Sassygirl89

I have had 4 or 5 fills in the last 3 years and I had my first fluoro yesterday with a new Dr. It was awesome! I was really happy to finally see my band and be reassured that everything looked normal and was working. The only issue I had was I was expecting to have around 7.5cc of saline in my band, and when the RN pulled out all the saline, there was only 6cc. I'm not sure what happened to the 1.5cc that I'm 100% positive was in there. I'm happy there is only 6cc but now I'm just confused!!

Hi, I should have joined a support group a long time ago. I'm 22 years old and was banded in Jan, 2009. I come from a family of overweight people. Both my parents plus my uncle have had the lap band surgery with success. It was an easy decision for me to get the lap band at a young age because I didn't want to grow up obese like my parents who had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attacks, etc.....Although I only started at around 190 lbs before surgery, on my small 5'1" frame it was a disaster. My BMI was high and physically I was an overweight mess. Emotionally I was upset that I would never get to play sports or enjoy life! After being banded I lost about 30 lbs in the first year. I don't remember exactly now, but I got a fill sometime in the first year. Since then I have had about 3 or 4 fills with about 7.5cc in a 9cc swedish band. I have since gained back almost 20 lbs. I am getting a fill tomorrow from a new doctor that I have never seen before that will give me the support I need. I have not received a fill in almost a year so I KNOW that is why I have gained a lot of weight back. Also my current boyfriend is amazing and never criticizes me when I am eating a carton of ice cream or bags of popcorn that go down so easy. I guess all I am looking for is someone to help enourage me to lose the weight again and get back on track. Every bander knows it can be tough. I feel like it has been tougher for me because I don't have 100 lbs to lose. I would like to lose about 40 lbs to get to my goal weight. It doesn't seem like much but it is so hard. Also, besides my boyfriend and immediate family, no one knows I had gotten the surgery. Since I was only 19 it was hard for me to face the fact that I was getting a life changing weight loss surgery. I had tried every diet imaginable since I was about 9 and it was all "temporary" weight loss. I am just looking for support and people in my situation.

Thank you for the support! I went to see the new fill Dr. today. It was the first time I have ever gotten fluro. It was very cool! I would definitely recommend this method to people to do it at least once a year. I have never done it, and I have had my band for almost 3 years. When they pulled out my saline to check how much I had in there, it was only 6cc, and I thought I should be at 7.5cc based off my previous fills. But either way, I'm excited to get back on track. I'll be doing a liquid diet for the next 2 days, and then starting back up with mushies. Thanks again!

First off all based off your BMI you are eligible for the surgery. I was 19 when I got mine, but you would have to make sure with certain surgeons beforehand. There are MANY topics on here that wil answers all your questions pre-op and post-op, even a list of surgeon and fill doctors in your state. It is very important to be knowledgeable about what you are getting yourself into. You should have to mentally ready for a lifestyle change. At 18 it could be hard to grasp the understanding of a weight loss surgery. I have 3 family members that had the band before I got it, so it was an easy yes for me to get it. 1. Yes you can still get pregnant. I had that concern when I got it at being so young. They will just have to take all the "fill" out so that you will eat normal enough for a baby to get nutrients. I haven't gotten to this point in my life but I do want kids as well. 2. There are always complications, but I don't think death is a major one. The band can "slip" or "balloon" but those are all treated-able. There can be some "throwing up" but it is different from normal throw up. That happens when you "cheat" and eat foods that you probably shouldn't, or you are eating too much or too fast. The food will attempt to pass through to your stomach but instead get a painful "stuck" feeling where you are forced to allow the food back up and out of your body. 3. There are NO foods that I have never been able to eat again. Just that you can only eat smaller portions or a couple bites. The point of the surgery is to allow you to eat less and feel full longer, but a lot of people take advantage of a healthier diet along with the lifestyle change. You will lose a lot of weight if you take this route, instead of eating small amounts of candy and cake all day. 4. I paid self for the surgery so I'm not sure if insurance covers it. There is a whole topic on insurance on here. 5. You are not too young to make a lifestyle change. Now is the best time in my opinion because it will only get worse as you get older because it will be harder to excercise. The toughest part for me was trying to keep it a secret from my friends. I was just embarressed about it. 6. I got my surgery in Mexico and it was around $9000 with a couple nights stay in a hotel and in the hospital. In the US I think it is twice that. 7. I do not regret it. I just wish I would have taken advantage of healthier foods from the beginning. 8. Lap band is minimally invasive where they laprascopically go in through your stomach with SMALL incision ports where you won't have a lot of scarring. The surgery is also reversible if something bad ever happened. Also like you mentioned, you can still have kids. With other surgeries where they cut your intestines and staple your stomach it is impossible to put those nutrient obsorbers bad into your body, so lap band was the best fit for me. 9. I don't think I could have lost weight without it. My weight was going higher and higher out of control. Obesity is a big thing in my family. I had tried every diet imaginable only to gain the weight back and more. Lap band was a tool that assisted me in losing weight. But everyone has more will-power than other people, so if you feel like you could lose weight by just excersising and cutting back on fat and calories more power to you! 10. And back to insurance I'm not sure, but I'm sure someone on here has your answer!!! Good luck!

Good luck! Sounds like you are doing an awesome job on the pre-diet. I'm 22 and was banded at 19 years old. You are in for a fun ride. At your size you will see amazing results with lap band. I'm excited for you! My uncle had his done when he was pushing 400 lbs and now after 6 years he is at 200lbs and looks too SKINNY. Hope to hear from you after the surgery!