Bernie

Fee, I had my port replaced four months after my first op because it was faulty so for the first four months it didn't work properly but through will power I still lost weight. For the last three months I haven't been able to eat much at all and have had terrible stomach and back pain. That led to a week of vomiting and pain and not being able to drink or eat at all. I ended up in hospital in surgery again and they say the band had slipped. Don't get me wrong, as I said, I am grateful for the weight I have lost but a lot of people on here are not realistic about this whole thing. It is a lot of hard work, it is not easy at all and the amount of complications is astounding - something a lot of people fail to tell you about before you have it done. I'm trying to be honest and realistic and let people know the truth before they go ahead with this major decision. A lot of people take this decision far too lightly and think it is a magic cure and that they don't have to work just as hard as they would without the band to lose weight. Best of luck to all of those considering it and to those who have had it done. The hard work is just beginning!

Hi Fiona. I have just gone through yet another operation due to complications of having the band. I would use the extra time to think about whether or not you really need to have this surgery or if you could do this on your own. I am grateful for the weight I have lost but I have had to have two operations after the initial surgery to correct problems, the most recent being just last week. I have been so sick because of the latest round of surgery that I now regret having this done. It is an individual choice but if I knew then what I know now I would never have had the surgery. Sorry to be a downer but everyone tends to be so over the top with praise for the surgery but they never talk about the bad side of things or they think it's worth it. Personally I am sick of being sick all the time and sick of having to have surgery after surgery. I have always done everything absolutey right and yet things still go wrong, that's just the way it is. Have a good think about it between now and August and have a good read of the complications that people on this site have had - there are a lot of them. Best of luck with your decision.

I have just had the same problem and they found after the barium swallow that it didn't look right. My surgeon said it didn't look like a slip but something was wrong. I had surgery last week and he said it was a slip but nothing that he has ever seen before. It was like some of the stomach had crept up into the band so that my stomach was looped which is why nothing would stay down. Persist with your surgeon, you have to! I was so sick for two weeks that I was fainting all the time, vomiting a lot and was dehydrated terribly. Your health is worth more of his time. I've been banded for over a year so I never thought it would be a slip but unfortunately it was.

:help: I have been banded for over a year and am thinking about getting pregnant. I have a few concerns though and would like some advice please. I'm worried about the baby getting enough nutrition as I can't eat much at all. Is it true that the baby can live off your excess fat? I'm also worried about the strain on the band from morning sickness and the birth itself. I plan on having a natural birth and am worried the strain it might put on the band. Is it safe to have surgery if there are any complications with the band whilst I am pregnant? This would be my first pregnancy so on top of all the normal concerns a first time mother has, I have this worry too. Can anyone help with some advice/information? Any help is truly appreciated.

If you can still eat large meals then you need more restriction. I am very limited to what I can eat and I am glad for that because I know I can't say no to some foods. I have taken a good look at myself though because I was still eating ice cream and chocolate and all the things I shouldn't be and then wondering why my weight loss was so slow. Until you can do that things will be slow for you. I don't eat those things anymore by the way LOL On the other hand though, the closer you get to your goal weight the harder it becomes to lose weight quickly so don't be too hard on yourself. I have been banded since April 2005 and have lost only 66 pounds. While I don't think it's a lot, I am still greatful for that loss and am glad I haven't put any back on. I still get very down and frustrated when I don't lose any weight but I try and put things into perspective. Keep your chin up! You will get there! Maybe talk to a nutritionist and get some advice on your eating habits. But please don't be down on yourself, you are doing great and should be proud of your achievements so far.

Morsaille is right, the needle itself doesn't hurt at all, it's just uncomfortable as the doctor presses your stomach to find the port. Tense your stomach muscles as best you can, that helps I find. I have found that the restriction is most noticeable in the first couple of days after a fill and then it seems to ease off. I have 3mls in now and I can barely eat anything and yet I have a friend who has in 4ml and can still eat whatever she wants. Everyone is very different and you won't know until you have it done. Good luck and remember: Stay relaxed cause it doesn't hurt, but tense up those tummy muscles!

I had a fill three weeks ago and since then I have experienced similar pain. For no reason I get a sharp pain in my left side, the kind of pain you get when you've exercised really hard (a stitch). I got it today when I was out shopping. I had only had a Protein shake for Breakfast so it wasn't from food. I don't know what it's from but I'm suspecting, like you, that my band it too tight. Maybe that's what it's from? I am going to ask my doctor when I see him again but that's not for another five weeks. I've had my band for over a year and this is the first time I have experienced this so I'm pretty sure this is the problem. We will survive though!

I have noticed since I had the band put in that I burp a lot more than I ever did before. It's strange since they told me that I wouldn't be able to burp at all after the surgery. I drink nothing but Water so it's not from softdrink or anything like that. I have the same feeling as you, I can feel it come all the way from my stomach up my throat - sometimes it doesn't come out as easily as it should though. For the first six months it was really bad, but now, after a year, it has settled a lot. I still burp, just not as much and not as loudly as before. Like you though, I try and be a lady about it. LOL. My husband is pretty impressed by it!

My doctor put a hole through the tubing near the port when he was trying to do a fill in his office. He slipped and pierced the tubing. We didn't realise for a couple of months but I thought something was wrong cause after each fill I felt a bubbling sensation in my stomach near the port and the restriction I initially felt disappeared after a few days. I ended up having the port replaced soon after.

I am in Australia so it is all covered by my private health cover. We are lucky here, I paid about five thousand dollars to have it done initially and that covers me for all fills and visits to the surgeon in the future. It also covers any further surgery I may need from him for this particular situation. So apart from the initial expense, there really aren't any further expenses. We are VERY lucky!!!!!

I was banded in April and have had three fills since then. On my last fill the doctor didn't think something was right so I went back two weeks later and he had a look at things under xray. He wasn't surprised to find that my band was completely empty. He seems to think that he has put a hole in the tubing near the port when he did the last fill in his office. I was SO despressed when they said I had to go back in for more surgery. I went in on Wednesay 3rd August and they replaced the port. Even though I was really down and a little p!ssed off that I had to go back in because he had stuffed up, I figure that's part of having Lap Band and you have to expect setbacks. I'm happy now that he found the problem and that he could fix it so quickly and that it wasn't so bad that he had to replace the whole lot. I have been feeling down and a little disappointed in myself that I haven't lost as much weight as what I would have liked since I had it done but now I am looking at things in a more positive light. Have hope, don't ever lost sight of your goal and why you have had this done. I have lost 22 pounds and I can't wait to lost another 22 and then another 22. This is such a positive step towards a better life that I can't wait to live!!!! Three weeks till my wedding and I am so grateful for the weight I have lost so that I can look even better on the day. It's not easy but it can be done.

Thank you all for the encouraging words. It's hard when you don't know anyone who has had it done and there's no one to talk to. Thanks heaps!

Hello, my name is Bernie and I am in Australia. I had my lap band op on April 6 2005. I am feeling a little upset at the moment about having this done. I think maybe I had unrealistic expectations of what the outcome would be after having the operation. I started at 110.5kgs and am now about 104kgs. I haven't lost any weight in the past three weeks at all. I have had my first fill but haven't noticed any difference in the amount that I can eat at all. I'm able to eat just as much as I did before I had the operation. My doctor told my that I would lose 1kg per week and would get me down to a certain weight with no problems at all. What has happened???? I'm not losing any weight, I'm eating exactly what I should, I'm only drinking Water, I'm exercising and still I'm not losing any weight!!!!! I am getting married in August and had set myself a goal for the wedding but now it doesn't seem that I will get there. I'm so down at the moment. I know lap band isn't a magic wand that will melt away the weight, but it seems the expectations that I had been given aren't going to happen. I hope some of you out there have some encouraging news for me?!?!?