Linds

Firstly congratulations on 13lbs weightloss...it really is a great start. Now then, it is hard work until you get to your sweet spot but it can be done...just watch what you eat and exercise more and the weight will move...protein first, then veggies then carbs (if there is room) and never drink with or for 2 hours after meals. Make sure you get in 2lts fluids a day and diet....you can't pack in the high calorie foods...the band will only help reduce the quantities you can eat. Good luck and keep your chin up

I was like this last year...my barium swallow showed all was well with my band...but it wasn't and I knew there was something wrong but my surgeon didn't believe me. He refused to take all my fill out like I requested and left me 5ml in (I have an 11ml capacity band) and then in May I threw up that much blood I have to have a transfusion...nearly died.....it was only when they put a camera down my throat that they realised the band had eroded into my stomach (have seen the photos)....so now face removal. The barium swallow does not show this so insist on further tests and get this sorted please.

Why are you eating easy foods? is your band too tight? if so get an unfill otherwise you could be facing erosion or slippage. You will put weight on eating the easy option high calorific foods...or lazy foods.....so get your band working and work with it...you haven't been through all this to fail now. The band is hard work but it can work...you need to diet and exercise but the rewards are great.....and you'll feel so proud of yourself. But do not put up with an overtight band...it is way too dangerous.

Have you looked at what ou are eating? I was told to eat no more than 1500cals a day and to eat protein first, then veggies then carbs if I was still hungry. Don't drink with meals but make sure you get your 2 litres in. Exercise as much as you can. The band is a tool....you still have to diet and exercise with it....it will help you control your portions and that is about it...the rest my friend is down to you.....so if you can honestly say hand on heart that you are abiding by the bandster rules then go back to your surgeon and ask him/her why it is not working for you.

This takes me back....If I had been bad (eating wrong things) over a period of time, or was in the wrong frame of mind and perhaps put a bit of weight back on, I used to pretend I had just had surgery and went back to basics....and it worked every time. Gave me a new lease of life and the weight would drop off. Difference was that I had restriction whereas after surgery I didn't...so go for it....it really is a boost!!

I agree with the others advice....I like you am 6 years out...lost a lot of weight and then gained a lot back. Felt a failure so just put up with the problems I was enduring with the band...reflux, self tightening, pain around my port etc....well I eventually got to the point where I couldn't eat anything so I went to see my surgeon and he did a barium swallow and said all was well (!!!???) so he did a small defill and sent me on my way. I asked about erosion but he assured me my band was in the same place he'd put it 6 years ago. That was in December 2008...in May this year I suddenly through up a heap of blood.....long story short, I nearly died....my band has eroded into my stomach and is going to be a pig to remove. Please, please, please get this sorted.....it might be nothing but don't go through what I have/am going through at the moment.....I have been so ill since the transfusion I had to have, I am on morphine for the pain and I cannot wait for the band to be removed now...9 days and counting.

Just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have had to go through this at only 8 months out....it seems so unfair. Well done though on your weight loss. The only thing I can say is that the band was not meant for you and thank God they realised this before it caused you major problems. I nearly died a few weeks ago throwing up a lot of blood ang my blood pressure plummeting due to my band eroding so you see you have been lucky. It has given you a great start and now it is up to you to fight on with diet and exercise to lose those other 40lbs...you can do it....just imagine the band is still there!!! Good luck...ad have a great life

I had no choice 6 years ago as my surgeon then only did the band which is what I wanted at the time and loved. However, in hindsight with my love of chocolate it has been my downfall as you do have to diet/exercise and work hard with the band (don't get me wrong I lost a lot of weight when I ate the right foods but when I didn't the weight soon piled back on). I am due to have my band removed due to it now being on the inside of my stomach (erosion) and am hopefully having a revision to RNY which will stop me eating chocolate for the fear of dumping and the malabsorption aspect will aid my weight loss....I need this after 6 years of struggling but the band works for those that work with it.

I have got to have my band removed as it has seriously eroded. I have asked my surgeon about a revision and he says he might be able to do one to RNY or a Sleeve. Not knowing much about the Sleeve, I thought I had better look it up. I am amazed how many people on this site alone have revision to a Sleeve....something which still gives them no malabsorption. I have been dieting and struggling for 6 years with the band and now will put on even more weight waiting for the revised surgery....and the thought of restrictive only procedure just terrifies me....what if I fail this too. I would much prefer the RNY....but I look at alot of my fellow former bandsters and you all go for the Sleeve. Please explain this to me as I feel I am missing something. I know the Sleeve can be added on later to a DS but that is after weight loss stops (i.e. the initial bulk that we lose)....well I have done that and I cannot stand the thought of doing this and not losing anything. Sorry but I am so confused (and in a morphine haze) so please forgive me....I just want it all explained to me.....Does the sleeve work and is it as hard work as the band (6 years seemed like a lifetime)

Good luck to you too Nancy...my hubby had his RNY 2 years ago and has never looked back....he has his tummy tuck in a few weeks to finish off what he calls the Brad Pitt look (don't I wish)

Alyson you poor love...what a nightmare you have been through...but please be thankful that you have lived through it. I have almost died twice with related problems caused by my band over the past 6 years and to top it all I have regained a lot of weight. I still have to go through a surgery to have it removed but I understand why you wanted to hang on to it as it became your lifeline....I know that feeling...it has been mine for 6 years but no more....it has let me down now (whereas I had previously always blamed myself). I really feel like John Hurt in Alien and that this thing will explode out of me.....don't laugh but I have dreams about it and it looks like a band with teeth!!! I wish you luck with your continued journey wherever that may lead you.....God bless x x x

Thanks for all your replies. I have had an indepth discussion with my surgeon and expressed my concerns about having a restriction only sleeve so we have opted for RNY as I will always have the malabsorption to help me lose the weight as long as I don't over-eat and stretch the pouch. (that's right apparently the malabsoprtion doesn't go as the bowel doesn't alter...it's just that when we get nearer our goal, we eat the wrong things, more of it and stretch our pouches so the weight can go back on...nothing to do with there not being any malabsoption) I will hopefully have the revision done at the same time as my band is removed on the 16th June...depending on how my stomach is...if however, some healing time is needed, I will have to wait a couple of months and return to have the revision part done. I just want theband out now as it really is uncomfortable and alien to me.

Well in hind sight (and it has taken me 6 years and a lot of problems and tons of weight regain to come to this conclusion) I wish I had had the option (which I didn't) to have RNY as I think it would have been better for me. Don't get me wrong, the band during the most part has been great, but it hasn't done what it said on the label for mke and believe me I have worked darned hard with it. I have almost died twice with associated problems (kinked tube and erosion) so I guess enough is enough. I wish all my fellow bandsters all the luck and success in the world....it does work....I lost 168lbs initially but have put over 70 back on and very quickly. I will hopefully be revised to a gastric bypass in the next couple of weeks or months so will begin my journey again all being well.

Hi...thanks for your reply. I am so sorry you too are suffering and having to have your band removed. My surgery is booked for 16th June and if it is possible, my surgeon will do a revision to RNY at the same time. He would have preferred a sleeve but I said I had lived with a restriction only method for 6 years and had not lost sufficient weight and thought that I needed the malabsorption help now...so he agreed. If, however, my stomach is too sore to do the bypass, he will let it heal for a couple of months and do it then. I do tend to put on weight at a very fast rate...not because I gorge myself on takeaways etc or fatty foods and chocolate, just eating more than 1200 cals puts weight on me cos I have eaten so little for so long. What have they offered you operation wise? My hubby had the RNY two years ago (and I have many friends with it) so I know what to expect. I also know you can regain but again that I believe is down to what you eat. I just want to lose the weight in the first place and take things from there. Good luck....it's hard saying good bye isn't it!!!

I have had my band in for 6 years now during which time I lost a lot of weight (first 2 years) and then regained very quickly about half back. I have been saying for over a year that I thought something was wrong with my band....it just didn't feel right...self tightened, hurt etc but all the tests showed there was nothing wrong. I did, however, convince my surgeon to give me a defill (I wanted it all out but low and behold he wouldn't do that) which did help a little but I asked about erosion at that time, and the Barium swallow apparently showed all was well. Imagine my horror when 2 weeks ago I literally nearly died because I threw up loads (and I mean loads) of nice fresh red blood which sent my blood pressure plummeting...it took a couple of days for them to stabilise me and get enough blood into me to bring me round....but I am here to tell the tale. After an OBG the pictures clearly showed my band had eroded inside my stomach (well 2/3 of the way) and was clearly visible. The pain is unbelieveable and I am now awaiting to have my band removed. Six years of relatively hard graft (still dieting) and I am now going to be bandless with a metabolism that if I eat above 1000 cals a day, I put weight on....so here comes morbid obesity again. I was asked at the beginning of my journey what I wanted from my band and I said to lose enough weight to see my grandchildren....well I have had 3 born during this time so I guess I got my wish. I had a kink in my tube 8 months out which left me on a ventilator, and now this....I think my band is divorcing me and I am not left with the house in the Bahamas if you get my meaning. Sorry to be on a downer, but listen to your own bodies and do not take no for an answer....you know how you and your band feel, they don't.

Hi Alfie, and welcome to bandster land UK. Where were you banded and who was your surgeon? I was banded over 5 years ago now at the QMC in Notts by Mr Beckingham and have had a great time with my band....just wish my head could stay in sync. I am back on the wagon at the mo and the weight is shifting again so am enjoying the journey once more. My band is my friend and long may it continue to be so. Treat it nice and it will be good to you Alfie. Let us know how you get on over the coming months....just remember Rome wasn't built in a day so don't expect to lose the weight you've gained overnight. Good luck...you've taken a good first step.

Hi I must admit the symptoms you are describing do sound a bit like Gall stones - I suffered for 20 years with them and an attack was usually brought on by me eating rich food (fatty) after being relatively fat free for a while. Try laying off the fats and see if it improves, but it will need diagnosing so it can be treated. It just takes an ultrasound. I eventually had my gallbladder removed 2 years ago after a bad attack saw me in hospital for 8 days over the new year period. My band surgeon did the surgery for me - he ould also check that my band was ok whilst in there!!! The result has been great....no side effects and the size of the gallstone causing me the trouble was the size of a walnut - it is huge (yes I still have it in a jar!!!) Hope you get it sorted....good luck

Doesn't chocolate go down a treat? I must amit it is my downfall. I have had all the symptoms you describe and did nothing about it hence me putting on a lot of weight. So my advice would be to do as you say and do the fluids/mushy for a while as it might just be swelling....if things don't improve then do the unfill - you'll be surprised what a difference it can make as being able to eat better food choices aids the weight loss as opposed to getting down about it and turning to chocolate. Good luck

I hope you don't have to "diet" ever again, but the fact that we have to follow rules to lose weight, is a "diet" in itself. I can only speak from my own experience....basically if I eat what I really want (chocolate, biscuits etc) I put lots of weight on and very quickly so I have to avoid the high calorific foods if I want to lose weight. All the band does is help with the quantity of food I can get in at any time - unfortunately it does not stop the things I like. I have lost a lot of weight and my health has improved beyond recognition (I'd be dead now had it not been for my band). But it is a running battle for me and in hind sight, because of my chocolate cravings, I perhaps should have had a bypass (my hubby had one in June 2007 and lost 170lbs in 10 months and is now awaiting his plastics, whereas I am still battling on. I love my band and it is a great tool to have, but please do not ever think that the weight might not return as it very easily can. I love to see people who have go to goal with the band as it spurs me on but you have to really consider if you are right for the band.i.e. if your downfall is quantity then the band is for you, but if like me your problem is high calorific food, then you may have to work a lot harder and be more self-disciplined to lose the weight. This is just my own views based on my own experience.

Bless you - I know it's difficult but hang on in there. I am waiting for a complete unfill as after over 5 years (last fill being about 3 years ago) my band suddenly decided to tighten itself. Been for an x-ray under fluro today to check for slippage and erosion and the doc couldn't see anything other than the band being very tight and not allowing and food and barely any Fluid through. It never ceases to amaze me how this has suddenly happened after all this time. But it is very painful (feels like my stomach is in a vice) and I just need to get it slackened off so I don't dehydrate. Hope your medical problem is soon sorted so you can get a fill again as I can imagine what you're going through. Good luck

I too was never a binger...more a high-calorie eater (chocolate being the main culprit). I have never been unfilled but am facing that possibility at the moment so will let you know. What I cannot understand is how we gain our urges back as although the band has been emptied, we still have the band around our stomach causing a restriction in the flow of food so how can we eat so much straight away? I will never understand the workings of the band the more I read on these boards suffice to say they all seem to have minds of their own

Planning meals sounds good as it means you are less likely to snack on rubbish food choices. The "Diet" word is sometimes frowned on by people who have had WLS as they seem to think that because they can no longer eat the amount of food they once could, that the weight will miraculously disappear....and it probably will for a while. But in my experience, I still have to diet to lose weight....if I eat bad things then weight goes back on (at an alarming rate I hasten to add). So the band is a tool that controls the amount we eat, but unfortunately it does not control what we eat. My biggest emotional crutch is chocolate - I was eating a large bar (250g) a day and the weight just piled back on....but on the plus side, when I am in the correct frame of mind for dieting, and make the right food choices, then the weight does come off and I never feel hungry like I used to before the band. We do not have the luxury of malabsorption like our other WLS brothers and sisters, but we do have the other luxury of knowing that our bands will work as long as we do....long after the malabsorption has disappeared. Sorry to ramble on....but don't you just hate dieting? lol

First of all CONGRATULATIONS - 10lbs is 10lbs and unfortunately we ladies do have cycles (whether we like it or not) during which our bodies retain Fluid (I can put on half a stone the week leading up to a period) plus you are still in recovery mode. I am a long way out and have recently gone back to basics so I am also on fluids (bring on the mushies next week) as this is the way I kick start my banding diet if I have been "naughty" for a length of time. It always works and I know I will lose weight as long as my head stays in the right place (!!???) Back to my earlier days, and as a tip for when you plateau, it is essential you get your Proteins and fluids in and just a bit of an alteration to your diet can get the weight shifting again. You also state you are exercising which means you are probably building a bit of muscle - they weigh heavier than fat so another tip is to measure yourself (once a month) as if the weight isn't shifting the inches will be - trust me- I don't lie!!! It is a wonderful journey you have chosen but remember the band is there to help you (and it will) but you first and foremost have to help yourself and make the right food choices.....not easy if you are an emotion-led eater, but it can and has been done. I started my liquid diet 3 weeks ago tomorrow and have lost 19lbs so am well happy. It is my fault I am not down to goal but I still strive to get there and hopefully will on this occasion. Good luck and keep up the hard work

Good luck with the op and the continued weight loss. I agree I doubt you'll need an NG tube but to be safe mention your band to the anaethetist - lets face it they must have to perform emergency ops on us bandsters on some occasions and are more than equipped to deal with these situations. I didn't have to have my band unfilled when I had my gallbladder out but it was my band surgeon that performed the surgery.

good idea to ask your Dr as low BP can be a problem as can low potassium levels so best to get them checked out. Our bodies are used to lots of everything and going cold turkey on alot of stuff would make anyones head spin - good luck