laurabarto26

I was banded in august of 2015. Surgery went well and I was out of the hospital by the end of the day. I followed all of the diet stages properly and lost about 10 pounds in my first month. I was happy with that. In the following months I began to not feel any restriction, I could eat almost whatever I wanted. Honestly, I couldn't even tell I had a lap band inside of me. I went for fills and told the doctor I wasn't feeling any restrictions. 3 fills later and nothing has changed. Fast forward to December 2016, I get a letter in the mail from the department of justice informing me that the band placed inside of me was expired at the time of surgery. ummm what?! I called the number on the letter and it turns out two men illegally bought and sold (at least) 8 expired lap bands to surgeons in south Florida. Lucky me! I immediately called my surgeon to find out the risks of having the expired band. The receptionist told me he would be calling me back by the end of the day. No word from my surgeon. I called back the next day and the same thing, he would call me back. It's been a MONTH and my surgeon will not take my calls. My primary care doctor has finally found a surgeon that will talk to me about the risks. At this point, I'm scared. I want this band out. I'm just looking for some words of encouragemet or if anyone has any info on expired lapbands I would greatly appreciate it!

Which this got me thinking, how was it expired if it's supposed to be in me forever ?! But yes I've been Thinking about removing the band and going with the sleeve for awhile now, before I even found out about the band being expired. Thank you for your response, it brought some peace so thank you again!

Yeah I have my lawyer looking into things, but as of right now I'm more worried about my health, I'll deal with the legal stuff after. I had insurance but I was self pay so that's up in the air. There are at least 7 other people that have been affected by this so I was hoping to be able to reach one of them and see if they have found any info. But thank you!!!

I was banded in august of 2015. Surgery went well and I was out of the hospital by the end of the day. I followed all of the diet stages properly and lost about 10 pounds in my first 2 months. In the following months I began to not feel any restriction, I could eat almost whatever I wanted. Honestly, I couldn't even tell I had a lap band inside of me. I went for fills and told the doctor I wasn't feeling any restrictions. 3 fills later and nothing has changed. Fast forward to December 2016, I get a letter in the mail informing me that the band placed inside of me was expired at the time of surgery. ummm what?! I called the number on the letter and it turns out two men illegally bought and sold (at least) 8 expired lap bands to surgeons in south Florida. Lucky me! I immediately called my surgeon to find out the risks of having the expired band. The receptionist told me he would be calling me back by the end of the day. No word from my surgeon. I called back the next day and the same thing, he would call me back. It's been a MONTH and my surgeon will not take my calls. My primary care doctor has finally found a surgeon that will talk to me about the risks. At this point, I'm scared. I want this band out. I'm just looking for some words of encouragemet or if anyone has any info on expired lapbands I would greatly appreciate it!

There are at least 7 others that have experienced this as well, I'd love to speak about this with any of them!

Awesome!! Congrats!

My names Laura, I was banded yesterday 8/17/15. Looking for others who have been recently banded or soon to be banded. It would be great to share stories and track results. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Hi everyone! I am a month post op! I lost 11 pounds in my first week and have been slowly losing a few pounds in the following weeks. I am finding that the sweets I used to love are wayyyy too sweet! Just getting back into the gym and my clothes are either too big or fitting a lot better. So happy I chose the lap band and wish everyone success! If anyone ever wants to touch base feel free to find me on Facebook. I would love to talk to others about their journeys.

. Right there with Ya!!

Just watch what I eat. I stay away from all carbs and sugars, as much as I can. Protein is your best friend

These surgeries aren't a quick fix, you still need to work with your band 1-2 pounds a week is good. 10 pounds a month is always my goal. But that includes exercise. Work with your band and you will have success

I also have this feeling. It started in my chest and went into my shoulder blades. I went to the doctor and they said there wasn't anything wrong with my heart (thank god!) but it could be gallbladder issues or just eating too quickly. Since my appt I have made a point to eat even slower than o already was and i haven't had the pain since.

I'm 25 and was banded! It's been a great journey so far.

The band works, but you have to work with it. You can't go back to eating your normal foods and expect to lose weight. I'm only three weeks post op, and I'm glad I got banded. My father also had the band almost two months ago. He is down 40+ pounds but he had a lot more to lose than me. After the surgery and when you are into the solid foods stage, it's kind of fun finding new alternatives to some of your favorite foods. All the changes that come along with it are also very encouraging. I feel totally different now that I haven't drank any soda, diet coke was my drink of choice. Alcohol used to be a bigger part of my life as well. My boyfriend says we are saving so much money by not going out for drinks every other night. We're going to save more money than what I paid for my surgery. All in all, don't let people get into your head. Some people aren't willing to work for what they want. If you ever need anything feel free to message me! I'm not really sure how this app works, but that goes for everyone!

My dad had his first fill two weeks ago, he said it was no big deal. He went back to full liquids for a day or two and was totally fine. Good luck tho!!

I also get horrible pain between my shoulder blades. It's beginning to really interfere with day to day life. I've been researching it and it has been linked to gallbladder issues and gallstones. I read about this prior to getting the band. Many people that have had WLS have to go back into surgery for removal of the gallbladder. My brother recently had his taken out Bc of severe pain but he hasn't had WLS and isn't in need of it. Sometimes the pain is so bad I feel it by my heart; which really scares me. I am calling my doctor in the morning for an appointment. If I find anything out I will let you know! Massages do help, but the relief is only for a short amount of time.

Congrats banded butterfly!! I'm in the same boat, I was banded the 17, and have lost 10 pounds so far. I'm getting used to my "new stomach" slowly and learning something every day. Very excited for the future as well. Congrats again!

Anastasia, I didn't use the restroom for 5 days. It'll eventually happen. After I was banded I couldn't eat anything besides jello and maybe yogurt. A week post op, im now onto scrambled eggs and protein shakes. The gas pain will eventually go away as well. The walking really really helps, the pain lasted about 5 days for me. It will get better!! Good luck

Thank you!!

Question for everyone, I am 5 days post op and o haven't used the restroom yet. Is that normal? Or is there anything I can do? Also, I feel as if I can't get a deep breath. Ugh.

Congrats on the weight loss!! I'm deff having that gas pain now. It feels like it's in my shoulder blades and my neck. The pain pills have deff come in handy. And I agree, I have been walking as much as I possibly can.

How are you doing so far? Feeling great?!

I'm only 4 days post op and I haven't use the bathroom yet but I know it's common.

Congrats on the weight loss!! I also don't want to get too focused on the scale. I'm going to only get weighed at appointments. I can always feel the loss in my clothes. I'm very excited to be on this new journey!!

Don't be scared coachk.. You'll be glad you had the surgery.