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DOn't know if this OP is still looking for replies, but for other visitors...I didn't stretch my pouch, but stretched my esophagus! I was too tight for too long and overeating and managed to make my esophagus an extra part of my stomach. I didn't realize anything was wrong for years..just thought I had usual band quirks. Decided last summer to finally go and get a routine check. My surgeon is in Mexico, but luckily I have Kaiser and they covered me getting checked out. WIth a routine flouro, I had barely any barium passing and the next week, I was completely unfilled to let my esophagus rest for 3 months. I gained 45lbs in that time waiting for a recheck. I went back and esophagus was back to normal. surgeon waited an additional few weeks to get me refilled. I am on the journey back to where I was before..hoping I can get this weight off. So I recommend getting a flouro check routinely. It had been at least 5+ years I was down for a check to Mexico. My last fills were done "blind" by a northern california doctor who accepted mexico patients. Last saw him for a fill 3-4+ years ago and had been stable at my goal weight all those years. Glad I decided to check it out. Hated the weight gain, but hoping I reversed the damage and will be more vigilant now!!

So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery :biggrin:. That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :crying:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.

Thank you all so much for your responses I agree I need to actively try and get my highs from a new productive habit. I'll have a good think about it. It's so weird how similar the over eating and over spend cycling is.... the delicious anticipation and planning or the pure joy of a suprise temptation... the shutting out of the thoughts that tell you you will regret this.. the raised heart rate and excitement of the purchase or eating... the warm glow that follows and the brief high.... then the guilt sets in.....after a few cycles of that you face major weight gain or debt issues which add to the stress and of course you need to feel good again.... I guess I should be grateful I hate cigarettes and alcohol!

CNN REPORTS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PROOF THAT Gastric Bypass Lowers Risk of Death TIME MAGAZINE AUGUST 22, 2007 By Sora Song Whether one regards bariatric surgery — last-resort weight-loss operations such as gastric bypass and stomach stapling — as an essential treatment for obesity or as a failure of the fat person's will, the fact is, it works. Studies have shown that after surgery, patients often lose 50% or more of their excess weight — and keep it off — and symptoms of obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea are improved or eliminated altogether. Now, two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) show another long-term benefit: a lower risk of death. The larger of the two studies — the largest of its kind — led by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, looked specifically at gastric bypass surgery, also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, which accounts for 80% of all bariatric surgeries in the U.S. The operation involves creating a small walnut-size pouch at the top of the stomach, which is then stapled off and connected to the small intestine lower down than usual; the result is that patients can eat only an ounce of food at a time, and the food bypasses most of the stomach and the top part of the intestine, limiting the number of calories the body absorbs. In the Utah study, researchers compiled data on 15,850 severely obese people, half of whom had undergone gastric bypass surgery between 1984 and 2002, and half who were from the general population and had had no surgical intervention for obesity. Overall, researchers found, the surgery patients were 40% less likely to die from any cause during a mean 7 years of follow-up, compared with the obese controls. What's more, the mortality rate attributable to obesity-related disease was 52% lower on the whole in the surgery group: after gastric bypass, patients were 92% less likely to die from diabetes, 59% less likely to die from coronary artery disease, and 60% less likely to be killed by cancer. Results like these have got some doctors intrigued enough to start thinking about bariatric surgery as a treatment for conditions other than obesity —especially diabetes. A growing body of research suggests that the surgery may reverse the disease, a potential solution that could help some 20 million American diabetics. Though the current NEJM study did not specifically study the impact of bariatric surgery on diabetes, it did reveal a 92% reduced risk of death from the disease in surgery patients —findings that support what has been emerging in other experiments. "In more than 80% of patients who are severely obese and have diabetes and then have gastric bypass surgery, the diabetes is cured," says Ted Adams, professor of cardiovascular genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine and lead author of the new study. "The interesting thing is that the resolution of diabetes happens within a few weeks following surgery, long before patients have lost their weight." Like some other researchers in the field, Adams believes that the surgery triggers other biological mechanisms, separate from weight loss — perhaps an interruption of a crucial biochemical pathway or a change in the release of certain hormones in the stomach or small intestine — that may have powerful effects on diabetes. "The gastric-bypass patient is really providing a source of intriguing research related to all kinds of disease treatment as well as weight gain and weight loss," says Adams. The second study, led by researchers at Gothenburg University in Sweden, involved 4,047 obese volunteers, 2,010 who underwent some form of bariatric surgery and 2,037 who received conventional obesity treatment, including lifestyle intervention, behavior modification or no treatment at all. Ten years after surgery, researchers report, the bariatric surgery patients had lost more weight and had a 24% lower risk of death than the comparison group. Though the overall number of subjects in this study is much smaller than the first, the results confirm general benefits of bariatric surgery, and gastric bypass in particular: after 10 years, bypass patients had maintained a 25% weight loss, compared to a 16% loss in patients who had stomach stapling, and 14% in those who underwent a banding procedure. In both studies, surgery patients had an overall lowered risk of death, but an interesting finding in the Utah study shows that these patients were 58% more likely to die from other causes, such as suicide and accidents. The authors speculate that as people lose weight and become more active, they also become more prone to accidents, which may up their risk of death. Surgery patients may also have pre-existing psychological problems — a history of abuse, perhaps — that can't be resolved by losing weight. "There have been some studies reporting that following bariatric surgery, some individuals may be more prone to chemical dependency, such as increased alcohol use," says Adams. "There's some speculation that certain addictive behaviors that are in place before the surgery — with food, for example — are transferred to alcohol or another addictive behavior." "Hopefully this research will stimulate additional evaluation of what the optimal approach is for evaluating candidates for this surgery," says Adams. "I think we should never lose track of the importance of individual evaluation of benefits and risks." Last year, an estimated 177,600 patients underwent bariatric surgery, a figure that's likely to grow as Americans get fatter and fatter. Though modern surgery techniques have become more sophisticated, less invasive and safer than in the past, the bariatric procedure still carries all the risks of any other operation. Patients have a .5% to 1% chance of death. The risk of gallstones goes up. Sometimes a second surgery is necessary. And all patients must be careful to make up for Vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The surgery isn't for everyone; current guidelines recommend it as a last resort, only for the morbidly obese who have a BMI of 40 and higher, or for the obese with a BMI of 35 and higher plus a serious weight-related illness like diabetes or hypertension. This should help. Gary Viscio Viscio Law and The Obesity Law Center - Welcome

I am completely in agreement, I went to France for mine cause my GP kept telling me to count calories. After a weight gain of almost 5 stones in 2 years I think I was way past counting calories. If it was that easy, we would all be thin right?? LOL I paid £3300 in France for the op and the surgeon there told me that I was a prime candidate with a BMI of 46. The NHS board refused to refund the op cause they said that I would not have had it on the NHS if I had been patient enough to go through the year long process of seeing all the specialist pre-op so I am glad I went abroad! Surely it is about time they realised that being obese is as much an illness as being boulimic or all those other thin illnesses around! They are advertised as ill people to be pitied, we are put up as a figure of shame to be ridiculed???!!!!!

I was reading on port pain after a revision. My port twisted and where the port use to be and still after 3 months it hurts like a #!@%#!! 3 months of weight gain and still no relief. Finally a CT Scan on Monday. I have had enough of hearing this is normal. This pain in not normal. I can't even bend over or cough without it hurting. Talk about my doc blowing me off. I had a lot of serous fluid after my revision. I mean a lot!! I was told no concern. See what happens on Monday. I am ready to remove my band. Its been costly and aggravating. My first 1 1/2 years went great then the port flip. I knew something was wrong from the start. NO ONE LISTENS!!! Thank god for this site....

Yup, this! I have a lap band and my weight loss rate is much slower than someone who had RNY. For one thing, I'm not 100% restricted yet - probably about halfway there as I can still eat ~2500 calories a day. But that's less than my standard 3500 calorie diet so I consider that to be a win either way. It's enough of a difference that I lose about a pound a week. I'd lose about a pound a week through diet and exercise alone. The only difference (right now) is that I'm not suffering like I did before I had my band placed. Weight loss used to be torture. Now it just kind of happens, which is great! I'm looking forward to increased restriction so I can lose weight even faster but for now 1 pound a week is better than 0 pounds a week, or worse, weight gain! Now if you have RNY, you get the benefits of reduced absorption in addition to restriction and that helps the weight come off faster. So yes, it depends on the type of surgery you have. Regardless of what type it is, you will lose weight and just remember that any loss is good. Don't get discouraged if it's not as fast as you hope While it would be absolutely lovely to get to my goal weight in a couple months it just ain't gonna happen. It took a long time for me to get this fat, and it'll take a long time before I'm normal again.

I've been on Cymbalta for years. I have tried 3 times to get off of it - - just can't. I works great for my pain. I didn't really have weight gain from it. I did from other meds and issues (broken leg, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, essential tremor disease and on and on)

I have taken antiderpressants for years. Every time I try to get off of them, it gets so bad I cant even stand myself. In just function better with them. Even my family will say "mom are you still taking your meds?" The problem with most of them is they have two side effects, weight gain or wieght loss. Hello, which one is it? The problem is they dont know for sure. I take prozac which is supposed to cause potential weight loss, which did NOT happen for me but I didnt gain either. Unfortulately you dont know till you try them how they will work with you. Good luck. Talk to your doc. If you dont feel comfortable doing that, find you another one. God Bless.

It would be helpful if you filled in our profile particularly your start and current weight along with your height, it gives context to questions and helps those replying to give a relevant response. Even with weight lost surgery scale weight can fluctuate on a daily basis due to a lot of factors: hormones, exercise, dehydration or rehydration, medication, sodium intake etc etc. Are you eating to your surgeon's and/or dietician's post op guidelines? If you are fairly tall or carrying a significant amount of weight, less than 500 calories may be too low for you and you won't be meeting nutritonal goals...you don't want to lose too much muscle weight you want to be losing body fat. The weight gain and loss may well be your weight loss pattern, keep track on a daily basis if you are going to weigh daily (but if you can't cope with the daily fluctuation of scale weight don't weigh daily) and you will be able to spot the trends. Its all good as long as the long term trend is going down.

Sorry to hear of your condition, and yes as you know the weight gain is because of the medication. Be encouraged because you know that you can lose the weight again. You already have the tool in place and once the medication and treatment is done you can go back to losing. I know it sounds like a step backward, but really you're the encouragement and testimony to the band. Yes you're going through this now, but you'll lose not once but twice because you have the tools and knowledge on how to do it, and do it successfully. You're a testimony and inspiration to others. Yes you may have some tough times, but get back on it, as soon as you're able and do what you can... setbacks are part of life, but it's when we overcome them that make us great!

Below is what you posted yesterday, when you go off plan and advance your diet to foods that aren't Protein dense and that are high in sodium weight gain should be expected. Evidently you felt bad enough, as you did say you wanted to confess what you did. Or maybe it's like you said it's just your period. Posted March 22, 2013 - 4:37 PM Im 10 days post op and I've been sneaking in soft foods..broccoli and fish oh and a pickle (no skin) I haven't eating a lot but I just had to confess. Im actually 19lbs down! But I haven't lost anything in the last 2days just wondering if I may have caused a stall ..remember I was losing 2 1/2 to 3 lbs a day!

Long time no post...Reason, no weight loss and very busy. Yup. A little frustrated on the no weight losss but pretty excited about the NO WEIGHT gain!!!! Yeah it sounds weird but it's true. I am very excited about another thing. I found a few new snack that are great tasting as well as healthy and full of productive calories not empty ones. My husband and I found Whole Food's Supermarkets. Ok, I would of never went into this place a few months back because it just didn't interest me. plus, I never understood what it was about. Well, guess what... I love it now!!!! i found some Soy rice cakes, some honey roasted soy nuts, dried/baked veggies that really taste yummy. Even my kids loved it. I am so pleased that my kids loved it because no we can all enjoy a healthier lifestyle together!!! I also went to Trader Joe's (also another supermarket) and found some dried fruits and fruit snack that taste like fruit roll ups and only 70 calories!!!! HOLY SH... I can fill my sweet tooth!!!! So a heads up to all those sweet tooths out there...there are other healthier and "allowed" sweets out there, we just need to look for them in the right place!!!!!

Is your doctor concerend that you can still drink liquids at 3.5cc's. I'm at 2cc's and if the liquid is too cold or too thick I cant drink it. I can not imagine what I would be like at 3.5..probably all closed up. 2cc's is hard enough. Does he do your fills under fluoro? Do you drink the barium so he can see your restriction? That makes a big difference for me to be able to see it for myself , to know he hit my port and to see the barium trickling down through the band... The Wellbutrin will help like the prozac did but without the weight gain, be careful, you may feel nauseas the first week or so and with the band you do not want to be throwing up. I took wellbutrin( pre band) but the nausea was so bad the first 10 days I had to stop taking it, I knew it was going to get better as it got into my system but I could not hang on for that too happen. I had no appetite what so ever..I'm glad I was able to make you feel a little better..hang in there!

Aha! You, too, have been on the weight gain train. I needed to lose 130-150 pounds. Twenty or thirty came along with a very early surgically-related menopause. And then there were Prednisone pounds...about forty of those. And then there were Prozac pounds, p'rolly around thirty, and then there were the twenty or thirty from the Effexor/Paxil/Zoloft months. Which explains the lion's share of my weight gain. PLEASE, PLEASE tell me how the Wellbutrin works.

Hey Sultana don't get down..getting off the Prozac will help. I was on Paxil for a year and a half and gained 65 pounds. I weaned myself off it after my doctor told me a side affect was weight gain and that it slows down your metabolic rate ( wish he would of told me this before he prescribed it for me) Once the prozac is completely out of your system you will notice a huge difference. You are not a faliure.. losing 30 pounds the first year is better then gaining 30 pounds ...would you have lost the 30 pounds without the help of your band? I'm sure the answer is NO or you would of never gotten the band right? You're doing great! The way I see it...any weight loss is better then any weight gain! Keep it up and try not to get discouraged

:help:Last night was a really bad night! I have had several episodes where I start by having to throw up something I ate that sticks and then it progresses to not being able to keep down even a sip of water. Usually, by the morning, and with no sleep, I go get my fill taken out. Last night, I determined in my heart to see this thing through without having to call my doctor, drive over to Texas, have the fill taken out, and start over with the inevitable weight gain of the "freedom to eat" ticket (no fill)! Me and the Lord had a long and continual talk through the night and praise God this morning I didn't have to go have my fill out! I am trying to recall all of the enormous amounts of information you get before surgery about eating right, troubleshooting, etc. and I started out this morning with a glass of grape juice. Liquids today, soft foods next, gradually building up to a normal diet (if I can ever find what that is!)! I feel like I have jumped a tremendous hurdle and I feel really encouraged! Pray for me that I can FOLLOW THE RULES! To date, I have lost 30 pounds - several times in the past year actually - and I want that number to be 80!

hi, this isnt brought up as a criticism of anyone. it happens to unbanded people in fact it is why i want one in part, regaining weight. hitting your goal, something in your life changes and we start gaining again. what surprises me is reading about people who are banded that get an unfill and report gaining quickly 20-30 lbs or more. the apprehension i have a week or so out from getting my band is ridiculous, i'm not only afraid i'll overeat and damage the band but the really disturbing thought is i'll miss being able to over eat. i should mention the flip side of that thought is liberating, being free of that sick feeling and life revolving around food. so, with the band do habits really change, do some of us too easily revert to overeating when restriction is removed or is there a long term change to metabolism that results in weight gain if we return to eating normal amount of calories?

Don't do the last suppers!!! My friend did and put on 18 pounds in two weeks. Her op was a few years before mine. And now if there is a weight gain between the first consult and surgery, they stop the surgery. This is the surgeries rules, as the want everyone to get on board mentally before the op. I agree best option is eat health and similar to want is expected afterwards, although your portion pre-op are going to be alot larger. I'm 5days post op my meals are 4teaspoons of soft mushy food.

I having been watching your post, and waiting to see replies. I have basically gained back all but 5 pounds of my pre-surgery weight. I spoke with the MD about my weight gain, since I have been filled and unfilled. He said if we couldn't get weight off with the band, he would recommend bypass. I was banded in May 07, and had lost a max of 59 pounds.

So I'm not off the rails by any means, but struggling to get even a few lbs off. I'm 2 yrs & 8 months post VSG. And 4 months post LBL. Up until my LBL I'd consistently maintained a 130 lbs weight loss. Maintaining that loss was not without effort. My diet in check, track everything I eat, exercise 6 days a week. Immediately after LBL I feel like a switch got flipped. My weight bounced around a bit with the expected weight loss with my skin removal (which was minor as it truly was just skin being removed) and then the expected gain with swelling and of course lack of activity while I recovered. Nothing that concerned me. But now I'm up 7 lbs and I can't seem to shake it. I've locked down my eating, increased my water intake, I've been back to previous amount of cardio for over two months, I'm keeping a tight control on sugar and carbs which is much harder these days, getting in all my protein and still the scale isn't moving. It's like my body is intent on holding onto the extra weight. What gives!!!! I feel like if my calorie intake goes above 1,000 a day, I gain weight which is crazy. I was able to maintain eating 1200-1400 a day before. I know it's just 7 lbs, but 7 becomes 10. And fear of returning to old habits and regaining weight is always top of mind with me. I'm sure I'm not alone. Hoping this is just part of the recovery.

Well i got approved with some extra documentation. i ducked out of here because i had gone on the 2 shake diet, lost 14 lbs and then they told me I was going to have to do weight watchers for 6 months. So I compleatly wigged out because the surgery planner told me to just maintain that weight for six months. They said if; lost too much more, i wouldn't be covered. I have to be over 40 Bmi even with all my medical problems. I have never been a weight I needed to maintain...so no surprise, I now have 10 lbs to Lose again. Once my doc faxed over the proof of weigh once a month at his office, they approved it. Sooooo my pre-op class is Friday at 8 am. They are calling me back to schedule a surgery date. It could be this month, I will have to waiting and see....but I am approved. I am mad at myself for the weight gain...now I am back to shakes starting tonight since I already ate lunch. I am feeling very nervous now. I am worried I won't lose it in time...I am going to have to be close by Friday.....how am I going to lose 10 lbs by Friday? Any suggestions? I know it is my fault for reacting in this way and I know it is my responsibility to lose this weightl but I am seriouse about this...please help it you can.

I am on a pump have been for a year and have gained 50 pounds now 4 months into band process hoping to get rid of meds.I didn't know about weight gain before starting pump

Hi i had my band fitted in feb last year and my weight loss has been slow infact 4.5 stone is all i have managed to shift i had a Barium Swallow after the all clear i was asked to come back in 3 months in wich i had gained 3 pounds (my first weight gain in nearly 2 years) the doctor said he wasnt sure how much my Band can take so gave me 1ml ive been having a few problems all day ive had some Soup and orange juice and it keeps coming back on me constantly before the 1ml was inserted my records showed i had 8.5ml but am sure this was wrong cause i was eating pretty normal! and the Barium Swallow prooved this but can 1ml make this amount of drastic change? i mean i have been sicking up little bits through out the day does anyone know exactly how much the swedish lapy band can be filled? many thanks and am glad i found this site Rossy :)

I had similar problems for months, X-rays, barium swallow... Still nothing. I ended up having to have my band emptied and after a CT and Hida scan they realized it was my gallbladder. Bad thing is now I'm feeling very defeated by my band. Up 25 lbs since last year, finally keeping food down but feeling bad about the weight gain. Any tips to get back in the game?