NaNa

Well, here is a before picture @325 pounds, so I was far from a peach...LOL I went from the above weight to the below weight in about 14 months This is one of my favorite "Pear" pictures from 2007

Jay, I am sending you many prayers and I hope that your financial situation get better, and I will pray for you too. If you need to talk privately send me an email. Sometimes you can apply for state aid if your having a bad financial situation, I would hate to see you lose your band, but in the meantime while you don't have money for aftercare, you may want to do the following to keep your band healthy. 1. To avoid vomiting make sure your keep your meals moist. 2. Chew papaya enzymes tablets after your meal to help digest your food on a restricted band,this has helped me for over 8 years, it also helps with any night time reflux, but only if there not too much damage to the band, you can get those at any GNC. 3. Chew your food properly to avoid vomiting, make sure each bite goes down before taking another bite, even if you have to take pea size bites. 4. Avoid cold liquids prior to eating this will further tighten the band and many cause sliming. This will help prolong your band life until you can get your band checked. Good luck

Jay, After I read the original post, I made some edits to it, the reason I made edits was because, I do not know you or your circumstances, but I have to tell you, I left another board (OH) because it was ruined from band bashing and mainly from those who abused their bands and blamed the world for it and told others and newbies everyone would suffer the same fate. I've had band problems too, but my problems were either self inflicted or from a pre-existing hiatal hernia that was never repaired during my initial band surgery. I worked the heck of my band, walking exercising, eating healthy foods, it was tough, losing weight is not easy, I've had a too tight band before, reflux, etc, but I got my band almost 8 years when surgeons were learning they were all new to the band, did not know the consequences of being too tight, I never kept my band too tight longer than a few weeks because I could not stand the vomiting or how I felt and I ended up with a dilated pouch only after a few weeks of my old band being too tight. This is why I try to warn newbies of the dangers of the band, the band can be a wonderful tool if used wisely, I am not here to scold you, but to help you, I know I came across harsh in my first post, but I've seen so many people blame the lap band for all their problems, but never own up to why they had to get their bands removed, this is why I left the website (OH) no lap banders post there any longer due to others who've had complications harassing others and being too negative about the band. The reason I mentioned you seek insurance with your band, you will need it eventually, you are right I don't know your personal situation, but in order to keep a healthy lap band for long periods of time you MUST keep up with aftercare, and check the status of your band, especially since you've been too tight before. I truly hope things turn around for you.

I remember that feeling when I first got banded, eating so little and getting satisfied on so little felt like a little high..LOL. Enjoy!

Congrats and welcome back to the band wagon!

Oh, I forgot to add that at my lowest weight, I weighed about 178, and I was a size 8/10 and I looked ill too. Also remember when you've been morbidly obese, you will actually look smaller when you lose weight than someone who's never been obese, and you will weigh more because of the excess skin. So for example, when I got down to 190, I actually looked like I weighed about 170 because your bone structure is heavier than someone who's never been obese.

I weighed about 190 pounds in this picture, my starting weight was 326, my goal weight was 180, because I am 5'7 I can hold more weight, if I got down to 150 I would probably look unhealthy, also I find the smaller I get the less I can eat..LOL...and I like to eat, I would have to starve to maintain a weight of 150 pounds which is a "normal bmi" for me..... I was healthy in a size 12, no Vitamin deficiency, I felt good and have much energy at this size.

If it ain't broke don't fix it . Always remember as long as you have your lap band, never get a fill unless YOU REALLY NEED one. Fills are not automatic they are only if you are hungry and you struggle with keeping your portions small. Fills causes lap band complications this is why it's so important to use them wisely and not abuse them if you really don't need them. If you are satisfied when you eat about 1 cup food, and you keep satiated for 4 hours between meals, you don't need a fill. As you lose more weight, you may get hungrier between meals and you can discuss this with your surgeon,about adding saline to your band, your surgeon will gauge how much you can eat and hunger level and fill your band based on what you tell them, always be honest with your surgeon in how much you can eat and if you are experiencing any adverse symptoms, if you do this you will have a very healthy long band life. It's NEVER how much saline is in your band it's how you feel. Congrats on your weight loss!

I am a pear shape, and I am 5'7 and I went from a size 26 to size 12 below, I don't have a before on hand, but I went down almost 14 sizes over the years with my band, I got to a size 12 by 14 months post op and pretty much stayed this size over the years, however, I've been as low as a size 8/10, I will post more pictures when I find them, I did gain some weight back last year, still can were most 12's but I would like to lose another 20 pounds to feel comfortable again.

Could be because you've lost weight, your port will be noticeable depending on where it is and how much weight you've lost, as long as you are not having pain, you should not worry too much.

Congrats! You look awesome.

Not normal, please see surgeon asap, and please tell your surgeon what you are telling us. Good luck

OK, you many not like what I have to say, It's called hard love, but here goes. I've seen this happen over and over and over again over the 8 years I've had a band and it's called the lap band trap, where we think having the tightest restriction will yield quick long lasting weight loss, yes you will lose quickly, but sadly weight does not stay off if you lose unhealthy. One thing I really appreciate in your post is that you are owning your problems, and reaching out for help. But sadly, your situation does not look good for a long healthy band life, here is your problem, you went pass the green zone, and staying in the red zone (too tight) for too long and many lap banders are not eager to get saline removed from the band if they are losing weight. You lost your weight the wrong way, and when you lose the wrong way with the band, unfortunately complications can result from that. The lap band has a VERY HIGH complication rate for this very reason, (lap band abuse) this is why many surgeons are moving away from the lap band because so many people abuse, get too tight and never follow up until their bands has slipped so bad it must be removed. Has your band slipped? We don't know, we are not qualified to answer this question, but based on living with the band 8 years and seen others go through the same thing, it SOUNDS like your band has slipped, either pouch dilation. You can actually live with an untreated band slip for a few years, but eventually the band will slip so band and cause horrible reflux and vomiting daily so bad and it cause maladaptive eating problems meaning you will eventually not be able to keep any food or keep liquids down. The reason you are a bit concerned now that you still have "some restriction" even though you've had a few unfills, reason is your band has probably started to slip from being too tight and vomiting daily and when the band starts to slip it gets tighter and tighter, and you have to constantly get unfills until you get all the saline removed. As you can see you can't depend on the band to do all the work, and keep it too tight to stop you from eating, you lost your weight wrong and sadly it will not stay off unless you conjure up some willpower and start using your band as a tool instead of a crutch and eat healthy and exercise. We don't know the status of your band, you really need to get in and see your surgeon ASAP where they can check the position of the band and pouch size, and sometimes Upper Gi's don't tell the whole story, sometimes you need a EGD (endoscopy) to access the damage to your esophagus or pouch. If you are not having many problems now since you've gotten some saline removed, does not mean your band is Ok, Also, If you don't have money or insurance now, the best thing you can do is stop the vomiting, watch your portions before you end up having to have emergency band removal, yes it can eventually get that bad. The only concern now is having tight restriction even though you've removed saline, some people have to continue removing saline until the band is totally empty and still have issues and when there is no where to go the band must be removed if you have horrible reflux and un-wanted vomiting on an empty band, and then you can aspirate food into your lungs, I hate to scare you but want to prepare you for what I've seen so many go through with their bands. Also while you are not having many problems for NOW, it would be a good to start looking for a new job that will offer you some insurance because sooner or later you will probably develop reflux to the point you will not be able to sleep and band damage causes regurgitation of vomiting in your sleep, it can get ugly. I am sending you a cyber hug and giving you tough love and sending you warm vibes, and I really hope your band will be ok, and you learn from this, sometimes you need outside help like counseling and seek a therapist to help cope with your eating and why you eat, you can't use the band as a coping mechanism, that's not its job, although the band is the SAFEST of all the weight loss surgeries, it can get very dangerous and do harm if we don't use it wisely and responsibility. Good luck

It's never too late to get back on track with the band as long as you are doing the following: 1. Are you getting your fills?, do you have adequate restriction? 2. Are you getting some exercise in? Daily walks, lifting weights, aerobics 3. Are you counting your calories and getting no more than 1200 calories per day, ideally between 700-1000 on my days for best weight loss. 3. Are you staying away from junk? 4. Are most of your meals lean Proteins and green veggies? If you answered no to most of the questions honestly, then you can dust off and start over. Good luck!

Big congrats! Get it girl work that band!

Congrats on your success, you should be proud!

I guess it's a matter of perspective, some would say this is perfect, but I warn you, if you keep this fill, you'd better walk on a tight rope and not eat but soft liquids and not solids. This type of fill is a slippery slope, probably will produce more weight loss, but will also cause long term band damage if you are not extremely careful and not eat too much and don't vomit often. Problems usually don't start until a few years later, some people will keep this too tight fill and get their weight off and then reduce saline once they reach their goal, but you still take a risk for dilation of the esophagus and pouch which causes horrible reflux long term. Usually when people post about being too tight they usually are. Most people follow the fill zone chart to determine if they are too tight (you can google that), but the choice is yours to remove saline, which many people will not do if the scale is moving down. I can't tell you what to do, you should use your own judgement, if it were me and knowing what I KNOW now going on 8 years and have seen many horrible band complications, I would not keep a fill that tight for long periods of time. Good luck!

Take a deep breath, it will be ok, over the 8 years I've had a lap band, each fill was different and I never experienced the same side effects. If you've only been experiencing these side effects since your last fill, it's probably not band slippage, you are probably just way too tight, which can cause misery. As I've mentioned before sometimes it takes about 2-3 weeks before a fill will settle in, and now you are feeling it now and it is too tight. You are doing the right thing about seeing your surgeon today, you probably won't need but a little bit out like maybe .2cc, but let your know you only want a little out, sometimes the surgeon will take too much out and it may take a long time to get where you want to be. Typically band slippage happens over time and not immediately and usually happens when you've been too tight for long periods of time and eat too much and purge your food daily, but this is not case in you situation. Good luck

What helped me post op, was taking chewable GasX, walking, and if you are experiencing burning, you may want to ask your surgeon for a PPi, like prevacid to control the acid. Also,my post op meal were 1st week Clear liquids and full on day 4, and then week 2 full liquids and week 3 were mushies, also I did not eat no more than about 2-4 oz of any food to avoid any type of pain. You have to go slow in the beginning while healing. Good luck

Congrats on your new band! Please keep in mind that your band is not working yet, you are still healing, if you lose weight at this point it is a bonus, your main concerns now should be about healing. Most people get their first fill between 4-6 weeks post op. (hopefully you researched all this). Your calorie intake sounds good for weight loss, most keep their calories between 500-1200 calories during healing. Your band does not start working until after the fill process and it could take 3-5 fills (4-6 weeks apart) before your band is working optimally.

I remember a girl done the exact same thing, and sadly she lost her lap band. The problem with this approach is that fills can sometimes take 2-3 weeks before they settle in and you don't want to piggy back fills and get too tight. Sometimes unfilling the band and refilling constantly can damage the band, your stomach needs rest between fills, fills are nothing to take lightly, they are the cause of most lap band complications, you have to be very careful with fills. You can't tighten the band so tight to speed up weight loss without risking complications. But again, it's your band and your body, if things work out that is great, but please do not bash the band if you have any issues down the road because this is not how aftercare and fill adjustments should be with the band. Ideally fills should be every 4-6 weeks in the beginning to prevent complications and you and your surgeon are going against the band manufacturer recommendations. Good luck

It sounds like you are already in the green zone, you mentioned you can eat anything as long as you chew well and your hunger is controlled. The lap band is NOT designed to do anything else, your tool IS working. What you have to ask yourself now are YOU following the band rules if you are stalling? 1. Are you exercising or moving your body to produce a sweat at least 30 minutes per day, brisk walking is great too. 2. Are you REALLY logging everything that goes into your mouth, remember it's still calorie in calorie out, the band does not change this. Those who lose quicker and don't stall much stay within 700-1000 calories in the losing phase. 3. Are you drinking Water or no sugar beverages? Ideally you should drink 8 glasses of water each day. Remember the band does not work until about 1 hour after you eat, if you eat dense Proteins, the bands job is to keep you satiated for about 4 hours between meals. Also you should not eat no more than a pixie cup or about 4 oz per meal. The band is not about restriction, it is about hunger control, and apparently it's doing that, over the 8 years that I've had my band, everyone that uses the band to stop them from eating most foods end up with a revision or no band at all so be careful and use your band wisely you want to keep your tool forever, not short term. Good luck

I am curious how did your surgeon know your band slipped if you did not have any symptoms? Did you have a fill under fluoroscopy? If a surgeon sees that your band has slipped the first thing they usually do is totally unfill the band -- to remove pressure off the pouch, not leave all the saline in. If your band has slipped, it's only time before it may have to come out/fixed or rebanded if possible, everyone is not a candidate for rebanding depending on how much damage is done and scar tissue. It also depends on the severity of the slip, some slips can't be fixed without surgical intervention, but if it is pouch dilation, sometimes removing all the saline and let things rest for about 6-8 weeks, and the surgeon needs to perform a Upper Gi to check the pouch size, and often times you can get refilled - slowly and carefully. In the meantime, it may be a good idea to search for a new job that will cover bariatric surgery. Also you may want to check with an attorney, although your insurance may not cover bariatric insurance, if you have a life threatening complication, it may be covered under medically necessary. Good luck