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Thanks for asking! I would love to hear from you as well. I am loving this band. I love my doctor but I wish he wanted to go a little faster. I started with about 3 ccs and he added .5 ccs with my fill on 11/4/08 and told me that with the weight I had already lost he didn't want to do another fill until January. I am feeling very little restriction and losing very little weight; maybe I am just discouraged because this week is PMS and I always have lots of water weight gain. On a brighter note, I have lost about 30 pounds and when I exercise, I am still losing. I am so glad I did this! I am never going back only down! I have not really had any problems. I have had a couple of experiences with "nothing" going down but when it happens, I can tell you exactly what I did wrong. My hair and nails are not in good shape but I think it is just because I need to work harder at getting protiens and eat less carbs. I am eating prunes or taking fiber every day. I started a challenge for New Year's. I really want to weigh 225 by New Year's. If you look under "August 08 Bandsters", you can see that. Lots of people of joined me in this challenge with their own goals of course. I have got to be serious about what I eat from now until December if I am going to do this but I really would like to. Rachelle

some people have called this band hell the time before your 1st fill. i go on monday and i'm goin to ask how long before the first fill:scared2: my doc is a stickler on weight gain from now and what could be 4 weeks. I keep the grumbles to a lul with sugar free jello or a tsp. of peanut butter since it's high in protein. i'm so scared for anything else.

confidence and how you carry yourself is everything my dear... well not everything, but it plays a huge roll in how men see you. i always had bf's when i was bigger and i met my husband when i was at the weight i am now; i ballooned to 278 lbs within months after we got married, he never said a word about the weight gain, but when i would bring it up he was always supportive. different strokes for different folks, ya know what i mean? so, YES there are men out there that do like big girls, you just got to look more closely :laugh:

Thanks for the update Gail!! I hope things get better for you and you can get another fill and get back on track.:laugh: We have the same dr. and i'm petrafied of weight gain. I have a pre op appt on Monday and I'm sure he will give me the rules & regs on being in this program. Best of luck & keep checking in!!

Hi there, I'm Andrea and I had my lapband removed in September after complications with reflux and inability to keep anything down. I had it for just over 2 years and lost a total of 70 pounds. I'm extremely depressed. I have been gaining weight like crazy. I've gained 20 pounds. For the last 6 weeks Ive been doing weight watchers and still gaining weight. I'm eating healthier than ever. Did anyone else have such a huge weight gain? Any suggestions?

Has anyone else experienced weight gain right after the surgery? I was banded on 11/20 and in just a few days I've gained 6 pounds back from what I lost pre-op. And yes, I've been sticking to the post-op diet of just liquids and calories under 1,000/day.

I'm having portal pain, but it isn't real bad. I say on a scale of 1 to 10, it is either a 1 or 2. I only really notice it when I'm wearing a shirt. It hurts when I touch the skin around it. Otherwise, if nothing is touching it, I feel fine. Could weight gain be causing the problem? I've gained back about 15 pounds. How do you know if your port is flipped? If it doesn't need be filled or unfilled, does it matter if it is flipped?

Hello, everyone, I've been lurking on this board for a couple of years, now; going back and forth as to whether or not to have the lap band. After yet ANOTHER failed attempt at weight loss (60 lbs this last attempt...now on the weight gain upswing again), I've decided to bite the bullet. I need this surgery. Since I am now working as an independent contractor massage therapist, I no longer have health insurance. I won't have it until I get married to my fiancee next November. As it stands, I'll have to be self-pay. :drool: My question is this: I know this varies, but what are the surgeon's requirements when a patient is self-pay? Most of the frustrating requirements seem to be the doing of the health care providers. It seems that with the insurance companies out of the picture, the surgeons requirements are a bit more leanient. Those of you who are, or have been self-pay, what were the requirements of you respective surgeons? Also, as a self-pay patient, did you have to wait months for your surgery date? Thanks for any comments! -SL

I'll be 57 or 58 by the time I have it done, and my experience is just like yours...menopause kicked me into weight-gain overdrive. I'm thrilled to hear it was easy going for you. Do you mind if I ask where you had it done, and what your experience was before/during operation? Thanks so much in advance.

Thanks for asking. I was doing really well up until last week when my ENT surgeon attempted to sew my trach hole close. It hadn't entirely closed by itself. He left a chain of stitches that looked like he was working on a crazy quilt (or was crazy). Over the weekend I started running a fever, my motor co-ordination skills completely crashed (I couldn't hold anything in my hands and I kept falling on the floor), and I began vomiting. Two visits to downtown ERs later, it turns out that I have pneumonia in my right lung and a giant oozing infected hole in my gullet. I feel lousy and the hole is seriously gross to look at. I am back to spending most of my time in bed. This is depressing because I was - only last week! - in the process of getting my life back. I was just starting to contact friends I haven't seen since I first got cancer and I was beginning to work renewing my passport. Well, this should slow down my weight gain, eh. lol

I just got home from my doctor's appointment and I'm all set for the 15th. They didn't comment on my weight gain. Although I'm not really sure if their scale showed one or not. I don't remember what my weight was when I went there last. I didn't want to ask to bring a spotlight to my weight. LOL I'm guessing it might not have been as bad as I thought. I left the appointment so excited and I just can't wait to start my liquid diet on Dec 5th. I'm sitting on second base waiting to run to third and then the home stretch.

I'm back from my appointment and things are still a go. They actually didn't even say anything about my weight gain. Maybe I didn't really gain anything? I didn't dare ask what my last weight was because I didn't want to put a spotlight on it. LOL The hospital was too busy to have me stop by for my pre-op so I don't do that part until 1 Dec. Anyone else on here have a surgery date of Dec or Jan?

Hi Tamra - Not many people get to this site. Good luck with your pre-op appt. A little weight gain should be ok if you've hit the target they asked for. I see you post on the pats_laps site too. I hope we can get a support group going.

You can't "spot lose" weight because you gain and lose weight all over your body; it would make sense that even one's private parts will change with a large weight loss--they changed with a large weight gain, but we were so busy watching our buns or boobs get bigger that we didn't pay much attention to the less obvious parts. I have noticed that there's a little "pillow" on top of my pelvic bone--it wasn't there when I first met my husband. The mechanics of female pleasure don't seem to be working quite so well for me at this heavier weight. Since reading this thread, I'm actually looking forward to possibly losing that little pillow--I'm not sure I need so much "cushion for the push'n"!:thumbup:

Today was my last weigh in for the six-month medically supervised diet program. The final word is a 12 pound weight GAIN! Yep! So, as a form of punishment I ate three double cheese burgers from White Castle, potato chips, cake and ice cream. I was so sad and humiliated by performing so badly and possibly jeopardizing my chance for insurance approval for my surgery that I just had to make myself pay. I keep asking myself why I can't master this. Why can't I simply get my weight and eating under control? I say that it's all I want so why can't I make that one thing happen? I ask and ask and ask and I can't come up with an answer. A friend of mine reminded me that in spite of all of her success and the fact that she has access to anything in the world she wants, Oprah can't get it right either. That's an excellent point, but it still doesn't help. I keep beating myself with every weapon I can find because I can't get a handle on this. My question for the day is if one cannot see a future for oneself does that mean that it's time to die. I haven't been able to see a future for myself in decades, but now it frightens and worries me. I don't see more than a few hours in front of me and maybe I don't need to. I remember someone saying that when you're driving on the open highway at night, your headlights only illuminate so many feet in front of you and that's all you need to see in order to complete your journey. I know that I want lap band surgery. I know that I want to release my "Kick Ass" self and get over all the bullshit that I hold on to as beliefs. I know that I want to live. So, I trudge forward boldly sending my record from the program to my surgeon for submittal to the insurance company. I'll have to see what happens. More to come!

My situation is/was a lot like Coltonwade above. I married my husband when I was a size 8. I gained 100+ pounds too. My husband NEVER criticized me or berated me or confronted me about my weight gain. It was never mentioned and he said he loved me all the time. We just started having sex less and less often until it was almost non existant. That was NOT my choice. So I knew it bothered him. I didn't know just how much until I listened to him cry his eyes out one evening about hating to see me so unhealthy and how it broke his heart that he was going to have to wheel me around in a wheelchair one day and that I would die young. I was stunned. I went to a lap band seminar the next week and had an appointment for a consult soon after. It took 11 months to get approval but I didn't give up. My DH didn't even know what a lap band was, so he didn't suggest it, but once I told him about it, he was on board from the get go. He is my biggest supporter. And just like Coltonwade's DH, he said the same thing...."I got my wife back!" He's been so happy about it. It actually strengthened our marriage. It needed a shot in the arm. We are closer than ever. Although I know for some it doesn't work out that way. He is a little more concerned about men taking an interest in me, and seems a little more insecure, but as a result, he's a lot more attentive. I respond to the attentiveness with a healthy lust, so it has worked out great. Maybe he's just scared about the surgery itself. Men are so funny about things like that. You would be surprised if you could hear their true feelings.

All I can say is WOW after reading pages of this amazing thread! I hope the people who originated this thread back in '05 still come back to read our stories. Ok, I have kinda hesitated about putting my story out there, but here goes. I'm the youngest of 3 daughters, and in high school, both of my sister's had various but undocumented eating disorders. I thought of myself as lucky because I never had a chubby phase like my older sisters, and I was always lazy, but surprisingly athletic. I don't think I would go so far to call me a high school "mean girl", but I was definately headed in that direction. I was HOT, lol, and I loved it. I continued to live in a perfect size 8 world at around 125 pounds until I was about 25ish, I'm 37 years old now. Up until I was 25 I had my fair share of family issues, un-documented depression, sexual harassment, anxiety, etc, and I remember where is standing at the time I said these words to my husband "I honestly feel like my body wants me to be at this (125) pound weight....I think I would have put on a bunch of weight by now due to all those struggles, but I guess not." OMG how wrong was I! Next thing I know, I am working at a crappy job where I was being sexually harassed, living in a state that I detested, and falling deeper into depression. I honestly think I put on like 30 or 40 pounds in a matter of a couple months! I'm still upset that my then doctor never took that severe weight gain as a sign of depression, but at least I'm medicated now As you can probably tell, I have never had much of an issues with self esteem, lol. I knew I was gaining weight rapidly, but didn't really think I had been eating all that much more then in stressful times before, but I was putting on weight.....How dare that happen to me, lol! I finally began treatment for depression once I finally moved to California, and was incredibly happy, but could just not lose the weight. Over time, I eventually gained 20 pounds here, and 20 pounds there, but my body hides it surprisingly well (If you click on my picture and check out my photo album, you will be able to see for yourself). It was also during this time (around 2000) that I flatly refused to be weighed at any doctor's appointment. I figured that there was never a way I would ever weight over 200, so I was fine with not knowing. I just could not deal with hearing the number, and was "blissfully unaware" of how much I weighed for many years. My friends and family were concerned because they never really saw me eat huge amounts of food. I do love my chocolate, and I don't think that will ever change, but there never seemed like I had one clear issue as to why the weight kept adding up. Also, each time I visited my family I would be overcome with anxiety at seeing my older sisters. Although they both had their issues as teens, their weight finally stabilized. My middle sister is about 5 feet tall and weighs less then 90 pounds after having 3 kids, and my oldest sister is about 5'2 and weighs around 120. I remember them thinking I was huge when I was younger since I'm the tallest at 5'4, but if they thought I was huge at 125, what the hell must they have thought of me once I gained all that weight!!! This past may, I began working out in earnest and really watching my food intake. You guys, I serioulsy almost fainted when I stepped on the gym scale and it read 223!!!! I always thought that I could be relatively healthy and happy if I stayed under 200 pounds. Afterall, that is a full 75 pounds heavier then I have ever been. I went to a fat doctor, who tried every weight pill out there on me, and none of them worked. There was also nothing wrong with my bloodwork to indicate I had a thyroid or other metabolic issue....I was just a fat fatty! So I worked out almost every day, eventually biking up to 60 miles a week, but my weight predictibly stayed between 208 and 216. I finally broke down on my birthday, and decided that I had to surrender myself to the fact that this issue is bigger then something I can do on my own. Gaining the weight hasn't been the absolute worst thing in the world for me. It has managed to take a "mean girl" and turn me into a sympathetic and less judgmental adult. Whew, that's alot to write so I'll end it here.

I agree with everyone about going back to speak with your surgeons office and getting your fill adjusted as necessary. Sweets and slider foods are a risk for every one of us. It is easy to bypass the band. Some of us, like me, are also carb/sugar addicts. If I eat some, I need more and more because of the highs/lows in blood sugar. If you really want to get in control of your weight again, some good first steps would be: 1) Make an appointment with your doctor concerning band and fills. 2) Cut out the sweets - they are jeopardizing your health and causing weight gain. You can start with small goals as in, "I will only eat Proteins, vegetables and whole grain non-sugary carbs today," and worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. 3) Recommit to banding - you can always go back on your post-banding diet to get yourself back in the "banded state of mind." There is also a really good option called the 5 day pouch test (you can google it and it was created by Kaye Bailey). This is a diet plan that tests the capacity of your pouch and helps with rapid weight loss and getting you back in the right frame of mind over a very short time frame. This is excellent for R&Y or banders who need to get back on track and I highly recommend it. There is no cost involved and the diet plan is clearly detailed on the website. 4) Start charting what you eat every day. If you have 1 bite of cheesecake, document it. You can use fitday, the daily plate or a whole host of other resources. Even a pencil and paper can help if that is more your style. This will help you to analyze what you are really ingesting daily. This can also be something to share at your doctors appointment in step #1. 5) Get some support through posting on this or other support forums regularly, meeting other bandsters in your area, maybe even getting your family involved if possible. You can get back on track and we are all rooting for you. It is hard, but very possible. You found success before, you can find it again. Best of luck to you.

You know, any patient CAN figure out a way to cause weight gain. So, he is right in a way. You can figure out how to gain weight if you want to. I'd like to keep an eye on this thread to see if anyone has the answer to '5 years' or so. Great post!

Well congrats on quitting smoking, thats got to be very difficult!! But yeah i just went to my month three group appt and should be having surgery around the same time you are. The only thing i am worried about is my weight gain before surgery. I was unaware until i came upon this site that we have to actually LOSE weight before the surgery. I was kinda border line on the diet, so i figured that the only bad thing would be to lose too much weight. Then i justified my eating because i wouldnt be able to eat what i want after the surgery. Needless to say, im up 10 more pounds in the three months. So now after reading the helpful posts about maintaining or losing weight, i know i have to lose that 10 pounds and then some. lol.. im trying to stay focus and not worry too much but just eat healthy. I know i could do it if i could exercise. So im trying to join the gym, there just so freakin expensive. What are you doing to burn calories?? i would love ideas, i just cant go outside too much right now cuz i have a toddler son that shouldnt be out in the cold weather. and btw, thanks for your response

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on this one. I have asked four different surgeons, and I have pretty much gotten four different answers. I have heard no - not at all; yes, absolutely; and two sort of in between. You'll hear people speak of the "big co-morbids." I think most insurance companies require a big one (or at least one)...and I think the smaller co-morbids (PCOS, joint pain, GERD) can really support your case. But I'm not quite sure PCOS will stand on its own. I have hypertension and I'm hoping to use PCOS as another reason to approve me. On a side note, it absolutely should be considered a co-morbid - causes high blood pressure, increases risk of diabetes, causes weight gain AND losing weight is the best way to manage it = seems like a no brainer to me.

My husband and I have been married for 39 years from the time I was a size 8 to my heaviest and back down again. We have had our ups and downs totally unrelated to my weight gain and we have gone to counseling in the past. Since I can not get inside your heads or your marriage, I think it is important for you both to deal with your feelings and perhaps discuss it with a counselor. There may be someone within the lap band community who can talk to the two of you, otherwise you might want to talk with a counselor before the surgery to better handle the upcoming situtations.

Coming from someone who was thin when i met my husband then gained 100 plus pds then lost 100 plus pounds the weight changes you . The weight changed my personality , before my weight gain i had a up beat, fun loving, out going personality , After wards i was nearly a shut in . Did not want to be around people, did not want to go anywhere, did not want to be seen . NOW If you ask my husband ( and people have ) how does it feel to have a thin wife or how do you feel that your wife have surgery . his answer is this " I got my wife BACK" And that is exactly how i feel . I am my old self and then some. So if your spouse asks you if your going to change its not fair to tell them no , becuase i can all but guarantee you you will. BUT You can tell them " I will be more fun, more active and more myself , i will be the real person i was meant to b e " If you feel like your an outgoing , fun loving talkactive person now , you will be that once you lose the weight and THEN Some. If your sort of a home body now , you probably will not want to sit at home anymore. If your spouse does , that is usually where the problem comes in . So counseling before hand is a good idea if you think you will become different ( and different is not bad ) than what you are now . Mindy

I've been reading a lot of the posts and absorbing as much information as I can. From what I can see (and please let me know if I'm wrong) weight lost pre op and after surgery is staying off. 1-2 pounds per weeks sounds like so little but the fact it isn't coming back is a big one. Weight does flucuate(sp) during teh course of a day or week. My weight history is (and from what I can see this is normal for everyone who has chosen LB) Loosing 10-20 even 30 lbs happens but then it comes back with it friends and relatives. Has there been anyone who has experienced weight gain (what is lost coming back with a vengence) since they have been banded? (of course I don't mean anyone who has gotten preganant since banding - new baby growing weight doesn't count) I'm hoping to be banded in January. I've already gotten my insurance approval and see the surgeon on the 11/24.

Morning! Glad to see you back Terry :tongue2:) Violet dreams are the best, I get a kick out of em! I am at 227lbs, so YAAAAAAAY I plateaud with the weight gain and even lost 3lbs. Baby's heart is still strong and all that.. I check it every night. I'm reading the worst drinks list-- "Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions." HRMPH. Well, they provide yummyness in my belly, so.. Luckily the only time I go to Starbucks for their hot chocolate is when I am in Tunica because they have one in the lobby of our hotel. There's no convenient ones in town. We actually only have 1 (weird concept eh?) and it's at a walk up mall that you gotta park a mile away to get to. Not going through all that for a drink. I found my title last night. It ended up in my shirt drawer.. how does that even happen?? Now I don't know where to go, we have DMV with loooong lines, then the DMV satellite but they do specific stuff I'm not sure about, then the courthouse a city away where we got our licenses last year with no wait.. but I don't know if they do titles.. and of course no one has people that answer phones anymore, it's all automated generic info. Holy cow!