Lanah

@@Lanah Hey there! Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience. I know exactly what you have gone through, it's disappointing and scary and I know I certainly felt afraid. I wrote this post back in December and so I've now had my band out for 10 months. Though I haven't been able to keep all the weight off, I initially gained a little slowly (and freaked out about it) but have since stabilized and stopped gaining. Instead of getting obsessive about the scale I've focused more on health and fitness goals; as a result I look and feel really good! People compliment me on my bright skin and vigour, I have found a balance of how much food I really need.
It's something I would have NEVER said a few month ago when I was sad and angry but I wonder now if it had to happen for me to feel this kind of freedom? I don't think I could have travelled with a band like I do now for fear of complications; any WLS can be quite debilitating, especially when one is wearing an internal device which may malfunction at anytime.
I have of course had my ups and downs, and it may be that you gain a bit of weight but that's OKAY because your body if finding where it is most healthy without the device. My advice is don't freak out and do any crash diets (which was tempting for me), try to continue eating as you did with the band, try not to eat late at night, and have confidence that you can do this and live a healthy life without the need of the band. You've come so far and been through so much pain already, there's no limit to what you can do in the future. Ultimately, keep the faith that it will all turn out well. Good luck and feel free to message me if you need some extra support as it's good for me to keep contact with other people in the same situation!

Hey there! I was a lower BMI going in for revision from band to sleeve (34.6). I'm 6 weeks out and feel like I could do anything. I live in Florida and it's HOT. Hot hot!!! I'm outside most of the day and if anything, I have a lot more endurance than before and no issues at all with staying hydrated. I kind of don't understand the hydration issue some people are talking about... After the initial swelling goes getting fluids in is no problem- or maybe I was just lucky!!
I also went on an overnight kayaking trip exactly a month out from surgery. Just me and my 12 year old daughter. We kayaked the entire day, set up camp totally on our own, kayaked the next day and loaded gear into truck. Again, no problems at all. I packed a lot of low cal Gatorade and Water in my mini cooler and of course too my Protein shakes.
I totally agree with others that your should listen to your doctor and take it slow to begin with. I just wanted to share my experience- it's been so much easier physically than I ever anticipated. The food and hunger part is different- that's mental work! But I'm so glad my body is enjoying the challenge.
Enjoy all the activities, stay safe and hydrated!
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Update from me. Since I first replied to this post in December I have lost ten pounds. I cleaned up my food (eliminated all the crap, the sliders and fried foods) and track faithfully and honestly. I'm also working with an OA sponsor. My band feels like it's working better, but in reality, I'm working my program better! I'm optimistic that I can get to goal.

I can't say it feels full. What happens is I get a soft stop. That means I get a signal, even if mild, that I've had enough. This can be the feeling that food isn't going down as fast as the previous bite. Or a yawn. Or a hiccup. Or just not ravenous with this bite. Or the feeling that one more bite might feel too much and two more would definitely be too much. Here's the key. I have to listen to the soft stop. I can easily blow right through it and overeat. The band, even if optimally filled, does not stop me from overeating. Second key. I don't get that signal when I'm eating soft or mushy foods or creamy or crunchy. I never get it eating a salad. It only happens when swallowing dense p rotein. What all that means is that I can just eat and eat and eat unless I'm paying attention and willing to stop at the soft stop signal. Final key. It also doesn't work unless I s l o w d o w n.
I believe I am at green even though I haven't lost weight recently. Why am I at green? I get stuck often enough that I know going tighter would be counterproductive. Why have I not lost weight? Easy. I'm eating all the wrong foods. This week I recommitted and am working with someone else on my food plan. And I'm listening to my soft stops and actually stopping. Green is a wonderful place to be, but it's still a lot of work.

August 22, 2006..I remember that day like it was yesterday. I arrived at the hospital so happy so excited so full of joy and ready to prove my doctor WRONG. You see my pre-op weight was 416lbs and the surgeon wanted me to undergo a gastric bypass or a duodenal switch (which I don't think they do anymore) because my BMI was so high. But at that time I was only 20 years old no serious medical issues and my mother didn't want me to have either of those surgeries so lapband it was. Moreover, my bariatric doctor made it very clear that I wasn't going to lose any weight and in two years I'd be back for a gastric bypass.
Fast forward a few years and I was making tremendous progress. I'll never forget when I walked into Dr. Prachand's office in August 2008 for my two year post-op appt and I was down 138 lbs. And he looked at me with a smile and said "well Liqui you proved me wrong" that was the best feeling I ever felt. I was on a mission..I had a point to prove. Needless to say a few years went by and the weight slowly stop coming off...I was getting discouraged...I was losing my motivation and I had to switch doctors (I started a job and my health insurance changed).
In 2011, I started seeing a new bariatric doctor (who I'm stilling seeing today) and it was like starting all over again at the time I had gained some weight back and I was about 310. At my first appointment with Dr. Mihil he told me to tell him my journey to this point...although he had my huge file in front of him. I told him my story anyway and he said "so let's start campaign prove Dr. Prachand wrong again." I laughed through my tears of disappointment and agreed. He proceed to say "I don't know Prachand personally but I want you to succeed because he wrote everywhere in your file. Placed band despite better judgement." When I tell you that doctor was AGAINST the band he was AGAINST the band and if I'm not mistaken he doesn't place them anymore at all.
Moreover, my motivation started to come back I was checking in regular with the new doctor, losing weight, then BAM in 2013 I found out I was pregnant with TWINS. I was sooooo happy and excited yet sad because I knew I was going to gain weight. Well needless to say I gained more weight than I and the doctor expected. During my pregnancy I gained 73lbs I was mortified. I delivered my twins 4weeks early so I can't imagine how much more weight I would've gained if I carried them full term lol.
My babies were born completely healthy but I was left with almost 60lbs of weight to loss. I avoided the bariatric doctor for two years...I kept saying "I wanna loss the weight before I go see him." I hadn't seen him since I was 4 months pregnant and he removed all my Fluid from my band. Then one day a few months ago I realized that I wasn't going to lose the weight on my own (which is why I needed weight loss surgery in the first place). And I finally made in appointment to go see him. I felt like a dead man walking..
I weighed in at 359. Which I was okay with considering I was 374lbs post babies. So I had lost weight but I still wasn't where I started. I was sitting in the room so nervous I thought the doctor was going to chew me out for waiting two years to see him and gaining so much weigh. He came in the room, gave me a hug and asked to see the babies. I just started to cry. I felt like I let him down. But he reminded me that "you're doing this for YOU and now those babies not me."
That visit was such a breath of fresh air until he tried to give me a fill and to our surprise my port has flipped around. We played around with it for a while but no luck he couldn't get the Fluid in. Another doctor came in and tried to give me a fill as well... No luck So I left that day with no fill but gained my sense of hope back. I have an appointment in the 26th of this month. And we're going to try it again or discuss possibly going in for a revision surgery which I really don't want. But I know something has to be done because right now I have no fluid in my band and feel no restrictions.
I know everyone feels differently about the band and although weight wise I'm not were I want to be I'm still pretty happy with it because I haven't had as many complications like I hear about from the other WLS. And when I have fluid in my band it works of course with exercise and eating right. Moreover, I just really hope at my next appointment they can find the top of my port and give me a fill.
Has anyone had a lap band revision surgery?
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Great story!!!! Thank you for sharing. I'm actually very pro band. I had one for 6 years and it was good- I'm not going to say great because it could be easy to cheat and gave me some serious Issues with stuff getting stuck. That being said I don't regret getting banded because I did lose. I got active. Then it broke. I was crying on the table and my doctor assured me it was no problem- he would remove band and create a sleeve. And he did!!! My insurance covered entire thing (I was shocked because I was a self pay in the Dominican Republic) and the whole process took less than 2 months. I had sleeve surgery on April 20th and feel fantastic. I feel like I got a do over and wow... I'm going to work this! Best of luck to whatever you chose. If you have questions about conversation surgery, just ask.
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I had my band surgery in October 2007 at 278lbs. Overall, I have been very successful. In the first year and half or so, I lost about 150 lbs. My last fill was four years ago. Over the last for years I maintained somewhere between 118-120. I still haven't had any other plastic surgeries to remove excess skin, but it wasn't terrible since I got a trainer who understood the band and helped me shape up as I was dropping the weight.
I had issues here and there, but most of them occurred if I made a bad food choice or happened to be sick or stressed. It seems the band is sometimes affected by any little thing that cause physical or mental stress. At least that's been my experience.
When I had my last fill four years ago, I actually began having issues with not keeping food down, having a lot of reflux, and even sometimes waking up in the middle of the night having to throw up. Honestly, up until that point I had tried to do everything right, but after the last fill I let things go too long. I probably should have had some solution removed a long time ago, but I think I went somewhere in my head, and because I was finally in a size I wanted to be in, I didn't. I was living mainly on ice cream, coffee, smoothies, tortilla chips, mashed potatoes, as Beans. Only slightly occasionally I might have a good day and be able to keep down a piece of chicken. Most foods did not agree with me. I was throwing up at least three times a day most days, and many days even more than that. I reconciled myself to thinking this was just life with the band. I was at a healthy weight, a lower BMI, and I looked good in my clothes, but truthfully I was not getting enough quality nutrition. My potassium was always low, I was dehydrated and fatigued, and this past February I was sick with different viral infections for about two months. I was hospitalized twice during that two months. I started to really think about the kind of nutrition I was putting in my body, and really I wasn't getting any because my body was rejecting everything. I think my body was actually starving, even though I was maintaining at 118. I finally decided the best thing to do would be to remove some solution and see if I could start living on proper nutrients and foods, and not a steady diet of ice cream.
I had 1cc of saline removed. Almost immediately, I felt better. I was able to eat actual Proteins and vegetables and keep them down. I did had to re-find my limit- I hadn't felt that sensation of fullness in so long, that I had forgotten what it felt like when the band was actually doing what it's supposed to do. I passed it once or twice, but I can tell it's working they way it was supposed to all along. I am taking in proper portions and eating better food, so in that respect, I'm back on track again.
On the flip side, I'd been starving my body for nearly four years, and in two weeks after the adjustment, I had gained 20 lbs. of course I freaked, and two weeks later, I have still gained another 5. I'm not actually eating bad foods or even eating more than I should. The difference is I'm actually keeping it down, and my body- in starvation mode is holding onto everything! After researching and asking questions, it seemed like my body is responding similarly to how a rehabilitating anorexic's would. I'm bloated, swelling, and I gained rapidly. My body is rehydrating and resetting at this point. My metabolism has been weak, and I'm readjusting. That's the frustrating part. However, the band IS working, and my metabolism is moving towards equilibrium again, so over a few more weeks, this will taper off and some of these added lbs will go away with the bloating. The rest will go with increased activity.
So I do still consider myself a band success story, but I share this to say you have to pay attention and take care of yourself. The band is a tool, not a magic pill. I should've taken care of the problem four years ago- but this weight loss thing is a mind game too, and I let it beat me. Fortunately my band and stomach is ok, I have no damage, but I did let my system down.
So pay attention, take care of yourself. If there's something wrong ask question and get it fixed. Don't let it go too long. I'll have to work this weight back off again, but at least I'll be doing it right this time.
Good luck!
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