DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I just did some reading and found just the opposite: "Obese people are six times more likely to have esophageal cancer than people who are not obese. Studies suggest that men whose fat is concentrated in the abdominal area are at greater risk of developing esophageal cancer." Everything I'm reading states obesity as greatly increasing the risk of it. I found some blogs about it in Lap Band patients but no actual medical documentation. (and I put no merit in blogs whatsoever). If I had to guess, based on what I've just read, that people getting it with Lap Band are because of being obese not the Lap Band, it just so happens the Lap Band draws attention to it sooner.

I know erosion is a risk, but statistically speaking it's less than 10% in five years. I've never heard anything about esophogial cancer, I'll have to look into it.

I have lost 77 pounds since I was banded on Jan. 6, 2012 and I would do it again in a heartbeat. This is by the far the best thing I've EVER done for myself. My only regret is that I didn't get banded years sooner.

A couple things come to mind, have you had any fills? If so, do you have good restriction? Also, do you track to calorie intake? With good restriction, we should be able to eat no more than 1/2-1 cup of food at a sitting and shouldn't be hungry again for 4-5 hours after. This alone will drastically cut our calorie intake. However, if we're eating high calorie and/or fatty foods, then we can still gain weight even if we're only eating a small amount. If you don't have good restriction, I would definitely go back to the doc and start getting fills. I personally use an android app called "Lose It" to track my food intake. Not only does it let me see what I'm eating at a glance but it also holds me accountable to what I eat. Best wishes.

The reason he won't do the surgery if you smoke has nothing to do with the band itself, but the greatly increased risk of problems occurring during surgery. Smokers can't oxygenate their organs properly, making healing take longer and the risk of infection higher. Statistically speaking, it's smokers that have more problems with anesthesia for the same reason. Overall, your risk of serious complications and/or death increases significantly if you're a smoker, and that is why most surgeons won't perform elective surgeries like Lap-Band on smokers. Most require you've been smoke free for a month.

Ummm...ok?

It's hard and you definitely aren't alone. I don't know how many times I've made myself these plates of foods at least twice as much as I can eat. Old habits die hard, and while the band may help reduce hunger and the amount we can consume, it does change our heads. In my opinion, the head is the hardest to retrain, too. It will get easier when you get some restriction. The first couple months until then are often referred to as "bandster hell because you can often eat as though you're not banded at all until after a couple fills. The good news is, restriction does help. A good example- on Easter I decided to give myself a freebie day and didn't count calories. (I normally log everything on an app called Lose It!) I had exactly one Reeses Egg and was immediately full. Part of me was silently irritated I couldn't just sit and graze on candy anymore, but I realized it was also saving me a scale trauma because seriously over-eating was literally impossible. Hang in there, it does get easier.

I use an app called "Lose It" to track calories, Protein, fat, and carbs. This way I can be both be sure what I'm eating is a good choice as well as holds me accountable. Also, 2 weeks without a lose isn't long. Plateaus are normal when losing weight.

Didn't you meet with a nutrionist prior to surgery? All of this, including your complete post-op diet, should have been discussed with you prior to surgery. Talk to your doctor.

Unfortunately, you can't do anything other than what you're already doing, set a good example. It's got to be frustrating the heck out of you, but just like the decision to be banded was his so will be the choice to change his eating habits. I don't understand why his doctor won't give him a fill, though. I mean, you can lose weight and still not be at restriction. I lost weight before I had a fill but it was by sheer will power. Maybe he should specifically ask for one, explaining that despite losing weight he can and is eating too much? Granted we're all different, but there's also a chance once he gets restriction that will force some better eating habits on him. I mean, if he eats too fast or doesn't chew enough and ends up with a minor stuck episode, that discomfort will teach him pretty dang quickly to slow down and chew better. Same thing goes if he's taking too big a bite. He's lucky to have you. Hang in there

Why would you have to give up Olive Garden breadsticks? It's not something you'd want to eat daily but why not have one as an occasional treat? Like I said earlier, there isn't anything I can't eat. Some of us can eat "normal" just smaller portions. I didn't have to retrain myself to take small bites and chew thoroughly once I had restriction in my band, because if I take too big a bite or don't chew enough, it gets stuck and is very uncomfortable. Granted it passes on it's own relatively quickly but it's extremely unpleasant. After feeling that sensation once or twice was enough to "retrain" me

The only thing I won't/can't have is the diet soda, but I won't drink anything with carbonation. It's the only thing my surgeon says I can not ever have and I follow that rule- it's not worth a slip or worse. I can eat anything I want so long as I take very small bites, chew chew chew, and pause between bites.

The previous posters all bring up good points and offer good advice. That doctor may be a scam artist, but if you're having all these health issues for a year and half, why would you wait to do anything about it? I'm truly sorry you're dealing with all this, but a few things come to mind: 1. Your health issues don't sound band related, 2. If you haven't lost a single pound in all this time, I'm guessing you likely weren't monitoring what you ate and weren't adequately filled, and 3. You need to find a local lap band surgeon, go see them, and have your band examined just to be safe. Your surgeon may have been a quack, but as an adult is your responsibility to take care of yourself, and that includes getting adequate medical help and advice when needed. Do not put this off any longer- get help.

When I had my surgery, the woman sharing the room with me was in there to have her band replaced. She was drinking soda regularly since being banded and it prolapsed her band, which means her band not only slipped but her stomach actually came up through the band. All due to drinking carbonation. I was told not to ever drink carbonation again after being banded, and after seeing what my hospital roommate went through because of drinking it, you better believe I will NEVER touch it again. It's not worth the risk.

I eat Pasta, but only whole grain. If it's white, or the package says "enriched" (despite appearing to be whole grain) I won't buy it. The exception would be when eating out, a Lean Cuisine, or eating at someone else's house. But whenever I cook and the recipe calls for pasta I use whole grain. If it's rice, I use brown rice. But I eat both pasta and rice regularly with no problem, I just have to take really small bites and wait a little bit between bites.

I had similar issues after my last fill, but I find if I take tiny bites- like the size you'd serve to a toddler- then chew it to pure mush, I am fine.

I would talk to your surgeon before taking anything like that, whether it's prescription or OTC.

There is no rule you can't eat bread, in fact, I eat bread daily. The only thing you can't have is carbonation, otherwise you can eat whatever you want. As far as Protein and vegetables, you can have carbs but you just should eat your protein first to make sure you get enough. The only other "rules" are to take small bites and chew, chew chew. There really aren't that many rules. It is, however, important to remember the Lap Band is a tool not a magic bullet. It doesn't matter what WLS you choose, you will still have to make lifelong lifestyle and eating habit changes. It's not about rules, about making good choices so that we can get down a healthy weight and stay there.

Yes, good and bad days are a part of any journey. I am guessing you don't see the weight loss because your body image isn't accurate. The majority of overweight people have a very hard time "seeing" themselves as they really are. Most see themselves far worse than they really are, I was banded 3 1/2 months ago and have lost 73 pounds, yet I barely see a difference in myself. I can feel a huge difference but when I look in the mirror I struggle to see it. I'm still wearing the same clothes I did pre-surgery and weight loss even. They're huge on me and about 3-4 sizes too big, but I don't know, I'm comfortable in them. I finally "saw" a glimpse of the difference only after I just saw a pic of myself taken this last week next to a pic of me taken a couple weeks before surgery. WOW. Then, and only then, did I go "holy crap I look a lot thinner!" It was almost a surreal experience. My best advice is to be patient and forgiving with yourself, but take pics. You will be so glad you did later when you can look back at your pics and really "see" the difference as you go.

I would ask your nutritionist specifically how many carbs you're allowed to have a day, this way you can make your own decisions how to eat them. For the record, my nutrionist has me eating a minimum of 60g of Protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 25g of fat daily. I eat low fat Wheat Thins with Laughing Cow light cheese daily. It hasn't hindered my weight loss at all.

This is very good advice. I use an app called "Lose It", and I log every single thing I eat, every day. As Jim1967 stated, it keeps me accountable for what I put in my body. Because it's an app on my phone, it's very easy and takes very little time to simply add food. (you can access it online as well, it updates on both places) It's also helpful when I go see my nutrionist because I can show her exactly what I've been eating, including Protein, carb, and fat break downs. I think you have start over from scratch and go forward looking at this as a new beginning rather than a failure. Go back, start getting fills again so you have restriction, see a nutritionist, and start logging your food. You can do this and be successful, it's just going to take some time and work.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Congratulations! The gas pain is normal and the post surgical pain/symptom I see people comment on most often here. I had it rather bad the first the couple days, but thankfully it passed in less than a week and then I was fine. I think you'll be surprised how fast you'll feel "normal" again. I had surgery on a Friday and was back to my normal routine, including driving my kids, by the following Wednesday. Best wishes to you!!