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Hi all, so glad they added this forum! I was sleeved in 2017 and lost 90lbs. Unfortunately I experienced great loss and trauma in 2019 to recent and find myself meeting the criteria for weight loss surgery again. I’ve done a lot of work on myself since and learned how to cope without using food. I’m starting the approval process for a revision on 11/19/20. Anyone on here get a second surgery due to weight gain? I know they do revisions for GERD and other issues but I want to hear from anyone who had a revision for gain. Did you sleeve to bypass? Resleeve? Sleeve to DS? Bypass to...? Did insurance cover it? Make you do a diet program first? Did it take months? tell me all the things!

I saw amitriptyline there, awful stuff, I hate it. Gabapentin & amitriptyline... Sleep issues? Sorry not my business, but I have them and have been on both for them. If so, vistaril doesn't make me gain weight, but I do Ambien too. I know A LOT about those meds, I feel like I've taken them all and weight gain because of my meds scares me too

I am getting my first fill tomorrow at 2pm, I know after ur fill 2 days liquid and then 2 days mushie then regular foods. But what about right before the fill? Should I eat or just drink liquids? They didnt mention anything to me about it.. but i want to make sure.. this fill is 2 months late. My dr. was on leave.. 2 months of no weight loss but no weight gain :grouphug: which is good. But want to look good for this summer! anyway thanks!

Ok, first things first, when people ask you how much weight you have lost, tell them that is not what you are most interested in with the lap-band. Tell them you are first and for most interested in getting healthy and extending your life. We all know it is also to lose weight, but people shouldn't make you feel like a failure just because you can't report back a loss to them. What you lose or do not lost isn’t their business. We also all know the band can be tricky and finding that "sweet spot" takes some time, once you do though, there will be nothing holding you back. It sounds to me that you need another fill, no big deal. I wouldn't beat yourself up about the weight gain though. You have ONLY had 1 fill, don't worry you will be great! :tongue2:

Is it something you’ve always had so your natural physiology, or something that developed with your weight gain? If it developed with your weight gain it’s likely it will improve. My ankles ached when I had my final big weight gain which was sudden & the balls of my feet burnt. Both these things improved heaps or disappeared completely. I’ve always had a degree of pronation (my ballet teacher lamented all the time) & it hasn’t changed because it’s how my body is built. Unfortunately the knee pain I get from sitting too long hasn’t improved but that’s from being short & sitting in chairs that are too high 😆. You may notice additional pain & discomfort as you lose weight as your muscles & tendons get used to not having to carry & balance your excess weight & get used to your improved posture. I had upper back pain in around month 3 or 4 because my bust had got a lot smaller & I was carrying myself differently. (Buying underwear that fit stopped the pain.)

I lost 90# and I'm 3 yrs. post op. 6 months ago I was put on an antidepressant [sNRI] and have gained 25# without changing my eating habits. I know weight gain can be a side effect of this class of meds and now am off of them, but still can't lose weight. Anyone have a similar experience and/or any advice? Thanks bunches!

I would put money you are experiencing water weight gain. Most of the foods you described are high in salt when you have been on an extremely limited diet.

Warning this is a bit rambly. Wow. My insurer just announced they are finally covering the band. I have researched and tried to get it for the past 8 years, but gave up hope after being denied twice. So for the past year or two, I've just been drifting along, not overly paying attention to new info on the band, or thinking much about what life would be like being banded. So, now that I have the opportunity, I need to decide if this is still the best option for me (yes!), and if the timing is right (I hope so! I've been praying for a while that the Lord would help me to reach a healthy weight and live a healthy lifestyle, so I would like to believe this is the answer to those prayers), and remember everything that I've forgotten (like everything about being banded, how to deal with food) Here are the things that have popped into my head since yesterday when I heard I had a chance to get the band. Timing - I'm just making a breakthrough with my Mary Kay business, doing everything right, taking it seriously, moving towards a leadership role, so I'm a little worried that having to devote a lot of energy towards get surgery, and dealing with any challenges will distract me from my goals. Some little stuff - Vitamins - I've been taking a fairly good amount of vitamins/supplements each day. I take a multi-Vitamin, 2 flax oil capsills, 2 osteo-flex caps, 2 Vitamin D pills, a chewable vit C, a baby asprin, 2 Calcium chews, a green tea cap, a zinc, and 2 magnesium tablets. Yeah I know it seems like a lot, but it really does make me feel better when I take them. But I take them all at once, usually with a big glass of Water. I was taking them today and realized this was probably a habit I'd need to change/adjust after getting the band. I could probably take the smaller pills (D, Mag, Zinc, baby asprin, BCP) with just a couple of sips of water, but I doubt I'd be able to take those bigger horse pill types with out gulping down water.... So my question would be, what do you take vitamin/nutritional supplement wise? and how do you take them? On the fitness front, I've been walking regularly on my treadmill since January. I just started walking for 30 minutes on my treadmill at whatever pace I could manage. At first I was only walking about 0.7 or 0.8 miles. I've been fairly consistant about exercising 3-4 times a week, and I'm now up to 1.5 miles in about 40 minutes. My goal is to add a quarter mile a week until I'm walking 3 miles and then get the time under 45 minutes. Then maybe I'll add in 1 more mile, and shoot for an hour. I've always wanted to be as fit as possible before I had the surgery in the hopes it would help my recovery. Back 3-4 years or so ago, when I was trying to get banded the first time, I tried out a bunch of Protein drinks, and found several I liked. I wouldn't have any problem having one or two a day. I know protein is a big issue, but I have always worried that I wouldn't eat a balanced enough diet if I had to focus so much on protein....how do I get enough Fiber? I really like veggies, salads, and granolas! In fact, I enjoy having a bowl of vanilla yogurt and granola (BareNaked brand Fruit and Nuts with extra dried fruits mixed in - whatever I have around - cranberries, dried cherries, raisens, apicots, you get the picture!) for Breakfast a few times a week. And if I have any, I'll top the bowl with fresh raspberries. I think I'd miss having that bowl of crunchy, chewy delishousness! Does anyone here eat something like granola for breakfast? I don't have a problem with reducing the portion, but worry I'd have to give it up entirely. I'm a little worried about how well my family is going to support me on this. DH and DD14 will go along with me (DS19 is off to college so not really a concern), but they may whine a lot about the changes in dinners etc - I do all the shopping and cooking, and I know they aren't ready to give up a lot of the "goodies" that make losing weight harder. And I'm the primary cook in the family - and tend to cook large amounts - so not only will I need to rethink WHAT I'm serving, but how much I'm making since there will technically be one less adult at the dinner table. I guess that means my foodsaver will get more of a workout and I'll just put things in the freezer for other meals. Mental Health/Head Games (Deep thoughts alert!) . I've always been overweight, from maybe 20--25lbs over when a young girl, being around 170ish in high school, picked up around 40-50lbs with each kid, to now being MO at 5'7"/300lbs but am quite healthy. The best weight I've ever been is about 145 when I was in college/about the time I got married, and I thought I was still fat even though I can see now that I wasn't. So I'm going to have to work on retraining my brain a little. More importantly, I'm not sure how well DH is going to handle me losing a lot of weight. He's over 400lbs, and while he professes to want to lose weight, he feels helpless to do so. I'm hoping that I will lead with a good example and he'll opt to get the band himself, or choose another way to lose weight. He was relatively fit until he left the Air Force in 2000, and then he gained weight at an alarming rate - 150-200lbs in probably 2 years. He's developed all sorts of health problems related to being MO. What I'm worried about is that DH will subconsciously sabotage me and feel threatened by my weight loss. Big stuff to think about! Would it stop me from getting the band? No, but I recognise that it's not out of the realm of possibilities that I'd end up divorced. I'm also worried about me - how I treat, or would treat him when I lose weight. We've known each other since high school and he was always the fit one, the high school athelete, the one who biked 15 miles to work. He struggled with the AF weight standards since he's only 5-6, but he always managed to get back into standards (often using poor dieting habits - working out like crazy while nearly starving himself) until he got out of the AF. He got out and went on what can only be described serious binge streak. I was horrified. He gained and gained and gained, and while he'd give some lip service to wanting to lose weight, he made no real efforts. I've always just had a little creeping weight gain - a little here, a little there. No major gains at once. Over time, I realized that a lot of my weight gain/problem eating habits stemed from trying to "Keep up" with him. We'd order a ****a, he'd eat half so I'd eat half, otherwise he might eat the leftovers. Not rational but it was the thought process. He also eats "by the clock" and would pressure me to join him, even when I wasn't really hungry. Now that I've realized a lot of these poor habits and pressures, I'm able to work around them, but he still feels somewhat rejected if I don't want ice cream, or if I declare I'm not hungry just because it's 5pm. His health problems are also causing challenges. He can barely walk a few feet without being winded, and is in a lot of pain in his joints. He isn't able to do many of the things we used to do for fun or that were his tasks/household chores in the past. I have to work at being patient. We realized a few years ago that he was both too busy with work and not physically fit enough to go on big vacations like going to Disney World where we would often walk 10 miles a day. So now DD and I go on those sorts of trips without him. So you could say that we now vacation separately because of the weight problems. I'm pretty sure that my frustration over that has made be act unkindly towards him at times. (I do however really enjoy taking the just-the-girls trips!) So I am worried about the larger ramifications of losing weight. and the pressures it may put on my marriage, but at the same time, I know I deserve to fit and healthy, and I WANT to be healthy. So, we'll just have to deal with the challenges as they come. Ready to get healthy! Hunzi Think Pink! www.marykay.com/jfloyd

I am so excited for you! You are getting so close. I have just started my 6mo pre-op diet. If you don't mind me asking... did your surgeon provide a checklist of items for your Dr. to review and add to office notes on your 6 month pre-op? Did you loose weight, gain weight, or stay the same weight during this time? Thanks for sharing.

DD found a ride home from college (saved me a 4-5 hour trip tonight, whew), so I’m back from the track meet and all packed for the trip tomorrow, so onto my day… Stop reading if you don’t want to read about my incontinence issues, yes…again (it never ends). I went in this morning (after taking DS1 to get blood work and to school) to get my ultrasounds done for the incontinence Dr. (Urology Specialist). After drinking the prescribed 32 oz. plus some an hour before the appointment, I arrived 15 min. early as instructed, full and ‘ready to go’. My appoinment time came and went...then I sat for another 15 min., then another 5…my back teeth were floating by then and my eyes starting watering…I crossed my legs and said a prayer of thanks that the good Dr. had put me on Vesicare, or it would have been all over by now. 5 more min…I’m in some serious pain…and then I gave up…I walked up to the receptionist (with my knees locked together) and asked politely for the bathroom key. ‘Oh, but I think they need your bladder full for this procedure’. I glanced around at the men sitting in the quiet waiting room...OK, I'm way beyond caring. I nicely said ‘I understand that, but they are late for my appointment and I have to go NOW!’ (Do they understand that I am here for an incontinence issue??!! What about a full bladder and having to wait longer than expected don’t they understand??!!!) She saw the desperation in my eyes…or maybe it was the tears of pee streaming down my face…either way, she showed me right in. The tech lady had a ‘trainee’ gentleman with her, so I tried to be brave. The rest was textbook, well sort of…ultrasound of my bladder (yeah, push on my bladder a little harder with that thing…I dare you), then kidneys, then ovaries (do you know your ovaries move around with age, yes, even without a hysterectomy…I thought that was interesting). Then she handed me the lubed up ‘probe’ and asked me to place it up the vajay-jay (Oprahism). She sought out the ovaries internally…all I’ve got to say is that I’m glad she knows what she’s doing…looking for a baby on an ultrasound is a piece of cake compared to finding ovaries that are no longer where they are supposed to be (I think mine were touching...awww, cute). Even looking at the screen it all looked like fog to me…no dark spots, no light spots. Don’t you always try to read the tech’s face just to know that they didn’t find something bad? Am I the only one who thinks I’ll be watching the tech’s face and they’ll gasp when they find the 70 lb. tumor (that’ll explain the weight gain anyway). Sometimes I can even get something out of them…this one wasn’t budging, not a thing…I even pulled the ‘I’m having abdominal laparoscopic surgery in less than 2 weeks.’ Nothing…no indication…I’ll get the results by Monday. I’ll try to post about my pre-op visit today this weekend…it was…interesting.

Hi! I was on Topamax for 2 1/2 years to help with my Bipolar. What is your use of the drug. It does help to keep you from gaining weight while on other antidepressent drugs which cause weight gain. My only bad side effect was I could not drink anything carbonated or eat gummy candy because it made theses things taste bitter.:thumbup:

I miss diet coke and diet dr pepper. But that was one of the bad habits I took up after my first RNY which could have lead to my weight gain. My surgeon says carbonation can stretch your pouch. I still crave the fizzy sweetness!!

Hang in there and stick with it. Your weight gain could be attributed to several factors, including the replacement of glycogen stores. Many people on here say your body stores 4oz or water for each 1 oz of glycongen stored. If you stick to your 450-700 calories a day, your body may fight to hang onto every calorie it can. But eventually it will have to burn those calories for fuel. I was stuck for about 8 days during my 3rd week. Weight wouldn't come off at all, then I had a MASSIVE POOP and was down over a pound that day. :-P Since then, I know that I've had at least one other week where I was stuck at a certain weight for the week, then the weight just started falling again.

What's causing the weight gain? If you ever lost weight before you had surgery, you know how to do it. Are you able to focus on what you really want -- to lose weight, that is -- while you seek a solution regarding your band? Keep in mind that the amount of Fluid in a band means nothing. What matters is that the amount, whatever it is, gives the desired result. You may need more fluid to get the band back in the saddle.

I had never heard of this before so I googled it. I found that there is an app that tells you what foods are supposedly better. What is FoodGauge? FoodGauge is a revolutionary food rating system that helps you make food choices to assist in weight loss. This 5-point system simplifies food labels and nutrition. It was developed by Bariatricians (weight loss physicians) Robert Ziltzer, MD and Craig Primack, MD FoodGauge favors food with Protein and Fiber, and disfavors food with carbohydrates and fat. Why did we develop FoodGauge? Trying to figure out if a food is going to cause weight loss or weight gain by reading a nutrition label is confusing. We made it simple! A single score tells you what you need to know. It is available for iPhone and iTouch through iTunes or direct download, and Blackberry through App World. What types of foods will be highly rated? Foods that are high in protein and/or fiber will rank highly. This includes lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, and nonfat cheeses, as well as vegetables and low sugar fruits. Many high protein, low-carb Entrees will be highly rated. What types of foods will receive a low rating? Foods that are high in sugars (carbs) and/or fat will be poorly rated. This includes baked sweet products, candy, butters and oils, most cereals. Sticking to lean Proteins, vegetables and fruits will assist in making proper choices.

This gives me hope. I also have Aetna and gained 7lbs. My paperwork was submitted to Aetna today but I was told I have a 90% chance of denial due to weight gain. What exactly is a peer to peer? I may need my doctor to do this.

Seven and a half years out. No revision, no major miserable side effects, no issues, no permanent weight gain. I had to have my gallbladder removed a year after my sleeve and I have GERD that I take a PPI for. I lost 100 lbs and gained five over the first two years. Stable at 137 since except for a 7 lb gain last year due to too many Frappicinos. The seven pounds are gone now. I would have sleeve surgery again in a second. I am skinny and happy.

I would definitely let him remove the band. I would also move Heaven and Earth to try to revise to the sleeve. The things I've read about weight gain after band removal are horrifying. It doesn't even sound like "normal" weight gain. It sounds more like accelerated weight gain due to the body being so accustomed to such small amounts of food while banded.

the liquid diet will test your will power, i can say for 14 day i didnt cheat not one time, and this was during Christmas, amazed myself and my family that I stuck to it. Knowing what you have coming is SO worth it! What i can tell you and I dont want to be negative, but it is a possibility, after you can eat again u may try a "no no" food and be like oh that went down, so maybe i will try something else. DONT DO IT, it is the beginning of a very slippery slide. Example the other day i really thought i need a piece of candy, reminder, just because you had the surgery and made your tummy smaller your head still thinks it can do what it did before, so instead of eating 1 piece i ended up eating 25 pieces, yes 25 "fun size" pieces. There was NO fun in that but I couldn't stop. I felt so guilty that i did a 2 day liquid diet to "punish" myself. Just remember stay positive, set obtainable goals, and your weight gain didn't happen over night and neither will the weight loss. All the struggles and fighting is SO SO worth it. Keep in mind the big pictire. I have lost 37lbs since my 12/30/10 surgery, 56lbs since my highest weight and I FEEL SO MUCH better!! I wish you the best of luck and stay strong!

I am so down. I weighed myself on my friend's scale at home and according to it, I have gained 4 lbs! I was doing so great and yes I did stop going to the gym because I am going through menopause and I had a really bad period that lasted 2 weeks. Now I am very down. I can't say depressed because that would be too "drama Queenish" for me. But yeah, down is the word. I am trying but need a good kick in the butt. Any good suggestions? Oh I was banded on Nov 4th 2011 and lost 40, now gained 4. UGH!

Thx for the responses - I for some reason am hardly ever thirsty - you think bad water intake may be contributing to weight gain? I know a pound or two isn’t a big deal because it will come off but I guess I’m trying to connect it to fluid intake so I can force myself to drink more.

I agree with Jachut in that I do see obesity as a sickness. I don't agree that eating too much and not exercising is the only things that will make you obese. I think the desire to eat too much is a symptom of the disease. I exercised moderately when I was bigger (not like I do now, but I was no couch potato either) and it did not stop me from gaining weight, like my sister who is considered underweight, but who doesn't gain despite not exercising a day in her life. Even at my biggest, I could walk farther than her, lift heavier loads than her, and was all around fitter than her. I also now watch her eat almost as much as I used to eat, and easily 4 times what I eat now, and realise I need FAR less food than she does to remain slim. I can't imagine most slim people could live their lives eating the equivelant of a 3yo just to maintain a healthy weight, yet that's exactly what I have to do. Yet another symptom of obesity as a disease. Genetics, pregnancy, hormone imbalance, age etc all play a part in weight gain as well, so not exercising and eating too much isn't the only reason people are obese, IMO.

Im on Effexor and Wellbutrin. I have taken Celexa and Prozac and had weight gain. No weight gain on my current regimen.

Yesterday I hit a real wall. Was ready to go home and od on the insulin that I had to start after multiple problems that started last year. I was withing 30 lb of goal...165lbs lost. Then H pylori, anemia, kidney failure, kidney stone, dehydration, over medication, 8 car accidents. Then incompetent dr that punctured the tube from my port to the lap band. Finally went back to original surgeon (Dr. Rumbaut...great guy) who replaced my tube and started losing the 70lb + that were gained after fluid had been removed (after hospitalizations). So then I had to start insulin, but was beginning to loose weight. Now, I can't get fills, because of swelling. Barium won't pass through. But everything else can and am starting gain weight again. Diabetes continues to be real spiky, throwing up coffe color blood most mornings from irritated ulcer, gerd and pb. I am so tired of this and of fighting the losing battle. Hope to call Dr. in morning to see if it is the time of day or if the ulcer is making having the band difficult.. Am ready for something else, but not the weight gain and not the ocd dieting pattern again. Promised a friend I would not give up and hang in there a little longer....hope I can get some answers from the dr tomorrow. Thanks in advance or for any replys given. LA

Hello everyone. I am thinking of getting the Lap Band and have a couple of questions.... My BMI is 36, now I know that is a little low, but I have high cholesterol, major back pain, and joint pains, and a few other minor issues. I have tried everything under the sun to lose the weight on my own but the weight never comes off. I will admit I have an addiction to food (since I quit smoking) and I know this has led to much of my weight gain. I have a family history of morbif obesity, and other major health issues. I am wanting to get my weight and health under control before it becomes majorly out of control and I have major health issues. And I am on the path to it! So here goes the question... do you feel that I would make a good canidate for this? Do you think I will be approved? My insurance pays for damn near anything. Should I wait till my BMI is more? Thanks for the help. Jenn:crying: