Drasan

I feel incredibly vulnerable posting this. Please don't hate. Binge eating was officially defined in 2010 as an eating disorder. To use a broad paint brush, isn't that how most of us got to be overweight? Binge eating? When our bands are working properly, they help to prevent us from eating too much. What they don't do is make the mental feeling of needing to eat/binge go away. It's been over three years for me since band surgery. I bounce around a weight loss of 40-50 lbs for which I'm grateful. But there are still times when I feel the need to binge. Sometimes I win the battle, sometimes I don't. Please don't lecture me on how dangerous binging is for banders, I know. Does anybody else with a band suffer from eating disorders? Can we talk?

So much understanding and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. The suggestion to see a therapist is an excellent one. I think for many banders, a behavior therapist is just as important as a nutritionist, if not more so. I see my pcp and a new bariatric surgeon for follow up care this week. I'm going to ask them both for a recommendation for an eating disorder therapist. I really need to get my head on straight so my band will stay that way. I think those of us who struggle with eating disorders soon learn that they don't go away with band surgery. Please don't let this post close this conversation. I want to hear from you.

There is physical hunger and there is the mental 'head' hunger. The band does not make the mental hunger go away. After the initial honeymoon with the band is over, the mental hunger is still there. At least that's been my experience. You will still have to fight the will power battle.

Alicesandra, Weight gain is unwelcomed no matter how it arrives. I'm empathize with the pain of being overweight. After reading your post, I'm prompted to respond because from everything I know about the function of the band as a tool, it doesn't sound like it is the correct solution for you. The band works best to help those of us who tend to consume too much food to refrain from doing so. If you aren't consuming enough food, what are your expectations from band surgery? Congratulations on the weight loss!

Wonderful article. Perfect follow-up for the thread "Gaining Weight or Stuck at a Plateau Anyone?" Either I had selective reading, or information like this was simply not posted prior to my decision to have band surgery. All I remember are the glowing recommendations. Either way, it's done and now I need to take your good advise. Thanks!

Does anybody in this thread have information about the support groups at Lehigh Valley Hospital for band patients?

Hi Jean. Thanks for the empathy and suggestion. Unfortunately my surgeon recently left his practice. I'm in the process of trying to be seen by a new doctor. Here's hoping for a positive outcome. Best wishes to us all for continued or renewed success. And again, thanks for this thread!

DizzyLizzy, VIP, Honk, thanks for the replies! It makes sense that muscle or tissue could attach to the port or the tube and then pull on it. I sure hope this doesn't mean more surgery. That would be awful. I found the first surgery much more painful than anticipated. The kink, pulling tug, cramp (sort of) is happening more and more frequently. It certainly doesn't feel right. I have to stretch and massage the area to make it feel like it's getting unkinked or untwisted. Unfortunately my doctor recently left his practice. The new surgeon group I want to see doesn't have an appointment open until September, even after I explained my situation to the appointment clerk. She told me the only way I could be seen is to go to the emergency room. Really? Is this really an emergency room issue?

Do any of you experience this? I'm 28 months out from surgery. I'm experiencing a grabbing cramp in the area between my port and the band. This seems to happen especially when I bend forward at the waist. I literally have to massage this area of my stomach to get the grabbing cramp to relax so that I can stand straight again. This started happening occasionally after the first year. I told my surgeon about it during a routine check. He didn't think it was anything to be concerned about. Now it is happening regularly, many times a day. Oh and my surgeon left his practice. A new doctor can't see me until September, 2 months away. Any thoughts or advise will be appreciated. Thanks!

I did a little panic eating before surgery and gained weight! My surgeon threatened not to do the surgery unless I lost the weight I gained AND the weight I was supposed to lose. Once I started the liquid diet the weight came off fast. I wouldn't recommend doing what I did.

Lou Ann, I've been on a plateau for 20 months. The last 6 months or so I've been feeling pretty discouraged. PJ Braun and DizzyLizzy, I hear you. For the longest time I thought I was the only one who was NOT experiencing the euphoric success that seems to dominate the boards. I appreciate the positive attitudes, but dang, it's just not working like that for me. I hope others who are considering band surgery see our posts too. I was sure the band was the answer. I've managed to keep the weight off that I lost, 46 lbs, but I was hoping for so much more. I do eat a lot less than I used to eat but my body is hanging onto the weight.

I'm really hoping to hear from somebody. Is it possible for the tubing from the port to the band to get twisted? I'm not sure what's going on, but it doesn't feel right. Any thoughts please.

Stacey, Our stories sound so much alike. It's been 28 months since my surgery. I went from 249 to 203 all in the first 6-8 months after surgery. Then nothing. No more weight loss. It gets discouraging. It sounds like your doctor is doing a great job. I've never had anybody check my metabolism. I didn't even know that could be done. Let us know what you decide to do. Best wishes for a good outcome!

Been on my plateau for too long. A more honest way of saying that would be, "I've been sitting on my behind for too long." Thanks for the motivation. Great article.

Donna, being stuck is miserable. You'll learn to work with your predictable 'stuck' foods, times of day, and behaviors . For me, unfortunately, there are still the occasional unpredictable episodes. I've never thought about or heard how dehydration could create a stuck episode, but it sure makes sense! Thanks for this thread. I learned something new from it!

I hit my plateau about 8 months after surgery. I've pretty much maintained but losing weight has come to a halt. I know I need to change my lifestyle. I hate the thought of going on a diet. btw abs6angels, you and I have our surgeon in common.

I'll be getting my first fill in a 6 weeks. I've read a lot about fills using fluoroscopy and just watched a video explaining why fluoroscopy should be used, especially for the first fill. My surgeon doesn't use fluoroscopy to do fills and now I'm worried. Should I request/insist that my first fill be done using fluoroscopy or is it really not that big of a deal?

Would you do it again? I know this is a topic that has been covered and then covered again. At the risk of boring long-time posters on this forum, I'm going to bring the topic up again. I saw my younger sister for the first time in years and she awed at me over the 45 lbs that I've lost and kept off over the past 2 years. I know this is not an admirable weight loss for banders over a 2+ year period, but it's the first time I've been able to lose weight and actually keep it off. Anyway, my younger sister asked me if I would have the surgery again. I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice that she's considering the possibility of this surgery for herself. I had to think about my answer. In fact, I'm still thinking about it. Would I have the surgery again? Some days the answer is yes. Some days the answer is no. Yes. I've lost 45 lbs and kept it off. This surgery put an end to the steady weight gain I was experiencing. My overall health has improved. No. Some days I feel defeated that my weight loss did not continue after the first 6 months. I fooled myself into believing that band surgery would make it so that I never had to diet again. This is not true. Let me repeat this .. You will have to diet following band surgery .. for the rest of your life. It is not a magic bullet that fixes poor eating habits and poor lifestyle choices. So my answer to my sister is yes, I would do it again but I would say that with a caveat. The band stopped my upward spiral of weight gain and my health is better for it. For that, surgery was worth it. The caveat is, if I want to lose weight after the initial weight loss, I still have to diet and exercise. To be successful, Weight Watchers or other diets are still in my future. So why not just diet and exercise without the band? It's a personal decision. Just be honest with yourself.

Thank you DeLarla for this great thread! I relate to so many of the posts that all of you have made! This thread stands as a testament that morbid obesity is not just a physical disorder but it is also a mental/behavior disorder. The band and other WLS aid us with our physical disorder. What the band and other WLS do not do is help us with our mental/behavior disorder. We know what we should do intellectually, it's just not connecting with our emotional brain. I love the references to a "band for the brain." I eat when I'm stressed. I eat when I'm bored. I eat when I'm procrastinating. I eat to Celebrate. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm happy. I eat to morn. I eat when I'm tired. I eat when I'm thirsty. I eat and sometimes have no idea why I'm eating. I even eat when I'm too full sometimes and I'm not thinking, to try to make that too full feeling go away. yea, I know, crazy. After band surgery, I eat less at those times. Thank goodness for the band. I'm shocked that long term behavior therapy is not required pre-op and post-op for WLS patients. A large support group meeting once a month where we get talked to, is not enough. It's helpful but dang, read these posts!!! We need help! It feels very scary to make this post. I feel very exposed just like many of you have expressed. Thank you for your bravery. It helped me to get this out.

Once the band honeymoon is over, usually about 6 months to 1 year after surgery, it becomes will power more than band power to lose weight. The hype on the boards of this forum from band honeymooners probably misinformed me more than any of the ads from Allergan.

Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. The best advice I can give, is to be honest with yourself before committing to surgery. The desperation of wanting help can overshadow reason. Identify your eating habits before surgery. Be honest about them with yourself, your surgeon, the psychiatrist, and the nutritionist. You may need some help for your behavior in addition to the band. Or maybe you would make a better candidate for another type of surgery. The 'after glow' of surgery and the hope for total weight loss stayed with me for about 1 year. After that, it became more will power than band power and I've struggled. Before surgery I saw all the big weight loss numbers on these boards and was completely hopeful. What I didn't see many of were those who stop posting because they felt defeated. Their loses are lower. I am one of those and there are many more of us. We're just less vocal, maybe because we feel like we've failed at yet another attempt to lose weight. Not to dismiss those of you who have lost a lot of weight and are still going. Awesome for you! But for those of you who are looking into this surgery, know this, there are many who do not lose a great amount of weight. In the long run, it comes back to will power and your ability to stick to yet another diet, with a little help from the band. ok, now I'll prepare to be clobbered.

brbm6 ... I sooo understand! Same thing happened to me and my own mother was one of the culprits! I told only close family and a couple of friends. I assumed they would all keep it to themselves. BIG, wrong assumption. Some of whom I told, had no problem telling the world. I should have asked them to keep it to themselves rather than assuming that they would, although that may not have even stopped the gossip. Simple sad fact. If you don't want anybody to know, Don't tell anybody. A secret is no longer a secret once it is shared. On the other hand, after the initial shock of learning that everybody in my life now knows my business .. I don't really care. Ok, I care sometimes, like when I see people watching what I eat. It makes me want to do things just to shock them. Like fill a plate like a volcano with Desserts. Of course I wouldn't eat it and I've never done it, but I DO have that urge.

I'm one of the unlucky people who can't seem to maintain restriction with my band. I've gone in for regular fills, I even had my last fill under fluoroscopy. I experienced restriction which was great for about 2 months. Now, nothing, no more restriction .. again! When my surgeon removes the Fluid before each fill, he's never been able to pull out the full amount that he expects to be there. Is this normal or do you think I have a leak? Are your surgeons or technicians able to get out every bit?

Thank you for your replies. I'm going to ask my surgeon about this at my next appointment. I've asked him if my ability to maintain restriction is caused by losing fat around the band. He said that while that can happen, he doesn't think I've had enough weight loss for that to be the cause.

I'm 15 months out and still trying to get my restriction right. When I have restriction, it's wonderful. It DOES help me know when to stop eating. It's like it connects that little signal for me that other people get from their stomach to their brain to tell them that they are no longer hungry. My problem is, I can't seem to maintain restriction. I'm still working on it. Be patient and persevere. Like I keep telling myself, this is a process.