My story:

Hi, there. I came back to the board after a long absence because things in Band-Land aren't as hunkey-dory as they've been for 2 years past...

I was banded in May of 2009 and the first year and a half were blissfully perfect. I lost fairly quickly at first and then it slowed down, but I was fine with that. I was feeling great - good energy and all. I lost over 100 pounds.

In January of this year, I was traveling out of the country and something happened - we were out for Indian food and I don't know what happened, but it was more than just getting "stuck" - it wouldn't resolve. I couldn't sleep nor eat or drink. After it continued to the next day, I had to find emergency medical care and, ultimately, they completely emptied my band.

My doctor here at home told me to let things heal for a month or more. I actually was doing fine maintaining my weight and exercising so I let it go for way longer than a month. But by June, the weight was creeping up so I went in to get filled having given my system plenty of "healing" time.

My doctor started slow adding Fluid. We got to 1cc after 2 visits, but my last appointment, he tried to put more in and it watched on the scope as liquid didn't go through at all, so he took me back to 1cc. He told me I have a heital hernia, but that about 15% of band patients do and they are usually asymptomatic.

Today I went in again and they tried to add .2cc (that's POINT 2) and same problem - liquid wouldn't pass so they pulled it back out. They told me my esophagus is stretched and sort of twisted (which, they said, likely has to do with it being stretched). So now I have to wait 2 months and be very careful not to overeat with the hope to shrink it back to normal so my band works right again.

The band itself was in the proper position.

Anyway, I have gained weight. I'm starting to get panicky about that.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Have you come back from it?

I love my band and I love the life I've had since my banding. I just want to get beyond this thing that is happening now and back to my Blissful Band-Land that I lived in for the first 18 months after my banding.

I'm scared. I'm scared I'll keep gaining. I'm scared that once problems start they don't resolve. I have read all the bad stuff here - the people who got them removed and all that. I'm looking to see if there is another side - the stories of people who had problems and recovered back to a happy place. What was the process, how long did your recovery take?

I have gained 20 pounds since my band was emptied. I am rededicated to stopping the gaining and actually losing. I don't have my band as a tool right now, so I have to do it myself so that I don't re-gain any more.

I need to hear some success stories in this regard. Anyone out there have them??

I am a new bander, so I can't really help..other than moral support...hang in there. maybe try liquids for a few weeks or at least a couple of meals a day and then the softer food. Good luck and I will be thinking about you!

I've been Googling and I think I'm going to go on a period of liquids.

My doctor said that for awhile I should stay with VERY small meals, several times a day.

I'm blaming myself - one of the reasons for this is over-eating. However, it also says that those with a weak esophagus are prone to it and I have had some problems in the past (even before my band, I would occasionally get "stuck" and once even ended up in the ER for it - there is a medical name, but it's commonly referred to as Steakhouse Syndrome). So maybe it's because of that? Or both?

I was doing so well until this ordeal when I was out of the country. It was the very day I flew in and I know that flying causes band tightness for many so maybe the flight and then the meal caused the first trouble and then all this has followed.

I've done so well. I can't let it slip away. I need to get back on the route I was on prior to January.

Thanks for the reply and good luck with your journey!

I cant allay your fears about the problems continuing now that you've had an issue, I guess you can only be positive about the fact that the band is in position, and that's one major problem that hasnt occurred.

As to success with not gaining whilst unfilled - well that is doable. I was unfilled for over 6 months and then took 3 months to get back to my normal level and I didnt gain weight.

Well.... that's not strictly true, but I only regained weight that I lost - about 8 lb - I got way way too skinny from being absolutely ultra careful and exercising like a maniac whilst having chemo. I regained that weight, but I'm still 10lb lighter than when I got unfilled last year. I just continued with what I knew worked and whilst I definitely at more with no fill, I made sure that "more" was made up things like salads, fruit and wholegrain bread - all light, low calorie, no fat kinda foods, and kept my portions of Protein and fat foods at banded size. I lost significant weight doing that as whilst I'd had fill, I'd slipped into a slider food routine and was eating a lot of calorie dense foods like cookied, too much full fat yogurt, Soups which I didnt hesitate to add cream to, all that sort of thing. Once I cut that out and replaced with salads, fruit and bread, I said bye bye to about 20lb remarkably quickly - and I was at a BMI of 22 to begin with!

My routine is generally an hour of hard cardio about five days a week and about three strenght sessions (sand bag circuit training or Body Pump classes using pretty heavy weights).

Chemo/radiation and a big surgery in which I was given an ileostomy helped to keep that weight down, but a lot of it was my hard work. It can be done!

And at the very least, its much better to only gain a little than a lot. Dont just give up whatever you do.

Thanks for your kind words... it means a lot to have a place to come put my concerns out there and ask questions.