soulful Grandma

NimbleBean, Thank you for the amazing courage you have shown with this post. You have given me the inspiration to speak as well. sending all my positive thoughts and energy your way. Much of my experience is similar. I too have not really lost any weight. I also credit the band for not gaining any back; right now I am only 6 pounds below the weight I was the day I had the surgery. I have been far too ashamed to speak on here for the last couple of years. I haven't been to the dr for about 8 -9 months. When I did go, I confessed my struggle. they unfilled the band, scolded me (and did offer a special strugglers support group which of course meets when I am at work).and I gained back all the weight (was originally 12 lbs below pre-op) with the band unfilled. they refilled gradually (more scolding) but it was months before I even lost the couple pounds below surgery weight that I am at now. There's a long story with many factors and whining involved but the bottom line rests with me - I must be the one to take the reins to get this fixed. I was just reading about band slippage the other day - to my knowledge mine hasn't slipped. How do you know if it has slipped? back in 2007 I asked my surgeon that and all he said was, " oh, you will know if it slips" whatever that means. I need to get off my duff and do something too. I've just been avoiding everything. I stopped going to the regular support meetings because all it ever was was amazing success stories and pre -op folks with questions. Oh, and by the sleeve do you mean sleeve gastrectomy? that would be my choice if I ever could get an alternative from what research I have done. My husband freaks at the thought - the reason I went with the band in the first place. Please please stay in touch and I hope you don't mind the questions. I am so blown away by your courage to speak. And I hope you don't mind if I pray for you. ( I will pray for us!) I literally searched this whole forum website for posts such as this one a long time ago . May 07 banders, please forgive this long post. I am sending love to you all and will be back in touch as well.

Thanks! I'll check that out.

I had corresponded with a Dr. Barry Fisher prior to my surgery & told him when I was moving-he said he'd be glad to do the fills. When I got here, his office said that he had retired and that the remaining partners have a "new" policy of not taking on any other Dr's patients. My husband tried calling them the next day and they told him maybe, "call back in a month". Then I contacted a Dr. Teng. That office called me back and said that they had VERY RECENTLY instituted a one-time "enrollment fee" for fill-only pts, of $500 - not covered by any insurance. Then I contacted a Dr James Lau, his office said they'd call me back but never did. I have all my records from Rhode Island, not that that seems to matter. There is one more surgeon in this area (that I can find) that I haven't called yet. And I have been warned of bad experiences with that one on another board. It looked like there were alot of them when I googled, but most seem to belong to those first 3 group partnerships. Appreciate any help that can be given!

Hi sorry that no one responded to you here! I had my surgery with Dr. Pohl on May 14. They're good, but it's a bit of a factory b/c they have so many patients. Assembly-line style. The PA who does the fills is excellent at giving the shots but he's young, slim, and can be a bit insensitive. You'll do well, but just realize that the first few months are what we call "bandster hell" because it takes several fills until you really feel restriction - I don't think that was emphasized quite enough. So when you get there, hang in until you start to feel restriction. Good luck and feel free to pm me.

Hi, a bit of an update to the most supportive group ever! I had my 3rd fill 2 days ago. I now have 2 ccs in a 4 cc band. I may be feeling the tiniest bit of restriction, so subtle that I'm not even sure. I sure hope so as I go out of town again on Wednesday. Maybe chasing the grandkids will help, that's how I'll spend about half of my vacation so that my son and his DW can get a break. The only time they get one is when we are in town about every 3 mos. b/c they don't trust anyone else with the kids yet. I keep re-reading all of your words and it helps keep me going. 5 weeks till the next fill. I'm trying much harder to eliminate the white carbs and add Fiber, maybe that will help. Now if I can just find a way to murder the "night-eating monster" AND the "chocolate monster" and stop dreading the exercise. Thanks for helping me on my emotional roller coaster - please don't give up on me! Oh, I am in therapy too, I think that is quite necessary! Love to you all.

Thanks everyone for the help. I just got home from my business trip and I printed and took your responses with me to read at night. I'll try the white carbs thing, I started out not eating any but slowly they re-entered my diet... I welcome your suggestions on Protein shakes. I have found only the Atkins ready-to-drink ones to be really palatable so far. I do drink some of the cocoas, Fruit drinks, etc. But all that I've tried so far range from horrible to just ok. I go for a fill next week, the 3rd one, so keep your fingers crossed for me.......... Blessings to you all, this is the ONLY place I have found real support.

Wishing YOU lots of luck too, PJRugby! I do think that lumpy feeling is the beginning of restriction ....at least mine got "lumpier" after the second fill... I can still eat as much as ever though. If you weren't in the UK I'd think we had the same treatment team! they are entirely too casual about it, partly because they are trying to fit in a million patients a day! I wish us all the best and thanks for the nudges to the gym. I'd like to keep in touch with you all.

thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. You each gave me hope with your responses - you all told me something that I needed to hear. I am going to print your responses to take with me on my business trip and keep them near to re-read when the going gets tough. Bless you a thousand times, Lizrbit, Jack and Jeni 85. I have lots of support but NO ONE knows what I'm going through, except you.

Jeni, Thank you so much for those words of encouragement. I'm looking forward to my next fill and (trying!) not to beat myself up. I hear you about the sugars - I hope you are saying that avoiding them does eventually help the cravings? I'll definitely message you and please you do the same. I don't know why I didn't get back on the board before...

Hi, I badly need some advice and also some reassurance. I was banded 5/14. I did ok for the first 3 weeks while healing. Then, at the 3 week point, it was like I turned ravenous! Like when you come off a starvation diet like Optifast. My surgeon kind of said that I'd be able to eat anything, and boy he was right. I went back to my old ways, almost. I'm getting plenty (50-70 gr or more) of Protein, and at least 8 glasses of Water a day but it doesn't seem to help with the hunger. Got my first fill at 6 weeks (1 cc in a 4cc band) - still no difference. Got my 2nd fill (1/2 cc) 3 weeks later and while I now have some "sticking" if I don't chew carefully, I am still hungry and can eat as much as ever, and pretty much anything. I'm being careful not to lean toward soft food. I've gone into a real spiral of depression and self-hate with all this, and of course there goes the exercise and any other good habits, and here comes the emotional eating. I started avoiding this forum. The support group only meets once a month and seems to be mostly RNY patients. I've regained 4 of the 12 or so pounds that I lost after surgery. Not much but in the wrong direction! I'm so surprised by all this. No one could have been more ready for this surgery, or so I thought. I went to therapy, researched it for 2 years, went to seminars, the whole bit. I really thought this was the tool I needed to help me with obesity. I was dieting, losing, seeing the nutritionist, and SO ready! I was 100 % committed to this. The Surgeon and his PA just keep saying be patient, the restriction will come. And not to worry about the pouch being stretched or band slipped, that I am fine. My therapist says, be patient it will come and stop the self-flagellation. But every time I see the commercial about taming the hunger lion I want to throw something at the tv!! I never, ever expected that I would get off to this bad a beginning. Can someone please tell me that it isn't too late to turn it around? Can anyone relate to my experience, and the let down I'm feeling? I'm leaving tomorrow for a business trip, but when I come back I'll log on immediately, promise. I'd really love more than anything to hear from some folks who turned this thing around. :help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help:

mom of 4 could you PM me? I'm moving to Las Vegas in a few months and don't want to get my fills from the wrong doctor!

Thank you all for this thread. I am 1 month post band and hungry constantly. Feeling discouraged because I got off to a bad start - not exercising, I've been slammed at work ever since I went back 1 week post-op. Because of the work stress, I gave way to my old habits of not eating between Breakfast and supper. And then of course I'm hungry all night. I had pretty much broken my night-eating habit with the 2000 calorie diet my nutritionist put me on before the pre-op diet. Between the pre-op and post-op diets, I also had that rebound-hunger starvation mode thing that I experienced after Optifast but not quite as bad. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone on the hunger thing and giving me some ideas on ways to manage it. Is there anyone out there who got off to a less-than-perfect start and then overcame it? I have to admit that I'm afraid that my age or lack of willpower will sabatoge my hopes for this band. I researched and thought for 2 years before I got it, explored it in therapy and I really thought I was ready. I'm trying to build in the exercise but that has always been hard for me, I hate it. I have got to overcome this negativity. Thank god for all of you and 2 friends who recently had RNY for the understanding. I do have to remember not to compare myself to my RNY buddies. But seeing them lose 60 pounds in 2 months while I am stalled makes me wonder if I had the right surgery. I (and all my friends and family) thought that the RNY was too extreme but now I wonder. Sorry for all the whining but I also am grateful and hope that comes through. SG still trying to believe in miracles.

Hi Derick, I can't supply you with a list of the symptoms of erosion, but I can tell you my experience. Not sure when you were banded, but - I'm 3 weeks out - when I got home from the hospital I had the burning, it was below my incisions, sometimes also at the port incision. Had the same worries. When I called the Doctor, the PA called me back and assured me that this was quite common and not to be concerned. And indeed, it slowly subsided, by last week it was gone and my 2 week visit went well. I still have some tenderness amd swelling in that area, but they explained to me that the port is sewn to muscle and it takes a bit longer to heal. This is what causes the burn, it also radiates downward. I wouldn't be too concerned unless it gets really intolerable. But of course be on the safe side and call your surgeon. Best of luck, SG