NoMoBand

Excellent points 728newlife, especially, "I really believe that therapy is a necessity with any bariatric surgery. I would tell every single person that decides to do this to talk to someone before the surgery happens to make sure they are strong enough to deal with the changes and figure out why they got to 200 or 300 lbs in the first place." Bariatric doctors should make this mandatory before any weight loss surgery, in my opinion.

I'm a few days short of one year. I totally agree with everything that you've posted. I've read a post from another site saying that we should have our brain banded before the stomach and man isn't that the truth!!! The first thing that comes to mind that gives me hope is that it took us a long time to develop these eating habits and may take a while to undo what we done to ourselves with food. Yes, it is a diet that we will be on the rest of our lives and God willing the band continues to keep us in check. I can honestly say that there are some old eating habits that I have overcome and I hope I can continue with success. Night eating was my biggest problem and is one of the habits that I hope I will continue to conquer. I get the same comments as to my weight loss. People also tell me that I have lost enough and that I'm good where I'm at. I finally made up my mind that I would stick to my goal or beyond, otherwise, I would feel like I failed myself later on. Stick with your target goal, is my advice to you and don't listen to others. Listening to others may be the main reason you are feeling the way you are. I remember when dieting before the band and how I rewarded myself with food once myself or others observed my weight loss, then, before I knew it I was back to my old "live to eat" way of life. Maybe one day they will be able to band the brain, but, until then we just have to be patient with ourselves. jake

I agree this is not the place to debate the band. There are other forums for this, however, in respect to smkeller's input, I think doctors need to be up front with complications and their own success rates on lapband surgeries. I did much internet research before proceeding with the surgery and everything scared the heck out of me prompting me to cancel my surgery once. Something that you have not mentioned though is that there have been great improvements to the band and the surgical technique. Not to say that this eliminates complications and there is not enough long term data yet, but, many of us have made the decision to go lapband because it is removable and there is no re-routing of the inside plumbing. In addition, I personally know a few people that took other WLS routes and a couple are miserable and two of them have stretched their stomachs and have gained most if not all of their weigh back and now have no other choices. I do understand that weight gain can also happen to banded people, but, there are options and the band is adjustable. Here's my story. I started my WLS journey research with the gastric by-pass procedure and was to go that route, however, along the way I met 2 of the people mentioned above at which point I started looking at the lapband and found it was the best fit for me and only because I did not want permanent routing of my intestines. That's just me though and I respect any of the WL surgeries. The final goal regardless of which route we take is "getting healthier" to live a longer and fuller life. Words of encouragement to mstrustar2730. Yes, death is a possibility as in with every surgery, however, lapband is less invasive and usually done as a day surgery. Death from a lapband surgery is minimal and is usually not from the procedure itself, but from surgery complications. After I did all my research on the lapband I discovered that a co-worker died from the surgery and I cancelled my surgery a 2nd time. Well, after asking more questions it turns out that he had heart complications and the surgery was never performed. I, as you thought it was a sign and should not proceed. My support system was awesome and with prayer and encouragement I went forth. Best darn thing I have ever done for myself and as I always say live for today and if complications come later on, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I am convinced that lapband has saved my life. I was in trouble medically taking 8 prescribed medications and am down to 3 for blood pressure. Would i do this again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Jake

As you continue your journey you will get accustomed to the 8 oz. or more of water. Before the band my water intake was mainly diet Dr. Pepper and hated to drink large amounts of water. Currently I have no problem taking in 1 gallon or more of water. You body will eventually develop a natural thirst for water - no worries on this one. Now as far as the amount of water and gulping vs drinking slowly, you will initially have to drink slower. All band journeys are different, but, I can tell you that I and many others drink water fast without any problem and includes gulping, but, the learning process will tell you which way you must drink. As far as the time/amount to drink water in between meals is much easier than you think. Remember, you may use low cal drinks such as lite apple, cranberry, grape etc. juices, sugar free additives to water such as Crystal Light, that make your liquid intake much easier. You still want most of your liquid intake to be H2O, but, until you adjust these drinks help tremendously. Don't worry about this one, trust me. jake

I'm sure this is normal for I still see the fat guy in the mirror 1 year out. Wife says I should not lose anymore, but, I don't see it in my mind yet, but, pictures do make me feel better. As far as transfer of addiction, I don't believe that I have gone through that either. Maybe it's not everyone that this happens to, but, it is good to watch out for. Congratulations on the 82 lbs. Awesome!!! I also am wearing a comfortable 36 inch waist from a 44 inch waist. Heck, the last time I wore a 36 was probably in mid school. My goal is to get into a comfortable 34 pant size. jake

I remember this happening to me. You may need to use some Milk of Magnesia to unclog the plumbing. Is it truly constipation or is it because you are not eating solids? You may also want to increase your water intake to help this. I can assure you that no one will ever get upset with any question posted. That's why we are all here to help. jake

Leisha249, Chances of failure are less because the band keeps you in check with your portions and appetite. Once you reach the green zone with your fills, you will feel satisfied with your meals and will not be hungry for 4-6 hours inbetween meals. That is the results of the "tool" inside of you and the next thing you will deal with is the head hunger meaning we are used to eating a full steak and now you only eat 1/3 of it and your mind tells you that you cheated yourself out of the steak. What I do to keep the mind in check is use a small plate at meal time and only place my portions on the plate and once done my mind doesn't feel deprived. I was a night eater and now eating my 3 day meals I no longer have the hunger that I had a night. My supper is usually about 6pm and I remain satisfied until the morning. Not to say that I don't get hungry occasionally but a small snack does it for me. I also had/have a sweet tooth and have been able to easily control this. I use sugar free hot chocolate drinks when a chocolate attacks comes and will also treat myself to a piece of cake at the end of the month. This has been easy for me. You will be fine. The band really does help with all these cravings. Good luck to you and you will be ok. Jake

The best explanation I got thus far is that the stomach is a muscle and contracts or expands with different situations such as stress, cold weather, colds/flu etc. I am convinced because all these things definitely make me tight. Warm liquids seem to help. It is a must that I have hot coffee or tea before breakfast each morning otherwise I have one heck of a time with breakfast. On the other side of the coin and occuring at least 1 time a week I can eat a lot more than usual. That one I can' t figure out yet.

Someone posted earlier in this forum stating that it gets easier after 3-4 days and they are correct. You will feel better by Wednesday. Hang in there. The looseness is probably from the Protein drinks. Make sure you drink more Water than normal to prevent dehydration. Jake

I was allowed sugar free popcicles and sugar free Jello as Snacks during the pre-op diet and really helped control the hunger. Ask your doctor about these.

First thing that comes to mind is remember that surgery is surgery, regardless that it is less invasive and you must take it easy for awhile to heal. Some and not all people deal with gas (air) that remains in the body after surgery and must be absorbed and can be painful, make sure you have your pain medications available. Light walking and sipping Water will help this out but don't over do it. You may feel depressed weeks after surgery and feel helpless and keep asking yourself "what the heck did I do". This is normal. This is due to the side affects of the unknown and anesthesia. You will feel no hunger for over a week, but, out of nowhere you will start feeling the hunger. This is due to your stomach healing from the swelling. 6 weeks later you will get your first fill and may need several other fills 6 weeks apart each time before you start feeling restriction. Be patient. Practice chewing your food very well as of now, you will be that much better off at the end. Last, but not least, everyone's journey is so very different and don't be embarrassed to contact your doctor with questions no matter how silly you may think the question is.

Approaching my 1 year anniversary. Banded October 4, 2010. Wishing all new October bandsters the best of luck. You can do this. jake

"Thanks" and I am approaching my 1 year anniversary on Oct 4. I've lost weight in the past and my most successful story was losing 100 lbs. on the Weight Watchers program but within 5 years after going off the program put it back on and then some. I can also say that this time it has been the easiest I've had to work to get this far. It gets better each day, week....... You are on your way with 40 lbs. lost already. Awesome! Keep looking forward to even better days ahead and as you said to your husband concerning complications, "But unjust told him you deal with them as they come and it will be worth it in the long run." Don't worry about tomorrow and what it will bring. Keep your eye on the prize today and keep going forward. Keep up the great work!!! Prayers out your way for a speedy recovery. Jake

I hope I can be of some encouragement. I had almost the same thing happen, however, my port did in fact dislodge. A few months afte surgery I was dealing with a incision suroma that the doctor drained twice and the 2nd time that tubing came right through the incision. I had 2 inches of tubing sticking out of my belly, so I can relate as to the frightening experience. Anyhow, I went in and my doctor gave me a local and was going to do the same thing that was done to you and push the port tubing back in then sew it back up, but, then discovered that my whole port had dislodged. I was then put under and woke up with my port relocated to my right side. Was it worth it? Oh heck yes!!!!!!!! Complications do occur, but, as you can see my results on the ticker below show that I am a new person and now the biggest complaint I have is dealing with so many compliments. My health has improved tremendously and I dropped from 8 prescribed medications to 3. I am off my cpap and feel many years younger. Best darn thing I could have done for myself!!! Jake

I was banded Oct 4, 2010 by Dr. Sanchez and can only give her the highest of recommendation! Dr. Sanchez is a very caring and very competent doctor and has really taken care of me. I know you will be very happy with her. The office staff is very supportive and encouraging. Let me know if you have other questions. jake

I'm just getting out of a "no progress on the scale plateau" that's lasted at least 3 weeks and was up and down with 5-7 pounds. I exercise daily and eat about 1100 cals a day. The scale showed no progress, however, I am so thankful that I have been keeping measurements every 3 months and I noticed my clothing fitting a little loser at times. Turns out that I have been losing inches. I also tried a few things that I read or was given advice by a trainer that may have helped. I finally started losing again. Try changing to a natural artificial sweetner like Stevia. I read that some of them are chemically based and could slow down weight loss (sacchrin products, splenda etc. etc.) - Read on internet. Change your exercise routine. For example, I was on the Eliptical machine everyday for 30 minutes with high resistance and changed the work out to a cardio workout with less resistance and increased to 45 minutes. - Trainer advice. Change the time of your workout before or after meals or time of day. Do the opposite of whatever you are doing now. I know this not always possible. - Trainer advice Increase your water intake to at least a gallon a day. This one is also tough. - Trainer and Doctor advice. I got comfortable with eating bigger bites and not chewing my food as well as I should and was eating a bit more. I also forgot to concentrate on eating proteins first at meal times and now after I started doing this again, I feel much fuller quicker and no hunger for 3 or more hours. - re-learned on own. I was eating too many sugar free candies and discovered that just because they don't have sugar does not mean that the calorie count is low. - learned the hard way. You should probably keep your caloric intake the same, but, always always always make sure you eat your proteins first at every meal time. At least 50 grams of proteins per day. - Doctor, trainer and internet advice. Hope this helps. It's worth a try.

Frank, The advice I can give you is to make sure you don't have a serious addiction to food before getting the band. If it is good food and drink that you enjoy the band will force you to eat smaller amounts, however, if you eat because it is an absolute necessity to eat then it is to your advantage to have his addressed before you get banded, otherwise you will have problems. Your fear of "never be able to eat again" is a yes and no. There will be some foods that you won't be able to tolerate anymore and you may not be able to enjoy some of these foods with your guests. On the other side of the coin, all bandsters are different. You may be one of the lucky ones that can eat just about everything you did before, just much less of it. It is a hit and miss type of thing and you won't know til you are banded. My biggest problem was night eating, which pre-band I was terrified that I would not be able to combat this behavior. The band, when properly adjusted keeps physical hunger satisfied for 4-6 hours before your next meal. If I do eat between meals it is just mental hunger and that's where you have to be sure that food addiction is not the problem. I tend to eat supper about 6-7pm and was able to conquer the night eating and no more bologna sandwiches at 2-3 in the morning. :-( lol I can't over emphasize that a banded person experiences a HUGE change in the way you will eat and what you eat. Being banded is a life changing experience and you must work with it daily. I'm not trying to scare you, but, I also love good food and drink and it took some adjusting and hard knocks to get where I am today. My biggest advice is that you sit down and really examine why you want to do this and are you really willing and dedicated to making this life change. Be sure that your partner also understands the life change that will occur. It is very important that you have the support and understanding of your other half. This is the best thing that I've ever done for myself, but, it has been a learning and life changing experience. As long as you understand that it is not as easy as it sounds and that it takes work and that you must be dedicated to this, then you will succeed! I wish you all the best and am willing to help you with any questions. Jake

Just turned 51 last week. The band has really worked for me. Wife tells me I look younger and I feel younger. I feel like I'm starting out a new life. Exercising energy has come back and I'm really enjoying it. Life is good!

Mandy, So sorry it turned out this way, but, I am also a very firm believer that "everything does happens for a reason"! We don't understand why today but we will get the answer tomorrow. I saw your online journey. You have very much to be proud of and thankful for. Thank you for sharing, for this could be anyone of us. We will keep you in our prayers. Jake and Nora.

Wow!! I did not have my band removed, but, I can relate on the feelings and anxiety. At one time and due to complications I wanted it out so badly. My tubing from the band port just came out through one of my incisions. I had 2 inches of tubing protruding from my stomach. Scary as hell let me tell you. With this occuring I had to get a second surgery just months after I had the band installed. It was during this surgery that they also discovered that my port just unattached and doc could not explain why. The second surgery was worse than the first by far. I ended up with 3 more large incisions and have scars from one end of my belly to the other. I remember the feeling of helplessness and frustration of wanting the band out and I also had to use medication for anxiety. My wife was and has been a God sent to me. She has been extremely supportive and helped me pull through the emotional ordeal and I love her all that much more. Don't know what would have happened without my wife's support. I do know exactly how you felt though! You and your doctor are correct. The band is not for everyone and you probably did the right thing. I'm know there is lots more that you fast forwarded that we don't know. The biggest advice I can offer is take what you've learned from being banded and you will succeed with good health. As for me, I am emotionally ok now, but, If one day I must have the band removed there are many things that I have learned about diet and eating behaviors that I will always be thankful for. Good luck to you and never look back, just forward. Prayers out to you. jake

Amanda, If you go to http://lapband.com there is a "see if lapband is for you" section. It will give you information on what is required and will give you an idea if you are a candidate. I believe that you must now have a BMI (body mass index ) of 30 to qualify. Not real sure but the site will answer all those questions, plus much more. It will also figure out your BMI. Most BCBS insurance will cover lapband. My BCBS covered mine. I can tell you that mortality rates are very low with the lapband. Check out the site. I think you find most of your questions answered. jake

jamiesdoingit, You WILL get there. Be patient. Once you start feeling more energetic and especially when you start feeling good about your weight loss, you will be on such a natural high!!!! Don't worry so much on getting stuck. It is a learning process and you will get it. For now concentrate on eating slowly, small bites and chewing very well (after your liquid stage of course). Stuck episodes will come and I promise that after a few you will learn how to not get them. I used to think that if I had one stuck episode I would harm my band. The only thing that can happen with being stuck is that can make your stomach swollen and will have to go on liquids and then mushie foods for a couple of days. You will know if this happens. I advice to keep pineapple juice always handy. The acid from the pineapple juice will get whatever is stuck down. As of yesterday I also found out that meat tenderizer also gets stuck food down. I also use it to get my sinus drainage out of the upper stomach. Man it acts like Draino. Just a couple of shakes into some warm Water and wow!!! BTW jamie, how are you feeling today?

MissSammyD, First of all congratulations on your decision. You will not regret it. My success is due to multiple events that worked in my favor. First, I was falling apart medically. I had or had been recently diagnosed with multiple co-morbitities before banding and I was starting to feel the impact. I just could not go on living with all the pain and suffering. When my grandaughter was born I made up my mind that I wanted to be around for her and of course my family also. My doctor advised weight loss surgery. I was so serious about changing my life that I quit smoking the day after the lapband seminar. I was scheduled for surgery in September, but a few days before my surgery the hospital called and said that I was to be re-scheduled because there was a shortage of a drug used in surgery and all non urgent surgeries had been cancelled. I was already 12 days into the liquid diet. My next scheduled date was 2 weeks away and I had to continue the Protein diet. This diet consisted of 2 low cal Protein drinks, one for Breakfast the other for lunch, then 1 can of Soup at night with all the sugar free popcicles and sugar free pudding(s). I was on the required protein diet for 1 month. I lost at least 30 lbs. on the protein diet alone. I cringe with the thought of drinking another shake. lol When I went in for my first fill I ended up getting an unfill because I was way too tight. I'm one that needs very little in my band for restriction. They had put in 3cc's in the 10cc band during surgery and unfilled me down to 2cc's. I'm doing great with 2cc's. I started losing immediatley after surgery. Remember that it could take several fills at 6 weeks apart before you have restriction. We are all different. I was just lucky to get restriction right a way. On the other side of the coin, was that I was losing too quickly, I was getting too weak and was looking rather sickly. I know this because I had only told a few people at work about my surgery. I was approached by a couple of very concerned co-workers who thought I had cancer or a very serious illness due to the amount of weight I had lost and how I looked. I then decided to announce the lapband. They have all been very supportive. I started exercising as much as I could handle at first. I started with small walks around the block, at the school track, riding my bike on low gears, started walking in the pool, walking on a treadmill, 10 minutes of step aerobics. I have built up to working out 40 minutes a day at 1or 2 activities mentioned. I can now jog 2 miles. I can swim 40 minutes. Last weekend I did a 20 mile bike ride. Its awesome!! Most importantly, all of my blood work has come back normal (diabetes, gout, cholesterol). I am off 5 different medications, off my CPAP machine. I am normal medically except for high blood pressure which will be evaluated in july. Take it one day at a time. There is no big race to lose so fast! Also, keep in mind that fast weight loss can lead to gall bladder problems and require surgery. In addition, you want your skin to tighten/tone up as you go. You also want to keep your hair from falling off. In my case, I'm a bald male so I'm ok with it falling off. lol In all seriousness, I now eat properly and even if I did have hair I'm sure it will not fall off. I have never eaten properly in all my life, so this has been a win win situation for me. As I said, you will not regret doing this for yourself. Yes, the journey get difficult at times, but, you get back on the wagon, especially when you start seeing the results. Keep me posted on how you do please.

Teri00, We have paved bike trails here in Albuquerque New Mexico making the ride smooth. The pain started when I put the bike into the bigger gears and the use of more muscle to peddle. If you keep your bike on the lower/faster gears you will be ok. Just take it slow. I'm overly cautious because shortly after my first fill, my port unattached from the muscle and I had to get another surgery to get it reattached. I wonder if maybe I over did it at the beginning. My doc says she does not think so, but, I do remember that it hurt but I continued to ride hard. Just take it easy and I'm sure you'll be fine. Jake

I was banded 10/4/2010. I've lost 101 lbs. as of today. I work out everyday and do lots of walking. I average about 800 calories per day. I set small realistic goals for myself with my workouts by increasing the workout by a few minutes at a time per week. The awesome thing about this whole thing is that I enjoy working out. Wow, I never ever, ever thought that I would say something like that!!!!! lol I'm really careful with intake of high calorie foods, but, do enjoy a piece of cake or a candy bar at least once a month. I usually will do this at the end of each month, so I count the days down and work harder a few days before. The wierd thing is that I don't crave sweets like I used to. I hope this continues. I am hooked on sugar free popcicles, especially the banana flavored ones. Have one or two late in the afternoon. The only thing that I miss is a beer after working out in the yard :-( My weight loss has been so quick because I was scheduled for surgery in September but the surgery was cancelled just a few days before my date. I was already on my 2nd week of the Protein diet and the next surgery date was 2 weeks away from that day, so, I was on the darn protein diet for 4 weeks. Man was I sick of liquid Proteins. YUCK!!!!!