lap-band the second time

[shaundra 5]

i am going to be totally honest and hope to get some positive feedback.

i had my band done 4 years ago in Mexico and had to have it repositioned a few weeks ago due to slippage. i absolutely hate my band now. i dont know if the surgeon in mexico had a different technique, but prior to my repositioing (and im being brutally honest here so please be nice) i would eat my food until a sharp pain in my chest told me it was time to throw up. then i would excuse myself, do the deed, and then i was fine...no sharp pain, no big deal. i lost over 120 pounds living this way and i was fine with it. a few months ago i noticed i was feeling hungry a lot more and needing to throw up a lot less (less sharp pain in the chest) so i made an appointment with a dr in dallas to get a fill. he said i had a slip and needed it fixed. i was told this before about a year out and ignored it because i was happy with the way things were and i was losing weight. but at this point i was starting to gain weight and decided it was time to have it fixed. well, this is completly different than before. i no longer get the sharp pain in my chest, and i can no longer vomit. and yes i know it sounds terrible, but i have tried to vomit and nothing comes out!!! only spit. now i get the most severe stabbing pain on my left side in the middle of my rib cage that make me want to die! i had a lot of plastic surgery to fix saggy skin after i got to my goal weight of 120 pounds and i was on top of the world, now i have gained about 40 pounds back and im so depressed. all i want is to have my band work like it did before.

i guess the reason i am posting this is because i need to talk about it with someone who gets it. i feel so alone and i hope maybe it will get better when i get my first fill, but im scared it will just increase the amount and intensity of this terrible pain i get in my side from eating.

please if you are just going to lecture me about vomiting with the band then dont even reply. i already know its bad and it can cause slippage and all that other stuff. i need a shoulder to lean on right now. if anyone else has had anything like this happen please tell me about your experince. thanks for listening,

shaundra

[lparedes 1]

Hi, Shaundra

My name is Letty. Hope u are feeling better. Sorry to hear that u feel really bad and what happen to u. I dont know what to say to make u feel better. My surgery date is on Nov.19,2010. If u want to talk to me about anything or about your band? email me letty93280@mail.com

talk to u later...

[elcee 3,341]

I'm concerned. You were basically using the band as a form of forced bulimia and you want people to be nice about that! That is a highly disordered way of eating and not healthy. Your constant vomiting would have been what caused the first band to slip.

I think you need some support from a professional. Someone that can help you understand why you are doing this.

If you are not careful you may cause your new band to slip. Plus there are other problems associated with constant vomiting such as damage to the oesophagus which can lead to cancer and and rotting of your teeth.

In the meantime on this board you will find lots of people that are happy to support and help you learn to use the band the way it is supposed to be used.

[Momto3redheads 18]

I am so sorry you are having the problems that you are with your band. I know it has to be frustrating!

I remember when I first had my band put in that when I would eat I would get some pressure in my chest that told me I was full - but I didn't have to throw up as I stopped eating then. But over time that went away - and I just had to learn to eat the right amount as when I ate to much then I ended up sliming or throwing up, neither of which I liked.

I think you have to just start fresh - as if this was your first time with the band...you need to make the right choices and eat things that will give you the Protein you need and won't make you throw up. Throwing up a lot will cause your band to slip again - and I am sure you don't want that.

I know you are probably so frustrated and I hope that you seek out a counselor or someone that you can talk to about your feelings and get a handle on things. We are here to listen and help any way we can, too!

Kim

[Kalipso2 25]

ahhh shaunda, there are people out there exactly like us. yes, i said us because i used to feel the same way as you are right now.

i was banded in april 2008 and lost a majority of my weight within the first 6 months and like you, i would eat until i threw up. i was okay with that because i was still able to eat the foods i wanted even though they didn't agree with my stomach.

what "woke" me up was the fact that i started having extremely bad acid reflux. i would literally wake up choking on my vomit. i finally went back to my doctor and he noticed that my band was too tight and was close to slipping so he removed a good 2cc's out of my band.

i did gain some weight during the next year while slowing getting fills to tighten my band. i'm at the point now where i don't throw up as much as i used to because i know its wrong. (and i think deep down, you know its wrong too)

your vomitting is most likely what caused your 1st band to slip. this 2nd band will do the job its intended if you let it. maybe you need more of a fill until you get that full feeling again?

listen, i grew up binging and purging but i chose to use laxatives to purge. i was taking up to 15 pills a day to get rid of the food i ate (this was pre-lapband). i knew i was hurting my body but i didn't care. i wanted to lose weight... and i did... but when i would give my body a break and stop taking the pills i'd gain weight back.

instead of getting professional help, i chose the lapband. i stopped taking the pills and found it easier to vomit after meals but i got scared of my band slipping and since i'm self pay too, i knew i'd never be able to afford getting it repositioned.

right now, i have my good days and my bad days. sometimes i go weeks without feeling the need to throw up but then a craving hits me and i slip.

my band doesn't allow me to eat hamburger meat or pizza anymore (it causes me to throw up) but sometimes the craving is just too great. just this week i gave in and had a hamburger and i paid the consequences of a sore stomach for 2 days afterwards.

just know, you are NOT alone. PM me if you'd like to talk more!!

[jensmallwood 0]

I have a question if you guys don't mind... are you talking about actually throwing up (stomach acid, etc) or are you talking about horking up stuff that is "stuck"?

I have to do this sometimes... it's not really old-fashioned "throwing up" because it comes right from the site where I get stuck sometimes (ABOVE the band/at the esophagus.)

I try not to eat so that I get stuck and have to get it out, but it happens about once a week. Could this cause slippage?

[Kalipso2 25]

for me, it isn't so much that the food is stuck (meaning there is no pain)... i just know i've eaten too much and feel the need to get it out BUT its food that is still in the upper portion of the stomach.

and yes... what you're explaining CAN cause slippage! of course, the goal is to never eat too much or eat foods that get stuck so the risk of slippage would be small. i think you're okay though...

[123crod 170]

Sorry to know you are going through this, it sounds so difficult. If I was you I would try to work with what you now have. Pull that band out and most likely you will gain all your weight back and then you will be really upset.

The way you lost it was not good, but now you have a second chance to keep it off. Get a fill and learn a new lifestyle and you should do good. Wish you all the best.

Cheri