Hi there. I have not posted in quite some time, nor have I been reading other posts religiously as I once did. I am hoping to hear from some other people that are years into this banded life that can shed some light on some things for me. I was banded in the summer of '05. I was pretty sure that I would lose every single extra pound in the first six months. I didn't, but I did lose about 30 pounds. In the first year I lost a total of 40 pounds. I was pretty happy with that. In the second year, I reverted to some of the emotional eating that made me fat in the first place, but managed to stay stable despite myself. In the third year, which will end in August, I have managed to gain back all 40 pounds. In the beginning of the year, I was teetering on being too tight. I didn't want to gain weight so I kept it that way. Over the course of a few months, it seemed to get tighter as I gained a few more pounds because of all of the soft foods I was eating.

Then my surgeon left town. That was the biggest blow, because she was amazing. I found myself on my own and I had no idea what to do. By the time I found a new surgeon I had gained about 15 pounds because it was too tight. The new surgeon, although nice, had no clue what to do. He took Fluid out of my band, but way too much. This left me with almost no restriction and have since gained back every pound that I originally lost.

I'm going to a new surgeon tomorrow, one that has a great reputation from what I have read. I am hoping to be able to start all over and find success again. Has anyone had luck years later? I am frustrated today, and have been for quite some time. I have even been considering looking into alternative surgeries. I never thought I would consider that.

Any advice and/or similar experiences would be so helpful to me right now. I am really hopeful that by Christmas, I can manage to get my weight back down below 200. I'm at 260 right now. Thanks to anyone who has advice or encouragement for me, and thanks for reading this far! I'm hoping that involving myself in a support group will help me get this thing together.

Thanks!

Edited May 19, 200818 yr by ts505050

Don't worry TS you can do it, look at all the suport you have. Welcome Back!

Lana

I wish you luck ts505050. Hopefully this new surgeon can help you with your problems and knows what he's doing. Congrats on starting your journey again. Welcome back to LBT.

Congrats to Shore too for starting her journey once again!!

My admiration goes out to both of you. I am glad you are back. Thanks for sharing your stories.

Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy TS!!!!!!!!!!

i decided to get this band because my sister did,,she was banded in nov 2007 day before thanksgiving,,i had to laugh that took guts,,,she has lost close to 50 pounds pre op band post op,,she is not losing like she thought 25lbs was pre op,,,but she is not discouraged,,,she is off a couple of meds,,and has not gained any weight back but is at a full 14cc she maybe losing less than a pund a week but is very happy with the band,,like she said i've never been able to lose weight and keep it off,,she said tonight if this is all the weight i lose and am off 2 meds that she has been taking for years this is a total victory with her,,and maybe one year out shes down 60lbs 2 years maybe 70 3 years maybe 80 5 yrs maybe the hundred she would like to lose,,,shes not gaining weight,, she is also a RN,,and told me this is going to be a marathon and not a sprint,,,i know i have not been banded yet and have no room to talk,,but it made me feel good knowing i will be able to get on the phone and call her,,well i'll shut my mouth now,,or my index finger that is:smile:

Great job TS and Shore for getting back on track!

That's the great thing about the band--it's always there to work for us when we want to be serious about it, unlike most (all?) of the other surgeries that work best in the first year or so.

I really like the analogy of a Porche sitting in your garage. It's easy to get used to it just being there and not really using it. I'm only 14 months out and while I'm close to goal, I can totally see how easy it would be to regain. It's hard to stay on track every day and chase down these last few lbs as it is.

Kudos to you, TS, for coming to the board for support. That took a lot of courage, and belief in yourself. And your story helps those of us who don't have the benefit of your experience yet. Thanks for sharing it! And keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks everyone for responding to this...A little update today: I went to my new surgeon on Monday. And WHOA. I remember what restriction is and why I was able to lose all that weight in the first place. When the last surgeon took Fluid out, I think I kind of looked at it like a vacation from restriction. My vacation turned into a sabatical and I forgot what real restriction was. It took me months to get in to see a new surgeon, and even though I wish I hadn't, I took full advantage of the ability to eat semi-normally again. I'm ready to give that up for good if it means my clothes will start to fit again! My "whoa is me" attitude is all gone today and I'm ready to make this thing work. I have 70 pounds to lose. It might take me two years, but I plan to lose it. Every single bit of it.

I didn't utilize this forum when I first began this journey, in all honesty, it was a lot easier then. I guess the honeymoon is waaaay over and it's time to take care of business.

I plan to stay involved in this and learn from other successes and offer insight of my own when I can. Thanks!

Welcome back!! Admitting you need help is half the battle! I find that almost everyone on here is awesome at showing support. There are some though that think they have all the answers, and trust me they are WAY off. So we are glad you have joined us. We are all in this together!!

ts!! I was thrilled to read this.

Yes I'm starting over, too. I got a fill for the first time in a long time in March and could not BELIEVE how startling real restriction is.

I've lost 16 lbs since March's fill, and it's slow and steady. I figure 8 lbs a month is good so I'm not letting my surgeon know how awesome I'm doing in case she wants to unfill me -- hee hee! When I'm under 3lbs/month I'll go back, or if I'm hungrier - whichever comes first.

That's what I love about the band. You can relive fresh banding over and over again :wink2:

hi ts - you can do this! my sister was one of the first bandsters ever, and it took her years of ups and downs, but she is now a size 4 from a size 20 and maintaining. this is a journey, and you can keep starting over. she did, many times, and finally got it.

(i just got banded on friday, so can't talk much from experience)

i wish you all the luck in the world!!!

Hey BayCity...tell your sister she is officially my hero. I never need to be that small...I'm way too tall, but if I can make it to size 10 WHOOHOO!

I had a fill last Monday, as I said I was...and have lost about four pounds since. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure it is too tight. I can't get hot coffee down in the morning. Not good...I am going to call the new surgeon that I really liked and get a slight unfill so I'm not spending my days sick.

I am so happy that I reached out for support, it has been so helpful. I hit a wall thinking that if I hadn't reached my goal already I never would. Now I absolutely know that I will get there. This has been a huge adjustment again, I forgot what actual restriction was. I hope that other people can be inspired by this and keep fighting instead of giving up like I was about to do.

Things are good...and will just get better. (Particularly when I am able to take liquid Tylenol without barfing it up right after...

I just joined this forum last night. I just put a post in the intro section http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/need-go-back-fill-after-3-yr-absence-weight-gain-rhode-island-64424/

I too have been off the "wagon" for the last 3+ years and wondering if I was alone or if I could restart the whole process. TS, thanks for your post, It really helps to know that not everyone has a sucess story. I ready to do whatever it takes to get down to my ideal weight but I need to levage this lapband since i went through all the work of getting it.

Chris

Chia...I just read your post in the intro thread and it sounds like we are in the same boat. I was ready to give up for about two seconds, but I'm going for the new start. I've gotten many messages from people that have started over after years. I'm hopeful that I can make this work. If you need support, look for it...that is what I am doing. Do you have a fill scheduled? Are you going to look for a new surgeon? It is my opinion that it is imperative to have a surgeon you can trust and count on.

TS, this forum is helping me so I don't feel like a loser since I went through all the work of getting a lap-band and not using it as intended. It's nice to see that other people understand that nothing is cut and dry nor works on the first attempt. As they say, sh!t happens and you need to move forward. TS, as long as we keep trying, that is all we can do. Better late then never!!

"The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed."

-- Nelson Boswell