kris102003

On June 28th I will be saying goodbye to my lap band. It is very bittersweet for me. I got banded Dec 2007. I lost 150 pounds and wearing a size 5. I don’t think I had ever in my entire life been a size 5. I thought that the lap band was the best thing that ever happened to me. Then about a year ago I experienced my first slip. I had a complete unfill for three months. I gained 30 pounds in that time frame despite my efforts to eat right and exercise. Over the last year we tried to slowly add fluid back in. I never lost one pound the entire year, never felt restriction really again and then last month found out it had slipped again. Frustrated with the weight gain and tired of not losing weight I have decided to go ahead and go with the sleeve. I was not sure that my doctors would actually do it or that my insurance company would approve it. Being 170 pounds and 5'9 is not really considered super overweight. But much to my surprise, the insurance approved by removal and revision to sleeve within a matter of days. They are paying for it 100%. My doctor agreed to do the procedure without even giving it a second thought. To me I feel like the lap band was a start for me. It proved to me that I have what it takes to live the lifestyle of a bariatric patient. I have not had soda, bread or pasta in 5 years and I don’t even miss it. Even today as I wait for surgery with an empty band I could eat bread without problem but I won’t because I don’t even miss it anymore. I am ready to make this permanent commitment to have 65% of my stomach removed in an attempt to never have to worry about gaining weight again (as long as I stick to the rules). For me, now knowing what it was like to be thin for those couple of years, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for that feeling of accomplishment. So I am scared and nervous but excited and ready!!!!! So good bye lap band....thank you for changing my entire life and for allowing for me to prove to myself that a skinny me is possible.

I wanted to reach out to see how many other people have maybe had a similar issue. In September 2009 I was looking and feeling great at 135 pounds. I lost 150 pounds in two years and my doctors just could not believe my results. I didn’t work out, the weight just fell off. I had never been happier. I thought that I would never struggle with my weight again. Well in December I started coughing at night, throwing up all the time, thought I had an ulcer and was eating tums like crazy and had to stand up to eat. Then I started noticing my weight creep up about 10 pounds. I went to the doctor asked for a fill and ended up finding out that my doctor was concerned that my band had slipped. Sure enough my upper GI confirmed it did. My band had been to tight for about three months and even though I knew something wasn’t right, I liked the results and so I didn’t say anything until I started gaining weight. So in January they removed all of my fluid. I went on a three month liquid diet. Finally in March they started adding the CC's back one at a time. Now I am back to the same CC as before I went to tight. The only problem is, my band DOES NOT work the same. I have gained more weight and I am up to 173. You would think that if my band is tight again, that there would be no problems getting that weight off, but it won’t move. I went from a size 5 to a size 10 in 6 months. While I know that I should not complain about being a 10, I am so unhappy. I really thought that I would never have to face this struggle again. Is it possible that my band will not work anymore? I just don’t know how this happened to me. I am very discouraged!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I had a slip January 2010, the doctor did an unfill for three months and then started to fill back slowly. While unfilled I went from 150 to 180. I struggled for 1 whole year trying to loose the weight and it never came back off, all I did was maintain. Then in January 2011 I find out my band slipped again. Once it slips once it is likely it will slip again. Now, I am having it removed and going with the sleeve. I got a surgery date for that today. I am sad to loose my band as I feel like going from 285 to 135 in two years was a huge success. However, not loosing any weight in 1 year despite diet and exercise is just not okay with me. I know everyone has a diffrent take on it, but this is mine. Good luck to you!

I found out on Friday that my band had slipped for the 2nd time. The first time we tried to correct it with a complete unfill and then slowely adding fluid back. After a year of doing that and no weight loss, it was determined that it had slipped again. Therefore, I am having the band removed and the gastric bypass done instead. I guess you can say that I now get to be added to the "failure rate" of the band. But you know what? I would do it all over again in a second. Yes, the complications are horrible at times and sometimes not getting to eat like a normal person was frusterating....but I lost over 150 pounds at one point, I have kept 100 of those pounds off 5 years later. I have learned to love myself and be confident, those are things that I would have never gained without this band. The band changed my life, if even only for 5 years. For that I will be forever greatful wether you call my band a failed band or not. Just my thought!!!

Well after my slip a year ago, I went back to the doctor on Friday and confirm that the reason that I had not lost any weight in the last year was because the band slipped yet again. It was decided after two slips now that I would proceed with revisional surgery. I will be having gastric bypass surgery sometime within the next month or so. I am waiting on a surgery date now. While I had great results from my band at first, 5 years later and two slips has made it time to say goodbye. I am 100 pounds lighter because of the lap band so I do not think it was a total failure. However, I need to look forward at longevity of weightloss and therefore think that gastric bypass is right for me. So bye, bye to my band.

This happened to me for a very long time and I did not know why. I let it go and let it go, I was eating tums like they were candy, had weird noises when I would eat or drink, would wake up coughing cause I was choking on whatever I had drank that night. Finally due to small weight gain I went to the doctors. It turns out my band was to tight and had been for about three months. My esophagus was 8 times its normal size when they sent me immediately for my upper GI. This was due to the fact that the liquids were sitting in my throat at night tearing away at the lining. I ended up having to have my band unfilled for three months, on a liquid diet all three months and had to pray that the swelling would go down. My band ended up slipping. I have been able to get it filled again as the swelling did go down, but my band DOES NOT work the same as it did. I have gained about 30 pounds and my weight is a struggle to keep off now. I went from a size 5 to a 10 in just 6 months. I am at 6.5cc's in my 10cc band. I would speak with your doctor as soon as possible. I would hate for you to have to struggle like I am now. I took being skinny for granted!!! I wish you all luck!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I have lost 120 pounds on lap band in 11 months. I have been going back and forth between 5 pounds here and there, which means it is fill time. I only have 6.5 cc's in my 10 cc band. I really have not exersized that much or really done anything that went above or beyond. I truly feel that I was just lucky. For me it was all about portion control. Lab Band really gives me that portion control. I am so blessed to be in the place that I am at right now with my life. My husband looks at me as a whole new women because of the confidence that I have. Our relationship has never been better, he gets jelous when guys look at me, and I love it. I go out with my friends all the time and I use to just want to stay home. In the next year we are going to start our family, after being married for 5 years and I now can be healthy for my future child (which is one of the main reasons I did it). I am only 25 and finally I am living my life like a 25 year old should and making the most of it. I love the shopping that I get to do in the Juniors or Misses sections. My sister is only like 110 pounds and it is so nice to go in to a store and not have to split up because we can shop in the same area. No more red face because I am in the plus size section. I feel free and full of energy. This is such a rush and such an amazing journey. I just can not tell you all how blessed everyone is who gets to have a lapband and ever more blessed when your insurance company pays for it like mine. But even if they would not have, I would gladly pay $10K plus to feel the way I do. I would do it over and over again a million times. We truly are lucky people!!! I LOVE my band!!!

OMG... i have to agree with everyone here. After my first fill I could not get enough of my scrambled eggs. I think I was craving the protien in the them. I also really enjoyed my packet of sugar free oatmeal every morning. Now, I can forget about both of those. They make me so sick. I only tried eggs once after my last fill and that was enough to make me never want to look at an egg again. I have thought about going back to the doctors to have some taken out but I think maybe it is just because I am frusterated. It is hard for me to be able to find things to eat recently. But that just might be my mind missing certain foods. I am happy with weight loss thus far. I never dreamed this would have gone so well for me so the food is just a small price to pay for happiness.

I have really noticed that I now have collar bones that stick out. Ha,ha! I love knowing that I only have one more size to go before I can get out of the plus section. I love knowing that I can make the garlic bread and pasta at dinner time and know that I can not eat any of it even if I wanted to. Such great things!!!!

53 pounds in 4 months...now that is exciting. My doctor is sooooo good about fills. I already have 5.5 CC's in my bad and that is with only two fills. I really think that is why I have been so sucessful. :thumbup:

OMG...I have been waiting for someone to bring this up. I have been having a lot of problems with this. I mean problems that have caused me to need to take actual suppositories (spelling?) like every other day because I thought something was wrong. Then today out of no were I had some apple juice and I was able to go on my own. I am going to go stock up on yogart and juices. Hopefully, this will help. I was really getting very, very worried for a while! Thanks to this support group I know now that I am not dying but instead this is just an after effect of the surgery. :thumbdown:

When ever I am in need of a Coke I always go to 7-11 and get a Coke Slurpee. That really does the trick for me and best of all no carbonation which is what we are suppose to really try to stay away from. Give it a try I bet that it will curb your craving. I like to treat myself to one every week to two weeks. Hope this helps! :0

I was also someone who had to go through a 6 month physican supervised diet. My BMI was 40 and I no real co-morbities. However, I noticed that sometimes my knee and back would hurt a lot. So I went to a Orth and had them document that and that it was due to my weight. I waited out my 6 months which just about killed me to have to wait through. Did my physc. visit and met with my nutrionist and after 6 month submitted everything I had. (I also kept a monthly journel of my starting weight that month, my exercise program and a general "what diet I was trying that month" description) I sent everything to the insurance company and got DENIED. So then I decided to write my own appeal. I pretty much did everything but beg. It must have been a good letter because two weeks later I was approved. I had surgery 3 weeks later and now I am 2 1/2 months post-op and down 38 pounds. This was the best decision that I have ever made. Just document everything and be a total pest to your insurance company and your doctors including the surgeons office. I promise if you keep on them and you document like crazy you are going have the best chance of being approved. Good luck and keep us updated!

I must admit that at first I was addicted to the scale as well. I was getting on it every day. My husband told me he was going to hide it from me. So I have been better and have now been doing it every other day or so. :0

Hello Everyone, I have a question for everyone. When I went for my first fill on Monday my surgeon told me that I have a special port that only two of his patients have. It is called a "low profile" port. It apparently sit below the skin more than normal ports do. He says that I am special and that they are following my progress because of this new port. My fill went great, he had no trouble finding my port the whole thing took like 1 minute. Does anyone else have this low profile port and/or does anyone have any information about it?

Hello, I was banded by Dr. Halmi and Tran's office on December 4, 2007. I have lost 22 pounds so far and I am going in for my first fill on Monday. Woo hoo!!! I really need it cause I feel like I could eat just about anything right now. I had to go through a very long 6 month process with Cigna to get approved. However, once I did it at first I was denied. I wrote and appeal and submitted some additional paperwork and sent it back in. I was then approved!!! It was the most exciting day of my life seriously! I felt like I had found out I won a million dollars. It took 5 weeks from the day I was approved until the actual surgery date and trust me the weeks flew by. Being banded is amazing. Dr. Halmi and Tran are great doctors to have. Good luck to everyone!!!

Man I feel like I am always hungrey. I finally get to get my fill on Jan 28th. I am so ready to have restriction. I am so worried that if I do not hurry up and get restriction that I am going to ruin something and I do not want that. I have still down 22 pounds since Dec. 4th so that is a good thing. :rolleyes2: Man but I understand the frustration of having to wait. Just hang in there!

I was banded on December 4th...and I have been craving everything in the world. I look at things and think to myself well maybe if I just chew that up really really well I could have that. I was about 2 steps away from making some eggs to eat today. There is no way that people have not cheated at some point in this first 7 to 10 days of liquids. Please tell me I am not the only one who feels crazy over this.

I was in the hospital only overnight. I got to go home the next day. I took 1 whole week off work and was pretty much good to go the next day. I sit behind a desk all day so it was pretty easy to return back to work. I have lost 22 pounds in 6 weeks. Just over the last week or so I have been not feeling very full from what I have been eating which most likely means I need a fill which I am going to get in a week or so. But all and all best decision I ever made.

I used Dr. Halmi and Tran's office for my surgery on December 4, 2007. I think they are great. I thought they were both great docs and very, very well known in my area of Woodbridge,VA. They have a great dietician in their office as well. Good practice all in all. The only thing I wished is that the doctor would have spent a little more time getting to know me one on one but is practice is so booming and he sees so many patients I have to understand that it is not like your family care doctor. You know? But they really are truly great and like I said everyone raves about them. I am glad I used them. :cool:

I was banded on Dec. 4th which was 9 days ago. I started at 279lbs. my scale at home says 264lbs. That would be 15 pounds however I think my scale at home may be about 3 or 4 pounds lighter then the docs. I am going tomorrow for my post op follow up and will get a true reading then. But I am still amazed with the results thus far.

I suffer from anxitey/panic disorder regulary. So the thought of having this elective surgery was so scary for me. I could not sleep the days leading up to the surgery and it was all I thought about. But the one thing that really got me through was the fact that I knew that one way or another my weight was going to kill me. So I decided to take the steps I needed to make this life change. If worst came to worst and for some reason I died as a result of the surgery I knew that atleast I would die trying to make a difference in my life. Good news is I survived the surgery and I know I did the right thing. The anxitey is normal and there is nothing anyone can say that is going to make it any less stressful but just know in your heart this is the right decision for you and your life. Good luck!

My shoulder pain has been pretty up and down. I was baneded on Dec 4th and every now and then it comes and goes. I have made gas-x my best friend and that has gotten me through.

Thanks to everyone for showing support. I know I can make it through I just have to be strong. Even though I wanted the eggs I had some suger free jello instead. After eating that it took away my hunger for the most part. I only have like 4-5 more days of liquids. I know that I can do it. I just have to know that I am working towards a bigger goal. Tonight I am going to have some soup. That should be good. <img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/happy.gif" border="0" alt="" title="" smilieid="60" class="inlineimg" /> Thanks for the support once again.