TexasMama

I have been trying to find the "right" place to tell my story and this seems as good a place to start as any.

I was banded in 2007. I did quite well for a few years. I had only one fill the entire time I had the band in. I lost 75 pounds and kept if off for a while. I started having a cough at night that became chronic. I coughed EVERY night, most of the night long. It was unbearable for my husband and became a real problem for me when I started to lose my voice. I am a singer and this was something I couldn't live with.

I started to investigate why I might be coughing and went through a lot of testing. I had allergy and asthma testing, all negative. I had an endoscopy to see if there was anything going on with my esophogus, also negative. I had a laryngeal stroboscope to make sure my vocal chords were ok. They were fine.

As time went on, I started to have reflux at night to the point of vomiting. I would wake from a dead sleep with vomit in my mouth, or worse, coming out my nose. It was horrible and this horrible side effect began to happen every single day! Not only at night....if I fell asleep during the day, it happened then too and not only laying down, it happened if I fell asleep sleeping in the car or on a plane. I thought for sure that I must have cancer of the stomach or some other disease.

The next thing that started happening was I would wake up feverish with EXTREME chills, unable to warm myself. My body ached as if I had the worst flu ever. I missed work on these days because I could not function. One day when I awoke like this, I had a doctor's appointment. While at the doctor, I mentioned it to him and he ran some blood tests. My white cell count was high that time, and every time after when I would wake with a fever. This led to more tests! Lyme disease, negative. Lymphoma-negative. They thought it might be endocarditis. It really became ridiculous. The end result of all of this madness....they diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I knew that was NOT what was going on.

Throughout all of this testing, I was put on multiple drugs for the various symptoms I was having. None of them did anything. Family and friends urged me to consider that the LapBand was the problem. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't take it anymore and since the regurge was so bad, the docs wouldn't even consider adding liquid to the band. I decided to have the band removed.

My band was taken out on June 3, 2013 and I want you all to know that ALL of my symptoms ENDED that very day!!! I no longer have regurge at night. I no longer cough at all unless I have a cold. I have not had a fever since the removal! I do not have Fibromyalgia. I do not have anything wrong with me. My ailment was the LapBand and nothing else. The doc that took the band out said he thinks that when I was coughing and regurging at night, I was aspirating into my lungs and that is why I had fevers a couple of times a month. My body was fighting the foreign substance in my lungs!!!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to feel better and know that I am not a hypochondriac or a nut case! All of these symptoms happened to me and from what I see, they are happening to a lot of LapBanders. I am extremely grateful that I got it out of me before something more serious happened to me.

I am interested in speaking to others that are experiencing any of these symptoms. Your life is more important and I know your quality of life sucks if you are going through even half of what I experienced.

Thanks for listening.

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Do you have any type of autoimmune disorder or family history of such? Hypothyroidism, Celiac, Lupus, MS, et al?

Hi Shelly, just read your story and I'm wondering how you're doing? I have been having several issues with my band since June and I have an appointment on the 26th to see what is going on. I can barely get Water through and absolutely no solid food whatsoever. I survive on CarbSmart ice cream, chicken broth, and milk. It's very depressing. The good side is, I've lost more weight, but that seems rather bittersweet now.

Anyway, would love to hear an update.

Never lost another pound since August of 2011. This has been one of the most frustrating things I have ever done, almost worse than getting fat in the first place. It has taught me one thing: I can't spend money and have my problems disappear like some folks can. Why was it so easy for others and not for me? I have no idea. I can blame my thyroid, I can blame every single carbohydrate I put in my mouth, I can blame PCOS. The ultimate responsibility lies in me. I may not be able to do anything about it, but the first step in accepting my failure is learning from it. The hardest part has been watching my sister in law, who had to do me one better and have gastric bypass, lose 70 lbs and now every time she sees me she acts like she feels so f***ing sorry for me. The whole thing and her phony attitude makes me sick.

I just wish I hadn't spent $12,000 on surgery and another $5,000 with a personal trainer twice a week for 6 months to learn I can't lose weight, apparently. I knew that before lap-band.

I'm just one person, but I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypo) and I had lapband done in Feb 2011. I had a personal trainer I worked out with for 6 months and worked out at Lifetime Fitness with him twice, sometimes three times a week, and worked out at home also. I bought a Polar to monitor my progress. I started jogging along with my walking regimen.

lost 30 lbs--that's it. No more. Not one ounce, not one gram. It is September of 2012 now, and I'm still sitting at 30 pounds down.

I went through intense feelings of guilt, disappointment, every negative you can think of, that was me. It still is to some degree. I am now coming out of my funk, well over a year later, and realizing that I have to live my life anyway, that I might just be fat the rest of my life; but I don't have to be out of breath all the time, and I don't have to be tired all the time, so the working out has started up again.

Just be prepared, and be informed. Good luck.

I'm not sure I can even respond. But I'm here. I'm not doing very well and am up 8 lbs....very depressed.

I've only lost 33 lbs...but I am more FIT than I have ever been! It's been a HUGE battle for me. Eating has been a challenge, but I've had to deal with a very bad, underactive thyroid. I've been seeing an endocrinologist that specializes in weight management and has me now taking my synthroid at night and eating Protein first thing when I wake up. I also had a very nasty staph infection on my hand in August that changed everything for me for at least a month. Working out twice (sometimes 3 times) a week has been key as well. It's hard not to get down on myself but I just know it's a daily challenge and I'm not going to let this beat me. There have been other good things as well--my face has shrunk! I used to have such a fat face! My knees are no longer dark and my feet no longer have splotches. I'm eating about 1500 calories a day. I'd like to cut that back to 1200 but I'm not sure I can do it without a fill and I already have problems with PBing so that's no good...lol. I wish I could say I was more than 33 pounds down but that's just unrealistic for me and always has been, even though I was hoping for a miracle. I do not have ANY regrets. My eating has improved so much. I care much more about what is going in my mouth now than I did last year at this time. I have 57 more pounds to lose and I'm off to get a Tummy Tuck to remove the tire around my waist that keeps drooping more with every pound lost!

Oh did I mention I'm running, too?

Yep! Something I'd never do before! My first 5K is in February! 3 miles--I might be crawling at the end but I'll get there!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

If you have hypothyroidism, you will have to take it the rest of your life. It is a weight-based dosage medication, so if you weigh less than you did when you were first diagnosed, then you will most likely have your dosage reduced as well. However, it will never get to a point where you are off meds completely.

Hypothyroidism is a challenge for bandsters, but it is one you can deal with. I'm in quite the rut right now, because my thyroid is off, but that's the least of my issues right now. I have to work on a HUGE sugar addiction and carb fixation....and then I might make progress again.

It's very important to keep up with your thyroid numbers. TSH, Free T3, T4, etc...have a good endocrinologist who understands! Also, be sure you are taking your meds at night and NOT in the morning.

I've been stuck for two months at the same weight. I had a terrible staph infection on my finger and it screwed everything up as far as my thyroid meds (timing). I am not pleased in the least, but I am just keeping on the track. frustrating at best.

and then when I emailed the admin to say I've never signed up with them and please remove me, I get a bad email address.

I don't like these tactics, and I want my membership from that site and the other site that sent me something--a sleeve site. Both are affiliated with LapBandTalk.com.

Please advise...I don't like my user name being taken to another site, a membership set up, and then emails thanking me for doing all of that and I never, ever did...it kinda freaks me out.

I have substituted food with ice cream...is that bad? Lol jk. I know it is but I love ice cream and it goes down so much easier than food does! I eat 2 meals a day, a Protein shake for bfast, and 3-4 scoops of ice cream at night. I haven't been on the scale for weeks but the last time I was I hadn't gained or lost anything. I'm down only 11 lbs since Feb 1, 2011, surgery day. Down 2 sizes though. I think we all lose differently. I have tight restriction but since I no longer have insurance I'm dealing with it until I can't get liquids down.

Did you REALLY just say that!?!? 3-4 scoops of ice cream at night? Holy crap. Yes, I guess we do all lose differently, if we're scarfing down 400-800 calories before we go to bed...you do realize that's almost a pint of ice cream, right?

sophinator--big hugs!! I know how discouraging it can be, believe me!! I'm right there with you. Don't let it get you down!! You will win this battle, that's all there is to it. It is a big battle, bigger for some of us than for others. I know you will do it.

Hi everybody!

Well, things have slowed a bit again in the weight loss department. I PB a lot as you all know, I am sure it is my fault--I don't chew well. But my biggest problem lately has been the SUGAR! Urgh. I was baaaaad on vacation. Bad bad bad LOL. Luckily I couldn't eat what I used to, but I was still eating at least 1800-2000 a day and not exercising other than tooling around at the beach. So, I was up 2 lbs, my trainer says it was probably Water, but still! Anyway, I ended up losing that, and one more pound, so I have only lost 5 lbs since May 31. Not really happy about that. I have restriction, plenty of it--but I just think my metabolism is creeping along right now even though I am working out. It's getting better and I am not getting too discouraged, because working out is doing something for me that eating less can't do: tone me up and make my heart healthy. When I first started working out in March, my target heart rate was zone 1 (110-125) because I was SO entirely out of shape. Now, my target heart rate is zone 3 (140-150). I am so proud of myself for that. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, getting started, but I just knew with the money I put out for the lap-band I was not going to screw this up by not exercising.

I think one of the things we all have to remember is that not only does everyone lose weight at their own pace (let's face it, my thyroid could be discouraging me so badly but I refuse to let it affect me that way), but people are built so differently...so one person that is 5'2" that has 100 lbs to lose is going to see that weight come off faster than someone who is 5'10" (like me). Someone in their twenties who has no endocrinological problems is going to lose faster than a thirty-something with PCOS. Someone that has Type II Diabetes/Insulinemia who continues to eat/drink sugar and sugar substitutes when they know they're sensitive to that is going to have problems losing.

I cannot stress enough the importance of MOVING. If you aren't MOVING, and you are EATING, you are STORING! Unfortunately. It took me so long to figure this out. The lap-band is just a tool. It is not the answer. But look at what it allows us to do when we make just a few little changes! I am amazed, personally!! Sure, I wish I could be at the 50 pound mark like some of you, but I am THRILLED that I am at the 31 pound mark! Me--losing 31 pounds!! And to think I might be down another 20 lbs by Christmas? Really?? It just makes me so excited. It's a different mindset for me. It's little victories, not the big ones. But, I'm at a different point in my life than some folks so my victories are maybe a little different. Getting into a t-shirt (and workin' it!!) that I haven't worn in 6 years...it makes me realize how I am changing. Going to the gym twice, sometimes three times a week to work out...that's something I NEVER ever saw myself doing...so that's a HUGE change...and people are starting to comment...and I am now no longer self-conscious about posting pics of myself on my Facebook page.

Numbers on a scale can't do that!!

welp, TOM showed last week, left on Tuesday, and doggone it I am stuck on the scale. I guess I just need to pump it up some more. Elle, I am thinking along the same lines as you, but I have to say, I feel pretty good when I'm at BJs for lunch and I get the chicken and can only eat half of the lunch portion, but I will admit I can eat more than I could a month ago. I think I really, really need to journal my food intake so I know what exactly I am eating.

Thanks Elle! I was down a lb this morning. So I'm getting there...it is just so discouraging when the scale doesn't move for a week or more! I'm a scale junkie too! But it is hard to ignore it sometimes! Sometimes you just gotta have a pity-party and get it out of your system!

Soph,

Thanks! That does actually make me feel better. Try working out if you can...Even just a 30 minute brisk walk will help with your plateau. They are sooo evil. Plateaus should be outlawed.

My hair is falling out big time again. It stopped for a bit, but has been falling out pretty badly for about 3 weeks now. I have very thin hair so it's really bad for me! I hate it!

I am debating whether to go for a fill... I just had one on the 21st of May, but I am back to being able to eat a plate full in a sitting. There's no way its just a cup of food... I'm averaging about 1500 cals a day again...so I really think I need to go back. I have heard people say that it takes a few weeks for a fill to kick in..but that hasn't been the case for me. I'm trying to decide what to do!

Hey! Down a pound! Good for you. I had a pity-party through the entire month of May so I TOTALLY understand. We are all going to have some weeks that are better than others no doubt!!

I too am debating about a fill. Though I sometimes still have issues with food, I am starting to get hungrier between meals and I am probably definitely hitting 1500 cals now. I need to JOURNAL all my food intake. I think it is soooo important so I can see what I am doing wrong and what I am doing RIGHT!

My doc said I should be able to eat the equivalent of a Happy Meal's worth of food. For those that don't know, that's 4 nuggets and a small fry. Not that we should be EATING Happy Meals lol, just the size of the food. Well, I'm eating that at dinner no prob. I might be eating a little more than that sometimes. So I probably need to check in with the nurse and see what she thinks.

I also have to cut down even more on the sugar and STOP the dependency on Crystal Light. I need to drink more pure Water. I am positive that will help tremendously.

My doc says: if you're losing (even a tiny bit), and you're not throwing up, and you're not feeling true hunger in between meals, then you're IN THE ZONE!

Thanks Texas...you may have just inspired me to go walk on my treadmill I know it will help it is just a matter of getting in the habit. Would be good to find someone to walk with...that's why I think during the summer it will be easier because the schedule is a little clearer. I'm right there with you on the age...42 here so I know that is also a factor but I refuse to let that stop me...I'm still 25 in my head so I just need the body to come down a few years Thanks again I'm going to go hit the treadmill now!

You go girl!!

To answer your earlier Protein shake question, I use two different kinds: Lifetime Fitness' Fastfuel Complete (Chocolate) http://shop.lifetimefitness.com/Nutritional-Products/Chocolate-FastFuel-Complete-1234_2285-opt.aspx . It is EXCELLENT. It is a HUGE container and will last you a loooong time. I just use it with my mootopia and some crushed ice in a single smoothie blender (mine is a Hamilton Beach I found at Target for $15). It has a good, chocolatey flavor and reminds me of the oldschool Alba 77 shakes. Yum.

When I am in a hurry on Tuesdays and Thursdays (trainer days at the gym) I drink a pre-made Atkins shake (Milk or Dark Chocoate). I love them super, super cold and they fill me up really well. I love my gym days because my mornings are busy, busy, busy, and I have no time to think about food until at least noon. LOL.

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well! I am curious what Protein shakes you all are drinking? I haven't found any I just love. Have muscle milk light and that's not bad. I go back for my second fill on Wednesday and I can't wait. I am not doing as well as all of you and it's a little frustrating! Having a hard time getting the exercise in but am about to be on summer vacation so will have lots of time to get a routine going. Anyhow, will check back in soon. Oh and I didn't have them feeling around for the port with the needle...ouch...but the popping sound when they get it in there is a weird one. Sounds like they've popped an organ....or they're letting the air outta me LOL

sophinator, exercise was the key for me. I have been exercising since day 1, but it took a LONG time for my body's metabolism to rev up enough to finally feel the effects of it. That has a lot to do with my age (40) and my sedentary life prior to lap-band, but it also has a lot to do with my very sluggish thyroid.

Just walking 30 minutes at a decent pace (doesn't have to be brisk--just has to be enough to get your heart rate up just a little) every other day will hike up your metabolism significantly over the course of 2 months. You can do it!!

The weight is FINALLY starting to come off! I've been losing about 1-2 lbs a week consistently since a few weeks ago. I am so psyched!

Texas Mama ~ How do you like your Polar? I'm debating getting the watch (FT4, I think?). Do you use it daily? I just have to debate if I want to spend the $$$ (although, it will probably make me use it more). I have faith in you that you will hit your goals soon -- you are determined and are doing all of the right things.

I love my Polar. I have the RS300. I use it every day. I also did the VO2 test at the gym to personalize my results more.

I have been really struggling. First of all, I have finally stopped productive burping on almost everything, but that is mainly because I have figured out what I can and can't eat. It is depressing that I can't eat salad, my favorite thing. I can eat plenty of carbs though--so I have to be very careful and watch what I am doing.

I have been working my CAN off. I've paid another $1500K in personal training. I'm taking in roughly 1000-1200 calories a day. I use my Polar to figure out how many calories I burn a day. I am drinking plenty. Yet in this very thread, I posted on May 4 that I was down to 270. Well effin-A, it is May 19 and I've only lost TWO MORE POUNDS?!?! Something is not right. I do not understand this and I am so frustrated I can't see straight. My doctors office is unfortunately not much help--they are very kind, but they think I need another fill and I don't think so AT ALL. I could barely eat last month. I'm just now where I feel like I can eat and keep it down.

I just want to cry.

Just checking in! I'm feeling a little discouraged lately... I haven't lost anything since my fill two weeks ago. IT SUCKS! I've been working out 5-6 times a week for 30 mins or more a day. I'm only eating about 1200 calories, so I don't understand what is going on. I'm trying to just power thru and I'm hoping after my TOM some LBs will just fall off! It's hard not to get frustrated though! Good luck every one!

I have been where you are. Remember that your body is going to hold on to Water when you work out. I gained 5 lbs in about three days after I started hard-core working out with a trainer for an hour twice a week and walking in between. It took FOREVER for that to start coming off. It was so discouraging. It has to do with the lactic acid and how it leaves your body. It apparently needs a LOT of Water to be removed. So just keep that in mind!!

Your body will adjust and the weight will start to come off. You might want to post what you're eating and when, because that's a big problem for people too. My doc says NO snacking in between meals and absolutely nothing after 8PM except water or sugar free Jello.

Hi girls--well, as you know I have had my fair share of issues with the band--had trouble keeping food down, wasn't losing any weight in spite of working out with a trainer twice a week and going to the gym on my own on two other days. I bought a Polar RS300 Wear Link to track my heart rate and calories burned and that has helped quite a bit--I recommend it to everyone.

I have lost 3 lbs since my last post, what was that...two weeks ago? Three weeks ago? It's been a struggle but I am doing it. My caloric intake is about 1200 calories a day, with most of that from Protein. The food is finally going down easier. I went to a brand new endocrinologist who has taught me quite a bit about how my pituitary gland and adrenal glands work with my thyroid and why removing Cytomel from my meds, eating within an hour of waking and switching my synthroid to nighttime will help me. So I feel like I am on the road to losing more. I had no idea how much all of that was affecting my weight loss.

So I am down to 270--22 lbs total loss. All I can say is, it is better than where I would be WITHOUT the band, and I love what the band is doing so far. And I knew this was going to be a slow process for me, it's just hard to see people in my support group dropping 2-3 lbs a week not being even close to perfect and I am working sooo hard just to get a tiny result. I'll get there, though.

I have the slowest thyroid on the planet, but I have still managed to lose 21 lbs, never would have been able to without the Lap-Band and working out!

...and I'm down an extra 3 lbs! I am so excited, I've lost a total of 20 lbs! Yay!

Thanks everyone! My doc asked me if I could take in liquids and I said yes. He then said he thinks I must be still swollen, and I am wondering if he (and you, fluffytofabulous) isn't right on--because yesterday and today I have had NO PBs and have been able to eat real food. I think this is just going to be such a huge experiment for me, and I'm not going to be able to eat everything, but I do think if I make the right choices I will be okay. I went to Cracker Barrel today and had their Shrimp and Grits (BTW, delicious!) and I cut my shrimp up really small and chewed it well, and had no problem! I had about 4 shrimp, two spoonfuls of grits, and two bites of sliced, grilled, yellow squash. I was even able to have a small bite of cornbread! It was about 200 calories total, I am guessing from looking at calories in shrimp, accounting for the oil, grits, bacon fat LOL. Just delicious!

I am also back down to 275, so almost all my Water weight I gained is gone. Maybe I am on the right track now.

Thanks again for your support. So frustrating.

wow, 114 views and nada...

Well, I'm still miserable. I contacted my doctor's office who told me I was probably not chewing well enough OR small enough, and that's really impossible at this point. I'm not sure how I could do either any better than I have this week. If it ain't Soup, it ain't going down.

I am PBing at almost every single meal. I am hardly taking in ANY calories at all, but my scale is still stuck at actually three pounds more than it was a month ago. How can this be, you ask? I do not know. I honestly do not know. I do not "snack" because I can hardly eat to begin with! I am only trying to eat Protein and very few carbs.

I think I actually have to go in for an unfill. What do you think? Is anyone else having this problem? I just want to cry. I am so upset. I am so sick of this PBing nonsense! I feel paralyzed. I can't even go out to eat anymore.