Jazzy Rayne

Im not sure ill be much help, but i can assure you that you are NOT alone. I had GERD for 5 years prior to my surgery... they said they fixed it after my surgery (about 2 years ago) but 5 months ago acid reflux returned with a vengence. My dr unfilled me. waited a couple months did a barrium swallow to assure the band didnt slip... all was well. He prescribed me protonix bc he noticed on the swallow that i have acid reflux, again. Anyway, not i have a great fill. BUT... this acid reflux is HORRIBLE. I cant afford to keep going back to him and dishing out 50-100 bucks everytime i go there. I have no insurance either and i live paycheck to paycheck. Im still on the protonix, but if i eat anything after 7pm i WILL NOT sleep. I will constantly bring stuff up. And if i do dose off, i often wake up choking on it. I am so upset, and at a loss as well. I know im no help to you, but sometimes finding comfort in those who know what youre talking about can help some. I just dont understand this band and ive had it for nearly 2 years. Ive lost 75 lbs and im grateful for it. But ive had a lot of ups and downs with it. Ive been so cautious to eat right, small bites, chew good, stay away from whites etc. I feel at a loss.

What kind of symptoms do you have that makes you think that your band has slipped? My band had a minor slip a few months ago. My dr put way too much Fluid in on a fill, and i took a big swig of Water. My pouch became inflammed. He drained some of the fluid out but the following two days i kept getting mid back pains. So I called him back and he emptied my band for a month. Now i am back to being filled and losing more weight.

Jenn, First off congrats on making the decision to change your life! The lapband can be a negative tool if you allow it to be. It all depends on YOU and how you USE it. If you dont follow the rules of the band... and you dont keep an open relationship with your surgeon/fill dr then negative issues will arise. But if you are serious about it, and treat the band as a tool and work together... you will be FINE! I was banded almost a year ago, June 3rd, 2010. Ive had my own issues, but ive lost 61 lbs that i dont have to worry about any more. I love my lapband. I was 25 when i got the lapband and it was my very first surgery ever! I was a nervous wreck but i knew that once it was over and i was healed that my life would be changed. I still eat normal. Just wayyyyy smaller amounts. You will adjust to the band... and every fill will slowly teach you how to eat. The surgery itself isnt bad. The pain is def do-able. The hardest part is to stand up from a sitting position. Make sure you walk around a lot to rid any gas... etc. The drs will give you pain meds which is GREAT lol. I would totally do it again! If you have any questions, feel free to Private message me. You will do great. Whenever i was in my pre-op stage i was struggling as well. Reading the posts on here will freak you out. BUT go look at the before and after pictures... if that doesnt motivate you i dont know what will lol.

Well, right out of surgery the port area is where the pain occurs. It is very hard to stand up straight or lay down flat. Its also hard to get up from a sitting position. I had surgery on a thursday and was back to work by the following wednesday. I am a teacher, so i am with my kids all day... very active. It is pain that is do-able. It def is uncomfortable but i am not good with pain. This was my very first surgery... but it was very simple and easy to deal with afterwards. I was able to bathe normal and do a lot with out the help of others. I never got the gas pains a lot of folks talk about. I made sure to walk around A LOT. That helps to not get the gas in the shoulder and stuff. Im sorry that the gallbladder hurt you for 2 weeks. This pain lasts about a week... but it is very tolerable.

Welcome to bandland! lol. I have had the band for almost a year, itll be a year June 3rd. I have lost 61lbs so far, and i need to lose 40 more. The lapband has helped me so much, and I know i made the right decision. Be patient with the long wait.... bc in the end it is well worth it. The important thing is, you have taken the first step... and thats all you need to do to keep on going in the right direction. Dont become discouraged. So all in all, you now know someone with a band! Any questions you can feel free to private message me, or on this post.

First of all, Congrats on losing 35 lbs. Those 35 lbs are gone and never coming back. Great job! I havent lost 150 lbs, ive lost 61 lbs and need to lose 40 more. We both have the same goal though, and that is to lose weight! You have taken the first step and that is getting the band. You will do great. Keep a positive mind, and make sure to take before pictures! I weigh myself constantly... and times where the scale is not moving i will take recent pix and compare them to my post op pictures... and i have a non-scale victory! Its amazing how your body will transform. I was banded about a year ago, so if you have any questions feel free to ask/private message me.

Are you chewing your food really good and taking at least 30 mins to eat a small meal? Are you avoiding foods that get you stuck... like white bread, white rice, white pasta? Are you drinking while eating? I use to get stuck everyday too, but i have got the hang of the band and how it works. Throwing up is no good, and isnt healthy for you either. Have you spoke with your dr? Perhaps youre too tight... but I dont understand how if you dont stay very full. 21 lbs is a great start! It is 21 lbs that is gone and never coming back. Dont compare yourself to others bc that will only hinder you. I have a bandbuddy, we both got the surgery on the same day. I met her off this site. She has lost 90 lbs and ive only lost 60. The band works diff for diff folks, and you will find your nitch. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Hello! I see that you posted this a month ago, and i also know you prob have already had ur surgery since now it is the start of may. I hope all went well. I was 25 when i got my band (a year ago) and i was also a "virgin" to the knife lol. I was scared and nervous as hell, but once it was said and done... i never had any regrets. Any questions, feel free to private message me. I hope all is well with you if you did have surgery.

Hello! I am 1 month shy of being a year post op. When i first got out of surgery, i had very little restriction as well. This surgery does not make the weight fall off by any means... and i had to learn that the hard way. I am like you, right after a fill i lose 5-6 lbs and then nothing else. I also get the back pain, but its mainly after i eat. I told my dr and he completely unfilled me... which i was totally upset over. I ended up gaining 5lbs. I finally got some restriction back (that whole ordeal lasted 4 months of not losing any weight). All in all, in one year i am down 50 lbs. I would have liked to been more, but those 4 months really set me back. Do you have your back pain when your eating? I find when i am at work or on the go... i dont notice the back pain as much. I also am more conscious about how i am eating bc i dont want to get stuck in public. When i am at home, i tend to eat faster bc i am starving... and then i get stuck and afterwards my mid back KILLS me. I have to lay down. I understand your frustrations, i have def been frustrated with the band, but i also have to see that 50 lbs is gone and not coming back! which is great. So Congrats on the 19 lbs, bc that is awesome. 20 lbs that isnt going to come back, gone forever! If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask or private message me.

I have a question... I have had my band since June 2010, and have done great so far. About 3 months ago I had to get a slight unfill due to heartburn. I went to the dr 3 days ago and got a fill. The first fill he put way too much in, and it hurt so bad to swallow the Water. He drained the band completely so that the water could pass, and then he filled it up again giving me a .2cc fill. Which is the perfect amount. HOWEVER, now every time i eat... i dont get "stuck" but i get full... my upper back aches so bad. Its kinda where the bra line would go... or the lungs. Until the food passes, then my back will feel better. Of course this will happen on a Friday... when i can finally eat solids again and cant contact my dr till monday. Has any one had this happen to them, or know what it could be?? Also, i find when i drink liquids it hurts. As if it isnt going down. But i can eat food just fine. I heard some people say to drink the liquid at room temp bc I can still be iritated from such a dramatic fill... so i will give that time. But my back... i am concerned. Help? Thank you for your time..

UPDATE: I actually made a personal call to my dr and he was able to see me sunday afternoon. He said that my pouch is very swollen and that is why my back is hurting. Needless to say, he completely unfilled my band. I will be unfilled for 2 weeks to give it time to heal up, and get fills very slowly from then on out. He said that if i did not see him, my band could have easily of slipped. So im praying in two weeks, everything will Iron out and i will be able to get a fill. I kinda wish he would have ordered a upper GI just to make sure there is no slippage. Im a worry wart, so i need to just trust him.