Dune

Hello everyone, i am not yet banded but have been hanging out here and asking a lot of questions to help me to figure out if this procedure will work for me. I found a very disturbing thread about the difficulties a person had had with the lap band. This person said that despite their complications being unrelated, you could easily self sabotage the band by eating chocolate and icecream as these both melt and slip down very easily. Do you guys ever go to chocolate and icecream when you are stressed out, and how difficult do you find it to pick things back up again? Despite it being easier to eat these in this context, does the band effect the way you eat them now as oppose to the way you would of eaten them before? If you were a "whole tub of ice cream" person before, with the band, could you still do that now or is it slightly different e.g takes longer etc, if it is different, could you describe how? The same with chocolate, if you were a "whole bar of chocolate" (or two or three in my case) kind of person before, could you still do that now or is it slightly different e.g takes longer etc, if it is different, could you describe how? I really appreciate any comments or stories anyone has to offer in response to my questions, Many thanks, Dune.

Hello, i am considering having a lapband fitted but would like some feedback to inform my decision making from some veteran lapbanders, i would regard these to be people who have had a LAP-BAND® for 5 years or more. How long have you had your band? Have there been any problems with your band? What problems and why, and how was it fixed? What efforts were required on your part? I am particularly interested in people who suffer from binge eating disorders, how have you coped when you have been finding things difficult. Have you relapsed and had a "to hell with the band i'm having cheesecake!" or does the band make this impossible. Have any of you been in situations where it has gradually stretched caused by and/or leading to a relapse? I would really like to hear from people who have been banded for 5 years or more to help me to gauge whether or not this is a long term solution. It is common to hear stories of success for up to 2/3 years, but you never know whats going to hit you in life, and so i would really appreciate some veteran feedback both positive and negative. Many thanks, Love Dune.

Hello everyone, as i am exploring the boards here i am discovering the uniqueness and variety between different peoples band experiences. I am seeing that the band is no quick fix, and requires as much work and motivation as might be required in the process of losing weight without it. I have become aware that some peoples experiences change, sometimes they feel ultra motivated and positive and the weight is falling off fast, and sometimes they might be experiencing a low ebb and actually weight begins to come back on for a while. I would really appreciate it if anyone that has experienced these low ebbs and put on weight could share with me the challenges they faced losing it again. Do you think the band helped the weight that you put back on to drop off more quickly than it would have done if you didnt have it? I also invite anyone who is willing to fill in a poll (if it has worked), to give us an idea of peoples most common experiences with the rate they lose weight, i would be very grateful for your participation. I would also really appreciate it if this thread were treated with great sensitivity. I think that it is safe to assume that people here know what is required in order to lose weight and get back on top of things, hearing it reiterated in a judgmental way amongst other things can be depressing and alienating. All posts with positive and constructive encouragement are welcome. Many thanks, Love Dune PS. I am trying to fix this now, but option 10 of the poll is wrong, it is supposed to be for anyone who has had the band for over 3 years.

I am noticing from my poll results that there are many people who are having great success in the 3 years and under category. This is very encouraging and good on you all. But so far there has only been one vote in the 3 years and over and still going strong category. This could either be because, the 3 years and over people dont hang here much any more because they are getting on with their lives with their svelte figures and healthily maintained eating plans, or it is also a possibility that there are not many success stories that are over three years. I think and hope that the former is more likely, but it is something i feel important for me to consider and just thought i would share. What are your thoughts? Love Dune.

Thanks for this ElfiePoo, its encouraging to hear that things are getting back on track. I am seeing many success stories, but i am also seeing that actually it takes a lot of hard work and can be quite a hilly journey. I wonder to myself if apart from the weight loss being quicker, if the hillyness with the band feels different from the hillyness that some people felt before it. If there is one thing i have been learning, its that it aint no quick fix and this is giving me food for thought (hahahaha for want of a better phrase) xxx Many thanks for sharing your experience, Love Dune.

Hello, i have just read the thread about left shoulder pain and found everyone's experiences really interesting to read. I want this thread to be dedicated specifically to stories of people who had left shoulder pain but no longer have it, with a description of how long it took for it to go away, how it felt through stages of its leaving and if there was anything that specifically helped it to leave. We know from the other thread that it is a common occurrence, and that the less ignorant doctors and consultants advise that it is caused by trapped air trying to leave the body and swinging the arms upwards can help with this. Posts reiterating this information are helpful and encouraging, but i would really prefer to hear specifically from people who had the shoulder pain, but no longer have it. Many thanks, Love Dune.

Excellent! thanks apples. If there is one thing i am learning from everyones answers to my questions on this site, is that the results are only relative to our commitment and motivation to make it work, its no easy fix aye. Good on ya for all the weight you've lost, you look amazing! Love Dune.

yes yes, i'm virtually the same as you! mines about 29-30, havnt weighed myself in a couple of weeks but i am sure its probably 30 by now. Dito with the yo yo nightmare. I've just come out of my longest light phase ever in my adult life. I managed to maintain 11.3-6 stones for 18-19 months!!! And just fell off a few months ago and have put on 3 stone. Enough is enough, i know the band wont stop me from falling off, thats not the point, i shall probably always go up and down from time to time, but from what i have been learning, the band will help me to get a hold on things far sooner than what i can on my own, which may help temper my behaviour from spiraling so far out of control. If there is anything i have learnt from this forum, its that it isnt cheating, TOTAL misconception. It still requires a lot of effort and will present some very challenging changes to our lives i am sure. I'm not telling anyone about mine, i cant be arsed, they dont get it and will try to talk me out of it, completely dismissing my helplessness and need to empower myself with this. That COPD sounds harsh. Its probably safer to do it with a lower BMI in that case because your probably more vulnerable to anesthetics than other people. I'm just trying to sort out the money right now, who are you going with? I'm with the hospital group. Gona have it done in Brum. D

Here is a quote from an abstract of a study i found investigating the long term success rates of banding. SpringerLink - Obesity Surgery, Volume 16, Number 7First, i just want to say that i am neither 100% for or against banding. I am considering getting banded and am trying to find out from as many sources as possible what i can so that i can make a sound decision. I am interested in the positive stories, which most of you have, but i am also interested in the rarer but just as real negative stories. The above is a link to an abstract from a study i have found in a journal, about the long term impacts of banding. Unfortunately you have to pay to see the full study, but the abstract contains a detailed summery of the way the study was carried out and its results. The actual article will probably just contain jargon and tables so i am not going to bother paying to read it, the abstract will do. Anyway, i am interested on your thoughts about this. My first thoughts are that the sample population used are people that were banded in the 90's which was when the procedure was less advanced as far as types of bands used etc (i am sure some of you know the technical details better than i but bands in those days did not have a lifetime guarantee as they do today) are concerned. However, i do find the results compelling. As i said, late complications would probably be less of an issue today with the bands being more advanced, but the study identifies a trend in gradual failure to maintain excess weight loss which i find worrying. Its not saying that it doesnt work, its just saying that for a large percentage of people it is not a long term solution. If i do have it, i hope i dont become part of this number. I am interested to hear your opinions, thoughts and feelings in response to this. Many thanks, Love Dune

Wow hi j4roo, think i'm gonna have it with the hospital group too, probably in Jan. Going to book my consultation next week. I'm not going to tell my doctor either. Its completely different over here isnt it?! Our culture is so anti drastic measures that they ignore your desperation and devalue the drasticness of our situation. I'm probably not going to let my doctor know if it can be avoided. Lovely as she is, she just doesnt understand....this part of my life anyway. For that matter, i'm not actually telling anyone i know. My family would go absolutely ape-sh*t if they knew!!! Again, they just dont understand. What is COPD? Dune.

Thanks for this Honk, yes, you are quite right it isnt exactly what i want to hear, but did you know that this is not because i disagree with you, or because i am in denial? I think it would be a safe bet that most people who have gone through the trauma of being overweight, which for those who have forgotten involves a great deal of shame, inability to control impulses, emotional trauma, self loathing and hopelessness on these very facts will be very aware that our state of mind plays a far bigger role in the issue and the success of weight loss than the stomach. I am not looking for an easy fix. That sounds like an excellent strategy. Not keeping things in the house worked for me for a few years too and will again in the future i am sure, but, life gets complicated. Many thanks for your reply, Love Dune.

Hey mate, I dont know if you are still considering this or have heard from anyone, but i'm thinking of having one fitted too, i got lots of work to do right now but i'll PM you in a bit. If theres one thing i cant stand, its a thread that no ones replied to!!! I could do with talking to someone in the UK about this though, because our whole money system works differently and different people in different countries have different attitudes, i could do with someone to bounce ideas off. Shall write soon, or you PM me to tell me not to bother if all of this is done and dusted in your book, Take Care, Dune.

Hi John, i'm not banded yet but am getting ever closer to the conclusion thats its the way i want to go. However, i have had a very keen interest in nutritious foods and eating for many years and thought "if no one else has written in his thread..." I would have to say firstly, that if you want to make a good investment food wise then get yourself a pressure cooker, they are superb for cooking nutritious foods (especially pulses) in half the time!!! I would say something as a filling side dish in whatever meal is a nice pulse salad. aduki, haricot and mung Beans (cooked in a pressure cooker for just 10 minutes!! with a low salt stock cube). Make yourself a dressing to pour over the top too (one part balsamic premixed with tsp of mustard to one part olive oil, spices - cumin seeds, coriander powder, ginger), perhaps some finely sliced green pepper and some goats cheese feta cubes...maybe even some finely chopped red onion?....NICE! Mix this up with some salad leaves and serve with whatever else you are having, meat? jacket potato? and you are away! But i always find a salad with pulses and beans in fills me up a treat, and thats without the band. As for fibre, may i recommend Flax tea. Simmer 1 tsp of flax seeds in 1 ltr of Water for 45 minutes (4 minutes in a pressure cooker) and dilute 1:1 with normal water once done. Can be drank hot as tea, or cold in a refill bottle. It keeps in the fridge for about 3 days. Simmering the flax seeds infuses the water with lignans, making it oily and fibrous which means that your body can absorb the water far more easily keeping it better hydrated, but also, lignans are a soluble Fiber which can absorb toxic waste in the digestive system. Fibrous and detoxifying!!! You cant go wrong!!! Hope this helps, and if nothing else, its at least popped your threads cherry! Best wishes, Dune

yes yes, at the moment i am thinking, from what i am reading on the boards, that at least with the band, if you do have some problems, once you get back on the horse (recover your motivation to eat healthily and exercise) the weight will come off at a gallop rather than a trot. Many thanks for your response, Dune.

HAHA, yes, i saw the picture of that lovely cabbage dish in your blog spot, looks LUSH!!! Cheers for this isa', i am starting to think that perhaps the lapband could be something i could work with and would be of benefit. I do put on and lose weight in cycles, but perhaps with the band, i would lose weight (that i would usually lose in my healthy state) at a far faster rate than normal, which might help me to stay there through the satisfaction of being lighter. Many thanks, Dune

Thanks Leigha!!! what a cool site, loads of good stuff there! NICE ONE!! Dune

Thanks for explaining things to me Katy, were you still able to lose weight with the band in spite of the complications you experienced? Do you think i should launch a poll? Just kidding, i'll get in touch with a mod and see what they can do. Cheers mate! Best, Love Dune.

Thanks Leigha, that was just what i needed to know, so when eating the cheesecake, did you find that it took longer to eat than it might have done before you were banded? Or were you/would you have been able to skull it in large mouthfulls in quick/continuous succession (which i know isnt what you would do in a restaurant anyhow *chuckles at the thought of it* but i am interested in your view)? Thanks again, Dune

OMG! Thankyou so much, this is just what i needed! wow, so, you've lost nearly 50Ib's since August? Thats amazing, so in some ways, if we cant completely get rid of the yo yo situation, would you say the band makes it easier to lose the weight after a low patch when you do get back on top of things again? It must do, there is no way even with my greatest efforts using non bandster diet and exercise techniques i could lose 50Ib's in 4 months, thats just amazing! Thanks again for sharing this, its really helped me. Love Dune.

Hi Cindy, thank you SO much! That was just the sort of thing i wanted to know. Do you find that the band helps prevent you from getting carried away with candy and ice cream? Did you used to get carried away with it before the band? Many thanks, Dune.

Thanks for this advice Elcee, i have read a few of the threads there and i'll probably go back there again to have a look at some more. If a band does not do any of these things (choose to live healthily, shop cook and put food in your mouth) then why is it needed? On the one hand people seem to go for this option because they feel they have no choice, they wont be able to do it any other way, but then if it is all down to the way we shop, cook and put food in our mouth (as many post banders say) why do we need it? I propose that it is more complicated than that and we should be careful before reducing and judging it and people in this way. However, I agree with you 100% that choosing to change the way you live your life is fundamentally important. However, change is continuous. You never know what is going to happen. Do you think that the large trend of people in this study that were not able to maintain the excess weight loss were not able to maintain it because they were not able to change in the very beginning? What the study seemed to indicate was that while they did change for the first 3-5 years, making them success stories, people who would say that it is all about lifestyle changes, people like myself (except without the band) in a way, just 4 months ago when things were still going well for me, as time passes it says that the excess weight loss is not maintained. I wonder what the reason for this is? What may have happened in their situation? If (whatever it was) it were something that we were faced with would we cope in the same way? Or, did they just get back into bad habits very gradually? I guess we have to cross bridges of difficulties as we come to them. Perhaps it is not only about change, but also continuous adaption. Wow, thanks, this has really helped me! I'd be interested to see the results of a more modern study because i think that this one is weakened by the fact that it only represents people who had the old fashioned bands. Anyway, many thanks, Love Dune.