Search the Community

Hello everyone I wanted to share my story with you so that I may help someone that is discouraged with what they are going through. I am 43 years old, I have been obese for several years now. I developed gestational diabetes 8 years ago with my youngest child and had kidney problems in my pregnancy and was on bed rest for the last 4 months. My son was born 7 weeks early and after a weeks stay in the NICU he was able to be in a regular room until he could go home. I suffered irreversible damage to my organs and I was diagnosed with Cushings Disease and type 2 diabetes. So over the years I have been battling with health issues and weight gain. I have been seeing a surgeon preparing for lap band surgery since January and was so excited on Friday, August 23rd, 2013 to finally go for my surgery. I was prepped, put to sleep, woke up after surgery with the nurse telling me everything went great and I was immediately so happy and praising God for this wonderful blessing. It was shortly after they moved me into recovery and then they let my husband come in to see me. I was so happy to see him but I could tell that he was apprehensive about something, he proceeded to tell me that I didn't get to have the band placed, I thought he was joking but he wasn't. I was just devastated, crushed, defeated and anything else that could describe major disappointment. He felt awful when I started to cry uncontrollably and couldn't stop. The Dr. Came in with pictures and was trying to explain that my liver is fatty and so enlarged that it just was not safe to do it. I stuck to the 10 day pre op liquid diet but it seems to have made no difference. He said to call and make an appointment for a week to discuss my options. I only have two inch long incisions to heal so I'm doing ok physically from the surgery but it's really so discouraging that I will have to go through more to see if I can do it again. I won't give up but I am disappointed in my surgeon for not telling me that I might have a problem, as he took out my gallbladder 3 months ago, why couldn't he have noticed that there could be problems with my lap band. I have an idea that I will be put on the 30-45 day liquid pre-op diet and it's so expensive for the special foods that we have to have. I paid $150.00 for just the 10 day diet. I am sorry to sound like Debbie downer here but I'm two days post op and have to heal from the surgery that didn't happen

I was doing pretty good, been steadily losing about 2 to 3 pounds a week. I was so excited last week cause I was in the very low 160s, 151 will be my hundred pound mark. Then in the last 4 days I've gained 3 pounds without a change in my eating or workout habits. Ugh so frustrating, I really want to hit my 100 pound mark by the time my hubby come to visit in mid June! Have any of you had any weird random gain. I am thinking maybe I'm hitting my 6 month Stall a little bit late. Hope it doesn't last to long, I can finally see my 100 pound mark and so want to reach it!

I haven't regained much weight since having the VSG in August of 2015, but I can relate to feeling severely depressed and like a major failure. I squandered much of the earlier years of my youth being miserable about my weight, and so self-conscious I became a bit of a hermit. I declined social invitations because I had nothing to wear. I now waste time feeling angry at myself and regretful for having wasting time earlier on, even though I realize how counterproductive that cycle of thinking is. I try to remember that quote about how success is not final, failure is not fatal, it's the courage to continue that counts. Have you discussed this with your surgeon, or even just with your general physician? It might be wise to get some blood work done, including having your hormone levels checked, if you haven't done so recently. It's possible there's an underlying medical condition that is contributing to your cravings and could be treated. I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, but was not on the proper medication for it for a long time. I was taking far too high of a dose of one medication (Spiro) that was causing weight gain. PCOS itself was making me crave carbs. Since starting Metformin I broke a long stall and lost the final amount of weight to reach my goal. It caused unpleasant side effects (nausea, insomnia) at first, but then once I was acclimated to it I no longer had any problems. I also am taking a really low dose of Wellbutrin. I've found that it helps me with depression, as well as helping to curb my appetite a little. A higher dose made me more jittery and caused weight loss, but the lowest dose has still been effective. Maybe something like sugar free popsicles could help you to prevent dehydration when you're having a hard time getting enough water. In my first couple of months post-op plain water would make me nauseous, so I drank a lot of sugar free lemonade and Crystal Light. Peppermint might help to settle your stomach, too. Best wishes!

Hi Everyone, i had my sleeve done approx 3 years ago. I lost soooo much weight very quickly & went from 94kg down to 59kg within about 5 months. My weight stabilised at 62kg & I lived quite happily for the next few years. The only issues I had were significant (I'd say 70%) hair loss which has still not returned and reflux/nausea. If I drink alcohol I get so sick. I start sweating and feel like I'm going to vomit. So I have had to give that up too but it's not a problem. Over the last 6 months I have gained about 12kg. I constantly feel like my stomach is in my throat & keep eating food to push the stomach back down. I even get up at night and eat. I get a bit of reprieve from the symptoms then it happens again so I eat more. I also feel like eating settles my stomach. Water is so hard for me to drink that on days when I force myself to drink nothing but water, I'll be lucky to get a 750ml bottle down. I find diluted juice is okay & for some reason I can drink more of this. I feel like such a failure. The weight gain has made me severely depressed. I don't want to leave the house because no clothes fit me and I feel like a massive failure. Even though I am still 20kglighter than when I had the sleeve, my body image is worse now than it was before. I feel like there is no hope & no use trying anything else. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms?

Yepper, I am starving during that time. Thank goodness for skinny cow products- the icecream bars and the cheese satisfy my need for sweet without killing my diet. I also had a lot of water weight gain during that time.

I had to make that choice to try again or have surgery. I have had 3 miscarriages in 2 years. I can get pregnant just can't stay pregnant. My doctor and husband felt that it would be best for me to lose weight and then try again. Due to the types of meds or shots they may give me that could cause even more weight gain it is important for me to be at a lower weight to start with so that me and the baby will be safe. I am 31, but my hubs is 39 so I feel like the clock is ticking for us.

Notebook magazine here in Australia published an article in this months edition about Anissy Levy, an aussie who got LapBanded. she and the LapBand were well represented and very inspiring. She sounds like an intelligent lady - and the article in no way made little of obese people's problems. Check it out online: http://www.notebookmagazine.com/you/article/417/Stopping-the-weight-gain

Hi everyone, I'm new here and feeling so discouraged . I need help and if anyone has ever been through this before,I would appreciate ANY feedback. After my surgery,I had terrific success. Once I started the program,I was almost 300 pounds,291 to be exact. The day of my surgery ,I was 261. I'm not 249. I feel so disgusted with myself and so discouraged that I can hardly see straight. Actually ,for the first few months,things were great but right around September of 2009,I went in for my 3rd fill,at that time,I was probably around 215. I was feeling great,I had motivation unlike I've ever had before. Well not too long after that fill,I started to throw up all the time,I thought it was might fault,like maybe I ate too fast or too much but I wasn't doing anything different. Then I started to notice I wasn't losing any weight. So I went for months like this ,thinking it was my fault but what started to happen is that I was hungry all the time. I guess because I was throwing up all the time. I thought it was some sort of art form that I had yet to perfect with the new fill lol. Well it wasn't until December that I saw my surgeon and had a "unfill",so I thought it was ok but then I start gaining weight back so time goes by,they make me wait to give me another fill to give my band a break so to speak,so I have another fill and this sounds strange but for a while it was ok but I still wasn't losing weight hardly at all anymore and I started to get hungry all the time and then what I started doing was eating "around" the band just to fill feel. For example like ice cream because it tasted good,it was filling and it didn't make me vomit. I was seen a couple of weeks ago to have an "unfill". I think right now I'm only at a 3 ?? I am feeling really awful about my weight gain and I feel like I can't get that motivation I once had,back. What is wrong with me ? The Surgeon and his nurses said their not worried,that I will get back on track and that it's their fault for giving me too many fills(I don't feel it's their fault though) and that it's really a trial and error type thing but I feel like a failure and I also feel like other people see me as that. I really hate to admit this but there are a couple of people that I know that probably want to see me fail. I so badly want to prove them wrong. Has anyone else been through this and did it finally change for you ,for the better ? I need all the advice I can get . Thank you!!

I didn't notice any weight gain, but some do. You are building muscle so that could be it... It also messes with your Water balance and retention if you don't drink enough to make sure you do that. I do notice that the only time I get hungry post op is when I am putting in a lot of miles (my sister calls it the Rungry's) so keep tracking to make sure your calories and carbs are supporting your effort and not subconsciously creeping up!

I am 3 years out of surger, I have lost 240 lbs (started at 444 lbs). I recently gained 80 lbs back in the last 2 months. I had an endoscopy completed last week, now I am just curious as to what is next now that I found that my band has erroded into my stomach... I didn't even notice till I started to see the weight gain. I know this isn't normal but I want to know if it is correctable? does this mean that I will need the other surgery rather than the band? :confused2:

Sandworms is correct. He has to make the effort. Nothing you say or do will motivate him but everything you say about the old 50 lbs lighter him and his current eating habits will encourage him to rebel. It may seem childish but it's what we all do. Instead of longing for who he was becoming accept what has happened and start to make changes for both of you. Try a new recipe. Grow a small garden to get fresher food. Ask him to go for a walk with you. No agenda, just a walk. Do not talk about his weight gain. He knows he gained weight. He knows he's eating crap food. And he knows it makes him depressed and upset. If it is still bothering you, then you should go see a counselor and learn how to live with this situation. When your husband asks why you're doing it tell him the truth. You want to be supportive but don't know how and the changes he's making affect both of you and you need to learn how to cope. All of which is true. Once he sees you making an effort to better yourself to help the two of you, he will either do the same or your relationship will get worse. Be prepared for the worst. That way you can be pleasantly surprised when things work out.

Thank you guys for the encouragement. I get a fill next week, I hope it will help me start to eat less. I am trying not to be depressed about the weight gain but I really want it off!!!!

I wouldn't worry to much.. I was 39. Something and thought oh crap and gained a few pounds... They approved my at my original weight! Gained for nothing and had an extra 7 pounds to deal with 0_o

My PCP was not exactly thrilled either when I told him I was having the procedure. He too warned about the weight gain. I calmly explained everything to him on what I have learned and then he said "oh! Well in that case I wish you luck on your surgery!" Once he sees how success I WILL BE I think then he is evern the type to suggest it to other patients. But of course he was coming from a caring perspective. Your pcp was beiing an ass. He will learn the hard way when you go skipping your skinny butt past him if you are there that long. lol

are we as sleevers suppose to be eating 6-7 times a day? my surgeon/nutritionist said to stick with 3 solid meals a day. and one snack if you get hungry etc. could that be it maybe, i dunno. sorry about your weight gain. i worry about that as well

My kids are older, in their early 20s and late teens. They have watched me struggle with weight all their lives. I have exercised on and off, been good and bad role model on and off, and really, really tried to just focus on 'healthy". They all have the propensity to gain weight, and my oldest daughter had a sleeve 6 months ago. So, while I think I'm a pretty phenomenal mother in spite of my failure to really teach healthy habits, you might not actually want advice from me! But I'm going to give you advice, anyway! I do think it is fine to weigh and measure food in front of your kids and read labels. I don't see how that is damaging to anyone. It's just a reality for some of us. It's not anything to hide or be ashamed of. By the nature of their genetic makeup, most of our children are probably predisposed to weight gain. Giving them some solid tools and actions they can mimic to control intake and weight is good. Portion control is critical to success in maintaining a healthy weight. I think making your time with your children active is a no brainer. Also, I think talking about and modeling weight management can only help your kids. Contrary to what so many people seem to think, they actually do listen to us. I suppose the trick is to not beat them over the head with it ad nauseum. Kind of like I do now.....talking about "I just want to lose 10 more pounds" over and over and over. Do as I say, not as I do

I would love to lose my period most months. But I imagine that would make it a monster to deal with the months it did show up. My appointment is coming up soon so have a lot to ask about. Nexplanon, IUD, and maybe even depo...because I don’t want kids. So that side effect mentioned above doesn’t bother me. But the weight gain possibility does. So many choices! 😳

On Depo I had no period at all, no spotting, anything, after the 1st 3 months. I LOVED it! Did it cause weight gain? I'm not sure because I went through a lot of lifestyles changes during those years, and didn't practice a healthy lifestyle. So hard to know if it contributed. One thing that scared me off Depo, was the many studies showing it caused a loss of Bone Mineral Density. I finally figured it wasn't worth the risk the me long term health, sadly https://nwhn.org/depo-provera-and-bone-mineral-density/ I currently have the Mirena IUD, which I got right before my WLS, 6 months ago. I chose it because usually women have no periods on it. I have lots of friends who love it and have had that experience. I had a few normal periods after getting it, and now have annoying, unpredictable spotting. I'm hoping that will go away soon.

The size that you were at a healthy / normal weight when you were 18ish is your body's natural inclination. The size of your bones do not change past that point (well until you get old!), especially for girls because we've quit growing by then. Females' growth plates have closed by 18, so whatever your bone structure was at that time in your life is what your frame size truly is. With weight gain, childbearing, health problems etc., it may seem as though our bone structure changes, but it does not and can not. The extra weight gives us bigger shoe, clothes, and ring sizes and makes it seem as though our bones have somehow grown in mass, but it just doesn't work that way. It's fat and nothing more. Btw, if anyone wants to see how much fat and tissue is really masking your bone structure, stick your hand (palm side down) underneath one of those high velocity bathroom hand dryers. It is crazy!

This is one of the negatives of artificial sweeteners. Because your body tastes sweet it reacts as if sugar is being consumed & available to be used as an energy source hence the insulin reaction. The body also reacts by storing calories because there actually wasn’t any sugar which results in weight gain. (There are academic papers on this if you’re interested.) And of course artificial sweeteners continue to feed your desire for sweet. Your body needs some sugar (as glucose, fructose, lactose, etc.) as an energy source. Look for natural sources not ‘added sugars’. I get mine from fruit - blueberries predominately - and keep my added sugar intake to less than 10g a day total (usually only 5g). But it has been my choice to continue this from maintenance.

Libra lisa, I have had pcos since I was 18 and have always had a regular cycle. You should ask to be checked for pcos if you have other symptoms that point to it. I had to really push my doctor to check for it 10 years ago as there wasn't much info on it then. I've been blessed that my only symtoms are the cysts and of course, the weight gain.

This is quoted from a response "LapDancer" gave to a question regarding fills. Thought it might help. Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN By Nikki Johnson Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress. If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting. The LAP-BAND Bad Word Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking. How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss. Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121 Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding fluid to the band will only make matters worse. Life in the "GREEN ZONE" Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits. Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance. However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted. Thinking Adjustment Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health! For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources. You should You are You should ADD FLUID OPTIMAL REDUCE FLUID Hungry Early prolonged satiety Difficulty swallowing Big Meals satiety Reflux - hearburn Looking for food Small meals satisfy Night Cough Satisfactory weight loss Regurgitation or maintenance Poor eating behavior __________________ ~*~*~*~*Lap Dancer~*~*~*~*

I take seasonique. I used to be on drop and loved it. But my surgeon says no depo bc of weight gain and hormone issues. If they make you sick try to take them at bed time. HW 283. SW265. SD 3/22/13! CW 238

Glad to hear you broke your stall. I find that if I just keep going it breaks. I have also found significant (about 3-5 ibs) weight gain my TOM and a short stall during ovulation. It is like clockwork for me.

Hello and welcome. This isn't an easy decison to make, this is life altering so be sure to do your research and talk to as many banded people as possible, this journey is different for all of us. I came to my final decision for a number of reasons, but having PCOS (like you), that was a big factor for me. The struggles of PCOS are enough to make anyone crazy, espcially the weight gain end of it. For me it basically came down to either... A. continuing to yo-yo diet for the rest of my life like I had been for the last 15 years and end up just getting bigger and more unhealthy. Or B. swallowing my pride and admitting to myself that I couldn't do it on my own and that I needed help. So on Dec 13th 2010, I was banded. I know that was a chance and I may fail at this, but I really felt there was no other choice for me. I had dieted and worked out, and dieted and worked out, over and over since I was 15yrs old, and frankly I was tired. I was ready to give up myself. Until my boyfriend, knowing I had been thinking about surgery for years, encouraged me to go to a seminar. So anyway, to me it was taking a 50/50 shot on succeeding with this surgery or 100% shot at failing on my own again. So far it's been worth the shot. I've lost 39lbs and I'm feeling so much better and my clothes are starting to fall off me. I'm not embarrased to be out in public anymore, and not embarrased to go to a bar with my girlfriends and just enjoy myself. I am starting to find 'happy' again. It's not easy and my band isn't doing all the work, but it sure is helping me do things I never thought possible. I know this story is different for everyone, and I'm still just starting out but as of today I wouldn't change a thing about my decision. Good luck to you!