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Thanks AlienBandit for the response - it seems like you were able to go back to work right away. I'm trying to figure out how much time to take off from work. I will not be getting another band, since my erosion is pretty bad I'm not eligible. I'm not sure I would want another one any way.. It hasn't been a bad journey with the band, but the cost and readjustment would be monumental. I have led an extremely active lifestyle since banding (currently training for a triathlon), so I'm hoping I can maintain my weight loss. How does it feel to be re-banded?

My band was placed May 2007 and I recently went to the doctor with reflux problems. He did an upper GI which showed no problems but also did an endoscopy which showed my band has eroded. :thumbup: I am being scheduled for a removal this month, but I'm trying to get an idea of what to plan for in terms of recovery time. For those who have had their band removed: 1. How long were you in hospital? 2. How long did you recover at home before returning to work? 3. How long before you felt like yourself again? Thanks, Maryum

Just want you to know that I felt the EXACT same way when I got my band 3 years ago. I was totally convinced that I was going to get it taken out - I really freaked out. I kept thinking that I had broke it and it was off floating free in my body! LOL After some time, I settled into the routine of things and it started to feel normal to have it.

I stalled out for a while, the only thing that helped me was relearning the rules of the band. I posted them on my wall and reviewed them every day!! Hope this helps: The Ten Lap-Band Commandments Eat only three small meals a day Eat slowly and chew thoroughly (15-20 times a bite) Stop eating as soon as you feel full Do not drink while you are eating Do not eat between meals Eat only good quality food Avoid fibrous food Drink enough fluids during the day Drink only low-calorie fluids Exercise at least 30 minutes a day

Let me start out by saying how sorry I am that the band is not working for you - I know it must be very frustrating! One of the things my surgeon made me really think about before choosing the lapband was whether my problems with food were emotional or satiety. His opinion was that emotional eaters will find a way to eat around the band and most likely need a more drastic surgery. That being said, I'm an emotional eater! The band has helped me by allowing me to get full faster and forcing me to eat foods that are better for me (breads, carbs, etc. make me feel awful). But I also decided that, in conjunction with the band, i wanted to take up a lot of exercise and strength training to make it work. Even with all that, I stalled out for over a year+ (pregnancy and baby stuff) and am now losing again. The band is certainly not the "easy" way out!! Unfortunately, for some of us, the band won't ever really work right. I really hope the sleeve is the procedure that does the trick for you - I hear only good things from those that have it! Good Luck!!

I was banded over 2 and 1/2 years ago and I'm here to inspire those that fall off the wagon! After being banded I lost 90lbs in about 9 months... I looked and felt so good, I went and got pregnant. Fast forward 18 months and I had completely fallen off the bandwagon and started gaining weight. I was depressed and frustrated. It finally took me relearning the band rules and following them meticulously.. since then I have lost over 60 lbs and I'm still going. I'm not a complete success yet:wink:, but I want people to see a different perspective. The band is always there and ready to work, when we are REALLY ready to use it!

I fell off the bandwagon after having a baby (2008), but recently got back on and weight loss is still going very good. Started my band journey back in 2007 at 333 lbs. Today, I weight 231 pounds! I'm down from a size 26 (top) 30 (bottom) to a size 16 (top) 20 (bottom). I had set a goal of 198, but now I'm wondering if that's too high or too low. My weight loss is slowing to about 8lbs a month (which is still great) but what I really want is a good goal to aim for! My doc had said 60% of excess weight is most likely with band? (that would be 223lbs) Any thoughts? Just for reference, I am African-American woman and have a large body frame (still where a size 11 shoe!). I am only 5 feet, 5 and a half inches tall. Also, I weighed 200lbs by 8th grade, so I don't have any adult frame of reference for a healthy size. Thanks for your thoughts!! MaryumC

I was going to post just about the same thing today... I am also really struggling. I was banded back in 07 and lost 90 lbs. I have now gained back 25lbs. I have found too many ways to eat around the band and I wonder if I'm a lost cause and need to get another type of surgery (which I don't have the money for!). I know I do everything exactly wrong... Right now I have no weight loss support, I'm very financially stressed, and I have very little free time for exercising. But like it was just said, today is a NEW day and I'm determined to do something to make things better. I think I need a 12 step program for bandsters!

I have really enjoyed reading these posts... I too am sabotaging my band. Got banded in May 07, with preop went from 333 to 245 in Sept 07. Then got pregnant... had a healthy baby May 08 and weighed 235 in June 08. Great right? No... right now I weigh 268. I eat around the band all the time... I have 6 cc in a 10 cc band. Drink through every meal and wash the food down, eat ice cream, cheesecake, sugary drinks. I'm on the rollercoaster to hell right now! These posts are helping me look at things... I still have a LOT of weight to lose. Thanks for everyone's thoughts, even though they weren't meant for me I appreciate them!

Maybe I'm just here for moral support, hopefully someone will turn a sympathetic ear my way. Here goes... I was banded in May 2007, at the time I weighed 330 lbs. By September 2007 I had lost 90 lbs and weighed 240 lbs. I never got a fill because I was losing weight so good, I figured I'd wait till I needed it. Then I got pregnant... Over the course of the pregnancy I gained a whopping 10 lbs, but when I weighed myself a week after baby I weighed 235. I had the baby in May 2008. The story is sounding good so far, right? Over the past 6 months I have not gotten a fill and some lbs have crept back on. I now weigh about 253. I know I need to schedule a fill but, I'm scared! :rolleyes2: I've never had one and I'm paranoid now that all my regular eating over pregnancy and the past six months has broken the band... you know - a flipped port that's somehow infected plus a stretched pouch and all sorts of things I have made up in my head. I just keep thinking it won't work or something is going to be wrong.. Any words of motivation so I can call and schedule my fill? My goal is to get to 200 lbs, although 180 would be really nice. Thanks for listening... Maryum

I got pregnant 3.5 months after getting my band. I never got a chance to get a fill! So far it hasn't been an issue. Your body needs more calories, so I've just had to use the rules of the band to "cheat" the band and get more food in. Example: I drink with every meal so I can get more food in. Another example is that I graze all day, which is a band no-no. And I totally indulge in soft foods all the time! Also, had to get a chewable prenatal Vitamin that isn't too tasty, but not a big deal. Right now I'm 31 weeks pregnant and have gained a whole 8 lbs or so. Even though I havent gained much, the baby is fine. She already weighs over 4lbs and they're estimating her weight will be 9lbs if she goes all the way to my due date! Try not to freak out too much, you'll be fine. I had been having fertility probs for years so I figured it would take me a while to get pregnant. Which is why we decided to go ahead and try so soon. But some things you just can't control! Good luck! For more advice, post in the "pregnant come join me" thread. Lots of very nice pg and banded ladies! Maryum

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and my port looks like a lump. If I see a new dr or nurse they always ask if I have a hernia... It's also somewhat tender, but then again my little girl likes to kick it along with ribs and sternum. She's got big feet (as seen on the ultrasound). Maryum

I was banded in May 2007 and lost 100 lbs without a fill. So when I got pregnant, I never needed an unfill. So yes, I'm unfilled! Maryum