chill01

Ri Ri, Well, to be honest all of this is up to you, not what you've heard your friends and family tell you not too. I weighed in after the birth of my child at 296 when i finally decided to have something done i was 250. Now, I had sleep apnea, my back hurt, i couldn't do anything and i felt 10years older than I'am. I went to Mexico for my first band and I caught hell from everyone about it. But, it is a commitment, like any other diet, except this stops you from over eating. And yes, i take alot of pills too, i had to ask my doctor to switch to smaller ones or ones i could break, if they are too big you crush them and put them in yogart, if they are a capsules you take them out and put them in yogart, just like the nursing homes do to the elderly. Now, I've had my band for over 3years, Yes my band slipped (my fault jumped on the side of my truck) had it replaced and haven't had a problem since. I do throw up when I'm sick and I do Pb alot and throw up if I didn't chew my food properly. I've learned to deal with eat, and eat slowly in front of people and sit by the bathroom in resturants. I got down to about 130lbs and my port showed thru my stomach, but it has never bothered me, I put on about 30 or so more lbs now and instead of my size 2's and 4's i'm in a 10 or 12. It really bothers me because I worked so hard to loose that weight, but I'm not 250lbs and i don't have anything in my band right now so i'm trying to do this w/out the fill. You are 6ft tall, and my doctor told me the same thing, you will die, get diabetes and all that other great stuff. This is all your choice, and yes I did do the diet pills and stuff, and i could've stuck to a diet and exercised but i didn't. I hope some this helps. This is only my opinion and my journey. Leanna

Well I wouldn't say everything is ok, i still have drainage but the tears are healing. Dr. Maese says that it wasn't caused by the band and the doctors at Parkland say they don't know what caused it. So, I can't blame the bad just my poor eating. I want to loose the rest of my weight and its a struggle because i don't want to get a fill yet and i want to maintain at least were i'm at now without any restriction because that is truly what the band is for to teach how to eat small portions and healthy food. I know that it might seem extreme what i did, but i'm sure other bandsters have been thru some sort of bulimia and anorexia, it comes with the turff, Good luck on your weight lose and drink your shakes and take them vitamins.

Randy, I never took any Vitamins at all and didn't exercise, i was too tired too, and yes my hair did come out a bit and i was tired and weak alot. But, I went thru my first year with the band throwing up and trying to eat because i was hungry, so the next year i got a fill to 1.9 and kept for a year and lost weight on very minimal food and Water, and i have to say some alcohol too. I put on about 30lbs now, What it really did since i couldn't go to the bathroom because when you don't eat you don't go, it gave me constipation and put 3 tears in my retum wall and one that went right thru it, giving me a staphe infection landing me in the hospital for a month and 1/2 and 4 surgeries. I wouldn't advise this to anyone, this is just my journey and i'm sharing it, so no one does what i did, now i eat probably to much, but am still in my size 10 jeans instead of my 2's and 4's and some 6's which is a big difference. It is hard to adjust for me emotionally with the attention i got from being so skinny. Leanna

Yes, you have swelling and sometimes it takes more than a week. or at least it did for me, been without a fill for month with nothing in my band cuz i couldn't eat or drink for a month. But, your sweet spot (well mine is) when i can't eat or drink well i can barley get ice chips and water down, that is when i lost a ton of weight, i went a year like that not eating anything but some soup and water got down to 130 too.

Janet, I haven't had any surgery in a while. But am ready for a fill.

Yes, it was a helpful reminder.

I got down to 135 w/out exercising and w/ out a fill for a whole year with a 1.9fill and maintained until i had my fill taken out and now i'm back to 173lbs i'll have to look into pilates, it won't hurt my stomach?

well sometimes you go through a stand still with weight loss, my total weight loss was 150lbs but i put back on 40lbs and that was with my fill at 1.9cc i go up too 3.0cc, the year that i lost all my weight and got into a size 2 was this past year and i didn't get a fill for a year and stayed that way with eating very little. and i don't exercise

I must be so bad because I haven't exercised once since being banded. I was always afraid to hurt my band after it slipped. I guess I need to start!!!!!

sometimes i can eat, I have no fill in right now but haven't been able to eat, except last night ate a huge hamburger and onion rings which took 2hrs to eat, then today got some fish for lunch and couldn't get a bit down, happens alot when i go out to eat, i always get ranch or sour cream to mush my food in it. you might need a bit more of a fill to lose more weight, i go back to water when i can't eat cold ice water to help the tummy swelling. hope that helps

I'm trying to eat healthy and not have any soda, seeing if i can do this with no fill, but i've maintained this weight i have for a few weeks which is good. My last fill was so tight, i went back in 7 days and lost 21lbs we were shocked and then he said, it was water weight no fat loss, so i was up to 196 and have maintained this 173 since then, ready for a fill anytime though

he works out of dallas off of 635 and preston and he also does fills in Ferris Texas. His # is 972-842-3911 and yes going down to 135 and back up to 173 really sucked

weight gain sucks especially after u lost all of your weight. I go to Dr. Fred Maese, he does my fills (my insurance covers it) but when it didn't it was $100 he is GREAT!!!!!!!

i tried it back before my surgery in 2003, haven't heard about it again until now, well i spend alot of time in the toliet anyway pbing so which end is it?

Kim, Thanks for the advise, I realized what I was doing the first year, and the second year I didn't want to go thru all that throwing up and being hungry and gorging so I just didn't eat. Even though I'm 173lbs now I'm eating, trying to be healthy but did have a hamburger last night and it took a long time to eat. Yes, anorexia is scary as is bulemia too. Going to get a fill next friday probably. Don't want to go anymore backwards in my weight loss. Leanna

I took xenical too and it didn't work, and I was using the bathroom. leanna

sounds like your 1st pbing was food, barium, Water or mucus, that came up, and the 2nd one your band is tight in the morning and you should sip some water or tea-coffee b4 taking your meds, I thought that Pbing was when u spit up the food you just ate and it has slime on it and sometimes its just slim and water build up. I've been banded for 3yrs so I could be wrong any other suggestions.....

well it isn't a burp like after you have a coke to drink, but it is a very stuck feeling in your throat and with me usually follows by my left side of my back hurting until it comes up, then it looks like slime w/ food that i just have eatin comes up, so its not a full on throw up but almost and i'm sorry this is so gross. I can't believe I'm the only one who will get a tight fill and throw up all day even with water the first days.

when I'm too tight which i was for almost a month and that is why i'm giving my band a rest, i pbed every day all day and would try to eat because i was so hungry but it would come back up. luckily it didn't slip which has happend to me b4. I have had accidents out at resturants pbing and sometimes would use my napkin, but always keep a ziplock bag in your purse.

Well, its very unpleasant, but i try to sit near a restroom, and it happens all the time out in public i eat out alot. I keep a plastic cup in my truck incase it happens, and i keep a bag by my bed if i have eaten too late. My whole family thinks it gross because usually when i eat i will pb at first bit and then stop. when i eat out, i try to have a brothy soup first, it relaxes my band, and i eat w/ ranch so i can mush up my fish or whatever i'm eating NOT STEAK!!!! not very healthy I know but being banded for 3 years I'm still learning

If something was stuck in my throat and it wouldn't come back up, i would drink something and it would all come up and sometimes i just have slime/spit in my throat. But to answer your question, yes food comes up too.

I felt bulemic the first year, then the second year I got tired of doing that pbing and i didn't eat and started to become anorexic and this year i have no fill so i can try to eat healthy but am still not loosing enough but am maintaining.

i went to dr. carter for my lapband but didn't get approved so then i went to Mexico to get it done, he stated that he would see me when i got back and do my fills for me. When i got back from mexico he decided not to see me for liability reasons. Finally went to Dr. Maese he works with the best band surgeons. Leanna banded 9-7-03 296 rebanded 10-2004 194 1.9fill my sweet spot got down to 135 now nothing in band 173

I pb all the time especially if i don't chew my food. I have nothing in my band right now and got some chicken stuck, chew chew chew, banded 9-7-03 296lbs 1.9 in fill got down to 135lb no fill now 173lb

Laura, I've been off the email list a while but happend to read yours today. I was banded in Sept/ 2003 and it took over a year to get my fills to my sweet spot 1.9. And I struggled and didn't listen to Dr. Maese and tried to eat when I couldn't. Then after a year of that I stopped eating almost all together I had my last fill in July of 04 at 1.9 got down to 135lbs am 5 4" stayed that way for almost a year. Got a staphe infection and had to have it taken out for my meds, I gained 40lbs back in less than 7wks. Finally I went back to him and I was at 196lbs by then, and very unhappy because all my size 4 and 6's didn't fit and I had to buy new clothes. He tightend me up and then I went almost 2 weeks without eating and drinking. Went back to him and lost 21lbs, he loosend me up and then tightend me up. I'm at 173 now in a size 10ish and i have nothing in my band. I have to love Dr. Maese because I regained my health and even though I have restriction from the band in general I'm trying to eat better. So, hang in there, believe it or not he knows what he is doing. My stomache swells and won't go down so I deal with it, and if my clothes are getting to tight I'll get a fill again. Anyway I hope this helps you and you'll get to your weight, be patient. I know I wasnt' and went thru alot. Leanna