skylily

Best of luck to you xox

My doctor has already indicated it would have to be open surgery (one large hole). He told me before the lap band was removed if when he went in and saw that there was too much scarring around where the band was then he wouldn't do a bypass because he wouldn't be able to make the pouch small enough. Anyhow, better to just wait and see what he says I suppose. I live in Australia and they don't do as many bypasses here as USA. The surgeons are more reluctant to work with scarred tissue. Thanks for your good wishes

Hi oldoneyoungagain. I agree with you and I have the ultimate cavewoman metabolism I've just had my lapband removed (had it for 4 years but it gave me more grief than it was worth). The surgeon said there was a lot of scarring and I'm half expecting him to tell me at our next meeting that he won't be able to do a gastric bypass. So here I am with nothing at all at present. I actually put on half a stone in hospital and didn't eat hardly anything lol (grrr). I have taken it off the past week by following a low GI diet which I am really enjoying and eating a healthy amount of calories. I think what I'll do is try going low GI for 5 days a week and the shakes only on the other two days. God I hope it works. I'm running out of options here. Good luck with your weight loss journey xox

Hi kersha (the damn site isn't allowing me to use the quotes grrr) You're so right. We are all different metabolically. For some it is easy to lose weight when they eat less, other people have to try all sorts of strategies to find something that works for them. It's quite maddening xox Good luck to you and your friend xox

Hi colorado, thanks for your reply, I hope it starts moving for you real soon. I agree with oldoneyoungagain, it's probably the only way to go at this stage, start eating more and then less again. Two steps forward and one back kind of thing. It's never easy when you have a crappy metabolism. You have to trick your body kind of. I am down about 40 kilos from my heaviest but my body just wont go below 121 kilos (266 lbs). I have gone up and down the same ten kilos for the past three years. It is arghHHHHHHH.

Hi. It sounds like you already know what is right for you. You have your own life to live and you can't be worrying about what anyone else thinks, friends, or even your dad. Good luck with your future

It must be very frustrating. I hope it starts moving for you and Junior Guru soon xox

Hi. Please remove me from the April list. They've decided to just remove the band on Saturday, have a good look and reschedule surgery for three months down the track which can hopefully be keyhole and not open as planned. Quite disappointed I won't be leaving the hospital with the bypass done but I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck everyone xox

Yes, the best of luck

Hi, aren't you still supposed to be on only liquids at this stage anyway? Your tummy is still healing. Take care

Fantastic!! You are like the ultimate success story.

I know what you mean. I have the same fears. I read all the posts on here, the good, the bad and the ugly and I want to believe that the good posts will be like what will happen to me. But I also know that this is how I felt with the band and how it works for some and not for others. I am prepared to stick to all the guidelines for the long haul but I'm afraid because my body quickly gets used to less calories and stops losing. I think there's really no getting around it... damned if I do and damned if I don't lol. All I can do is HOPE that this time will be different, and I hope that for you too maddy78 xox

Thanks Wendilou

Hi. I'm sure if you've still lost weight your liver will have shrunk. It's ok, and best of luck xox I too am going from the band to the gb (on the 27th). I have to have open surgery and I'm freaking a bit because I have been there and done that and it was bad bad bad. Anyhow... the things we do hey

Well done!

Hello, can you please put me on the list for the 27th April? Thanks xox

You've done a fantastic job and you look fabulous. It seems her negative comment probably stems from jealousy. Besides some people only see what they want to see.

awwww love and best wishes to you all the way from Australia. Hope you start feeling better very soon xox

Hi everyone. April 27th, open surgery going from the band to GB Good luck to all of you xox

Great news. Well done.

I know how you feel. I have 8 days left and am having open surgery going from the lap band to a bypass. Feel nervous about so many things I hope everything goes great for you xox

That's great. Was your surgery open or lap?

I wish mine was going to be. Because 'they've' already been in there three times he said it makes it too difficult to do keyhole. Bummer.

Hi. I am having my band removed and gastric bypass done in about 10 days. I'm just wondering if you all had to have open surgery when you went from one to the other? My surgeon says it will be safer because he needs to have a good look and doesn't want to leave any sutures etc. I'm trying not to think about it too much (to no avail lol). When I had the band (four years ago) my stomach was perforated and several days after having the op I found myself in agony and having emergency open surgery and the band was taken out. The next 10 days were really, really bad physically and mentally. Because I have a bit of a bad back I always sleep on my side and turn every half hour or so. With the abdominal surgery I couldn't do that and found myself not being able to sleep for several days. I'm fearful I will find myself in the same situation but will just have to endure it. Anyhow... enough whining... did most of you have to have open surgery and how bad was the first few days recovery? Thanks PS Good luck to those who are coming up to their revision. Here's wishing us all a better trip then with the band PPS Oh forgot to mention I had another band put in a few months after the initial mess.

The first part of this post is copied from the About Me part in my profile. I decided to use it here because I would like some feedback please. I was banded in March 2009. I came home, somewhat in discomfort and over the following days I progressed into agony. I ended up back in hospital having emergency surgery at 2am five days after the placement. I had been nicked in the first surgery and had an infection. The band was removed and I spent four days in ICU and then another four or five in the ward. It was the most PAINFUL experience in my life and it wasn't too good emotionally either. After I returned home there was a long recovery period and I initially thought I could not face hospital again with rebanding. My surgeon explained that I may have to be opened up again (I have a huge scar down my middle because of the emergency surgery) if it proved impossible to do it keyhole. I had to gather up all my strength and return to try again in August 2009 because I didn't want all that pain and money wasted... with no outcome except a scar to show for it. Fortunately the second banding went without a hitch and it was a keyhole op. It hasn't been an easy journey. I can't seem to tolerate a decent fill without severe reflux and choking during the night etc. So, I only have enough fill to make sure I don't suffer those symptoms but then it means I can fit way more in than I would like to. I initially lost a decent amount... but only after low carbing combined with 3 or 4 days at gym every week. I have the metabolism of a slug!! Over the past 12 months I have regained 10 kgs (22 lbs). I am just beginning again to try to start from scratch in my mindset. Force myself to eat less, chew more, don't drink with meals etc. People who look at banding as 'cheating' and 'easy' have NO IDEA. Us banders still need colossal willpower and determination. It is a life-long struggle and the trick is to remain proactive in our journey and not give up. I always knew banding was just another tool in my arsenal and not a magic fix... I just have to sharpen this particular tool at this point in time and make it work for me. Don't get me wrong though I WISH THIS BLOODY BAND WAS A MAGIC FIX and I didn't have to diet or exercise!!!!! Now... first of all I am not vying for sympathy here or wish to put off any potential banders. I am just saying it as it is for me. The band has been a wonderful tool for many on this site as the many glowing posts attest to and I wish all you newbies the best of luck. I would like to hear from others who have been on a similar journey. Having a fairly successful honeymoon period... putting in the hard yards with diet and exercise... and then grinding to a halt. I would like to know how others who suffer from severe reflux and choking from having the band at a level where restriction is effective but need to unfill it enough so that those symptoms don't occur... and therefore can eat more than they should on the band. I have considered changing to a sleeve but from what I have read they too have a honeymoon period of losing and then the same problems can occur... starting to eat more etc. I don't want to change one set of problems for another... I want the band to work for me... I want me to work for me. I am at bit of a standstill. I am still having the same problems that I have had all my life. I hate people harping on about willpower. I have lost 1000s of pounds in my life and put them all back on. The periods of self denial and exercise are far more than most people ever endure. I have also enjoyed the times when I have got into the zone and eating well and going to gym etc has been easy and something that has become a pleasant daily ritual... and I believe that 'yes, I can do this for the rest of my life'. But life long habits are insidious... and creep stealthily back... and before I know it... here I am... asking for some advice from you guys because I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I wish I could get my band filled more without the painful and scary side effects. I wish I could maintain control as an ongoing thing rather than in spurts. I wish I wasn't failing... and no matter how you dress it that's what I'm doing. I know I have to climb back on the will power horse and just do it. I just feel like I'm on this endless cycle. I hoped before I got banded that I would be able to break the cycle. I was wrong. Thanks for listening.