Somedayslim:)

I don't think a 61 pound loss is a failure. We all lose at different rates, sometimes it takes years to get to your goal. It also depends on where you start at. You were not in my opionion that big to begin with. Some people have a goal of 175! Be proud of the weight loss you have achieved, get a more supportive Doctor, and keep your chin up. You have it within yourself with the help of the band to reach your goal. Don't let this jerk discourage you!

Wow ~ now that sounds like fun!

I had no restriction about 2 weeks after my 2nd fill in October which coincides with the trip to the amusement park. Up until then I thought I was at my sweet spot. Made an appointment to get a fill the first part of November and when my doctor gave the fill he tried to withdrawal fluid from the band and there wasn’t any. So he put 4cc in and was only able to withdrawal 2ccs, repeated the same thing over again with the same results so we knew I had a leak that was leaking at least 2ccs in a matter of 60 seconds or so. I have had no restriction since mid October! He repaired the connection between tube and port Tuesday 1-12. Needless to say I don’t want to have this happen again. The Doctor said that it wasn’t anything that I did that made it happen but he doesn’t know about the amusement rides either. Guess I will ask when I go in 2 weeks.

Hi all, I went to an amusement park in October and rode a rollercoaster and a zero gravity ride that shot you up 10 stories and then let you fall until you reached the very bottom then zoomed you back up again until the only thing holding you in your seat was the shoulder harness, believe me you were not even touching the seat as you reached the top only to fall back down 10 stories again. OK great fun, really enjoyed being able to sit in the seat and ride the rides with my husband and kids. What I am wondering is if that is why the tubing disconnected from the port on my band. When I went to the doctor for my 3rd fill in November I found out I had a major leak. Had it repaired two days ago and hopefully will be back on track!! Has anyone else noticed any problems after riding amusement rides or are there warnings out there not to? Is it just a coincidence that my port and tube became disconnected? I didn’t put the two together until after surgery when we found out for sure where the leak was coming from. My husband said I wonder if it was the rollercoaster because the bar hit right where my port is located and the ride really threw you around. Anyone have any ideas??

yes yes yes to all of the above!! Having said that the deciding factor for me is and was health! I started feeling pain in my feet, ankles and knees that was weight related and being in my early 40's couldn't see living the rest of my life in pain. So I had to lose the weight and KEEP IT OFF.Lapband was the answer!

I stayed overnight, I am selfpay and am having surgery to fix the port or replace the band this Tuesday in an outpatient surgery center so for my 2nd surgery I will be going home. I live 1 hour away so I hope I dont get car sick going home, that is my main concern. I think going home if there are not any complications shouldn't be an issue. When I dont feel good I always want to be home in my own bed and comfy pjs

Hi I got a wii for myself for Christmas and got the Jenny McCarthy program. Have to say it is cool! You set the camera up and see yourself workout. It prompts you when you are not doing the excersize correctly and you do get your heart rate up. There are over 450 different exercises and you can decide what part of your body you want to target each day. I think it was a great investment and cheaper then a one year membership to the gym. Good Luck!!!

Not all Doctors are GOOD Doctors. Sometimes we have to find that out the hard way. It sucks to have to change Doctors but in this case for the sake of your health find a new Doctor. Good luck to you!

IF I had it to do over again I probably would have tried harder to get a Dr here in the states to do it. Once you start having complications you realize that it might have been worth an extra 1000 or 2000 to get it done in the states. I am self pay and found out after being banded in Mexico by Dr Ceron and Dr Perez that I could have gotten a band for 8500 here by a well known and experienced surgeon. Good Luck! There are plenty of people who are very happy with there mexico experience and had great long term results. I have just found that if you are that strapped for money and everything doesn't go perfectly you may end up with a useless band or serious medical bills here in the states. Not that things don't go wrong here but at least you can go back to your Dr and have them do something about it. The response I got when I told the Dr. in Mexico about my complications was that they were sorry but they weren't going to do anything about it. Beware if there record seems to good to be true.... Hope this helps.

Soooooooo sorry that you went through all this and now need to have it removed, my heart goes out to you! Keep your chin up! Good for you that you met your goal and are now under 200!

So you burped yourself?? God love you! That is the first time in a long time that I laughed out loud!! Thanks for sharing!

I had my surgery in Mexico and really haven't got much support from that DR. ( Dr.Perez and Dr.Ceron, Cancun Mexico) after I told him what had happened. The surgeon I am seeing here in the states said that if it is defective that we will go back to the manufacturer for a refund. I have heard that there are several people with port leaks that had surgery from May through July of this year. It has already been suggested that the ports used during that time may be defective on another thread. Of course I won't know anything for sure unless I go ahead and have the surgery. Just don't know yet what I should do. I imagine once I start gaining all the weight back that I won't be able to have the repair fast enough!

Thank you kiz, it is going to cost 4200 For a port revision, 5200 For a port replacement and 8500 if the band needs to be replaced. My husband has offered to dip into his 401k to pay for it but I don't know if that's fair to him. It means so much that he is willing to help though. I still don't know what I am going to do. At this point I have no restriction at all but I am not eating like I did pre-band at least not yet.

I am self pay and have been very happy with my band and weight loss up until two days ago when I went for my 3rd fill and found out I am leaking about 2cc in 30 seconds or so . My surgeon said it might be the port, the tubing or the band so I am looking at some major bucks to get the leak fixed. I really dont think the leak is from the fills because they have gone off like clockwork, no extra poking and no problems finding the port. I am going to have to take out a loan to get it fixed which is very depressing but I really can't picture life without the band. I have been researching the sleeve but just feel kind of scared of that kind of surgery so...I am probably going to bite the bullet and get my leak fixed. With the band I have lost 50 pounds and feel so much better physically! Really for the first time I have felt in control of my eating. I can turn away from a plate full of food and not secretly wish I could continue eating. The band is different for everyone but overall even with the leak I would still probably have had the lap band surgery done. I think it is really hard to put a price tag on your health and well being. Good luck, don't want to discourage you by any means, most banders don't have complications, at least not early on.

Thanks so much for the encouragement Barb Debby and On the way to thin, I was really feeling down when I got home after the bad news. I am feeling a little better today... SFC mom did you get your port replaced? How are you doing now? Kat i lost total restriction about three weeks ago and just thought I needed another fill. Hopefully you are not leaking too. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow and let us know what happens. Susan

i just got back from the Doctor and I have a leak... I was going for my 3rd fill, and my Doctor told me my band did not have anything in it!! It should have had 2.3cc. He filled it completely and extracted all Fluid completely a couple of times - each time with 2cc less per extraction. They are going to see if my insurance will cover the repair of the port or tube or a new band but it is not likely, I have personal care HMO. They said they would call me with the difference in a couple of days if I have to pay myself. Not knowing what is leaking, the fact that it is leaking and not knowing if I am going to have to go through this again is beyond upsetting. I cried all the way home 1and1/2 hours! I feel like such and idiot to have paid all that money and gone through all that and I am just going to end up fat in the end.!@#$%@#$ I was banded 7-3-09 in Mexico- self pay...

Surgery is a personal choice but speaking from my own experience I would have lap band surgery again. I have lost 50 pounds since July and feel much better. Being overweight is depressing! Lap band surgery may be the help that you need! It isn't all roses, and you do need to find something other then food to fill your life. Lap band for me gives me the control to turn away from food. I wasn't able to do that before. Good luck!

I feel for you!! I went through exactly the same thing the 1st two weeks after being banded. Keep your chin up. It does get better and you do start to change. I have lost 51 pounds in 4 months and love the difference it has made in my life! You can get through this episode, just try to stay focused, it will help if you can find something to do instead of eating. Give yourself permission to relax and find joy, you don't have to have a plate in front of you and food in your mouth to receive comfort. I know my biggest hurdle has really been my head not my stomach.

I exercise everyday since my surgery - walking or swimming and will start lifting weights Friday at the 6 week post-op date. My doctor didn't want me lifting before then. I can feel and see a difference already. I just hope I can keep it up. Reading your success stories is really inspirational. I went from a depressed couch potato to someone who feels like they have a new lease on life!

I do track everything I eat daily. Nothing fancy just a notebook on the counter, turn the page everyday and start with my morning coffee. I pretty much know the calories of most foods from the many diets I have already been on or will look it up if I don't know. It is amazing how fast calories add up! I have looked up Fitday and think it would be useful I just don't get on my computer at home everday and the notebook is right there. I sometimes track protein just to make sure I am staying on track. This has also helped me to think a little more rationally about food. I was always an all or nothing type of person and would often eat less then was healthy on my diets. Keeping track on paper helps me to realize I can lose weight and still eat healthy - not restrict my diet to the point I am light headed and losing hair. I have actually done that in desperation before. The band is a long term affair. We don't have to lose weight overnight. Right now I am averaging 2 pounds a week, if I can stay anywhere close to that I will be very happy!

123 you are probably fine! My Doctor is probably just over cautious, he had told me to hold off lifting more then 10 pounds until 6 weeks after surgery. When you have little ones running around that is really hard to do! Hang in there you are doing great!

It is wonderful to start fitting into clothes that you haven't been able to wear and retire some of the fat clothes!! I have had people at work start to comment on my weight loss and they don't know about the surgery - nice to know that it is starting to show:laugh:.

Ocotillo I love how you put that- "head hunger" - it is exactly what I am going through and I am sure many of us are. Not needing the extra food and not eating the extra food is a learning curve for us all. Looks like you are doing fine with your weight loss! Keep up the good work.

Hello everyone! It is great to read your stories! I am 4 weeks out from surgery and weight loss has slowed down to a couple pounds a week. I have started exercising at the YMCA and I hope that will help. I feel guilty about eating more then 2oz of food at a time. I can easily eat 1/2 to a whole cup in one sitting. I am trying to get over feeling bad about it and realize that I am still eating a lot less then before I had the band. I still worry about screwing it up and I have picked up my grandson without thinking. I will be glad when I don't have any weight restrictions! Overall I feel pretty good. Still get a little more tired then I used to but am back to pretty much normal life. I do see that I ate out of boredom and am trying to drink water and stay busy instead of eating.That is a tuff one. Especially at work. I have a desk job in a food factory with a bunch of wonderful people who like to bring food in. I go home for lunch to avoid temptation:rolleyes2:. I have lost 18 pounds since my surgery date and 38 pounds altogether. Wishing all of you continued success with your band! Susan

I hope you will be ok, I threw up a few days after being banded and it is very scary. I also threw up spit. My band did not slip thank goodness but I know that is all that is going through your mind right now. Try to relax and think positive. Drink some warm liquid to relax your stoma. Good luck, I will say a prayer for you. Please let us know how you are tomorrow. Susan