general_antiope

I was also confused why a non lb patient was endorsing the sleeve in a lb forum. But hey it doesn't matter how we get to our goals as long as we get there, right? I recently had an unsolicited opinion of why I should get the sleeve and not rebanded from a local support group leader. This person knew nothing about my history or my doctor and was extremely rude and patronizing about my choice. She made me feel like I was ignorant, uneducated, and stupid. I will admit I had the same first reaction as ChezNoel, but after reading through the thread am equally falling on my sword. I guess I'm a little testy from well meaning people injecting their unsolicited opinion. All my life people told me how to lose weight or how to think, which I guess makes me feel like I am always wrong. Deciding on the band by myself was the first time I did something because I thought it was right. And i had huge success! Perhaps I need to work on my confidence in myself, lol. And not be so sensitive. Anyway. All thats internal and has Nothing to do with the original poster. By the way, you look just awesome! I AM very happy the sleeve works for you. And thanks for sharing your experience. If my replacement doesn't work I will be looking into permanent solutions, and the sleeve is at the top of the list. I never stop learning about myself.

Protein will help you feel full longer but when you have the right fill the hunger is eliminated. For me hunger would also get huge during pms but subside afterwards talk to your doc.

Patience is hard, but trust in the band. The all or nothing attitude is just a symptom of food addiction and it will melt away. Follow your guidelines, listen to the band, and you'll wake up one day realizing you lost 100 lbs. The funny thing is, when I lost 90 in 8 months from my first banding, it didn't seem as amazing as I thought it would feel. I mean, it felt right. Like I was finally where I needed to be, and was feeling happy for the first time in my life. Happy and content. Full. Eating for me was more than physical hunger - the band helped me heal emotionally too. I know this is especially true - I have a broken unfilled band and I'm an eating machine. I can't stick to a regimen. I am emotional. I'm ruled by hunger. I can't wait for my surgery.

What is Bandster hell? Ive been banded before but am getting a replacement. I had the 4cc band and now I'm going to the 10 cc. I always needed fills....is it possible to feel restriction with no fill??

Hi there. Your band is probably empty so soon after surgery. The docs want you to heal before adding restriction. An empty band is pretty much like not being banded ... It doesn't curb hunger or portions. Once you start getting fills you will feel a huge difference.

It's so great to have the support of your family! I know what you mean with your questions...lots of people have a relationship with food that is very, very difficult to overcome with willpower alone, and frankly I think may be impossible to permanently change. When you get the magic fill, your entire world changes. It is like nothing I've ever felt before. (and two of my friends who got banded agree) The biggest change I am looking forward to again is to NOT think about food. When i'm filled right, I actually talk more at meals, have more interest in the world, not just fantasizing about stromboli or pizza for dinner. You don't realize how big your world gets when you get smaller

I want to join!! I'm approved for Feb 4 - I'm getting rebanded. I had rare and annoying mechanical malfunctions over the past 8 years with my old band. I was VERY successful The first time around and I definitely want to get on this ride again! I gained most but not all of my weight back this past year when the band disconnected (!) while I was pregnant. I lost 100 lbs when it was working and LOVED my life! It was exciting and scary and everything you guys are experiencing ... And once I had the magic fill my life changed. Looking forward to being a newbie again.

I love this topic. I'm fat for many reasons listed by others above. My mother has been undiagnosed bi polar all my life and has anxiety which I think I have inherited...not the diseased but certainly I've had serious anxiety crop up that I handle on my own My mother grew up deprived with no food and as a result she rarely cooked and we always ordered out. pizza, cheesesteaks, or horribly non nutritious food to cook. My mother has been overly critical of me and my weight/appearance since I was five. I'm never good enough as I am. My mother went through decades of therapy and realized she would feed me to shut me up, or occupy me, as I was an active child. The family scapegoat, the extrovert. Food was taught to me as a hobby. Molestation as a child Abandonment issues - birth father, step father Childhood abuse Food is my boyfriend, according to my therapist. Pizza Hut never lets me down. It's always the same joy. The taste is emotional for me, food fills an emotional need for me to feel secure, safe, loved, all of which you can see from the bullet points above. I can diet, I can plan, I can exercise. I can't stay with it, because food is my mother, father, best friend, etc. When I'm banded, and the band is filled properly, the mental chatter disappears. I cried the first time I realized it was 4pm and I'd FORGOTTEN to eat all day. I never felt freer in my entire life than when I was banded and filled properly. I could make good decisions FOR ME, I could love ME, I could make myself safe and secure all because my hunger trigger (also probably my trigger for love, security etc) was silenced. I had no screaming hole to fill. I simply had vague hunger and the need to nourish myself.

P.S. I don't know about you, but the biggest fear I have for my baby other than the usual things is that I don't want her to get fat. I don't want to pass on my food issues to my little girl. I figure if I can get it under control, she will always have healthy food and healthy body image modeled for her. I never want her to feel like I have felt about my body and me as a person in the past. I have to conquer this, finish my journey. And for me waiting to have baby #2 (did I mention I'm 37 and feeling the clock tick) is torture. I want to get it over with and am still flirting with the idea of getting pregnant in 2013, but not until my body is back under control.

I just had a baby...I'm 37. I was banded in 2004 and lost 100 lbs, maintained an 80 lb weight loss all these years despite my band having broken/malfunctioned 3 times. If I had a baby when I was a few months into my band, I don't think I would have had the success I did. But my band broke during the pregnancy and I ballooned up, and having the extra weight on me caused a lot of problems. Because my band broke, I had gained a total of 70 lbs in the pregnancy. Mentally I was devastated. It took a while for me to not feel like a 300 lb woman when I was at 190. Then to have the scale going up and up and up ... I felt trapped in fat again,and it affected everything in my life, including caring for this baby. I didn't have the stamina for her demands, I just got over being very sick because I was drained. My back would constantly spasm and I couldn't even pick her up or carry her when home alone. All because of extra weight. I just really want to impart on you how non-romantic the first few months are. It literally sucks. I was bawling my eyes out thinking I made a huge mistake having a baby and feeling trapped, hormonal, etc. It took a massive physical toll on me. I made it through, and now I'm going to get my body back. I want another baby (can you believe it after all the crap I just said?) but I won't until I've lost weight again and stabilized. I can't go through that all again!!! That being said, the baby is soooooo worth it LOVE my little girl.

Also wanted to state that I'd love to meet up with local folks but a buddy anywhere is welcome!

Hi all, I live in Delco. I've been banded since 2004, but I'm having rare and weird (and frustrating) malfunctions with my band. First the port leaked. Got it fixed. Then my tube had a crack in it. Got it replaced. Now my entire tubing came undone during my pregnancy and my doc is replacing my old model band with a new one on Feb 4. I'm looking for a buddy. I've been there, done that, lost 100 lbs, loved my life, and worked hard to maintain an 80 lb loss while my band was unstable. With this last break, I gained weight (with pregnancy) and am ready to start over again. At least I am not starting from the beginning - Instead of 130 lbs to lose I have 70-80, so that's something.

Anyone around? My band has failed for the third time - this time when I was 4 months pregnant! I gained a lot of weight back and an trying to stay positive. Just met with Dr Ren now that I am 2 months post partum with a gorgeous baby girl and I'm getting a new lap band in January! A local hospital will let me join their monthly support group but my surgery and fills are still NYU. I decided this time around I'm getting all the way down. Especially now, when I have a brand new life to shepherd. I decided I won't let my daughter suffer the same bad relationship with food that I did - so she is getting a mother who is healthy and fit and start her off right.

Congrats on the good news. I like how non judgmental my surgeon is, too. She is the first medical professional who understands weight issues for some of us are genetic and psychological, not just a willpower thing. In her info session she compared obesity to alcoholism - some people had no problem controlling alcohol intake and others had a genetic predisposition for addiction, and that for obese folks the hunger factor is what sets them off in seemingly self destructive behavior. Problem is, it's still fashionable to call obese people lazy and publicly ridicule them. I understand that guilt feeling abs not waning to show your face. But also I sided where you might be without the band? 50 lbs heavier than your start weight??? You're doing a great job. 50 lbs is no small amount, I don't care how heavy you are! The docs are there to make sure you're at the magic fill. The support groups help you get out of your head. Make sure you are physically hanging out with banded people too!

And gas x is a chewable, is it not? Chew slowly and thoroughly!

I've had a port leak then a tube leak, both repaired. It's very fast. My tube has now disconnected and in scheduled for a replacement in January. It's very rare ... I don't know if it's just defective hardware, how I move, how it was placed in me ... But I have the old style band (4cc) and will be getting the newer 10 cc model. Good luck - its no big deal!

I didn't lose my first time around until my magic fill 4 months after surgery. I played around with the same 5 lbs until the incremental increases hit the sweet spot. Then I dropped 80 lbs like lightning. Make sure you have a realistic expectation from the band. I have known many people who fail because their expectations include not respecting the work they still have to do...it's a marathon not a race.

Friend me! Kateland Alex, the one thing I don't like about MFP is that there's no goal setting for pregnancy, breast feeding, or lap band lifestyles. The lap band preset should focus on protein and fat levels of course. Also itd be nice to work in actually of fruits, veggies, MUFA, etc alongside of calories and fat. I track my food even if I'm not exercising and i can eat a ton of lean pockets and be within goal but have no healthy foods. Finally, I don't see a way to also track distance when entering cardio. I want to train for marathons and I'd love a way to set weekly distance goals.

I think people are confusing the word "tight" with pain. The band doesn't hurt, but if you're tight, trying to eat or drink a typical band meal is uncomfortable because it takes longer to pass and you have to take very small bites and wait around.

Thanks all. Lapbandster - yes I took the leaks as an opportunity to keep eating well. I still gained weight, but yo-yoed with the same 20-30 lbs. At least it wasn't worse...but for me, hunger is my trigger for both portion problems and poor decisions. No hunger, smart decisions! And has anyone else noticed the "food chatter" in your brain stops once you get to the magic fill? I miss forgetting about food!

Hi all, I was banded in 2004 with the 4cc "older" version. I lost 100 lbs and then had two leaks (one port, one tube) over the years that has caused yoyo weight loss/gain. I had them corrected through surgery. Well I got pregnant last year and in month 4 my band failed for the third time. Completely drained again. I gained a lot more weight with my pregnancy than I wanted - pregnancy hunger is no freaking joke, and with zero restriction I shudder to know how many calories I ate. Long story short, I met with my surgeon again and we're rebanding me with a newer model (I think the Realize band) in January. I haven't read about too many other people with leak issues so I guess I get the prize for "being the exception." Is there anyone out there with band malfunction? I was following the program, my surgeon doesn't know why I kept having issues either. Unless it's a placement issue or just bad hardware. It happens, I guess. Anyway, I'm starting all over in 2013. This time I have 70 lbs to lose instead of 150, so at least I don't feel like I'm back at square 1!

Hi all, I'm looking for support. My lap band has sprung a leak for a third time, three surgeries later, and this time, I'm pregnant. I've gained 12 lbs in the past month since the band emptied, and all my food issues are coming back, compounded by hormones/hunger. I'm determined to get through the pregnancy without blowing up. I've maintained an 80 - 100 lb loss for 6+ years despite my band breaking within the first year. I've already located a local doctor to replace my band once the baby and breastfeeding are done, but in the meantime, I'm white-knuckling being without my training wheels. Is anyone else going through this or something similar? Thanks Kate

i everyone! I was banded in 11/2005 and my band began leaking about a year later. I lost 100 lbs and halted. I maintained through very expensive $100/month fills for as long as I could, then gained 40 lbs, then lost 20, then was able to get the port fixed plus extensive skin removal surgery in Dec 2009. I'm healed from that, but last week went in for a fill and found my old band is leaking. Through some miracle, my new insurance is covering it and I am being REBANDED in 30 days, and I am beside myself with joy. I'm holding around 200 - 205 now, I'm 5'7, and look strangely good for still being 50 lbs overweight. There have been some major ups and downs but I have learned something....Hunger is my trigger. And for me, and I suspect a lot of people like me, that trigger needs to be completely decommissioned in order to have any sane/healthy relationship with food. I absolutely love my surgeon, Dr. Christine Ren at NYU, who believes in me and is a real champion of not only beating obesity, but learning how to trust yourself, and what works for you. She's even rebanding me on a Saturday to accommodate my two hour drive from Philly. I can't believe this isn't the end of my story - although I am in size 12 pants and XL top (and 13 lbs of skin lighter), I am humbled and thrilled that I get to finish this journey. I've had friends get banded and pass me. I maintained for a year with a new port, and now that my band has quit, I gained 5 lbs. but I'm keeping it at bay and going on a pre-op regimen. I can't even remember what it's like to live with a tight fill. In my secret life, I've been trying to get to 150 since I started this journey. People have said to me, "Oh I would kill to be 200 lbs" or "you look fine the way you are" but I'm simply not satisfied being a "more normal pudgy" versus a super morbid obese. I don't accept being a 200 lb woman and I'm frankly sick of other people telling me what I should and shouldn't be. I will decide for myself. Happy at 200 lbs...but man, I can't wait to post the150 lb picture.

Hi everyone! Been a while since an update. I finally feel like myself and have been trying to catch up on cleaning, cooking, keeping myself and the doggie on a schedule while I'm unemployed. It's hard being disciplined by yourself. For me anyway. My band is filled at 3.0 our of 4.0. It's not enough to stop hunger but it's very close to a magic fill. i LOVE that it isn't draining. Definitely was a leaking port. I think next week I will go get a tighter fill and start dropping weight, now that my strength is back. I walk Nike every day and even have jogged a little. No more afternoon naps. I'm fully back. All in all I've gained 2 lbs since surgery. This is actually a miracle since I've been at home, alone, with lots of food. And I'm a closet eater. Which is why I've been trying to get a job so bad - the economy is terrible. I'm just about out of money. So, sorry for the lack of updates :eek: Body-wise I am coming back to reality. I have narrow hips. This is news to me. Shopping for jeans had been a little depressing because my hips are now only one inch wider than my waist. I might need to try men's sizes. Either it's floppy in the butt or the waist is way too tight. However, dress pants (Alfani brand, specifically) fit like a dream. I've started losing SOME of the Fluid around my spare tire. My butt looks a little better than the square flat thing it's been. I still have this pouch of jello-like fluid on my superpubis but with the right pants I can hide it. But that can take up to 6 months. Also, I'm so sedentary and home-bound that I'm sure I'm just retaining fluid on general principle. Need a job!!! The scars have all healed and closed. I do get restless leg syndrome nightly. I suspect it's partly due to boredom, not having a job, etc. It doesn't last long, and the intensity is fading as time goes on. All in all, I'm doing all right. I have a phone screen on Monday, and hopefully within a few weeks I'll be gainfully employed again. I am definitely struggling right now with being isolated and not busy...I'm someone who always has 20 projects going on. I know that my cheerfulness will improve when I feel in control of my world again! Hope you're all well :mad2:

Mimi!!! How did surgery go? I don't see a post anywhere about it...would love to know how it all went. Congrats on getting through it!! My right armpit is healed, left is 95% of the way there. The stitches are still raised so lifting my arm up and down aggravates some of the skin mildly, but the hole is mostly closed.