Ana Maria

The band is not an easy tool to work. I think you're doing an incredible job. Keep up the good work. It is very motivating even for those of us who are no longer banded. Do you have a journal with your food logs posted? I understand if you choose not to do that, but would love a little insight as to what you're eating. If you don't mind sharing you could PM me. I'm maintaining my weight so far in the 5 weeks since my band slipped, but am in need of some inspiration. Thanks:) -Ana Maria

Dr. Ortiz performed my banding and my unbanding. His facilities are top notch and he and Dr. Martinez provided me with excellent quality care. I live in Los Angeles so I was never more than 2 hours away in the event of an emergency. Even so, if I had the opportunity to have the surgery performed locally I would have done it. It's just EASIER and more convenient. I think the 6 month pre-diet may turn out to be a good thing. If you can lose some, ANY weight beforehand you have a better chance at being successful in the long term in my opinion. Some discipline and a lot of effort are required to lose weight with the band. For many people the weight loss is not automatic with a band. It comes with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. If you are not, or have never experienced success on any kind of diet, your success with the band will probably be limited. IN MY OPINION. Your mileage may vary. Unfortunately the band does not prevent or eliminate compulsion towards food. Good luck with whatever you decide. We're rooting for you! -Ana Maria

Sounds like you need the band removed because the "slip" is not repairable. I'd be willing to bet that after 3 years and 125 pounds you've learned a thing or two about keeping that weight off. Don't assume you'll become a wild ravenous beast once the band is removed. That doesn't have to be your scenario. People lose & maintain weight everyday WITHOUT a band - I don't care what the so-called statistics say. Now............as for me...........I've been unbanded for a month and haven't lost diddley squat. I know exactly why too. I'm eating too damned much. Nothing new for me since I did that while I was banded too. Fortunately for me I am maintaining my weight and choose to believe, however deluded, that I will continue to do so. A little belief & delusion go a long way! Sooner or later I'll need to throw some excercise and less food into the mix. One thing's for sure - I am MUCH happier with the choke chain off. -ana maria

D- The main thing I am doing is trying my best NOT to binge. I very much want to start walking the hills in my neighborhood again SOON. So far haven't motivated myself to get moving though. Why don't you go to the LBT Journal section (see link above) and start an online food log. It seems to help me be accountable for what I'm eating. -Ana Maria

D- Have you already had the band removed? Where? I had mine removed by my original surgeon in Mexico on 4/19 It cost $3500 which I paid for with a 0% interest loan from my credit card. If you have a credit card give them a call and see what kind of deal they can give you. As Tracey suggested perhaps you can submit everything to your insurance and see what happens. How much weight had you lost? Don't despair life exists after banding. Personally, mine has improved. I am able to eat much more healthy food. Yes, it is difficult not to binge. I've had a few episodes, but I keep plugging along. As of today I am 2 pounds less than when the band was removed. I binged with the band too and my weight loss had come to a screeching halt after my first year. I was banded 4/2003 People lose weight every day without a lap band and so will you if you BELIEVE you are capable. Email me privately if you ever want to rant, rave, complain, Celebrate, whatever. I understand and am right in there with you. -Ana Maria

Vanhos, Pain and/or extreme discomfort are not something you should have to live with. For reasons I don't think anyone fully understands, some people do really well with the band and experience minimal discomfort. They lose weight and their lives change for the better. I admire anyone who can learn to live with the band and make it work. It is not an easy thing to do. Any kind of weight loss requires effort and hard work - banded or unbanded. By the same token there are those of us who have experienced a lot of suffering since getting banded. I suffered for 3 years, lost 38 pounds, developed acid reflux, constantly felt like all the throwing up was damaging my esophogus, food just didn't go down (yes I chewed and ate small bites) COULD NOT eat healthy, did not feel healthy, was beyond frustrated, band slipped, had it removed: best thing that ever could have happened. No matter how much weight you've lost Vanhos - 50 pounds or 150 pounds - it's not worth it if your health is at stake. Just losing weight does not automatically mean a person is more healthy. Bandsters are just as likely to regain weight as anyone else. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of people I have met through these boards/forums/lists who have done just that. The bottom line is that if you are suffering and uncomfortable you don't have to live with it. Go see your doctor/ do some research for yourself and try and find some answers. I waited for 6 months and lived with pain until I finally went in to my surgeon. I was sure it was me doing something wrong and not the band. I wish you continued success. Despite the different opinions expressed here I've found this forum to be the BEST one on the internet. No one flames you here for talking about problems or accuses you of being non-compliant. People really seem to want to help in a non-judgemental way. Keep posting and let us know how you are. -ana maria:)

Pati, I am so glad to hear the news! Now at least you won't be worried about something being wrong. I'm sure you are sooooooooooo relieved. That's great about the reflux being gone too. Nexium worked great for me. Zantac gave me terrible headaches. I wish you continued good health! A.M.

I hesitated to post this because I don't want you to panic, but the pics of your barium swallow look very similair to mine on the 11th of April when I was diagnosed with a slip. The pouch looks the same. My stomach had slipped up through the band and had migrated into my chest cavity (hiatal hernia). My previous flouroscopy had revealed a pouch the size of a plum, round with no distended look. That was a year previous. My ability to eat varied widely day to day. I also was having reflux. Took me forever to finally get in to see my doctor because I didn't want to drive down to TJ. Smart girl to call the doc. Get in there and find out for sure what's happening so you can relax. If it's a slip there is a very good probability that it can be repositioned or your pouch might go back to normal with a complete unfill. MIne was unfilled completely already so I had no leeway. When is your appointment? Keep posting and let us know how you're doing and the results of the appointment.

I hesitated to post this because I don't want you to panic, but the pics of your barium swallow look very similair to mine on the 11th of April when I was diagnosed with a slip. The pouch looks the same. My stomach had slipped up through the band and had migrated into my chest cavity (hiatal hernia). My previous flouroscopy had revealed a pouch the size of a plum, round with no distended look. That was a year previous. My ability to eat varied widely day to day. I also was having reflux. Took me forever to finally get in to see my doctor because I didn't want to drive down to TJ. Smart girl to call the doc. Get in there and find out for sure what's happening so you can relax. If it's a slip there is a very good probability that it can be repositioned or your pouch might go back to normal with a complete unfill. MIne was unfilled completely already so I had no leeway. When is your appointment? Keep posting and let us know how you're doing and the results of the appointment.

Honey, I lost my band last week 4/19 due to a slip that couldn't be repaired. I understand your fear of regaining the weight. I have the same fear. Although i only lost 38 pounds in 3 years it made a big difference in my appearance and how I felt. I started a food log on a journal here. For now it's private, but I'll probably change that today or tomorrow. This is a really supportive group of people. One thing that helps me to avoid being compulsive is to know that I can have whatever I want to eat without fear of choking or throwing up or acid reflux. So everyday I eat exactly what I want. If I examine what I truly crave it is NOT hamburgers, shakes, and all that crap. It's good, healthy, tasty food. I'm trying to let my inner adult make the food decisions versus my inner child. I'm also trying to BELIEVE in myself. That's hard when there is so much evidence of failure in the past. Coming here and reading and writing helps a lot. I think Cindy's post is very wise in that regard. There are some unbanded people on this forum that seem to me to have been very successful at not regaining weight or regaining very little. It helps to read their posts. I'm pulling for you and so is everyone else. -Mary Ann

Just wanted to update everyone on my slipped band. I went in yesterday for surgery and unfortunately due to too much stomach swelling the band could not be repositioned properly without a very long surgery and/or compromising my health. So they cut it out. Everything is gone. As soon as I woke up from my surgery stupor it was the first question I asked and the answer was "no we had to take it out." My surgeons spoke to me extensively before and after the surgery and answered all of my questions and explained that removal might occur if they could not reposition the band. I had driven down to TJ alone for this surgery, but the kindness and care I received at the surgical center really made up for being by myself. This morning after my drain was removed from my port area (ugh) and I was bandaged up. I drank a bottle of apple juice, Water and packed up and headed out. Boy was it ever good to feel liquids go right down the chute without backing up. Heavenly. They recommended that I stay and sleep or at least get a room at the LUcerna where I'd stayed the night before, but I felt pretty strong and steady so Mrs. Ortiz kindly escorted me to the Mexicoach and I scooted on back across the border to my waiting car. A couple of hours later and I am safely tucked away up in my cottage on a hill in Los Angeles with my 3 fur people and a big library full of books to cozy up in and heal. In 4-6 months if I want another band I can have another one installed. If I can maintain or lose weight in that 6 month period I will choose NOT to be rebanded. I know the odds are against me, but I must remind myself that it is POSSIBLE to lose weight and keep it off without a band. MOre difficult , but possible. thank you for all of your warm thoughts and wishes they have all been appreciated very much! -Mary Ann

Barbara, I saw so many people in the waiting room at the surgery center, but being the somewhat introverted person I am wasn't going to go around asking, "ARe you Barbara?" Ha! Ha! I'm glad you're back. Back in January 2005 when I had my unfill my pouch was about the size of a plum. Dr. M and Dr. O didn't say so definitively, but agreed with my assessment that my constant pouch packing and PBing probably led to the stomach being pulled up through the band even more between January 2005 and now. They did say that carbonation WAS NOT the reason. My problem was I didn't have any leeway because there was no more fill to be removed. In your case you have saline left in your band. I think if it was a problem they would have removed all of the fill and left it out, but it sounds like they put back in 1.4ccs is that right? ARe you wide open when your band is unfilled? Do you PB alot or pack your pouch too full? If not, I bet there is an excellent chance that your band WILL NOT slip. If you start getting reflux in a bad way (hell, in any way) get back down there. In the unlikely event that your band does slip I bet you anything they can reposition it successfully. My case was different/unusual because I was tight without any fill. Know what I mean? In any case let's keep in touch about it. This morning I enjoyed Breakfast out with a friend for the first time in over 3 years. It was such a simple pleasure I could hardly stand it. I ordered bacon, eggs, a pancake, & sliced tomatoes, and hot coffee. My friend was shocked at how little I ate and kept saying, "ARe you sure you don't have that band?" I kept giving her more and more of my food. I slowly ate about 5 bites of the eggs, 2 bites of tomatoe, 2 slices of bacon, 1 small pancake, and the coffee which ended up being about 1/4 of what was on my plate. I felt perfectly satisfied and not overly full at all. I felt like I was out of prison. Afterwards I went into Little Tokyo to pick up something and stopped by the Farmer's Market. I saw a basket of beautiful strawberries. I looked at them and then remembered, "Oh my god I can eat these gorgeous things!" They are sitting in the fridge for desert later and snacking. I hope I don't sound like I am gloating it's just that I was so miserable for so long and now it's like an Iron cuff around my throat has finally been unlocked and thrown out for good. Thinking about it makes me emotional. I read a John Steinbeck quote recently: "What good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness." What more can I say?" For me, in this moment, life is good. -Mary Ann

What a wonderful group of people I've stumbled into here! All of your kindness and support is really heart warming. I am glad to hear there are unbanded folks out there who are going to try to go it alone. I'm SO right with you! My relationship with my band was never one of love. I felt like my eating was becoming more and more disordered: The constant restriction, making a beautiful healthy meal for friends and not being able to enjoy more than 1 bite, all the PBing which I knew could damage my esophogaus, not getting enough Fiber, and all the darn ice cream and high-fat soft foods I turned to out of frustration. Having your band unfilled and knowing you can't get any less restricted left me feeling clausterphobic and angry at times. I don't know how many times I wished I had the ability to remove the band myself. Today I feel FREE and grateful with that albatross gone from around my...stomach. This morning I enjoyed a mocha from a cuban bakery that I adore and was able to sip it without anything backing up. My thyroid medication went down without a choking sensation or causing added restriction for an hour or more, my lentil Soup at lunch was delicious and it too went down. I could eat it slowly and not worry that at any second the hatch would slam shut. For the first time in years I don't feel panicked that I might not be able to enjoy my tuna sandwich on toast I'll have for dinner. I know it will go down, that I will enjoy it immensely and that I won't need a pint of hagen daaz, or warm tapioca, or condensed milk, or fill in the blank (as long as there's some combination of milk & sugar!) as a substitute for what I really crave. I look forward in the days to come to eating a steak salad, a roasted vegetable sandwich with goat cheese, cuban pork,........... I could go on and on. Maybe if my bandster experience had been more positive and not fraught with discomfort and behaviour resembling bulimia I would be in mourning, but now I just feel ..................... like I can B R E A T H E. I hope to have more in depth "conversations" with some of you in the future. I'm not foolish enough to think my troubles are over, but I am hopeful that I can eat mindfully and continue my weight loss journey bandfree. Thanks again to all of you! -Mary Ann 4/15/03 banded 4/19/03 unbanded 238/200/195 (5 pound mini-goal)

I just posted my first message to this board over in Introductions - Slipped Band & Introduction. I thought I'd continue my post re: my slip over here. In the last couple of months I've had reflux. Went to my PCP and got a prescription for Nexium. That helped with the acid part, but not the reflux. Any food eaten within 1-4 hours of laying down would result in waking up choking on the refluxed liquid still in my pouch. My restriction was increasing. I thought due to a bout of PBs I'd had. Finally went down to TJ to see Dr. Martinez/Ortiz and the flouro revealed I had a slip. The large part of the stomach had migrated up through the band. It initially looked like a hiatel hernia because the stomach had pushed up into the chest cavity. The barium was barely getting through. Even though my band had been completely unfilled in January of 2005 there was .3 ccs inside. A result of the permeability of the band. After Dr. M removed the .3 the barium trickled out of the upper pouch. i went for an endoscopy to check on the health of my esophaugus/stomach and thankfully got a clean bill of health - no stricture, no esophogitis, no hiatel hernia. But still the band must be repositioned higher up & stomach manipulated back down. My surgery is scheduled for 4/19. Mainly I am RELIEVED that there is a reason for this terrible reflux and HOPEFUL that I can find some relief. My slip was a gradual one. No one knows exactly what causes them. I think in my case consistently eating too much and "pouch packing", PBing, and drinking carbonated beverages probably contributed in some way. I've stopped the carbonation completely, I know I can stop the PBing because I've gone for long stretches without doing it. The difficult part will be NOT overfilling the pouch. I've thought long and hard about removing the band completely because I feel like my eating has become so disordered/compulsive, but am giving it one more try with this repositioning surgery. If anyone here has had this surgery to repair a slip I'd love to hear from you. I've scoured the archives and have found some slip stories that have been helpful to read. The more the merrier so to speak. Also if you care to share the cost of the surgery that would be helpful as well. Mine will cost 3500$ - that's for the hospital costs only, no surgeons fees. Fortunately I feel like I am in very good hands with my surgeons. I am hoping I don't end up in the hospital for 5 nights like in my initial surgery due to swelling. I'm thinking this surgery will be less taxing on my body. Anything anyone has to share about their experience with any of this will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks for being here. -Mary Ann 4/15/03 Dr. Ortiz/Martinez 238/199/I'd be content with 175/thrilled with 160/died and gone to heaven with anything under 150

Hello Everyone, Not sure if this is where to post...? Will introduce myself and then go post about my slip in the complications section of this site. I had surgery 4/15/03 with Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana Mexico. Start weight = 238 Current weight = 199 I had complications out of surgery due to swelling - couldn't swallow anything. Was on an IV for 5 days. Recovered from that over a 3 week period. Had my first fill of .2 which provided restriction, but I've always had a problem with either being able to eat 1 or 2 bites of solid food and then everything gets stuck. Other days I could eat large quantities of food. PBing always tends to tighten me up. After a couple of years of having fill in my band - never more than .7 - and getting really tired of the constant battle to eat I had the fill completely removed. My surgeon thought having the fill removed was a good idea too, to break the PB cycle. and...........All of my PBing was greatly reduced ,almost eliminated completely, but I still had restriction. I enjoyed being able to eat solid food. Some days of course my restriction was a lot and some days it felt non-existent, but life without a fill was definitely more manageable. In a year of being unfilled I gained about 5 pounds. Even though I wasn't losing weight the band was great for eliminating hunger and I felt like if I put forth a concentrated effort - eat less/excercise - I WOULD be able to lose weight. I choose to believe that I am not delusional for thinking this. Flash forward to the last couple of months... I'm going to post about the slip in the Complications area... In the meantime is there anyone on this board who has struggled with losing any really significant amount of weight with their band? I've mainly been over on Smartbandsters and GRaduate Bandsters and rarely post there - just lurk & read. Don't read about many people like myself, but I know they have to be out there. Just found this board yesterday. Thanks for "listening" -Mary Ann

thanks for doing this! Will you be doing it for slips as well? Date Banded: 4/15/03 Country:mexico Doctor:dr. ortiz Erodoed: Y/N no erosion If Eroded Date Removed:n/a -Mary Ann

Am leaving for Mexico in a couple of hours. Surgery is tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for a swift recovery. I'm healthy as a horse (wait maybe that should be strong or big as a horse) but my first surgery was a 5 day hospital stint instead of overnight. Based on what I've read this kind of repositioning sounds less detailed/complicated/timely. I'll know first hand in about 24 hours. Thanks for the well wishes. -Mary Ann

New Shoe: Thank you so much for your kind response to my message. Since you've had complications you can probably appreciate what the support means at a time like this. Also thanks for informing about the different stitch methods. I will write that down and ask Dr. O about it. I actually feel quite fortunate as some of the slipped band stories have sounded pretty dire/painful/unrepairable (pick an adjective). Mine IS minor in comparison. And if the band gets successfully repositioned, which is likely I will be one happy camper. Barbara: I hope to meet you in TJ! I had my endoscopy with the dr. you mentioned. I would describe it as a painless experience. It doesn't hurt that the drugs they give you (IV) are very pleasant. I felt high the whole time. The cost is $250 and they don't take credit. Just so you know. Fortunately my sister and I had the money on us. Dr. O thought the endoscopy would not come out so good, but thankfully the results were all positive which was why I could reschedule my surgery for this coming week. Mine is scheduled for the morning of the 19th. Do you live locally? I'm in LA and am driving down on the 18th and probably staying at the Lucerna overnight. Haven't decided yet if I'm driving across the border or taking the Mexicoach like I usually do. How about you? I hope your pouch has repositioned itself and you can avoid surgery. Let me know what happens! I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and sending you good thoughts. -Mary Ann:)

Meka & Shanna, Thank you for reading and responding to my post. Meka: despite the complications I'm having/have had slips are still relatively rare. Chances are good that you'll never experience this sort of thing. The good thing is that if you do, you can usually have it repaired without having it removed. When they can't repair the slip they remove the band for 6 months give the stomach time to heal and put in another band - if that choice is financially feasible for you. I haven't heard of anyone who has lost their band without any chance of repair or replacement, but then I'm sure they are out there too. The bottom line is that odds are in your favor. Some people seem to do better with the band than others and get within shouting distance of goal. Others like me lose some weight, but don't make it to goal or even close, but we seem to keep trying. Still others lose very little weight and have a lot of frustrations from the beginning. It's difficult to know the exact statistics because on some boards/lists those with difficulty are discouraged from posting. This board seems to be more tolerant and less critical of those who struggle. That's a very good thing. It's hard to suffer in silence without support. I read in ...I think it was Journal of Obesity or one of those medical journals that people with B.E.D. binge eating disorder are poor candidates for banding. I don't know if that's true, but I know I am a binge eater and it takes a great amount of self control NOT to find ways to eat around the band. Naturally I didn't read this until after I was banded and it probably wouldn't have changed my mind anyway. Again, difficult to know what makes a person do really well and another not. I suspect that bandsters who were successful with following an eating program and losing weight (regardless of whether they kept it off or not) might do better with the band as an element of discipline is definitely needed. I have not gained and lost a lot of weight in my life. The losing part is always almost insurmountable. Then again, what do I know? There are probably as many theories about band success as there are people on this board. Shanna: I'm really sorry that you lost your band. I have no doubt that if I lost mine the weight would creep back on, although I'm trying to change my thinking about this. I like to think I can succeed with or without the band even though it seems very difficult. There are after all, people who lose weight and keep it off despite the often quoted stats about the chances of doing so. Despite my limited success I don't think it's an impossibility. No question that it's HARD. Very hard. Either way I don't want to lose my band and find out. I know I can at least maintain with a band. My heart goes out to you. I think it's fantastic the way you are being so proactive and hanging in there. Best Wishes, Mary Ann