My dream came true. I lived it. I'm thankful that i had it, even if only for a short time. My dream for my entire life, since childhood was to be a normal size. I was banded almost 5 years ago. It took almost 2 years to lose about 70 pounds. I even had a size 10 on my butt. (I should have them framed) I was on top of the world. I felt good, I looked good. Time for step 2 of my fit by forty plan. I quit my 3 pack a day smoking habit. Very slowly, the weight started coming back on. I was so careful the first year... only gained about 10 all year. But somehow.. things changed over the next few years. I ended up over filled, then unfilled... Now I am maybe a little bit underfilled, but there doesn't seem to be a fill level that works for me anymore. I've gained it all back. I don't feel good anymore. I certainly don't look good. I never had much for aftercare. I just paid for fills when I needed one. I thought i could have a "do over" If I got to a proper fill, it would be just like before. Nothing is like it was. When I was first banded, I lost weight no matter what. Food just wasn't something that controlled me. It seems to control me again The band just doesn't do it for me anymore. I'm back to dieting, and diets make me fat. Is there ANYONE out there who has gained, but then lost it again? My band is fine... I've had it checked out.. It just doesn't do what it used to. Anyone have any hope for me???

BandyKandy,

Don't give up! All you have to do is start over again. So what!! We are here for you. Try going in for another fill and see how it goes. Yes, it will take time to get to your restriction level, but if you really want this to work for you, you will need to do what it takes.

Hang in there!!!

You should definitely try to get back to a workable restriction level, or as near as you can to one.

It would also be good to revisit bandster rules. What you are eating can make all the difference between losing and not losing. Are you eating lean Proteins, fruits and vegetables, healthy carbs? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you battling head hunger more than physical hunger? All of these things can impact your success.

You had success before, you can have it again. It will help to get back into the bandster mind-set. Good luck.

why not really start over. Why don't you have all of your fill removed. Go on a liquid diet for a week just like you are getting ready for surgery. And then go in and have your band filled slowley like you did in the begining. Try to pretend you never had the band befor this, try to recapture that excitement you had before you had the band. It is so great you quit smoking I have been there to and it is so hard. If you can do it once you can do it again! Hang in there and keep us posted!

I am sorry to hear such a train of events But today is a new day. Just make today the day you start over! I feel for you about the quitting smoking... I am only 32 but smoked for 18 years and when I quit (Before being banded) I gained 42 pounds :biggrin: But here I am... I have actually lost 43 pounds since banding on 4/23 so I have lost the ciggarette weight and working on a healthier me.

Start over is the best solution in my opinion.

why not really start over. Why don't you have all of your fill removed. Go on a liquid diet for a week just like you are getting ready for surgery. And then go in and have your band filled slowley like you did in the begining. Try to pretend you never had the band befor this, try to recapture that excitement you had before you had the band. It is so great you quit smoking I have been there to and it is so hard. If you can do it once you can do it again! Hang in there and keep us posted!

I wouldn't want to start over with removing all fill because it takes so long to get it going again. However, this comment just made me think of a great suggestion.

Have you ever heard of the 5 day pouch test? It is a pouch renewal diet that puts people back on track when they have stalled or just needed to get back on the wagon again. It takes you through liquids-mushies-solids and most people have great weight loss over those days. It is kind of like going through the post surgery diet in 5 days instead of a month. I think it could be great because not only does it get your pouch back in shape, but it also helps get your mindset back inline.

If you are interested in more information, check out this address: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test. This isn't a website to buy anything, but it does give the plan for free in detail and explains alot about hunger/satiety/etc. I think anyone who is really struggling should at least read through it and give it some thought.

I know this may sound extreme, but my friend has a similar problem. She has an old style of band, and her doctor is considering switching hers out with one of the newer models. He even got approval to do it from the manufacturer and they agreed to help with the cost. She'll have a port revision at the same time!!! She never like where it was placed to begin with. Her new doctor is a doll and is doing everything he can to help her. It's just a thought, but maybe something you can ask about?

thanks to all of you for your responses. Some great suggestions. I'm looking at the pouch test page, going to consider that for sure! I have tried "starting over" and I really thought that would work, but its not so far. I am not going to give up, I can never give up.. I want to feel good again. It just seems there isn't a good fill level now... I'll keep hanging around here, thats gotta help.

HELP!!! So upset!

I was banded March 30,2006. My biggest fill was 7.0 cc and I went from 295 to 216 within the first 18 months. I went to my surgeon regularly, and was very pleased with my results. I went to my Dr. in August of 2007 and did not get a fill- stayed at 7 cc, and then went back in December 2007. During my xray the surgeon discovered that my bad was slanted... he de-filled me and put me on a two week liquid diet. I went back, and they could only fill me to 3 cc. January of 2008, I lost my job and my health insurance....I have since gone up to 269 lbs.. and I throw up/vomit several times a day and rarely eat. But for some reason I cannot lose the weight, even though I don't keep much food down. I cannot see any surgeon or specialist, I am currently working, but they don't offer health insurance and I can't afford to just go and self-pay. What do you think is wrong with my band????

Sounds like it has truly slipped. I've read where this has happened to others and their docs did a complete unfill and put them on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks, transitioning to mushy food for a couple of weeks. In some cases, the band moves back to where it should be. Not always, though. In those cases, the band has to be removed and after a waiting period you can have another one placed.

I know my surgeon actually stitches the band into place. He told me this is to prevent slippage. I've had not problems so I can't compare experience to what I was told.

I think you should probably bite the bullet and go to your doc for a fluroscope to definitely know what's happened. You certainly can't continue on the path you're on now, vomiting so often. It's not good for you AT ALL. True vomiting upsets your electrolyte balance, and the stomach acid that comes up can erode your esophagus and even the enamel on your teeth.

Let us know what the doc says and how you're doing!

thanks to all of you for your responses. Some great suggestions. I'm looking at the pouch test page, going to consider that for sure! I have tried "starting over" and I really thought that would work, but its not so far. I am not going to give up, I can never give up.. I want to feel good again. It just seems there isn't a good fill level now... I'll keep hanging around here, thats gotta help.

You can do it, don't give up. It feels harder because it is harder this time. Smoking artificially raises your metabolism. Quitting is so worth it! You will live longer because of your actions. But now you will need time to adjust to your new lower metabolism.

You can do it, just give your self time, it may take longer, you may need to work out a little more than before. You can get back to your size 10.

I'm very sorry to hear that your weight loss journey has not been a complete success. It does seem to me that consistent after care and a good support system are key to long term success.

I am currently mentoring another lapband member that is in almost the exact same situation as you. She lost 80 pounds in the beginning. Her aftercare was pretty much hit and miss. She had some difficulty with food getting stuck and vomiting for a bit, so they did a slight unfill which left her a bit looser than optimum restriction. Right after that she moved, and her new doctor was someone she saw when she felt like she needed a fill. He was not counseling her on her nutrition or even suggesting when to return for her next fill. As a consequence she gained all of the weight back. When we started talking she had pretty much given up. I met her in the chat room and explained to her that in my opinion she could succeed at this. I think that getting the band and not getting proper aftercare is like buying an electric drill and then trying to use it without power. You have the tool, but you have to know how to use it correctly or it just simply will not work.

She has lost 15 pounds and is on her way to getting down again. She understands that the band is not a magic cure for weight loss, though it may seem like that at first. It is a tool to help us succeed only. We still have to make a commitment to this journey and we still have to work very hard in order to succeed at the loss and sustain that loss.

We email every day, and text all day long, and the support and constant reminders seem to be helping her a lot.

I think the 5 day pouch renewal test is a great option for you as a start. After that, when you start solid food again I strongly suggest that you follow the lapband rules of eating. Lean solid protein first, then veggies after. Try to stay away from the carbs as much as possible, at least at first.

This is a rule my doctor gives me to identify when I need a fill, and I think its a good one: If you cannot eat 3 ounces of solid protein in one meal, then you are too tight,. If you eat the 3 ounces and you are still hungry or become hungry soon thereafter, you are probably too loose. I would suggest by all means that you keep trying for that "sweet spot". Not only will that help you with the amount of food you're eating, but I'm sure you remember how seldom you feel hungry when restriction is optimal.

Good luck with your restart, I have complete confidence that you will succeed again. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. I'm a firm believer that the band can be a permanent "solution" to our obesity problems if we know how to use it, and follow band rules. It's not easy by any means, but it can be done and the rewards, as you know, are worth it.

Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your huge success with quitting smoking. That is HUGE!!!!! You have prolonged your life by giving them up, now you just need to get back on band track.

Again, good luck. Let me know if I can help in any way.

xoxo

w

The way I look at it is that you still have the tool, and it's still in good order and can work if and when you are ready to start using it properly again. It worked once, it can work again. So don't ever loose hope! In fact, just remember that since you did it once, you can definately do it again...where did you read/figure out that if you gained the the lost weight back...that was it, your chances were over? it just doesn't make any sense.

I had to self-pay my own lap band and at a price of $18,000, I figure that I'd better not take any chances and get psychological therapy as well as all the usual support group and aftercare stuff. I didn't think I had any food/eating issues, but it turned out I did, and by dealing with them, it's helping me out alot with the weight loss.

Nicotine is a very strong addiction, but trust me, food is an even bigger and stronger addiction than nicotine! I am sorry if this sounds very blunt, but if you are finding ways to eat though your band, and can't stop yourself, then maybe you could get some help.

Sounds like it has truly slipped. I've read where this has happened to others and their docs did a complete unfill and put them on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks, transitioning to mushy food for a couple of weeks. In some cases, the band moves back to where it should be. Not always, though. In those cases, the band has to be removed and after a waiting period you can have another one placed.

I really wish you would stop doing this. You are frightening people and in reality there is nowhere near enough information from that post to diagnose a slip. She's gaining weight so she's keeping some food down. We do not know what she is eating, perhaps stress in her life from no insurance coverage for her band is causing her to be too tight, there is just no way there is enough information in that post for you to jump to a slip.

I know my surgeon actually stitches the band into place. He told me this is to prevent slippage. I've had not problems so I can't compare experience to what I was told.

AGAIN... every surgeon sews the band into place. If they didn't it would be a great reason for medical malpractice. It would be like giving someone an injection and forgetting to fill the syringe with the drug.