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Love my band...and have had good success (started at 234 and got down to 167) HOWEVER...I have had some complications with a esophageal distention and needed to have all but 1cc of fluid left in. I've gained 25 lbs from my initial loss and am feeling very discouraged. Vicious cycle..loss=motivation...Complications=weight gain...Weight gain=depression and depression=eating....you get the picture. Anyone else had these sort of ups and downs?

I have yet to set up a consultation with a doctor, but have the paper work to start filling out before I can agree on an appointment. How likely of a candidate would I be for coverage from my insurance? I know all insurances are different, and they all have their set of rules. I just don't know if I would even be considered. Like most of you all, I've always struggled with weight. I've been able to lose weight, then gain it back and so forth and so on. This time around it's much worse as I had my spine fused a year ago, and have gained 70lbs and am in a lot of pain. I know it's largely because of the weight gain. With me being in pain it's very hard to eat healthy and find the energy to work out. Even if it's low impact excersising. I have a family history of type two diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and I have asthma. Not sure if with all of this if it would even get my foot in the door. I'm 5'8 Male 265 lbs and 29 years old. My fusion was an L5-S1. Just looking for some input. Thanks!

I completely understand what you mean! I think the difference for me is that I was so STRICT in the past that if I "messed-up" by eating anything that was unhealthy, I just threw it all away. This past weekend, with permission from my nutritionist, I had a half cheesesteak (no mayo, lite cheese and the bread gutted) and a piece of my birthday cake. It was my birthday and I was not going to jeopardize the surgery or outcome. I had that meal and 4 cocktails.....with no weight gain all weekend. I was so excited. I think I have actually learned to eat in moderation and for the first time in my 40yrs.....listen to my "full" button. Please let me know as you go through your appt how things go for you...how much do you have to lose?

Thanks for answering so quickly! You are the very first person to respond to my very first day as a lapband talk member! It does seem frustrating to gain weight in order to lose it...by the lapband. According to the insurance, I do need to weigh more or have more serious problems. The main reason I want the lapband is after 15+ years of weight loss that is always followed by (more) weight gain, I'm just tired of it! I can go on one more diet, I just can't go on 100 more diets! Thanks again. Winner

In 26 hours I will be sleeved. Having second thoughts?? My mind is playing tricks on me telling me that I really do not need this surgery!! I know I do need it and still am going through it....was wondering did anyone go through this....is it normal? I am looking forward to the weight loss and able to run around and play with my 5 year old....Today she asked me if this surgery will help me take her to the park and play with her...I just cried realizing I am missing part of her life because of the ball and chain I have on my body.... I want to be healthy and be off MOST of my meds.....tired of giving myself insulin and taking so many pills...I feel like my parents where they take a pill for every ailment they have...I refuse to be like them..... I want to walk into a normal store and buy ANYTHING off the hanger without wondering how long can I fit into these clothes before I have to buy new ones cause I out grew them,,,,,, I am tired of being tired and out of breathe everytime I do something or too much pain cause of the pain in my legs and back due to the weight gain...looking forward to being able to take control of my own home and clean it the way I love to clean.... YES THE SLEEVE IS FOR ME!!!! I am playing mind games with my brain telling thenm that I need to do this because of all the positive in my life....TIME TO GET RID OF THE NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been a bad bandster I am two yrs post op and havent lost weight since last january. Lately I have been eating unhealthy and not very motivated to better myself. I think alot of it is being complacent in life...new boyfriend..bought a house...and just happy in general. Now my problem is keeping food down. If I dont eat throughout the day then I cant eat without vomiting. I need to start with lots of liquids and almost stretch out my stomach. Once I do that I have a good chance of eating more than just soup. I havent had a fill in a year and a half and dont know if its too tight or just my fault for not following the rules. I dont have pain unless I need to throw up...no heartburn or nausea. But I am hungry....alot. I only eat one good meal every three or four days. Other than that its just snacks or ice cream to get me through. I feel like I am failing myself and the band...please help!

In your case, I'd do ART now, unless your weight is a very serious consideration. I'm not sure of your specifics or stats. At the very least, do the stim cycle/harvest and have him give his donation to the cause as well. I'm assuming IVF, of course. DH and I did IVF w/ICSI in 2007 - I was obese but otherwise the doc had no serious concerns about my conceiving. We did have success (b/g twins!) and we froze five embryos as well. I had my sleeve in 2010. In July of 2012 we did a frozen transfer of the embryos that made the thaw and I'm due in three weeks. In all absolute honesty I am going to state that in my case, at least, this pregnancy post VSG was HARDER than the twin pregnancy prior. I'm healthy, yes - and I didn't develop gestational diabetes this go round which was nice. But watching my diet and general physical discomfort were actually worse. I'm not saying that having babies while obese is the ideal - I'm just saying that for me, losing the weight didn't make pregnancy as easy or better like my docs told me it would! I say do a cycle now. Do your sleeve post baby, once you're done weaning (assuming you plan to BF) and then focus on your body and you. I didn't conceive until two years post sleeve and it was still a challenge to build up to eating enough and eating properly. I cannot even imagine doing it sooner, though many women do. Some types of ART are more likely to make you pack on pounds than others. I can say that I gained quite a bit with my full IVF cycle because the stims. No doubt, it was absolutely worth it to me. This go round I was really worried about weight gain and I admit that the hormones did have me gain ten pounds almost right out of the gate, but then I slowly put on the rest of my gain over the next seven months. I've had a perfectly normal weight gain this time and it's apparent that it's all baby. I have no doubt I'll be back at goal within months of delivery. Best of luck to you! ~Cheri Edited to add: Do yourself a favor and find an aggressive reproductive endocrinologist that's experienced with advanced maternal age. Don't waste your time on someone that hasn't dealt with your situation before - get onto some fertility message boards and put feelers out, because as iggy mentioned, your rates of success are lower (sorry to say) so you don't want to waste precious time. All the best!

Well I really need some feed back on this one. Do I begin fertilty treatments or have the surgery first? The problem is the age factor. My ob/gyn has told us because of issues with my husband and my age we would need fertility treatments to have a higher chance of concieving. However, he is not willing to do treatments after 46 years of age and guess who turns 46 this year, ME! He is willing to try 3 cycles which will give me a weight gain of course. The road to surgery is just lacking insurance approval, waiting on me to tell them to submit. If I have the surgery I woudl have to wait a year before we could try and that puts me closer to 48. I have fought thru months of mental and emotional stress, research, reading, praying all to get to a comfortable place about doing the surgery now this. And it's a major this! My ob/gyn has no issues with my weight or co-morbities because they are "controlled" with meds. I am confused as to which way to I go. Any comments are shared experiences would ne greatly appreciated. Thinking about the increased weight with treatments and pregnancy if that would be healthy enough to carry a baby. So many things whirling around in my mind.

My stats are almost identical to yours, only I'm STARVING. I'm scheduled for a fill tomorrow and it can't come fast enough for me. Having said that, I've stayed really close to the same diet as you and I also am only losing 1-2 pounds a week. This past week, I cheated once, went to Carlos Okelly's, had some drinks and chips and small dinner. It took me all week to get that weight gain back off, so for this week, I was ZERO pounds lost. :cursing: Hopefully I won't do that again any time soon. Sounds like you're doiing everything right, but I would'nt cancel that fill too soon. I noticed this past week I got hungrier and hungrier, so you may decide it would benefit you after all.

well my doc doesnt advocate the liquid diet after fills, he just says to be careful, so no, I didnt do a liquid diet at all after my recent .2ml unfill. But I found it to be like a fill. Small immediate effect,then about a week later, I noticed how much easier it was to eat, how much hungrier I was and how many more really healthy foods (as opposed to sliders) I could eat. None of which led to weight gain thank goodness. I dont know why I got so tight, one of those things I guess. PMT, plane flight etc all happening round the same time.

I was banded last Friday and am surprised by the amount of pain I am in - I decided to weigh myself today and found that I had gained 1 1/2 pounds even though I am eating at the most 3 Protein shakes a day and Water. I decided today to stop using the pain medication prescribed by my Dr. I(in case it was increasing my constipation) even though I still feel very sore, especially when I lie down or get up from a lie-down position. I haven't been able to have a bowel movement and am wondering if that is increasing the soreness I am feeling. I started to take Colase (stool softener) and today I took Correctol but still no luck. I'm sort of ranting today - feeling uncertain about what to expect and whether this is normal. All I know is that I hurt, am constipated, have no hunger, but am gaining weight. Oh yeah! The other thing is that I am on an Insulin Pump and I haven't needed to add any insulin since this started which means the pump is giving me about 70 units a day spread out over 24 hours. Prior to getting the banding, I was using about 300 units a day and still had uncontrollable blood sugar levels.

Just plain Water. Absolutely no sugary beverages. I would avoid fruit water because fructose in fruit is bad. I was reading something yesterday about how fructose cause more weight gain than sucrose (table sugar).

I think it's misleading, bordering on threatening, to declare people are "guaranteed" to regain their weight. I hope studies/articles like that will not deter people from having their band removed when it may be medically necessary or scare them into more weightloss surgery before they may be ready. I believe it's possible to continue to lose weight after lapband removal (and with no further surgery) despite the numbers listed in the article. One can learn an awful lot before, during, and after being banded that will assist dramatically in continued weightloss if the band needs to be removed. It's good to get documented info and read different studies while researching, but no one can guarantee anything --- you may lose weight after being banded, you may not. Not everyone does. You may gain weight with band removal, you may not. Not everyone does. I take responsibility for my health and do what is best for me, using my own intelligence and common sense to act accordingly. I guess the "guarantee" of weight gain really struck a nerve here! and Im not intending this to be a negative comment toward the person who posted the info....just what the info, itself, said! ~hiddn

Hello, My name is Wisteria and I have gone through all of the necessary steps to get lap-band surgery; I am just waiting for approval from my insurance company. I am 34 years old and have been majorly overweight for about 10 years now and I cannot get it off! So here I am! I weigh 211.5, my BMI is 41%, and height 5'0". I am pre-diabetic on medication so that is a MAJOR part of my decision. Also of course heart attack and heart disease are both in my family. I have asthma since gaining all of the weight as well as back issues. Had surgery on my back and gained A LOT of weight since then (MAJOR part of my weight gain by the way). Also have sleep apnea and acid reflux. Take several meds and need to sleep with a mask at night. I am just not healthy. I exercise, but it is so hard to when you are big. I have hiked, biked, kayaked, ran, walked, jogged, etc... And I end up quitting after a few months. It is just so hard... especially walking/hiking up a hill! All this weight is killing me... literally! Nice to meet all of you. Glad I am here. I cannot wait for surgery. All the best to you all on your journeys.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Brenda and on September 2nd I had the gastric bypass surgery. It took me a few years to get myself to admit I needed this, and I am happy I made this decision.My surgery took longer than the surgeon anticipated due to scar tissue from a previous surgery. The surgeon was still able to do the surgery laparoscopic after cleaning up the scar tissue. After one setback due to diarrhea and dehydration I pray I am on the right path now. Discouraged at first because of an 8 lb weight gain(which the surgeon said was due to all the intravenous fluids I was given) I am happy to say in a week I've lost 10 lbs! Prayers for great success for all of you on this weight loss journey. Here's to a happier and healthier lifestyle ????????

I just asked this question to my nutritionist last week. She said that my surgeon's protocol is to loosen the band after a certain number of years (I can't remember how many) at goal weight. The reason for this is to avoid any complications linked with a potentially-inflammatory implanted device, especially as one gets older. My surgeon has observed that by that time...(the certain number of years maintaining), the patient has acquired the eating and exercise habit/mindset etc that will prevent him/her from gaining the weight back. If the patient observes weight gain after the band losening, he/she is instructed to return for a fill immediately.

So I forgot to put this last week. I was reading some article in People magazine that was about that country singer that's married to Garth Brooks. I know her because of her cooking show on food Network: Trisha Yearwood. She's lost about 30 pounds and I figured this would be the same old kind of article about eating right and exercise that we always see. It wasn't. She was so honest about living her life at size 16 for decades and just wanting to be able to be less tired. The thing I thought was so cool about this piece was when she said a couple of weeks ago after some awards thing her and Garth were flying back and she ate an In N Out burger with fries and a coke and she had two Peanut Butter cups. Usually she'd just go "Well, my diet is ruined so I might as well just keep eating everything I want to eat" but now she thinks "Ok. I splurged. No big deal." and the next day she ate like she was supposed to and went to Zumba class and that was that. And she didn't have any weight gain and realized this is how normal people eat. Normal people do not beat themselves up everytime they have a burger. Normal people do not constantly think about food or the ramifications of having a piece of chocolate. As long as your indulgences are limited to splurges and not an everyday occurence, we should stop being so obsessive and negative towards ourselves. I really found this helpful. I am just like that. I'll eat chips and think "Well, since I've already come this far" when really I just need to go "Those were a great treat. Where's my Water?" instead. Alright. That's all. Just felt like sharing. Ters

Anyone out there having problems with fluid retention since being banded? I have always experienced water weight gain around that time of the month (usually results in about 5 pounds of water weight gain) but now it seems to be happening any time except for like the week after my period. This means that I usually have one good week out of the month were I have optimal weight loss and the other weeks I struggle to lose a pound. My feet sometimes hurt at night but they/ankles/legs are not swollen. I am trying to figure out what the problem is. I am in my range for calories and I have increased my exercise to four times a week at Curves, ride bike and do cardio at home at least four times a week also. I do not have high blood pressure and have never been on any meds for it or a diuretic but I was wondering if one would help. :help:

So I decided weeks ago that 5/1 would be my quit date from tobacco! I completely forgot that one side effect of quitting tobacco is weight gain. So far today, I have been craving food!!! I’m only 2 weeks post op the Orbera. Do you think I’m setting myself up for failure? Maybe I should postpone my quit date do I do not have cravings...any thoughts, comments, or questions are appreciated! FYI...I use snuff.

Nobody has been tracking the results of the sleeve as a WLS that long yet. Give it a bit more time. I'm not certain but when I was researching I think someone posted a five year study - you might do some searching and see if you can find anything on VST about it. Regain is possible with any surgery. The big benefit the sleeve has over bypass (what most people are probably thinking of when they talk about regain) is that there isn't a honeymoon phase or window where loss is easiest. Once you're sleeved and healed, your capacity only increases a small amount. Unlike a short window where malabsoption is guaranteed, or a pouch that is likely to stretch (or a band that requires fills and unfills, for that matter), your sleeve is going to restrict you immediately after surgery and for the rest of your life. I am two years out and maintaining beautifully. I'm currently pregnant and while I have hormone bloat and the start of a rounded tummy, I'm not having a problem with weight gain (nothing more than I'd expect at this point) despite the fact that my capacity is increased now that I'm pregnant. All surgeries come with the risk of regain. Using the sleeve like a diet that will someday end is the biggest cause of regain I've seen - people just stop being diligent at goal and fall into denial about bad habits, ones they didn't fix while losing in the first place. That said, I have seen very few regain posts in the three years I've been here. I've seen plenty of "I got out of control over the holidays and gained a few but took it off quickly" posts, though. If you weigh daily in maintenance and actually learn how to eat like a healthy, normal person during the first few months post surgery, there is no reason you can't reach goal and maintain for life. ~Cheri

Getting banded has been really great so far. My surgery went without a hitch and I was out of bed and rarring to go almost immediately following. Its early days, but I remain hopefully optimistic that this will work out in ways that all the other diets that I have tried have not. I consider myself a professional inexpert dieter --if its out there I have tried it. Low carb, no carb, nutri whatever, ww, fasting, diet pepsi and cigarettes, opti, medi, HMR, slimfast, diet pills (Rx and OTC) added to the mix to keep my appetite in check. My best and longest successful dieting foray was from the winter of 2000 through the summer of 2003. With boatloads of Water, a low carb diet, and as much exercise as I could stand -- I managed to lose about 90 lbs (this left me still needing to lose about 50 or 60 lbs to achieve a healthy weight by American standards and certainly by my standard). However, the long plateau worked to undermine my dedication and the weight began creeping back at a pretty steady clip. I never again got to my high of 292, but at my first weigh in with the lap band surgeon I was about 268 or so. It was a tough decision for me to make. For a variety of reasons I wasn't interested in a bypass....and it killed me that essentially I am paying someone to restrict my food intake. But the yo-yo dieting had really defeated me. I have been forturnate in that I am a relatively healthy fat person -- but I knew that time was working against me and the older I got -- the less likely that that trend would continue. So it was with alot of baggage that I started shopping around for a bariatric doctor to explore the lap band. The whole insurance thing was/is a hassle. They cover, but I couldn't find an in network provider (in NYC or NJ), just out of network with a threatened 70% coverage amount. I haven't seen any bills yet. I will certainly provide updates as that situation unfolds. Post surgically I have "officially" lost 14 lbs.... this is a little sketchy in my opinion. They weighed me at the hospital the day of .. and I was a whopping 274. I think working the day before from home, planted in front of my computer all day with no food after 3pm and no liquid (because I can be overzealous in following pre-surgery instructions) had me retaining major water. If I go by my last weigh in at the doctor the week before my surgery my weight loss as of 12-19-2007 is closer to 4 lbs. Post surgically, I was bullied by my doctor to lose about 10 lbs. Surprisingly, I have found that I am not at all interested in monitoring my weight other than whatever I am forced to do when I go to the doctor. I mean why torture myself? That's why I decided to get the surgery, right? This should not be interpreted as not monitoring my intake.... I have. Although I didn't do so good with the whole crushing pills until 1 month after surgery. Yuck! I just couldn't. I have tried my best to limit my intake, eat three times a day with no snacking and don't eat and drink at the same sitting. The last has proven to be the toughest thing. Also, it has put me in jeopardy of not taking in enough water -- I am trying but if you can't drink during, or up to 30 minutes before or after, and can't gulp it down like medicine.... I am reduced to totting around a bottle and taking sips all damn day. It has proven to be my greatest challenge so far. :faint: But generally speaking -- its so far so good and I am hopeful that I will have lost another couple of pounds when next I see my doctor 1-15-2008. And if I haven't... that's alright. The average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year is like 5 lbs, right? If I managed to dodge that bullet -- its all good. Later,

I have dieted off and on most of my adult life!! And if anyone would ask me if they should do it I would say go with your heart!! Do what you feel is right even if others don't!! But I agree I was just a few months from turning 30, but I say that it was a great time, I was done having kids, didn't have to worry about the weight gain there. But anyway long story short lol YES IT IS!!

Insurance companies typically go by your starting weight. Contact them for verification. Nevertheless, unless your BMI drops below 40 you should be good regardless. No weight gain over the course of your diet, nutrition, and/ore exercise program. For my 13wk pre-op I stayed the exact same weight. My BMI dropped because my lean muscle mass increased. So, it's not just as simple as weight gain.

Mine are over the muscle - which is not considered good by all plastic surgeons. i dont have any visible scarring as they were able to do this just via the nipple. I know that mine look and feel much more natural than some women have. My advice is to make sure your surgeon's "asthetics" align with yours. also, be sue that you get multiple consults... that guided me alot in determining size etc. I was told the same thing that many hear - that people regret going to small. I had plans to go much bigger than I did until a woman PS asked me how I would feel about needing to wear a large top considering that my butt is like a size 2/4/6 range. She made a compelling case once I looked at it from an overall "look" perspective. My lover at the time tried to talk me out of doing it at all. He said something that influenced me too... I was on my way to a vacation in NYC - and he told me to notice all the 60 year old women with huge implants and with age and weight gain, perhaps look way heavier due to the implants. I did notice it, and recognized with my body type,i could someday look like that - which i didn't care for. Even though my implants are small, I am considered big breasted in my circle of friends and get more attention about it than I would actually prefer. I am one of those who does NOT regret keeping the implants a modest size. Just another voice to the conversation - it is a very personal decision.

I haven't been to the doctor for about a 2 months i haven't lost any weight. I was on all kinds of depression medication and stopped taking everything. I know that weight gain is a side effect of stopping medication like that, however I'm scared my doctor is going to get mad that I haven't lost any weight. I have an appointment today to get a fill, I just don't want the doctor to get at me or deny me a full... Has anyone else went through this?