sparkplug

First of all, you need to find a different PA!!! Their bedside manner is horrendous and not acceptable. Secondly, do not beat yourself up. You know if things are right or not with your body, so go to someone else that will do the fills the way you want and there is nothing that says you cannot go to someone else. After my surgery, we were not able to get funding to go to the same DR in Las Vegas which is in a different state and I have had to search out another Dr in the state of Arizona. The first Dr I called told me to not worry unless I have a problem and here I sit with no problems with the band, NO FILLS and I can actually go for about 4-5 hours before getting hungry. I will again try to find another Dr in our fine state but you need to search until you find someone you are comfortable and confident in to control ;you and your band. Good luck and do not give up!!

I have the most supportive husband in the world. He has been my main support from day one, even after surgery and I was in such horrible pain, he kept telling me it will be alright and you will feel better soon and look great again. AGAIN, yes I had gained and lost the same 90 pounds a million times over before the band. I have been to goal for almost 3 years and could not have done it without the band and my husband. Yes he still eats his Cookies and doughnuts and I could care less. We do tend to eat healthy with no fat and greasy foods like some people and it is just a little modification of smaller portions since I can only eat very little at meals. We go out to restaurants and I even bake a cake or brownies for him. Normally I don't care about tasting the fresh made cake but when I really want a taste, that is just what I do have a small bite to taste it and that is enough! If I tell myself that I can never have a piece of cake or pie, I will get obsessed over it and want it more than ever, so I have learned to give in to a taste or bite of something and get it out of your system. There are so many things I cannot eat because of the band and I can live with that too. I am so greatful for my husband especially when I get stuck and he tells me to walk around I will wait for you until the food passes through! What a guy!!!! I hope you all succeed on your journey and it really is up to you to figure things out and work the band, it would be so easy to say it was my husband's fault I failed but I am the one accountable not him. You need to figure this out as you go along, nobody tells you how this will work for YOUR body, everybody is so different and it is a learning experience.

Relax...this is exactly why I am almost 3 yrs out from being banded and never had a fill. When I am excited or nervous or upset my band gets tight. I almost always get stuck when this happens so I try not to eat at these times. This probably will always be like this I am thinking so I work around it. Today I am having issues with gas from eating boiled eggs. Back to the gas x and living to learn how this band works. As long as you can eat and drink without throwing up, you will be okay. Just keep your eye on the band and don't panic with every new thing that comes up. I had so many stomach issues before banding that I have learned to not panic and try my home natural remedies before worrying myself to death. This is a life long journey, just take one day at a time and this forum is a life saver when you are looking for information when something comes up. Good luck and enjoy the ride.

<br /><br /><br /> Papaya Enzyme tablets!!!! I could not live without them. They sell at health food stores, walmart, and sometimes K-mart. I keep them at home, in my purse and at work. Chew a few of them, they help get the stuck food to move down. I have been banded for almost 3 years, never had any fills and still get stuck. I get stressed very easily, the band is so UNpredictable. Some days I am okay, and others I have a hard time getting food down. I chose not to get any fills because it is so unpredictable and I do not want to not get my Protein or nourishment in every day. I am down 90 pds but gained 5 pds over last Christmas holiday and cannot get it off for the life of me. It is no fun to get stuck and I suspect the excitement of Vegas stirs things up with the band. I live an hour away from Vegas and I get very excited when I go there, so much to see and do and such wonderful food, it would be very hard not to get excited! You will learn when to really eat VERY little when you get excited and you will not get stuck. I still have problems and I have been banded for almost 3 years, maybe I am just a slow learner. Good luck on your journey and you will learn like me.

I am a lazy person also. When I get home from work I am beat mentally and force myself to cook, do dishes and whatever needs to be done before I sit down for the evening. I am not an exercise person, never have been. But....I walk twice a day on break down to the local store for a black coffee ( no calories), that is my treat! I have stayed pretty much the same but do go up and down 5-6 pds depending on if I have cheated with slider Snacks on the weekend. I hold Water very easily from anything that has sodium in it and it takes a couple of days to get it out of my system. You can do this if I can. I am 58 years old and wanted to extend my life by getting banded. I am off all meds and feel like 28. Don't give up, take it one little step at a time. I gave up bread and sugar and the pounds started to fall off, then it made me really want to follow the bandster rules and eat mostly Protein. I still have a hard time with fruits and vegetables (they have to be cooked to mush). If I can do it, you can do it. I have lost and gained over 1,000 pounds in my lifetime and have been stable for the last 3 years with the band. This is not a diet, this is a life change and that is the mind set you need to get into. I do not tell myself that I can never have something, because then I would want it even more. You need to do what you can live with and what works for you. Good luck!

I am 3 years out and never had any fill and occasionally get stuck. I too, eat too fast or do not chew enough and get stuck. I have never thrown up but had pain and panic set in until the food passed through the band. I am to goal but gained approximately 5-6 pds back and forth since last christmas. I tend to eat slider Snacks on weekends and need to get out of that mode. You are doing great, you have lost a lot of weight. I can't get over how many people on here think that throwing up is normal for being banded. My surgeon said in the beginning that would be a major problem throwing up, because of all the turmoil it puts the band through will cause either a slippage or erosion. I am always worrying about that and have chosen not to get fills because I can go 4-6 hours on a meal before getting hungry. It is the head hunger that I still have not been able to manage all the time. Everybody is so different but I could not live with throwing up on a regular basis. I have a weak stomach and that would be very uncomfortable and not acceptable for me to live like that. Good luck on your success and do what you think is comfortable for you.

Congratulations!!!! When I hit onederland, I had been there so many times before that I was afraid to Celebrate, thought it would jinx me! Great job! Enjoy and keep focused. I missed the excitement since I had gained and lost the same weight a million times over in the last 40 years. ENJOY!!!

I am so sorry about your slip, but I have been reading this forum for the last 3 years since being banded. I have NEVER had a fill since being banded. I do use some self control, the bandster rules of eating and just common sense on changing my eating habits. I have seen over and over that the people that keep their band so tight they can hardly get food or drink down end up with slips sooner or later. I see this over and over and I actually talked with a woman in town that felt if the band wasn't tight enough to stop her from eating that she was not going to lose weight. Her end result was giving up and getting all fluid out and she has gained the 65 pds back. I know she is only one person, but this is suppose to be a lifestyle change that you can live with, not a temporary thing by getting so tight that you cannot get fluids down. This is just my observation and it seems to be more and more reoccurring than I originally thought. The thought of slipping scares the heck out of me and I can agree that is something we all need to keep in mind, it could be disasterous when it happens. Good luck and hope you never go through that.

I go every now and again, because I have TMJ and upper back issues. Just make sure they know about your band and if they are uncomfortable you need to find someone that knows about the band. I could not live without my chiropractor now or ever and he is my savior, especially with my TMJ issues. I actually went through 5 people before I could find someone like Dr. Finch that knew his profession. It was hard when moving out here to Arizona to find a qualified chiropractor. He also has been very encouraging and supportive in my decision since he saw me at my highest weight and now at 90 pounds lost. Good luck and stay healthy.

I had the opposite problem and still fight with constipation after my whole life having the opposite, I am not sure what to do. I have colitis and Fiber and laxatives are definitely a NO NO. Maybe some over the counter meds might help. Get well soon.

I am to goal with losing 90 pds and it will be 3 yrs this christmas. I NEVER had any fill from day one. I lost off and on some days the scale moved and others it did not and every Dr. appt. they asked do you want a fill and I told them as long as I was losing I choose not to get filled. I believe it prevents a lot of complications down the road but that is just my thought. I believe that from reading these forums for the last 3 years, a lot of people get overfilled and suffer to get the weight off and I choose not to live like that. I am a size 10 at 58 yrs old and off all meds and feel like a kid again. you should do what you feel comfortable with, do not let anybody tell you that you have to get filled, there are quite a few people in las vegas that had the same Dr. that I did and have lost well over 100 pounds with NO FILLS. Good luck and keep focused and you will be fine.

I am sorry that you are so down on the band. The band has saved my life. Weight issues like we all have is just as bad as an alcoholic only worse because we can't say we will never eat again and be done with it, like an alcoholic can put down the drink and never touch it again. I would be on so many medications by this time without losing and keeping off the 90 pds I have lost. More than likely I would have followed in my mom's footsteps and even had a heart attack from the weight I had, but I am here in size 10 and I don't know how long this band will last, but it is giving me more years of a healthy life and if it does have to come out ( had it 3 yrs so far) I hope I have learned enough to keep some if not all the weight off at that point. What I am saying is that there is no quick fix for this weight problem. I think it is a life long struggle with all of us and I wish I could say that I am fixed forever, but that would not be not very smart thing for me to say. I don't know how long this will last but I am enjoying this and each and every day that I have being small and healthy. I hope someday that science comes up with a permanent fix for weight problems, but I do not see it happening, all the surgeries are temporary in one way or another. Make your decision that is comfortable for you and enjoy every day and every year of being thin that you can. I have talked to a lot of people with all of the different surgeries offered and they somehow have beat the odds of gaining it all back. Good luck and enjoy life and your decision.

Congrats, we are celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this sunday and have reservations for the Prime Rib room which is fancy dancy. You do not ask for doggie bags there so I take a little of everything on my plate to look like I eat like everybody else and pick a bite of this and a bite of that. This fancy places do not usually see people "clean" their plates like buffets. These type of people think that is glutony is unacceptable behavior so I fit in with the other hoity toity people by leaving all kinds of foods on my plate and taste a little bit of everything with my mai mai (fish) not sure how you spell it because only have it once a year because of how expensive it is. Have a wonderful night out and enjoy your meal, tomorrow is another day. Been to goal for almost 3 years and you need to do whatever you can to keep in check.

First of all, congratulations on getting the band. This is a life saving and changing part of your life. I too, would have turned into my mother with heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and everything else that my mom had later in life. I chose the band to get the weight off safely and slowly. I am almost 3 years out at goal and never had one single fill. I do have days I can eat chicken and then again can't eat chicken, depending on my band. It is very fickle, I never know for sure what I can eat and not eat. I do get stuck but it is my fault from eating too big of a piece or not chewing enough and eating too fast. I still occasionally go back to my old ways of eating like the house is on fire, but I keep it in mind, especially when I get stuck and it is a constant reminder to me. You will do fine, I lost 90 pds and am in size 10 from my size 22's, I am on NO medication and feel like a youngster again, I am 58 years old. Good luck and keep in mind that slow is better, it is going to take time to train yourself for eating properly. I still battle head hunger every now and then but I do believe this is a lot like alcoholism, it never goes away, it is always there and you need to keep it in check one day at a time. You have to eat every day and that is what makes it so hard. Have a wonderful day of your new life with the band.

JoJo, been there and done that! I don't read where everybody goes through that stage, but I went through the same thing you did. I was so depressed and unhappy the first month thinking what on earth did I do to myself. It is true, it takes some getting used to on your new life and I did not have all the information that some of the other people on here did. The seminars I went to left out a lot of information because we all react differently to this procedure. Well, the bottom line is, this state will pass and you need to keep your eye focused on the end of this journey with a new skinny body and everything that comes with it. It is a long and hard journey but so well worth it in the end. I was banded 12/20/08, I am 58 and down 90 pds with a problem of gaining 5 pds from last christmas that will not come off, but I am off all meds, no longer border line diabetic and into size 10 pants. I feel great and I do remember how bad this whole journey started out. Not everybody goes through this depression period, but you seem to be doing the same thing I did. Ride it out and work with the new "you" and you will be so happy down the road. Good luck and keep focused on the prize of better health and whistles for you!!!

I am 58 and live in Kingman Arizona. I am to goal with the lap band and have gained 5-6 pds back and forth since last Christmas. No matter what I do I cannot get the weight off and stay off. I was initially approved for gastric in NY before we moved here 7 yrs ago but did not want that drastic surgery. I waited until we moved here and was denied 2 times before they finally approved me for lap band on 12/20/08. I am glad I have the band, it is not as drastic and I have somewhat been very content with the results. I have a niece and nephew that had the gastric and they are both gaining their weight back much faster than I could imagine possible. All of these surgeries can be eaten "around" and it is always going to be a work in progress. I think you will be happy in the long run with this surgery and my Dr suggests the allergan versus the realize for older heavier people. I don't know why but I can honestly say that I look and feel great and i owe it to the office of Dr. Atkinson in Las Vegas. I do not have any fill and never did, so this has been my choice in how to deal with this band and it has worked very well for me. I have learned that it can be done many ways, it just depends on how you and your body want to handle this journey.

I am originally from upstate NY, my husband and I moved out here to arizona 7 yrs ago and I was banded almost 3 yrs ago. I am 5'4" and started out at 235 pds. I initially lost 90 pds but gained 5-6 pds last christmas holiday that I have been playing around with. I have gotten use to eating nuts for Protein but they are high in calories and weekends I tend to cheat with chips. I need to get back to basics and get back down to my beginning food choices. You will do fine and you will see the "1" soon enough. It was a delight every month finding clothes I used to wear from NY when I was thinner and eventually lost too much even for those clothes. I am off all meds and enjoying life, but get very panicky about this weight gained back. I guess we always have to watch what we eat even with the band. The weather here has been triple digits for so long that we stay inside a lot on weekends and that does not help either, but fall is around the corner and I will get this weight off! Good luck on your journey and keep focused.

I was in a similar situation, but had great doctors. I was 235 pounds at 5'4 1/2 and was borderline diabetic, I am 58 yrs old, high bp, high cholesterol and horrible knee and feet problems. When I got refused the first two times, a great Dr. tha backed me up started by putting me down as 5'4 and 235 pd and told me to hit every buffet in town when they approved me the third time. The surgery was scheduled fast and I had only 2 weeks and he said to not lose a single pound in that time or they would cancel the surgery. Of course I had to do the psych eval and blood work and etc., but he was there every step of the way and thank God he understood what I have been going through for 40 years of yo yo dieting and getting fat every time in the end. Here I am now at a size 10 to goal losing 90 pound (I have gained 5 pd that I cannot get off) and off all meds. You need to find a compassionate Dr. that knows you have tried this battle for a long time and things do not get better if you don't get that weight off, they get worse.Everybody had me taller than I really was and a half inch makes a little difference in those crazy charts.

I have been banded for almost 3 years with no fills and to goal. I pretty much have kept the 85 of 90 pds off but the 5 pounds gained at last Christmas comes and goes and never stays gone. I have become very complacent with eating a little more than I should. Just wondering how many people have had the band for 10 years or more and are still at goal or close to it?

You are so lucky you got instant approval. I have BCBS of Arizona and was denied the first two times, it took 3 years and the third time was a charm for me. I am to goal and loving life and so glad for you. You will not regret your decision but keep in mind, it is not a quick fix but a life long commitment. After almost 3 years I still have demons and head hunger that will not leave me alone. I do occasionally slip and cheat but always go back to basics and I am fine and you will be too. Good luck on your journey and welcome aboard.

I had my surgery with Dr. ATkinson on 12/20/08 and am to goal with losing 90 pds. Good luck and you are in good hands with Dr. Atkinson. I was very pleased with the Dr and his staff and never regretted the decision. I go on this website very single morning and have been for the last 2 1/2 yrs and I can't seem to find anybody that has the band for over 10 years. I guess I should not have to worry since I am 58 but if I were young, you might want to ask these questions before and decide on what surgery you want after that. I never had any fills and I have read that the life of the band is somewhat extended from not getting it filled/unfilled. I have read that getting too much of a fill over time sometimes causes slippage and I am not sure what actually causes that. Regardless, I am thrilled to have the band but if I was younger I would certainly weigh the pros and cons on permanent surgery that cannot be removed or eroded down the road. Good luck on your choice and you are starting out with one of the best doctors around.

Rev, I agree with you 100%. I say yes and then no! I do not recommend the band unless someone reads all about all the surgeries and chooses from the list. I too have been banded for 2 1/2 years and am to goal and no problems, but I never had any fills/unfills. I believe like you that the wearing out of filling and unfilling damages the band and it does not show up until much later down the road. I am really happy I had the band but it was not my choice, I wanted the gastric or sleeve and I was told that to lose 90 pds was not severe enough to go with anything other than the band. They were pushing the band like crazy.

Sorry, but I laughed when I read your post. Insurance companies are a JOKE!! I was refused the first two times on this journey and when I threatened to sue them for my weight problem and all of my co-morbidities they consented to give me my band. My dr said that with a lower BMI, even with the co-morbidities, do not take a chance in losing a single pound before surgery. I then proceeded to every buffet in town and vegas during the two weeks before my surgery to make sure that the scale went up and not down because they could refuse me even at the last minute. Anyways I got the band and life is wonderful. You need to do what you got to do to get it done! Insurance companies are there to take your money and refuse any treatment they want to save money. It is up to you to get er done!!!!! Good luck

I was banded 12/20/08 and have been to goal with losing 90 pds but gained 5-6 pds last christmas and cannot get it to stay off! I never had any fills so I am comfortable where I am. I just occasionally need to cheat and have a cookie or piece of pie to get it out of my system. Everyday is a challenge with this band. some days I can eat hamburg and some days I can't. The weather when really hot and humid helps me not be too hungry and then when it is cold, I crave hot and creamy Soups. This band is wonderful but very unpredictable. I do still tend to eat too fast and get stuck more times than not and I can't imagine if I had a fill. When I start getting full, I sometimes get the feeling of palpitations in my chest and get up and start walking to get it moving. I am not complaining, this band has changed my life for the best and I no longer need any meds, but I never know what I can eat or not eat for the day, it is a crap shoot most days. I am really concentrating on getting this 5-6 pds off because I am looking forward to some Christmas Cookies and will not do it if I can't get back to my goal weight. This is a life long ride, enjoy it and learn what you can and can't do with it. I love being in size 10 pants and getting compliments that I have not had in years and years! It really is worth it.

This is your decision and your decision alone. I only have a wonderful supportive husband as far as support in the family. I do not have anybody else to worry about so this was my decision alone since it was going to be done on MY body. You don't say what their issue is with you getting banded, but this was the best decision I ever made. I am 58 yrs old and in the best shape of my life and have kept the weight off for the last 2 1/2 yrs. I do occasionally go up and down 5 pds and as long as it comes back off I will be fine. Read and understand all that is involved in the band and decide if this is truly what you want. It is the least invasive and safest of all the bariatric surgeries for losing weight, so you need to decide if this is for you. Good luck and do what you think is best for you.