Have lap band since 2008. It was very successful I maintained my weight of 140 from 2009 to 2013. Then suddenly I lost the feeling of any restriction and feeling full. It is like I don't have the band at all. long story short ,surgeon ordered xray, found the pouch was not larger , but chalk Fluid went right through. He refilled the fluid then checked it was still three by extracting fluid 6 weeks later . He said it was fixed. No new x-ray or anything else even though I told him it was still not working at all. Nothing has changed - still no restriction, not feeling full. I can eat even large bites without chewing The weight is coming back . I know what it feels like when the band it working. Something has changed. What could possibly cause this? What can I do to discover the problem and fix it. I am desperate as I need to get it working again. My surgeon could care less. I would appreciate any help.

Is he refusing to give you more fills?

Time to shop around for another bariatric doctor? There may be a financial cost in moving your bariatric needs elsewhere but sounds like it's necessary. Could be tough though? Most docs don't want to take on issues created by another doctor? And, will your insurance support it?

Otherwise, you're going to have to confront your current doctor and be assertive if that's in your personality makeup? Doctors can be real A-holes sometimes. Their egos can get in the way of their bedside manners. But, if moving your business isn't possible, you have no other choice, right?

tmf

Sometimes as we lose weight and our body changes the level of restriction we need in our band changes. If 3cc worked for you in the past you may now need 4 or 3.5. So give your doc a call and go back in for another fill.

Recently due to some stress and being sick the level of fill I had in my band was just too much for me after months of being fine, and I had to take some Fluid out to relive the pressure of feeling stuck all the time on nothing.

So it's not uncommon for restriction levels to change. Give your doc a call and let them know you need more of an adjustment.

I'm always confused by terms people use. When I attempt to follow the 'feeling full/feeling restricted' range of thought, I never seem to find any behavioral control or meal satisfaction.

What has worked well for me, is the notion of "hunger" means 'eat' and 'not hunger' means 'NO eat'.

Whether one bite or 10, when I'm under 'good control' and 'being Bandlike' in my meals, the absolute most meaningful management tool I could rely on, was my newly learned skill of recognizing when I was actually 'hungry'. In the bad old preOp days, I NEVER knew what 'hunger' and 'not hunger' were....cause I was always eating so I wouldn't become a dreadful 'hungry' person.

I feel your frustration. I was banded in 2005. Lost down to 145 lbs. I was estatic.Then, last year I started having trouble. Reflux, vomiting, chest pain. My doc sent me for EGD and found that I had dilatation of the esophagus from being too tight with band fluid. I was dumbfounded. Never heard of anything like that, or that it could happen! I was just thrilled being thin and not being able to pig out. So. he removed all of the fluid from my band and told me to restrict calories and carbs in my diet until the dilatation ceased. Even went so far as to say he might have to remove my band altogether. in six months I have regained 45 lbs. they have recently began refiling me. I have an appt 4/7. I am so disgusted with myself. When my band was "working" I could eat anything and not gain. I could have one cup of food and be satisfied. now i think about food constantly. I am amazed that you can regain so quickly. i know i should go on a diet, but that is what made me get banded in the first place! I couldn;t stay on a diet. i am at a loss. my life is in turmoil, because my self esteem lies in my appearance. Sadly, so. i feel like a failure.

I feel your frustration. I was banded in 2005. Lost down to 145 lbs. I was estatic.Then, last year I started having trouble. Reflux, vomiting, chest pain. My doc sent me for EGD and found that I had dilatation of the esophagus from being too tight with band Fluid. I was dumbfounded. Never heard of anything like that, or that it could happen! I was just thrilled being thin and not being able to pig out. So. he removed all of the fluid from my band and told me to restrict calories and carbs in my diet until the dilatation ceased. Even went so far as to say he might have to remove my band altogether. in six months I have regained 45 lbs. they have recently began refiling me. I have an appt 4/7. I am so disgusted with myself. When my band was "working" I could eat anything and not gain. I could have one cup of food and be satisfied. now i think about food constantly. I am amazed that you can regain so quickly. i know i should go on a diet, but that is what made me get banded in the first place! I couldn;t stay on a diet. i am at a loss. my life is in turmoil, because my self esteem lies in my appearance. Sadly, so. i feel like a failure.

Sadly, tight bands seem to be the root of so many slips, dilations, failures and erosions. It's my opinion that all surgeons should offer a once a year or two years check up with barium swallow to make sure the pipes are working correctly. I don't know how long you went between surgeon visits but I see people post all the time who have gone years and years without a checkup. Not your fault, you got in on the ground floor before much of this was known. Hope it works for you.

I feel your frustration. I was banded in 2005. Lost down to 145 lbs. I was estatic.Then, last year I started having trouble. Reflux, vomiting, chest pain. My doc sent me for EGD and found that I had dilatation of the esophagus from being too tight with band Fluid. I was dumbfounded. Never heard of anything like that, or that it could happen! I was just thrilled being thin and not being able to pig out. So. he removed all of the fluid from my band and told me to restrict calories and carbs in my diet until the dilatation ceased. Even went so far as to say he might have to remove my band altogether. in six months I have regained 45 lbs. they have recently began refiling me. I have an appt 4/7. I am so disgusted with myself. When my band was "working" I could eat anything and not gain. I could have one cup of food and be satisfied. now i think about food constantly. I am amazed that you can regain so quickly. i know i should go on a diet, but that is what made me get banded in the first place! I couldn;t stay on a diet. i am at a loss. my life is in turmoil, because my self esteem lies in my appearance. Sadly, so. i feel like a failure.

You aren't a failure. You were smart enough to realize that dieting doesn't work in the longterm and you opted for a band. Unfortunately you had to have a six month break, which allowed the hunger to come back into the equation.

Now you are back on the road to a good banded life, and those 45 pounds will come off, because you've got your tool back and will soon be at a good fill level once more. I'm glad you were able to rectify the pouch dialation with the unfill, and did not have to get your band removed.

I had to get a temporary (three month) partial unfill, going from 6 cc to 3 in a 10 cc band. I can totally relate to what you are saying here about hunger and always having food on your mind. It really is night and day, isn't it? I can't believe I even was ever successful losing weight without the band, because being constantly hungry and triggered by every single food ad is a state I'd forgotten about with my lovely lapband.

I wish you another round of success now that you've got the band up and going, and please be gentle on yourself. The weight you gained back will come off just fine.

I take some of the blame. I knew I was really tight, but the feel of being able to fit into very small sizes had my head in the clouds. Additionally, the Dr. Office had a new nurse/practitioner. She didn't have a CLUE what she was doing. (Stuck herself while filling me, I had to have an HIV test. She missed my port another time, and "filled" my ? . She got so frazzled during my next fill (cuz she couldn't find my port, again) she left the room with me standing in the xray lab with the syringe hanging out of my gut! Not a surprise that she was GONE at my unfill. I asked about her-no answer. I think she was part of the problem. But, patients should be warned about dilatation from being too tight. Just because the scale says you're on the right track doesn't mean all is well!

I take some of the blame. I knew I was really tight, but the feel of being able to fit into very small sizes had my head in the clouds. Additionally, the Dr. Office had a new nurse/practitioner. She didn't have a CLUE what she was doing. (Stuck herself while filling me, I had to have an HIV test. She missed my port another time, and "filled" my ? . She got so frazzled during my next fill (cuz she couldn't find my port, again) she left the room with me standing in the xray lab with the syringe hanging out of my gut! Not a surprise that she was GONE at my unfill. I asked about her-no answer. I think she was part of the problem. But, patients should be warned about dilatation from being too tight. Just because the scale says you're on the right track doesn't mean all is well!

The feeling of being thin is as much an aphrodisiac as food can be. Unfortunately, for those of us who are banded, the consequences can be erosion, dilation and possible band failure.

BTW-My doctor had a family doc in his office two years ago and he was training the doctor on fills. Made me nervous but I've never seen the family doc since. Whew, dodged a bullet!

Ruby , I hate to hear this happen to you, I am in the same boat as you I weight the same as you I'm 5 7 and have been banded since 2007 July I HAVE never had any problems till now I just have my fill taken out about. 4 months as my dr requested and I have put on 40lbs I am so mad at my self . I had gotten down to 142-145 went from a size 22-24 to a size 6-8 I was ecstatic never been that small in my life I was so proud of myself worked out 2 hr a day 7 days a week then all HECK BROKE LOOSE like what happen to you . I have an appt 4/14 to go try another fill if this doesn't work he want to remove it and replace it with the sleeve I told him I don't have $14,000 to do that my insurance doesn't pay for it I would like to see how Ur fill goes if u would like u can email me at mcdkaye66@gmail.com hope all goes well

Have a great day : DKAYE

Do not feel bad about yourself. I am practicing some good habits I picked up while using the band , like eating very slowly and chewing my food completly. I am trying to resist overeating. I am gaining weight slowly, however I am still gaining. If something is not done I fear all the weight will come back. My doctor says the band is filled as much as possible. He obviouly did not listen when I said I have no restriction at all. I have done some research and found there are several ways a band can be leaking not just one way. My doctory has been doing this for a long time yet does not seem to know this. I think he just does not care. If they are filling up your band now you will be able to loose back the weight you have gained. Now that you esophagus is no longer dialated. See if you can find out how to avoid this in the furture. You cannot be the 1st person this has happened to. There must be other people out there who have experienced the same thing but were able to keep their band without further problems with their esophagus. Keep looking and don't despair. This is not your fault. You got the lapband in the first place because you could not keep the weight off without it. Its really not about willpower. It about many other factors like brain chemestry, hormone problems. They are finding out that for many people being overweight has nothing to do with willpower.

I feel your frustration. I was banded in 2005. Lost down to 145 lbs. I was estatic.Then, last year I started having trouble. Reflux, vomiting, chest pain. My doc sent me for EGD and found that I had dilatation of the esophagus from being too tight with band Fluid. I was dumbfounded. Never heard of anything like that, or that it could happen! I was just thrilled being thin and not being able to pig out. So. he removed all of the fluid from my band and told me to restrict calories and carbs in my diet until the dilatation ceased. Even went so far as to say he might have to remove my band altogether. in six months I have regained 45 lbs. they have recently began refiling me. I have an appt 4/7. I am so disgusted with myself. When my band was "working" I could eat anything and not gain. I could have one cup of food and be satisfied. now i think about food constantly. I am amazed that you can regain so quickly. i know i should go on a diet, but that is what made me get banded in the first place! I couldn;t stay on a diet. i am at a loss. my life is in turmoil, because my self esteem lies in my appearance. Sadly, so. i feel like a failure.

Hi, has your surgeon scoped to see if your band may be eroded? Sometimes when you lose your restriction, that can happen. Good luck. Mona

Kiss, are you experiencing any of the satiety signals? Burping, hiccups, runny nose are all signals you've eaten enough.

And can you explain or describe your definition of restriction? Knowledge of how the band works it's magic has changed since you were banded and satiety signals are what we're asked to look for now.

Do not feel bad about yourself. I am practicing some good habits I picked up while using the band , like eating very slowly and chewing my food completly. I am trying to resist overeating. I am gaining weight slowly, however I am still gaining. If something is not done I fear all the weight will come back. My doctor says the band is filled as much as possible. He obviouly did not listen when I said I have no restriction at all. I have done some research and found there are several ways a band can be leaking not just one way. My doctory has been doing this for a long time yet does not seem to know this. I think he just does not care. If they are filling up your band now you will be able to loose back the weight you have gained. Now that you esophagus is no longer dialated. See if you can find out how to avoid this in the furture. You cannot be the 1st person this has happened to. There must be other people out there who have experienced the same thing but were able to keep their band without further problems with their esophagus. Keep looking and don't despair. This is not your fault. You got the lapband in the first place because you could not keep the weight off without it. Its really not about willpower. It about many other factors like brain chemestry, hormone problems. They are finding out that for many people being overweight has nothing to do with willpower.

I feel your frustration. I was banded in 2005. Lost down to 145 lbs. I was estatic.Then, last year I started having trouble. Reflux, vomiting, chest pain. My doc sent me for EGD and found that I had dilatation of the esophagus from being too tight with band Fluid. I was dumbfounded. Never heard of anything like that, or that it could happen! I was just thrilled being thin and not being able to pig out. So. he removed all of the fluid from my band and told me to restrict calories and carbs in my diet until the dilatation ceased. Even went so far as to say he might have to remove my band altogether. in six months I have regained 45 lbs. they have recently began refiling me. I have an appt 4/7. I am so disgusted with myself. When my band was "working" I could eat anything and not gain. I could have one cup of food and be satisfied. now i think about food constantly. I am amazed that you can regain so quickly. i know i should go on a diet, but that is what made me get banded in the first place! I couldn;t stay on a diet. i am at a loss. my life is in turmoil, because my self esteem lies in my appearance. Sadly, so. i feel like a failure.

hi .... im just over two years banded. i had a nasty episode about two weeks ago where i ended up in emergency on a drip . i had severe inflammation and couldnt even keep Water down. The dr took a lot of saline out and told me to come back see him in six weeks. i had xrays done while swallowing the 'barium meal' type drink that they use. All seemed to be in its proper place. 'but, im eating more now than i ever thought it possible to.. i still have about three weeks before i see dr again. ( im assuming i will have a fill then) its so hard, im thinking about food a lot more as well.... Im having more Soups but even so its all calories. Im finding it hard to stay positive as i see myself putting on weight again. im ashamed that i cant even keep myself disciplined for six weeks. I honestly thought i could do better than I have so far. I think i only have about 1 ml of saline in now.

Oh man I wish I could get a refill in six weeks. Why does my doctor make me wait three months? Anyway, it is horrible to be hungry all the time, but I signed up for this for the long term, right? And that means that I have to deal with this unfill in a responsible way. But man I hate being back in the preband mindset...hungry, trying to finding foods to fill me up so I don't go for the calorie-laden treats.

I give myself permission to recognize that THIS IS HARD and I need to keep myself busy, away from my kitchen, and keep looking at myself in the mirror. I will do everything that it takes to just maintain my loss right now. I don't want to have to lose it yet another time.

Courage to all of us as we wait this out.

Hi monymo,

No, He did not "scope" I did and xray drinking that white liquid and they found no restriction. Dr fill the band with 7cc then checked it 6 weeks later and it still had around 7cc however the saline was yellowbrownish. I have just read an article about leaks and maybe its a leak. I hope it is not eroded

Hi, has your surgeon scoped to see if your band may be eroded? Sometimes when you lose your restriction, that can happen. Good luck. Mona