Zana

I just wanted to point out to those of you thinking of getting the band that you should ask your lap band dr if he will remove the band or treat you if you have problems with the band and at a later date have no insurance. That is what has happened to me. I can not eat anything at all hardly. Some days I am in so much pain I barely want to be alive and there is nothing I can do. I can not find a doctor who will help me period. I am angered that (some of all of the ones I have contacted) are willing to take money from insurance companies and private pay patients but I can not find one willing to help a patient in agony who is banded. No I do not think it is another doctors responsibility to fix my problem. I understand I made a choice to have the surgery but at the same time you would think with all of the money these dr's are making they could help patients especially their own when they are having problems. So I suggest you talk to your Dr prior to surgery and get something in writing saying how he will assist you in the event of a crisis situation with regard to your band. I live everyday in fear that I will die because I had this surgery. Finally after a month I can drink Protein shakes, but things are still far from good. I just wanted to put that out there cause I think people don't think about 6-10 20 years down the road.

There are no bariatric surgeries where I live, that is the problem. It is what it is I simply wanted to post this because it is something I never thought of so I thought it was a good idea for others to consider it. I am incredibly sick and it is something I never dreamed would happen. I don't think anyone does to be honest.

I have been to the ER and the doctors who have never even seen a lap band say there is nothing wrong and are looking at the size of my stomach. It has nothing to do with stomach size. The band is on my esophagus at this point anyway. Which is most certainly not correct. The doctors have no idea what to do and no surgeon will touch me because I have it. I am not sure what will happen? I am not saying they are I am simply saying that the fact they will not is something to think about. I never dreamed as a business owner that I would one day leave it to care for an ailing loved one and be faced with limited resources. Life changes and I wish I had considered that. My quality of life is far worse than I ever imagined it could be. I was not aware the surgery once healed could cause all of the problems it has caused? It is scary to think I may not find a doctor who can help.

Glad your surgery went well Nadine. It has been a while since OP posted. How are things going with your recovery?

Just make sure you follow what you are told, There will be very scary OMG why can't I stop hiccupping is my tummy gonna burst moments early on when you call your doc to learn that if you just eat a gas x which you will be scared to eat it will all be ok It is a process. The best advice I can give you is to listen to your doctor! Buy an set of small forks and spoons and eat with those. I did that for years after and then once I was skinny mini I let it slide. Now I am in the hospital hoping and praying my health is going to be ok and I have not damaged my band. Good luck to you and if I can offer you any advice support or you simply need an ear please send me a PM. I will be happy to help. I wish I had stayed around here when I first had the surgery. But I am back now! Hoping a newbie can learn what to do right from what I did wrong.

The best advice I can give to either of you is that you MUST work through the issues that make you eat. If you don't nothing will make you lose weight without putting your life in jeopardy. Cause everytime you push that band you are putting your health in jeopardy. I am at rock bottom in this learning process. Follow the surgery with support here or a tops program or over-eaters anonymous. Or meetings through your surgeon. Be sure when you find yourself met with those who discuss how to cheat the band you confront them for you and them. This surgery is about staying alive for most people who have it. Let us know how you are doing on your journey and don't stop posting cause you think you have got it! You never will have it without support and staying on top of it! Once you get it pass on what you learn!

So glad you are feeling better! I hope you continue to do well and just remember when the scale goes up a pound (once you are healed) it is cause you made choices that caused it to, it is not to be ignored. I am learning this a very hard way and I hope you do well with your new body and always take great care of your band!!!!! Are you post before and afters once you are all healed up and the swelling is gone?

Glad everything worked out and your band is ok. What were your symptoms of slippage?

I disagree, if you are weight training without the proper amount of protein you are damaging your body. There are ways banded to get the protein. I used a personal trainer and he taught me how to get what my body needed. There are protein supplements that have only the amount of calories that they must have.

No joke it is so bad right now cause of the economy and everything. I no longer have insurance and it sucks it is terrible not knowing what is wrong with me? I am hoping being on liquids will help. It seems to be helping? I did it for a week and then went to quickly back to solids cause it felt ok. Then it got not near as bad as it was last time but it is irritated GERD I assume. SO back on liquids and hoping it corrects itself cause I do not have the money or the insurance to fix it. I am wishing all of you the best of luck too. Any of you when this happened have gas at all? Like lots of burping almost like it was when you got the band but add acid to the mix

Sorry to hear this. What were the symptoms if you do not mind me asking? I may be in the same boat except I now have no insurance so I can not even really find out:( But I seem to be doing better

Hello all, I was a member here quite some time ago and I sort of fell off the wagon. I have felt terrible for the better part of a year, just been lay and not eaten right at all. i had gained all but about 30 pounds of the weight I had lost back. About a week ago my stomach started to hurt from overeating and I thought what the hell am i doing? I am now back on liquids. I think it has been 31/2 days on liquids only. I am gassy and feel exactly like I did following surgery. I don't suggest making yourself miserable prior to getting back on the wagon. But I am back on it and down to 203 from 207-217 (kinda up and down as is normal). Anyway I am glad to be back and hoping my profile has my old ticker saved? Then I can see where I was and where I am?

I finally found where it went I could not find it for anything. Thanks

Glad to hear you are doing better. I can not even imagine what a painful procedure that must be I am glad you did well with it and are getting around much better Sounds like it has brought you closer to your wife. As will the confidence you are gaining in yourself BTW Happy Belated Birthday I know your surgery was that day and I wanted to tell you and forgot

That is great news that all went well for you:) Glad to hear it! Please do keep us posted. I hope you continue to heal. As for the swelling the more you do the worse it is at first and after I had a surgery requiring a large incision my dr told me my swelling was caused by overdoing it. Maybe ask your dr that? Good Luck

I created a ticker but I can't figure out where in User Profile to add it or how to create a sig?

Hope all is going well for you and your surgery went off with no troubles.

Good luck with the surgery. What was your total weight loss or from what size to what size if you don't mind my asking?

Having been banded a long time ago I know the band is not a cure and it is not as simple as it is often made out to be. I also know if you think you will fail you are setting yourself up to and YOU (nor anyone else) deserves that. You have to treat yourself well and always do it. Not just for the first year. I am starting all over and doing it without fills or anything else. I was a size 7 almost a 5 and I could not seem to gain a pound no matter what I did. I was not trying to gain please don't think I was. I happened to have depressing life stuff happen and I put my life and my band in jeopardy. Now I am starting over without the band really. It is there but I have not had a fill since 6 months after getting banded. If I could offer you any advice it is this. If you can do it without you can do it with. Put yourself on a liquid diet for a week and see how you do? I truly believe a huge part of what keeps our weight down is us going back to the liquid diet after a stick or a PB or whatever? Then training ourselves to eat correctly cause to be quite frank "that **** hurts"! I taught myself to eat around the band. Why cause even with it we are food addicts. You could break your jaw everytime you left a buffet and get similar results. The band is obviously a much easier choice. But you have to stay on track. Not just move on from support ect when you lose the weight. I lost so fast I forgot where I came from. I went from 250 to 158 in probably under 8 months. It was crazy. It is a tool I am thankful but regretful I have:( I am not sure after eating around it and almost losing it I will ever be able to eat normally again? Even band type normal. As for those who say (doctors included) that the band gives no restriction without a fill. I do not believe that at all. I have never been able since the thing was put on to eat normally. I have not had a fill in almost or maybe 6 years and I still can not? Everyone is different! But we here are all similar enough to teach each other something? Not trying to scare you! It is a wonderful tool. But it will not work if not cared for.

Thanks Mimi and julia. I appreciate the support! It has not been near as hard of a week as I had thought! I am officially down 14pounds. No bouncing on the scale above 203 so that is good. I can not complain at all. I need to just stick around and be a part of this community. I really did well with it for a very long time. I only ever had 2 fills and lost down to a size 7 and stayed there a year. So I know the thing works. I feel much better the gas and swelling are all but gone. I have always had restriction. Even with only 1 or 2 small fills. I will stay on clears one more week, so til monday November 1st. Then I will go to smoothies/protein shakes for probably a month as well? Depending on how I do? It does not even come close to sucking when weighed against my life, health or my band. Thanks again! P.S. How do add a ticker? I could not figure it out before and I still can not?

The surgery is the easy part because others do it for you. The hard part is remembering you are the one who chooses if it is a success. Good luck to you! It does work but you have to use it! I am back trying to lose it all over again. I tell you this not to be negative but because I am there and I was one of the least likely to be here. I have started over and you are just starting. Make sure you never have to start over again!

I am just going back to what my doctor advised when we started this 5years ago. I am losing so it is fine. Just hoping the band is ok and will stay that way. Kind of feel like this is my second chance and I have to take it and do the hard way.

This is very true. I am here to tell you though if you ever forget the band is there or just ignore it and go back to as close to normal eating as you can you will go through it again. I am right now. It sucks worse the second time cause all you can do is listen to your screaming tummy and hope it works out:( In this economy insurance is not a certainty and you must take care of your body! Just my advice to any newbies out there!

I was wondering about this since I came back to this board a few days ago. I keep reading about people who drink powder (obviously mixed with Water or whatever) Protein shakes. My doctor has specifically said no powder shakes at all unless they are like a hot cocoa or something like that. He said that (well his staff said) thwy can clog the opening where you are banded. So I was just wondering has anyone else been told this by a doctor. It seems like my doc is the only one who has this rule. I am going to follow it cause he is the one who banded me and I do not want to have problems and have him not back up the band because I failed to follow rules but I was just curious. Has anyone else been told this? I guess all I can think is that it must be due to the fact that if you ever let a Protein Drink that was a powder sit the powder will settle. Maybe since he has done so many surgeries he has seen this "settling" happen in someones body? I am baffled I can not understand it but anyway anyone have any better clues or has your doctor advised you of the same? Thanks

It makes you feel so much better. I am a crab when I don't run and right now not running is really taking it toll. SUPER CRABY! That is great that you enojoy it. You know if there is a limit it should say on the ball will vary from one ball to another. I know they use them in therapy for all size persons so I would think they have different weight limits on different ones. Seems to make sense? NO?