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Anyone else going through this right now and wanna chat with like minded people? Ive noticed mine coming back over the last month, and I'm thinking about getting on something. (Again). I'm a little afraid of weight gain. The first three months after surgery I thought I was free from these things, but I know depression is common with Bariatric surgery. I think now is my time. I'm excited to feel happy and calm again.

My doctor let me decide though he suggested bypass. I chose the sleeve. First reason - dumping and alcohol. We entertain a lot with wine pairing dinners. Not willing to give that up. Second was purely anecdotal. Having lost a lot with band then regaining after it failed, I am completely averse to rebound weight gain. I saw too many examples of rebound weight gain in bypass patients as people’s intestines learned to absorb nutrients (and calories) again.

Yes, extreme indeed. I couldn't keep my own saliva down. I think that was the worst. If it was just or even if it was just water maybe my night wouldn't have been soooo horrible. But OMG -- you can't stop your body from producting spit. LOL, I was getting creative to make it through the night. Trying to spit out any saliva before it escaped down my throat. Of course, saliva is not only produce in your mouth so my attempts for futile and the foam just kept coming. and coming ... Yes, I'm glad that I had an unfill. I'm not worried about weight gain ... That's the least of my worries. Just happy to be healthy, pain, and foam free. Honestly, after the horrible experience -- these 3 days of liquids only have been the equivalent of eating a steak dinner to me .. I'm happy as can be and hope I never have the experience of an overfill again ....

Hello.. I've been an occasional "lurker" at this site but thought I'd share my recent complication with others. I was banded in December of 2006, had my first fill of 1.1 cc two months later and as of yesterday lost a total of 34 lbs. I started at 195 and now weigh 161 lbs. After fill, I had some restriction, steadily lost at an average of 1.2 lbs./week but two months ago spontaneusly began getting tighter, pbing with great frequency and the last two weeks could eat little to nothing and finally, not even Water would go down. I WAS SO MISERABLE!!!! I flew to my doctor and had a fluroscope (?)/barium check. No slippage, no stretched pouch -- I simply had so much swelling that nothing could go down and I was 1 cc of the initial 1.1 cc was unfilled. The relief and comfort was almost immediate. The "coffee grounds" and dark sputum is in fact blood from a very irritated esophogus or blood vessel. When I started the pbing, I should have immediately gone to total liquids and not created the viscious cycle of pbing, swelling, pbing and swelling that resulted in total closure of the opening. I will return probably in July and the dr. recommended a slight fill of .4 cc. Sometimes spontaneous tightening due to weight loss, stress occurs and the pbing/swelling cycle exacerbates it. I am less worried about weight gain right now then I am about not getting in adequate fluids and nutrition. Just thought I'd share my experience. sumatragal:) The coughing, spitting up of "coffee grounds" was in f

Did anyone get pregnant before the recommended 12-16 months? If so, how much weight gain? Any complications? Were you able to have natural childbirth?

I agree. I think it is when we start beating ourselves up over obsessive weighing is where we do damage to ourselves. I went to once a month after reading a post from someone posting ... in all caps ... about how they had gained 0.3 pounds in the afternoon from their morning weigh in. They lamented they knew they would be a failure at the sleeve. I also knew I was capable of that obsessive behavior and beat myself up like the poster did, so I changed my weigh ins. Currently we have thread from someone panicking about a 3 pound weight gain from the night before. Do they really believe they gained 3 pounds of fat overnight? Daily weighing, I believe, is fine if it is in the context as described by Irene. But we have to also monitor our brains and ensure we are not moving into unhealthy reactions to truly know what readings the scale give us means.

I know every surgeon is different, but I to- went in to speak with my original surgeon about a resleeve procedure and he advised that is was a bit of a tricky procedure and heavily weighed on whether there was dilation of the pouch and/or scar tissue. We decided against it and I'm currently in pre-op for revision to RNY (GERD, weight gain) Of course, do what you feel is appropriate for you, but make sure to ask a lot of questions because I didn't take a lot of things into consideration when bringing the idea forward. Good luck!!!

Has anyone else taken this for depression and noticed weight gain. I added it about a month ago and have gained a couple pounds. It’s supposed to be weight neutral according to my dr?? In all fairness I have been eating more but it’s almost as if the medication is making me more hungry.

Most of my adult life I maintained my weight at 117 pounds with exception of two periods lasting a couple of years that I packed on extra weight. With dedication and vigilance, I was always able to lose the excess.....until "The Great Weight Gain of 2012". None of my previous successful weight loss tactics were working and when I hit the 10 year mark of struggling to lose the extra weight; as well as, growing health issues from the added weight, I accepted the fact that i now was unable to fight this battle alone. I chose my goal weight of 112 in anticipation of the common regain from the lowest weight acheived to allow myself a five pound alarm system....in hopes of never seeing the scales above 117 again.

With a long history of diets and yo-yo loss/weight gains, now BCBS wants me to do it again for 6 months by their stringent rules. Then if you succeed, and I know I will, to fall below the qualifying BMI, you do not get approval. You repeat the same cycle gaining it back later on. A person would be better off to fail at the diet for 6 months. BCBS would rather pay years and ultimately high amounts towards claims related to the serious consequences of obesity than help a customer with a courageous decision to seek a surgical weight loss alternative. That doesn’t even make good business sense. Of course it does if you die - they win.

Ok... Here goes B- 1/2 scrambled egg 1 slice of bacon L- 1/2 piece of Tilapia highlander brand) D- 4 naked chicken wings FRIED!!!! Snack- Energy Vitamin Water Do not follow my example here bc I paid dearly for poor choices w a 1.5lb weight gain , very sad about this... Feeling like I can't get control sometimes

Hi! Yay for a poster in the April banders section! I'm doing really well. I had some really big issues with dry heaving at the start until we figured out my Vitamins and B12 were causing it. I've been taken totally off those as of 3.5 weeks and its stopped the problems. That did, however cause a 4 pound weight GAIN because I could suddenly actually eat again. (I was literally starving myself because of the dry heaving) That being said...I've relost those 4 pounds and am down a total of 21 pounds so far with a goal to hit 25 by this next sunday...4 pounds this week? lol. I can try, right? I was banded 4/24/13. Two days ago I decided to try on a pair of capris that have always been too tight and hurt my belly if I wore them for any amount of time. They fit! No pain! No rubbing! No gut sucking to zip them up. That was a great NSV. Those capris have caused me so much grief over the years, though...I can't wait to get rid of them because they are too big! No fill yet...Scheduled for June 7th.

I never really had a moment just a lot of things that collided and me randomly thinking "bariatric surgery"! I don't know why it crossed my mind, but it did so I looked up if it was covered and it was so I started the process. I have been thin most of my life, but when I got pregnant with my son I gained 70lbs. With my first i had a military doctor and they did not listen to me at all. I knew something was wrong I was gaining like crazy, but not over eating I couldn't eat I was throwing up all the time. I had preeclampsia too and they made me go a week overdue because they wouldn't listen. Delivered a 10 1/2lb baby! With my second child 5yrs later my new doc said she thinks I'm borderline with gestational diabetes thats why my son was so big and I was gaining. They monitor me with my daughter and I gained 35lbs and lost it. But my PCOS kicked in inbetween having my children and it caused me to have a metabolic disorder and through the years I have just been gaining. With PCOS comes a ton of symptoms which is the weight gain, acne, abnormal hair growth on the neck and chin. That is what I hate the most. I knew losing the weight would help with the symptoms, but PCOS weight is different and extremely hard to lose because of the metabolic disorder. So that's what made me think of bariatric surgery. I'm a size 18 and weight 255.... I don't take pictures with my kids and I feel so bad. I'm ashamed of my weight even though technically its not fault but my condition that I happen to be born with ughhh lucky me! I was starting to back out of not wanting the surgery. Then some kid called me fat from the school bus passing our house. That hurt my feelings and pushed me more into pursuing the surgery. I don't want to embarrass my kids eventually when they get older and notice. My son is 10 and he tells me nothing it wrong with me and that I'm pretty lol bless his heart! I got a candid picture of me the other day and omg I am the same as you that I questioned is that me?!? I swear when I look in the mirror i dont see it... I see a thin person, but honey my eyes are deceiving me! Ill attach the pic... ugh so embarrassing! Anyways my surgery is July 23rd and after seeing this picture I cant waittttttt for my surgery to come. 2 more wks! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Everybody, I am really confused and slightly concerned. FOr those who dont know me, I have been banded more than 2 and a half years ago. I have had somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-9 fills, most done with flouroscopy and some blind. I have had almost no problems with my band, lost a lot of weight, only had one day bout of reflux which was resolved with an partial unfill. So things have been great. I had plastic surgery last Aug 2005 and my plastic surgeon removed all of my fill by accident. At the time he did this, I supposedly had 2.4 CC in my band. I only asked him to remove .25 and somehow he took it all. I did not know this until oNe month post PS, I went to my original lapband surgeon for a RE-fill. He tried to withdraw saline only to discover there was nothing in my band. My original surgeon decided he would only give me 1.00CC of saline. Well, 1.00CC of saline is like giving me nothing since I had no restriction with this amount. I went to his office one week later in pursuit of more restriction and he refused telling me to come back in 3 months and he would reconsider. Considering I had already gained 9 lbs with the unfill, I was not happy with that decision and found a new fill doctor in Dallas to do my fills. I went for a fill in September with another doc. He bumped me up to 2.20 and told me to come back if I needed more. Since then I have not lost any weight, gained even more weight and I went to see him yesterday to get more. During the visit, he pointed out to me with flouroscopy that my band is not in the ideal position and has slipped a little. He said the last flouro he did in Sept 2005 showed the same thing as well. Its no reason for big concern as long as I had restriction. He said future options if this fill he gave me didnt work was to: 1) Remove all the fill and see if the slip would resolve itself. 2) Reposition operation He said the slight slip was not really my fault. It wasnt from pouch packing, since the pouch is not dilatated, just slightly larger because of the position of the band. He kept assuring me that it was a chronic issue and probably had been like this for a long time because I had lost oodles of weight, my stomach was now smaller than before and bandsters that are far along tend to have these minor slippages. He made it clear that my band is not eroded or damaged in anyway. He also said nothing needed to be done as long as I had restriction from the fills. He gave me .30 more. I now supposedly have 2.5 in my band. The problem I have is that I dont have anyone else that I know in my neck of the woods who has been banded as long as I have. There are a few bandsters and other than some anedotal information about pouch size and slippage with long term bandsters, I really dont have any other information to know if what he says holds any Water. If he saw a minor slippage the last time I was there, why didnt he say anything? He said not to worry about it, but hey what else can I do? Anybody have any suggestions? Think I should get another opinion? Or should I just see if everything works properly with the new founded restriction I should be seeing? I was pretty wide open on the flouroscopy, so I am confused about what to do..... Babs in TX 334/180ish

Hi All, Let's see I am in my fifties married 20 years to a wonderful support man am 5'2" and weight 200lbs. I have always been overweight I can remember at an early age not understanding why I was overweight or what it was just that I was overweight and the only one in my immediate family that was. I don't think there has ever been a time when I wasn't dieting or at the very least conscious of the things I ate that should not have not that that had ever stopped me. My biggest issue is that when I eat I just plain eat too much I only feel satisfied when I feel full and it takes a lot to get me there. To make matters worse somewhere along the line I developed the habit of eating once a day. In my twenties the only time in my life when I was actually thin. I discovered walking and love it to this day, yes I have been walking for the last 30 years not as much as I did when I was younger but I still walk 5 miles a day 5 days a week with hills. And yet over the years the pounds crept up. I think the walking has kept the weight gain in check to some extent. Anyway the walking has given me a false sense of security calling my self "fat but fit" thinking I was keeping any potential weight health issues far away. Then a couple of years ago my blood pressure started climbing along with my cholesterol and I really could not fool myself any longer. I know that if I do not do something my health will start failing no matter how much I exercise. I know I have trouble getting to my feet not just when I am on the floor but also rising from a chair. I also know that a life time of dieting has not worked and that I could not convince myself that somehow history would not repeat itself. That all my efforts keep me running in place I never go anywhere. So I have decided on the sleeve not for vanity sake though I know there is some vanity involved but mostly because I realize that I can either have my stomach under the knife or in a few years my heart. I had a bit of a wake up call with my pre op ekg it was considered borderline with the possible beginnings of major issues. I have to do something and this is my choice. Tomorrow 8/24 I go in for surgery. I am scared out of my mind about now. Scared about surgery, scared about recovery, scared about complications and most scared of it not work. Nancy

I have the Mirena. While it hasn't caused weight gain there are a lot of other side effects. I suffer from sever migraines which the Mirena made worse. It's been five months and I still suffer from breakthrough bleeding everyday along with horrible cramps when real period comes. I plan on getting mine removed after my surgery. If it wasn't for the Mirena rendering my migraine medication ineffective and worse I would keep it longer. Give my body more time to adjust to it.

I have not reached restriction yet but I have read enough here to know that it is better to get a small unfill than to be too tight. Being too tight can actually lead to a stall or even a weight gain because you will start relying on slider foods which can actually be more calories than you should eat. Not to mention the health problems that can occur from being too tight. Maybe have them take out .25 or .50 cc and you could end up being at your "sweet spot". Good luck.

Yes. Diagnosis before treatment. Why exactly have you gained so much weight back? Increase in appetite? Did you start eating different foods and why? Lack of movement and if so, again why? Does some of the medication cause weight gain on top of that?

So I told a friend who has had gastric bypass that I was considering lapband. Below is her response. It has me scared - this is a knowledgable, intelligent friend. I need some input, please! I have one comment to make, Tracey. VBG, or vertical banded gastroplasty / LAP band procedure, is not as successful as the all-out roux-en-y bypass. They are both surgical procedures. If you are going to do one it may as well be the roux-en-y. I'd suggest you look into it. Yes...it is permanent and they will actually cut your stomach to form a pouch and reroute your intestine and shorten it a bit. But your weight loss will be larger and you will see quicker results. I have heard of people dying from complications on both surgeries and one shouldn't make this decision hastily or take it lightly. Either procedure is serious. But I do have to say that after seeing results from both, there are fewer weight gains post loss with the roux-en-y than with the VBG/LAP. I did extensive research when I was considering surgery. I have several friends who were scared of having the same procedure as I did so they did the band. Big mistake. They ended up losing very little to begin with, got frustrated and gained everything back, plus. YES, it IS possible to gain it back...but the gains I have seen have been more popular with the band. By the way - they don't often warn you that the band can slip up and that you can actually choke on your vomit either while awake or in your sleep (which is what happened to 2 people I know. One person died, the other almost died. I don't know anyone that died from the roux-en-y, but I almost did...and 1 other person I know almost did...and another had some serious complications...but we all recovered and had major losses. The only reason I gained back some of my weight was because of fertility drugs, and I'm having a hard time losing that weight now. But I can assure you that I am still down about 110 pounds...so that's pretty incredible. I hope that you can do whatever makes you happy...but I think making an educated decision is really important.

Hi everyone! I'm 40yrs old, 5'5" & 235-238#, married w/2 kids. I have been losing & regaining weight since High School, but mostly now it just stays put, unfortunately. I have some health issues, migraine headaches, high blood pressure again due to weight gain, a condition called Pseudotumor Cerebri which causes vision disturbances & migraines & only goes away with weight loss, bad knees, etc. I saw a Bariatric Dr in spring of 2016, but my husband talked me out of the procedure due to the cost, surgery scare tactics & shaming me about regaining the weight again like I've done so many other times after loss. I've been really thinking about the procedure often lately, I'm miserable in my body. My knees are getting really bad, none of my clothes are fitting again, I just got over a severe case of walking pneumonia where I could barely eat for a couple weeks, but I still gained 5-7#!!!! Who does that?? At this point in my life, I would rather be dead than continue gaining weight like this & look & feel miserable forever. But I am only a part time sub teacher, I can't afford the cost of the surgery without my husbands help & insurance. I can't do this alone! My oldest son is only 13, but he lives & breathes what his dad speaks. My parents probably won't agree with this procedure either. What do I do? I'm so confused right now. I know my PCP won't support this, actually I need to find a new Dr anyway. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I am happy to see this thread has been reactivated. My name is Llyra and I have thirteen years of clean time. My banding was done on March 3 of this year and I have lost 26 pounds with approximately 60 more to go. Until I got the second fill, I was afraid I was in line to be one of the lap band failures- the weight simply was not coming off. The second fill helped immensely as has a gradual adjustment to a new way of eating. I teach belly dance, garden and maintain two horses so exercise is not as big a problem for me as for some, though I do tend to spend too much time on the couch if I am feeling low. After six years of not attending meetings, I returned to the rooms in October. The catalyst was the death of a friend in a motorcycle accident. I saw so many old faces at his funeral and realized I missed them. Didn't expect to be recognized after so many years and a 75 pound weight gain, but I was welcomed back with open arms.

You probably let those sneaky carbs back in. Give them the boot! You might want to redo a 2 week pre-op diet. I have been in a similar situation, no weight gain but louse eating.

I hate posting this post, but I need some help. I had my last fill at the end of September. As a result of my fill I lost 12 pounds in two months! During December I cheated like crazy. Don't pound on me, as I have beaten myself up, and continue to do so. I was able to eat, eat, and eat. I didn't seem to get full. I thought what the hell-let's just have a great time. Well to make a long story short I gained 5 pounds. OUCH. I did earn those pounds honestly. (Tip: Do not bake 50 dozen cookies, and only give away 40 dozen. Enough said.) Sometimes I was able to eat eight at a time, but even then I didn't get full. I figured it was Christmas. (Not a good excuse!) I did keep exercising, which is the only thing that saved me from gaining a lot more weight. I was recently put on medication that causes cravings for carbs, and therefore causes weight gain. (No excuse.) I have also had a extremely stressful season. FAMILY- enough said. Also I was diagnosed with epilepsy- hence the medication. I called my doctor at the beginning of December, because I could feel that I was able to eat more; but because of the holidays the earliest I could get an appointment was January 15th. My issue I have now is that I feel really bad that I cheated over the holidays. I feel guilt that I have gained 5 pounds. I am wondering if I deserve a fill. I understand that we bandsters have to be responsible with our food, and the band is a tool, and just a tool. I feel that I wasted a whole month- I feel that I didn't respect myself or my band by chowing down during Christmas. I am trying to slim down and I am using my bodybugg. My calorie count is still high. I have cut sugar, and bad-for-me carbs. I am not eating out. Having said that it is 2 in the morning and I woke up starving. In one hour I was able to eat: (I did wait 15 minutes before I ate the next meal, but I was still hungry.) 2 servings of cheerio’s and 1/4 cup of milk 1 Quaker granola bar 1 sugar free hot chocolate 10 crackers with peanut butter (So much for bad-for-me carbs, and sugars.) I am finally full. (Please don't lecture me on my food choices. I just put them out there to show you the quantity I am able to eat.) My concern is that I feel that I don't deserve the fill. I fill like a failure. I have been banded since October, 2007, and I lost 75 pounds- well now 70 pounds. My question is should I go to my doctor's on Jan 15th for a fill? Or should I try and lose the weight on my own? Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do? Would you go for a fill if you were in my shoes? (This is the first time I have gained weight with my band.)

Thank you for your post vickiebc! I just found this group today. I am 61 and have been to the seminar, the consultation and have my first meeting with nutritionist tomorrow. I was beginning to think there were no other people my age going through this. I I am very excited but also very nervous!! Please, keep posting. Sent from my QTAIR7 using the BariatricPal App Hi! Excited to see some of us "older but wiser" peeps on here! I am a 66 yr. young female going on 67 (in July) and had my surgery at 59. I went from "my" high weight of 241 to 127 in 8 months and was told to put on 5 lbs. Well I've done that, AND more, 23 lbs! I share this because it's a well known fact that if we do not stay plugged in to a support group and think our "pouch" is going to do all the work, we are fooling ourselves. I know because that's what I've done.....Im depressed about my weight gain, I cannot afford any type of cosmetic procedures and find myself slipping into the same habits that got me heavily obese in the first place! I'm not crying the blues or feeling sorry for myself folks, just asking if anyone out there has been, or is, there and what you did. For those of you who've just had the surgery, or are scheduled, I applaud you....I still believe it is the best thing I've ever done for myself Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

Good morning! Well here I am again. When I say I’m going to stick with something through to the end I mean it. Yes I always felt this nagging doubt before – so I’d just say I’m going to try it again... and again... This time I said I’m just going to do it and I’m going to see it out to the finish line (not sure exactly where that is yet). I’m going to get to get my body healthy and turn it into a calorie burning machine! I’m going to get my energy skyrocketing and I’m going to be able to do things I never imagined possible! I have been sticking to my eating routine as well. No, I have not been perfect – but I have been pretty darn good if I may say so. Tomorrow is my off day/free day so I’ll get the chance to let my body recuperate from the workouts and to shake up the caloric intake by pretty much enjoying 3 awesome meals and one awesome dessert. :-P I can’t wait… ha-ha!! I only get to have a “Free day” every other Friday, which is essentially my Regular Day Off from work. It’s the day I get to re-charge my batteries really. Everyone needs one of these every so often. I get to let loose, eat out and pretty much be a bum if I want. So what? I’m far from lazy – but I understand the true meaning of beauty rest! J I have been struggling a lot with the idea of taking a free day to myself every other week. I still get a little bit of a guilt feeling when I’m not working out or I’m not eating things like that on my good days. It’s all those years ingrained in me where if I were to just eat them any old time I would see a weight gain. I tend to lose fast and gain fast too. I take a lot of bad with the good on that. I notice it’s affecting me differently with this new “thought process”. I notice I’ll either gain a pound or stay the same for a few days following my free days. It’s a little bit nerve wrecking because I weigh daily. I’ve also noticed the weight is coming off quite slowly too. I only seem to lose about 1-1.5 lbs. per week. I’m not complaining really, it’s just strange for me. I’ve been known to lose up to 15 Lbs in one week! I can’t let this get into my head though and cause me to fall down again. I have to remind myself that I’m changing myself from the inside out this time. I have to re-wire my brain to become what I call more organized in my thoughts whereas eating and exercise are concerned. It’s when I am more spontaneous in my reactions to eating and exercise that I seem to lose track and end up making poor decisions. This is outside my personality trait anyway; I’m a very organized person. Perhaps that is why I always seemed to run amuck after a few months of doing really good. I wasn’t organized enough. My routine basically boils down to about 1150 – 1400 Calories per day depending on how much workout I do. My workout days run from 1.5 – 2.5 hours total per day (or more if I can muster up the energy) and 6 days per week. This may need to be tweaked from time to time as I notice my weight loss slowing. I do try to keep my body a calorie burning machine so I will do anything to keep it that way. Another thing I have noticed during my new routine and weight loss is my band has out of the blue returned. I was overly tightened before and thought this was the way to go to lose the weight. Well yeah, it worked for awhile but when you stay too tight for too long you tend to pick up really bad habits. Apparently what happens is one will move over to eating more slider foods to make up for content. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I gave it enough time and I seemed to find myself addicted to sugary sweet foods. I was never addicted to these pre-band. I was more a salty/crunchy type girl. I loved solid foods too (a whole lot in fact), I just ate way too much of it. Well my surgeon said enough was enough and “Released the Kraken” so to speak. Once I got the taste of real food again I was off like a rocket ship into space. I gained really fast after that until I got my senses back in order. That is me now, today; in order. I needed some routines, some organized thoughts. I needed my thinner body back! I was very uncomfortable. This time it’s going to be right. It’s going to be level headed and it’s going to be smart choices. I’m in it for the health, always was. I looked into the surgery because I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure at the young age of 31. I didn’t want to be like most of my family battling that my whole life along with other illnesses such as diabetes or cancer. I lost an Uncle from HBP and he was in his 40’s. He was NOT obese mind you, but he could have been healthier. He didn’t work out and he was much stressed. I think working out is a major cure for stress. However working out was very difficult for me because I was over 330 Lbs. I wasn’t going to lose with as much as I could eat. I could eat A LOT I’m telling you no lies. I could probably out eat most guys posting in this very forum. Anyway, decision made. Now it’s time for decision complete.