Hi there,

I'm ashamed to admit that I was banded in 2004 and I'm still struggling. I lost 80 lbs. and then developed severe bulimia which lasted from 2005-2007. I'm in recovery now, but I had the band completely emptied in 2006 and have since gained back the 80 lbs. and then some. Yesterday I finally filled again and I'm a bit nervous. I don't want to bring back the bulimia! I'm much more in control though, and in therapy too. I'm still hopeful that even after 5 years, I can still succeed at this! Thanks to you all for your support!

P.S. I posted this somewhere else before I found this support group... my apologies for the duplicate!

Hey, good luck! It's good you got help with your problem and hopefully this time it should be better.

Delrio, I'm with you, babe. I've been down the eating disorder path myself, and was really worried about bulemia and the band...having "permission" to upchuck seemed like it would open the proverbial floodgates.

It's really been ok, though. I do PB, and have been full-on sick a couple times, but the worry about damaging my stomach and the band are always on my mind, and I find that since I can't physically binge the same way I used to, it's easier to resist the urge. I can "talk myself down" in a way by mentally listing out what I just consumed in my mini-binge...it's usually less than 1000 calories (vs. the thousands I could throw down on old-style binges), and keeping those 1000 in my body is easier once I get my head around it. It's not even 1/3 of a pound's worth.

If you find yourself struglling, give me a shout out. I'm here with you!!

I'm horrified to say that I'm in the midst of bulimia myself. It started at Christmas 2008 and I'm terrified. I started therapy and told my surgery team, so hopefully I can get a handle on this terrible problem. I so don't want to damage my band (sobbing)