Still hate my band

[size10again 11]

Yes I did self pay so that is $15,000 just gone. :-(

Hi. Has your surgeon viewed your band under fluoroscopy? Maybe it's not even in place or buckled closed? If not, I would highly recommend you ask about having this done! After 14 fills it seems the band is either not in place or it's leaking.

Good luck! Let me know how it's going!

Joan

[2bSMALLER 28]

Hello every one.

I was Banded December 1,2011. Im already down almost 15lbs in less then 3 weeks. I have followed EVERY thing my nutritionist and my Doctor said before and after surgery.

I have a very well planned out menu for the next month or so , just as I did my first 2 weeks. I was told by my nutritionist and Dr, if I follow my meal plans and eat the portion size as im told, I will lose the 81 lbs , they have me down to lose. SO far ,so good. Hopefully on my first fill , I REALLY start losing.

I follow my nutritionist menu to a T and dont plan on messing up at all.

I had a question for the poster Swirl.. Do you have a nutritionist that you can talk to ? I think if I didnt have my nutritionist, I wouldnt have done this good my first 2wks. I know im only about 3 weeks NEW to the band, but actually im not new at all .. I have been studying the Lapband for over 2-3 years.

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

Im sure the band doesnt work for everyone, as for me it has not done anything besides being implanted in my body, I have to do the rest. 14 fills and no restriction, sounds like a dr issue not a band issue??? Have you contacted another dr?

Im 11 months out and no problems, down 164 lbs. I LOVE MY BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry it didnt work for you ladies, its just a tool to work with, we do the work not the band.

~we do the work not the band.~

If WE do all the work, then why the hell would anyone want the band?!?!?!

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

Hello every one.

I was Banded December 1,2011. Im already down almost 15lbs in less then 3 weeks. I have followed EVERY thing my nutritionist and my Doctor said before and after surgery.

I have a very well planned out menu for the next month or so , just as I did my first 2 weeks. I was told by my nutritionist and Dr, if I follow my meal plans and eat the portion size as im told, I will lose the 81 lbs , they have me down to lose. SO far ,so good. Hopefully on my first fill , I REALLY start losing.

I follow my nutritionist menu to a T and dont plan on messing up at all.

I had a question for the poster Swirl.. Do you have a nutritionist that you can talk to ? I think if I didnt have my nutritionist, I wouldnt have done this good my first 2wks. I know im only about 3 weeks NEW to the band, but actually im not new at all .. I have been studying the Lapband for over 2-3 years.

~I know im only about 3 weeks NEW to the band, but actually im not new at all .. I have been studying the Lapband for over 2-3 years.~

Yes you ARE new. Having the band 2-3 years and "studying" the band 2-3 years are two completely different things! Believe me, you will feel very differently about your band in 2-3 years!

[Soundman999 3]

The following is a quote from your first post..."that it wasn't working" Well, just an FYI, you are the one who is not working....Seems to me that many go on this journey without researching the pros and cons...! Some expect to have this magic wand wrapped around their stomach...and...POOF...they're Skinny

Back to reality!!

Use it!

Let it tell you when to stop!

Stop making excuses as to why it's not working...bands rarely fail...hosts fail the band!

Success requires a significant lifestyle change...sacrafice...Healthy foods and portions versus anything and everything!!

14 fills???!?!?

Another suggestion would be to find another surgeon...14 fills seems to me to be way too many!

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

The following is a quote from your first post..."that it wasn't working" Well, just an FYI, you are the one who is not working....Seems to me that many go on this journey without researching the pros and cons...! Some expect to have this magic wand wrapped around their stomach...and...POOF...they're Skinny

Back to reality!!

Use it!

Let it tell you when to stop!

Stop making excuses as to why it's not working...bands rarely fail...hosts fail the band!

Success requires a significant lifestyle change...sacrafice...Healthy foods and portions versus anything and everything!!

14 fills???!?!?

Another suggestion would be to find another surgeon...14 fills seems to me to be way too many!

Well just and FYI, YOU are a complete MORON! Lol.

~Stop making excuses as to why it's not working...bands rarely fail...hosts fail the band!~

The "hosts" fail? Oh really? And tell me why it is that most other WLS's are successful, but somehow bandsters are the only ones that fail consistently?!

YOUR band will fail you in a few years. I would love to hear about how YOU (the host) failed then!

And of course 14 will is too many. And I did change Drs. Didn't matter. The Dr. worked. The band did NOT!

[Soundman999 3]

Moron...hmmmmm, haven't been called that in awhile! Brings back mammories (wink, wink)

Other WLS surgeries have a lower fail rate because the patient really doesnt have to do anything. Weight loss with some of the others is solely based on the malabsorbative process.

Compare RNY to adjustable gastric band at the 3-5 year mark...Statistics almost identical!

I do wish you good luck! Not trying to bust you ovaries!!

Merry Christmas!

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

Moron...hmmmmm, haven't been called that in awhile! Brings back mammories (wink, wink)

Other WLS surgeries have a lower fail rate because the patient really doesnt have to do anything. Weight loss with some of the others is solely based on the malabsorbative process.

Compare RNY to adjustable gastric band at the 3-5 year mark...Statistics almost identical!

I do wish you good luck! Not trying to bust you ovaries!!

Merry Christmas!

~Other WLS surgeries have a lower fail rate because the patient really doesnt have to do anything. Weight loss with some of the others is solely based on the malabsorbative process.~

Really? Because last time I checked................VSG was NOT malabsorbtive! Funny how they very seldom have a WLS failure with no malabsorbtion!

Merry Christmas!

[Shellyac 22]

I think that success with the Lap Band depends on more factors than any other WLS. Some of them are in the control of the patient, some in the hand of the doctor, and some are just pure chance. Also you need to keep in mind that the adjustable band in still an evolving procedure and there are new procedures that are emerging, like gastric plication.

It's not fair to say that patients with other WLS don't have to do anything when compared to the band. We have face similar issues, such as having to adjust our diets, the amount and type of foods we eat, and we have to deal with the relationship with have with food.

We are all taking a risk when we decide to have surgery and I think that the first thing that we need to do is get over the idea that one surgery is better than the other. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and people have succeeded and failed with them all. It is up to each of us to decide which one we believe will be the best personal choice and we also have to realize that the reason one surgery was the best choice for you may not apply to someone else. Also we need to be realistic about what each surgery entails both for the procedure and for life afterwards.

[Jachut 487]

Formerly Fluffy,

I hate that people have responded negatively to you. The band is not right for everyone. It would not have been right for me a few years ago.

Since everyone here has weight issues, you would think that they should understand we have all tried different things. Every body and soul is different so some need WLS and some don't. Some need the band, but some don't. Bypass or the sleeve works for some. I praise all people for anything they chose. Your mindset may not work with the band. Just be strong and find what you need. The band may still work for you??? Who knows??? Please let us know what is going on with you. Just know that I will not have a negative response to you. Good luck!!!

This is a good post, spot on. The band doesnt work for everyone because everyone's issues are different and everyone is prepared to different things to lose weight and keep it off.

Most people, if they fill beyond a certain point will start to get food stuck and throw up a lot. Then they unfill and feel like they have "no" restriction. This is very common. But the truth is, there really is no perfect point of restriction with the band where weight loss is automatic but you dont get the side effects of getting stuck. This is not how the band is designed to work. I've never ever in six years found that "sweet spot" and have always had the capacity to eat things like sandwiches - my band has NEVER enabled me to live on 800 calories a day, I would be absolutely freaking starving and if I filled it that tight, I'd be stuck and throwing up all the time.

But many people dont do very well at learning to eat slowly and carefully in the manner that they need to with a band. Its a big change, a difficult one but crucial for success. Throwing up is nearly always user error, and occasionally due to eating a food that just isnt going to work (those are different for everyone).

As for living on baked chicken, well, that's right. YOu need to change what you eat no matter what. If you put some effort in, you can learn how to have variety and satisfaction in your diet without high calorie, fatty foods, and you can have those treat foods once in a while in small quantities. I say I eat whatever I want because I dont follow any particular diet plan but make no mistake, you cant truly eat "what you want" whenever you want it and lose weight successfully. There is denial and hard work involved and until you're ready to face that, a lapband is not going to help.

Bypass as a surgery tends to be better for people who cant make these changes, but the problem is regain later on. Its not a moral failing for the band not to work and its not an attack when people post that it doesnt work and these people dont deserve to be told they're just not doing it right, but the truth is, the band isnt right for everyone.

[LargeMediumSmall 3]

First of all let me say that I'm really sorry that you are having a hard time. This process can be difficult. It took me two years and a lot of tinkering to figure out my band. I wish I could update my photo but it won't take my change. Anyway, I just wanted to know if your doctor had follow up care and nutritional counseling? If he/she did they should have told you about foods that are often difficult for banders. chicken, fiberous veggies, eggs, rice,shrimp, baked goods and meats in general can be difficult in quantities over one or two bites. I went vegetarian for the first 2 years because meat just didn't work for me. Two bites and it was stuck but I really missed it.

It was very hard for me to get used to eating only 2 ounces of food at one sitting and eating out became more of a hassle than it was worth. It took me lots of trial and error to finally get this band thing down and I still have sticky days occasionally.

I would highly suggest sous vide cooking for meats. It is a Water oven that cooks meats slowly and at low temperatures, thus making them ultra moist and tender. Google Dr. Simpson, he's a bariatric surgeon in Arizona who has a great website that explains why things like chicken stick and how to sous vide cook so you can still get your Protein and not have to live on Protein shakes. You can even look on youtube for some videos on sous vide cooking.

Read up on it and try it at home before you spend a ton of money on a sous vide oven. The first time I did it I took an electric crock, stuck a thermometer in it, and sat there and made sure it stayed at 146 degrees for chicken. I cooked it for 50 minutes and it was so soft, moist and tender and IT DIDN'T STICK! I actually ate 3.5 ounces and it didn't stick! I've got 4 cc in a 10 cc band and that's pretty snug for me.

Now I have a sous vide oven on order because I can't sit there for 50 minutes eyeballing a thermometer every night. :0 And because it cooks low and slow and never goes above the temp you set you can cook meat for 40 minutes or 72 hours and it will never overcook, it just stays moist, and tender. Many high end restaurants use sous vide cookers.

From what I read it sounds like maybe you are experiencing the wrong foods in the wrong ammounts but it's hard to tell. To this day there are still a few foods I simply just live without but being 159 and a size 8 instead of 265 is worth never having a scrambled egg or pizza again! I wish you all the best of luck.

It's just a suggestion. I wish you all the best and hope you find the aftercare support you need and deserve! Lots of love and hugs.

[Tryna_be_small 0]

I'm new to the band as well. My surgery date was in October..I really thought i would have lost more weight than i have not extreme weight but a good 30lbs at least. I have had 2 fills so far doc appointment tomorrow. I knew the band wasnt magic but i did expect more from it so i guess i have to hold tight and see want happens by the 6 months-1yr to tell if it is some bs or not. But best wishes to you in what ever you decide to do!!!