Lose to Win

Banded 7/1/10; band slippage/fluid removal 9/2011.....gained back weight....any support buddies in the area?

Though I have had my band since 2010, I'm really just getting started for the first time, so I don't really know what I'm doing, but I do desperately need to succeed! I see that you have gone for fills once a month. This is where I'm starting now. I had my last fill on Friday so I'm up to 2.5 cc. I've had liquids to mush this weekend, and was told to transition into solids starting tomorrow. My question for you is this: How do you know what increments that you need each time? How do you know when you have hit the green spot?

Can you tell me what you did when you "were getting started" and losing the pounds. Though I have had my band since 2010, I'm just "really" getting started for the first time right now. I had a fill on Friday, so I now have 2.5 cc in my band. I go back in a month. This weekend I have been doing the liquid transitioning to mush. I need some guidance from someone who has had success with the band. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I was banded 7/1/2010....self-pay, so I go to dr. as little as possible....340.00 per fill session really hurts! I lost 35 pounds, got too aggressive with fills....wanted to get the most for my money.....never really followed any plan....threw up.....reflux.....Stomach prolapse/band slippage.....had all of fluid removed in August 2011.....gained back all weight....went back and endoscopy showed stomach back in place, so they put in .5 cc on February 24, 2012. Since then, I'm having a hard time with really bad reflux again. What next? Do I figure out what I was supposed to do all along and didn't or have I failed again and need to take out the band and move on? Is it possible that the fatigue, hair loss, and burning in my chest means that my body is "rejecting" the band like I've seen some people write about? I'm lost and frustrated....need guidance!!!

I have been on Nexium since my visit to ER and the reflux now seems to be gone all the way. I have changed my diet also, but I can tolerate some spice, etc. now whereas I couldn't before. I went back to my surgeon on Friday. I now have 2.5 cc in my band. I've done the liquid and now mush through today as advised by the nurse who did the fill. I am supposed to go back in one month. In the meantime, I'm trying to get this thing started. Do you have set times that you eat during the day, or do you just follow your hunger? Any advice is appreciated.

What about cost? Does it cost as much to have it removed as it did to have it put in? I'm curious too as to why you decided to go this route. Any regrets? I'm considering all options.

I hope that you will keep your posts updated. I am really interested in what you find out. I've been having some problems.....considering options.........

Very interesting. I agreed to this up front when I had the surgery. I thought it was what everyone was paying. Supply and demand, maybe? I'll have to explore more to see if any more options are out there in this area. Thanks for the information.

Thanks for your reply and enthusiasm. I need it! I ended up in the ER on Tuesday….severe burning in chest….vomiting until I passed out. The ER is not at the hospital where I had my surgery. After ruling out a heart attack, among other tests, they checked for gall bladder issues……all clear. I was prescribed Nexium which I have been taking for four days now. I’m still having to take Pepcid AC with just about everything I eat. I’ve definitely changed my diet because I’m afraid to eat anything that has any flavor. Plan: 1. Call my surgeon at UVA and set up an appointment for another barium swallow. MY issues with step 1: I share these so that you all might see how “crazy” my thinking is and help me put my insanity into perspective! Fear: What if the band has slipped again? Will it have to be removed? Where will I find the money for all of this? Shame: The last time I was there, I was determined that I was going to eat less, chew, etc. The nutritionist sent me some menu options in the mail. How do I go in there and say that her time was wasted because of my bad habits? Questions that you all may be able to answer from your experiences: 1. Is it possible to have this type of reflux without slippage? 2. If I do get the all clear, do I proceed with another .5 cc fill, or do I wait….. I JUST HAD AN AH-HAH MOMENT!!!!! I have been doing that thing that I have done all my FAT life……I’ve been thinking that I’ll wait until I succeed some on another diet plan before I go back….DUH! I have a tool; I’m paying big money back on a loan, and instead of working with it, I’m doing the same ole’ “I’ll join Weight Watchers AGAIN” crap in my head. How do I make it stop….these old ways of thinking. All I have ever been is fat and on a diet. It is hard to “undo” 40 plus years of bad thinking and habits! ….???? I do not know what the “sweet spot” feels like. 3. What do I do now? Remember: I am like an infant here. Break it down for me. What do I eat? When do I eat? Do I need to go back to all liquids for a while? Where do I begin? 4. How often do people who are not self-pay go back to their doctors for follow-up, etc.? I have no clue what I’m doing here!!!!

I was banded in July and will have my first fill this week. I appreciate your post as it gives me hope again.

I have my first fill on Thursday. I was banded on July 2, 2010 and haven't felt any restriction at all (other than that caused by swelling from surgery). It's been like having a new car in the driveway but no keys to get it started. I'm ready to get this going!

I am very inspired by your results. I meet with the surgeon on Thursday. My biggest fear is that this will be like all my other attempts to lose weight that ended in failure. Thanks for sharing your journey!

:thumbdown: I am a 40-year-old single mom from Virginia. I am scheduled for a pre-op appt. with Dr. Bruce Schirmer at UVA in June. I've been doing lots of reading, and I think the lap band is for me. Does the band really help with hunger? Does anyone know of any support groups in the central Virginia area?