Humming Bird

I am still a Happy Lap-bander. I rarely talk about online anymore. I was unfilled in March and it has been a slow process of small fills to get restriction back. I am thinking the next fill will get me back where I want to be. I will have some time this weekend and want to check out the forums to refresh my mind on the basics as I have put back on a few pounds while unfilled. Where do the lapbanders post most?

Several people have commented recently, so I thought I would pop on and post. I am now over 9 years post-op (Lap-band). The shoulder pain was bad. I found that the cheap Walmart brand pain patches helped the best. The shoulder pain did go away for me, but every once in awhile I get a tiny shoulder twinge as a reminder if I have overeaten a bit. It is nothing like in the beginning...just a reminder twinge.

I haven't been on the site for a very long time, so I figured I would at least check in with this topic. I was banded in July 2009 and have lost a total of 118 pounds. No complications! Love my band

Some of the fill can disapate over time. It's not a leak. It's just osmosis or something and is normal as far as I've been told. I'm not sure how much of a role dehydration plays. I may notice the tiny change in fill level more as I rely on my band much more than exercise.

I have stayed the same weight, within 1-2 pounds for about 2 years now without counting calories or really even watching what I eat much. I think the key for me has been getting a tiny fill about once a year. I can feel when it's time and don't wait for a big weight gain before I go get that tiny "maintenance fill." Of course it may not be that easy for everyone......I don't have hormone issues (hysterectomy at young age). As far as things being back to normal...... it's is a new normal. Life in general is back to normal, but my eating will never be the way it was before the band. I have not eaten a full plate of food since July of 2009. This is my normal now.

I don't pop on here at LBT as much as I used to because I figured out how the band works with my own body. I'm still working it. I have been busy living life and loving every moment. The band has been the best thing I have done for myself in a very long time. Believe me, this is the first place I will come if I start having any sort of problem. It's a great place to learn and a great place to find out how other bandsters deal with any problem that may happen. I believe the band works differently for different people. We all have to figure it out on our own somewhat. I posted my thoughts on many topics over the first couple years and hope I helped many after me in some way. There have been bad attitudes and people who don't agree with my methods..... oh well....... that ignore list can come in very handy

Banded July 2009 and no complications so far..... knock on wood. I'm still loving my band and keeping the weight off !

I'm still in the area. To be honest, LBT was my best support. You sure are welcome to send me a message or an email......... maybe we could meet sometime.

I hope you get it all figured out with whatever is causing your issue...... As for the dumb Dr.'s band comment......... Maybe you should have said, "Why in the world would I go through a major surgery for weightloss only to go through another surgery to put the weight back on.?"

I searched for a surgeon that did no extra/excess pre-op testing/hoops and no hospital stay. Since I was footing the bill I could not afford all that. I had surgery at 1pm and was out of there by 4;30.

I was banded right here in the USA and at my first fill my surgeon told me he had put in 2.7cc during surgery. It worked well for me and I didn't question his reasoning. He is the surgeon and has done many many successful surgeries. The weight melted off me and I reached my sweet spot with fill number 2.

I started getting very tiny thin little re-growth around 12 months. It wasn't all back and to the original length and thickness until about 2 years post op. I tried everything including keeping my Protein intake high, Biotin, Nioxin vits., Nioxin shampoo/conditioner, even Rogain. I really do not think any of it helped. I think it depends on what type of hair you have also. Mine is thin, straight, and baby fine.

You can find sublingual (melts under tongue) biotin at vit./health food stores (not GNC). I started taking mega doses of biotin before I had surgery because hairloss was my biggest fear. I don't know if it helped or not because I still lost about 40% of my hair. Who knows, maybe I would have lost more if I had not taken the biotin. The good news is my hair grew back.

BigDennis, Well said. You are right. a house would be in bad shape without the continued use of the tools. The "hard work" part has not been there for me though. I have been one of the lucky ones and have put in very little effort. Dropping this weight and keeping it off has been the easiest thing I ever tried to win this weightloss battle. I do understand that many others do have to work at it.

CCornell, YES! YES! YES! Well said! I tell everyone. It would be a big lie for me to tell anyone I did it any other way. I have tried most of my life to do it the other ways and they do not work. The other ways just made me more obese in the longrun. I finally found something that works and I have kept the weight off with the band.

Did they remove all the fluid and measure it to make sure that is the amount in the band? I have heard of them missing the port and there could also be a leak. I would make sure you have them measure exactly how much is in there. You can't just go by adding how much was added at each fill.....other things can be going on.

Oh, I'm sure if I didn't already have the band and was still obese, I would get some in yet another attempt to find something to help. I'm just so glad the band worked!

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear you had such huge complications. My heart goes out to you. I wish you a fast recovery and hope things get better for you fast. With such big complications, I would hope many of these questions are being addressed by your surgeon. I hope they offer the support you need. I would encourage you to talk to him/her about all this.

It is a great way to think about the "tool" aspect of it all, but the house doesn't go back to being morbidly obese when the tools go away. I do understand why someone would lie or omit about WLS. They are the ones who know people in their lives and people can be cruel. At some point they may have to figure out if people will be more respectful of a liar or a WLS patient. We are the ones who make choices throughout our own lives. Choose it and live with it.

I had a conversation with a patient yesterday about this (I work in dental office). This conversation lead to me telling her I had a lapband. She said, "wow, you don't even look like you need it." Well, I'm 3 years post-op and have dropped well over 100 pounds and kept it off. She told me she works with someone who everyone at work knows had some sort of WLS, but when asked how she is dropping so much weight has the same responses I see here. "I wanted a change..... I eat less and exercise....". She said everyone that works with this gal knows...... there is a point when it is pretty clear. She thinks the gal might be embarased about having WLS. "Everyone is so happy for her and thinks she looks so great." But, she continues to lie about it. I told her how some people who have had WLS try to keep it to themselves .....listed the reasons we see here ...."easy way" and "cheating" comments...... I told her to just be happy for the gal that is rapidly dropping all the weight and let her keep her little secret. She said "Oh, we are. She looks so great and everyone is so happy for her!" Bottom line is........if the band is working properly, many people around you will know you had something done. Will they think less of you if you lie about it? Maybe, maybe not.

LOL, Hey, would that be what they call multi-tasking?

I say you are still in ketosis..... not always a bad thing. When we are in the big weightloss phase this happens. It will also change your BO and yes other people can smell it. I had to switch to a stronger deoderant while in this phase. It sounds like your dental hygiene is great, but stay away from using rinses that are high in alcohol more than once a day. They can dry up your saliva and make things worse. Also make sure you stay hydrated. Don't worry, the bad breath will not last forever.

It sounds pretty normal to me. I'm sure you still have some swelling in there. This is why we have to do fluids first and then slowly work our way to more solid stuff. As long as you can stay hydrated things will all work out fine. It's also a great time to learn how to slow down.....sip, sip. It will not always feel this way when drinking fluids.

The "tool" only works properly when it is properly adjusted. I'm so glad you are finding a new doc. I don't think a malpractice claim would pay off. It is very hard to prove and would just cost more money. I just hope you get your band adjusted properly and get the results going in the right direction.