I had surgery two years ago...In one year I had ten fills...yes ten....I never lost any weight...period...neither did my friends whose husbands work with mine...they also had tons of fills....I went for a fill....It was filled so much I would throw up all the time...I went back had the fill removed...and got a barium test done...I am very deeply sadden...I have insurance....everytime I get a fill it only cost me 25 dollars...but they charge my insurace 800.00 if I went and paid for the fill myself it would be only 100.00 dollars.....

I am very very depressed.....I feel very confused about this...I can't lose weight if the band is not restricted...but when I went to get the last fill....he said I might need a smaller band....now that is more money down the drain..........

I am so unhappy...and so tired of it all....I wanted to lose weight...In two years I weight now just what I did when I got the lap band....

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY:frown:

I totally feel your pain. See my post in the general thread. I too feel defeated and hopeless. But I am trying my best. I don't really know what I need to do but I have to do something. I pay out of pocket $180 for each fill I think. But I need to hit that sweet spot and try to loss weight. I just keep thinking I didn't pay all this money and go through all this pain for nothing. We should be band buddies. Pm and we can coordinate some stuff. :wink: Lets try to stay positive and beat this thing.:smile:

hello.. I feel u 2, i had my band on 12/07 and had my 1st fill on 2/2/08 .at first i was loosing wt ,but it stop on 2nd week,I was so worried, had my 2nd fill end of 2/08..i felt little ristriction.. and lost little... and it did stop again...i need help.

Well I think because my insurance paid for every thing he decided to take ummm advantage of it

Hey Midnite

I was just wondering what your daily caloric intake is and if you are exercising on a regular basis. It seems impossible to me that if you were at 1200 calories as recommended that you would not have lost any weight in 2 years. Have they checked to make sure you are not leaking at all?

again, I am confused by responses...I am newly banded and working my ass off to ensure I didn't make the wrong choice...The 1200 calorie thing is great advice...But it isn't because we couldn't do it on our own through will power and determination that we got this band??? Shouldn't it be that the band should make it almost impossible to go over that each day...(assuming we do not sabotage ourselves by eating 3 cups of ice cream or melted cheese each day) . I'm not being pessimistic or negetive here...Just trying to get a feel for the way the band works...I need help...That's why I choose this...If I had enough strength to limit my calorie intake and exercise on a regular basis I would never have been here in the first place.

When you met with the doctor prior to your surgery did he not tell you that the band is only a tool. The doctor told me he could not guarantee success because he cannot control what I put in my mouth. It was also made very clear to me that I would need to make lifestyle changes. I know it is not easy. I hate going to the gym everyday. But I hate being fat even worse. When I made the decision to get this band, I promised myself I would be successful no matter what.

I Completely agree...Excersize is vital...As Is a healthy diet...But isn't the band supposed to make it a whole lot easier to follow through with that healthy diet??? I'm just feeling like the band should make it almost impossible to over-eat...(except for the fluid calories like mentioned above).And if we eat a whole lot less and add exercise, we should be almost guaranteed significant weight loss... Certainly this is the expectation of most people going into this surgery...No??? Again, I'm not being critical of anyone's posts...Just trying to get a grasp on this thing for myself...as I am 8 weeks out and still without a fill.

I walk 40 minutes a day on my treadmill...I never had any restriction period....during those two years....Their were three of us women whose husbands worked at the same job...and not one of us ever lost any weight period......I find that strange...especially because our insurance covered each fill...we only had to pay 25 dollars for our fills......but to have 10 fills in one year...Don't you think that is a bit to much? I just had a barium done a month ago...and have never heard from the doctor period about it.....I also drink 64 ounces of water per day.....I cant eat wildly since I am diabetic...I don't have my fill ...they took it all out.....I am so very depressed........about this.....See each time I go in to get a fill!!! My doctor charges my insurance at first 600 dollars...Now he charges my insurance 800.00......If I went and paid for the fill myself and not use insurance....it would cost me 100.00...so in one year my insurance paid 8,000.00 for ten fills, that doesn't make sense to me at all....and why should I have had ten fills ...when you should only need perhaps three per year...if that....When I went in to get my first fill...My doctor didn't even know what band he put in ...and they had to call the hospital to find out....How can you lose weight.....when you have know restriction? If I was going to have no restriction..should of never got the band..I was never put on a 1200 calorie diet...The one thing I do know is Their is no such word as diet....That is what got us here...we most likely tried every diet in the world....the key is to eat right...and eat healty....and eat less.......that is why we had the band...to help us eat less....but if your not restricted...ya gonna be eating just about what ya ate before ya had it............

Midnite, I feel so sorry for your horrible experience. This is kind of unrelated but not really. I am a Case Manager for worker's comp cases. You have no idea how many doctor's are crooks. There are so many that drag out treatment just to charge for the extra office visits. It really sounds like your doctor was inexperienced (he didn't know which band he put in...) and he is ripping off you insurance company by charing 800 for a fill, that is insane. I think if you can afford to go to a fill center or another doctor it would be worth your money. I am self pay and I would pay again to have this band. I haven't lost a ton of weight but I am losing steadily. I just had my 2nd fill and I have total restriction already. I travel to Mexico for my fills (only a 2hour drive) and my fill doc is an agressive filler. You deserve to have this work for you. Find a new doctor!!!!! There are great doctor's out there that want their patients to do well and will give you fills to make it worth your visit. Do some research on doctor's and fill centers. Good luck to you!

I had surgery two years ago...In one year I had ten fills...yes ten....I never lost any weight...period...neither did my friends whose husbands work with mine...they also had tons of fills....I went for a fill....It was filled so much I would throw up all the time...I went back had the fill removed...and got a barium test done...I am very deeply sadden...I have insurance....everytime I get a fill it only cost me 25 dollars...but they charge my insurace 800.00 if I went and paid for the fill myself it would be only 100.00 dollars.....

I am very very depressed.....I feel very confused about this...I can't lose weight if the band is not restricted...but when I went to get the last fill....he said I might need a smaller band....now that is more money down the drain..........

I am so unhappy...and so tired of it all....I wanted to lose weight...In two years I weight now just what I did when I got the lap band....

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY:frown:

Something is wrong if several people with the same Dr are having the same problem. I would call the ins co and ask to talk to the fraud dept. Tell them what you suspect and they might have another Dr. check you and the other ladies for the amount of fill etc. to see if there is a case against the Dr.

Wow this is awful and so sorry this happened to you, can you go to another dr. and find out if there is any way he can give you a fill?

My dr. will only do three fills. says that is all you need after that is is the dr.making money...i got banded nov 06 and have had 2 fills lost 78 lbs with 40 or so to go...

I Completely agree...Excersize is vital...As Is a healthy diet...But isn't the band supposed to make it a whole lot easier to follow through with that healthy diet??? I'm just feeling like the band should make it almost impossible to over-eat...(except for the Fluid calories like mentioned above).And if we eat a whole lot less and add exercise, we should be almost guaranteed significant weight loss... Certainly this is the expectation of most people going into this surgery...No??? Again, I'm not being critical of anyone's posts...Just trying to get a grasp on this thing for myself...as I am 8 weeks out and still without a fill.

You say that you haven't had a fill yet. After I was banded, but before a fill, I was starving and felt just as you describe. But, now that I have had 2 fills (5cc.+1cc=total of 6cc in a 9cc band) the band is working very well. I have only mild restriction with this amount of fill but it is enough that I can eat any type of food and comfortably stay between 1000-1200 calories/day. The lapband tool is now working for me and allowing me to lose weight as I had hoped. Hang in there and get your fill/s until you have adequate restriction and you'll cease being disappointed with your band.

i dont understand how u can have 10 fills. Where is the saline going? There is only so much space in the band..... I am on week 6. feeling little to no restriction and I am hopefully getting first fill on Thursday. Said he will probably do 3 cc.... I dont understand how you can have 10 fills. Most bands arent any larger than 10 cc... Something seems wrong here

Oh Man, I feel for you. I want you to know that this does NOT sound normal. I hate to say it, but the one person was right who said it sounded like your doc is a crook...more interested in money than in your success. Is there another site you can go to to get fills? Will another doc take you on? How much is in your band now and how big of a band do you have? I would DEMAND a fill of decent restriction and do a follow up every 10-14 days until you get the restriction you need. You SHOULD be able to eat 1200 cals or less and it should not be hard to do with the band. The other person was right...that is what the band is all about...to help us control our food intake. Good luck. Please give us a follow up. I'm very interested in knowing what happens.

I Completely agree...Excersize is vital...As Is a healthy diet...But isn't the band supposed to make it a whole lot easier to follow through with that healthy diet??? I'm just feeling like the band should make it almost impossible to over-eat...(except for the Fluid calories like mentioned above).And if we eat a whole lot less and add exercise, we should be almost guaranteed significant weight loss... Certainly this is the expectation of most people going into this surgery...No??? Again, I'm not being critical of anyone's posts...Just trying to get a grasp on this thing for myself...as I am 8 weeks out and still without a fill.

At 8 weeks out, you're probably not feeling the full effect of a well restricted band yet, so dont panic. What you are saying is reasonable to a degree but be prepared, it DOES take quite a lot of work and for most people the band does not eliminate head hunger, that vague I just want to eat something even though I"m not hungry feeling. YOu have to learn to deal with that - but dealing with it means you deal BETTER with it than you did, not that you become some perfect eater. Near enough IS good enough over the longer term, as long as your habits improve in general, you'll most likely get results, then its down to you just how low you want to go, it takes more and more work the closer you get to a healthy weight but you get stronger and stronger.

The band doesnt make it impossible to overeat and it certainly doesnt make it impossible to go over 1200 calories a day. You have to choose right, which you understand (no liquid calories) but you can snack, graze, nibble your way through a lot of calories in a day and you have to remain conscious of your tendency to choose foods you can eat more easily. Even when they're healthy ones. So often I eat yogurt, Soup, crackers instead of a sandwich (which takes WORK) and there I am 2 hours later lookign for something else to eat. The extra effort on the sandwich means I dont eat till my next meal, but you dont consciously think "I'm going to eat something easier becuase I cant be bothered with the sandwich", you just think "I feel like yogurt, dont really want a sandwich". Its not easy, its a habit you have to constantly be on top of.

The band only makes it impossible to eat a lot at one sitting. There's a lot of user effort with this thing but surprisingly, most of us CAN do it even after a lifetime of failed dieting. Just dont expect perfection from yourself, it takes time to build new habits, I think it was an entire YEAR before I really could grasp what a proper sized dinner was for me.