taarific

I got my band on August 1, 2008. It was the BEST thing I could've done for myself! I lost over 100 pounds and had ZERO regrets. In the last year and a half, I've gained up to 40 pounds (lost 10) but have felt no restriction, and my Dr. and I were stumped. It wasn't until my THIRD upper GI (this week) that revealed my band has eroded and shifted. I'm so terribly disappointed. My Dr. Suggests band removal (of course!) and then switching to the gastric sleeve. When I asked about rebanding, he said his experience with everyone he's rebanded is the erosion again. So now, I have a difficult decision to make. I chose the band b/c it is completely reversible. I did amazing with it. My Dr. told me his patients that do well with the band, do well with the sleeve after band erosion and is convinced I will do great as well. I'm apprehensive. Most of what I read ob GS is positive, but it's the irreversible part that bothers me. Advice?

I got my band on August 1, 2008. It was the BEST thing I could've done for myself! I lost over 100 pounds and had ZERO regrets. In the last year and a half, I've gained up to 30 pounds, felt no restriction, and my Dr. and I were stumped. It wasn't until my THIRD upper GI (this week) that revealed my band has eroded and shifted. I'm so terribly disappointed. My Dr. Suggests removal (of course!) and then switching to the gastric sleeve. When I asked about rebranding, he said his experience with everyone he's rebanded is the erosion again. So now, I have a difficult decision to make. I chose the band b/c it is completely reversible. I did amazing with it. My Dr. told me his patients that do well with the band, do well with the sleeve after band erosion and is convinced I will do great as well. I'm apprehensive, but most of what I read is positive. As far as advice, I'd go with the band 100%. Best of luck to you in your WLS journey!

I was banded on August 1, 2008 (5 year anniversary coming up!!!) and lost over a hundred pounds! Went from a 265 lb gal to a teeny-weeny size 6...never in my life did I expect such success. It was awesome! Well, all was wonderful until about a year ago. I've since gained about 30 pounds and have had ZERO restriction. So my doctor kept filling my band, and now I'm filled to the max and still have ZERO restriction...clearly, my eating has gotten out of control (the problem with introducing BREAD and JUNK back into my diet...dumb mistake!) and now we're thinking perhaps my esophagus has stretched due to my bad decisions, thus the no-restriction...Plus to add insult to injury, my head hunger is back, so the satiety that I used to feel with my band is no longer... So now I'm scheduled for an Upper GI (the barium swallow & X-ray, yippee!) to see if that is indeed the case. My doc will take out some or all of the saline from my band in order to allow my esophagus to "shrink" back to normal and then we'll start the fill process again. SO my questions are: Has this happened to anyone? What happened? How long will it take for my esophagus to go back to "normal?" Will I gain a ton of weight? Thoughts? Advice? Help please, I need some support...

No you won't be refused, the docs just want you to lose something before u go in. Good luck with ur surgery!!! Helpful tip: bring a pillow with u for the ride home and keep it against your sutchers (sp?) it will absorb the shock from driving cuz if you don't, u will feel every bump in the road!!!

Well, I had a pretty good day yesterday. I woke up to find I lost another pound!!! Day 4 I could begin to add firmer proteins to my diet. Didn't feel terribly hungry, head-wise anyhow...and below is my what I ate. For breakfast, I stuck to coffee with sugar free creamer. About mid-morning, I made a protein shake for a snack (I mixed unjury's chocolate flavor with almond "silk" and it was SOOOO good!!!) For lunch I visited the school cafeteria's salad bar and had a scoop of egg salad, a scoop of cottage cheese some fresh pineapple and some orange jello. For my afternoon snack, I had a sugar free chocolate pudding with lite whipped cream. For dinner I tried the Cajun shrimp reciepe on the 5DPT website. It was pretty good! I had another sugar free chocolate pudding with lite whipped cream on the top for desert. I went to bed at the usual time, not feeling hungry at all. Day 5 - Something happened becasue I actually gained .04 of a pound. (I really shouldn't be weighing myself every day either so....) This morning I had coffee with sugar free creamer in it. Snack was a sugar free chocolate pudding, no whipped topping. I'm having lunch now, which is a small scoop of tuna, a smaller scoop of cottage cheese, fresh pineapple and some of the shrimp I made last night. I am planning on weighing in at my doctor's this afternoon so I will be sure to post what my actual weight loss has been since starting htis diet, according to their scales anyway...

Well, it's Day three, and I'm still losing (slowly...this reminds me of the first few days after surgery, watching the scale go backwards!!!!) It's not a large loss, but I do feel like I'm down and my "belly fat" is surely shrinking! Well one thing I have noticed is my energy is BACK...The extra protein in my diet is really working wonders. This morning I had a cup (OK 3) of homemade coffee with sugar free hazelnut creamer. No extra sugar, which I LOVE but sadly must give up...I wasn't hungry for breakfast so I just stuck with coffee. I was SO excited to have a homemade tuna salad for lunch, but, as the 5DPT states: I must eat what I have - Day three: soft proteins (in increments of 1 cup) in 15 minutes. I also cannot drink anything 30 mins before or after I eat. (A very good tool to start beginning banders!!!) Anyhow, I didn't even finish my allotted 1 cup of tuna salad. I wasn't even hungry. Oh! I also must note that we must keep up on our intake of water throughout this process. (I've noticed that when I drink more water, I need chap-stick less...chapped lips is a sign of dehydration, right?) BONUS! Well dinner time rolled around and I met a friend for dinner at Bertucci's (ARGH, resisting the bread was TORTURE but I did and watched my friend eat FIVE ROLLS!!!) ugh, anyhow I stupidly ordered the Mediterranean Pesto Salad with Salmon with NO CROUTONS thinking I was doing a good thing. Turns out this entree salad is FILLED with calories, so it was pretty delicious. I didn't finish it though, so YAY me!!! Went to a work function and got myself a medium black iced coffee (added my own sugar-free creamer) and drank it. That pretty much sums up my day...Looking forward to tomorrow, SHELLFISH DAY and I've got a bunch of shrimp in my freezer. (Of course if you don't like seafood, there are plenty of alternatives to eat days 3 and on...check out the site: http://www.5daypouchtest.com there are a few recipes, I'm excited to make the Cajun shrimp tomorrow night!) Well, hope this helps someone...it's sure helping me!! Tara xx

The liquids STINK!!! Don't give up, find ANYthing to do that will keep your mind off of food. Get a mani/pedi, go for a walk, take a nap, read a book...Good luck peeps and keep in touch!

Eeeek well, I'm glad your'e feeling better. Good luck!!!

Thanks so much!!! I am just ready to lose this 20 pounds even if it means I have to exercise. LOL. Keep in touch!

Well I put it out there that I had lost 110 pounds, but have recently found over the last 5 months or so that I haven't had any restriction with my Realize Band and found myself up about 30 pounds. I've gone to my doc for fills (I'm up to a WHOPPING 11CCs in my band!) and attended support group meetings and both my doctor and I were stumped. Then a member of this site sent me the suggestion to try the 5 Day Pouch Test. http://www.5daypouchtest.com Originally created by a person who had the Gastric Bypass surgery, it's seems to "renew" the sense of restriction we all felt from the beginning of our journey with the lap band surgery. I spoke with my doctor and he had never heard of it, but it looked like a good idea to him. SO Dr. Fiallo has challenged me to try it and I'm already on Day Two!!! Like the website says, many of us turn to "Slider Foods," the foods that slide right through our bands to maybe avoid that uncomfortable feeling.(You know, that RESTRICTION feeling we're SUPPOSED to feel...) BUT let's face it, what's better than eating the foods we all LOVED (but didn't love us back- because they made us fat in the first place!) Things that go through our bands easily are crackers, chips, JUNK FOOD...(I know I'm certainly guilty of eating this garbage!) and what apparently happens is these junk foods slide right through the bands and don't fill us up... The point is, it's not only a jump start for my band, but even if it isn't the "miracle cure" I've been searching for, it's certainly puts my recent food choices up for scrutiny...I WANT to be healthy again...AND I REALLY WANT TO GET BACK INTO MY SIZE 6 GAP JEANS THIS SUMMER!!! LOL Days 1 and 2 are clear liquids. The site has told me that on Days 1 & 2 I need to stick to "Liquid Protein" Listed are: Low-carb protein shakes (hello my old friend Unjury...), broth, clear or Cream (I know, yay! CREAM!) Soups, Sugar-free Jello AND PUDDING...and of course PLENTY of water. I've even included black coffee (with a SMALL amount of sugar free creamer...I just couldn't stomach the black coffee alone...) Well, today (Tuesday, May 15, 2012) many of my students (I teach high school, but have known may students from before my weight loss surgery, so they've celebrated my weight loss and know my agony of what I've put back on...) asked if I've lost weight!!! The mentioned my pants were looking too baggy...and you know kids, they are brutally honest!!! SO anyway, I'm super psyched and that has kept me going on this. I am actually down about 4 pounds since last Friday (5/11)(I should also mention that I've been counting calories like a crazy person and have limited myself to 1200 - 1500/day using the smart phone app "myfitnesspal.") Anyhow, I hope some of you out there find this info helpful. I will update my progress daily, wish me luck!! (Also wishing you all the best of luck on this journey to being healthy!!!) Tara xx

OMG!! OK I want to know EVERYTHING. How did you figure out the band slipped? Were you not able to eat/ keep anything down OR did you just stop feeling restriction? May I ask what band you have (lap Band or Realize?) I've lost 110 but gained 30 because I haven't felt any restriction...My doc put me up to 11CCs...I'm freaking out here!!!

Congrats, looking GREAT!!

What is biotin? Is it in hair products!?!?

I can only speak from experience, but my hair dresser also put in her two cents... When I lost the bulk of my weight, hair did fall out, but not in clumps. I still had hair and kept on coloring and cutting, etc. One thing I have noticed is my hair has become extremely dry. My hairdresser says I need to make sure I'm eating enough nutrients to keep it looking lush. She said she's seen this in many of her clients who go through weight loss surgery. Just make sure you're taking your Vitamins (I"m not good at that...) and using good products.

Thanks for the responses peeps! @sashawls - yeah the Lap Band comes in FIVE different sizes, mine is the Realize band and it's just one size. ;( @Sunshyne068 - I'm meeting with my doc again today, I will ask him what the chances are of a leak...who knows??? @Stephyanders - I'm willing ot bet that may work. I will bring it up to my doc and see what he says! Thanks for the idea! It really means a lot to me when you all respond, thanks so much!!! Tara

I had my surgery August 1, 2008. I did amazing and lost 110 pounds and got to a size 6! Since last September until now, I've gained FORTY pounds. I am hungry between meals, etc as well. Originally my band was filled to about 7CCs of saline, but I've been monotoring my fills. I have been going every couple of weeks since January to get fills and in March, my doctor sent me in to have an Upper GI done and everything came back normal, so why don't I feel any retsriction? Now have 11CCs in my band but feel NO RESTRICTION and can eat EVERYThing. I rely on my band to help me... I am wondering if anyone else has been through this? My doc is looking over my Upper GI films again (this is the third time) to see if there's something wrong. The next step would be for the doc to go back in and check it out surgically, which I don't mind, but it has to go through my insurance and actually be approved, and who knows how long that will take??? I just want to be in my size 6s again...also, I gave all my "fat" clothes away and nothing fits!!! If anyone could get back to me on this, I'd surely appreicate it!

Thanks for your responses! @tmf: I did the barrium (the upper GI) swallow and the films "look" normal. I don't think I'm eating around the band...I used to feel restriction and never pushed through that full feeling...is that what you mean? Before, I couldn't even get bread down now I can eat ANYthing... @lauren: My doc is aware, but seems perplexed. I'm grateful that you've seen others with this issue. I am just hopeful I'll be back to normal soon...The weight is creeping on and honestly, I'm freaking out.

Hey anyone out there know of a good, effective support group for banders in Western Mass? The one my surgeon's office currently offers conflicts with my schedule.

No worries. I know ebough people who areinterested in starting up a group, so that may be what I end up doing. Let me know your thoughts. I'm in the Springfield area.

Do not fret!!! I had my surgery August 1, 2008, and lost 110 pounds and HATE those shakes too!!! Will you eat eggs? Try frying an egg in pam, or having a hard boiled one. Also, Who says you need to have breakfast food in the morning only (or at all? Have a piece of fish, or chicken or a piece of cheese and a slice of turley!!) I have also just ordered a couple of cookbooks from amazon.com that are specific to banders. I can't wait!