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Most of you won't like this, but imho, the lapband ought to be outlawed. My surgery was done in Denver, in 2006. From surgery time, I had to sleep sitting up. I took daily antacids to keep the burning down. Eventually, I lived on tums, more than 10 a day sometimes. I had an upper G.I. in 09. Docs don't see anything unusual, except for a small antacid pill stuck in the band area. All meds then had to be crushed (yuck) or liquid (expensive or nonexistant). My lapband doc retired a few years after I had it put in. The doc office is 8 hours away from me, so it was very difficult to just go see the old or the new doc. Fills started at $15 each. The doc did them first. Later, an assistant took that over. I had trouble with it due to air in the thing, and living at altitude. Don't let them tell you it makes no difference. It DOES. I could not find a doc in my own STATE, let alone town. And any new docs wanted $500+ just for the first appointment. Fills went to $150 each. yes, a 10x increase. More and more problems. Vomiting, pain, odd pains going up my neck, - I had all the fill removed and it did not help, and I started putting on weight... I had a barium swallow, everything looks "ok". Well, it was NOT ok. Most doctors know next to nothing about this device. They look at Xrays and tests and say it looks ok to them. When I finally got to my lapband doc, he found it was twisted, even though other docs said it "looked fine to them". I had it removed in May of 2014, and I had immediate relief. I cound finally sleep again! BUT .. the body went berserk. From May to Oct, 25 pounds on. Yes, I had lost 40 the first 2 years, but it crept back up over the rest of the time. Now I'm back over my install surgery date weight. I have been told that the permanent surgery is a better idea. But at this point, I'm scared to death to look into it. I'm in my 50s now, and not in the great shape I used to be in. But I'm SICK of being fat. Our family genetics have myself and my sisters all being fat. Especially in older age. I know people will go ahead with the lapband, no matter what. No one wants to hear the bad part of it, but don't do it. Studies show that after 5 years, the lapband is useless anyway. That is what I'm told. So there it my story. Take it or leave it. (yes, I am a woman)

No. Everything negative you hear is true. I had mine in october of 2006. I lost 50 pounds, and most of my hair. I'm only 15 pound down from my surgery weight right now. Then gained most of the weight back, after sleepless nights of sitting up trying to keep down reflux acid. Now, it is a daily battle of prilosec and tums, and waking up at night with acid. I can't eat vegetables. Just the fatty/sugary stuff goes down. You can't sleep, you can't function at work, and you need to throw up often. There is constant hurt. I had an upper GI years ago, and all they could say was that a pill was stuck in the band area. No more pills -- you have to crush them for the rest of your life. And they don't taste good, folks. Think about the meds you have to take as you age. It is not worth it. Find another support group and work out the weight issues with good people around. Say no. The FDA should ban this proceedure. Please don't start the email about how I need to see the doc. I've lived with this thing for 4 years and I know all about it. You need to take into account ALL opinions, negative or positive. But there is no reason to downplay the negative aspects.

If your Doc really will chew you out, get a different doctor. We're all different. That's my advice, and opinion.

My surgery was in october, and I had a fill in dec of 1 cc. I've been quite uncomfortable, and lost 10 pounds in 1 month. (I want it to go s-l-o-w-l-y) Last week I could eat anything! I was surprised. But I could chow down. Then yesterday, Sund 2/4, it got really bad. I threw up for the first time. That kinnd of projectile vomit that I'd heard of. no bile, just food and saliva. I lost 3 pounds in 3 days and was quite ill. I again threw up today in my car. Now, what is going on? I finally got some Soup downtoday thank goodness for thom kha gai Thai soup! But I'm very week and I know my nutrition is not good. What is this? Is this a symptom of someting stuck for a long time? (I tried roast beef, and it was too dry, I know that). I was eating a lot of meat tenderizer.

Says it all. I'd like to find a doc who would do fills using the fluro. I like the assurance that the darn thing is in place.

Allrighty, this is not supposed to hurt, I hear. Well, it does. I have the smaller band and was losing slowly (perfectly fine) after my 10/10/06 surgery. I had 1 cc put in on Dec 14. Doc wanted to do 2, but I said no way. Just this week it has been bad. Maybe the holidays are over and I am noticing it more. But I've lost 8 pounds since Dec 14. Far too much for me!! I'm noticing how weak I get. I seem to have a lot of air trapped that I work at getting out of my stomach. I'm considering having half of the restriction removed. But I have to drive a long way to do it. Does this just happen? I heard that some people have restriction kick in after about 4 weeks. is this enough time to have it settled? I think it is. What do you do to see that the band is in the correct p l ace? Insist on an X-ray?

I also waited 2 months after surgery, and had only 1cc put in. I know my own body, and *I* control what the doc does. I'd just wait ... there's no big rush on this thing. You sound like you're doing fine.

I waited 2 months to get any kind of fill. I have a 9.75 size band. Doc said most people get 2cc's the first fill. But I could feel that thing when he injected only 1. I said that's plenty! I'm having a hard time with just this 1cc. I've had a few times with the nasty chest pains and the spitting. I thought I'd learn a lesson with the first one, but it seems to be inconsistent. The fatigue and energy problems are back, too. I am assuming they're associated with another caloric intake adjustment, just like it was after surgery when calorie intake drastically reduced. It did adjust after a while. I also assume this one will adjust. I was losing slowly even with no fill at all and am thinkin' that that will be the way to go! This seems to contradict everything everyone else goes through. Guess it's just the differences in body types. My .02.

Yeah, I feel it. But it feels like a baseball-sized hard lump in the middle of my waistline. The injection site is just on the side of my navel, but apparently the scar tissue is a big area. Others don't have it in the waist. It's really uncomfortable and makes clothing uncomfortable over it. My doc basically tells me to live with it.

I found it at Wild Oats markets. I still like it, but can't mix it with anything sweet, like pudding. it gets too sweet.

I'm starting to associate it with the Protein drinks, or a very salty meal. It has been better until I had one of those awful Protein Drinks.

The substitutes for sugar are some of the worst ingredients on the planet! Nutrasweet, aspartame, splenda, etc are all proven to be very bad for you - most are a derivative of sacharin, -remember from the 70s when saccharin was removed from products? They got around it. Yet in our culture they're used in everything. Especially those diet drinks. I cannot tolerate them at all. Headaches, muscle pain, nausea. Regular suger is much better. So I have a baaaad time with the Protein drinks. Most are loaded with this stuff. I found one that is tolerable and rather good. Its a powder. It is Wild Oats "Whey to Go" I think is the name . vanilla.