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I'm also a transplant patient 6 years ago and doing great. I just want to know how have you tolerated acid reflux and your appetite with the band? How old are you and did the weight come off without exercise or diet modification? Tell me more. I'm studying the lap band because of my weight gain with prednisone.

I'm not a fan of birthcontrol at all. I did one round of depovrovera injection back when I was 19 or twenty, and I turned itno such a misrible person on it. I stoped it and did not do any form of bc since then. I also have had menstral irregularites from fibroids in the usterus. I also have PCOS, and fibroids and menstral problems go hand in hand with the weight gain. Have any of you girls that have bad pain with your cycles been scanned for fibroids? they can make you very ill when you get your ycle. I did ont voimit but I did feel nauseus and had bad pain with my period and the bleeding was very heavy wich lead to anemia. My doctor encourages me to use some form of birthcontrol to prevent pregnancy. I feel like laughing omg like pregnancy would ever happen? But with my luck i'd dropp like 1/2 of my desired amount then get pregnant. I have an allergy to latex so rubbers are out of the question for us, so my husband said he would obstain for like a year. what would be our chances of conceoption anyway i think they are pretty slim to none at this point without medical intervention. My surgon says i can be banded and pregnant I just have to use some caution as far as banding is considered i guess.

I tried Loestrin for a month or two but I felt like crap on it and it made my blood pressure go up so I stopped it. I've also tried Femcon and was on Seasonique for many years until my insurance didn't cover it anymore (it's pretty pricey). I have been on Nuvaring now for over a year and I love it! I don't have to remember to take a pill every day and I find the side effects are much less than taking an oral contraceptive. My gyno said that it's also one of the hormonal contraceptive methods that is less likely to cause weight gain. Pretty much all birth control can make you gain weight to some degree though. Depo Provera is probably the most notorious for this (it's an injection you get every three months). Have you ever used birth control before? You may notice some symptoms like nausea, breast tenderness, spotting between periods, etc. These usually go away after a few cycles. I never had any breakthrough bleeding on Nuvaring except after the surgery, due to a combination of powerful antibiotics and stress from the procedure. BC does usually help with cramps too...it does for me, anyway. If you never want to have children, you may decide to have a tubal ligation down the line. Most docs won't do it if you haven't had children before because they are afraid you might change your mind. Reversals of tubal ligations are rarely successful so you really have to be sure. I'm sure your doc probably told you this but you have to use backup birth control for at least a week if you start the pill on a day other than the first day of your period otherwise you could get pregnant. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I can't help but feel a bit anxious about gaining weight whilst pregnant. Anybody else feel the same?

Hi! I'm in my 23rd week and my baby boy is doing good! So far he is right on target and he gets checked monthly for size and weight gain. So thankful everything is going good. It was scary at first. Now to keep praying his weight gain continues. as for me I've only gained about 6lbs and haven't lost any so I think I'm doin ok.

So...my last pre-op appointment is on 9/12 with my surgery scheduled for 9/28. At my last appointment the doctor that works with surgeon ordered me to lose between 5-10 lbs. before my last pre-op appointment on 9/12. She also said that if I did not lose the ordered amount it was fine, but that if I gained any weight, even an ounce that the surgery would be cancelled. Wow! That's a lot of pressure. So far I have lost about 4 lbs, giving me 6 days to lose between 1-6 more lbs. So scary! The surgeon didn't even make me go on a pre-op liquid diet. So, I have been going the low carb route and trying to walk and ride my bike more. Anybody else been given this kind of ultimatum? Ducker

I'm on the paragaurd IUD. It has no hormones so no moodiness or weight gain. I've been on the depo shot and it made me horribly moody and impossible to lose weight no matter what I did.

I was banded in December 2005. My highest weight was 327 I got down to 200 (never made it to onederland but was very comfortable where I was). I moved to another state in 2007 found a great Dr to do my fills. I really stopped loosing weight when I moved here and only stayed at 200 for a short time but settled at about 210 for most of the time. I broke my ankle in November 2008 and put on a few pounds like 7 and then started infertility treatments. I gained weight from the drugs and went up to about 225-230. I got pregnant and was gaining slowly then was put on bed rest and the weight packed on , I ended up at 290 at last weigh in and then lost the fastest 20 pounds when she was born. I have a beautiful 11 month old to show for all my weight gain LOL and would not trade a "goal" weight for my little one. However I need to get back on the "band" wagon and loose this weight again and more if possible because of my health and wanting to be active with my little one. I have a bad knee that really hurts even with little exercise, I have been doing Water areobics to get some exercise in but even that hurts my knee. I feel like I am in a catch 22.....my knee hurts because of all this extra weight but I cant exercise too hard because it hurts... gggggrrrrr. I want to hear from others who maybe gained back due to pregnancy, injury, or whatever....the cause is not as important as the journey. Also has anyone been able to re-lose weight by using this wonderful tool? Any problems that you had, tips, any info or support is always welcome. I need to get my head back into loosing mode it has just been so long. I know I can do it because I did it before. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you guys!

MollyBrown, you are 44 years old . I wish Lap Band was available to me when I was 44 (now I am 55). You are making a great decision, because chances are, you would remain on the same roller coaster of weight gain and loss and accompanying misery for the next 10 years as I have done. I am keeping a Word document with all the good ideas I read in these posts, and I am surely going to check on the Isopure. My blood sugar plummets and I feel really bad on a liquid diet - plus those shake things gag me as well! You go girl! You got what it takes to push through. Only 5 more days to go!

Just got back from monthly weigh-in. Despite the EVIL Halloween candy from Saturday, I still lost six pounds since my fourth fill three weeks ago. I'm satisfied with that. I've noticed that as I lose more weight, the pounds are coming off more slowly. However, I've not had a weight gain since surgery, and that makes me very happy. I will have another fill in 1 1/2 weeks and am hoping for my sweet spot, but even if it doesn't take me to that spot, I know I'll be OK. I've learned how to make the band work for me, and I'm a better woman because of it. Looking forward to Thanksgiving and being with the family rather than eating myself into a stupor. Next weigh in--another six pounds? Stay tuned. . . . . Gator Gal!

Hi JakeLancaster , You would not believe how many people claimed that the smaller Bougie is actually the better choice and if I would have done this blind without researching on the internet I probably would have followed their advise. But I am glad that after the moment my first surgeon (band surgeon who is retired now) suggested a revision and my second surgeon who actually did my surgery confirmed that it would be a good idea to make a sleeve when the band is removed, I started researching. Great topic, I am scheduled for my band to sleeve revision. I think the starting BMI has a lot to do with it too. I would be scared of the 44 size bougie, I really want this to be the last surgery. I get the acid problem with the band though and understand why you choose the large bougie I just do not want to risk it. I am prepared to lose slower than I did with my band, I was told revisions lose slower but your averages sound great. See you on the other side in a couple of weeks! I had only 2 months to make my decision. I was for hrs on the internet trying to find the newest research published by the medical world , newest studies and so on. I am glad I did!! Because even though I value VERY much real life report from Sleevers I still think that each and everyone of us has a subjective approach, which is often mixed with emotional statements. When I went to my last meeting with my surgeon I had a list of questions I needed to be answered by her. I made my decision depending on her answers at the end. I asked about : - which size of staples to use since different cases demand different staple sizes to prevent leakage - wanted to discuss her position on oversewing or not - and buttressing or not - on the problem with the hourglass shape or the twisted stomach in case of an ear curve which happens to be a problem with many surgeon because of the way they staple - on the fact that the staple line distance to the pylorus and the sphincter is crucial in regards to prevention of damage to both - and last but not least the size of my bougie because research shows clearly that there is no difference in the success of weight loss results with bougie sizes between 32F up to 40+ F The surgery in itself through the removal of 75% to 85% of ones stomach and therefor the reduction of the ghrelin (hunger producing hormone) production completely changes our metabolic biochemistry, which at the end causes us to lose weight. But the fact that a smaller bougie size is proven to have a significantly higher affect on GERD occurrence and on leakage made me 150% sure that I choosing a smaller size was a risk I was not willing to take. I can say I'm only one week out of surgery but I did not regret anything. I have no acid reflux symptoms not the slidest nor to I feel I could eat more than my fellow sleever. I am in close contact to sleeve friends who had been sleeved on the same day and when I read what they can eat and what I can eat there is no difference in size or portion. I agree with you Cowgirljane 100% the quality of life is much higher with the sleeve than it is or was with the band. I can not count all the times I was vomiting, the permanent hunger, or almost suffocating in my sleep because of horrific GERD or feeling I would die and having to go to emergency because some kind of food got stuck again and closed my stomach that I felt I was drowning on my own saliva. Since I have my band out and my sleeve in, I actually feel normal again..... I just feel like life is perfect and I just can only eat 2 or 3 spoons full of whatever I am eating for a meal. I feel as full and satisfied as I would have eaten 2 plates of food. I even do not feel the desire to step on the scale every day, which I did with each and every diet or with the band. I feel like all will come as it is supposed to be and that I will be back to my normal slim healthy weight before my illness. It almost sounds corny but I wake up every morning thinking : OMG I am so so happy . Happy I am alive . Happy I got rid of this band. Happy I made the decision to get the sleeve. Happy I feel like I am being a fully integrated part of our social life again soon. Happy I can do stuff with my grandchildren again. Happy I can go to every normal cloths store like before my illness and before my outrages weight gain soon. Happy Happy Happy that me second half of my life started last Monday!!

I think 20 years ago I had issues. Volatile family life when I was young (parents split, mom tried to shoot my dad, ya know, nothing really big :cry). Then once my dad left, my mom was devastated and at 13 I had to take care of her. When I got older, I started finding men who needed to be fixed (drinkers), who needed to be taken care of. Thankfully, I went to counseling 20 years ago to figure that stuff out and to understand those issues. For the last 10 years I have had a great marriage with a wonderfully flawed man, who does not drink, has a good job, is funny, my best friend, and although he cannot fix the car or hang dry-wall, is one of the smartest, kindest, and most interesting people I have ever met. I don't try to fix him, nor does he try to fix me, rather we support each other. I have a great kid (who is actually my niece but that is another long story). Life is pretty awesome except for my weight. So, certainly part of the reason I have had weight issues my whole life come from the under-pinings of a volatile childhood and a family (not husband) who to this day needs me to take care of them in some form or another. But part of it is genetics and learned behaviors from those who should have been teaching us the right way to eat, exercise, live... The real question your friend should have said to you is, what are those behaviors that have contributed to your weight gain and how can you un-learn or modify those behaviors. So tell your friend you probably only need to see a dietitian instead of a shrink...

I was diagnosed about 4 years ago in my second year of law school. Anxiety attacks, low energy, ridiculously slow metabolism and quite a bit of weight gain in a short time. My endocronologist believes I was probably always a bit hypo, but we never thought to check that ... Turns out in my family, too. My mom was hypo as well (diagnosed around the same age), and had a partial thyroidectomy about 3 years ago. I take 100 mcg/day, and I'm told that my dose may need to be reduced as I shrink, but I'm pretty good about going and getting checked every few months. Just be glad they caught it!

As of today i have lost 30lbs since my preop diet and the surgery. That means i added my 3rd bead. But the most exciting thing today is i noticed i have lost 5 points off my BMI... now thats exciting a long way to go but Yay. I am a bit worried as of today i am on high dose steriods due to a bad case of bronchitis and that is a worry cause it causes blood sugar spikes and weight gain. So got to watch it..

Thank you!!!! The way my doctor has me set up is, one week clear liquids, second and third week full liquids, meaning all kinds of broths, protein shakes and drinkable yogurts. Then from there I go straight to solids.. So was not sure about the weight gain, and how it will affect my tummy...I guess time will tell!!!

I read from others on these forums that granola was a major culprit in sabotaging their weight loss and causing weight gain. I think we are led to believe it's a healthy food but a 1/4 cup has something like 250 calories and tons of carbs.

I said "lower carb". My husband is on Atkins less than 20gms (yes, he lives that way, not just 2 weeks Induction) I'm not into depriving myself of fruit or a pc of bread at bfast. What I mean by lower is I can have a pc of toast in the morning if I don't eat a 1/2 sandwich later. I can have an apple and almond butter. I can eat brown rice with my stir fry. Just not at every meal. ...dark chocolate ...not low carb Why tempt yourself with chocolate? Wasn't the chocolate in your bedside table part of your downfall? Why not low carb? That's what this new lifeplan is prescribed to be by most doctors. Carbs aren't the devil, but they are certainly a key component in hunger, cravings, weight gain and weight loss. Why not go back to square one and start following your doctor's orders to the T instead of making up your own plan? No judgement, just wondering. . And the chocolate: 1 pc of Dove ddark chocolate takes away my sweet craving (that happens often). My nightstand is devoid of junk food now. And yes, I can eat just 1 pc and suclk on it for 5 minutes. I won't eat the whole bag. I have a hubby that reminds me of everything I put in my mouth. Thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks! I think you should be fine with the weight gain. Do they advise that you lose weight?? My sister did the 6 month supervised diet, gained weight each month, and was just approved I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck!

Ultimately the choice is yours! I was not candidate for RNY- My dh had RNY has had NO complications, NO dumping, Can eat anything he wants, could get by on sub lingual b12 he prefers the shot. In the event of starvation or huge complications his could be reversed since his stomach is still there just not his main route. YES it is a bigger surgery and Yes the recovery is longer but MOST people do fine. The surgeons prefer the bypass since lots of patients are non-compliant as is true in most of life. The bypass does not require the amount of dedication that the band does, it is more forgiving to weight gain for bad food choices because of the malabsorption. This is a lapband support board and most here will be in favor of lapband, if you go to obesityhelp.com most will be in support of bypass. WLS is a VERY PERSONAL decision not to be entered into lightly by anyone for any of the procedures! ALL have successors and people who do not succeed!! GOOD LUCK in what ever YOU decide and remember the decision is YOURS!!

My insurance (AHCCCS - Mercy Care) requires BMI of 35+ with 1 comorbidity. My BMI is over 36, but I am unsure if I have any comorbidities. My PCP just had me do a ton of blood work yesterday (liver, kidneys, diabeties checks, WBC check, etc etc etc). This surgeons office has a list of comorbidities.. Which, according to that particular list I have about 3 or 4 of them (anxiety, depression, back pain, migranes, headaches etc). Has anyone been approved with issues other than the typical sleep apnea, diabeties, high blood pressure, etc??? (regardless of ins co) I have read a lot about the NO weight gain thing. I have been seeing a nutritionist, eating right, exercising regularly, etc.. but my GYNO put me on the Depo shot for my endometriosis pain. The Depo has made me gain 10lbs (prior to my first weigh in).. If the weight gain continues can I tell the ins co the depo caused weight gain, not my poor eating habits? I am confident I can manage my weight (and lose some here and there even) but with the depo theres no telling how much I will gain anyway. Anyone had this issue? What to do?

don't worry it's not real fat or weight gain! to gain 1 pound you would have to eat 3,500 cals more than you need a day! which at five weeks out i've doubt you done. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello, I have been banded for two years and have a oneyear old. It was four months post-op before finding out we were expecting. MyDr. told me they encourage women who are trying to have children, to do so at ahealthier weight and/or a year after surgery. My little one, was a surprise:)...the only thing I suggest is getting an un-fill for the band so you areable to eat (once that baby starts getting bigger, she bumps your tummy and youhave 0 room to eat anything.) Also, there will be a good amount of port discomfortas your abdomen stretches towards the last few months of pregnancy, since theport is attached to the abdominal wall. She is probobly curious about weight gain during pregnancy, I maintained the entire time, fluxuating 5 lbs at most. If you or your Wife have any more questions, feel free to message me! Good luck and take care! Stephanie

@@trishrnyoung you lost 20 lbs pre & post op?? that's wonderful there ARE certain medications that can rub the wrong way concerning weight loss some might cause weight gain this issue is something to talk to NUT or doc about an official stall, plateau is when you haven't lost any weight for at least 2-3 weeks not 2-3 days many times newbies et al have unrealistic expectations it took months and years to gain weight it's not gonna melt off overnight mom called the day after i came home from hospital she told me to stand up then she said "did your underwear fall down?" i told her it doesn't work that way!!! she said something like "Oh, I thought it did"!!! i'm sure you are following all the basic rules Water, Protein, portions, carbs, veggies etc please DON'T be discouraged!! "GOD Grant Me Patience Just Hurry Up About It" good luck kathy

I was banded in 2008...took my small anti deps no probkems. Take them to hospital with you and they will administer to you as they should be.After years struggling with tge band im having a revision to bypass. If its possible fir you to go with sleeve instead i recommend it. Tge band is hughly fallinle and 80% of bands have to be removed within 10 years due to hiatus hernua, overworked esophagus, and weight gain. Mist banders will tell you it is the biggest medical con of the 20th century. Sorry for tge bad news but Re think if possible. Have a read of the posts under the forum heading "gastric band to bypass". It will give you a pretty realistic picture of the band. Sent from my GT-I9505 using the BariatricPal App

It’s been a little more than 5 years that I had sleeve. I started at 225 lbs and went to a minimum of 145lbs. Then had some weight gain and peaked around 163lbs at 2 years mark. Since then I have been vigilant and last three years been 155Lbs with a couple of pounds variation.