IDK who all is still here from when I posted often - but I got banded in February with Dr. Aceves in Mexico. Surgery went great - LOVE Dr. A - but I am one of those XX% of people that the band has not worked for. That was my NUMBER ONE fear going into this - that I would be one of the very few individuals that this simply does not work for - I soothed myself by saying don't worry - it's just normal to have this fear - EVERYONE thinks that they'll be the "one" it doesn't work for. Well here I am - 6 months post op and am still at my pre-op weight. The most I was down was about 10 lbs and that was due to just post-op stress and liquid diets. If I didn't have a scar and if I didn't see the band when I had my fills and fluoro done I would bet my paycheck that nothing was inside me. I now have about 7.25 cc's in my band (I have the big one) and feel NOTHING. Had about 6 fills. There is no leakl. I don't "eat around my band" - I don't abuse my band - I am simply the exact same I was pre-op - except even more depressed now. If I felt like a falure before - I can now magnify that by 100%. I feel like I am doomed to be fat my whole life. My only hope now is to somehow save up enough $ to get a revision to the sleeve. I wish I would of had the money to do that in the first place.

I know you're frustrated (and who could blame you) but don't give up yet! There are many people out here who have gone through what you are going through and then after MANY fills they finally get to the point where the band actually starts helping them. You say you have the big band...well depending on which one you have the big LapBand holds 10 ccs and the big Realize band holds 11 ccs...that means there is still a lot of room in there for more fills.

I can't predict the future - and you're right, there are some people that the band just doesn't work for - but since you already have one I think you are giving up too early. Wouldn't it be better to keep getting fills (while saving up for a possible revision to the sleeve)? Who knows, it might just work.

My other suggestion is...you say that you don't eat around your band...do you keep a food journal? If so, can you share your average calories, Protein, carbs, etc? If you don't, why don't you try keeping one for a few weeks? It can be very enlightening and can show you areas you can work on regarding your food choices. There are several free sites (some with smart phone apps) that can help you with this...I like myfitnesspal.com. There are a lot of us bansters on there who have our food journals set to share with our friends...maybe by joining the site and seeing what other bandsters are eating you will get some ideas.

I know this is long, but there are many of us who are willing to help with suggestions, etc if you would like.

Whatever you decide, I wish you good health!

I know you're frustrated (and who could blame you) but don't give up yet! There are many people out here who have gone through what you are going through and then after MANY fills they finally get to the point where the band actually starts helping them. You say you have the big band...well depending on which one you have the big LapBand holds 10 ccs and the big Realize band holds 11 ccs...that means there is still a lot of room in there for more fills.

I can't predict the future - and you're right, there are some people that the band just doesn't work for - but since you already have one I think you are giving up too early. Wouldn't it be better to keep getting fills (while saving up for a possible revision to the sleeve)? Who knows, it might just work.

My other suggestion is...you say that you don't eat around your band...do you keep a food journal? If so, can you share your average calories, Protein, carbs, etc? If you don't, why don't you try keeping one for a few weeks? It can be very enlightening and can show you areas you can work on regarding your food choices. There are several free sites (some with smart phone apps) that can help you with this...I like myfitnesspal.com. There are a lot of us bansters on there who have our food journals set to share with our friends...maybe by joining the site and seeing what other bandsters are eating you will get some ideas.

I know this is long, but there are many of us who are willing to help with suggestions, etc if you would like.

Whatever you decide, I wish you good health!

hi vicky thanks for your nice response... I did have one lady post a comment on my blog awhile ago and she asid she felt no resriction until she surpassed about 8cc's in her band... maybe I will be like her? I have the big Realize band - so 12cc's I believe? I over eat for sure - but I've never been a "binge" eater or gourger (sp?) - which I thought that would make me even a better candidate for the band - bc they say that people who are overeaters vs grazers tend to have the most suiccess (quantity eaters). I DO need to keep a food journal just for my own sanity - WLS or not. I definitely could of tried harder to restrict and restrict my food intake and be hungry all the time - but that's no different than what I've done my whole life - DIET - and failed at. Even if I felt the TINIEST feeling that I even HAVE a band in there I feel would give me SOME hope that this thing is even half-way doing something to aide me in my Quest - but I feel/experience nothing...

edited to add: my typing is NEVER this horrible! please excuse all the spelling mistakes!!

I have a friend who was banded a month before me in 2009. She only lost 4 pounds the first 8 months, and she was following every rule but had trouble getting good restriction. It was extremely frustrating for her, especially since I lost 100 pounds in the time it took her to lose 4. Finally, after losing weight extremely slowly for 8 months she started to lose 2 lbs a week and finally had good restriction. She has since lost over 60 lbs and is feeling great! Don't give up hope just yet, you might be one of those people who just take more time to lose weight. Also, have you had your thyroid checked? An irregular thyroid level will cause you to have trouble losing weight. There could be other medical reasons as well, so have your doctor run a full bloodwork panel to see if there's anything else wrong. Keep the faith!

hi vicky thanks for your nice response... I did have one lady post a comment on my blog awhile ago and she asid she felt no resriction until she surpassed about 8cc's in her band... maybe I will be like her? I have the big Realize band - so 12cc's I believe? I over eat for sure - but I've never been a "binge" eater or gourger (sp?) - which I thought that would make me even a better candidate for the band - bc they say that people who are overeaters vs grazers tend to have the most suiccess (quantity eaters). I DO need to keep a food journal just for my own sanity - WLS or not. I definitely could of tried harder to restrict and restrict my food intake and be hungry all the time - but that's no different than what I've done my whole life - DIET - and failed at. Even if I felt the TINIEST feeling that I even HAVE a band in there I feel would give me SOME hope that this thing is even half-way doing something to aide me in my Quest - but I feel/experience nothing...

edited to add: my typing is NEVER this horrible! please excuse all the spelling mistakes!!

I understand what you're saying...I have another question for you...you said that you don't feel like you have a band in there. What "feeling" are you looking for?

I can only speak for myself, but I RARELY get a full feeling when I eat. I weigh and measure my food (4 oz Protein, 1/2 cup veggies) and then I stop when my plate is empty. I don't normally feel full, but rather I no longer feel hungry. If that's not enough to take away your hunger right now then try adding 1/2 cup of brown rice or whole wheat Pasta.

I also found that eating "fairly" low carb (less than 50g per day) helps me not feel so hungry - I don't normally eat potatoes, white rice, pasta, bread (I could if I wanted to because I've only had 1 fill and I don't have a lot of restriction). If you need Snacks between your meals, go ahead and have them...just make them protein based (greek yogurt, cheese, slices of deli meat, etc). That should help hold off the hunger until you reach some restriction.

For right now, it may seem like a diet until you get some restriction, but by changing the types of food you are eating you may find that your band is actually helping more than you think it is.

The other thing you don't mention is exercise. Are you getting in some exercise? Even if it is a short walk 3-4 days a week or sitting in front of the TV peddling on a stationary bike (which is what I started out doing), exercise is important for your weight loss.

During the past almost 10 months since I've been banded, I have been constantly evaluating what I am doing to see if there is something I can "tweak" in order to help my weight loss along and I guess that's my best suggestion...if something isn't working for you then don't be afraid to switch things up!

Just wanted to update ya'll - I am flying back to Mexicali next month to have Dr A and Dr Campos check me out and see what's going on... they think that I either have a leak or just need more fluid. Sadly, it won't cost much more to fly down there and stay than it would to get a fill here with some new random doctor. So we shall see.... I PRAY I don't have a leak... I can't afford surgery for new tubing...

Good luck with your visit next month. I hope it's just that you need some extra fluid in your band to get the right restriction. At least with the big band, there's a lot of extra fluid that can go in there!

Typically people that have the realise band need higher amounts of fill than people with a lapband before they feel anydifference. It has something to do with it being a low pressure system. I have even heard of people that have had more fill in their bands than the supposed capacity.SO I wouldn' be giving up just yet.