simmons775

Best of luck to you! It's an incredible journey. Kelly

Well, I'm sorry to hear that some people haven't been happy with their band. I'm biased because I've had such a good experience. It's truly the best decision I ever made and I rave about it all the time. I'm a different person, healthier and happier all the way around. I hope that more people from our group have had good experiences like myself.

I'm doing great. Glad someone is starting up this link again. I'm still not where I want to be but I've been a lazy butt and plan on kicking myself into high gear to shed the last of this weight. Hope everyone else is doing good. Kelly

Best of luck to you!

Hey Jamie, Now that I have been banded for 3 years now I have come to several conclusions about how others really feel about what I've done. I find that the people who say things about how nice it must be to have something else do the work for you really don't have a clue about the band and how it works. I find that the people who say things about you being fine the way you are and that you don't need to change are uncomfortable with the unknown factor of what the new you will be like once you actually start feeling good about yourself. In my case, I have less patience and tolerance for people than I used to because I don't think I have to put with grief anymore just so people will like me. My husband was totally supportive in every way about this and even he went through a short period of insecurity that I wasn't going to think he was good enough for me anymore now that I had more confidence. He was wrong of course but initially we still had to work through his feelings. I have found that the people at work who don't know the real you as well as your family does just act like it's all about vanity and yes, that is part of it. Mostly it's about knowing you will be healthy and not a burden to our healthcare system and your family when you start getting weight induced health problems from not doing anything about it. The fact that you get easier on the eyes as you lose weight is just a perk as far as I'm concerned. It's how you will feel when you start seeing the hard work pay off that makes the journey all worth it. Don't let people cause you to second guess your choice. We were born with a little voice that tells us what to do and you need to go with it and push out the outside voices that are now making you unsure of yourself. We're here for you. Take care. Kelly

I'm still here too. I haven't been on in such a long time but I decided to hop on and see who still visits. Sounds like everyone is doing really well. I'm healing from my tummy tuck and am thrilled with the results so far. Good luck to everyone out there.

Wow...I've missed a lot on this thread. Jennie, so sorry to hear about your slipped band but glad you came back to the site to tell us about it. Terri, girl, how are you? I miss our lunches but I guess we let them slip huh? I'm glad to report I'm still doing great. I've been at the same weight for about a year now and I'm happy overall. I would like to reach my original goal of 140 but I still need to lose 20 to get there. It will happen if I work hard enough but I haven't been as dedicated lately. To all the new people who have joined, Dr R is awesome and I wouldn't let anyone else touch me. I keep reading about slips and his record is awesome when it comes to slips so I would stick with him. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I'm enjoying going to the swimming pool again this year. After 15 years of being too embarassed, it has been a dream come true to not be so self conscious at the pool. Ahhhhhhh.

I hope everyone is doing well with their bands and have had no complications. I had a minor setback in late August but I am struggling to return to where I was. I had lost 75 pounds but have regained 7 due to having 2 unfills and now a refill last week. I was having heartburn and night cough and hadn't realized that it was because my band was too tight. I had an unfill and then another and struggled for 8 weeks to not gain any weight. After gaining almost 10 pounds I went for my refill last Thursday. I'm doing great so far and hope to have the 7 pounds back off soon. Crazycat...hope all is well and that you have a wonderful holiday. I wish everyone else the same as well. :thumbup:

Terry, I'm so sorry you had to have your band replaced, but I am very glad you are feeling better and are back on track. Can't wait to get together with you over lunch when you are back to 100%. Keep me posted. C ya! Kelly

So I was having issues with heartburn and acid reflux over the last month or so and I was really starting to get concerned. I called my doc and had to wait a week and a half for an appointment since he was on vacation, but I wanted an x-ray because I need to see if something was wrong with my band. When I got to my appointment, he didn't want to x-ray me because he said I had all the classic symptoms of being to full. He actually showed me a chart and sure enough, every symptom I had was on it under the category of "too full." I couldn't believe that I had never seen that chart before. If I had, I wouldn't have gotten so worked up and worried. Anyway, he took out the 1/2 cc I got back in March and I felt better by the end of the day and haven't had any symptoms since. He said I might gain a couple of pounds since he loosened it but it would level out and he'd see me again in a month to readjust if necessary. I thought I'd post this in case anyone else is having the same symptoms I was having. Your band may be too tight. Symptoms were: Heartburn on and off all day, night cough or occasionally choking on your spit at night, acid reflux, regurgitation of food, weight gain or no weight loss. It also modifies how you eat because you will automatically gravitate toward unhealthy choices because you start eating what doesn't hurt. So, please don't let your band get too tight and ignore the symptoms. Long term and they can be dangerous.

I've personally tried them all because I threw up during both of my pregnancies. Every day until the day my boys were born actually. Anyway, I must say that Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale was a favorite. I don't think it has that bitter bite that the zero products have. Just my opinion but I think it really helps settle your tummy. My doctor is fine with soda and the band so I still drink one soda a day. Good luck finding one you like. Kelly

Good to hear from you Terry. Sounds like you are keeping very busy this summer. Can't believe you are still so tight but I hope there is an end to all of that soon. I'm doing fine. I haven't lost anything lately but summer is a hard time for me because my kids stay up later and exercising vigorously is a task since they are always underfoot. Enjoy this beautiful weather and I will hopefully see you soon. Kelly