lellow

Just a a cautionary tale, when I had my body lift, my plastic surgeon placed my port just under my skin. When I got a tattoo to cover the body lift scars, a tattoo needle hit the tubing. When I had port replacement surgery for a leak, where the tube was leaking, there was tattoo ink all around it. My surgeon took a picture and showed me. He said he was going to write a paper on it, because he didn't think that it was possible. So just be careful not to tattoo anywhere near your port.

I got a phoenix tattooed on my back. I didn't do it in stages, just once I got to a stable weight and maintained it for a little bit. The pic is in my gallery here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/gallery/image/35844-the-completed-phoenix/ I'm glad I did it. I tend to get tattoos to mark important events in my life and that was definitely an important event!

seeme1954, it's crazy isn't it? I hear about people who only have 2cc in their band, and have enough restriction to lose a tonne of weight. As I went along, I started to think restriction was a myth, coz I didn't feel anything for so long except for the day of the fill itself. Even my dr started saying I had more in than almost anyone else in his surgery. But I moved states and am seeing a different dr now, and he actually doesn't think it's that uncommon. We're all so different so the band is going to work for us differently too. Hopefully once I get my band replaced, I won't need 10cc in a 10cc band to feel it, but as anyone who has been filled and unfilled or had the band for a long time will tell you, restriction can change over time, and what worked the first time might not work the next time. In fact a lot of veterans I know have struggled with finding their green zone again after a few years, or if they've had to be unfilled.

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Thank MsMaui for coming back to reply to me, that was a lot clearer, and especially for someone new to the band. I have been on the forum a long time and I have seen people talking about not getting fills to those who need it just because they themselves didn't need fills and I personally think that's irresponsible, so I'm glad it's clear that that isn't what you were inferring. If you're warning people off from trying to get overtight then I completely agree. Firstly it's a miserable place to be, secondly it's dangerous and thirdly it's counterproductive. Being in the green zone provides the best results, no doubt about it.

Sorry just to clarify, what does 'overly dependent on fills' mean exactly? I got fills to get restriction and it took a lot of fills to get to my green zone. And having the correct fill level helped me to maintain my stable weight for 3 years. That's why I got the band, because to get to my stable weight, I needed to eat very little. I don't understand why anyone would advocate not getting fills to get into the green zone. Sure if you don't need it, great, but for most of us, we got a band to help us to lose the weight, so why wouldn't you use it that way? Being in the green zone helps weight loss like nothing I've ever done before and since. I encourage people to get the fills they need to get to that point, and sure, if they don't need it, don't get it, but needing it doesn't equate to over-dependence, unless you meant something else? I'm not talking about getting overtight, that's a different thing. I'm talking about getting the fills you need to let your band work at its optimum. For some people, like me, that requires a lot of fills. I have 7cc in a 10cc band now and can eat as much, as as fast, as I could without the band. I don't, but I could if I wanted to.

I was the same for a long time. Most of my first few fills didn't really give me any restriction beyond the first day. But as I moved closer to the green zone, they lasted longer, and eventually, I had full time restriction. It took a fair amount of fills to get to that point for me too. Not everyone gets restriction within the first few fills. So it's not unusual if you're just starting out and have not yet hit the green zone. But if you've had restriction before and now seem to be losing it within a day no matter how much they fill you, that's a different scenario altogether.

Once I healed from surgery, I didn't feel restriction until I had 6cc in my band, and didn't get into the green zone until I had 8.5cc in my band (10cc band). I have had up to 10cc in my band in the last year (to counteract the effects of a leak) and I could still eat solids. I completely believe in getting restriction. That's how the band works best. Once I got to the green zone, I didn't have to do anything to lose. All my exercise was incidental, and the portion control my band gave me was enough not only to help me get well below my goal weight, but also to maintain it for 3 years. When I lost restriction due to a stubborn leak, I have put weight back on for the first time in 3 years, so I know that restriction was what was keeping my weight under control. Now I diet, count calories, do low carb, exercise formally, all things I didn't have to do when I was in the green zone just to keep from gaining any more. So the band does give you that added boost to help you control hunger if it's used to it fullest potential. But how many fills you have to get to get there is completely individual.

Some people just need less fill to get to restriction. You may find you're one of those people. If they unfilled you, it's not the end of the world. You're no less worse off than most people for whom that first 'primer' fill doesn't even touch the sides. This will let you heal and eventually when you do, you'll be able to tell if you're still too tight (which I doubt). Then if you're eating more, you can get a fill again. It's too early to tell if you've just had surgery. I have read of a few people for whom more fills after surgery wasn't required. The band itself and whatever was put in at the time of surgery gave them enough restriction to lose the weight. But for most people, it takes a few fills, and for someone like me, it takes a LOT of fills to get there. It'll all play out over the next few months how the band will work for you.

Thanks Holly! I've had two ops to try to fix it in the last year but I'm still leaking. I'm hoping for a full band replacement this time, so hopefully third times a charm.

the tatts on my tummy were never the same after I lost weight but they then got cut away when I got my body lift. The ones on my arms, thighs etc didn't change, just shrank a little as I shrank.

I agree with Marci in that while I had a functioning band, I didn't ever really 'diet'. I lost weight via eating only when I was hungry, eating slowly and when I felt satisfied, I stopped. I didn't actually count calories, avoid carbs or measure food. When I had good restriction I could eat only the same amount as my then 3yo (and often less!) and therefore what I did was eat good food. Because I could eat so little, I wanted to make sure it was good quality. I still had the odd bit of junk food but couldn't eat more than one drumstick of KFC so it didn't really make that much of a difference. But between KFC and a nicely cooked piece of salmon, it was a no-brainer. And when I had good restriction I rarely felt hunger. If I ate, I was full enough that things like ice cream and other sliders usually didn't even appeal to me. To me, that's when the band works well. When it makes you want to choose good food because you can't only eat so little of it. And eating keeps you satisfied for a long time. My band is no longer working (leaking) and now I'm dieting. I calorie count and journal my food and exercise, and I do that simply to not put on any more weight than I did in the first 7 months of my leak. But when the band was working, I didn't have to do all those things, and I maintained at my 'stable' weight for over 3 years, which was a BMI of 23. So I know it was the band that helped me with portion control, or else I wouldn't have to work so hard now. I didn't 'do' Protein shakes (I still don't), I exercised regularly and the band did the rest. I did get frequent fills until I got to restriction, and once there, it was easy. I miss how easy it was!

That's the plan, yes. Full replacement as port and tubing replacement hasn't fixed anything so far, so I wouldn't settle for anything less.

I'm currently not paying for my visits to the dr and the last two surgeries were covered in the majority by my (Australian) private health insurance. If they were looking at full replacement I will be expecting that it will not be at a cost to me, except for the anaesthetist. I have lost enough hours at work, and spent enough time in pain to expect that at a minimum. Which is the other issue for revising to sleeve, because while band removal is completely covered and will incur no cost to me, revision to a sleeve will incur significant cost (as it's new surgery), and I'm loathe to pay yet again for new wls. And while I know that what I've experienced is rare, I can't help but to have lost confidence in the band. I know it's worked for me, but despite going under the knife, not once, but twice, it's still not working. I worry that even if I get a complete replacement, I'm going to forever be wondering when it's going to fail again. I guess it's a bit of a no win situation. I need to try to fix it (again) and hope for the best. I don't think revision to a sleeve is possible for me right now. More because I can't take the time off work. If it starts working again at least it's something...And if it doesn't work, I guess I'm no worse off than I am now...

The thing is (and I get the reasoning behind it) he explained to me that if it were a leak in the band itself, it is expected that it wouldn't be a slow leak like I have. Because of the amount of pressure the band is under compressing your stomache, they believe if it was a leak in the band that all the Fluid would have leaked out in a matter of weeks. However they are now conceding that it may be in the band itself. When I did my first port replacement surgery in March 2012, they did in fact find a leak in the tubing. It was a noticeable leak, which is why he was sure he'd solved the problem when he replaced it. And it seemed the subsequent leaks were only apparent when I hadn't seen him in a few months. Losing at a rate of 0.25 a week or so, it meant that when I saw him every fortnight, it just looked like he didn't manage to get all the fluid out when he withdrew it. After my last op in August, even I was convinced I wasn't losing any fluid. I'd go in, he'd withdraw the fluid, it would be maybe 0.5 cc less than expected and he'd put another cc in. It was only because I was at 10cc at my last visit in Sept and just over 6cc when I saw her on Friday that it became beyond a shadow of a doubt. When I saw that there was only just over 6cc in the syringe, I almost burst into tears, because I realised that up to that point, I'd been feeling like a hypochondriac every time I said I didn't have restirction anymore. I am wondering about a full replacement. I do agree that the band has worked remarkably well for me in the past but I am now concerned about its life expectancy. I don't want to have to keep replacing it or having multiple ops every 4 years....

I was the lapband poster child, I really was. Banded August 2008 and I had amazing success. I got down to a BMI of 21 at my lowest but my 'stable weight' had me at a BMI of 23. I exercised to lose, and the band helped so much. I ate like a bird, and I felt healthier and happier than I had in years. But towards the end of 2011, I started feeling like my restriction wasn't there. The same restriction I had enjoyed pretty consistently for almost 3 years. So in Jan 2012, I went to see my dr. I definitely had lost Fluid out of my band but to be sure he sent me for a bunch of tests. I did not have a slip, I didn't have an erosion. The band was just leaking. So in March 2012, I got port replacement surgery. Fast foward a few months. I'm still not 'holding' restriction. I go through a couple of truly terrible over-fill incidents, and we both become convinced my band is not leaking, it's just 'fickle'. Then in August 2012 or so, he removes all the fluid and oops, I've lost 3cc again. He is confused and says it's rare to happen twice but let's go fix the leak again. So I have a second op. The ops are tough, I swell like I'm 6 months pregnant for a week. But this time, he says he's checked everything and there is no leak. He fills me til I have 10cc in a 10cc band and for a few days I am struggling to eat anything. But it doesn't last. A week in, I'm eating bigger meals. A month in, there isn't anything I can't eat. And since January, I've gained 25lbs. Because I have work commitments, I don't go back to see him for a few months. By this stage, not being able to fit into any of my clothes, I've started to diet and exercise. It keeps me from gaining anymore, but I'm not losing. Last Friday I finally went to see him. A different doctor attends to me, and when she withdraws the fluid, I've lost almost 4cc since Sept. My band is leaking. It's still %$@ing leaking! So here I am nearly 13 months from when it was first discovered that I have a leak, no better off. I'm maintaining my weight at a BMI of 27 with work and discipline, but all I need is one 'bad' day and I gain weight that I then find nearly impossible to get off. I'm not scared of exercise, but if I had any ability to control portions, I wouldn't need the band. I can't eat like a 3yo for the rest of my life without it. So what now? I don't know. I have to see my surgeon again in a month to talk about my options and I'm not sure what to advocate for. Do I advocate for a sleeve, knowing that it will mean a lot of time off work that I can't afford? Or do I try to fix my band again knowing twice before it didn't work? Or do I just throw up my hands and try this on my own? My surgeon is determined to fix this. He has never had a patient like me and he doesn't want me to have done all this for nothing. And I don't want it to be for nothing. So I'm stumped right now and am asking for opinions. Any opinions would be welcome. What would you do if you were me?

It was different for me in that I lost weight THEN my marriage broke down. Dating after weight loss does make you think 'would he have liked me before I lose weight?' and the extra attention you get makes you jaded sometimes, because you can't help but think, "hey, I'm the same person you would have ignored a year ago". But in the end, I think what learned was that society is shallow, but it doesn't mean we have to be, and it doesn't mean we have to help facilitate that. So I hope what you get out of this is that your weight should no longer be your go to inescurity.

Not really, elcee. He actually didn't believe it for ages, but the leak is getting worse. He initially said it was not possible. Then he moved on to 'ok, I guess it's possible' to 'yes, it's leaking again'. In the meantime, I kept gaining, and no matter what he did, the restriction never lasts more than a a few days. He put me on the 'urgent' list which is why I'm having surgery pretty much straight away. He wanted to do it this week but I'm moving house on Friday (we bought our own place) and I just couldn't have an op as well. And I'm scared too. The last revision kicked my butt. But I know I have to let him have another stab at fixing it. My partner is trying to convince me to maintain on my own but it's in me, and it worked for years, I just want that back, you know?

I thought about it. But I know the band, it works for me. When it wasn't giving me trouble, it worked REALLY well for me. I reckon better the devil I know. I don't need permanent. I just need 'working'.

Hey all, It's been a while since I've been on LBT. I needed to not be here while I tried to figure out what was going on with my band, and my weight started to come back on. I won't lie, it was depressing seeing people having their (working) bands and not working it while I didn't have one, and struggled not to put weight on. Not that I succeeded. I had revision for a leak in April and my band just never worked after that. In total I've added two dress sizes since my initial leak was detected in January and while I'm stable now I work pretty hard at not gaining. On Friday my Dr FINALLY admitted that my revised band is also leaking. I lost 2cc in under 3 weeks. I have another revision op in a couple of weeks now and I have to admit after everything I am skeptical about it working. Anyway that's where I am. I got my port replaced by what looks to be yet another leaky port. Surely it can't happen again, right?

I am 5'4" and I got as low as 118lbs (which is very thin, a US size 2). I was most comfortable at about 135lbs.

It's likely that it will take more than one fill to get you to the point where you're satiated quickly and for longer. Unfortunately until you get to that point, a lot of it is up to you. It's not pointless but it's a challenge up until you get good restriction.

Hopefully that will be soon for you Heidi, and you're right, you've been doing it all on your own up to now, so you can only get better at this. elcee, I get where you're coming from, where you're gaining but have been reluctant to get a fill. I called the Prof's office today and they want me to come in this afternoon. I'm scared as all hell to get any sort of fill right now after what happened on the weekend. Plus the interns at Emergency were brutal with me because they had a lot of trouble finding my port so I'm still sore there too. I am hoping he'll leave me for a bit and see how I go in a week...

I had it intravenously, elcee. I could not have anything by mouth coz I was holding nothing down. I got that, plus morphine (for the stomach cramps) and an IV of fluids. I have 5.5cc left in my band but my stoma must have gone through the wringer coz I'm finding anything solid really difficult today. I'm supposed to see Prof Nottle again early this week, and am thinking maybe it's too soon for a refill just now.

Wow Heidi, I'm glad you're happy with your decision. Denise, I'm so sorry about how sick you've been. I've had a bit of a bad run too. At my second to last appt, my dr put 8.5cc in my 10cc band, and then when I saw him a week later, I'd lost 1.5kgs so he didn't put anymore in, despite the fact that I felt like I was losing restriction. In the following three weeks, I gained 3kgs, could barely feel my band. I saw him on Friday and he withdrew all the Fluid and it was still all there, but because I'd gained, he put another .5cc in, taking me to 9cc. I drank a cup of Water fine, but on the way home, felt gas building so stupidly took a chewable Mylanta, and that's when the vomitting started. And it didn't stop. I threw up everything, including my saliva for the next 20 hours. I eventually got my dr on the phone and he told me to get straight to the hospital. I got there, and they put me on an IV to rehydrate me as well as on anti-nausea meds (I was throwing up continuously). After an x-ray to ensure my band hadn't slipped, they unfilled me by 3.5cc. I am feeling heaps better today but am completely off my food. I tried to have pumpkin Soup but it made me feel like puking, so my friend added water and blitzed it in her mixer until it didn't have any lumps in it. I have to go back to see my dr in the next few days and I guess we'll decide what to do then. I never had this much difficulty the first time around and am feeling a little bummed. Oh and since the overfill, I've lost 3kgs, but I suspect it was all fluid!