gcravener

I know some insurance companies will pay for the lap-band surgery. But I have the opposite problem I need my eroding band taken out after 7 years of misery and only 20 lbs loss. I have learned one thing if you have a eating disorder like bingeing or bulimia the lap band is not for you. If you just have a over eating problem and don't mind being hungry then this is for you. I live in Arizona but had the operation done in Mexico, when I went to see the doctor down there he didn't like the idea I wanted it removed for any reason he gave me a hard time so I got scared to have him remove it. Now I can't find a doctor to remove it in Arizona, and my whole body is getting sicker and sicker rejecting it. I've fought a long and hard battle trying everything I was told to correctly use the band, but no matter what I did it was always the same throwing up so much it ruined my beautiful teeth, and never could get enough water down even though the band was let all the way out, so now I have kidney problems. If anyone knows of a doctor that would remove someone else's operation please let me know I'm desperate. gcravener2@hotmail.com. Thank you

Hi, I had the lap band done Dec. 2004...I lost 24 pounds over the first year and have put back on 12 of that now....I've had so many fills and unfills, this is what it feels like when you eat something..have you ever swallowed a big piece of ice or anything and it went down really slow and hurt...well thats the way it feels everytime I eat...people look at me and say whats wrong! are you ok....because I'm sure I'm making a terrible face...I try not to because I told no one of the operation except my best friend.....It doesn't help you with the beinges and the cravings.....you will still eat when you are hurt, happy or anything else you do now...everyone is going to hate me for this but I have to say I personally wish I'd gone to a theripist for eating disorders and saved my money or at least spent it on that instead... I decided in 2 days to do this, someone had cancelled and the doctors office told me to make up my mind right away or I wouldn't be able to do it for months...So like another great diet plan I jumped in with two feet and all my savings...I'm still fat, I still have all the issues I had before, only difference I have a piece of plastic wrapped around inside my body and rubbing around my stomach!. The long effects of this is not known...please think very hard and long about what you are about to do......your head needs fixing not your belly......good luck and god bless....Gail

Do you know anyone that has their band removed? and what that cost? God Bless...Gail

Ive only lost 17 pounds since Dec 2004! wish Id lost 50 pounds see someone else is always worse off then yourself....I wish Id never had it done ok.....Im in pain and throw up everything I try and eat...But what I still don't lose weigh doesn't make since does it...since the operation I eat 90% less food but hey still no great lose......so sad.......Gail:faint:

My band was to loose then to tight Dr. Kuri loosened it and said he thought it was to lose, but I still cant eat Pasta, bread, most meats, cereals, grains and a lot of vegies like broccolli, carrots no salads at all or I PBing..Ive been drinking juiced vegies and boiled chicken thighs and sometimes they wont go down..I cant eat eggs no matter how they are cooked. I had kidney stones because of the band also....Ive lost 17 pounds since Dec. 2004 and fight to keep that off....I joined curves and go 3 times a week, haven't lost any inches, and Im having a problem with my heart beat now..because of electrolites...if it didn't scar me more Id have the band taken out. ..I feel like my last hope of a easier way to lose is gone now....I realize it was a tool to help me lose, but in my case the tool didn't work....I'm so happy for the ones that it did work for...maybe Id been better off with a bypass..to late now...I spent every penny I had on the band.........Guess I'll just be a big girl and keep doing the best I can do with a very low metabalism its going to hard.....Good luck to everyone and God Bless..

I think this is a question to ask your doctor. I was thinking about this all last night and wondering what does cause a band to erode into the tissue of the stomach....Some say a faulty band...some say its the brand of band and a Doctor who used cheap bands..I'm going to see Dr. Kuri on Sat in TJ I'm going to find out about the cause and let other bandsters know what he has to say on the subject. Dr. Kuri doesn't beat around the bush or BS about problems with the band....G.

I have never heard of a eroded band..Thats something the doctor never told me before I got mine 12/9/04 only 20 lbs down! I had mine made smaller and larger and smaller and larger...gee's I'm tired of this...scary that it cut into your stomach....I wish I'd never done this either...Sorry folks, just telling the truth...I feel I thew my money down the drain and Hoping not my health also...I didn't lose much weight but had Kidney problems went to the Doctor and he told me I was starving my internal organs and was in a dangerous state, to go home and eat....I put back on five pounds in a week and have pretty well gotton over the terrible kidney attacks for now. I hope they are not permanently damaged.....Who may I ask did your band? I would not tell anyone to do the band now...Just find a safer way to loose weight, because when you do the band you still have to go without food and you still have to exercise so you can do this own your own without altering your stomach its just not worth the risk! If it wasn't such a big operation and costly I would have it removed tomorrow....Lets pray that down the road woman dont bend under the pressures of being skinny and keep getting all this stuff done to themselfs to conform....God Bless you and hope you get well and stay safe.......I'm so sorry for your pain...I feel for you........G. :sick

I was banded 12/04/2004 in TJ by Dr. Kuri...9.75/10.0 cm band. I followed all the guide lines after the operation. I must say I was hungry, but kept following the diet I was given of soft foods....A few weeks on that and I was ready to eat a little, but couldn't get chicken or beef, rise or pasta or bread or anything with fiber to stay down...In two months I got my first fill, I wasn't restricked enough so on Feb 23, 2005 after only losing 14 pounds I went for a more restrictive fill. 3.1 after that I couldn't hardly eat anything...I lived off of tomato soup and broth..and was told it was perfect and it would hit the sweet spot just wait you'll see. I counted calories to around 600 per day and drank liquid vitimins...In october I had 3 kidney stone attacks and now I'm suffering from Bladder attacks of severe stabbing pains.....Ive never been sick before in my life...I went to Dr.Brandeis who has a radio talk show in Arizona 1010 am on Saturdays 2-4 pm. I thought he would be the best and he is....He took tests and told me I was in a very dangerous state of Ketosis beyond the scope of measurement and I was dehydrated below a dangerous level and that causes kidney stones..He also told me I was starving myself and that my body was attacking my internal organs and I WAS NOT BURNING FAT!! I told him about the lap band he told me to go get it losed up and eat...Of course that scared me...I went to TJ on Sept 2nd for the Labor day bash and while I was there I had the fluro and the band losed to 2.1 the doctor there told me what Dr. Brandeis said was not true and I should leave the band tightened where it was. He told me to eat chicken and beef but chew it better I told him listen I grind it up and then chew it and it still wont go down I throw it up mashed potatoes wont even stay down. It takes me 4 hours to get 7 ounces of water down this thing....He said thats good....Well if its so good I said how come Im not losing weight he said your not exerciseing......I told him I belong to curves I go 3-5 days a weeks if you don't they call you at home and ask you why you aren't going to workout.... so in six months since the last fill Ive lost 7 pounds!!! Altogether about 22 pounds down from 252lbs....After I got the band let out in Tj I could eat a little meat after chewing it very well about two ouces on the food scale and maybe about 1/4 cup of green beans and now I can have a little brown rice which would never go down before...What I want to know is there anyone out there with this same problem...That your not losing anymore weight with the band than you could of done starving yourself the old fashion way....Oh and since I started eating around 1000 calories Ive gained 4 pounds back.....I dont cheat and Im lucky I don't like sweets.....I feel depressed and once again a failure...The doctor's don't want to hear from you when your not excited about how wonderful they are for helping you lose weight....Its the same old thing its your fault your not telling the truth your cheating somehow in their minds.......This was my last chance..I took all my money out of savings to pay cash for this operation...Seem's I should of tried Jenny Craig like Cristy Alley she has lost more then me and she didn't have to get cut open.........Help! is there anyone out there that has found a solution to this problem???? Octavia

What does NSV stand for?

Aimze, I feel for you I lost 2 pounds in the two weeks following the surgery. Its now been 3 fills, one was a let out because I couldn't eat anything for 7 months but broth and tomato soup and still Im only 20 lbs down since 12/4/04. If I eat normal for a day or so I will gain 3-4 pounds. So here I am still starving myself like I always did. People told me oh you have to eat to lose weight. I tried that and gained....Ill hang in there if it kills me......Just remember some of us bandsters don't lose weight and it looks like we just have to exercise more and starve more than the others do......Keep trying your new to this...........G

WOW, be proud I was banded 12/4/05 and Im only down 20 pounds and that was a lot of starving and working out to get that off. Your so lucky I wish I could lose weight that fast........

I was banded Dec 4th 2004 in Tj by Dr. Kuri....Only down 22 pounds..A couple of months ago I went to Dr.Brandeis he has a radio talk show here in Arizona. Anyway the reason I went is because I had severe kidney pain that just knocked me to my knee's for 6 hours straight. I had never had pain like that before , well he took some tests and said I had passed a kidney stone. Also in the tests he discoverd I was in Ketosis over load and I was so far in that direction that my internal organs were being eaten and I was starving so bad that my body was shutting down....My band was tighten on Feb 23, 2005 because my weight loss was very little about 14 pounds since I had it done and one other fill before that in January. After the Feb fill I couldn't keep anything down..not even water,I lived off of soups and protein shakes which I hate still I would BP them up a lot...No matter how much I chewed chicken or beef it would not go down....Ive had 2 other kidney stones pass since the first one and now bladder problems sharp pains and the like...Dr. Brandeis is sure this was caused by the operation. My last fill was 3.1cc's and on labor day I went down to the bash in Tj and had 1.1cc's taken out and a fluro to see how things went down...The doctor there thinks its to lose and said that Dr. Brandeis is full of it and that Ketosis does not hurt you. All the ladys down there said it was to tight before and thats why I didn't lose weight...Well you know I was on the High protein diet for years I never lost weight but kept on thinking it was my fault as usual even though I was starving most of the time..That Dr. Atkins diet has really hurt my health, it gave me high colesteral and arithmia heart problems and Im still fat ok......Infact a lawyer called me and said they were doing a class action suit against Dr. Atkins estate did I want to file a legal complaint! So that tells you there are others out there that were hurt by it too. Anyway since I had the band loosened Ive gained 4 pounds in less than two weeks but lost 1 1/2 pounds yesteday by fasting and working out at the gym a little extra..........could of done this without spending the money for the band ok......As you can tell Im not pleased with the results of this whole thing. WHy get the band if you have to live off pro-shakes, might as well done that without the band.........don't get it.............Octavia

I too have had 2 fills and have only lost 7 pounds since the surgery on Dec 4th 2004 it is now March 7th 2005. I do pb a lot and I have reflux at night that wakes me up choking me. Don't want to get any thing taken out because Im not losing now so if the stoma is bigger Ill never lose this awful fat...Boy this is so frustrating....G

Hi, I got my surgery in TJ on Dec 4th 2004, Ive had 2 fills now and I have only lost 7.5 pounds! I started at 250 lbs. And I have not eaten any foods that I used to infact I eat around 800 calories a day. Has anyone had this happen to them? Im really depressed about this whole thing now. I do pb when I try and eat meat so I just try and get all the juice out of it and spit out the rest... Frustrated in Phoenix!