Hello. My name is Stacey and I was banded in January of 2005. I don't know if the surgery was too new or if I missed something but I never got a "set of rules" or anything like that. I understood that it was a tool and it wasn't magic and they did say that liquid calories (like milkshakes) would slip past the band and that red meat would be harder to eat but I had no idea that I couldn't drink carbonated beverages. I lost about 70lbs since the surgery but it's nowhere near where I thought I would be 4 years later. I want to start doing all the right things.

Things are constantly getting "stuck" and when I went and expressed this to my doctor (again in 2005) he simply told me to switch to a liquid diet for a few days. I don't know if there is more information available now but can anyone help me please? I want as much info as I can get! I don't want to think this surgery was all for nothing! I'm on the verge of having it taken off because I just don't understand what it is supposed to do for me!

TIA!

Buy a book! Amazon has tons of them...and if you don't want to pay the shipping etc, get some names then go to a local half-price store. AND...find a new surgeon and go get checked! You may have a slip, you may need an unfill...

Good for you taking control! Reading on here is great but much of the "factual info" presented here is actually just anecdotal and what works for a newly banded person may not work for you. Do you know what type band you have, and what size, and how much fill for example? Welcome to 2009...your band will help you lose the rest of the weight (and hey, you're down 70. That's better than gaining, which is what I did every year until the band!)

Thanks Restless. I never even thought about looking into books. Do you recommend any? I don't want anything outdated. I just want the general rules that everyone should know. I have one of the top surgeons in the state. It's my own fault because I haven't followed up or anything. I have no idea what type of band (silicone?) or how much fill I have. I was 20 when I got it so I guess I was mostly just wanting to get it over with and I don't know how much information I actually obtained. I know the first step is making an appt with my surgeon but I don't have insurance which is why I've been putting it off for so long.

If you go to amazon, they have customer reviews and you can pick a couple up-to-date ones that sound like they'll fill the bill for you. Since you already HAVE the band, you probably want something that doesn't really address the "band or not" issue...but there are bunches.

Call and find out how much it would be to go back to your w/out insurance. Having a band and not getting followup is like having a car and keeping it parked in the garage. it is pretty much pricey and useless.

And just another thought...your surgeon may be great, but if in 2005 he let you get out without any guidelines, even if you WERE 20, I would wonder about him. If you were old enough to get the band, you were old enough to understand it.

There are 2 different band manufacturers, and even in '05 different sizes, so you need that info too. Call and have them look it up for you!

I will do that. Thank you. Are there any websites that have general info about lifestyle after the band so that I can look at it?

the only band website I really frequent is this one. AND please...again....interesting though the info is here, and helpful as everyone is and tries to be, that is NO replacement for you seeing your doc, making sure your band is ok/intact/not slipped/not eroded/not leaking, and so on. Ok? Professional medical advice is what you've been missing and what you need. This is supportive, but don't consider it a source for info on how you should live your banded life. Get your doc to help you there, ok?

I just ordered Lapband for Life and Ultimate Lap Band Success from Amazon.

Great! Good start!

and call your doc. (get your car into that mechanic LOL) You'll be at goal before you know it!

I definitely will! Thanks for the help and support. Here's to not throwing up at every meal!

Good for you! There's also a forum on here for 20's bandsters that you might like. You can probably navigate through here better than me, but if you click on home and then scroll down, you'll find it!

I hope you do great; I know you will!

Hey Stacey!

I just recently joined as well, and we were both banded pretty close to each other. I got mine in July of 2004, so I'm 5 years out now. I know exactly what you mean about not having a good set of guidelines back then. There was no support groups suggested by my surgeon, and I had one 10 minute meeting with the office dietician who basically told me to eat lots of Protein. Everything I've learned has pretty much been from trial and error over the years.

If you're having problems communicating with your doctor, by all means, look into other doctors. I just went through the same thing. My surgeon was no help to me, so I found someone who really listens to me.

Regardless of whether you go back to your original surgeon or find a new one, get back in and get back on track. I have found over the past few days how helpful this forum is. By just looking around for a few hours I have found common ground among many people on here about issues I have, but didn't know if they were normal. I feel much better now knowing there are people out there going through the same thing as me.

Last year, I went back into my doctor after not seeing him for almost three years. He was amazed by the amount of weight I had lost and said that most people who didn't keep up with their appointments ended up gaining their weight back. So congrats on being able to keep that 70 lbs off!

Don't give up at this point!

You may want to check out www.lapband.com

That is the official site for the company that makes the Lap-Band, which is probably the band you have. I believ it was the only band approved for use in the US when you had your surgery.

Good luck & hang in there.

I bought the book called Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band, by Robert Sewell, it was very good and informative, it is available on Amazon and does a good job of telling you what to expect at each stage along the way.

Holy cow you lost 250# you look fantastic, your success is amazing.

Edited July 13, 200917 yr by OnTheWay to Thin
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