newlife35

Thank you so much for responding. I have so many questions regarding the sleeve and am becoming very anxious as I have to decide in the morning if I want my surgeon to do the gastric sleeve when he takes the band out...I just have no idea what to expect. What is your diet like immediately post op? Pain? how long were you out of work? Any information would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance

Nia...Hi my name is tasha and I am possibly having the gastric sleeve...tomorrow. I know that sounds wierd but I am literally in the hosp right now because of a lap band slippage vs erosion. My md is going to take the bank out tomorrow and suggests doing a sleeve. I am so afraid and do not know what to do. I do know that once I take this band out, i will gain all of the weight back that I have lost (abe 50 lbs) to date. I have about 50 more lbs to loose and don't feel like i can do it alone. Please let me know how you feel about your sleeve...Please, ASAP...I am desperate to hear from someone who has experienced the procedure. I hope to hear from you soon.

So What people see on the outside matches the way I feel on the inside...Thanks for sharing!!

Three C-Sections??? Honey this will be like a scraped knee to you. LOL...I too had a c-section and last Nov. I was banded. Piece of cake. Good luck to you!

Amysoc...you should be evaluated right away. If you have not been able to keep anything down since last Wednesday, you have to be dehydrated. At this point, the only way to rehydrate is with IV fluids. My advise (not that I am a doctor but I am an RN) is that you go to the nearest ER. I will keep you in my prayers. God Bless and keep us posted.

Kizzy...I was wondering if your insurance paid for the port repair being that you were self pay. I have a dilated pouch or a slipped band and looking at possibel surgical options. The prob is...i was self pay and I have no money for any repair that I may need. I am scared to death. Just wondering if your insurance is covering that.

I came across your post today...just in time. I see that you posted this about two weeks ago. I was wondering if you have been back for your follow up? If so...how did it go. I too am experiencing a slipped band. I went for a fill yesterday 7/13 and my doc wants me on liquids for 7days and a recheck next week. I am praying that this works. Day two of liquids and so far so good (i mean I haven't cheated). I want this to work so bad as surgery is not an option for me. I was self pay!! I would love to hear back from you regarding your experience.

I hope somone out there can offer some info/encouragement. Ok...so I go for a fill today and I find out that my band has slipped...I think. My pouch above my band is really big. Which explains why I have never really had much restriction. I was given a couple of options...1. take all of the saline out. Go on liquids for 1 week (to allow the size my pouch to shrink and hopefully slip back through below the band). Then, she would put the saline back in and I would have the restriction that I should have. 2. Over the next month, committ to eating ONLY 1 cup of food three times a day with the hopes of the same effect (shrink the size of the pouch and have it go down below the band). After much consideration, I decided the week of liquids. I could go on and on but I really want to know if anyone has had this happen AND is this indeed what "they" call a slipped band? I could really use some feedback. Hey despite not have much restriction, I have lost 40 lbs. My NP says that I have pretty much done this on my own...or should I say with very little help from the band. I did have some restriction, but never much. Especially considering my band was filled to capacity (4cc). I am not giving up. I am 40 lbs from my goal and I WILL GET THERE!!! Oh yeah...I was self pay so I could ONLY consider non surgical options. Please God let this work :biggrin:

Cajun cutie...don't give up on yourself. I was banded in Nov 07. It took me about four to five months for my head (psychologically) to catch up and realize what I had done (had the lapband surgery). Let me just say, for the first time in my life, I DID NOT BEAT MYSELF UP. I did, however, wonder if I was going to me the ONLY person on the planet earth that this procedure didn't work for. With all of that said, I had to be honest with myself (like you already have which is evident by admitting all the things that you are doing that you should not). Let me just say, that is the first step. Next, You just have to wrap your mind around the fact that you have taken very drastic measures to help you conquer you issues with your weight. What I did was focus on eating and my food choices FIRST. No exercise. I did this for about 2 to 3 weeks. I made the right choices for the most part. Lean protien, veggies, then a small amount of carbs. The biggest thing that I focused on, was realizing when I felt full. Then, I would stop...immediately. Amazingly, I started dropping weight. Then, I added the exercise...slowly. You get the idea. Just know that you can do this. Dont beat yourself up. Take the time that you need to adjust to your new lifestyle. This is an amazing tool...good luck using it. I wish you the best.

Hey there. I would love to be a part of this group. I am a 36 year old from HotLanta with the lapband. Would you please send me an invite...What a phenominal idea. Thanks!!

Thanks Susan...That is encouraging news. I am going back in a week and my NP is hopeful that that will be enough time. Well, I am hopeful (but I am also a realist). I think I can handle a week but A MONTH!!! I am so afraid of gaining the weight back. I am going to continue my work outs as I have been with hopes of continuing my weight loss. I'm curious, did you gain during that month? Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. God Bless

Peter, I am praying for you and your family that God will provide your heart relief during this unimaginable loss. I am so sorry. Taking the time to post on the site was so kind of you. Thank you for the information...God Bless

OOPS. I meant, YOU wont regret the work that you put into this. Lol

not to worry...u should not have any problem finding a bariatric surgeon who will accept a cash paying patient. I am very confident that you should not have much difficulty with that. Just be sure and do your research. Good luck to you in your search. I won't regret the work that you put in to find the "right" surgeon.

I do not recommend my physician...Dr. J. Barry McKernen in woodstock ga. Just do your research. Good luck. You won't regret the decision.

Wow...What an inspiration you are to me. Over 100 lbs. Way to go. I am just beginning my lap band journey...down 23 lbs. I started at 238 and now 215. I am looking forward to onederland. I was wondering if you would share a typical day of eating for you. My goal is 145 and I just feel like that is so far from my reach. I am trying to focus on my success but when I think about how far I have to go, I get a bit overwelmed. Did you ever hit a plateau? if so, after how many pounds lost and what did you do to get the scale moving again? Just needing some encouragemen before I become discouraged. Lol. Trying to be proactive here. Thanks alot and again...CONGRATS on a job well done...Tasha

WOW!! I am so very sorry to hear of your devistating experience with the lap band. I will say that I can only imaging the fear that you are experiencing right now with what you are facing in the near future with your health. I am a RN and the complications that you describe are definitely life threatening. I will tell you that I often wonder about what is going on with my band inside of my body that I can not see. I have been happy with my band because I know that without the restriction that I have now, I would not have been able to loose the weight that I have lost and continue to loose...But often I think, at what cost? I just pray to God that I will not experience any of the horrific "what if's" that have entered into my mind over the last few months. Would you please share with me some of the signs/symptoms prior to your surgeon's discovery. I am extremely interested...You know, sort of a "warning signs that something may have gone terribly wrong". I find your post very interesting and I can not wait to get a response from you. Best of luck to you during this time...God Bless.

wow! Impressive. Can you give me an idea of what you eat daily. I had surgery 4.5 months ago and have only lost 20lbs. I just got to the "sweet spot". I could use the motivation right now.

Hi there october bandters...I am not an october girl but I was banded Nov...20th 2007 to be exact and I have lost only11 pounds. I am TOTALLY depressed. I had my first fill on friday 1/5/08 (1.8 cc in a 4 cc band). WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY RESTRICTION AT ALL. Well, I can eat ANYTHING right now. My doctor had me do 48 hours of liquid diet (that I complied with and did not cheat...not one time). What I found however, was that I was so ravenous by the time the 48th hour came that I went on a COMPLETE BINGE!! That is how I found out that I had NO restriction. Talk about upset. I am holding back the tears as I type. I called my MD's office today and I am waiting for him to get back to me. The problem I have is that if I could control the binge eating, I would never have paid $15K (self pay) to get this tool. Maybe my expectations are unrealistic. I have not modified my behavior the way that I should because I am completely out of control right now. My cravings are exactly the same. I have decided to get some professional help. Maybe understanding my addiction to food will help me. I am not going to give up though. I will be thin one day. Any words of encouragement is greatly appreciated.

I have read and reread your post and I will say that I did not find it offensive. I have absolutely had the same issues since being banded nov 20th 07. The difference is that my md did warn of the head not changing...only the amount of food that my stomach could hold. Despite our discussions, AND that my doc required psych eval, I AM STILL STRUGGLING. I am definitely an over eater and addicted to food. I have become quite discouraged over the last two weeks. I have only lost sixteen pounds and I no longer feel restriction. I feel like I can eat almost anything...except beef. I know that it is completely MY FAULT but my addiction to food has not been conquered by my new "tool" just like I was told and knew in my head. Yhe reality of it is alltogether different. I am hoping to get a fill soon but until then, I am struggling day to day not to make bad food choices. My point here is that I do not see that you were trying to make a generalization or say that because it happened to you that it would happen to others. What I took from the post was that "this happened to me so if you do not prepare it MAY be and obstical for someone else post op." Again, my md did tell me this over and over AND had a psych eval and I am still having the excact same experience. What I am figuring out is that I must make a choice to try and conquer this addiction and have some control. I use the website as a great place to come for support...and that is what it has been for me. I think we all will continue to stuggle with making the right choices, but we have a tool to remind us when we are going too far. Again, I understand what your your intention was. Possibly because I am experiencing that very thing right now. I just hope that I can be as successful as you were despite my struggles now. By the way, what did you do to get past that feeling and drop 150 lbs???? PLEASE HELP!! I WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. My pre op wgt was 240 and currently I am 224.

Hey Candle, would you share a sample day's eating plan for you. Down 67 lbs since surgery? YOU SHOULD BE REALLY PROUD. I am discouraged. Please help

Wow, 67 pds lost since being banded? Is all of that post op? I was banded on 11/20/07 and I have only lost 16 pounds. I am quite depressed about it. I have no restriction whatsoever!! This is freaking me out. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing what you are eating. I need to see some more weight loss. I am feeling out of control with food just like my pre op days. Please help. By the way, I hope the "kitty" gets better. I was OTFLMAO!!

Hi there...I am new to this site and am in desperate need of some encouragement. I am only 6 days post op (lap band) and SCARED TO DEATH!! My fear is that I wont loose weight. Do you recall feeling this way?? I guess I just don't know how much weight I should expect to loose? How often should I weigh? I know myself and I can become a "slave" to the scale. NSV sounds great to me but that would require patience...Something I lack terribly...PLEASE HELP

hi lisa. How are u doing? i AM DOING OK (BANDED 3 DAYS AGO). Have you been on the scale since beig banded? I would love to keep in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi there...I would love to keep in touch with you. I was banded on 11/20 and a little confused about how I should be feeling now. Don't know if I am sore or full. I do know that my cravings are not gone. I dont want to get discouraged. Lets keep each other motivated.