Any old timers still around?

[StLouisGal 1]

It has been a few years, just seeing who might still be around from the good ol' days.

I'm still around, but unfortunately not a bandster anymore. My band slipped again in September of last year, They went in to take it out and revise to a Bypass and found my stomach to enflamed to proceed so they took the band out and decided to wait until my stomach recovered to finish the procedure. You really don't want to wake up from surgery to the words, sorry, we couldn't do your procedure. Not a good thing at all. After healing for about four months (and gaining close to 50 of the 85 lbs I had lost, I had a RNY gastric bypass on December 1. It has been very sucessful and much to my pleasure they discovered why the band hadn't worked. I had a two inch hiatal hernia that was messing up the works. Now that that has been repaired I am losing weight again and feel better than I have in two years. I am down about 33 lbs from surgery date so I still have a ways to go. It has been a frustrating journey but one that I think was worth it. I would have probably started with the band even if I had known how it was going to turn out because learning to live with the band was great preparation for the Bypass. It has been a very smooth transition.

Hope everyone else is doing well. I look forward to hearing from some of my Lapband friends.

Take care

[Jennie1976 1]

Hi!

I'm still here too. I was banded Sept. 2007 and lost about 85 pounds. Then I got pregnant and had to unfill completely at five months. I saw onderland for one day (the day before they had to unfill me completely because I couldn't even keep Water down). I gained 50 pounds after that. Due to some medical issues, O have had to eat" around" the band to get enough carbs down. Unfortunately that means I have settled at about 220. I have been trying to get pregnant again for a year, so my band is not as tight as it needs to be for me to continue losing weight. But, since it is taking me so long to get pregnant, O have decided to just go ahead and get the fill and have an appointment in a week and a half. My goal is still 180. Hopefully soon!

Good to be back! I need this motivation!

Jennie

[Lisa99 1]

I've been banded since September 2006. I had one of the last 4cc bands put in before surgeons switched to the 10cc.

I've had several slips and each time an unfill fixed the slip. However, I've decided to have no more fills. The band is so small that I can't handle any level of fill. I ended up gaining back about 20 of the 60 pounds that I originally lost (my starting BMI was 32), but I've been at a stable weight now for a couple of years so I'm ok with where I currently am.

New issue now is recurring heartburn. So even though I have no fill, I need to get to a doc to check it out. We've recently moved to Las Vegas so I have to find a new doc for follow-up.

[Maincat 14]

Hi again everyone from Sherwood Forest, UK,

Had my band in November 2007 and lost 69kgs in a year. It transformed my life in many ways. You can view my images  here.

I've kept the weight off and I've not had a fill for two years. A great experience.

Hope all is well with you all.

Regards,

Steve

[Angie38 1]

Hi Old-Timers! I haven't posted in several years. I really have missed this site and am glad to have gotten the email to come back. Little by little my band-mates disappeared and so did I. It is funny at first I just couldn't get enough of this site all the support was so great for me from before getting my band through the first year. Even if I did not post I came on everyday to read about everyone's journey. It is so comforting to know you're not alone. April will be my four year bandiversary and I am VERY proud to say that I have kept my weight off! I have had two hiccups and am not sure why. I gained about 20lbs and started to freak out and went to see my doctor for a fill. He assured me that everything was fine and said that after time some of our fill does disappear. Not quite the technical terms that he used, but you get the point. So I got a fill and still no luck, then went back a month later got another fill and the weight has slowly started going down. I am not sure if this is my body settling or what, but I am glad to be back on track. My goal weight started out as 115 but when I made it my DH did a bunch of moaning and groaning that I was too thin (can you be too thin coming from our journey? I think NOT!!) and so I had a little unfill and gained to 120. Now I fluctuate between 120-126. When I go above that I watch and pay attention to what I'm doing. It is always me because I still love my chips and Cookies so I have to make sure I'm eating the right stuff. I will be back to check on everyones progress and see how everyone else is doing. It is great to hear from everyone thanks for starting this thread.

[Angie38 1]

I wish you much luck on your journey!

Hi!

I'm still here too. I was banded Sept. 2007 and lost about 85 pounds. Then I got pregnant and had to unfill completely at five months. I saw onderland for one day (the day before they had to unfill me completely because I couldn't even keep Water down). I gained 50 pounds after that. Due to some medical issues, O have had to eat" around" the band to get enough carbs down. Unfortunately that means I have settled at about 220. I have been trying to get pregnant again for a year, so my band is not as tight as it needs to be for me to continue losing weight. But, since it is taking me so long to get pregnant, O have decided to just go ahead and get the fill and have an appointment in a week and a half. My goal is still 180. Hopefully soon!

Good to be back! I need this motivation!

Jennie

[newhope4me 0]

I'm still around and still and bandster! I was banded March 2007 and I feel great. I am now at about 138 lbs. People are still saying that I'm still losing, I seriously need to buy some new clothes since I've put that off for so long and they are all hanging off me.

The last time I had a fill was probably 2 years ago. It's been enough, especially that time of the month.

I feel great and would recommend the band to anyone with difficulty losing weight and with it affecting their health.

[HeatherO 7]

I'm still around . . . it has been awhile. Life gets busy and when eating isn't everything anymore it seems like I don't need as much support as I used to need.

I am holding fairly steady around 140 pounds, medium tops, size 8 bottoms which is fine for me. It puts me at the tippy-top of a normal BMI which means I don't need to worry about eating so much.

I did have a slip while in the hospital after having my daughter and was rebanded in September of 09. I keep my band a little looser now and can not really keep it tight anymore because of reflux.. After several years, I can say that the band has successfully helped me control my weight but not without complications or unpleasant side affects. So I have success with a cost. :0)

It is nice to see so many familiar names and faces on this thread. I miss everyone. I don't go to the newer threads much anymore because I have read or answered "what is a pb" or "help i lost control" or "i don't really want to follow any rules or make an effort to be successful but why isn't the weight falling off" or other threads we are all used to seeing and spent so much time on in the early days of banding. :0)

I have to say, it is nice to not be consumed by eating anymore. Being able to turn off that hunger trigger is priceless.

[Wheetsin 714]

Dang it Alex, I see oodles of replies to my post and think - Ok, people are feeling the Wheetsin love... and then I see it's all because of you, not me. Back to my low self-esteem and avoidant personality disorder.

Apple2, my daughter is perfect - of course! Granted, I'm a smidge biased. Seeing her grow & develop is definitely #1 on my list of amazing things - she surpises me and simultaneously breaks & mends my heart in new ways each day (like this morning, when she was exercising her Independent Girl muscles, and yesterday when the "room to grow" clothes we just bought were suddenly too small).

I've lost most of my pregnancy weight (umm, that includes a huge weightloss during my first trimester, that I "comensated for" in my 3rd trimester... but since they cancelled each other out I just pretend it didn't happen...hmm...), and have been maintaining pretty solid (and even dropping the occasional pound) for about 2 years now. Unfortunately I'm maintaining about 50 - 70 lbs higher than I want to maintain. So that's somewhere in the neighborhood of a maintained 120ish lb loss. Glad to have it gone, but want more.

I actually wanted to start researching VSG, which is how I re-happened upon LBT.

[Angie38 1]

Congrats! Glad to hear that your doing so well. I have never heard of the "sleeve"? I guess I will have to Google it. =)

It's been awhile for me also. I'm no longer a bandit, but am now a sleever since July. Long story.... but the reason was with regard to a very large hiatal hernia that would not hold if the band were in place. I'm nearly at goal and very pleased with this procedure. I didn't realize how much trouble my band was... or maybe just accepted the trouble as part of the process. But for my situation this has been the best solution. I almost forgot about PBing... things getting "stuck" that horrible feeling when something isn't chewed quite well enough and knowing it's coming up... not to mention no more acid reflux at nights; no more being too tight one day (or part of a day) and able to eat a barn the next. My sleeved stomach works just like a "regular" stomach... it just fills up with less...consistently. The weight loss is consistent and doesn't require much effort... eat balanced diet... eat when hungry, stop when full. I'm down 105 lbs from start weight, and still losing. Could go faster if I were to diet and exercise consistently... but this is okay.

[FailureIsntAnOption 0]

Thanks for the email Alex. I am still around and still maintaining my 120 pound weight loss. Lapband was the one single best thing I have ever done for myself. I've been very fortunate with my band, no problems at all!

[FailureIsntAnOption 0]

Alex, I got so tired of being stalked, harassed and ridiculed by a certain couple oldies that I just decided to stay away. I also forgot my log-in info. Thanks to your email I was able to log in again. This forum is a great resource when needed.

Hello!!!

I'm going to send an email to members that haven't been around in a while with a link to this thread. Would be great to hear from some of our old timers. I'm sure all of us are wondering how everyone is doing and where we're all holding in life as well as with our Bands.

Please click on WATCH TOPIC at the top of this thread, in order to receive an email when s/o responds. We're planning to automate this feature very shortly.

I'd really love to get that sense of community and comradery back on LBT. Any suggestions from some old timers please ?

[Wheetsin 714]

In terms of comradery - my hiatus was 99% my daughter, and 1% message board phooey (phooey being everything from pack mentality to lack of ownership to... you name it). I'm on a low drama calorie diet, and this is not where I wanted my few precious calories to come from. I have my TIVO list of reality shows when it's time to indulge.

And if 102% is possible, I'll add 2% band complacency. It's done what it's going to do, and what I could offer/gain is already out there, so... but if there is a value I can bring, I'm happy to do so.

[carol1951 0]

I am still alive! And trust me, that is saying something. I was Banded March 2007, I was going to go for the RNY but changed my mind. I am so grateful that I did. April 6, 2009 I was diagnosed with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer Stage 3 A. Being able to be unfilled and able to take the meds that I needed, not to mention being able to eat what I could is what kept me alive. Granted, I put on 50 lbs during chemo and radiation. Some from food choices, but most was from going totally inactive. My oncologist tells me that it is going to be a long haul to get back to normal. I have not given up and I keep trying every day. One day I will be back to my old active self. I have started to get filled again and I have lost about 15 of the 50 that I put on. Since I am missing most of my lung, walking is about the only exercise I can do, so it is a good thing I love it so much. Hoping this spring/summer will see me back to at least 75-80% normal. I do believe in my heart and soul that if I would have gotten the RNY, I would not be here today. I was given less than a 15% chance of making it and this April will be my 2 year anniversary for kicking cancers ass!! So all is good in my world. Think when I get off here, I am going to make an appointment for a fill.

My favorite quote is - Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

So have courage and never give up!!

Brightest of blessings,

So glad to hear from you.. I miss our blog that we had for so long. Sounds as if your doing good. Take care.

Carol

[HeatherO 7]

I'm on a low drama calorie diet, and this is not where I wanted my few precious calories to come from. I have my TIVO list of reality shows when it's time to indulge.

lol . . . my sentiments exactly. You said it all. :0)