FutureVet

Hi! I have had a similar experience. I was banded in February of 2009. I did great and lost about 65 pounds in a year. But everything changed when I was accepted into grad school in a new state. I was on the wait list and didn't expect to get in and I was called up about a week or so before school started. A couple of days after I got the call, I was unable to keep anything down, even liquids. They would just sit in my pouch and sometimes I would vomit hours later. I think it was a mixture of stress and poor eating choices that caused me problems. Anyway, I went to my surgeon right before I left to move and he said my pouch was dilated. He unfilled me and told me to come back in 4-6 weeks. But I couldn't since I was in school and was unable to make the 8 hr drive home. I go to school in a really small town so there aren't any lapband surgeons. I finally found a Dr. about an hour away and was able to get some saline put back in. It had been about 4 months since my unfill and I had gained back about 35 pounds. I was embarrassed and felt like a complete failure. I had restriction but I fell back into bad habits. School was extremely stressful and I didn't take the time to eat or drink so I would end up having one big meal. I would also go out with friends to study and eat fast food since we were in a hurry. I didn't listen to my body and lived like this for about a year and a half. I would vomit and would have constant acid reflux. It got to the point where I couldn't sleep because I was coughing and gagging and food even came out my nose. I was so afraid to go back to my Dr. because I was so embarrassed that food had this much control over me. I began to see a psychiatrist and was put on some new medication for depression and I realized how much danger I was putting myself in. This was during finals so I couldn't see the Dr out of town. I was in a lot of pain and was extremely weak and dehydrated. I was tired of feeling like this so I called everywhere in town to see if anyone could help me. I couldn't find anyone. My friend was so worried about me that she took me to the ER. They said they couldn't do anything for me either. Over the Christmas holidays, I finally was able to see my surgeon. I was so scared and worried that I had done permanent damage to my body. I am extremely lucky. My pouch was dilated and I may have had a slight slip. Everything else looked ok. All of the fill was taken out and I will be going back during spring break when I go home. I didn't realize how bad I felt physically until I was able to eat and drink again. My family constantly tells me how much better I look. I feel great. But, I'm hungry a lot and I'm struggling to stay on track. I have to believe that if we really try and give 100% that a second chance is possible. Some things that have been helping me is reading these message boards and thinking about why I originally got the surgery. I also think a lot about my health now. I HAVE to give this 100%. I really think you can do it and so can others. I think it's a big step to admit that you slipped and are trying to get yourself back on track. That was the hardest part for me. It's easier to just keep bad habits and ignore the bigger picture. I wish you the best of luck. We can do this!

A 100 pound loss is amazing! Congrats! I decided to try the 5 day pouch test to "restart" and try to get back on track. So far so good. I think the hardest time of the day for me is at night. I love night snacking.

Yep, I've got yahoo. My username is FutureDVM14. I know exactly what you mean about everyone eating around you. It's the worst! My Dad actually had the gastric sleeve and is doing well with it. He makes me jealous though because he can eat rice and pasta (my favorites).

Hey! Doing well so far today. I'm sure the cravings for everything bad will come soon. I just HAVE to stay on track! If you have any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer.

Hi! I'm 27 and was banded in February of '09. I really need a buddy to talk to. I lost 66 pounds but had to have a complete unfill last year and gained back 30 pounds. I just can't seem to get back on track. I've recently moved to a small town so I haven't been able to find any support groups. Thanks! Aimee

Hi Maxxim, I've also had a similar experience with my band. I was banded in February of 2009. Things were going great and I was losing alot of weight. I was able to eat solid proteins but not things like bread or chips. Around June of 2010, I started noticing that I would get acid reflux at night. It was miserable and very painful. I also started to get sick frequently due to eating too much and trying to eat around the band. I was still happy though because I was losing so much weight. Eventually in August of 2010, I noticed I could only eat mushies and soups and then eventually just liquids. Again, it wasn't fun but I was losing weight so I was happy. One day in mid August, water and hot tea would not even go down. I tried every liquid but nothing worked. I would develop a mucus plug and would have to purge to get some relief. I finally decided to go see my lap band doctor. I was self pay so I was very worried. They did a barium swallow and saw that nothing was going through. I was told that my pouch was very inflammed and the band had almost slipped. My docotor was very worried and now, so was I. He had to completely unfill the band to give the pouch time to heal. It healed rather quickly and now I feel so much better. I can't think of any incidents where I was horribly sick or vomited alot. It just seemed to get worse and worse. Anyway, I feel so much better now. I really didn't want to see the doctor since I was losing so much weight but I feel so much better now. I tried to just stay on liquids to see if that helped, but it didn't. My advice would be to see your doctor as soon as you can before you do perminent damage. I was so close to having damage since I waited. Once the pouch healed, I was able to be refilled and I am back on track. Hope this helps!

For me you could either get free fills for a year by a nurse where I had the surgery or you could pay $150 for a fill done by the doctor at his office. Good Luck.

Hi there. I was also a self pay patient. I went to a seminar after I decided that the surgery was really something I wanted. After that, I had my surgery about two weeks later. I had never had surgery before so I was very nervous. It's really not that bad. As far as lifting things, I was told by my surgeon not to lift anything over 50 pounds for at least three months. This was very hard for me because I was a veterinary technician at the time and had to lift and restrain animals. I had to consider this when making the decision whether or not to tell anyone. I decided to tell everyone at work since I would need help for three months after surgery. They were all very understanding. I told mostly everyone about the surgery before I had it done and if anyone asks me how I am losing weight, I tell them. Telling people is definately a decision that you have to make on your own since it is different for everyone. The hardest part for me so far has been head hunger. Physically, I will feel full but I will still want to eat. This feeling is slowly going away but it is still something that I struggle with. I didn't have much pain at all. I did get very sick of drinking protien shakes though. :wink: I'm glad that I did it and I would do it again. It was alot of money but it was worth it. Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great.

Thanks for all of the responses. I really appreciate the advice. When I go for fills, I get weighed and then the doctor comes in to give me my fill. He is extremely quick and is not very receptive to questions. I chose my surgeon because of his surgery skills, not his bed side manner so I somewhat expected this. I never got to meet with a dietician before or after surgery. I have done many diets in the past so I think I do have an idea of what I should and should not be eating but I would feel alot better if I had some rules of what to eat and what not to. I'm going to call my surgeon's office today and ask to see a dietician. Thanks again! :tongue2:

Hi everyone. I was banded in February of this year. The only aftercare I have gotten is going for fills. I have had three fills and I do feel restriction but I feel like I am not losing any weight. I know everybody is different and some people lose weight slower than others, but I still feel very discouraged. I try to keep my calories under 1,000 a day and I try to get in enough Protein. Those were the only guidelines that I was given. I have lost about 30 pounds since surgery and most of that was from the liquid diet before and after surgery. I am wondering what kind of aftercare other band patients get. I have never seen a nutritionist and I am wondering if that would be helpful for me. I am going to try to go to a support group later this month and I am hoping that that will help some. I think it's hard for me because I don't know anyone else that has been banded so I don't know what is normal and what is not. I would just feel horrible if I went through all of this for nothing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.