Kai-shek

I am sitting at the hospital waiting for the band removal. It has been in for two years and I have lost all the weight. It has been a fantastic experience to be really slim and I am just wondering if there are any people out there who had the band removed and stayed slim.

I am sitting at the hospital waiting for the band removal. It has been in for two years and I have lost all the weight. It has been a fantastic experience to be really slim and I am just wondering if there are any people out there who had the band removed and stayed slim.

Why is it being removed? I assume you have had problems.
But you have learned good eating habits, you are motivated to stay slim, my very best wishes!
Obviously it can be done! But in honesty, everyone I know who has had it removed has regained.
Without the band, we are back into the category of those who diet without surgery; statistics show that only 5% keep the weight off.
Work hard, monitor yourself and you can do it! Be one of the 5%.

The reflux is probably because you got such a small stomach now. This usually is very common with band and sleeve patients when they get down to such a low weight.

I don't think "nerves" would have this much of an effect on a band. Sure, "nerves" might provoke a temporary bit of restriction, but not like what you are describing. If this were happening to me, I'd get in and check for a band slip. I would hope my surgeon would suggest an x-ray or other means of evaluating before jumping to the "must have band removed" option. If a slip did occur, I'd rather explore repositioning rather than outright removal, if possible.
I'm sorry you are experiencing this complication and please let us know the outcome. You've done very well and I hope you will be able to keep your band.

It's interesting that after all that time, your band suddenly "Gets Tight" right out of the blue....and that getting Fluid taken out relieved it.
Did your DR. give any explanation why that may have happened?
If I learned anything important with the band, it would be to "Learn to "Listen" to my band.
I personally do not believe there is any "Maintenance" with the lap band...diets yes, lap band no...
However one thing I have learned to do is to go on full liquids for a few days, every 6 weeks or so, or by "Listening" to the little warning signals. Subtle differences lasting a day or two.
This is in essence, has the same effect as taking Fluid out of the band...to give it a "Rest"
Your situation got extreme, and all the fluid was taken out....at least that's my take on it from my experiences, I have no real way of knowing what is going on with your band.
But your Dr. should be able to tell you something.

@@Kai-shek
When you say "all the symptoms are back", does that include the sensation of a "tight band"? Even with all the Fluid removed?
Did your surgeon/doctor check your band with fluoroscopy or other means?
IF I were having those symptoms, I'd be asking to have my band placement and restriction level checked using fluoro.
Best wishes!

I am afraid that a common complication of the band is a gradual build up of scar tissue. Thus us beyond our control and is simply the individual's reaction to the implant.nI have read it can be aggravated by keeping the band too tight in the first place but I have not seen research to support that.
If this hapoens, the band gets tighter. It has happened to me twice in my almost nine years, but both times in a very minor way and the removal of just 0.1 cc sorted it out.
Reflux for banded people is NOT due to a small stomach as the stomach in which the acid is made us a,most the original size, It is caused by pressure from an over-restriction.
Have you been checked for a slip?

Put those medical professionals to work! What if it's not band-related, for instance a food allergy. Before my husband was diagnosed with Celiac he had unbelievable acid reflux. As soon as he went off of wheat it cleared up completely. Bodies are so complicated and every one is different. Work closely with your medical team and don't give up until you have answers. Best wishes and keep us posted!

I can NEVER drink liquids fast....my last fill, I thought was too tight...stuck it out for a week then called the Dr....he talked me into sticking it out for another week, advised me to stay with liquids for a few days, then slowly move up to soft foods, etc, etc....
I'm glad he did....that was over 3 -1/2 years ago and things could not be better since. Before that last fill my band was doing next to nothing...if I had that last fill removed, then I would have gone back to that place...
As it turned out, in my case anyway, it was a mixture of inflammation of the band area, and adjusting myself, yet once again to eating better food choices and more carefully.
Cannot continue to eat the way I used to if I want the band to take control.
If I did not go all liquids, then I would never have given the band time to settle down, but continue to irritate it.
If I did not, yet again, give up certain foods and also change my eating habits, the band would never have had the chance to function the way it does today.
Every time I got a fill, I had to change my behavior....and the last fill was the most aggressive.
To this day, I still go all liquids for 2-3 days, every 6-8 weeks or so. That is the only maintenance I need having finished with my weight loss.

I took another big step a few days ago. I wore a bathing suit that did not have a skirt. I have very wrinkled upper legs and thighs and usually look for a skirt to cover what I can. I couldn't find a suit I liked with a skirt this time around though I did find some very nice one piece tank style suits. I look fine in one except for the legs. My tummy doesn't pouf out like it used to, nor does my behind so I put it on and had my mom give me her opinion and she said that I'm way more aware of the loose skin than anyone else would be and that I shouldn't worry about my legs.
So, I wore it to the pool when I was in Florida last week. I tried to not think about it and just to go about my business but I can tell you that I felt so much lighter in the Water without the skirt material swirling around. I will just have to try to not be so critical of myself and enjoy the accomplishments I've made rather than focusing on what I can't change at the moment...or perhaps ever.

I don't hold back drinking socially...either gin and tonics or bloody mary's....
Does not effect my band one way or the other....
As far as colories, I'm not a calorie counter...I look at the big picture which is I now eat 1/10th of what I used to on any given day, and when I do eat, I make the best nutritious choices I can.
I also will have a beer or two from time to time...but I don't recommended it to people just starting out...there is a lot to learn first...

Does the green zone mean success? Though I can identify with many of the things above
Changed eating habits
No longer buy the "goodies" from the grocery score
Not interested in restaurant menu
Only interested in food when I bored or think I should be eating
I have even lost all my weight from 220lbs to 107lbs to be honest I am really skinny, I love clothes, I would not change having the band, but it is no picnic and I face daily challenges so I would add a word of caution the green zone does not always mean success for me. I am two years out and still struggling and learning.

UPDATE: I cancelled my CT Scan and going to see a new doctor this Friday.... I still think it's too early to talk bout revision surgery and doing a cat scan. I feel great, i have no acid reflux and everything is going down just great! can eat a cow! I feel like im healing just fine. It's been 22 days since unfill also sooo hopefully on Friday the xray will show some improvement on my band and i can stop thinking about this possible slip! Although, I did gain alot of weight but that's my fault! please pray pray pray!

Your band and stomach need to relax... You will be feeling better every day more and more once the swelling and aggregation goes down

right away kai-shek! that night i slept right through without waking up choking on my reflux! it was instant relief when he unfilled me.

Does the green zone mean success? Though I can identify with many of the things above
Changed eating habits
No longer buy the "goodies" from the grocery score
Not interested in restaurant menu
Only interested in food when I bored or think I should be eating
I have even lost all my weight from 220lbs to 107lbs to be honest I am really skinny, I love clothes, I would not change having the band, but it is no picnic and I face daily challenges so I would add a word of caution the green zone does not always mean success for me. I am two years out and still struggling and learning.

Please could you tell me after the unfill how long did it take for acid reflux to go away?

@@B-52 i'm glad you posted this...i sometimes wonder if i should make myself eat on days like this...

Today is going to be a day that happens occasionally living with the band...I already can predict how it will be.
First, it's 5 am, having my coffee, playing on my laptop.
I will head to the gym and run my 5 miles when they open today at 6.
Then I will have my high Protein smoothie.
My wife and i will then drive to the train station and head into the city to see a Broadway play this afternoon...after which, we may or may not have dinner...I DID NOT make any reservations, so we will probably just head back to Penn station, then head back home.
By the time we are back in our car, and have time to stop somewhere to eat, it will be about 8pm....my poor wife has to eat, so we will stop somewhere.
But I have a rule about eating a meal after a certain hour, to prevent reflux and other things that can happen during the night. So I will have coffee, and maybe a snack.< /p>
My point is, this is going to be one of those days that I will not eat...at all....it happens. And it does not bother me one bit because with the band things like hunger and cravings do not exist....when it comes to food or eating, I can take it or leave it. It simply does not interest me all the much.
And when I am pre-ocupied, doing something else, like I know today I will be all day today....., I will go without eating and not miss it one bit...not even think about it....until that is my poor wife reminds me.
It does not happen often, but it does happen...
That's just the way it is with me since being banded...all hunger/cravings gone. I have to tell myself it's time to eat something rather than the other way around.

If OTC meds don't sort this out, get your band checked. If you are chewing well and eating sensibly (I.e. not just before going to bed or very indigestible foods), heartburn can be a sign of being too tight. Heartburn is a sign of acid reflux even if we do not experience the sensation of the acid rising. This is not uncommon several years post-op as scar tissue builds up and the gradually tightens. Usually, as in my own case, a very small amount of saline being removed solves the problem.
I am paranoid about being too tight (maybe one of the reasons that I have my band still after almost 9 years which is pretty unusual!). When I developed night time reflux (very, very mild), I went straight to my doctor, even though I was having no problems at all eating. A barium swallow showed I was too tight and food was building up above the band -I had been totally unaware of this. Removing just 0.1 cc of saline made all the difference.

I'm with you 100%. I had gastritis before I banded. Since my band is working well I have heartburn instead. I was on omeprazole for the gastritis for way longer than anyone should but nothing else worked. Now I'm on previcid twice a day and still get heartburn at times. I have an appointment with my GI later this week. I hope he'll be able to resolve the issue for good . Maybe you should check in with your doctor as well.

Zantac

Right after surgery, everybody looses weight...lap band or no, we are on a strict post-op diet starting with Clear liquids and slowly progressing. Who wouldn't loose weight? And yet people give credit to the band.
At this stage, the Lap Band is doing nothing, IMO....it was installed and nothing more.(there are a FEW EXCEPTIONS...very few)
And let's face it...people who have much to loose, will loose more than the next person not quite so heavy.
So when someone says "I Lost 50 lbs, blah blah blah, the next person should not feel bad only loosing 10lbs.
I know people who could loose 50lbs if they skipped dinner! (only joking)
There are people here who start at 400lbs and loose over 200, and people who start at 225 and only loose 75....so which is more difficult?
So don't let the #'s intimidate you...it's all relative.
I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery, and it was 4cc's....after that, I began to gain weight because it also the time I came off the post-op diet and began eating normal food again. DUH!
That first fill did absolutely nothing.
Had my second fill of 2cc's, 4 weeks after that, = 8 weeks from surgery.
The band began to do something....I didn't loose weight, but I did not gain either.
All this time I was being told and reminded to count calories, measure portions, stay away from certain foods/drink, etc...ALL the things I could have done (and have done) without surgery, the time and anxiety put into preparing for this, not to mention the $$.
Talk about Frustration!! I felt it was a big Rip Off!
Came back 4 weeks after that, = 12 weeks from surgery for my 3rd, (and final) fill. THAT one put me over the top.Pushed me off the edge!
Could not keep anything down. Feared I was going to be malnourished, etc. I was free falling!
Many people would have gone back to get it taken out, get back within their comfort zone......but my Dr. (who knows ME and not YOU) talked me into sticking it out, talked me into slowing down my eating, choice of foods, all those thing etc, etc.
Also said if I did get that last (small) fill removed, it would put me back to where I was after my 2nd fill...did I want that?
I'm glad he did...it took weeks - months for things to start to find that groove, but it did all start to fall in line.
That elusive "Fine balance - Harmony" where the band performs splendidly. The true "Green Zone"
I quess my point is, this thing DOES WORK, but it is not going to work immediately...it is adjustable and it takes time, sometimes with trial and error, to get it right.
And it is not just the band that gets adjusted along the way...we too have to get adjusted to the Lap Band. And that is key to success.
Lap Band Surgery will "Change Your Life" but you have to ready and willing for change. And that can be very frustrating and take some time. Even though my last needed fill was 12 weeks from surgery, and the weight began to steadily and consistently come off, a year later I was still learning lessons, Life changing lessons...most times the hard and unpleasant way. Did not mean the band is at fault.
I'm 4 years out, and I can do something right now, this moment, that would cause a very negative reaction with my band. Does not mean my band is at fault...it means I just did something I should never do...simple, yet it did take time to learn the difference.
If people told me 4 years ago what and how little I would be eating today, and still be healthy and full of energy, I would have said they were blowing smoke up my you know what.
And yet here I am at that place, and to tell new people this, would be accepted the same as I would have 4 years ago.
This is the internet, and 1000's of people come and go here all the time. And I have read people's posts about frustration and feelings of failure (many of which are way pre-mature...give it a chance) when in fact I sense they are not willing to accept change. (still talking about pizza and cheese burgers, etc? Really?)
Not all, but some. There are people who legitimately have problems, complications. But we, strangers on the internet can ever tell what is going on.
They can't understand why they keep getting stuck...There's something wrong with their band...maybe there is, and maybe it's not the band....no one on the internet can tell for sure.
That is why it is best, IMO, it's best for people to simply share their own experiences, AT ALL LEVELS, good and bad, positive and negative...
Ok, it's 4am on a Sunday, I'm rambling on with my morning coffee before heading to the gym at 6...nothing more, just rambling..and pehaps ranting.

Walked into a shop this week, picked a jersey up and the sales lady said "we are out of stock on small sizes" she was speaking to ME!!!!!