've all done our share of crazy things in our past to feel accepted in a society that worships thinness and puts down fat people but we have to look closer within ourselves to see how we treat ourselves before we worry about what others think of us, Nancy:smile:.

Marieg, As someone who was banded over a year and really didn't know how it would affect me physically and emotionally I can definitely understand the term you used "natural". I felt the same way after having mine removed. I lost weight on the preop diet, had done many crash diets before and thought it was worth the results I'd have of getting banded. I was wrong and found that being banded was a very unnatural way to live. Which is why I did what I had to do to keep from starving myself because regular "healthy foods" would not go down. Maybe I'm on in a million, well like to think so but doing something as unnatural as being banded did not go over too well with my body either. I gained back all that preop weight and then developed a bad case of acid reflux because of the way the band is placed. I've gone one step further and find it better to not go up and down in weight anymore, I try to eat healthy now, much more than when banded and prior to banding and exercise to stay healthy. I don't need to be a stick to be healthy or happy and that was something I've learned during that unnatural process of banding. Anyway good luck to you, I think you sound like a pretty smart cookie, Nancy.:wink:

Thanks Band_Groupie, I know my dad and my maternal grandmother had colon polyps removed but as I don't turn 50 for a year and a few months I was kind of waiting till then to find out if I had those also. Didn't know if there would be a direct connection meaning if I had them in my stomach I may have them in my colon too. While banded I was pretty much constipated (tmi) most of the time so who knows what's going on down there! I know it's inevitable and the same doc will do my colonoscopy but most people are like me and aren't rushing out to do it. Thanks for your info, Nancy:smile:.

Some surgeons want you to use it in the hospital or they just give you oxygen after surgery and monitor your breathing. I would check with your pulmonologist or whomever prescribed your cpap machine for instructions after surgery. I've never heard of anyone being told not to use it due to air in the stomach but there's a first for everything. Nancy:smile:

I never knew I had reflux until I started getting chest pains about 11 months after banding and it's complicated but I wasn't able to lose weight on the band so the combo made for a removal which I am fine with since it didn't work out anyway. I haven't heard that the reflux caused the polyps but read that the meds you take for the reflux, the proton pump inhibitors can cause the polyps. I saw pictures of mine and there were a lot so it kind of freaked me out. I just don't know much about them and don't meet with my gastro doc for a week or so. Thanks Nancy.

Anyone found to have stomach polyps or know much about them? I finally had my endoscopy done and he found several polyps in my stomach. I guess it was something I didn't expect and really never had heard of them before. They're biopsying the tissue but don't think they're cancerous. Just wondered if anyone else has had this experience and what effect they have on you. I have read you can't get a gastric bypass if you have them and wasn't sure why. Anyway my band is gone but still have recurring probs with my esophagus. Thanks Nancy.

Susan, They're mainly mice but they're very tiny and cute and usually have themes like Christmas or other holidays. Go to weeforestfolk.com and you can see some. Sorry, I'd cut and paste but I'm bad at it, Nancy. Oh and besides being very tiny they're really expensive!

Obviously the people that are happy are those who the band is working for. As the other poster said if you're having problems losing weight you need to speak with your surgeon about it. I could not live with the band as it was and the comps I got with it but others seem to do well, it maybe a crap shoot but it's up to you and your doc to figure out. Good luck Nancy.

Anyone familiar with Wee Forest Folk know of any good web sites for good deals on Christmas ones??? Thanks Nancy:smile:

I wish I could help with ideas but as my band was always too tight I suffered myself. I believe somewhere here is a recipe section though.

I personally didn't revise after my removal but my 20 yo daughter is doing well now with her RNY. I would suggest posting this new so you'll get more responses. Good luck to you Nancy:smile:

joiful, you do know that the band doesn't stop most of the sweets and junk food. That was a big problem for me because I was always way too tight even with no saline but to compensate for lack of food because the Protein and veg wasn't going down I would eat the unhealthy stuff that would. Wish you luck in getting what you need and at a cheaper price, Nancy.:thumbup:

I had mine removed by the same surgeon who put it in and it cost $10,000 which was a combo of the surgeon's fee and the hospital charges. I have insurance so I don't know if it would be cheaper without, good luck Nancy.

Just from reading some of these threads and others and my own experiences with the band there are many inconsistencies. Some people are stuck rather easily some hardly ever. Some never get restriction even at the fullest amount and some like me even without any saline in the band could never eat bread and still food would get stuck.

I've been on meds for the past 20 years after my last baby was born. I didn't develop anxiety related to driving until I started working in DC and living in Montgomery Village and taking a bus every day. I think the act of not driving in that traffic made it easier for me to develop the anxiety. It also runs in my family and my siblings have it also but we're not all driving phobic like I am. I went a whole year without even driving so I'm much better but still the thought of driving in MD again scares me. Where I live now there is really no public transportation so you have to drive everywhere but there's always something I avoid. I did find it interesting about the thyroid I'll have to look more into that thanks. MY eldest daughter gets ticks every times she switches lanes on the highway here. I hope things get better for your also! Take care Nancy.:cursing:

Falloutgirl, Enjoy your 30th over here and don't worry about your size, some of us are actually a little large here! Don't let that stop enjoying your life take care Nancy.:cursing:

travelinsnorkel, you sound very similar to me. I also have some driving anxiety but never heard a connection between that and the thyroid, my thyroid is underactive also and I'm on meds for that too. I also suffer much more with depression during the winter months and up where I live February is a killer and luckily they give a week off then so many head south. I also am on Klonapin but usually just a night unless I'm really anxious and Cymbalta for depression. I was down in the DC/Md area over Thanksgiving and know the traffic there is much more stressful and feel sorry for you as I grew up there and it's only gotten worse! I know some people are able to go off their meds but for me thick or thin I need them and am much better on than off! There's still a stigma associated with depression and any sort of mental illness and makes some people want to go off their meds prematurely if they should at all. It's not a weakness of character and I wish people would understand it better. Take care Nancy.:cursing:

Sorry to hear that, did you have your band replaced after the removal or just removed? Take care Nancy.:cursing:

I think her last post speaks for itself

FalloutGirl, Not sure how old you are but you sound like a pretty smart person to me! I can't believe your doctor made is sound so easy with the lap band anyway but unfortunately some doctors do. The band didn't work for me and I ended up gaining and then having other comps afterwards. You knew something was amiss with this doctor and you made the right choice for yourself. Don't let people tell you that you can't do something because you can do whatever you want to do! And you're on the mark with the yo yo dieting. That's what put the pounds on me in the first place. Best to listen to your body and give it what it needs. Take care Nancy:smile:.

When diagnosed with sleep apnea, which of course can happen to heavy people as well as thin people I learned some of the connections with sleep loss and weight gain. When you have sleep apnea you appear to be sleeping but you are not getting a good quality sleep because you stop breathing. Each time you are awakened because of the apneas you are not fully awake but it does affect that quality. Many people overeat during states of sleep deprivation and some do it mindlessly. It has something to do with your body's energy. So that's one reason why sleep is so important besides the fact she is wounded and should be in bed as her doctor had instructed her. Nancy:smile:

Katri, It sounds like you're having some problems with your esophagus too although I am no doctor. You could be having esophageal spasms. The pains I was having were in the center of my chest and went away quickly. I still don't know what exactly they were if they were spasms or not but I've never really had an issue with swallowing like you have. I still get pains in the area where my port was and am not sure why. I had mine removed by the same surgeon who placed mine. Because of my chest pains and was checked into a hospital to make sure it wasn't my heart and it wasn't so they could only attribute it to acid reflux and had an upper GI done. That showed the acid reflux and also a small hiatal hernia. So with that and the fact that I gained as opposed to losing on the lap band I was able to have it removed last month and it was covered by my insurance. I had been following up all along with my lap band surgeon or someone in his team during the year I was banded. So it was no surprise in the end when I had it removed. I had plenty of fills and unfills it just was not the right procedure for me and I believe after research has caused the problems with my esophagus and the hernia/reflux issues. I am having an endoscopy on Friday to see what damage has been done. I ended up having the procedure after my father passed so I know what emotions play with these decisions and weightloss in general. I can tell you that it was done out-patient and the hospital charge was about $7,600 and the surgeon fee was about $2,400 for a total of about $10,000. Insurance covered most of my costs so I don't know if you had it removed in Mexico if it would be a lot less. I think getting the lap band was about 3 times as much but I did spend the night in the hospital. Now I'm seeing a gastroenterologist for the endoscopy so of course any complications will just add more money to the bill. I hope I was helpful and sorry that you are going through bad times with your band also. The best thing to do is keep up with it and see a doctor who can help with the complications to get things rolling and then you can decide whether or not you need or want to have yours removed. Take care Nancy.:thumbup:

I was told because I was put in the hospital because of the chest pains that was why I was approved so quickly for removal. I was going to have it removed further down the road but this sped up the procedure. I would speak to your surgeon about it. I met with mine prior and he said when I was ready to go through his surgery coordinator. They handle all the insurance at their office but he knew if it wasn't covered I wasn't interested. I think it's best to start a trail with your surgeon since you're having problems. I had mine removed after having it for 14 months. Good luck to you Nancy.

I think sometimes when you have complications with your lap band the surgeon can go in and find something that you don't expect. Mine removed my band but did not do anything to see what damage was done to my esophagus I had to be proactive and find another surgeon. I think sometimes they're paranoid that they will get sued or something. My band removal was covered and I knew ahead of time. If your insurance covered getting the band I'd hope they'd cover the removal due to the fact that you were having issues and that's why it was removed. I know it's hard to be positive right now as you're not in the ideal situation as you had hoped previously to getting banded but give yourself some time and see if there's a way to deal with yourself without beating yourself up over gaining a couple of pounds. I gained weight on the lap band and am losing it now that it's gone. Sometimes it's hard to predict what will happen after banding. Good luck, Nancy.

anon... Good luck with your surgery! Even though I have probs with the reflux and a possible hernia, having my endoscopy in a couple weeks, I still feel much better without the band and like being in control of my body again. Take care Nancy:smile: