elcee

Glad to have been of help. If you want to PM me to ask any specific questions or for further encouragement feel free.

Yep you are definitely too tight. You need to be able to eat solid protein e.g meat, chicken. fish to take full advantage of your band. If you cant eat these you need some fluid taken out.

You have made your decision and I wish you luck with that. Personally I believe if it's not broken don't fix it. If your band is in place and not eroded etc why not leave it there. If you believe you have addressed the reasons you overeat and can cope without it try that with an unfilled band. If that works great, if not you could look at using the band again. I would be very reluctant to put myself through another 2 surgeries that are possibly unnecessary. If you really think you want the band out and a sleeve instead why not have both done at the same time. 1 surgery has to be preferable to 2.

It is far better to get WLS when you have 50lb to lose rather than wait until you have 100lb or more to lose. All of you that have been banded or are thinking of getting banded have been "only" 50lb overweight at some stage. Did you manage to lose it and maintain that weight loss? Obviously not. In fact the band has proven to be more successful with smaller amounts of weight to lose. A person with a lower starting BMI is more likely to achieve 100% of total excess weight lost than those that have a higher BMI. I had a starting BMI of approx 32. I weighed 74kg (163lb) which for a lot of you might sound like nothing but only being 5' I was huge. I looked pregnant - all the excess was around my middle which is the unhealthiest place to carry excess weight. I have had my band for 2 years next week. I now weigh 50kg (110lb) and feel fantastic. My only regret is that I didn't get banded sooner. To the OP I am sorry that the way your Dr marketed the band wasn't entirely correct. However it is a fabulous tool and one without which many of us would not be able to win the battle. Yes you still have to make good choices having the band and not being constantly hungry makes a huge difference. Junk will always go down no matter what WLS you choose. Also it is possible to eat your way around any of the surgeries. You also have to examine why you overeat. It is from boredom, is it a form of comfort, other issues. You may even need counselling to help you address these issues. Myself I am a grazer ( not the best type of candidate for a band as it is better suited to volume eaters), since being banded my grazing has been 90% under control because I am not as hungry. When I do want a snack I try to choose a healthy one. ATM my boredom eating is slightly out of control - the result of being stuck at home recuperating from a hysterectomy. I probably need another fill but am resisting as I am going overseas on holiday at the end of June and don't want to create unnecessary problems for myself. You haven't failed with your band as there is no deadline for success. You may have failed so far but you have the power to change that at any time. Recommit yourself to getting back on track, accept the band for what it is and how it works, get counselling if necessary and start with your healthy eating and exercise regime. Hopefully soon we will see you posting excuited about your newfound success.

I haven't had plastic surgery but I do feel sorry for you. Most of then are probably jealous and jealousy makes you nasty. Quite strange that you say plastic surgery gets a bad rap as I had thought it was more widely accepted than WLS.

I have never heard of having to be on liquids for 2 weeks after a fill . My Dr recommends liquids for the day of the fill then mushy/soft foods for a couple of days afterwards.

Can't believe that your Dr was so unsympathetic. Glad that in the end she decided to give you some fill. I think that unless they have been through it themselves a lot of them just don't realise how hard it is to maintain a healthy weight.

!!!!! In my experience this would still cause regurgitation not vomiting. The food would be coming from the pouch not the stomach. It would be in the same condition as when it went down. It would not be mixed with any stomach acids etc but would probably involve a lot of slime. However I have learnt that everyones band experience is different so possibly you and others may have actual vomiting. Again what works for some does not work for everyone. I have tried papaya enzyme and it does nothing for me. Trying to drink fluid can help to bring the offending item up - sometimes. I know a lot of people that also recommend drinking coke or something carbonated really quickly. I have never been game enough to try it but apparently it does bring things up quite quickly depending on what it is. It is more likely to work on a blockage made of lots of small particles eg rice than on something like raw carrot. When I am stuck I normally try to bring the item back up. A few sips of water, just coughing or an old toothbrush can all help. However most of the time it takes ages to clear the stuck episode. The solution is never as simple as it should be. The episode can take hours to fully clear. I generally find that after a stuck episode sucking crushed ice is very helpful as it helps to reduce the swelling caused by trying to bring the item up. Whilst the exact mechanics of the band may not yet be fully clear what is clear is that the band experience is different for everyone. Each bandster has to find what works for them and what doesn't.

I usually get a small size schwarma with falafel balls and tabbouleh. Don't usually manage to eat the whole pita bread.

Don't panic. You probably got stuck which caused you to vomit and that has now irritated the band and oesophagus. The best thing to try is to suck ice chips. The ice should help to reduce swelling and hopefully you will absorb some of the liquid. It may take a while but eventually you should be able to swallow. Don't panic as that will make you feel worse. It has happened to me before and it is really uncomfortable and annoying . If you still can't get any liquid down in the morning then I would go and see my Dr for an unfit. It is unlikely that your band has slipped. Keep us updated and hope you feel better soon.

Drink in moderation and remember to include the calories. Also be aware that alcohol often gives people the munchies which could sabotage your diet efforts. A glass of wine is probably one of the better options.

I agree you should see your Dr. Maybe you have some fill in your band which combined with the postop swelling is causing problems. They may need to remove some. I am really surprised that you got told to stay away from cold things. If you have swelling if any kind ice is what normally helps to reduce the swelling. In fact icechips are normally the first thing they give you in hospital. I would also not go anywhere near scrambled eggs yet. They can be a difficult food to get down at the best of times and at this stage of your postop recovery they could cause you further problems. Hope you feel better soon.

That is just one of the many things that has never been properly explained. i agree with you - if food is designed to stay there for a while then it shouldn't hurt but believe me when you are stuck it hurts like crazy. The latest theory is that food actually passes through the band quite quickly(within a minute or so) but again this doesn't seem to make sense - if it has passed through then how come it is possible to regurgitate food for a lot longer than this. (there is a big difference between regurgitated and actual vomiting and with the band most of us tend to regurgitate). Also if the food passes through quickly what is with the not drinking and eating rule. Most Dr's tell you not to drink for at least 30minutes afterwards as it will push the food through quicker ! It would be nice if one day we were given a proper explanation of exactly how and why the band works and how and why the rules that exist are in place. In the meantime it is best to just follow them and lose the weight even if neither us nor the Dr's fully understand how and why.

I think that most of the time people try to be helpful but a lot depends on the way the original post in the thread is written. For example. If you read a post that says I have been following my Dr's directions, exercising etc etc and the scale is not moving then the answers are likely to be sympathetic and helpful. If the post says I'm not following my Dr's directions because I can't and I'm still eating junk on a daily basis because I don't like healthy foods and I don't want to exercise and I'm not losing weight and I don't understand why and I hate this band because it was supposed to be a miracle cure that did all the work with no effort on my part then the answers are not likely to be sympathetic and helpful. We all have the same issues so if we can do it we expect others to be able to do it too. To borrow a quote " Lapband talk members help those that help themselves".

This doesn't sound like a salad to me. My definition of a salad would be lots of raw veggies - lettuce, carrot, mushroom,cucumber,tomato,green or red peppers etc . Adding one type of Protein such as tuna, chicken etc is fine but if the main part of the "salad" is mixed Proteins then what you are actually consuming is a high calorie, high fat meal. Avo's are good for you but they are high in fat. cheese is high in fat. Egg is fine and so is fish but you don't really need these plus the cheese etc. It seems these days anything passes as a salad so long as it has a couple of token lettuce leaves in it.

Use moist cooking methods rather than dry cooking methods. Stew, casserole etc goes down far easier than grilled or fried. Use sauces, gravies. Don't overcook. Eat chicken thigh rather than chicken breast as it is moister. Avoid reheated meats as they can cause problems. HTH

Obviously you have done well and obviously you are not as fat as prior to surgery. But you did say you still have a way to go and if your BMI is in a range that is overweight or obese or whatever then yes you are still fat. I don't mean that in a nasty way but it explains why you still have those fat days. I think being female makes it worse as well. We are never satisfied, we will always find fault with our bodies. I am at goal and well within a healthy BMI range but I look at my stomach and to me it looks gross. All fat and blobby, nothing like those perfect washboard stomachs I see on TV and in magazines all the time! So don't get down. Think of how well you have done and congratulate yourself on that.It is not like there was a time limit and that you have now run out of time. You will continue to lose weight and to look and feel better every day.

You need to stop weighing more than once a day as your weight fluctuates naturally throughout the day. It doesn't matter what scale you buy the same will always happen. You should pick a time and weigh at the same time. Generally it is not recommended to weigh more than once a week but I still do it daily, that is one habit I can't break. The best time to weigh is first thing in the morning, before you have had anything to eat or drink and before you shower. That way you will get a more accurate indication of any gains or losses. Be aware though that sometimes you will gain from day to day just because of Fluid , hormones etc which is why the weekly reading is the more important one.

Glad to hear that the end is in sight and that so far things have gone well. I am sure that the past couple of months must have been hell. Enjoy getting your life back. All the best. Lynn

That would be hard. I just had surgery - a hysterectomy but my surgeon and anaesthetist were happy to leave my fill in. I was impressed I came through really well - this was the first surgery I have had where I have not felt nauseous afterwards. I was dreading having to get unfilled and then slowly filled again. I do feel for you. For now just concentrate on healing and you will be back on track soon. And don't do what I have been doing because I am stuck at home bored - eating way too much chocolate!

Just found this on another of my message boards. From a different poster this time. Re: gastric sleeve Hi guys, I was going to stay quiet here but figured it wouldn't be fair. I had a band...lost all the weight and loved it I had a problem and had a second band...not the same and gained weight I had a BPD/DS (big and bad decision) and did not lose an ounce!!!! Copped all the side effects!! Live with it daily!!! I have third band and love it for the moment!! Hanging in there at 71 kgs down from 126....it's all good. Not any o9f of the surgeries are a miracle cure, we have to work with what we get and hope for the best. Maybe in a few years time I will look at sleeve, gastric bypass etc But, I think all of know that no surgery, no matter what it is, is the miracle. And we all need to do some work at the same time. They all work differently for different people but we all must persevere! We are all on the same side and want to lose weight. Give it a chance.

Spartan I agree that it is odd. I was quite shocked when I read it as I thought that weight loss with a bypass was guaranteed. This is a genuine post, the poster is a genuine poster and she is obviously in trouble. I have no idea why. I just thought it would be useful to post it to show another perspective .

Good luck, I hope it is the solution you are looking for. Interestingly this came through last night on another group that I am subscribed to. Hi, haven't posted in months and this probably isn't the place to post but I'm really depressed about my weight. I had my band removed back in october and reverted to a gastric bypass in december last year. I lost 12 kilos over the first two months and since then I have lost nothing and have put on 3 kilos this month. what do I do now? I have not been back to the surgeons again as I am too embarassed. I do not have any restriction when I eat, I dumped a few times at the beginning. I don't eat that badly or that much.. (sounds cliche I know!!) Where do you go once bypass does not do what you thought it would do. Are there any options left? Can you convert to a sleeve from here I have read you can but there isn't much out there on it. I know I need to go back to my surgeon and I will.. just want to hear any thoughts that any one may have before I make myself do that.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my only regret is not getting banded sooner.

I don't weigh or measure. I eat off normal sized plates but put a lot less on. I know a lot of people use a side plate instead of a dinner plate. If you use a small plate imagine about 1/2 filled with Protein, 1/6 carb and 2/6 veg. My typical breakfast is 1 poached egg on a slice of wholegrain toast. lunch might be tuna, salad + crackers or something on toast or a slice of quiche etc. Dinner is the same as the rest of the family but a much smaller portion. I also snack on yogurt, fruit(not very often) and nut bars.