NaNa

I gotcha ...and get what you are saying...but I guess I've seen SO MANY lose their lap bands, I've coached newbies, followed their journeys on OH (another site) over the years, seen the exact same issues, over and over and over again, and then they disappear into the night...and come back about 4 years later bitter...getting their band removed...bashing the band, etc....this has not been ONE person.. but.MANY... So maybe I am shell shocked when I see someone heading down the wrong path to lap band destruction and other newbies egging them on -- And who am I? the big bad wolf raining on their (too tight parade) because right now they don't have reflux, they don't have heartburn, they don't have horrible burning in their body and screaming for someone to rip their bands out because it's so uncomfortable to live with... BUT all this misery can be avoided ...and it can be easily avoided....at least a PREVENTABLE complication....and other newbies egging them on because they all too have too tight bands and the scale is moving for them....so right now NO ONE will convince them they they are wrong...as long as the scale is moving for them... So maybe you are right, maybe my delivery is a bit harsh...sometimes when you say things with roses and peddles...many think the consequences are not serious...I've just seen so many go bankrupt because they could not afford or find a lap band surgeon to remove their band after it damaged their body.....I try to scare people straight..but apparently that approach does not help... So you are right and I rest my case now.....

You look beautiful! Congrats on your long term success.

And you are right, why should I care about newbies? I did not pay a dime for my first band, and I did not pay a dime for my second band, I lost 130 pound pounds kept it off for a good 6 years...regained 50 last year.... Lost 30 of that this year, have great health, and now I am rocking my clothes again with a brand new band...so I guess I will just lurk most of the time and pop in with new pics....and avoid any "help" type posts...LOL....

Hmm...suggesting ways to prevent vomiting with their bands is not telling them how to eat, SOME people may want to know how to avoid vomiting with their bands....I could care less how tight someone keep their band, however I honestly get sick and tired of people bashing the band and blaming the world for their problems, when all they have to do is take precautions and learn how to live with their bands, but that still don't guarantee problems, but it sure can minimize them. Removing a lap band can cost between $15,000 - $80,000 depending on how severe complications are, and where they live, and some people may not have insurance to get the band removed....this can be catastrophe for some if they have to pay cash, so some people may want to know the good, bad and ugly about the band and what they are getting into.. AND FYI...I have a brand new AP band, it's in my signature....I don't lie about my lap band status.... My lap band did not SLIP, nor did I have any esophageal damage after 8 years and it did not have to come out, I developed a hernia, and in order for me to get my hernia repaired my surgeon had to remove my old 4cc band because they do not unbuckle like the new bands do without destroying the entire lap band system, so I had to get a new AP band...so there ya go hopefully you learned something new today. And *I* decided to get it replaced and I am very happy I did so, I love my band and want to keep it another 10 years if possible... Also edited to add: I've never had any food intolerance or vomiting issues with my old band and new band...I am grateful for that. But I've seen others suffer with not being able to eat solid food and frequent vomiting and suffer band damage from it. Although I love my band and I am not stupid or naive enough to believe it may last a lifetime, I DO know that it has a very high complication rate, some of it patients fault, some of it no aftercare, some of it medical reasons from no fault of the patient, but there ARE PREVENTIVE COMPLICATIONS...like vomiting daily on a too tight band. Here is an article on the band complication rate, I don't have time to dig up studies...but there is a pretty high complication rate, but most of the complications are not serious...that was one of my reasons for rebanding.... I feel lucky and grateful to be able to get another band, many are no longer candidates due to severe esophageal dilation from being too tight too long. However, I still can develop another hernia down the road, who knows.... http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=13187452

Congrats!! You've come a LONG way baby!

My secret reason was to get revenge with my ex-hubby and look hot in my clothes one last time before I died...and wear bikini panties....at least in front of my own mirror..LOL....

I only speak the truth......and I guess you can call me a lap band expert...I've been there done that and seen it all, researched every possible complication ...I've even educated my surgeon at times ...they just install the band and don't live with it....we do..LOL

You don't have to be an expert to know that if you vomit your food daily with the lap band eventually something bad will happen...just saying...you can google the consequences of that...please don't be in a lap band bubble pretending you don't know..I've just seen and heard it all for over 8 years.. Be grateful...you won't hear it from me anymore.....I hope not to see you in a few more years as a band basher...remember I warned you.....

A bit cocky are we? Let's see how cocky you are in about 5 more years.... Sure let the surgeons figure out the EXTREMELY HIGH complication rate of the lap band, and some newbies will think ...Oh...that will not happen to me, I can use my band as I please...and nothing will happen..... Or oh..she had the old band and outdated technology, or her surgeon did not install it correctly and I can vomit and keep my band as tight as I want it....this makes me laugh as I type it. FYI...here are some lap band complication stats..if you think that I am just pretending to be doctor..lMAO... http://www.ncbi.nlm.... And by the way...no more preaching and help from me on this subject...I will let the newbies dig their own ditch...SURGEONS don't care if your band slip, they will get paid just as much to remove it...they work for you, if you say filler up...and vomit daily, they don't care, you will be the one paying for another band or getting it removed...please remember that.... Peace out...no more warnings from me....

Enjoy your weekend! Occasional treats don't sabotage weight loss, it's the everyday sabotage that hurts. I've found that whenever I take a splurge I see the scale go down, sometimes it shakes up a stall.

Exactly! Most people DO eat a variety of food and don't vomit because their bands are not too tight, if you have difficulty eating most foods, this indicate you are too tight, if you are chewing your food well. My point was some foods are difficult to eat when you reach a certain restriction level, if you can no longer eat the foods that you WANT to EAT, MY POINT WAS remove saline for you to eat them, bread, rice and dry chicken is a NO NO with most people in the green zone, and should be eaten with caution. But most can eat these same foods if they get creative even in the green zone, for example, if I toast bread I can still eat a little in the green zone, if I eat very moist chicken I can still eat in the green zone, if I eat a very little rice with lots of sauce I can eat it in the green zone...THAT is what I meant by being creative and learning to eat the foods you like that will NOT cause vomiting in the green zone. Ideally if you want to see the scale move, you should focus on eliminating white carbs, like rice, sugar, bread, flour.. Of course many people eat all foods, I do when I've gotten to my goal weight and maintained, I eat anything I want and balance it out with exercise. The goal here IS TO PREVENT VOMITING every day with your band which WILL cause complications if you throw up every single day. I could have avoided your post, but it may be educational for others who care about their band, some here may say that what you are experiencing IS NORMAL, but it's NOT, AND THEY ARE PROBABLY NOT OVER 6 YEARS POST OP, problems don't start to happen until about 5-6 years out. I am 8 years post op and have seen it all, I just HATE to see newbies eventually lose their bands, I've seen too many lose their bands over the years, from trying to eat too much on a too tight band that causes vomiting, I am here to help, sometimes, it's not what many want to hear.

` Nothing you describe is "band friendly food" why are you trying to eat rice? It will not help with weight loss, and rice is one food that causes vomiting and severe stuck episodes because it sticks in the pouch, and most importantly it's a white carb. Most lap banders have a hard time eating dry chicken, chicken has to be moist or it has to be dark meat, you have to stick with food that will not cause vomiting, if you plan on keeping your band for a long time. There are MANY ways to eat chicken with the band that does not cause vomiting, you can bake it, put it in a crock pot, etc. All the foods that you mentioned is not really recommended for band eating with a restricted band, aka...bread and chicken breast, etc....if you want to eat those foods, you need to remove saline, and if you want to keep your restriction and lose weight you need to be creative, and eat band friendly food that will not cause you to get stuck and vomit.

You are looking for your band to stop you from eating, it's not designed to do that. Sorry but it seems like you are TOO TIGHT ALREADY, you can't get down but liquids for Breakfast, and mostly lunch, and you want the band to restrict you to liquids and two bites for dinner too? You are looking for a miracle, the band is a tool, be grateful that you have the restriction that you have and work with it, before issues start to happen, because your band is too tight based on what you are describing. If you can eat ANYTHING at dinner, eat healthy veggies and Proteins, I am sure you probably cannot eat broccoli and a piece of grilled chicken. The band is not about restricting you to liquids and junk food, its job is to restrict healthy solid food and keep your hunger at bay, if you are eating two bites of food at lunch (sometimes) and nothing goes down at breakfast but liquids, this sounds like you are already teetering in the red zone. This is why they call it the green zone, which can range from a bit tight to a little loose some days.....Restriction will NEVER BE PERFECT, and it will vary day by day, depending on what you eat, how much you eat, and your body, ebb and flow, there IS NO PERFECT WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

I've heard about missing saline,I've had that happen to me also over the years and turns out, sometimes what people don't realize is that the port is suppose to "self close" after a fill, and "sometimes" you may get BAD FILL, where the port does not close properly and the saline will slowly leak out. Also remember, and the nurse SHOULD be knowledgeable about the lap band to know it does not matter how much saline is in your band, but how you feel, the numbers don't matter whether you are in the green zone, it's ALWAYS how you feel. If I were you, if this keeps happening, where you keep mysteriously losing saline, I would get a second opinion and find another surgeon's office that will fill the band properly. Also, if the fluid comes back reddish or not a clear color that usually indicates a leak.

Honestly, from what I've seen over the years, MOST people who get wls that are married, are doing it to get thin to leave their spouse, not saying you are doing that, but many do. If you have a very strong relationship and love your husband and he is assured that you are doing this for your health and not 'vanity" and to search for someone "seemingly" better, be careful, because that approach only back fires. Perhaps your husband is genuinely concerned for your health and well being the reasons he may did not want you to get the Sleeve, and more comfortable with the band, that CONCERN IS REASONABLE, because you can't reverse or turn back your stomach once it's gone and maybe he is more comfortable with you getting the band since it can be removed if something goes wrong. Also remember, you are doing this for YOU also, and if you feel you need a 'tool' to help you get healthy then it's NO ONE's decision but YOURS and YOURS alone, it's your body, because you will have to deal with being responsible for your fills, exercise, nutrition, aftercare, etc,-- this journey is definitely not EASY, so hopefully once you show him, it's not the easy way out, and you truly love him and will stick with him through thick and thin, I am sure he will probably be your biggest supporter! And he will be very proud to be your husband, so go for it and good luck.

Most people have some discomfort after surgery with the lap band, but not enough to be totally miserable all the time. Some have buyers remorse ,but the good news is...you have the lap band and not the Sleeve or RNY or DS and you can always get it removed if you are not happy with how you feel, if you had any other weight loss surgery you would be SOL, and no turning back. Please make sure that you are sipping your liquids very slowly and don't progress your diet no more than what's on your surgeon's dietitian list. Also nausea can mean you are dehydrated, and if you try to sip cold liquids you may not be able to get enough Water down. And most surgeons give their patients anti-nausea medications. Also if you are constantly burping, you may be trying to take gulps, you have to sip very slowly and NOT cold liquids like milkshakes or smoothies, hopefully you did your research on the band before you got it. Sometimes not following your post op diet plan can make things worse and actually cause a complication. Also if you are feeling discomfort while lying down, many use recliners, or sleep on the sofa, sitting up with pillows until the pain subside, and walking, drinking room temp liquids and NOT anything cold, and slowly sipping will make things better. You also need to ask your surgeon for PPi like a Prevacid for any acid issues and other pain meds, if all the above I mentioned does not work, something else is wrong with your band, and if it persists longer than a week, you need to let your surgeon know, -- but it IS NORMAL to feel very sore for about 2-3 weeks post op, your body has been through trauma.

Most people feel some discomfort with their port especially in the weight lost phase, the port can also shift poisitions if you lose a lot of weight and get more noticable. To minimize any discomfort, wear loose clothes that does not squeeze against your port, and don't lift very heavy things at least the first year, and sorry I have to say this...but keep your sexual positions in a way that it does not put pressure on your port area especially in the first year. The further out you get the less of an issue it becomes at least for most. If the pain gets unbearable, or the port area gets hot, red or swollen, please call your surgeon.

That is really sad, I am sorry that happened to your friend, people really need to know that weight loss surgery is serious business regardless of which path we take, none are nothing to play with, and each surgery has its own set of issues. Again, I am sorry for your friend, that must be devastating.

Well they say that because many people do not know how or chew their food well after they get the band, some people have a more difficult time eating with the band than others. I've never had to cut up my food to the size of a pencil eraser, however, I do make sure that I take small bites and chew well, and wait until that food goes down before I take the next bite, and that works for me, and I rarely throw up.

Flying usually does not cause complications with the band, but sometimes some people even myself have experienced a tighter band in higher elevations. If your band has tighten up to the point where you can barely swallow your saliva, you probably need to see your surgeon asap to get some saline removed to help reduce any inflammation. Also, when your band is TIGHT, sometimes you don't have any room for error, and if anything happens, stress, higher elevation, eating something that has irritated the band and swollen your stoma, the band will close shut. In the meantime, stick with warm liquids, and avoid vomiting until you see your surgeon, constant vomiting will make things worse and cause obstruction. You need to see your lap band surgeon ASAP.

FYI...Surgeons have removed ports for many lap banders if they have a port infection, so yes it is done all the time -- or the port can be switched out if it is defective for a new one, hopefully you've heard of port replacements? And the port can be removed and separated FROM the lap band. When I got my new band replaced, my new surgeon WAS going to leave my old port in (4cc band), since there was nothing wrong with it, but decided to remove it along with the entire lap band system to have all parts of the AP band match including the lap band reservoir, tubing and port. So yes, the port can be detached from the lap band.

If you had your port removed, how did you expect the band to keep you in the green zone? if you say you can now eat without limits, the lap band does not work unless it can be filled, if you can't adjust it, then it is useless. Also as you lose weight the band will loosen up for many and if you have no port to inject saline into how did you expect to have the band help you with your portions? Are you in the US? This really does not sound like something a surgeon in the US would do, because they know that a band without a port is useless, if there are port issues, they either fix it or remove the band if your body rejects the port, tubing or lap band system. I have heard in the past where some people had the port removed (temporarily) if there was infection and the surgeon would remove the port (hoping) that with aggressive antibiotics that the infection would clear up and they can eventually put back in a new port, but from I've seen over the years, that rarely works, and the band has to be eventually removed. If you had a EGD or gastroscopy this would only tell if there is band migration inside the stomach, aka..erosion or hernias, ulcers, gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach or duodenum If there is no band at all, an Upper GI would tell whether the band is still around your stomach, and you would be able to see this for yourself with an Upper Gi series.

Sure the band can get tighter, especially if you are teetering at the red zone, I've always left "wiggle" room in my band because from what I've experienced when it seemed like the "sweet spot" it was in fact too tight. The band can also tighten more with stress, menstrual cycle, elevation, repeated vomiting will also make it tighter to the point of obstruction. Also when the band suddenly tighten, WITH reflux and heartburn, it could mean pouch dilation from being too tight. You probably need an Upper GI to check your band.

Discomfort and scared to eat seems like she is too tight to me, sometimes when you are EXTREMELY TOO TIGHT ...you are scared to eat anything, hence ...you don't vomit because you are too tight to think about solids...been there and done that one.... Also she should not be having discomfort with liquids...but again, some people maintain their band way over the recommended level. Also she is only 2 weeks out from that fill, heartburn don't always show up immediately and vomiting is not the only sign someone is too tight.

Sometimes after being too tight for awhile, there is damage done, like pouch dilation that will mimic heart problems and the pouch will throb and be very painful and scary and is similar to heart problems. Also sometimes totally unfillng the band will make it very uncomfortable for a while, and sometimes you may need medication after severe irritation, some people are put on carafate and a PPi, like protonix after being too tight, remember all band slips don't show on Upper Gi's if you are still feeling bad after two weeks, something probably is still wrong. Pouch dilation (which is a considered a mild slip, swollen pouch) sometimes can feel just as worse than a full band slip, but a pouch dilation can be managed and treated with a total unfill, and medication, whereas band slippage CANNOT, band slippage has to be surgically fixed or the band removed.