I was banded March 2009. Allwas wellfor the first 2years. I was 20 pounds away from my goal. I felt great, had a new wardrobe.Then problems started. Heartburn. Jumping outofbed to throw up. I was completely defilled and we waited 6 - 8 weeks before starting to fill again. It has never been the same. Ihave had 2 years of problems and have now gained 30 pounds.I am getting frustrated as I paid $16,000 to go under the knife so that I would stop the diet game. Now the story at my clnic is starting to change apparantly. Now I apparantly wont feel the "restriction" I felt previously...that is only the "honeymoon stage". Now it is up to me to stop eating. I need to go onto Fitness pal and choose wisely and eat small portons (1/2 cup of food) only 3 times a day.

What am I missing here? What did I pay $16,000 and undergo surgery for if it doesn't restrict me anymore? If I could diet and monior myself, believe me, I would not have made this choice. Had I known it wasn't a lifetime weight loss I would not have gone through with this.

Please...anyone...has anyone come across the same and made it through? Please tell me that some of you 4+ year banders have had problems and found that good spot again and the weight loss continued?

I to had the same problems you are having, I'm 3 years into my band, I did great until I had 25 lbs more to lose, I was in and out of bed as well the Dr. took out some fluid and I never had it again intil 11 months, I just had a fill and lost 11 lbs and had another one a 1/2 cc, I lost 45 lbs and gained 30 lbs back again now I'm trying to lose it again, I told the Dr. that I needed to be rebanded again because it was scratched, their are 10 cc inthe band and I'm at 7 cc's.

My friend was also banded 2weeks after I was in 2009. She got pregnant and had ababy and the band got all screwed up. She had to go through the surgery again and they adjusted the band. She battled with the nurses to fill her until she finally went to the surgeon. She is now at 6.8cc and nothing. She has gained back all her weight. The nurses are saying now that this is no different than Jenny craig or Weight Watchers! They are forgetting about the $16,000. I could be at WeightWatchers for far less and no complications.

So you are at 7cc and you feel nothing?

I'm very sorry you're struggling.

Is it possible you're looking for "restriction" that the band isn't meant to give? Very often I see people on here expecting the band to control how much they eat or to make them feel "full". Neither are what the band is supposed to do. Sadly, too often people end up too tight with slips from trying to achieve this.

If this is the case, have a look at this link. It explains what the band is supposed to do very well: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Best wishes.

Thanks Missy. I wish I was told that 4 years ago because I can copy and paste otherwise. i haven't gone into to the link but I will...but can you tell me what the band does do for us then?

Read that link she provided.. it explains everything.. I to thought the band was suppose to :"restrict" and was disappointed when when she told me about that link.. I clicked it.. huffin and puffin.. and I read the whole thing, with an open mind.. trying to stay positive. After reading it, it became clear and I now know how to work with my band. I have no restriction, none. But I have made the right choices.. ( most of the time ) and changing my life to become healthy and feeling great. There is no miracle cure out there ladies.. not the bypass, the sleeve , the band. They are all tools. It is suppose to "help" you not do all the work... open your mind, and think about how great you felt when you lost that weight.. you can do it !!

Missy

Thank you. That article was very insightful. I'm scheduled for surgery next week. I now have a much better understanding of the changes I need to make not ones the band makes. The line about if you want to weigh 125 then you must remember to eat like a 125 person. That hit home as when I was in college and weighed 125 I never thought about food and didn't even eat much. I can remember not evening being able to finish a simple ham/cheese sandwich as that was just too much food. Hopefully I'll get back to that point.

Thanks Missy. I wish I was told that 4 years ago because I can copy and paste otherwise. i haven't gone into to the link but I will...but can you tell me what the band does do for us then?

The simplest way to explain what the band does do is this: It allows you to go longer, on less food, without hunger. A good barometer to whether you need another fill is asking yourself if you can go at least 4 hours on a cup or less of food without hunger. If no, then you might need a fill.

Some people do find they can't eat certain foods after getting the band. However, how tight or loose your band is entirely up to you. I can eat pretty much anything but I don't want my band super tight. For me, just tight enough to keep the hunger at bay is perfect.

Another good example: When you have adequate Fluid in your band, your eyes are often bigger than stomach. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered food, thinking it was small enough, only to realize after eating maybe 1/4 of it I am no longer hungry or interested in eating.

Hang in there, it's never too late to learn more and start fresh