closing in on 7 years post-op

[srussell8 111]

Hi all -

My name is Shelly and in a few weeks, I will reach the 7 year mark since getting my lapband. My pre-op weight was 306 and my lowest weight was 165, which I reached about 5 years ago. About that time, I moved to another state and stopped having regular check-ins with my lapband doc. Naturally, I lost restriction and got lazy, which earned me about a 50 pound weight gain over the past 4-5 years.

I recently re-connected by finding a new bariatric doc here and had a recent fill. I'm working on getting back to where I want to be and returning to following the rules and using my band as the tool it should be. In the 2 weeks since the fill, I've lost 5 pounds, s I'm beginning to feel hopeful again. I'm hoping that by joining this group, I will be able to re-capture some of the enthusiasm and motivation I had in the beginning.

I've looked around the site and suppose I should feel fortunate that I have had no complications with my band whatsoever. I just learned over time how to defeat it and went back to old eating habits. Hopefully I can return to the successful behaviors I had before!

Shelly

[fineasever 4]

Hi all -

My name is Shelly and in a few weeks' date=' I will reach the 7 year mark since getting my lapband. My pre-op weight was 306 and my lowest weight was 165, which I reached about 5 years ago. About that time, I moved to another state and stopped having regular check-ins with my lapband doc. Naturally, I lost restriction and got lazy, which earned me about a 50 pound weight gain over the past 4-5 years.

I recently re-connected by finding a new bariatric doc here and had a recent fill. I'm working on getting back to where I want to be and returning to following the rules and using my band as the tool it should be. In the 2 weeks since the fill, I've lost 5 pounds, s I'm beginning to feel hopeful again. I'm hoping that by joining this group, I will be able to re-capture some of the enthusiasm and motivation I had in the beginning.

I've looked around the site and suppose I should feel fortunate that I have had no complications with my band whatsoever. I just learned over time how to defeat it and went back to old eating habits. Hopefully I can return to the successful behaviors I had before!

Shelly[/quote']

Hi Shelly your story inspires me. I just got banded Monday 5/20 and I am hearing so many negative things from family and friends about the band. I just want to constantly cry and I am wondering did i make the right decision. I am so glad to see that the band helped you to lose the unwanted pounds when you put your mind to it and now that you want to do it again you are able to do so. Thanks for sharing!

[TheDuchess 106]

Hi shelly! It sounds like you did a great job! Even with weight gain you seem very successful, congrats on that! Stay positive!

[srussell8 111]

Hi Shelly your story inspires me. I just got banded Monday 5/20 and I am hearing so many negative things from family and friends about the band. I just want to constantly cry and I am wondering did i make the right decision. I am so glad to see that the band helped you to lose the unwanted pounds when you put your mind to it and now that you want to do it again you are able to do so. Thanks for sharing!

I can honestly say I have never regretted my decision to get the lapband. I was (am) fortunate to be surrounded by supportive people who have been positive every step of the way. The most negative has been my mom, and she only nagged when I regained part of the weight - but was never negative about the band.

To be honest, one of my biggest inspirations has been a "failure story." I learned about the band when a friend's daughter was going through the process to get it. She had to self-pay and re-financed her house to get the money. She lost 50 pounds on the pre-op diet, and during that time, I decided to do it too. I cashed in my 401k to self-pay for the surgery. Then, after she got the band, my friend's daughter didn't lose another pound. She continued to defeat the band and eventually re-gained the 50 pounds, plus some. I recently saw a picture of her and thought - that's where I'm headed if I keep going this way.

I never want to take the band for granted and waste it. I am a psychologist and often work with addictions. People are constantly amazed that someone would choose their drug over their family and throw away everything they have - job, home, kids. If I don't deliberately use the band, I am choosing my drug (food) over everything I worked so hard to gain(lose).

I know that the band is not magical and some people have complications. Just follow the rules and confirm for yourself why you made the decision in the first place. Change doesn't happen until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change. The pain of staying like you were must have been pretty bad to make it worth what you have been through to get the band (at least it was for me). Hang on to that. If you forget the reason you decided to do it in the first place, you'll get discouraged and give up. When you get ready to cry - repeat the mantra "I did this for a reason!" and remind yourself what that reason was. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm preaching to myself here as much as to anyone else!)

Right now your body is probably still in shock and is out of whack. Your brain is part of your body, so it makes sense that your emotions are out of whack, too. Plus, most of us who need bariatric surgery in the first place have some emotional connections to food. If eating has been a primary means of coping with stress, you are likely to feel quite lost when you go through something as stressful as surgery that completely takes away your primary coping skill.

OK - I'll stop lecturing now. Combine my "therapist self" with my "lapband self" and I tend to get a little preachy. Hang in there!

Shelly

[Cozy21 15]

Hi Shelly your story inspires me. I just got banded Monday 5/20 and I am hearing so many negative things from family and friends about the band. I just want to constantly cry and I am wondering did i make the right decision. I am so glad to see that the band helped you to lose the unwanted pounds when you put your mind to it and now that you want to do it again you are able to do so. Thanks for sharing!

I am so glad you posted this because I think so many of us struggle with the same issues. When I made the decision to get the Band I was so worried about what others thought. Truth is, is doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks; this is your decision you are making for yourself. It is not one any of us take lightly. Those who love and care for you will accept you without pushing their opinions. I was banded in March and have found that my family accepts it much more now that they understand it. A lot of people don't understand WLS and push their fears onto you as their "concerns. " I am almost 3 months out, have lost 56 LBS (60 percent of my excess body weight), and feel better than I have in years! This is the best decision I've ever made for myself and I hope yours is to. Congrats on going through with your decision and good luck!

[Cozy21 15]

Hi Shelly your story inspires me. I just got banded Monday 5/20 and I am hearing so many negative things from family and friends about the band. I just want to constantly cry and I am wondering did i make the right decision. I am so glad to see that the band helped you to lose the unwanted pounds when you put your mind to it and now that you want to do it again you are able to do so. Thanks for sharing!

I am so glad you posted this because I think so many of us struggle with the same issues. When I made the decision to get the Band I was so worried about what others thought. Truth is, is doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks; this is your decision you are making for yourself. It is not one any of us take lightly. Those who love and care for you will accept you without pushing their opinions. I was banded in March and have found that my family accepts it much more now that they understand it. A lot of people don't understand WLS and push their fears onto you as their "concerns. " I am almost 3 months out, have lost 56 LBS (60 percent of my excess body weight), and feel better than I have in years! This is the best decision I've ever made for myself and I hope yours is to. Congrats on going through with your decision and good luck!

[Suzanne02780 12]

All of your stories are very inspiring. I'm getting banded in June and had many doubts about the band and the other surgeries. However, I decided to get it because it is a tool to lose weight and not a miracle quick fix. That's the key to to be successful. Thanks so much for sharing your stories!

[TheCurvyMermaid 51]

Hi Shelly!

I'm almost 5 years post op, and I started over three months ago, right back at my surgery weight. There are a number of us going through the same stuff and working on keeping each other motivated here:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/165378-starting-over-5-years-after-surgery/

I originally lost about 50 lbs and gained it all back, and I started over from the ground up too. You *can* get back on this horse. Just go back to the beginning, refresh yourself on the ground rules, and keep at it! =)

[Lap2sleeve 28]

September 2005 I had lapband surgery performed by Richard Carter in Arlington Tx. Great job, painless journey to approval and actual surgery was about 6 months. No complications. Height 5' 3", 265 lbs starting stats.

April 2013 experiencing issues with the ability to swallow and reflux. Current weight is 197 lbs. my current physician is Sina Matin, Baylor Grapevine. First visit was on 5/14, with an upper GI done on 5/20 (with contrast and a tablet). The results show that the tablet got stuck and that the contrast remained in the esophagus. 5/24, doctor Matin communicated results of the MRI indicating that I have esophagus damage caused by the lapband. He asked me to come to the office on 5/29, for a complete emptying of my band. He has requested certification from insurance to remove the band due to complications and damage to my esophagus. He has recommended a revision to sleeve.

[kristinc1985 111]

Welcome Shelley!

Where there's a will, there's a way! You can do it! Congrats on working on getting back on that horse!!!

[dawalsh 919]

September 2005 I had lapband surgery performed by Richard Carter in Arlington Tx. Great job' date=' painless journey to approval and actual surgery was about 6 months. No complications. Height 5' 3", 265 lbs starting stats.

April 2013 experiencing issues with the ability to swallow and reflux. Current weight is 197 lbs. my current physician is Sina Matin, Baylor Grapevine. First visit was on 5/14, with an upper GI done on 5/20 (with contrast and a tablet). The results show that the tablet got stuck and that the contrast remained in the esophagus. 5/24, doctor Matin communicated results of the MRI indicating that I have esophagus damage caused by the lapband. He asked me to come to the office on 5/29, for a complete emptying of my band. He has requested certification from insurance to remove the band due to complications and damage to my esophagus. He has recommended a revision to sleeve.[/quote']

I sure hope it works out for you. I so want to get under 200 lbs but it is a slow process. I hope your insurance company approves you. I would think after having the band for so long that they would approve you for the sleeve operation. Has your doctor explained the sleeve in full detail to you? I wish you well.

[Suzanne02780 12]

Does anyone else have long term post-op stories good or bad? Would like to know more about long term use of the lap band.

[Tomander 614]

Hi Shelley

I'm also in my 7th year of being a bandster.

Having lapband surgery was the best thing I ever did for me... second best thing... having the Tummy Tuck to remove the extra skin - 16 lbs from the tummy 8 lbs from my chest.

Besides the weight loss the best benefit for me was that my acid reflux went away 3 days after I was banded... and I didn't have a hernia. I suffered from AR since I was 14... I had my lapband surgery a month before my 40th birthday. I was self-pay and if the doctor told me I would only lose a few pounds but my acid reflux would go away I would have the surgery in a heartbeat!!. I started with a 54" waist and yesterday I bought a size 30" pair of slim fit Levi jeans !!!

I have no regrets at all about the surgery... with the band I'm not missing out on anything... with the exception of rice and apple skins and no carbonated beverages... I only wish I had done it sooner. I still weigh in every month with my family doctor and I host 3 lapband coffee groups... this keeps me motivated and on track.

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

[kristinc1985 111]

I want to be like you when I "grow up", Tom!!!! Lol.

[Tomander 614]

Thanks !!!!

Tom, Toronto

Banded July 6 06

Wt. Loss: 156 lbs