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Do you ever hate your band?



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I am getting banded at the end of the month, and have a few reservations/questions. Do you ever have a bad day and wish you didnt have the band? How do you deal with those?

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I hate the nearly 3 inch purple scar but not the band. Then again I haven't Pb'd yet.

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If you are like me you will have reservations right up to the day. You have to make up your mind that the chances are good that everything will go well, you will manage the changes ( because it is not as bad as childbirth after all !!) and that whatever the outcome you are making the best choice that you can,given the battle losing weight can be for most banders.

I am amazed how normal I feel /felt although the first few weeks were a bit of a surprise.Do you know that song (by Burt Baccarat(?) I think) ..that says" there is always something there to remind me. "It could be your theme song post op ,You will be careful because you have to be but that is only in the initial period.

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No. Not even when I discover that a favorite food of mine is now off limits because I get stuck. Not even when I do get stuck because usually it's because *I've* done something stupid like not chewing well enough.

I just wish I could've been banded 35 years ago.

.

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No - today is my bandiversary and I can say there has never been one day in the last year that I've regretted the band. Not one! The first 3 days after my surgery I did struggle through - but dude I HAD JUST HAD SURGERY!

Honestly, I feel like the band is not even there - I just eat less and stay full longer. I can't feel the band. For me there have been no negative consequences to the band - none at all - except for some difficult fills initially.

NEVER REGRET IT. My only regret it that I didn't have it done like 10 years ago. Wasted my 20s being fat!

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Yes. I hate it right now. I think it might be too tight and I've got indigestion and an overly full feeling from one cup of coffee! Since my last fill I've had problems (PBs, vomiting, hiccups, pain, discomfort) that I thought I could fix by adjusting my eating habits -- eat more slowly, tiny bites, chew well, avoid bread and chicken, eat only 1/2 cup of food, drink liquids slowly -- but that isn't working. I probably need a slight unfill. For the most part though, I'm still a newbie, only 3 months and 1 week since surgery so I am still adjusting. I love that I've lost 35 lbs since surgery (46 since consultation) and am sure I will love my band when I rack up even bigger numbers. Right now though...it's hard not to hate it.

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Yes. I hate it right now. I think it might be too tight and I've got indigestion and an overly full feeling from one cup of coffee! Since my last fill I've had problems (PBs, vomiting, hiccups, pain, discomfort) that I thought I could fix by adjusting my eating habits -- eat more slowly, tiny bites, chew well, avoid bread and chicken, eat only 1/2 cup of food, drink liquids slowly -- but that isn't working. I probably need a slight unfill. For the most part though, I'm still a newbie, only 3 months and 1 week since surgery so I am still adjusting. I love that I've lost 35 lbs since surgery (46 since consultation) and am sure I will love my band when I rack up even bigger numbers. Right now though...it's hard not to hate it.

Barbara, being too tight will make you hate your band. You probably should call your surgeon and go on and get a small unfill. Staying too tight will lead you to eating foods that aren't good for you and keep you with that acid reflux.

I have never hated my band. I wasn't happy with my gyn and band surgeon when I ASKED if I needed a slight unfill before my hysterectomy last year and they said no. Well, it seems I did need once, since I was too tight for about a month after.:smile:

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Nope, never! Even during the time period when my band was empty and I had no restriction. I kept reading on this forum and getting the support I needed from all these wonderful people and didn't gain any weight. Now that I have some restriction, the band is working for me, and the scale is moving again. I did get stuck once but it was my own fault. I love my band and will only continue to grow (smaller...lol) as a person because of it! Best wishes!

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When I am too tight or have reflux a lot I don't like Lilith (my band) at all. But a quick adjustment and we are best of friends again! At one point I was so tight I was throwing up in my sleep and that was scary!

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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