Well... its 3 years since i had the band and all i can say is that i am simply at the end of my limits with it.

I was really fired up at the thought of having finally made a firm decision to get things fixed but now i am simply done with it and am going to make an appointment to have it emptied.

The inconsistency of it is driving me to despair ... some days i can comfortably eat decent food and enjoy it .... yesterday for example i can't eat even simple liquid stuff without feeling like its getting stuck.

Right at this moment i am sat here writing this with the most excutiating stomach ache which i believe is caused by the fact that i missed lunch by an hour (due to something unavoidable) and now i don't know what to do to make it not hurt....

I don't think i've lost any weight beyond that of the settling in period .... i certainly don't feel happier or more in control .... if anything i feel i'm more of a victim of food than ever before as it is totally out of my control day by day as to what i can eat.

I have been regularly invited to support sessions from my surgery company but i've since moved several hundred miles away and have precious little spare time to do anything since our baby came along let alone spend a day driving across the country.

Just needed a vent but i guess i won't be likely to be around much longer (on the forum i mean) since i'll effectively be band-less

Thanks

J

Wallisj,

I'm sorry to hear you are so unhappy with your band.

You might want to post this in (or check out) the life after lapband removal or lapband complications threads as there are many other people going through similar issues.

Good luck.

Have you considered that you might be suffering from post partum depression? Judy

I am really sorry that you have struggled and this has not worked well for you. Banding isn't for everyone, people tolerate it differently.

The band is fickle . . . somedays I can eat plenty, somedays a Protein shake could make me pb. For the most part I can get by as long as I know that days will be different and I work through them. I also know I have different restriction levels at different times of day. I can live with this and I still love my band.

If you have moved hundreds of miles away from your surgeon . . . that leads me to think that you really don't have much support for fills.

Aftercare is an all too important part of this lifestyle. Most of the people that have come to a similar decision to throw in the towel are in the same boat - they are out of touch with any support network either by their choice or by other circumstances.

I am in the same boat as Jack . . . my worst day banded is still better than my best day unbanded. Banding suits me and I work it to get the results I want with the support I need from my physician, family and friends, and posting on this forum.

I wish you the best of luck.

What I am saying also is Pre-op I was hoping one of the things the band would offer would be the feeling of control. Instead I feel helpless go the whim of am inanimate ring of plastic.

As before, I am writing this post STILL with severe stomach cramps because I missed lunch by a short while and today didn't manage to get the normal Breakfast I try to get.

I have been to see a doctor and she suggested depression might be a possibilty but isn't really prepared to offer more than a CBT course.

I do know and recognize that I am under a really large amount of mental stress from multiple factors and I think the band is just making me feel punished.

I am simply getting to ( or most likely have reached ) the point where food is just a total enemy.

Most days I live on Soups and shakes and little else.... It wasn't supposed to be like this.

J,

Sorry you're in the same situation I was in also but you were much more patient than I was, three years verses 14 months. I suppose it works for some and not for others and obviously it's difficult to tell until after you've been banded most times.

I know that with me I focused on food too much and here the people that seem to do well on the band act like they never think about food so how does one know when it will work out in their favor, they don't and that's problematic. I wish you luck and health and hope you don't have any further complications, take care, Nancy:smile:

here the people that seem to do well on the band act like they never think about food

Nancy, this sounds incredibly bitter and judgemental. "Never think about food"?!? Did you even read Jack's reply? To say that those "that seem to do well on the band act like they never think about food" is to disrespect the effort that those folks are making daily.

Well I don't want to insult anyone or be unjustly judgmental but wallisj - you obviously have not completely given up on the band or you wouldn't be posting. I believe you are in desperate hope for some answers. Personally, I believe your best course of action is get your emotions in check and then deal with the band. I know if I'm having a particularly stressful day my restriction is abnormally tight. I just have to make corresponding food choices. Exercise is an incredible stress reliever - it's almost like a reset button. Don't give up - fight. You have too much invested already to just call it quits.

Nancy, I've read a lot of your posts and I know you have a lot of experience with the band and I appreciate your sharing that. It does us no good to only surround ourselves with what we want to hear. But I too find your comments way off key. I fight with food struggles all the time. The band is no miracle - it's only an assistant. Sometimes it's a brutally structured assistant - but it requires us to make the right decisions, most of the time no less.

Brad

Indeed i haven't totally given up ... but in terms of my patience i am really at the end of my tether.

I am mentally exhausted due to several other life factors .... i am ending up going to bed earlier and earlier .... getting to the point of being up 12 hours, bed 12 hours but i still feel totally exhausted all the time.

The band just feels like my nemesis lately rather than something to help ...

I am calling the medical company who did the surgery today and will get the band emptied or close to.... that way it might just give me the break i need to try and refocus on other things before trying again.

It just really angers me that i feel like i spent £8000 on something which doesn't feel like its helping me to lose anything other than my sanity.

Thanks for the kind words .... i guess i might not disappear quite so soon .... we'll see.

Nancy, this sounds incredibly bitter and judgemental. "Never think about food"?!? Did you even read Jack's reply? To say that those "that seem to do well on the band act like they never think about food" is to disrespect the effort that those folks are making daily.

Plain I was just reiterating what many bandster has said about "not even thinking about eating today" etc....those are the types of things that have been said here and it's not that I was knocking anyone I found that some people are actually like that on the band. Doesn't mean it's bad it's just means it works for them and didn't for me, Nancy:smile:

You do sound like you have your hands full. I am new to this journey and have no answers for you, but wanted to extend you some sympathy and that I hope things turn around for you soon.

I have managed to secure an appointment to see the support staff and nurse (for an adjustment) next tuesday... so at least i might get to actually enjoy a christmas dinner and then see about getting my life back on track in the new year.

14 months ago I had my band fitted and 3 surgeries later I still haven`t been able to get a fill. Each time they try the port turns even though on my last op they stitched it secure. So you can imagine how I feel with no restriction luckily I didn`t have to pay for it as that would make me feel worse.

I have managed to secure an appointment to see the support staff and nurse (for an adjustment) next tuesday... so at least i might get to actually enjoy a christmas dinner and then see about getting my life back on track in the new year.

Wallisj,

You may find that having an unfill, either slight or total will relieve some of your suffering. In the first year and a half of my banding I also felt that banding may have been a mistake. I felt like I was fighting my own body and suffering. My band doctor completely unfilled me to "give me a break". It was the best thing I have ever done. I felt so much better. I remain completely unfilled today. For the first year I maintained my weight and only recently have gained a little weight. I think I'm ready for a slight fill, but have hesitated for financial reasons.

Advice: Get that unfill to give your body a break. Do your best to deal with those stresses in your life you have mentioned. Those stresses will affect how your band works. It may be a year or so before you can get a fill, but the band was not meant to make you suffer but to be as a tool to help you reach your goals.

Wallisj- I would like to strongly encourage you to see your primary physician or OB. Sleeping for 12 hours and yet not feeling rested means something is wrong. Can depression do that? Yes, but so can a host of other conditions that are not mental health issues. I agree that an unfill can give your body (and mind) the break it needs from this additional stressor. Perhaps after you are better, you can have a fill and reclaim this journey. Best wishes and keep us posted.

Edited December 23, 200817 yr by cookienay
wording

Wallisj- I would like to strongly encourage you to see your primary physician or OB. sleeping for 12 hours and yet not feeling rested means something is wrong. Can depression do that? Yes, but so can a host of other conditions that are not mental health issues. I agree that an unfill can give your body (and mind) the break it needs from this additional stressor. Perhaps after you are better, you can have a fill and reclaim this journey. Best wishes and keep us posted.

Not so long ago i had a full blood work done to test for a series of problems and came back clear on everything.

Depression .... maybe

Anyway ... update as of 22nd December...

Went to see my band doctor and they basically said that they couldnt find my fill record and therefore felt i was probabily suffering more than i should and therefore should more or less start again by having an empty ... it would also allow them to know how much actually was in there...

Well.... 6.7cc (in an 11cm band) extraction later and i feel 100% different.

I ate xmas lunch ... i went out to some friends and enjoyed a few buffet items...

food has never tasted so good but i am concious to try and not go wild and just eat for eatings sake....

My doctor wants me to have an x-ray but wants to charge £250 for it ... with travel on top that makes it £300 and so close following xmas i don't have it free so i might have to delay ... this was after they originally just wanted to do a free-fill on the 12th jan.

They said they wanted to check the positioning of the band and other things before they fill ... i guess they're being genuine but i don't have the cash this month so it will have to wait until feb.

THanks for the ongoing support ... happy new year folks.

Jamie