Occassionally, I run across a few posts from people like me who have failed their bands. But these posts are usually just a venting opportunity. I have failed my band - I acknowledge it - and it would be great if we could have a group of other "failures" who want to work together to become success stories.

MY STORY

I was banded in March of 2007. At the time I was 299 lbs. I am a 6ft tall lady. Today, I weigh 255, and basically just as big as I was when I got my band. I have got numerous fills and I usually eat through my fiils. I can eat whatever I want. I overeat and I am confident that I have caused my stomach to expand. I snack on candy, I eat the wrong foods - I eat until I am STUFFED. Sometimes when I overeat, I feel sick and gag to relieve the pressure.

I moved to Houston 4 months ago, and last week, I went in for a port-readjustment with Dr Alanis. It went well and I now have a new resolve to make it work. My doctor mentioned to me that about 40% of all bandsters fail. I do not want to be a failure. I have paid too much money to go through this.

MY GOAL FOR DECEMBER

• To write everything I eat down, including calories
  
• To stay within 1500 Calories.
  

What's your story? What's your goal? How can I support you? How can we support each other?

Misery loves company, and company can help us move from failure to success. Please join me by telling me your story, and your GOAL for December. Let's vent - but more importantly, let's talk about strategies to make this work - let's share and support each other - Let's turn this from failure to success.

I REFUSE TO BE A FAILURE

Come on people we can do this!! It is just a tool and most of our issues our all in the brain that hold us back...... SO lets shift our minds and know we can do this!!!

Remember we eat to live not live to eat!!!!!

AMEN SISTER!!! :thumbup:

It's amazing to me how many of us are struggling. I started at 311 and went to 215 now I'm at 238. Itsavolinist got me started realizing that the longer I waited to stop eating around my band the better off I would be. That way I won't have to lose all that weight too. So I joined the new years challenge and I started walking a mile in the evenings.

I was having problems chewing due to dental work. And now that my root canal and other dental work was finished yesterday I'm trying to go back to the high Protein with veggies instead of sliders.

My major problem is that my LB Dr left the area. The nearest new dr is almost 2 hours away. I'm not sure if my band is adjusted right or if it's too tight. I can only eat about the size of an egg of protein, if I eat more I'm pbing. So I've been eating junk in between my suggested lap band diet. A new dr is suppose to be on staff at the hospital near my home in Dec. Would you all wait another month to talk to him about an unfill? Or go to a different dr for one or two visits 2 hours away?

I'm afraid if I tough it out again I'm going to fail.

Edited November 3, 201015 yr by 2-Lose-Fluff

Hi all,

What a great thread. Thank you for doing this, and for making me feel comfortable enough to post my first message here in many months. I was banded in May, and had a very brief honeymoon period. I lost about 40 lbs from the time I started my two-week pre-op diet until the time I went back on solid foods many weeks later.

It's that transition to solid foods that was difficult for me. Not from a physical standpoint, but an emotional one. Once I got my strength back and felt less like I'd just had an operation and had to be very, very careful, I began to push it a bit with foods. It started slowly, and with a situation that is probably fairly common for many of us: I had a hectic day, didn't eat for many hours, and found myself far from home and driving. I got chili from a Wendy's and it went down fine. So I got a Frosty, because hey, that would go down fine too. And because I deserve it, and what the heck, I've already had the chili!

food is an addiction for me - and I speak only for myself. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble, I eat. I eat when happy, sad, high, low, bored, anxious, stressed, lonely, you name it. I eat to squash whatever feelings I don't want to feel, to erase that emotion and bury it beneath the calm that food gives me. I even prefer the shame and sometimes the physical pain that overcomes me after a binge to actually feeling the feelings that I'm trying to avoid. It's deep, and I'm sure many of you can relate.

In any case, after a while that one chili turned into whatever processed junk food I could handle, which turned out to be pretty much everything. I drank fluids and ate at the same time, which probably helped. But I also have not ever experienced a pb, I haven't vomited, and I have only ever felt something "stuck" once, and that seemed to resolve itself fairly quickly. I've had two fills, and am now at 5cc in a 10cc band. I go in today for an appointment and hopefully will get another, though I am loathe to go in because I know I've gained some weight back.

But I am going to go - and I'll just try to be as honest as I can be. I have been working out (just the past 5 days, but hey, it's a start) and I have been eating well for a week now. And I feel like it's a trend that I can continue. What is helping me is getting on here, reading these posts, and trying to situate myself and my mind such that I put myself in a position to succeed. Some very basic things go out the window when I eat like an addict: cooking, preparing lunch to take to work, eating at regular intervals, getting regular sleep, etc. All of these reinforce and contribute to the continued bad habits. So I'm making changes and forcing myself to take the actions (ie making lunch) necessary to make it easier for me to make better choices (ie eating that lunch instead of getting takehout at work).

And I'm posting here today, and will continue to do so, to remind myself (and maybe you if you are in my same situation, following this thread but not posting...) that I am not alone and that I am not a terrible person who has ruined this opportunity. Believe you me, I play a great judge, jury, and executioner. I have done plenty of that, and it gets me nowhere. So rather than do that, I'm going to accept where I am, and remember that I had the courage to get this surgery, the strength to get through it, and the will to succeed. That will is still there, in all of us - we wouldn't have done this if we weren't willing to succeed! We just forget it, we get sidetracked, we fall back into patterns we have held onto for a lifetime. IN OTHER WORDS, WE ARE HUMAN!

So I've forgiven myself for being human today. That frees me up a bit to not feel self-pity, and instead to do that work that I need to do to help myself.

Sorry for the long post - clearly something had been building up in me! Thank you all for posting and sharing your stories, they've helped me a lot.

My major problem is that my LB Dr left the area. The nearest new dr is almost 2 hours away. I'm not sure if my band is adjusted right or if it's too tight. I can only eat about the size of an egg of Protein, if I eat more I'm pbing. So I've been eating junk in between my suggested LAP-BAND® diet. A new dr is suppose to be on staff at the hospital near my home in Dec. Would you all wait another month to talk to him about an unfill? Or go to a different dr for one or two visits 2 hours away?

I'm afraid if I tough it out again I'm going to fail.

DON'T WAIT! My surgeon is 4 hours away, but I drove there yesterday for a very small unfill. Made all the difference in the world! I was living on cheetos and slurpees because they went down easy. Now, i'm back to solid Proteins and just so releived that I can eat and drink how I am suppose to! Good luck to you!

StrangeDZ I promised myself that if I didn't lose weight this week I would find another dr. and hopefully he will do an unfill. So let's see if it's just sugar craving and mind hunger or if I really need the unfill. Thanks for your advice. Just the thought of you spending 8 hrs to see your dr. made going 4 hours possible in my mind.

Your doing so well..keep it up.

StrangeDZ I promised myself that if I didn't lose weight this week I would find another dr. and hopefully he will do an unfill. So let's see if it's just sugar craving and mind hunger or if I really need the unfill. Thanks for your advice. Just the thought of you spending 8 hrs to see your dr. made going 4 hours possible in my mind.

Your doing so well..keep it up.

Thank you for your support! It was a long drive but so worth it when I was able to drink something on the way back without having it come up on me! December is a long time to be miserable. I was going to try to tough it out, but I've read so much about being too tight and having complications because of it. I'm glad I went. :frown:

DON'T WAIT! My surgeon is 4 hours away, but I drove there yesterday for a very small unfill. Made all the difference in the world! I was living on cheetos and slurpees because they went down easy. Now, i'm back to solid Proteins and just so releived that I can eat and drink how I am suppose to! Good luck to you! :eek:

Ive been wondering if I am a little to tight also. I am pigging out on slider food now and Ive gained 5 pounds this month. I can not eat healthy proteins only meatloaf or slisbury steak and that is ony of i chew forever. I cant eat salads anymore either. I like you am living on cheetos.

But is it possible to be too tight if you can eat a weight watchers Pasta dinner a bowl of Cereal and 8 vanilla wafers all in one hour?

Im really starting to get depressed cause I feel im getting out of control again. I actually have an appointment nov.13 for another fill. i wanted to be good and tight before thanksgiving.

Ive been wondering if I am a little to tight also. I am pigging out on slider food now and Ive gained 5 pounds this month. I can not eat healthy Proteins only meatloaf or slisbury steak and that is ony of i chew forever. I cant eat salads anymore either. I like you am living on cheetos.

But is it possible to be too tight if you can eat a weight watchers Pasta dinner a bowl of cereal and 8 vanilla wafers all in one hour?

Im really starting to get depressed cause I feel im getting out of control again. I actually have an appointment nov.13 for another fill. i wanted to be good and tight before thanksgiving.

You know, the band is fickle. There are times I can eat and drink easily, and times where everything I try to eat comes back up. GO FIGURE!

Dont live on Cheetos... its not good for you! :eek:

We have been trying to get my band adjusted right for 2 years. If it rains on the day or if I am having allergy problems I get adjusted it's too loose. If it's a clear day and no allergies it seems too tight later. The Dr could not believe that the barium just sat there until I gulped down another dixie cup. Then the next time there was no restriction. If he didn't do it on the fluroscope I would say that he was just trying to get paid again.

I'm so glad another dr is coming to town. Maybe he can figure it out.

By the way StrangeDZ I've been eating the correct way for two days now, except for a cup of coffee tonight. Just the thought of the road trip is stopping all the slider foods and sugary stuff.

I do have a terrible headache tonight, probably sugar withdrawl. Is that possible?

Hi all,

What a great thread. Thank you for doing this, and for

Sorry for the long post - clearly something had been building up in me! Thank you all for posting and sharing your stories, they've helped me a lot.

Thank You! I will save your post and read it every day for encouragement. Good Luck to you.

:eek: YOU CAN DO IT!!! :thumbup:

By the way StrangeDZ I've been eating the correct way for two days now, except for a cup of coffee tonight. Just the thought of the road trip is stopping all the slider foods and sugary stuff.

I do have a terrible headache tonight, probably sugar withdrawl. Is that possible?

Probably sugar withdrawals and as far as stopping the slider foods, GOOD FOR YOU!!! :eek:

Hi,

Just wanted to post a (much shorter!) update. I got a small fill last week and I seem to be pretty tight at this point. Still have never vomited (or PB'd) but I hit a point yesterday where I ate very little but realized I could not eat more. It's a weird little thing, this band - I can't figure it out.

Made one or two not great choices this weekend food-wise, but what I will say is that I made "not great" choices vs. "terrible" choices. Which is a victory of sorts. And by not making a terrible choice, I didn't get down on myself, compound the error, and suddenly drop back into old habits. I still exercised and I still lost a bit of weight, and I'd rather have a little extra Peanut Butter any day than have gone on a Pringles bender....

Anyway, keep posting your stories. I'm encouraged by all of you and want us all to succeed!

StrangeDZ Thanks for all your help. I lost 2.5 pound since 11/3 because the thought of going to another dr. got me thru the sugar withdrawls. I now feel accountable to you if I don't continue to lose each week, I know I have to make that appt. It's working. And finally I am feeling better about myself. This thread is great!!!!

Edited November 8, 201015 yr by 2-Lose-Fluff

I never, ever thought I would utter these words but in this one aspect of my life..."I'm a failure". I was banded in late April of this year and have lost a whopping 10 lbs - woo hoo!?! And it took me $16k to figure this one out. Yes, it is a tool but so was Weight Watchers, Optifast, Herbal One and all of the other diets I went on. I don't know why I thought this would be different - good sales pitch I guess. I have no restriction after 3 fills, going for my 4th tomorrow and am so disappointed I could cry. There is no real follow up other than the fill appts. The support groups are driven solely by individuals who meet for coffee - no doctor feedback - he's too buy making tons of money. Just another cash grab I allowed myself to get suckered in to.

Ok so I know my pouch is dialated and today I'm going to commit to a 2 week liquid diet and I really need your guys support. It's very hard for me because I love food so much. I need to get this stomach shrunk and back on the bandwagon. Thanks for everyone's support.