steveelea

Hey there I havent been back to the forum for a while but I just feel so down at the moment and needed to vent. I was banded in November 09, had 3 follow up sugeries for new ports over the first year and lost 35kg but am at a stand still almost 3 years on. I was hoping to be under 100kg by my 40th birthday which wasnt an unreasonable goal at all and I am way off. I feel like I have failed the lap band and just feeling really down about things and needed to vent. I know I need to go back to the surgeons office but honestly I am just fed up with the entire thing,,,,,,,i feel like I lived there for 2 years the amount of fills and adjustments I had to get not to mention the muck up with the ports and the in and out of hospital. In the morning and at lunch time I struggle to eat but by night time I can eat what I want. Depending on my cycle depends on if my band feels too tight or not tight enough and it varies from day to day......some days I can eat hardly anything and others I could eat a house!!!!! Is it just me or does the band not work for everyone????? How do I get back on track???? I still have at least 50kg to lose HELP!!!!

Too true Rachel....it is so nice to be able to still eat a nice variaty of foods and not have to stress about things getting stuck so much....then I know if its too tight we tend to go for the easy option of junk that slides down and then you have the weight gain.....like someone said on the video on the sight you suggested "If only they could come up with a band for the brain" ....hey then I would be set

Glad to hear that all is working well for you now Brendan...I know that I have to have only liquids on the day of the fil and soft foods the next day or 2 then start eating slowly I have been told that I am only aloud to eat bite sizes the size of a 5cent piece (I am in Australia so probably doesn't help you when I say that) but its not a lot bigger than a pea....maybe 2 peas size per bite, chew chew chew then put my cutlery down in between each bite so as I don't scoff it in....I still find this so difficult and its harder when I am really hungry, but it does help me to feel fuller if i eat slowly. Thanks for the info Rachel, as I said I am supposed to take teeny bites and chew well so I probably consume about 2 cups of food which is what our surgeon says is the right size that we should be eating. I still find at night though I am always looking for more food....not sure if its that I am hungry or its a bad habbit as I have trouble walking away from food especialy when there is leftovers and I have enjoyed it so much! Dinner is my favorite meal of the day! I am going to my surgeon and dietition next week and am not sure if I should ask for another fill or not....they generally go by weight loss but I have been working out at the gym pretty hard and also have been sick with the flu for a couple of weeks so lost a few kilos just with that.....i certainly dont want to be overfilled but I am just not sure what to do HOw come so many on this forum say that they just cant overeat???? What is with that???? I have known people that can eat a meal like half a cup of food and be totally full on that till there next meal????? I dont think I will ever know that feeling. I have a 14cc band and have 11.25cc in it so I dont know if thats normal either or if its a lot of fill. So many questions LOL

l32' timestamp='1309712761' post='1634570'] Rachel-you are absolutely right! I had a really BAD weekend too. I ate the Ultimate Feast at Red Lobster (yes the bisquits too)! I mean seriously! How depressing is that??!! When I was first filled I feltthat sensation and knew I could only eat a small amount of food and was happy with the small portion, but times have changed in just a week or so!! I had a taste of what the band can do - I do need a fill to bring back that feeling of having enough with a smaller portion. It is a downer to think you underwent surgery have 6 incisions on your belly and can still eat an entire mea! WTH?! Not a good weekend, BUt I am trying to regroup and think through what I could have done differently and how to handle potential roadblocks in the future. NJGirl I too was like you and after about a week after each fill I too could go on to eat massive portion sizes....I have just read the link that Rachel had added to her signature and wow it helped me a lot thank you so much Rachel....I have been banded since November and have had several re operations due to faulty ports and am determined to make this work for me even after all of my setbacks and reading that link that Rachel has just made it all click into place for me. The only thing that I dont understand about it is that it says you should stop when you get that gentle nudge or feeling, which i get, but my surgeon and dietition say that I should eat tiny bites for a full 20 mins then stop or I am less likely to have satiety between meals...anyone have any ideas on this??

Thanks so much HIghland

Thanks Dave and dk4k....it sure has been a challenge but well worth it......there is no way i could do this without the assistance of my band ....I say assistance becuase I still have to work very hard to try to keep on track and eat the right foods and stop when i am satisfied.

Thanks so much Cindy

What a shame i dont have an i phone I would love this I recently found that my wii fit has been tracking my weight loss and could have also tracked my inches/cm lost too if i had been inputting them.....I must ask my surgeon if he took all those details when i was first banded as I know that he has a graph with my weight loss that he shows me when i go in. They need one online that everyone can use....cool idea though with the app for the iphone

Thanks so much Karen

Hi everyone....I know that I havent reached my total goal yet, i have so much to lose that I havent set myself a total goal yet just a series of mini goals, but this one is significant to me.....I was banded in November 09 and have had a total of 4 new ports in the first year of the band so needless to say I have had a lot of setbacks......but I have still been trying really hard the entire time even though its needed a LOT of will power for the times when i go back in for a re op and start again almost from scratch with my fills!!!!! For anyone who says that this is the easy option, tell them to talk to me and I will let them know how hard it can really be!!!! Anyway I started at 150 kg (pre band) and have set a lot of mini goals for myself and I am so proud that when i hopped on the scales today I weighed in at 108.5kg.....under 110 I can't believe it!!!! Over 40kg in total lost now and I am so so plesed.....I am now full steam ahead on getting into double figures (under 100kg) I havent weighed under 110 in over 15 years or more and havent been able to fit into a size 20 jeans since bfore i had children almost 18 years ago I LOVE MY BAND!!!!! Thaks for listening

Thanks for that info....yeah i was told no physical restrictions also normally...... but maybe i will just take it easy with the stomach strengthening and not do that, and keep up the cardio and light arm leg weights for now

Just a quick overview.....I had 4 port replacements last year due to faulty ports, leaking flipping and slow leaks etc....(how lucky am I LOL) I have only had my lap band since November 09 and I am just now at a good fill level for the first time ever, due to many interuptions with the ports as when they replace them you pretty much have to start all over again. Needless to say its been a long and at times painfull process...but I can add well worth it being 36.5 kilos down to date.....still more to go but hey im on my way Anyway I have been out from my last surgery almost 6 months and I have just started at the gym and seem to be going well but......when it comes to any strength workout with my stomach involved, the pain it gives up near my port makes me feel physically sick! I am just on cardio for a week to give my tummy a break but I am sooooo scared that I have or will do something to my port. I am petrafied that I will flip it or damage it in some way. How likely is something like this?? My nurse said to me that its probably just all the scar tissue surrounding it that is hurting but to be on the safe side I should take it easy as I don't seem to be the "usual case type" LOL Anyone had similar feelings when they excersize or had any good bad experiences that they want to share??? Any info and advice that people can give me is welcome

momdukes56, I know what your saying about your weight loss stabalising....I have lost 35 kilos (about 70 pounds???) since my banding in November 2009 and I am quite a high fill level (11.25cc in a 14cc band). I have come to a standstill and my dr sent me to my dietition, and she said to me once your body loses a certain amount of weight it gets comfortable and likes to stay there....she said when that happens its time to make some changes in diet and excersize to start to kick the weight loss off again. My problem with my band is that I cant eat anything till lunch time as its too tight in the am, but by night time I am starving. She told me to eat tiny mouthfulls and take 20 mins to eat my meal and I will notice a difference. I tried that for the past 2 days and noticed a massive difference in that I felt really full! Amazing to me as I don't normally feel that at night. She also said that sometimes when we feel hungry we are really thirsty, that our bodies can mimick the same feelings for hunger eg: mouth increasing with saliva and feeling hungry in the tummy so when you feel that make sure you have a drink of Water to see if that helps. ( I couldnt believe that it worked for me as I was sure that couldn't be right and that I was really hungry) Also she reminded me not to drink for 15 mins after a meal and to have a drink of water 10 mins before my meal to help with hydration. I know those things are back to basics, but it really did help me.....hope this helps

WELL DONE!!!!!!! What a fantastic job you have done you should be very proud!!!! LOL dk4k I know what you mean.....although now I just go to the shops and find some new clothes to fit into to make myself feel even better!!!!

Thats great news MarcyLoo......do you find that you can eat less for a while after a fill?? Just curious as that is what happens to me but not sure if it happens to others too. Every day is different with me too like yesterday I was hungry and today I can eat hardly anything (although today I am a little stressed so maybe that is affecting me too??)

Oh I feel for you......I have a 14cc band with 11.5cc fill in it and I cant eat break or rice but can eat almost everything else.......you know the best advice which I am sure you have heard before is to take 20 mins to eat your meal then stop (apparetly it takes that long for our brain to realise that we are full) and to take tiny bite sizes. You know I got a plate just after I had my surgery, and on it it has a spot in the middle with a circle that says take bites this size and the circle is about the size of 2 peas (maybe a little less). I find it very had to take bites that small but when I do the fullness lasts. Also dont drink for about 20 mins after a meal as it will wash it through the band and stop you feeling full. I have a big drink before a meal, then no fluids again till about 20 mins after I have eaten and if I do all those things I have just said I last till my next meal. You probably already know these things and somedays work better than others for me for some reason. Good luck

I dont know if this helps you but I get this way sometimes that I feel completely satified and then other days (when I have my period usually) i can eat all day just snack all the time. I too am on 2 weekly visits until they get me to my sweet spot and it is just right..... Maybe you could put your visit off for a couple more weeks and see how you go....if your appetite increases then you prob need another fill but if it stays good then you might not. Its so hard to know what to do isnt it......I have heard (like one of the other posters said) that it can take 2 weeks for the fill to kick in but i have never had that. I am tighter for the first few days to a week after my fill then it gets easier to eat after the swelling goes down ( I must swell easily)

Hey missjoany...No news is good news so they say You have done so well already to have lost so much.....itsn't it fantastic when you can see it in your clothing....thats so exciting for you It's almost Summer here is Australia, and I went to put on some pants from Summer 09 and I looked like I was on one of those diet adds where they show you by wearing their old clothes what they have lost....I could fit an extra 2 arm widths around the waist and they didnt stay up...I almost passed out from excitement LOL I still have a long way to go, about another 50kg but I am getting there and I am just over 1/3 of the way there so getting closer every day to half way. It sure is no quick fix like some people say, the people that have no idea what we go through, but its for the long term. On my pre testing for the lap band I was diagnosed with Diabeties type 2. I knew it was comming as my mum has it. Just by losing my first 15 to 20kg it is now gone and my blood sugar levels are completely normal. Even with all the setbacks I have been through since having my band, I would do it all again in a heatbeat. Its the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am humbled to think that you think of me as an inspiration.....speechless which is almost unheard of for me LOL:laugh: I am so pleased that you are going so well..... keep it up and just think by your Summer time you will be so much lighter and able to enjoy life so much more and do so much more. Keep in touch and let me know your results.

Oh I am so sorry to hear that you are still in pain missjoany:frown: Did they check your lap band or port, or both with the ct scan???? Maybe you just have a lot of swelling and its taking some time to settle down???? I know with my op's, I have swallen so badly I can't sleep in bed for ages afterwards. I have to sleep reclined on a lounge chair as I can't lay flat for a long time. What did they say after your CT scan???? I am still loving my band even though I have had some setbacks....I am so excited to have lost now 29.5kg in 1 year (still have to update my ticker LOL) I know its all scarry at the start (even during sometimes like for me) but you know once you start losing and see results you will remember its all worth every bit of it :thumbup:

Hi All Just a question....I have just been in for my 4th Port replacement in a year, (I was banded on the 9th of November 09) so as I am sure you can understand I am just a little stressed about making sure that my new port stays in perfect condition . All the replacements have been for different reasons, and I have just been extremely unlucky...BUT I went into my specialist for a fill yesterday and as I am only 4 weeks post op (from my port replacement) I am still too swallen for them to find the port on ultrasound and do a fill for me. Needless to say they do not want to risk any further complications with my port so they have sent me off for a fill under fluoroscopy. I have had 1 fill under fluroscopy before but my question is........as I am still swallen is there any risk of it being difficult to fill under fluoroscopy or any risk of damage to the port....should I wait until my internal swelling goes down or is it safe to get it done now???? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated :crying:

Just wanted to find out how many others have had port replacement surgery/surgeries out there. I was banded in November 09 (almost a year now) and have since had 2 port replacements, one for leakage and one because it flipped. I had been having reasonable success with my newest port only to go for a fill today to find that I have yet ANOTHER possible leak. If I need to get this one replaced that will mean that I have had 4 ports in a year! (counting my origional one) Has this happened to anyone else like this or am I the only one???? I am seariously wondering if I can go through another surgery again. I am being double checked on Monday am, but I had a check of the total done 4 weeks ago and I had 8cc in my band, since have had 3 further fills and today I had only 5cc in my band. My surgeon said to be optimistic but I ask you, where could the other 3cc's plus the further 1.5cc in fills I had had since a few weeks ago have gone if it didn't leak out???? Stressed, Sad and Tired :thumbup:

I know what you mean about chicken, but, I find that I can eat chicken thigh but NOT breast! The breast can be stringy and the grain runs long (think thats how you describe it?) but the thigh is a more tender part. I still have to cut it up really small and I know its not as lean as breast, but give the thigh fillets (skinless) a try. Works for me

Sorry to hear that you haven't lost as much as your sister l0ser2010, but you know I bet there will be times that you lose more than her. It just goes to show that 2 people doing the same thing can have such different results! I remember I used to get so disheartened when I went to weight watchers with my mum and my friend, and we all did the same thing and ate the same thing throughout the week, and I gained 1kg and they lost 1kg....NOT FAIR :thumbup: but, with the band I think almost everone will lose weight, some faster than others but try to stay positive, at least you have still lost which is the best news...well done I get down because I have only lost 24 kilos in 9 months, but then I look at it that at least I have lost and not gained even if it is slower, and I am still 24 kg lighter than I was this time last year so yay me, and no sign on diabete's in my system anymore at all :tongue2: It's taking me longer too but I am getting there slowly, and I know that it will stay off. It didnt go on overnight and it wont come off overnight....but it WILL come off! Keep up the great work!!!! :thumbup: