Well, its been 5 months out and i have lost 47lbs. I am happy for the loss but have not lost any pound in Sept. I wish i had the bypass instead of the lapband. I work out 6 times a week and no loss in a month! i know there are some days that i have not stuck to the diet , but mostly i have been good. I am currently size 14 197-200 lbs. I got off my water pill (Maxide) and i am beging to think the only reason my scale went down once to 195 was due to the water pill. I go to get a another RX today and i bet i will be back to 195 by tomorrow if i take the 1/2 pill. I still look fat at 5.4 inches. I wish i did the bypass, i think i am one of those people who need the malabsorption provided by bypass. I have been fat all my life and all i want is to be skinny. lapband is a GIMMICK! i think my loss has been due to my hard work busting myself in the gym 6x a week. I am depressed and i am slowly going back to my old ways. I need encouragement.

I really know how you feel. I had surgery April 20, 2009 and have only lost 30 pounds ( I know everyone will say will you lost 30 be happy, but honestly I have done at least 20 ties in the last 10 years since i have gained the weigh)!!!!!...........I had a few set backs in beginning, but now I should be on track..exercise 6 days a week 30 minutes stairmaster 10 minutes weighs. Have not lost a pound in 6 weeks. Yes, I am eating more and more everyday, I have no restriction at all, my next appointment is not till end of October. My doctor only believes in filling every 8 to 10 weeks...............not enough for me.

So do I sound disgusted, ticked off, and everything in between you bet!

Sorry this did not help you, but I guess I needed to vent!

Good luck to you..

Oh on the answer to your question yes, I wish I had gastric bypass.

Sandi,

I hear ya! I wish i had the bypass, its just so hard with the band. I wonder if i can get the bypass on top of my realize band but i guess my insurance will not cover it. We are getting a new insurance provide and will talk to my Dr on getting the bypass. This sucks!

Sometimes I feel the same way. This is very hard. I've been exercising 5-6 times wk for an 1 hr each day. It's not easy gettin' poked w/ a needle, PBing, sliming...trying not to overeat. The list goes on and on but, I chose the band because the downtime is less than bypass and to be honest, I was scared to have surgery and didn't want anymore cutting than necessary.

The thing that keeps me going is there are thousands of people who've been successful with the band and I know we can too.

Guess we have to work harder.

I understand your frustation, I have lost 42 pounds in the same time frame as you. But no I do not wish for bypass. I love my band. We need to remember that 1-2 pounds a week is healthy. You have done better than that, ten punds a month on average is great! Dont get too down own yourself, maybe you arent getting enough food? Your working out alot it sounds like. You may be in starvation mode. I have been platued for 5 weeks now! I havent excersied yet, but intend to. Try adding a Protein shake, maybe that will help.

Hope this helps,

Deanna

I was banded one month ago today, and I can understand your frustration.

BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, I know several people who have had the bypass. There are several reasons that I chose NOT to have the bypass based on their personal experiences.

From what I have seen, besides the fact that with a bypass your poor organs are all mutilated and re-arranged, starvation is the mode of weight loss. Starvation is NOT healthy for you...at all. ALL of the individuals I know with the bypass have ALL had to have their gallbladders out, have constant food getting stuck issues, their hair is thinning and receding, they have severe acid reflux and ulcer issues, they have diarrhea all the time...and honestly, they all look really unhealthy.

I know three people who are several years out from their bypasses, and their stomachs have stretched out and the weight has gone right back on. At least with the band, we can increase our restriction to help with our control, with them, if they stretch their stomachs out, they're screwed!:tongue2:

Hang in there, remember how many people have been really successful with the lap band. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about taking something for your depression? If you felt better about things, it might be easier not to be so hard on yourself.

WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Sometimes I think the weight loss w/the band is much harder than I had expected. . . So I can understand your frustration.

Plus I see all these people w/bypass who lose weight so quickly and I can't help but be envious. . . however, I know it's healthier to lose it at a moderate pace. . .

Is your doctor good about giving you fills as needed? At first I was not sure whether to get the band or bypass, however, I'm now GLAD I have the BAND. I work with a lady who had the bypass, and she is SOOOOO Sickly-- she has awful, Irreversible damage to her body inside. I know that doesn't happen to everyone, but it truly scares me.

Talk to your doctor about your disappointment, and mention that you want to be sure you are staying on top of your fills. Maybe the doctor can help improve your weight loss.

I wish you the best of luck.

Lisa

Heck to the No on the bypass. My friend had it done - she was in ICU and in major pain for while - yes she did lose like 75 pounds or so in like 6 months even tho she was mostly bedridden but now she's gained most of it back and lost so much of her hair that she has to wear fake pieces from such rapid weight loss. Another person I know who use to go to church with me became very skinny on bypass but when she did started eating large portions and stretched out her pouch and she got an infection that sent her to the hospital for ICU. Granted, these are only 2 stories.

Also, i want to have kids someday - can you even do that with bypass since you have to eat for 2?

Is there any way you can go to another place for fills? I refuse to beg for them if a doctor is going to make we wait that long. Granted I am self-pay and I understand your insurance may not let you.

Goal150 - I am in Atlanta - where are you getting your fills at? The cheapest place I've found is Dr. Hart at Emory Suwanee location. $500 for 1st visit/check which includes fill and then each fill afterwards is $150.

Edited September 29, 200916 yr by Mangofish

I'm sorry to hear you feel like this. I can't however agree that LAP-BAND® is a gimmick. What is a gimmick is people thinking that they should lose all this weight in a short amount of time. 47 pounds within 5 months is GREAT! That's around 10 pounds a month, well above the 1-2 pounds/week recommendation. It has worked miracles for some, and not for others - same thing goes for bypass. Have you really done everything you should be doing? Are you eating right and have the right portion control? Do you have good restriction? It sounds like you are exercising good. Why do you think you need a malabsportion surgery? If that's the case, maybe it isn't that the LAP-BAND® failed you but rather it wasn't the surgery you should have had in the first place. And getting bypass wouldn't guarantee your weight loss either. Again I respect your feelings but I just can't agree to statements like "the LAP-BAND® is a gimmick."

For the record I have NOTHING against RNY, and would have considered it if it was the correct surgery for my type of eating, but I don't believe it is.

Edited September 30, 200916 yr by Unforgettable

I also have to wonder if the Dr's are agressive enough with the fills. My Dr. was from the very beginning and I have never been hungry except when I had a total unfill for surgery. Also we need to be realistic with the amt we lose. I have never lost more than 8 pounds in a month after the initial couple of months of pre-op and post-op, but I never really exercise much either so I think that is wonderful. 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy rate to lose and it does add up. If you are hungry beyond the 1000 -1200 cals a day you should be bugging your Dr. for a proper fill because your band is not working as it should.

I am new to this so maybe shouldn't be weighing in, but I did not want my stomach changed. I have a friend who is having the gastric sleeve and I can't imagine why she would want part of her stomach removed. With the lap band, there are risks such as slipping, etc, but I always have the option of having it taken out if it doesn't work out for me, not that I ever would, it is just that the option is open.

I am fairly new to being a bander but I wouldn't trade it for the bypass for any reason. The band is reversible, you can have a baby and/or cancer treatments with the band. With the bypass you have to have B-12 injections and take B-6 for the rest of your life. Losing weight very fast is not good for your skin or your metabolism. You didn't put the weight on that fast....so why would you think you should take it off fast.

I have three friends in Louisiana that had it done. We all went to the same seminar back in 2000. I decided not to go that route. I was afraid of it and still am.

One of my friends lost 274 pounds in a short period of time. She now has gained it all back and more. Another friend wound up in ICU and spent months in pain & suffering from infection. The third friend is doing fairly well but looks like a bag of bones. ALL of them wish they had never done it!

I have another friend that has her band taken out. She says she was a happy fat person and intends to stay fat. I hope she lives a long time but I doubt it since she is beginning to have some serious problems.

Please re-think the reasons you did all of this in the first place. Talk with your doctor, get something for the depression, and start over with a fresh attitude. It's hard work losing weight...but it can be done. There is no magic wand.

A friend of mine and I were talking about this after our support group last night, as all the lap-band folks in the group but 1 have had 0 complications since surgery (a variety of 4 mo. to 2 years) whereas the bypass people all but 3-4 have had complications. We were renewing our happiness over deciding on the band, because we feel like WE are now back in control of our bodies and lives eventhough it's taken awhile (9 mo. for me) to get good restriction and for her she's 6 mo and still needs some fills. Rather than having our bodies and the bypass controlling our bodies!

I went on a 6-8 week stall in July-August, but now am back losing weight again with my last fill (I'm at 6.5cc in a 14 band), but it's 5 pounds a month not the 10s lost by bypass folks.

I agree with everyone about not getting discouraged or comparing ourselves to bypass pals, because we chose the band so we didn't "shed" weight, we can keep our skin and muscles toned a little better and perhaps not need such drastic plastic surgery. Some of the RNY folks in my town in the last year have lost between 238 and 225 pounds!! (Most are in the 100-150 pound range 1 year out) I look at them and say, at 240 pounds - they've lost ALL of the current me, and are finding it hard to STOP losing. we won't have that problem.

If you have been working out that much, you may be putting on muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so it would make sense your scale isn't changing. Pay attention to how your clothes fit as that may be a better indicator of progress.

Another thought - if you are working out that much, are you getting enough protein that you need to lose weight? I can hear Bob/Jillian from the Biggest Loser - you are NOT eating enough! Then once they get the right balance for work outs and eating, the weight comes off!

Sometimes it's hard to predict if the lap band is going to be the right procedure for a person. I gave it my "all" and frustration didn't even start until many months down the road for me and then adding GERD on top of things. I wasn't a day 1 get lap band, day 2 wish it were gone type person. I truly couldn't lose the weight with it and struggled and actually gained weight after a few months. I also came here many months after struggling and probably could have picked up a few tips that may have made my decision much easier but who knows. Sometimes once you get an idea in your head it's difficult to be objective. You never think "I'll be the one who chows down on ice cream after banded"!

Anyway the way I look at it learn as much as you can before you get banded, know the type of eater you are because cravings don't necessarily leave once banded. Even with RNY eventually things get more difficult to pass up but if you're lucky you have dumping syndrome for a while and it helps limit the amount of snacking one might do.

I tried the band first and it just didn't do it for me so I moved on to RNY. I can't change history but at least I can change my future. Good luck to all of you who struggle! Nancy.:tongue2: