Startingoverat50

Hi Due to some complications I have had to have 3cc removed from my band. This is the first time since being banded that I have experienced any complications. I have to admit I am having a little trouble dealing with it. I am really being tested now on how much I have actually learned about eating correctly. I have little or no restriction for the first time in over a year. I have to admit I am petrified that I am not up to the task, and that I will start to gain weight. I will eventually be able to start having fills again, but it will be a slow process. I am within 15 to 20 lbs of my goal weight. Any advise from anyone who has gone through something similar would be greatly appreciated. How do I stay on the right track?

I am there too. I have not lost any weight in over a month. This is the first time during this journey that the weight just refuses to come off. I went in for another fill hoping to jump start things again, but that was ten days ago and so far nothing. I just want to get this last 15 pounds off!

I officially hit the 100 lb mark today. It is hard to wrap my brain around that number. If anyone had told me that I would be able to lose 100 pounds, I would never have believed them. Thank you, my lap band. You saved my live.

Thanks for all of the kudos. I was banded on May 5th of 2009 so it took me about 19 months to lose the 100lbs. Not as fast as some, but pretty slow and steady. I think the difference for me was the exercise and remembering that the band is just a tool. Don't expect it to do all the work. It was about 20% band and 80% me. There are so many ways to get around the band, and it doesn't take long to figure that out. Once you go down that road, the band becomes useless. That being said, it is the first time in my life that I actually felt like I had what I needed to be successful in losing weight. I could never have done this without my band.

Why does your fill Dr consider your surgery a failure at only 5.5ccs? I am currently at appr. 6.5ccs in a 10cc band. I started feeling restriction somewhere between 5.5 and 6ccs. I have had several fills since usually around .25 or .50 ccs at a time. Usually after losing around 10 lbs which causes my band to loosen up slightly, and I won't hesitate to get another one when I need it. Sometimes only a tiny fill can mean the difference between no restriction and good restriction. You shouldn't be giving up. Get another fill and another one after that if it doesn't work. This band is intended to work with adequate restriction. Without it it is just a piece of plastic.

Hi My blood pressure tanked this morning and i actually blacked out for a few seconds. My blood pressure wouldn't even register on my blood pressure cuff it was so low. Husband took me in and they got it stabilized but end result is no more blood pressure meds. I started this journey taking three different blood pressure medicines and the one the ER Dr stopped today was the last one. I have to see my regular Dr. this week for followup, but the ER Dr said with as much weight as I have lost he sees no need for me to be taking any blood pressure medication any longer. I am not happy how it happened but I am thrilled to be off of the medications. Now all I have left is a very low dose of lipitor. Hopefully that will be gone when I see my Dr. for bloodwork in September.

Thanks onenuttynurse. I will monitor it closely.

elcee I will continue to monitor mine at home too. I would not want it to start creeping up again and not be aware of it.

I absolutely understand what you are saying. I almost mourned having to leave the plus sizes. I was comfortable there and now being in the misses sizes I find it rather overwhelming. I tend to just wander around and somehow always seem to wander over to the plus size department. I know anything I try on will be way too large now but I always end up there at some point. I was just talking to my teenage son the other day and he showed me a picture on his facebook of me at a wedding a couple of years ago. He said look mom how different you look. I told him I don't feel like I look that different. He just didn't understand. He said I don't even look like the same person. Will my mind ever catch up with my body?

I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine what that must feel like. Please take care of yourself through this difficult time. My prayers are with you and your family.

I was about the same weight as you at 269 and my goal is to lose 104lbs. I passed 40-50 lbs about six months ago. It my take another year but I will lose the 104. My surgeon was totally for me having the lapband. Never once did he suggest that I should go with gastric bypass due to the amount of weight I had to lose. By the way my surgeon is 2 1/2 hours away. A good surgeon is well worth the drive.

Same thing for me. Grew up in a household of five kids and while I can't say we went hungry, there was never anything extra and the foods we ate were inexpensive. To this day I can't stomach white rice. It was a staple in our home. I don't really remember having things like fruit and vegetables. Even after being banded for a year I still struggle with the clean plate syndrome. I guess I always will. To me there is no warmer comforting feeling than going to the grocery store, bringing all of my groceries home and filling up my already overly filled cupboards. Even though I don't eat a lot of it now. I like knowing that nobody in the house will go hungry. I know this stems from my childhood and having very little food in the house. There is so much more to our weight issues than just overeating. I have tried to explain how I feel to my husband. He says he understands but I don't think he really does. He grew up in a household where there was always plenty of good, healthy food. While he has been very supportive of me being banded, he always said to me before surgery it is easy just stop eating when you aren't hungry anymore. Oh, if only it really was that easy.

I could have written your post. I have the exact same situation going on. I keep thinking should I get a fill but I don't think that is the problem. I have restriction I am just not eating the right things. I am not gaining but I certainly am not losing either! I did just start the Couch to 5K program hoping that switching up my exercise routine might get me motivated again. I need to finish this and lose my last 25 lbs or so. It does really upset me though that all of my bad food habits that I thought I had kicked are still very much there. I guess I just have to accept that I will always have to fight this battle. Really discouraging.

It has been one year since I received my band. I remember my main goal for getting the surgery was to lose atleast fifty pounds and improve my medical conditions. Well shortly after getting the band I realized what a wonderful tool I had. I knew that it would not only help me achieve my original goals but would allow me to go much further. I lost the first fifty pounds, no longer have Type 2 Diabetes, have reduced my blood pressure meds from three to one (hope to be off of that one soon too), got off of my cholesterol meds, and have improved my sleep apnea from a pressure level of 12 down to 6. I have lost 80 pounds and look at the last 25 pounds I need to lose not as a possibility but as a certainty. I no longer look at the band as a temporary thing but as a partner for the rest of my life. It will move from a weight loss tool to a weight maintenance tool. I am much more active, I exercise regularly and I have so much more confidence in how I look. It is like a whole new life. I am so thankful for my band. I never could have done this without it. Happy Bandiversary my wonderful friend. May we have many more together!

Thanks so much to you all. This is a wonderful place to come to whether you are having a good or a bad day. You all truly have walked a mile in my shoes so I know how sincere your congratulations are. Again, thanks for the support.

I won't kid you it is hard at times especially the first few months before you have restriction. Once you reach restriction I won't say it is easy but not having to deal with hunger pains makes it much more bearable. You also have the motivation of seeing the weight come off. Yes, there are times you just want to go crazy and give in to all of your cravings, and you will give in sometimes.The great thing about the band though is that it will only allow you to give in a little bit. You won't be able to eat any where near what you used to. I have been fortunate and have not had any serious problems or complications. I decided it didn't have to be that complicated. I don't count calories or fat grams or carbohydrates. I do concentrate on getting a lot of protein and I make sure and drink atleast 64 ozs or water every day. I can't really eat bread or pasta anymore. That was difficult at first but quite honestly once you get stuck on them the appeal is gone. I exercise four to five times a week, but I am not a fanatic. I do about 30 minutes and include some yoga, some strength training and some running. I feel like I have been fairly successful. My one year bandiversary is next week, May 5th and I have lost about 80 lbs. I still need to lose another 25 or 30 but that seems like nothing compared to where I have been. I could never have done this without the band, I just didn't have the willpower. The band helps with that. I hope to have this band for the rest of my life. Once I finish losing the weight I intend to continue using the band to help me maintain that weight loss. Good luck to you in making your decision.

Wow! I can't wait to get there. I have always wanted to be one of those people who say I just can't get rid of this extra 10 lbs. When people would say that and I knew I needed to get rid of 100+ lbs I was so envious. 10 lbs is nothing when you have been where we were.

Just to give you an opinion from the other side. I am 51 years old and was banded last May. I finally feel like I have the secret to losing and maintaining my weight. I wish I had this option when I was your age. Do it now when you are so young.

That is so funny. A while back I was running down our stairs to switch out a load of laundry. My husband was downstairs doing something. Anyway as I ran down the stairs my flannel pajama pants fell all the way down. Luckily I was able to steady myself from falling. My husband just roared with laughter after he realized I wasn't going to fall. I was just shocked. I knew they were big, but that was totally unexpected. Anyway your story so reminded me of that and made me laugh all over again. Keep up the great work!

I feel your pain. When I was first banded I at a protein shake that I blended with ice and sometime later I drank a slushy drink from Sonic. I was in so much pain both times. I don't know why the icy drinks have that effect but I have avoided them ever since those experiences. Try drinking some hot tea very slowly and keep walking. I hope you feel better soon.

Wow! Your story really moved me. I am sure there are many people in this forum who feel the way you did. Reading your story could just be the reason they too can take the steps needed to turn their lives around. You are an inspiration. Keep up the good work!

I don't count calories, fat, carbs, etc. The only thing I focus on is getting enough protein and drinking enough water. That is one of the things I like best about the band. I don't want to feel like I am on a diet and all the things that come with that. I eat what I want but stop when my band tells me to.

I am with Betsy and Juliansmom. I hope that I never have to lose my band. I would like to think and I truly do feel that I have come a long way with breaking all of my bad habits regarding food, but I know that in order to maintain my loss long term it will be necessary to keep my band filled. I also might have an unfill but I hope to do that with the idea that it will be at a level that will allow me to maintain my loss. I think that if I knew it was completely unfilled I could too easily get in the mindset that it was ok to indulge more often than I should. I figure I have it and will use if for the rest of my life.

I have the opposite problem. I am noticeably tighter during my time of the month. I figured it was due to fluid retention.

You got my vote. Hope you win!:frown: