montanagirl_2010

Hi Everyone! My name is Amber, I'm 27 years old, and I've had the lap band for 6 and 1/2 years. I am 5 feet 7 inches and I currently weigh 168 (not my ideal weight). My highest weight ever was 250, and my lowest after surgery was 148-150. I maintained my weight at 150 for 4 years, then gained 20 pounds in the past year and 1/2 and have been too lazy to do anything about it. I just joined this website because after 6 years of going it alone, I kinda feel like reaching out and talking to other people who have had this done. I'm getting married in 7 months (on July 31, 2010) and my goal is to lose 30 more pounds. I really need to get motivated and start using my band as a weight loss tool again. Over the years since the surgery, I've recently let it go and have ignored it. I don't pay attention to how my stomach feels anymore - I eat past full all the time and I constantly have chest pressure and stomach pain. I want to get back to that excited feeling I had 6 years ago when the band was fresh and new to me - back before I started taking it for granted.

Thank you all for your encouragement! It really means a lot to me! Six years ago when I flew to Mexico to have the lap band surgery, I was pretty much clueless as to what I was doing. When I came back home I had no support system, knew no one else who had the lap band, and had no follow-up doctor. And at that time, there where literally only a hand-full of doctors in the U.S. that performed the surgery and did the fills. The closest doctor I could find was in Nebraska (which is still fairly far away from Montana where I live). I did see the doctor in Nebraska for a few fills, but haven't seen him in at least 4 years. I had a brief consultation with a lap band doctor in Montana a few months ago (there are actually a few docs in Montana now that do the surgery!) because I thought I wanted the band removed, but I didn't end up going through with the removal. Most people I hear about having the surgery these days have all kinds of prep appointments and psychological screenings and lots of follow-ups and doctor supervision. Not me - I was pretty much alone through most of it. Which is why it means so much to me to have a community of fellow bandsters to talk to! I'm so glad I joined this forum - your support means the world to me! With that said, I will answer your question about the skin retraction issue: I did have issues with sagging skin. After losing 100 pounds I had a tummy tuck. Let me just say...the flatness of my stomach after the tuck is AWESOME, but the gigantic scar and my unusually high belly button are NOT so awesome. But I figure that I have to take the good with the bad, so I'm not going to complain. At the same time I had that done, I also had a little liposuction done on my arms because I was so disgusted with how unproportional I looked - it seemed like I was losing weight everywhere EXCEPT for my upper arms. I definitely DO NOT recommend liposuction on the arms - especially if you have stretch marks! BIG MISTAKE! My arms now look so much worse than if I had just left them alone - they look like bat wings, and I'm only 27, way too young for saggy arms! I almost had a breast lift as well, but decided against it at the last minute - I still might do it someday, but not until after I have kids. As far as the skin everywhere else...it's not too bad. The skin on my butt and legs retracted fairly well, however my inner thighs are a little less than nice. If I could go back and change one thing, I would have excercised a heck of a lot more, because I know that would have helped tone my skin. I would be happy to anwer any other questions you have!

I know how you feel!!! I feel the same way!! I had the lap band surgery done in Mexico 6 and 1/2 years ago. That was before most people in the U.S. had even heard of it. I was 21 at the time and I was desperate to lose weight. It took me about 2 years to lose 100 pounds (I hit several plateaus). At 5 foot 7 inches, and 150 pounds, I had a tummy tuck and I looked pretty good - I have to admit! I maintained the 150 pounds for about 3 and 1/2 years before I gained 20 back. I now weigh around 168-170 and I look chubby again. I'm very disappointed in myself! I have completely taken the band for granted! I don't pay attention to it anymore. I eat past full all the time and I constantly have chest pressure and stomach pain. I need to be re-motivated! I have forgotten what it feels like to be excited about the band.

I am 27 and got the band 6 and 1/2 years ago, when I was 21.

Regrets? Sometimes, yes. I had lap band surgery in July of 2003 (6 and 1/2 years ago). I was only 21 at the time and was desperate to lose weight. I did have my surgery in Mexico, and from what I understand, the bands they used 6 years ago in Mexico are not as nice as the ones they are using now in the U.S. My band is smaller and tighter (more uncomfortable) than the bands they use now. I have had a lot of bad things associated with my band, but I've had a lot of good come out of it as well. There are days when I want to rip it out with my bare hands because it makes me so uncomfortable sometimes. Other days, I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to get my life back.

I'm 6 and 1/2 years out, and I have to say that the lap band is one hell of a pain in the butt! lol! I mean seriously! I cannot even count how many times I've had problems with it self-tightening. One day I can eat a 6 inch sub, the next day I can only have 4 bites. There are 3 main factors that I believe influence the tightness of the band: #1. Altitude - it's true! The higher the altitude, the tighter it gets! I can't give you the scientific proof behind this, but it's just one of those weird things. #2. Too much Fiber. Normally, fiber is a good thing because not only does it help with regularity, but it also expands in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness. However, a banded stomach is a little different. When something expands in our banded stomach, it creates discomfort, and it causes our stomach to swell around the band, which in turn creates the tightness. #3. Vomiting. Any heaving that is associated with vomiting, just pushes the band up against the stomach, causing it to swell. The more it swells the tighter it gets. I have had many instances where I ate too much and threw up, then had a tight band for a couple days just because the vomiting caused swelling. When this happens, the best thing to do is to just back off the food for a day or two and be very careful. The swelling will go down, you just have to give it time.