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Hey all, I had my pre-op class today and I have gained 6 lbs. I was told I should lose it as fresh weight gain goes right to the abdomen and takes up the room they need to operate.If there is not enough room for the intruments, they won't do the surgery. Yikes!

I'm so excited and scared and irritated all at the same time. I know this is the best/last choice for me but I'm so scared at how much I'm letting my LOVE for food affect my judgement! I wouldn't say I am an emotional eater although I am getting emotional about eating lol. But food itself is a passion for me. I always told my self I wanted to go to culinary school but a baby at 18 to support and then more weight gain then my PCOS returned with a vengeance. baby number 2 came and it never happened. So my love of cooking is now focused on my 2 children and boyfriend and the togetherness it brings my family! I want so badly to escape this tomb of a body I'm in.... Why is this so hard?! I know I will with out a doubt have this surgery granted I full fill all requirements and insurance allows. I just wish my brain would get on board with my heart

Hello fellow Bariatric pals! I am 6 days post gastric sleeve surgery. My surgery was performed April 18th, at St Francis Indianapolis by Dr Shamseddeen. Some Background info on me and my choice to have bariatric surgery: I am male, age 48 married with one adult child and two teenage children. I have been married for 21 years. We have a Noah's ark of pets but our primary pets are two cats, and three dogs (Lucretia a 6yr old female Newfoundland, Freya a 4 yr old female St Bernard, and Vivien a female 5 month old Newfoundland pup) I am a Registered Nurse who had specialized in geriatric/hospice/long term care before having a heart attack in 2016. I switched to homecare and work primarily with special needs and medically fragile children. After my heart attack with stent placement I started to number my health issues and I had a lot, obesity, smoker, copd, sleep apnea, Congestive heart failure, High cholesterol. I began to treat these with medicines, cpap, quitting smoking, light exercise. The one issue I did not really tackle was my obesity. With quitting smoking my weight went up as I replaced smoking with snacking. I had grown accustomed to being larger and just came to accept I was the fat old man, thats just who I was now so no use in fretting over it. Then my primary doctor handed me one more diagnosis... diabetes. I was just taking metformin, and was so far non insulin dependent. As a nurse who cared for older patients I have witnessed diabetes ravage my patients, I have prepped toes for amputation, then parts of feet, then legs... I was 329 lbs at this time and was fearful of dieting turning into yo yo dieting that would lead to greater weight gains. I began to research bariatric surgery. My first visit to St Francis Bariatric Clinic was September 14th 2017 (From first visit to surgery was about 7 months). I started my journey with the monthly meetings, nutrition appointments, pysch evaluation, and getting numerous surgical clearances from my other doctors. I started my preop dieting and got down to 317 lbs. When I started my preop liquid diet I was my worse enemy when my friends would come over to celebrate my surgery.... by offering me "one more for the road" food offerings of pizza, white castles, take out chinese food, etc. I appreciated the sentiments but I should have been stronger in my resolve to say no. But even with temptations, day of surgery I was about 311 lbs. My Surgery Day experience: Pre-Op prep was no problem, no complaints. IV placed, skin scrubbed, some labs drawn. Basic stuff. Rolled back for surgery, again no problem, introduced to surgical team as I was wheeled into surgical suite, moved to operating table and arms positioned at sides. I don't even remember when they administered sedation as my next memory was waking in recovery. Waking in Recovery: I won't lie..I was in intense pain and either due to sedation or just the level of pain I couldn't say how much I hurt, all I could do was moan..loudly and forcefully. I have never given any pain I have had a rating of 10 on a 1-10 scale, even when I had my heart attack, but this rated an 11+ After a minute or so I think i was given something for the pain and I passed out again. I awoke in my hospital room. Day 1 post op: In my room I was greeted by my wife and nurse. The nurses I had over the next 24 hours were great in treating me, as well as caring for my family. I was allowed one oz of ice chips to sip on and I had my PCA (pain medicine pump) to hit every 15 minutes as needed. I was wearing a truss, had a drain ball on my abdomen below the large incision site where my stomach portion was removed. I also had a foley cath placed. I have placed thousands of foley caths, but have never had one myself. I had an intense urge to urinate that made resting difficult. I kept joking with the nurses I was going to swipe a 10cc syringe to empty the cath balloon and remove it myself. Later that day I had two small 1 oz cups of chicken broth brought in for me to try. I was able to down 1 over 20 minutes and couldn't even start the 2nd. I had a 1 oz cup pf ice chips now and then but was not worried about dehydration because of the bags of saline and antibiotics they had running in via my IV. I started doing my inspiratory spirometer and I say this as a nagging nurse who has had many patients post op refuse to do them, now as a patient i can say that the inspiratory spirometer does help a lot. My first day I was walked a short distance, and that night I slept in the recliner as I found it more comfortable then the bed. I had still had pain but between the PCA and re-positioning it was manageable. Discharge day: I was walked again a little farther then before. I had my foley cath removed (Yay!) which led to 48 hours of a burning sensation on urination that eventually faded. I had my IV discontinued, and started on liquid pain meds which about a little less then 1 oz took forever for me to sip. The only notable pain I had that day was when they pulled my drain tube out. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but the nurse didn't just pull it out quickly, or even as 1 long pull but did it in 3 jerky pulls that sent pain rocketing from my navel down to my toes. Aside from that all was well, I had moderate pain, was sore and hurt to stand from sitting or to bend but it was all tolerable. Back Home again and starting my new reality: Since being home at first I tried to religiously follow the instructions I was given on nutrition, being on the modified liquid diet, taking my vitamins, and staying hydrated. I ran into several issues. First I had no appetite, you really do have to force yourself to eat, but also to eat properly over 20-30 minutes to get down a 2 oz cup of broth or yogurt. To quickly and I would feel nauseous and full. I would not drink within 30 minutes of either start or end of eating. I had no thirst for the first few days. Even taking small sips I found it hard to get in 40-60 oz's of water a day. I have been struggling to get in 70g protein a day. First the shakes would make using the Premier dry whey protein mix would froth a lot and give me a very full/gassy feeling. The thickness of the shake even after thinning would fill me up quick after a few sips. The taste wasn't good, but not terrible but you won't catch me saying "Ya know what would taste good right now? a protein shake" The vitamins. All of my vitamins right now are chew-able. Only problem I have is I have no teeth so I have to suck on them until they dissolve over time. Again not the best tasting, but they also seem to trigger fullness or nausea in me. I may switch to liquid vitamins, pills (when I can), maybe even the patches I saw advertised here. Some solutions I have found. I was looking over youtube videos and saw some people make Popsicles out of their protein shakes and I did the same with Powerade zero. Doing this I was able to get down at least half my shakes in a day (40g protein) and it really helped top off my liquid intake by sucking on the powerade pops I made but still limited the intake over time so I wouldn't get sick. It is day 6 for me and it is a learning process. I see that we all have many things in common but that everyone's experience with bariatric surgery is very much personal and individualized. The highlight of my week has been actually going under 300 lbs for the first time in many years and passing gas on day 5 (Hey to nurses passing gas is as much a sign of life as a pulse or respiration plus shows our digestion is working) I have been reading many of the forums and have enjoyed the stories and humor, and appreciated the advice given and I hope to read many more over the next year. Good Spring (when it gets here, I am from Indiana after all) to all

I’ve got two tattoos so far. My next will be a lucky cat, probably on my outer/upper arm.  This will be for the surgery, as I feel lucky to have the opportunity and means to have the surgery. I also want to get a tribute piece for my dad and incorporate some of the lyrics from Dropkick Murphy’s “Rose Tattoo”. I’ve got my cats name on my shoulder and I’d like to get it touched up, as weight gain prior to surgery kind of made it too fuzzy to read clearly. Have to make it more visible or cover it with another tribute to her. (I sound like a crazy cat lady, but I’m cool with it!) I’ve also got a shamrock on my back hip. Most of my cousins on one side all have some form of shamrock or clover tattoo. My husband is not a tattoo person, but yeah, he’d never in a million years tell me not to get any more. That just wouldn’t go over well. 😂

First of all, I just want to say that I am so proud of you for reaching out and getting the process started. Sometimes that very first action is the hardest but you did it and that's something to celebrate. I would say as you're working through the process of getting approved for surgery, it would be worthwhile to see a therapist. I also have abuse and trauma in my history which heavily contributed to my disordered eating and weight gain. Getting help for my mental well being was the single most important piece of my journey. The surgery is just a tool and it will only work as well as you learn to use it. Making sure that you work through trauma, learn new coping mechanisms, and have a solid support system in place will help ensure long term success. As for questions, I'd say keep a journal or notebook and write things down as they come to mind. Then, take that to your appts and ask them all as you're able to. Personally, I wanted to know all about my surgeons success/mortality/infection rates, the pre- and post-op diets, long term eating habits, vitamin and supplement requirements, and my personal health history and how it may impact surgery and success. Of course, other questions came up along the way, so I asked those too. Welcome to the WLS surgery club. We're glad you're here and we're cheering you on!

I'm not sure how much direct help I can be, as our metabolisms are likely quite different (between a 5'10 man and a 5' woman) but I'm stable at around 2000 calories per day, give or take depending upon how routinely active I am, typically split up between about five meals per day. I do about an hour of dedicated exercise per day, usually split between a half hour or so of running the dogs woods or canyon in the morning (they run, I hike) and a half hour or so of swimming or strength training in the afternoon. I don't keep track of the fluids anymore, but it is at or above the typical 64 oz recommendation (I down a 1.5 liter bottle of water per day, plus ice and whatever other incidental fluids I have - iced tea or milk products; more if I am doing something specifically dehydrating during the day. There is a series of videos from one doc that has some relevance - I'm not entirely up with everything in his program, but he is one of the few that I have seen that discusses the increasing meal volume that we typically see over time, and offers a way to handle it. I do something similar in that I have a fairly vegetable rich diet, and do more of his "veg first" approach rather than the traditional protein first that we see in the bariatric world. It does make some sense in that veg is typically high bulk, high nutrition and low calorie, so does a good job of filling that extra capacity that we develop over time in a way that minimizes the caloric load that leads to regain. The more typical low carb (and worse, low carb, high fat) diets that are all the rage today have some weight gain built into them as they are typically higher caloric density which can lead to regain if one doesn't keep on top of the overall caloric load. So, that is something to consider if that can fit with your dietary personality (something that you can stick with long term.) He has some other vids on related topics that may also be useful. He seems fairly down on revisions as a solution, which fits my experience as there seems little that can be done to a bypass that isn't just a short term fix; a revision to a DS seems to offer the best results but is a very complex procedure that few surgeons can perform, so that tends to be a last resort.

I was thinking today about what I've learned so far on this journey. Shockingly, it was a great deal. Here are the top 10: 10. Know yourself. There is a ton of advice all over the net and in our own circles.. but we have to be wise enough to know how to "eat the meat and throw away the bones." Not everything that others do will work for you. We've invested in our bodies and now we have to make sure we get a ROI (return on investment)!! Don't sabotage yourself by trying to stick with the regimen of someone else. If you're not sure, speak with your doctor or nutritionist/fitness expert. Your medical team created a plan specifically for YOU! So while it's always good to get ideas and advice, we have to make sure we are first and foremost doing what is best for us. 9. Goals. Look to the future always. Don't get complacent w/the amount of weight you've lost or frustrated with the amount of weight you haven't lost..but always keep reaching for your goal. Set small goals in the interim and reward yourself. We're busting our asses and deserve to be kind and sweet to ourselves every now and then. 8. Excuses, excuses! While we are our worst critics, we also tend to go easy on ourselves at the least opportune times. "I've been working hard..I deserve that slab of chocolate cake." "The kids wore me out, and now I can't exercise." Don't get me wrong, I think we all need a break and need to reward ourselves every once in a while..just be careful not to let it snowball. I made this decision because I needed a lifestyle change.. not to continue to give myself "outs." 7. Positivity. Stress causes the secretion of Cortisol.. which leads to weight gain in many people. Thinking positive and generally finding the good in your situations creates what I like to call, "Happy Juice." Aka: Endorphins! Also created when you work out! Endorphins crush Cortisol and can result in weight loss! So stay positive and encouraged..even if that doesn't cause you to lose weight, you'll be a happier person! 6. Kindness. Be kind to yourself. I have a very swift tongue and can cut someone down like a hot knife through butter... unfortunately, I can do the same thing to myself just as easily. Remember it takes time to see results..but if we keep placing one foot in front of the other and keep pushing we'll all get to where we want to be. 5. Do something! Move your feet and your ass will follow!! Everyone works at their own pace. They lose weight at their own pace and that's OK. If you want to see results (possibly faster) and reduce your risk of other complications that come along w/being overweight, get moving!! Even if it's 30mins a day..some of us spend more time than that on the phone, watching a movie, talking to a friend, reading a book.. etc. The good thing about those activities is they can all be done in conjunction w/exercise. 4. No Magic Bullet. This band is not a "fix all" ..after you get banded you will still have taste buds that crave certain foods.. you will still be a jerk or a prima donna..or a sweetheart.. you'll still have money problems if you had them before.. you'll still have personal life issues to deal with. The world doesn't stop just because we've gotten banded. As we're taking the steps to lose the weight, we must take the steps to improve ourselves to be more well-rounded and level people. Don't neglect the rest of your life..the band, while pivotal, is only a small portion of it! 3. Support. Surround yourself with like-minded people, with common goals..not just for the band, but for life. This is such a life altering experience and you find yourself not only wanting to do better health-wise, but improve all the aspects of it. Make sure you have people in your life that will add to it, and not deduct from it. 2. Keep it simple stupid! Don't major in the minors!! The band is hard...but it's not complicated. Follow the rules and listen to your body (the good stuff) and you will succeed. Don't make the band something it's not or try to complicate it. It's a simple tool.. work it and it works!! 1. Prepare to wait! Patience is KEY in losing weight this way. As the saying goes, "We didn't put this weight on overnight.. we won't lose it overnight." I'm learning a ton about myself..but the most important thing I'm really starting to grasp is that I'm worth it!! =) -Mary-

Hi Everyone, I am 56 years old and had lap band surgery in 2009 and lost 65 lbs. Over the past couple of years, I have had excessive stress in my life and have gained 25+ lbs back. I feel like I am eating pre lap band, I don't seem to have any control. My weight seemed to be stable until late last year when I started having bad reflux. Long story short....my band was too tight and Fluid was removed. Some was put back in a few months ago, but I am still gaining weight because I am eating too much. I can't seem to get myself back on track and I am getting panicky about it. My clothes don't fit, I just had to buy some clothes in a bigger size. I feel like I am going to lose this battle. Has this happened to anyone? Any advice on how to get myself back on track? Help! and thanks. Mary

Isn't personal accountability one of the things we all need to learn? Aren't we supposed to be learning to take responsibility for the choices we make, rather than make excuses? And in making someone else accountable for our progress, isn't that a way to put at least part of the responsibility on others? I really don't want to be flamed for this, LOL, but lets be honest here, we've all read the threads about how this one or that one is failing because their spouse is not supportive. That isn't the best situation, to be sure, and yes it makes it harder, but unless my spouse is shoving slider foods down my throat, I am responsible for any weight gain. I own my successes -- but I also own my failures. This was my decision to make, and it was not predicated on whether or not the people in my life would act as my Diet Police or what have you. Honestly? I would be pretty upset if someone told me what I could or could not eat, or made little remarks if I cheated here or there -- regardless if their intentions were pure. I am not an idiot, nor am I a child. I would feel that these "good intentions" were implications that I was weak of mind, and I would resent that. A lot. The decision to have this surgery is not one that can be made by a weak minded individual! Speaking only for myself, and not for anyone else here: If I cannot exercise a little willpower, after everything I've gone through with this surgery, then I feel like I wasn't ready to have the surgery. This is my body. This is my health. This is my life. Fail or succeed, I alone am accountable for it. I totally respect those who told everyone, and that's cool if their relationships are such that spreading the word would mean a more positive experience. I cannot say that this would be the case for me, which is why I was upset that my personal business was discussed -- especially because I specifically said that I wanted it kept on the down low, and requested that they keep the info to themselves.

I originally wanted gastric sleeve. My Mayo primary care Dr. Suggested I have gastric by-pass. I had consultation with bariatric Dr. & he also suggested by-pass. My first nutritional class at Mayo was excellent. She went in detail all the options. Gastric by-pass is the most successful, you lose approximately 70% of your body went. Studies show after 5 years the average weight gain is 20% of weight lost. So if you lost 100 lbs most gained back was 20lbs. That's manageable to lose. Suffice to say I chose by-pass, surgery Nov 28. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Let me start off that I have not been a model sleever for the past 3 years but in 2014 I reached my goal weight of 130 in less than an year. I was able to maintain it with eating clean/ low carbish diet for awhile until my weight settled around 135-138, and I was ok with that. Over the last 6-9 months I have gained 10-15 pounds and am not happy about it. I started to get more strict on my food with no increase of activity for the first 6 months. Never did exercise much from the beginning just here and there and I could drop 5-7 lbs quickly before. What changed? Now Im super serious about losing this weight. For the past 4 weeks I have worked out for 30-45 minutes 3-5 times per week. My food has been on point with one allowed cheat meal per week, which would consist of grilled chicken, green Beans and mashed potatoes for example. I have not lost one freaking pound! This is extremely frustrating!!! I cannot figure out what Im doing wrong?? BTW i start off my reset with a 3 day liquid diet. Could my metabolism be broken? Has my weight just settled here now? The things that I have always done just don't seem to work anymore. Even with increased exercise.I still eat very little and on a saucer or salad plate. Is anyone else going thru again similar? I really don't want to spend the money on a personal trainer and nutritionist but it's looking like i may.... TIA

It has been soooo long since I posted here, probably not since I was a few months post op back in 2016. I am now 6 years post-op (July 26) and have found myself really really struggling. I have gained 15 lbs. I know that may not seem like a lot to some people but I feel like I have made it so far and damn, why is this starting. I mean I know why. I'm eating poorly, I am relying on my sleeve to trigger my full feelings but I am def eating whatever I want, dumping, and doing it again. I am going through a rough time emotionally and I have restarted therapy but man I am finding it hard to not to eat my feelings. And what I eat is what I call punishment or self hate food: anything fried, fettuccine Alfredo, pizza...etc. I'm just so in it right now and the weight gain is compounding it. I stopped working out because of the pandemic, my studio shut down...sorry feeling so sorry for myself but I am scared I will end up looking like I did 6 years ago and hating myself even more.

I'm trying to decide between lapband and gastric. My concern is erosion and slipage. I'd like to know how many people suffer from either of these. I have to pay cash for my surgery so I want to make the most educated decision I possibly can. Also, does anyone who had the lapband regret it and wish they would have had the gastric instead? Another concern I have is that I live 150 miles from the doctor so I'd like to know about how many times I will need to make the trip for a fill. Finally, is their less chance of weight gain with lapband then gastric in the long run? Thanks for the advice and info in advance.

Regarding weight gain... I understand your concern. Most of us have failed at keeping weight off in the past and have regained more than we lost most times. I want you to know that the band requireds hard work on your part. The difference with the band is that the hard work pays off...A first for me! Even when I've royally screwed up a day of eating, I either plateau, or lose anyway. Quite a change...... I've sometimes wondered if I would have enjoyed gastric bypass more----that sudden big drop inw eight that happens almost in spite of yourself. But I know that there's something about working and succeeding at wieght loss that is so good for my soul. I've needed that experience all of my life.

Sounds like you have what we call "soft calorie syndrome." It happens when your band is too tight and you end up favoring soft, often high-calorie foods (like ice cream) that provide little or no satiety rather than the solid, healthy food that provides satiety and gives your body the fuel it needs. If you can hardly even drink tea in the morning, I really think you need a slight unfill. I'd make an appt. to talk to your surgeon about this soon so the two of you can come up with an action plan and nip the weight gain in the bud.

Today is Day 1 of my pre-op diet. I am ready for this. I managed to gain another 3 lbs, but I expected that. I hope that starting the diet early will make up for my weight gain during this time. So far this morning I had a single serving yougurt and coffee. I am not even sure what to take for lunch so I thought I would take a tub of cottage cheese to stash in the fridge along with another yogurt and a serving of SF Jello. It is hard to gauge how hungry I will be. I will take my glucometer with me because my blood sugars will be very unpredictable. Another reason for doing this early so that I can have them in normal range consistently before THE BIG DAY!!! THE BIG DAY - not long now. Can't wait to join the banded in this quest/challenge/journey. Update: DH took my before pics and they are not pretty. I find it so interesting how I can look at myself in the mirror to get dressed and not see myself. They were especially difficult to look at - and I really LOOKED - becauseI am wearing underwear that I wore 30 lbs ago! I am too stubborn to buy bigger clothes because I got rid of all my larger clothes last time. I will this time as well, but I am more positive that I will not EVER need them again.

I admit I weigh myself compulsively too. Normally I am 2-3 lbs heavier at night. I use my weight each morning to monitor my progress. I only log weight lost if I maintain it for 3 days straight, the same with weight gain. Otherwise, I contribute any change to water weight.

I had to quit for 90 days or my doc wouldnt even make an appointment and then they did a carbon test on my blood. Came up positive because I was inhaling second hand smoke from my hubby's cigars. Had to do another 2 weeks later. They didn't do another test after that and I was smoking again from October to April. I did do little sneaky things so that he wouldnt know I was smoking, like showering and washing my clothes right before an office visit. No one said word one that they had any idea. The nurse said that it was up to the docs descretion if he does another one. I am still smoking. I am going to try and quit again after I reach my weight goal minus ten pounds for the notorious weight gain lol. Do I want to? Nope, but I know I should lol .

Opting for diet soda instead of regular, won't help fight the bulge. Data from a recent study by the American Diabetes Association shows that while diet sodas may be free of calories, they do not prevent you from gaining weight. In fact, they may contribute to weight gain. Diet soda also contributes to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-06-29/news/30010277_1_diet-soda-weight-gain-aspartame#ixzz1koMApTiM

So beautifully said. Perfectly said. It’s a part of weight loss that isn’t much talked about and integral to losing the fear of regain. I have mirrored your journey. But I have also decided to completely move beyond valuing myself based on a number. I found that in order to be truly happy I had to accept that all “me” was a valid loveable person. The bigger me, the me now. My worth isn’t determined by my weight. This allowed me to let go of the fear of regain and also let go of any dieting behavior. I now eat freely and intuitively and it’s been such a wonderful transition. I’ve embraced my body weighing whatever it needs to to be healthy. That’s when I was really able to find happiness. My weight gain came about from self hatred and shame, feeling like a failure for not being model thin. If I kept holding myself to that standard I would have put myself right back where i started. Thank you for your post, it’s a really important thing to talk about.

Hey, I heard about that guy who ate McDonalds for a month and ended up 30 pounds fatter, higher cholesterol, BP, etc... But wait... Now there's a guy challeging this weight gain. I heard him on my local station 2 weeks ago. He said he can eat McDonald's every day at every meal and remain happy - his theory is the first guy made all bad choices. So guy number two is going to do it being careful about menu selections and getting plenty of exercise... oh, and he's a body builder to begin with. So, if you have a lil yogurt cup for b-fast, plain broiled chicken for lunch, and salad sans dressing at dinner, sure, you can stay healthy while living off McD's. But who the heck can say "no" to all the other goodies other than some health freak? The reality of tomorrow's band is starting to sink in as I try to maintain my liquid fast. I'm so thankful all you people have faith in me while mine lacks (hopefully temporarily.) Thanks George, for making it not so scary!

as usual, I totally agree with Jaelzion. the first year or so most people do have lowered hunger and most of us are pretty gung-ho about following our programs, and as long as you do that, the surgery WILL work. You have to really monitor yourself for life, though. After a year or two, you're dealing with the hunger monster again (although for some, it's not as intense as it was pre-surgery), and you're not always as committed as you were that first year ("diet fatigue"), so weight gain is easy if you don't watch yourself. if you find yourself dealing with the urge to binge eat again, then like Jaelzion said, work with a therapist. The surgery won't cure that. A lot of us work with therapists and find it helpful.

Well, if you go to OH which is a anti-lap band website you will hear nothing but negativity about the band. Anyone who post there nowadays are seeking revisions and are very bitter about their band experience. Also, you have to take into perspective the type of complications that occur with the band, most are simple things, like vomiting, reflux, heartburn, port leaks and tubing leaks, these are the majority of issues that occur with the band. Frequent reflux/vomiting is a symptom of lap band problems, such as slippage or dilation. Some people live with a slipped band for years, who don't have good aftercare, and end up needing emergency surgery to remove the band. Port and tubing leaks are not dangerous, but annoying and can get costly if someone is self pay and don't have money to fix or replace the band, this is why many people who are self pay should have a rainy day fund for any unforeseen lap band issues. However, these things can get severe if not treated promptly, like food obstruction can get life threatening and cause repeating vomiting and dehydration if someone does not seek medical attention by a lap band surgeon immediately. There are many people that do not have aftercare with their bands, many went to Mexico and don't have a surgeon to see them regularly in the US, some people have very poor aftercare with the surgeon that sees them in the US also, some lose their insurance, and no longer can afford the aftercare with their bands, so if you dig deep in how most people suffer complications, they are usually not really caused by the lap band. Also things like food obstruction which usually can be easily treated easily, can turn into a horrible complication if the patient does not see their lap band surgeon immediately to remove saline from the band. Also, everyone's body reacts differently with the band, some people have a weak or short esophagus and are not good candidates for the band, and they can't stand the pressure of a tight band and sometimes this will cause esophageal motility issues long term, but from all the studies I've read even people with a weak esophagus and motility issues return to normal after the band is removed. , Also I agree with the above poster Lellow, Australia have better lap band stats than the US because they have better aftercare surgeons, many surgeons in the US do not like offering aftercare and filling the lap band-- many surgeon view aftercare with the lap band to be annoying, many in the past have pushed them to Primary Care Physicians for fills, and other fill givers that do not fill the band properly, who know nothing about the band. Many of these surgeons were Bypass surgeons and only did the band as a "side project" because MOST people WANT the lap band and the bypass surgeons would do a bait and switch on patients, not fill the band properly and many people never get to the green zone, either too tight or not enough and patients would get so frustrated and remove the band, and the Bypass surgeon would gladly remove the band and revise them to the bypass, and that happens WAY too much in the US. I've had a lap band for almost 8 years and I would not change to any other procedure, I could have revised to the Bypass or Sleeve last year when I got my band replaced due to a hiatal hernia, but I see too many Bypassers and Sleevers struggling with weight gain long term, and dealing with other long term health issues such as reflux, Vitamin deficiency and hypoglycemia. I will risk lap band complications any day before I would risk Sleeve, or Bypass complications. Also check out the revision forum on OH, many people are desperate and seeking help from weight gain with the Sleeve and Bypass, many long term Bypassers are NOW seeking bands over their bypass, my surgeons also says many Sleevers are asking for bands too, but they can't because they don't have enough stomach left, but their small stomach has stretched too much to be effective without serious deiting, but some surgeons are putting some type of mesh bands over Sleeves, never let negative people fool you some have other motives for band bashing. Good luck.

Okay I'm not talking about like, 4 or 5 pounds... I'm talking like maybe 15 plus at least. I'm talking a significant weight gain. Yes it is possible for this to happen! I’m testimony to it. I gained from my lowest since banding of 227, to a current 255. Now before you get on my case, look – I know I blew it. I KNOW! Thank goodness this is a support website where we can all air our grievances without getting an earful from others who have not experienced this. I’m not looking for that. I’m looking for encouragement. Just a kind request: If you are here to tell me “Get a fill” or have an almighty attitude, please don’t. I really don’t want to hear any of that, and I truly thank you for honoring that in advance. I’m plenty tight, thank you. For that has no bearing when I’m eating ice cream or any other food that just slides right down. That said, I’ll continue on with what I had in mind. I gained when I was on birth control pills. I got off of them as soon as I could! They made me want to eat all day long! Now I’ve been stuck at 245-255 for the last several months! I can’t seem to get it right! But as I’m reading around I’ve noticed a few others like me that for whatever reasons (and I don’t care why it is) have gained some weight back too from their lowest. I don’t think that matters now anyway, as to the why. What is important is that it is accepted and to try to lose that weight again. Not over and over like I seem to be doing. I really have good intentions, and I will do well, but just until I get to a certain weight and I flux back again. I think it’s usually around “that time”, but heck the buck as got to stop here. I can’t take it, it’s like torture! I really have what it takes to do it, so I just have TO DO IT. So if you are in a similar situation as me, and you have gained some weight from your lowest, let’s get together and chat here. Let’s talk about what we are doing to correct it. Let’s talk about and announce our accomplishments and console each other when we have a set back. Let’s put up a ticker or something in our sig lines that are showing we are getting back to where we started! We can do this, if we do it together. I’m not looking for a challenge, the only challenge I face is with me. I just want to have someone to talk to that has similar issues. I’ve tried almost everything so far. Now I just need some people who can understand what I’m going through.

I started my day as usual.. running like a loon cuz I cant scrape myself from the warm, cozy bed but thats besides the point... I made my 2 scambled eggs w/my hunk of mozzarella cheese on the side. Thank god for the dog.. I could NOT finish my eggs :scared2:. I had my beloved protein shake at my 930 break. It hit me like a ton of bricks.. I was FULL. Lunch was half of a turkey on wheat wrap... I made it with more lettuce than anything. I also had a yogurt. can we say FULL. At my 230 break I had my other protein shake and felt... whats the word I am looking for... FULL. I came home from work and finished my salad (leftover from yesterday) and I am FULL.:biggrin2: Full is not something I have felt before. Not without a lot of food being involved. I am so flippin excited about this whole fill thing. It almost motivated me to get off my ass and use my treadmill. I said ALMOST. Instead I am being a mouse-potato and comtemplating a long hot bath since I now have clearance to take one. I do have one side effect of the fill though. I'm burping like a mo-fo. In the fat-club meetings, they said gas and burping repeatedly but in my first 5 weeks, I had nearly none of that stuff. Today..BURP. Every few minutes... BURP. While it doesnt bother me so much, I have very stuffy coworkers that are not so amused (BURP). Hell, atleast I wasnt farting. I am FINALLY starting to feel as if this has all been worth it and my mood is obviously improving a bit. I still hate my coworkers (most of them) but now I am starting to like myself just a smidge anyway. I am going to take the long awaited HOT bath and I am going to stay in there til I run out of hot water and wrinkle like a prune. OOOOOO. I almost forgot to mention that I went down a size in undies. I can almost buy hanes-her-way in a color other than white. Whoo-freakin-whooo. I have been so looking forward to the day I get to buy some pink panties!!!! Hell, in a few more months, I might be back to wearing thongs. I gave up thongs years ago after my enormous weight gain. While they were still comfy.. I couldnt bear to see the fat girl in thongs. Not attractive. Walmart has/had tummy control thongs. SERIOUSLY. why bother controlling the tummy when the booty is jiggling uncontrollably???