Banded for 4 + years and never lost a pound

[MARK1561 0]

I was banded in August 2008. The surgery went well. No issues. to the best of my recollection I had my first fill 6 weeks latter. I found out fast the if you eat to fast or get aggravated you throw-up. I went to support groups but did not feel supported. I basically was on my own. I did not know how and what to eat. I did not lose any weight. I was very depressed. I stopped excessing and ate anything and everything. I gained over 50 pounds. I have diabetes and my sugar has been out of control for many years. I am sick of being sick. My blood pressures very high and I take over 10 pills 2 time a day plus 2 shots of insulin. I have one foot in the grave no support and very alone. Thank you all for your caring thoughts. I live on Long Island Nassau County, NY. Can anybody recommend a bariatric surgeon and a nutritionist other than Dr. Rajeev Vohra on the south shore. .. ... does anybos havd

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I'm so sorry you're going through all this.

I think the best place to start is to start over. See your surgeon, have them check your band, and make sure everything is in order. Next, see a nutritionist, one that specializes in bariatric patients. A good nutritionist is just as key to successful weight loss as a good surgeon is because they will help you establish food guidelines that fit your specific lifestyle.

The beauty of the band is the fact you can start over. It's an amazing tool but you have to use it correctly for it to work. I kinda like to compare it to a carpenter. When he has a screw tightened, he uses a screw driver. This works well but if he needs a nail hammered in and tries to use the screw driver, it doesn't work at all. The same thing happens with our tool, the band, if we don't use correctly.

This is a great link for re-educating yourself as to what to expect from your band: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

You should hang around these forums more- you'll get a lot of support here.

Best wishes to you.

[RichGirl 15]

That's too bad Mark. The first question I will ask is did you follow nutrition guidelines? Did you follow directions on what and how much to eat? The band is only a tool not a miracle cure. You must work very hard at helping the band do its job by eating the correct foods and amounts. I would get an appointment with a nutritionist ASAP to help you with food planning, then I'd go back to the Dr. For a check up to make sure your band is ok. You certainly can do this, but it takes determination and will. Good luck and you will have a lot of support here on this forum.

[donna12 742]

I was banded in August 2008. The surgery went well. No issues. to the best of my recollection I had my first fill 6 weeks latter. I found out fast the if you eat to fast or get aggravated you throw-up. I went to support groups but did not feel supported. I basically was on my own. I did not know how and what to eat. I did not lose any weight. I was very depressed. I stopped excessing and ate anything and everything. I gained over 50 pounds. I have diabetes and my sugar has been out of control for many years. I am sick of being sick. My blood pressures very high and I take over 10 pills 2 time a day plus 2 shots of insulin. I have one foot in the grave no support and very alone.

I'm very sorry for your experience. I do think support groups and a support system is very important, at least it is in my journey. Maybe you could research and find a different support meeting to go to? As far as food choices, go back to the basics and beginning, remember why you wanted the surgery in the first place and why you did it. Start from the beginning, small portions, 1 cup of food at each meal with Protein being your main course so that you feel fuller longer. I'm by no means an expert, I'm just beginning my journey but have learned so much on here and have made many friends. I hope things get better for you, we are here for you.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

It sounds like you did not get any support so my first suggestion would be to find a doctor who will help you start over without surgery.

Then you need to realize that in order to lose weight you must eat a reduced amount of calories so hopefully the new Dr will offer you a solid food plan for you to follow.

Please get the help you need... its a shame to waste your band.

[line-dancer 810]

I am glad you are thinking about using your band to get healthy. You know all the ways to loss weight from passed experiances I am sure and this is the place to get positive feed back and all you need to get the work down. I have had disabled child for the past 40 yrs and every "support" group I went to was a complaint center not support so I don't go to any. But this site I visit 2-3 times a day and its all great advise and everyone cheers you one. the chat room is also a wonderful place to get advise or help with a depressing day...welcome back you can do it and we will help all we can.

[CaGottaBand 498]

I'm sorry you got no support 4 years ago. There are a ton of great people that you can learn from on this site. Good luck to you.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Google a nutritionist near you and make sure she/he understands the band. As others have said, find a bariatric doctor who will help you.

tmf

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Good luck with your journey.

[sparkplug 106]

I am so sorry for you. I too, was banded 4 years ago Christmas and there was not a lot of support where I had my surgery. Excellent doctor but that is all they wanted to do is fill, fill fill and I refused from the git go to not have a fill and still work with the band. I heard such horror stories from so many of the patients in the waiting room about getting filled and unfilled over and over again and thought this is not for me. I took the bull by the horns and got on this website which I do every single morning and read everything and anything I can from these great people. First of all, there is an answer for anything you would want to know about the band from people on here who have gone the course before you and me. There is a wealth of knowledge on here that has put me to goal, off all meds and feeling wonderful about me and my band. I could not afford the high prices of our nutritionist in town and my insurance does not cover her so I learn what and how to eat by trial and error. I wanted this so bad and nothing was going to make me change my mind. You need to reach inside of you and say YOU CAN DO this and you will. Good luck and please come on here to get the support and knowledge you need. The first step is to make sure from a doctor that you have not done any damage to the band from the excessive eating you mentioned. Good luck and everybody is here for you.

[dolphintattoo 96]

You may want to focus on your overall mental Heath as well. I have seen therapists over the years for my weight issues and depression. The band alone won't help if your brain isn't on board and it sounds like you may have issues beside the weight loss support group. My health insurance covers my visits with a therapist.

[Jim1967 3,569]

I suggest you try and look for a Center of Excellence in your area. Center of Excellence has all the tools under one roof. Doctors, Nutritionists, Mental Health Counselor along with support teams all dedicated to bariatric needs.

[lovely29 19]

I was banded in August 2008. The surgery went well. No issues. to the best of my recollection I had my first fill 6 weeks latter. I found out fast the if you eat to fast or get aggravated you throw-up. I went to support groups but did not feel supported. I basically was on my own. I did not know how and what to eat. I did not lose any weight. I was very depressed. I stopped excessing and ate anything and everything. I gained over 50 pounds. I have diabetes and my sugar has been out of control for many years. I am sick of being sick. My blood pressures very high and I take over 10 pills 2 time a day plus 2 shots of insulin. I have one foot in the grave no support and very alone. Thank you all for your caring thoughts. I live on Long Island Nassau County' date=' NY. Can anybody recommend a bariatric surgeon and a nutritionist other than Dr. Rajeev Vohra on the south shore. .. ... does anybos havd [/quote']

Wait a minute you have had the band for 4 yrs and didn't loose a pound and now u are sick? I'm in nj dr abkin in JFK is who u need.

I don't regret any decision in my life because at the end I will make it work

[makeyourself 7]

I am from NY and I am going to the New York Bariatric Group in Nassau County. www.stopobesityforlife.com I would recommend them (with the exception of an insurance issue that they overlooked which caused my surgery to be pushed back 2 days - however, that is a small bump in the road).

[cindylou1972 0]

I was banded August 25, 2010. I have had few issues with the band. My health issues are now taken care of (gall bladder surgery in October 2012). After 18 months of fighting with three drs. that kept telling me it was my band. I stood firm and did not listen to them but my stomach pain continued. After lots of tests, of which I am glad came out great, we found out in August 2012 from an urgent care dr. that it was my gall bladder. While all this was happening I gained back 10 lbs of the original 50 that I lost. I am now cleared to start exercising and I found this forum and joined today. Looks like there are alot of great help here. As I am going to reach out to them, you should do the same we can get help together. This forum is what I am going to learn from to use my band tool to the best of my ability. I am glad I was banded and have cut way back on my food intake because of it. I had my first fill 6 weeks after surgery and have had three before my problem started and just had another last month after I was cleared by my dr. Exercising has been a bad word for me but after reading stories it will become my friend.