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Hello, my name is Robin. I used to be a member of this community. I just passed my 2 year mark and am very sad to say that I am not one of the success stories. My first year I lost 60 pounds and was very happy and so excited to look forward to a new life. To be able to walk again, play with my grandchildren and just enjoy life in general. My entire second year, I have not lost an ounce. I've actually gained and I have given up. I have been unfilled and filled again. I still vomit almost every time I eat. I don't dare get the band removed, I'll blow up like a balloon and I know it. I try to eat healthy, my exercise has never been great due to pain, but even losing just one pound a week meant everything to me. A few months ago, not only due to this failure, but this is a part of it. I began thinking suicidal thoughts. I became very distant and depressed. I was frightened. The last time I saw my surgeon, he just made me feel like there was something wrong with me. My primary care physician helped me with kindness and meds. I am still saddened by my results. But I guess I will learn to live with it. Please think long and hard about what you do. I know that many on this site have had great success, but there are many of us who have not. My primary physician has 5 patients who have had the band, me being the first, and only 1 is doing well. I wish I would have had a bypass, although I was and still am afraid of doing that. Best wishes to all and I wish you the best with your decision to get the band.

You are all very kind. I know that with all of the vomiting and such, that I also did start to find things that I could keep down that weren't always the right thing. But I still don't think I've done that badly that a pound here or there would drop. I am feeling better now that I'm on some medication, at least emotionally. But I want so much to be healthy again, it's been so long and I thought that this was the way to go for me. With all your prayers, and support, maybe I'll get my mind and my body back on track again. I guess it's just hard because so many people say things like, I knew that wouldn't work. Look at all the complications and trouble you went through for nothing, etc. It kind of beats you down. Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm more than a year out and I do that. Sometimes it's quite embarrasing and loud.

I didn't feel restriction until my 5th fill. You sometimes swell right after a fill and feel the restriction, then the swelling goes down. You may just need to give it time.

Been there. And I came back to lapbandtalk and I'm already feeling better. This kind of support and positive feedback will help you find your way. I'm working on finding mine too. Know that these people care about you and want to see you make it. Hang in there.

You are all so wonderful. I really missed having people to talk to that really understand what I'm going through. I don't personally know any other bandsters. And to be honest, when I left the board, most of the people that were posting only spoke to each other and didn't support someone who only occassionally posted. You guys have made me feel good about coming back and you have made me feel good about starting over again. Thank you so much.

I haven't posted for months. I haven't even lurked. I lost 60 pounds my first year and that was it. I went for 6 months without losing an ounce and now I'm starting to gain. I've been unfilled and filled again. I've gone through bouts of PB's that I thought would never end. I still do several times a week. I just feel like i've failed and I went through so much to get here. Am I the only one having this hard a time? Although I haven't been on for a long time, I remember everyone seemingly doing so well. I was even ashamed of my 60 pounds, like it just wasn't enough. Don't get me wrong. I am so grateful for what I lost, I was able to put away my cane. I'm not on constant pain meds anymore. But I just wish I could get a kick start or something and get back on track. Well, now that that's off my chest, maybe I'll lurk a little. :cry

Even with my fill to the point of not being able to swallow, I could eat a normal size meal if I wanted to. I was PB'ing a lot, but because it took me so long to get anything down, I was probably eating more than the 1/4 cup of food per meal.

Well I haven't ben on here for a long while. I've been pretty discouraged. I haven't lost an ounce for months. Now I am having a lot of pain and PB'ing when I try to eat and they want to do a barium swallow and Xray within the next couple of days. The thought is that I have slipped. If so they will remove all of the Fluid from my band and I'll have to wait for a month or so until I've healed before they will begin filling again. I was a slow loser my first year and now nothing since January. I did have to deal with a lot of depression after losing my job of 22 years. But I did find a good job and am very happy now. I just have gotten way off track and now dealing with this pain and not being able to eat a meal, I'm eating whatever will go down. Hopefully, if there is slippage and I have to be unfilled, once I begin again I'll start losing again and doing better. Wish me luck.

The Barium Esophogram showed no slippage but they did take out 1cc to let me rest for a month. I am already feeling better. In a month they'll put back up to 1/2 cc and see how that goes. The doctor was a little perplexed as to why this happened since my last fill was in January.

Hi K@t. I understand completely. I haven't lost an ounce in about 3 months and it's my own fault as well. After having lost my job I was so depressed that the 2 months I was unemployed I just blew it. And now I'm having a hard time getting back to eating right again. I know I need to see my surgeon and possibly get a small fill, but I'm afraid to go and have him see how bad I've been doing. Isn't it strange how any depression or anything that goes on in our lives we end up going back to our old ways? You would think that after a while we would be able to control ourselves better. Good luck with your move and best wishes for a great new life in Florida.

Welcome Jessica. I've had my band for a year and love it. It's been going slow but steady. Best to you.

I really do. And, I'm back on track with my eating since I'm working again. I haven't lost an ounce in 2 months, but I really did get off track being depressed and worried all that time. This was my first week and everything is back to normal. I hope I'm going to get turned around again and start losing. But as happy as I am with this new job, I just feel great and am optimistic.:clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I'm a Learning Administrator for the Organizational Development dept. I handle all the logistics for the training of our outside sales people as well as keeping up the learning management system and help with the intranet. I work with a really great bunch of people for a really great company. I was unemployed for 2 months and was ready to go back.

Glad to hear all is well. Take your time to heal. Hope everything goes well for you.

Ditto. We have several shotguns in the house and my husband and I both know how to use them. I've never had the interest in owning a handgun. They scare me a little. But just leave me with my shotguns and I'll be a happy camper.

Congratulations! Hitting that 50 pound mark is really great.

I was an OA member years ago. I lost weight and felt great, then the group was gone and of course, as was always the case, I gained it all back. It is based on the AA 12 step program. The group I was in didn't have anything to do with any type of "religious" dogma. Of course, different groups do different things.

OMG! Thank God she is alright. You poor thing, what a nightmare. One of the most difficult parts of being a mother is that constant nagging in your heart that something could happen to one of your children. You have been truly blessed and your baby is safe. I know it has to be hard to get over what you saw, but you need to keep yourself healthy for those babies. Just thank God for his blessing you and protecting your child and be happy in that. Don't dwell on the nightmare you had to live through.

I wear a bracelet. My surgeon said that he wished all his patients would because of the danger of an NG piercing the stomach if it was not inserted properly. I had to have an NG tube placed a couple of days after surgery and my surgeon used a scope to place it.

Many of you have been very supportive of me during my bad times lately. Since losing my job I haven't been doing very well and have stopped losing weight. But not anymore:) :) I was made an offer today from a wonderful company. It is the job of my dreams and I will be starting on April 9th. Thank you for your support, kindness and prayers.:biggrin1:

I am having a really bad time being unemployed. I sit around on the computer looking for jobs, and watch TV. I'm not moving, I'm not eating right and I'm losing my mind. I always wished my life away looking forward to retirement, now that I've been home for 2 months, I'm going crazy. I have a couple of prospects I'm going on a third interview this week at a great company. I'm hoping I get the job. But in the mean time, I haven't lost an ounce. Sometimes I don't eat at all, other days I'm eating just for the sake of eating. I go from being completely lose to so tight I can hardly swallow Water. I was supposed to be going in about now for a fill, but I'm still PB'ing half the time. Maybe that's just from stress, but I sure do need help to get back on track. Wish me luck, maybe I'll be employed again soon and then I'll start caring about what I'm doing again.

Victoriana, thank you so much. I am trying to stay very positive but the lack of sleep is really adding to the depressed feeling. I think I may need to see my doctor before it really gets out of hand. But your idea about visiting a garden store or pet store really sounds great. The weather is finally starting to show a change and I think that thinking about planting and gardening and getting myself busy with the yard will be a big pick up for me.

I don't think that smacking a child is always the answer, but when a child is darting for the street or something else that can be a danger to them, a good smack on the butt hits home a little better than trying to reason with a youngster. Smacking a child for reasonable displinary reasons worked for most of us, and is a big difference compared to parental abuse of a child and as stated before, just look at our kids today since giving your child a smack could end you up in jail for abuse.

Thanks. I guess I just really have to shake this. I have lots of things I should be doing and I'm just leaving them sit. Once I am back to work I'll look back and wonder what the heck was wrong with me. Eye-eye Jack, no rant please. It really helps just to know there is someplace I can go and let of some steam.