I’m so frustrated right now. I had lap band surgery <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:date Month="4" Day="3" Year="2007">April 3<SUP>rd</SUP>, 2007</st1:date>. I was so excited! I was finally going to lose the weight for GOOD! And yet, here I sit almost a year later, still fat and unhappy!

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I lost about 37 pounds after surgery. I lost weight for 2 months, and then it STOPPED. COMPLETELY stopped! I haven’t dropped another ounce since! I knew going into this, that it wouldn’t be a miracle cure. But I just KNEW it would work for me! I knew if I could just GET that band, I could MAKE it work for me!!

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I have had 6 fills, and I still have no restriction. It’s getting really expensive to get fills. $300 a pop! I just don’t get it. I see it on fluoro. The barium goes down, and stops. I “feel” tight, and then I go home and ALL restriction is GONE.

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I am eating solid foods. I don’t drink with meals. And I might add that I can eat quite a BIT of solids! The only thing I CAN’T eat is scrambled eggs! They get stuck EVERYTIME. I guess I could go on a scrambled egg diet! I bought Lean Cuisine meals just for the portion control, but after I eat one, I’m STILL STARVING. I do get tight around my period. Then things get stuck, before I even realize what has happened!

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I’ve had people tell me, “You’re just not at your sweet spot yet.” But is that true? I don’t know. I’ve never felt this magical thing called “restriction.” I have felt “STUCK food” and have PB’ed several times, but I don’t know about restriction. Am I just NOT there yet, or is this just not gonna work for me?? My cousin and I are identical in eating patterns, build, even emotions. She has had her band for 2 years, and has lost 100 pounds. So, I keep thinking , “WHY CAN’T I??? I have a 4cc band. I really don’t know how much is in it. I’m guessing around 2.8cc’s. My fill doc didn’t tell me last time.

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I don’t THINK I have a leak. But, I have worried about that A LOT. My fill doc is going to use Omnipaque (thicker saline) when I get my next fill. Has anyone heard of this, or had experience with this?

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I don’t mean to gripe. I know this is a great tool! And, I KNOW that you DO have to work with it. But right now, I don’t feel like it is helping me at all. Well, I haven’t gained back the 37 pounds, and I AM happy about that, but I want to get down to 150. That is my goal. That is 60 pounds away though, and I really NEED this band to help me.

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Has anyone else felt this way, or am I some kind of NUT?

Thanks,

Donna

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">sorry to hear what is happening....i know i can eat too...more then i think i should...i will be going for my first fill tomorrow hopefully.

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I felt so helpless, reading your post, because I want to say something miraculous that is going to suddenly turn it around for you--and I don't know what to say...

Okay, so first of all are you getting any Protein shakes in during the day? After I have my shake mid-morning, I am totally satiated for hours. Also, have you begun or are you continuing to exercise? Besides being terrific for your physical body, the mental benefits are limitless--not to mention it's time away from food.

I got good restriction on my last (third) fill, bringing me to 2.5cc in a 10cc band. I can eat between 1/2 to 1 cup of food at each meal and I avoid carbs like the plague (and I really limit the amount of food I intake regardless of how much I can hold--to help the Band work)

Told you I couldn't come up with anything miraculous and I'm sorry--please keep trying via a Food Log, Shakes, and Exercise...

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Try eating 5-6 small meals at around 1500 calories (well balanced). And exercise like crazy 6-7 times a week. This is how I have lost my weight thus far because I really don't have much restriction.

I am sure the double post was an accident..

I am very sorry you are going through this. It really puts a perspective on things when I have such a tough decision to make on this surgery.

Have you talked to your doctor? How much Fluid is he removing when you have a fill? My doctor says that the band is a pressurized system so the fluid comes out when he inserts the needle for a fill. He can then see how much comes out, which would let him know if there is a leak. Did you know at the time of your last fill what your fill level was, and you have forgotten, or doesn't your doctor discuss it with you?

I think communication between a patient and doctor is essential in this process. Is your doctor open to discussing your difficulties? If you are truly filled 2.8 in a 4.0 band, you should have felt some restriction at some point for more than a day or two. And yes, getting stuck and pbing are an indication of restriction, although not necessarily the best level of restriction. Have you experienced pain when you ate too fast? Sliming? These are all results of restriction. In a perfect world we would hit a fill point where we are smart enough to stop eating before experiencing these symptoms, but I'm not smart enough and my world isn't perfect.

Have you ever had a different doctor give you a fill? I don't know who your fill doctor is or anything about your doctor and do not want to make groundless accusations, but I have heard reports of doctors not giving sufficient fills in order to encourage their patients to come in more often. I see you were a patient of Dr. Ortiz; are you going to him for fills? He has two fill doctors on his staff; Dr Romero is quite aggressive with fill amounts, while Dr Acosta is more conservative. I have been very happy with my fills there and with the information Dr Romero has always been ready to provide to me. My husband has seen Dr Acosta, who seems very willing to discuss my husband's experiences with his band and give him good advice and even an additional fill although Dr Acosta felt that it was questionable that he needed one.

Working with your band shouldn't be frustrating and full of failure. My daughter had plateaued early on in her banding and switched fill doctors. When she did, she found that her first fill doctor had been way too conservative and was not giving her the restriction she needs. After switching to another fill doctor, she has resumed losing weight without being too tight, and is very happy with her band.

I'm hoping you and your doctor together can figure out what the problem is. Don't give up.

Dear Sparkette,

Sorry to hear that you are having issues with the band. I went through that for about 6 months (in fact I gained about 5 pounds through the process!). However, once I finally reached restriction everything changed. My last fill was in July of 2007, and my doctor used the OMNIPACQUE. Since then I have had good restriction and I have not lost any of the tightness since then. My band is pretty tight, and I can only eat very little at a time-chew chew chew!. I pretty much rely on protein drinks and vitamins for nutrition, but the weight is melting off and I feel really healthy. The omnipacque was the solution for me, and I hope it works the same for you! Good luck!

Wow Donna; I feel awful for you. I know how exciting being banded is and how we so look forward to this being the last time we have to deal with all the food issues.

I agree with another poster that your physician who banded you should be made aware of your frustration. That would be my first place to go.

Surgery is tough and expensive and you deserve to have the benefit of success with this. I would press the issue until I felt I had answers!!

Best of Luck!

Marie

I think that checking for a leak is a very good idea. That was the first thought in my mind when you said that you had restriction the first day, and then none

i would be worried about a leak as well-

BTW I dont know what kind of band you have, but the allergan recs are to use Omnipaque- it is a contrast agent so that they can spot a leak under flouroscopy. *hugs- hang in there and let us know how things go!

Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful posts! At my last visit, my fill doc checked out my band/port, etc. and said it wasn’t leaking. And, I do tend to have pretty close to the same amount in there when I go back. (it’s impossible to pull ALL of it back out). It’s always within about .5cc.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

He does the fills under fluoro everytime.<o:p></o:p>

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I haven’t done protein shakes. I guess I could give that a try.<o:p></o:p>

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Msmommy, (Kim)<o:p></o:p>

Please don’t shy away form the band because of me. I’ve never regretted having it done, and I was self pay too! I lost 37 pounds, and they haven’t come back. I’m just kinda in a slump right now, but I’m sure I’ll pull through it.<o:p></o:p>

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Snowbird,<o:p></o:p>

I have never been back to Dr. Acosta, or Dr. Romero. I hear that they are far more aggressive with fills than most dr.s in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I wish I could go back there and get a fill. I just can’t afford it at this time. From what I hear, Dr. Romero is the best.

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My primary care dr said she could do fills for me. That was a disaster! She poked me, and jabbed me so many times. She pulled all the saline out, and injected my flesh with 2.6cc’s. When I went back, she couldn’t pull anything out, so she said my band was leaking! I thought she had probably punctured the tubing or something. I should have never let her do it, but she insisted that since she could access chemoports, it would be NO different. I went back to my regular fill doctor. He checked it out, and said it was fine. But, I definitely learned my lesson!<o:p></o:p>

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He always does fluoro, but the barium seems thick, and well, it doesn’t pass through the band that well. It appears to stop, and I get that nauseated feeling, then he pulls a little out until it goes on down. Then I get home and restriction is GONE. Most of the time he tells me exactly how much he puts in there, and takes out etc. However, this last time I forgot to ask.<o:p></o:p>

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Ginger, <o:p></o:p>

Thank you so much for your post!! That really makes me feel better! I hope that Omnipaque will be the answer for me too! <o:p></o:p>

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Thank you all for the advice. Hopefully this next fill will turn things around!<o:p></o:p>

Donna:sad:<o:p></o:p>