Dear Lap banders.

i hope this email finds you well.... i haven't been on the site for so long. as i feel such a failure with the whole band process.. but decided i would re-visit,, my story goes on a bit .... but has any one else shared my experience.

as a private paying patient i had my band fitted in May 07. Post op i had no restriction what so ever and ate an egg sandwich on day 11 which went down fine.. Had my first band fill. still no restriction. had the second one in july, and i had a tight feeling, and some restriction but not much. however this tight feeling mostly left me after a week or two. i never forced food down, and never pb'd,, but if i ate a sandwich it would be fine, i just needed to eat slower.. i think i could feel the food passing through my stoma a few mins after i ate it. i stopped if i felt full. but it takes a lot for me to feel full. This level of restriction certainly wasn't enough to make me feel full for longer or to make me feel full quicker. like i said i ate the food , then felt it push through my stoma a few seconds later.

i must add i have never eaten if it hurt.. sometimes i felt a bit uncomfortable after eating meat. so i just ate slowly or stopped.

so i have had my 3rd band fill 3 days ago.. the doctor has told me i have a 6 ml swedish lap band, but its not an exact science and the amount they add to it varies. i have had my fills done under fluoro , and now have 10.25 mls in my 6 mls band. the doctor said he can't put anymore in or it will distort the band. This really confuses me. I ask the questions and the medics tell me the band is like a balloon so it inflates.

The doctor said he was surprised as my stoma was tight on fill 2 ,but at the start of fill 3 it was much larger.. he had no explanation as to why this would happen. he then went on to tell me there are other proceedures around (this was like a stab in the chest.... as a private paying patient i don't have another £8000 to pay for more surgery !) and i don't want more proceedures i want this one to work.

so i as i said , i am now on the last band fill !! that's is , its full....... no more saline can be added. and if i don't have restriction now. then thats it !! i am so upset .. since the 3rd fill i am feeling tighter. but am too afraid to eat properly just incase i dont have restriction. i have been having Soup and Protein shake (my medics dont recommend liquid diet after the fill, as i am aware the american doctors do), i have had a few mouthfulls of ham and chicken, bread, and it feels tighter.. but i won't know for sure until i try and eat a meal.. at the minute i am grazing (which is bad) i know. as those calories creep up.

has anyone else found the band just doesn't work.. i would love to feel tight, and to pb...sounds odd i know, but then i would know my band works. as the fills are done under fluoro I know the band has not fell of or anything. i have never forced food down my throat. i have probably ate far too much, but the band hasn't stopped me . so its not done its job !!! if medics tell me its only a tool one more time, i will cry.

i am no fool. I am a failure in the weight loss department and a failure at sticking to diets.. hence i wanted the surgery to help me. and to give me restriction.

thanks for reading this.

Paula,

It sounds like your band might have a leak or when they fill it they are missing the port. I have seen this happen to many. I would have your Dr. do a test to check for a leak and also to ensure he is getting the port during fills.

Hi Ronnie

thanks ever so much for your reply.. its tricky,, they hit the port, as i can see it myself on the x ray........ i will ask them about a leak, not sure how the can check it .. i don't feel as if they are a very supportive medical team. i just end up feeling more and more like a failure !!

you take care

It was a leak in the band that cause my former spouse trouble. We had to get ours replaced and then everything was fine. Hope all is well in the UK. Would love to travel there sometime.

Hi Paula :wave: Your feelings are very normal. It's devistating to put so much money, time, and energy into the band and not lose weight.

First, you're not a failure. This is a learning process. Just because the band hasn't been a great asset before, doesn't mean it can't be or won't be now. Yes, you have to stop that grazing and start having regular meal with lots of Protein. This is difficult...trust me, I know. I find myself doing really well in that department, then slipping into old habits, then doing well again. The difference now is, the times where I do well are longer than my slips AND when I eat the right way and follow the band rules, I really don't feel hungry for several hours.

So, yeah, I also get so sick of the band cliche' of "It's only a tool". BAH! A car is only a tool, but dang if you don't get to you destination faster in a car than a bike, or walking! I think by saying "it's only a tool" kinda minimalizes the awesome asset the band really can be and is! It may only be a tool, but it's a fantastic tool...when used correctly!

So, hang in there sister! Take a chance and eat a real meal! Take it one day at a time...you can only control right now

HI Paula,

I'm so sorry you're having this experience - how frustrating and disappointing to say the least!!! I am waiting for the approval from my ins. for the procedure so I do not have any information for you regarding my own experience. I just wanted to say that I feel terrible for you. I wish I had more encouraging words for you. Just wanted you to know someone was thinking about you!

I would get a consult from another doctor.... I am not well versed in the swedish band, but at my last fill appointment I asked my doctor exactly how much would fit into MY band...

(I have the SMALL band that is marketed to hold 4cc's of saline) He told me that he doesn't have any patients with the small band that has over 5cc's of Fluid

He did say those with the LARGE ap band..... the ones that get fills every two weeks.. he said the Large band will hold over 120cc before it busts...... so unless your band is designed a lot different than these.. I would say your doc is maybe misinformed about how much it could hold.........

For instance my doc had never even heard of the thick Omnipaque fluid.......... and I've seen MANY people have it put in their bands all around this board, because it is thicker and holds better than saline....

Doctors are human.... get a second opinion.

GOOD LUCK! You are NOT a failure... you just need to revisit the RULES and get that baby turned ON!

Hello Paula,

I am from England as well, I live on the South Coast. Try not to get downhearted, sometimes I have wondered if my band is really there! Try and stop and think about what you are doing before you eat. Make sure you sit down to eat with no distractions and eat slowly putting knife and fork down between bites. Sometimes the band only lets you know you have eaten enough if you stop and make yourself aware of it. If you are really hungry between meals try and eat a banana as I find that helps me feel fuller. I have also found that persevering and eating the more difficult foods ensures I eat less and feel fuller. Don't feel like a failure, you aren't, you just need time to adjust. Having weight problems is an emotional rollercoaster and it is normal to have ups and downs. I don't know if any of my advice will help you as we are all so different but don't give up, and don't be hard on yourself

Karin xx

I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I am on day 10 post op and fell into my old habits, just not as much consumption. Anyway, I too thought all this money and I don't have restriction. I really need to get a hold of myself and work this band in my favor and yes, I hate the "its a tool" story. I do hope your third fill is the charm. Let us know.

i know how you feel! ive only had one fill and have no restriction i feel like a failure so much so that im starting to become depressed. dont know what to do i feel like ive wasted all this money

i wish i had the bypass at least there's no going back

HI PAULA, FIRST OF ALL I AGREE WITH EVERYONE ELSE ON HERE, DON,T THINK OF YOURSELF AS A FAILURE YOU HAVE BEEN VERY BRAVE TO FACE UPTO YOUR PROBLEM AN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BY BEING BANDED, I TOO LIVE IN THE UK AND WAS BANDED ON 11 AUG 2007, I LIKE YOU PAID 8000 I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WETHER WE ARE WITH THE SAME SERVICE PROVIDER? I AM NOW SEVEN WEEKS POST OP AND MY HUNGER ONLY TRULY CAME BACK ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND I KNOW I COULD EAT A HOUSE IF I WANTED ...LOL HOWEVER I AM TRYING TO FOLLOW SLIMMING WORLD AT THE MOMENT WHICH WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR ME IN THE PAST EVEN THOUGH LIKE MOST OF US I COULDN,T KEEP IT OFF, HENCE JUST LIKE YOU I HOPE THE BAND WILL HELP ME WITH THIS EVENTUALLY! I AM HAVING MY FIRST FILL ON OCT19TH (TWO WEEKS LATER THAN EXPECTED) AND AM NOT HOLDING OUT MUCH HOPE FOR RESTRICTION AS EVEN MY BARIATRIC NURSE TOLD ME THE FIRST FILL DOESN,T ALWAYS DO MUCH! SO I WILL JUST HAVE TO HANG ON IN THERE AS I HOPE YOU CAN DO, KEEP POSITIVE AND DO ASK THE DOC TO CHECK FOR LEAKS, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT THE MONEY THOUGH AS I TOO CAN,T AFFORD LOTS OF DOC BILLS BUT YOU HAVE COME THIS FAR SO KEEP PUSHING AND MAKE SURE YOU GET THE TREATMENT YOU NEED, GOOD LUCK AND TAKE CARE.