loser2014

I had lap band surgery in 2014 with moderate success. It got me down from 265 to 220 in six months. My weight stayed stable for about 4 years until I had to have the fluid let out due to being unable to swallow anything. Since then my weight has been slowly creeping cack up again. My insurance does does not cover Bariatric surgery. I paid $10k for the band and will have to self pay to revise. I am trying to find someone who has had good experience with a reasonably priced doctor that performed a band to VSG revision. I am in the Midwest and would prefer to stay in the US but will travel. Thank you.

I was banded 10/8/14. I lost between 10 and 15 pounds in the first few weeks from the presurgery diet and the initial post-surgery liquid diet. Then nothing, For weeks and weeks. I got my first fill at five weeks, experienced a huge reduction in what I could eat, and still, no movement. I went over a month without losing any scale weight. My clothes were getting looser, but not drastically. Not a single person noticed or commented that I had lost weight. Finally, this week, 8 weeks out from surgery, the scale is slowly and steadily creeping down. I'm down 20 pounds as of today. Here are some things I have learned: 1. Losing weight with a lap band can be a very slow process. Patience is key. I am very bad at being patient. 2. I am a very slow learner. I get stuck almost every day from eating too quickly. Undoing a 40 year habit of wolfing down food is not easy. 3. When I exercise, I am more likely to lose weight. Plain and simple. 4. Preparation is key. It is not easy to grab food when you are out with the band. Keeping Protein bars on hand and not going too long between meals is important. Almost 2 months later, I finally am starting to feel good about my choice to get a lap band and feeling like I can make a success of this.

I am also 2 months and a week out from surgery (Oct 8) and have lost 21 lbs so we are at a similar pace. I agree it is frustrating at times, but hopefully by this time next year we will have some amazing before/after pics. Good luck!

I am scheduled for 10/7. Looking for a lap band buddy.

So, 8 days ago I posted how I wasn't sure I was even going to need a fill because my band was working perfectly. My, how times have changed. I am so freaking hungry all the time!!! I am struggling to eat small portions of healthy food and to fend off all of the holiday food that I am encountering seemingly every evening at parties, dinners, etc. I have been battling the same few pounds for the last three weeks. A few pounds will come off, then they come right back on, and then around and around we go. I have only lost 15 pounds so far which must be the most expensive 15 pounds in history at this point. I cannot wait for my first fill next week and am praying it gives me some help over this next two months of constant merry-making. Grrr. Just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

PROCESS. As in, 'this is a process' and 'trust the process', both of which I tell myself multiple times per day. I am 5 weeks out from lap-band surgery, losing super slowly and trying to learn this new way of eating and making mistakes every day.

Congrats! Glad you are recovering well.

I was able to "shop" in my closet for a smaller pair of jeans for the first time. I am 5 weeks out from lap-band surgery and have not lost a single ounce over the past 3 weeks which is getting mighty frustrating. BUT, I must be getting smaller if my jeans are getting looser. Plus I feel better. 15 lbs = almost 2 gallon milk jugs. So I actually feel less weighed down.

Me too briefs. I'm in the same boat. My first fill is tomorrow and I can't wait. I am ravenous and the only thing keeping me from overeating is me. I need some help from this band!

Amazing! Congratulations! I hope this time next year to be able to post the same wonderful results.

Hang in there! I am only one week ahead of you and also feeling defeated at times. On Halloween, I ate about 10 pieces of my kids' candy. I should have felt good about the fact that that is about 1/10 of the amount of candy I would usually eat, but instead I felt awful, sick to my stomach, and like a giant cheater. I haven't had a piece of candy since, but I have had lots of other foods I was hoping I wouldn't eat anymore. It's a process and right now we are as hungry as we ever were, with no help from the band. Just do the best you can until your first fill. Try to make good choices, and start exercising regularly. I think that's really the best we can do at this point

Great job! I am one month behind you, and hope to lose at your pace. Waiting on my first fill. Glad to hear the band is working so well for you. Keep us posted as to your progress.

Thank you all. I hope my surgeon is as helpful as Bandista's and is willing to see me frequently until we get this right. I paid a flat fee which includes a year of fills, so we shall see. I can get full from a cup or so of food, but it only lasts a couple hours. And the hunger that comes after is real and ferocious. The last two times I've gone grocery shopping, I have had to grab a Protein bar off the shelf, open it and eat it in order to finish shopping. It is so embarrassing to keep handing the cashiers empty wrappers!!

That's great! I am almost 4 weeks post op with no fill and have only lost 15 lbs and nothing in the last 2 weeks. I'm down to 250 from 265. Also, I have not dropped a size yet, but my 18s that were tight are now comfortable. What kind of things are you eating? I'm finding that at meals I can stop after eating a reasonable amount but that I'm hungry again a few hours later.

Nope. No sock thingies. Curious what that is. I was also sore and moving slowly at 4 days post op. Still, the more you can walk around and get things moving, the better. Drink as much as you can, Protein and liquids. In a few days, you will be feeling much better.

As I've mentioned on other threads, I am three weeks out from surgery. I am on solid foods and have eaten many delicious things like chicken, shrimp, fish, fruits, vegetables, and have not had any stuck episodes yet. While I would not say that I feel "restriction", I have a pleasant dulling of hunger and minimal desire to over eat or eat unhealthy foods. I have lost 15 pounds over the past four weeks from when I started the pre-op diet. This might not sound like a lot, but I am happy with it as it is 13% of the total amount of weight I hope to lose which is 115 pounds. My question is should I get a fill when I go to the doctor in the beginning of November. I hate to mess with success. Clearly, the band is doing something. I read stories about people who can't keep anything down after a fill and that terrifies me. What would you do or have you done in my situation?

I misspoke. The withdrawal was from an IRA, not 401k. Hopefully that makes a difference. http://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/02/111202.asp

Grilled shrimp. They are ridiculously low in calories and a great source of protein. I was never a huge shrimp fan before surgery, at least if they weren't breaded and fried. But they are mighty tasty right now.

I am only three weeks out from surgery, but so far my band is a huge success. I have no desire to overeat. I have very minimal hunger. I am comfortably and happily eating around 800-1000 calories a day of solid healthy foods that I enjoy. During this time I have been to parties, I have been out to restaurants, and I have enjoyed my life. That was a very important factor to me that I could continue to lead a "normal" life. I've been grocery shopping twice and haven't even been tempted to buy foods that are not healthy. I haven't even had a fill yet but if I could stay like this forever, I would be happy. Also I've lost 15 pounds so far which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's 13% of the total amount of weight that I need to lose. Right now, at least, I am one happy customer

I'm thinking your port pain is probably unrelated to overeating. My port is nowhere near my pouch, so I'm thinking maybe you just stretched the muscle the port is sewed to. Just a guess. Have a tylenol and take it easy.

Amazing. How long did it take? I hope to be able to post a success story some day, but would be beyond thrilled with 150. I haven't seen the 120s for over 20 years!! You are teeny!

I would say tomato soup is definitely not clear. Examples of clear broth are chicken broth and miso. I was only asked to do clear liquids for two days after surgery. As soon as you can, I would add protein shakes. Also try iso-pure beverages which you can get at GNC.

I also took a withdrawal from my 401K. Figured there was no point in saving all that money for retirement if I wasn't going to be alive to spend it I believe such a withdrawal is free of IRS penalty as it is used for medical expenses. But don't quote me on that.

Google lap band + the names of the cities you are willing to travel to. Then call the practices and ask for their cash pay price. Be sure to ask if that covers preop testing and fills afterwords. Using that method, I was able to find an experienced a local surgeon that did lap bands for $9999 with one-year-old of fills afterwards. Good luck!

How about prune juice? That's a drug free old remedy to get things moving again.