How happy are you with your band?

My band is only doing what I expected of it. I'm not so sure I'M doing what was expected of ME!!

What an excellent way to phrase it! EXACTLY!!

I have a leak not sure yet if it is in the band or the port. I am self pay and I think I will have to pay out of my own pocket to have it fixed. I will not be able to have the leak fixed if this is the case. I cannot afford anymore payments. I have payed a lot of money to have this done to have a malfunction and it not be covered under some kind of warranty. Is there anyone who has any advise for me?:crying:

Thank you!

I'm sorry about your problems! How understanding is your Dr? I would talk to him and maybe he will work something out with you. I think my Dr would if I was in your position. Good Luck!

I have a leak not sure yet if it is in the band or the port. I am self pay and I think I will have to pay out of my own pocket to have it fixed. I will not be able to have the leak fixed if this is the case. I cannot afford anymore payments. I have payed a lot of money to have this done to have a malfunction and it not be covered under some kind of warranty. Is there anyone who has any advise for me?:thumbup:

Thank you!

I have heard of other people having this problem, and if I'm not mistaking, isn't there a thicker material they can inject into your band that is not saline. I forget the name of it, but it is a thick solution that barely leaks out. Dang, I wish I remembered the name of it.. I'll do some research on here and get back to you.

Barb 1220, Thank you for the advise. I will be talking with my Dr on Friday and I hope there will be some help. I will keep you posted. Thanks for the support.

Thank you also Coolcrystal. Any information would be of great help! I just keep praying that I will be able to have it fixed.

Edited August 27, 200817 yr by dchafin

I am a LapBand Failure. I had my band placed in July 2006 right before I got married. I worked with my surgeon for nearly a year and finally gave up. I kept telling him that the band was leaking because the fluid he was putting in was doing nothing with 3 1/2 ccs in my 4 cc band. (Mind you I was the very first band patient of this surgeon).

So in February of 2007 I realized that the only way I was going to lose weight was on my own. So I somehow disciplined myself to count calories every day and exercise multiple times a week. By June of 2007 I was down to 174 pounds, and running 5 miles a day 3 times a week. I was so excited. But then I got some serious bad news (my husband's infidelity). I had decided to give my husband another chance, and the stress began!

I am a stress eater and have always been. So now I am stressed and eating to feel better. I was always hungry and hating myself. By October of 2007 I had regained 20 pounds. I finally decided that I was desperate enough to go back to my surgeon. They checked under flouro and everything seemed fine. So he attempted to put another 2 ccs in my band (OK, now we're up to 5 1/2 ccs - something’s not right). Now everything I eat was getting stuck, I was sliming multiple times a day and ever more frustrated.

We were building a house in VA and were supposed to move in year end, so I thought I'd just wait and try to find a competent surgeon in my new state. But in the meantime I learned what things I could and couldn't eat and did what I had to do. Most meats and poultry were a no go. Protein such as peanut butter, nuts and such were fine. And I discovered that I could eat most crackers and cheese without a problem, And cookies went down fine and ice-cream and chocolate were even better since they melted before going down....

We did not move into our new house until Feb 2008 (only days after my husband cheated on me again). So now I am even more stressed moving into a house with my cheating husband and moving my son to a new school and all of the other crap. And by the time I found a new surgeon it was April. He saw me and I was now 224 pounds. Eleven pounds over what I was the day of surgery. Mind you I could not eat without sliming and I had tremendous stress from the issue with my husband and building a new house and not knowing when we were going to move, etc. He was able to take ONLY 2 CC's out of my band. SO, the 3 1/2 ccs my last surgeon put into my band, somehow never made it into my band (I was right there was a problem) and only the last 2 ccs made it in.

He then put 1 full cc back and let me go for a month. Well in that time I did manage to lose 13 pounds, but I was still having problems with almost all meat and poultry. SO I was hungry a lot because the things I was eating did not sustain me. I went back in June and he took another .2 CCs out of my band. So now I am down to .8 ccs. I am hungry ALL of the time. nothing sustains me, and I am still sliming if I forget to chew really well.

So now we're nearing July, my husband and I are fighting constantly over his infidelity, the house, his business, and my son. I am hungry ALL of the time and eating everything under the sun. I was supposed to meet with my surgeon last week but canceled because my band is doing nothing for me and I am back up over 224 pounds. I have more health issues now that I have regained the weight. I never sleep through the night, so there is NO motivation to work out. I hate what I see in the mirror, and I have just given up hope. I am back to square 1. Nothing is different from before I had surgery. I am just gaining and gaining and I am on a vicious cycle. I know I need to stop eating, but I can't or won't or whatever we all suffered from BEFORE our LapBands.

I just don't know what to do. Please do not give me advice on what to do about my husband. I know what I need to do, but until I can deal with myself I can't deal with that! At least he and I have reached somewhat of an agreement over the last few weeks and we are actual living somewhat peacefully.:tt2:

Wow Rquinn, that sucks! I'm so sorry to hear that you're having to deal with all of that. Right now you should be able to just focus on yourself. Sucks when life throws so many things at us at once. Try to hang on and keep working it the best you can. The pendulum does always swing the other way.

I went to the doctor Friday and they said they would have to do surgery to find out were the leak is. I told them well I have been on the lap band talk forum and everyone has had a flouro to find the leak why can't I? The other Dr. said he would talk to the surgeon and they would decide. They are now going to do the flouro on Tuesday! At least I will see what cost I will be looking at to make the decision if I will have surgery or not. I will let you all know where my leak is after my appointment.

I went to the doctor Friday and they said they would have to do surgery to find out were the leak is. I told them well I have been on the lap band talk forum and everyone has had a flouro to find the leak why can't I? The other Dr. said he would talk to the surgeon and they would decide. They are now going to do the flouro on Tuesday! At least I will see what cost I will be looking at to make the decision if I will have surgery or not. I will let you all know where my leak is after my appointment.

Good for you! You should be proud of yourself, being assertive enough to ask for the the flouro. You saved yourself surgery and probably lots of $ that would of been for that unnecessary surgery. I look at Drs being just people. They are sometimes really full of themselves, but I laugh it off and treat them like equals. This is how I developed such a good relationship with my Dr. He saw that in me and my actions.

Way to go!

Good luck to you. I hope your leak is not too serious. I'll be thinking about you! Keep us updated. Barbara

It sounds like you have a lot of life changing events going on. I am pre-band, but I know that it is impossible for me to lose weight when there is chaos going on. Sometimes you have to get through the bad times and then let things calm down and get back to working on your goals.

I hope the best for you through these challenging times. In the meantime, don't heap any more blame on yourself. Try to do some nice things for yourself and remember that the number on the scale doesn't define your worth.

I just don't know what to do. Please do not give me advice on what to do about my husband. I know what I need to do, but until I can deal with myself I can't deal with that! At least he and I have reached somewhat of an agreement over the last few weeks and we are actual living somewhat peacefully.:thumbup:

First of all you are not a failure! Your life has spun out of control and at times like this it is impossible to add the stress of trying to lose weight. Before you can be successful at the weight loss you have to get some other areas of your life in order. Moving, raising children, marriages, are all huge stressors. Have you considered finding a councellor to help you sort through some of these issues so that you will have a clearer path to making you stronger. If you are involved in a church, speak with your pastor for recommendations about someone who can help you. Your family doctor could possibly point you in the right direction. Sometimes just having someone else to share the load can be helpful. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now and could use some help. Good luck to you!

Being that I'm on the last legs of my lap band I have to say the lap band was not the right choice for me. I chose the wrong procedure unfortunately but choose not to revise to any other WLS and am having it removed tomorrow afternoon :tongue:

Best of luck and health to the rest of you and I hope you don't have the same problems I have had, Nancy.:tongue:

I am sorry to hear that Nanook.

Best wishes for you in your future. Take care.

Being that I'm on the last legs of my lap band I have to say the lap band was not the right choice for me. I chose the wrong procedure unfortunately but choose not to revise to any other WLS and am having it removed tomorrow afternoon :tongue:

Best of luck and health to the rest of you and I hope you don't have the same problems I have had, Nancy.:tongue:

Nanook I hope your surgery goes well, and will be sending you healing wishes. I am sorry that the lapband did not work out for you. I hope to still hear from you.

I will be thinking of you today as I roll into the afternoon, take care.

Couldn't be happier! My doctor did a great job of letting me know what to expect, so they're haven't been any nasty surprises!