Lap Band a "Tool" not a "Miracle Cure"

[jfreeohio 2]

Surgeon: Dr. Patricia Choban Columbus, OH

I can safely say I am a "Lap band Success Story" now. However, I had a very slow start. My wise surgeon told me the band was a "tool" and not a cure-all and that I would still have to diet. She was right, but I had a lot of other contributing factors which made me fat and kept me fat. Here is my story:

I was always slim (size 8/10 135 lbs at 5' 7") until my second of 3 sons was born, 27 years ago, and I lost my father. 4 years later I had my 3rd son and lost my Mother. I went into a deep depression for which my family doctor put me on Zoloft. A year later I was up 150 lbs! Now I really WAS depressed!. I was also diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and was put on Synthroid. Each year my family doctor would test my blood and each year he would tell me my meds were fine. Yet, I had every classic hypothyroidism symptom in the medical books! I read him a list: hair loss, brittle nails, Constipation, inability to lose weight, gain weight easily, lethargy, memory loss, inability to concentrate, etc.. He never dug deeper so for 20 years I stayed on Synthroid and felt lousy. I have since found out, General Practitioners get just a few days of training on Thyroid and glandular disorders. That's why they are all quick to write a script for the popular Synthroid.

I joined a Medifast diet clinic and was on an 800 calorie ketogenic liquid diet yet could not lose a single lb. I was 5'7 and 318 lbs at my heaviest and wore a size 30 dress. My doctor decided to change my anti-depressant to Wellbutrin as he read Zoloft caused weight gain. I remember a different doctor saying, "When you are on the RIGHT dose of the RIGHT medication, you won't just feel better, you will feel WELL!" I wracked my brain to see if I could remember what "WELL" felt like. Well, after a week on Wellbutrin, I remember looking in the mirror as if I was Rumplestiltskin, waking up for the first time and I said, "What the hell have you let become of yourself?!" As the fog lifted, I effortlessly dropped 45 lbs, just changing meds. I tried many diets, still with very little success. I knew my surgeon through our sons and she suggested I get the Lap Band in 2006. I saved up $11,000 and had it done. I lost exactly 15 lbs the first week due to nausea and then never lost another lb for several years. It wasn't until the rest of the health puzzle fell into place that my Lap Band started to do its job.

I went to a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) in my town for hormone replacement to help me through menopause. I began to feel less moody and depressed right away. I read him the same list of Thyroid symptoms I read my family doc and my D.O. immediately pegged my Thyroid as the culprit. He did not just perform one blood test, which my family doc did each year, measuring T-4, but he measured 4 or 5 things. He reported at my next visit that my body was not converting T-4 to T-3 so it was not being absorbed into my cells. He started me on a new med, Tyrosint, and within days I began to feel better. I complained to him I was on Atkins and eating nearly zero carbs, yet I could not get my ketose dipstick to turn pink. He told me I must be insulin resistant and put me on Metformin. I am not a diabetic but insulin resistance is a possible precurser to Diabetes, if I continued the way I was headed. Within 2 hours of taking my first tablet, my dipstick was dark purple and the weight began melting off. So Hormone imbalance, Thyroid deficiency and Insulin Resistance were my biggest obstacles to weight loss. I had some other issues which he uncovered. I was borderline wheat gluten intolerant, mildly lactose intolerant, and I had burned out my Adrenals by eating wheat as a carb addict for 50 years. I felt so much better on the Atkins diet, which made sense as no dairy or grains were permitted. I now could remember what "WELL" felt like. My energy was back, I was back selling houses, I had energy, I no longer had to shop in the Women's department, I had my Mo-Jo back.

In addition to using the Atkins Diet, I also did the HCG shots and a 500 calorie diet. This was a grueling diet and one which cannot be entered into lightly. You need to look at your calendar and make sure you have 90 full days for the 30 day diet, 30 day transition and 30 day maintenance before even starting on it. Otherwise you will gain it all back again and more. So I lost my weight in sort of a stair-step fashion. 20 lbs or so at a time over a few years. Alternating between Atkins and HCG. Luckily I never gained more than a couple lbs. in between. As I lost weight, people began treating me differently. I was no longer "invisible". Men began holding doors for me and making eye contact when I walked by. I was getting compliments from my female co-workers and it was fun to buy clothes again.

So my road was a very long one. It was almost 5 years before I had all of the puzzle pieces in place and the band started doing it's job.. I saved up for a Circumferential Tummy Tuck last summer which carved off another 20 lbs. Now, at 159 lbs, I wear a size 10 at Talbotts. And without the belly fat, my blood profile has normalized. I am no longer insulin resitant and my cholesterol and Tryglycerides are now normal. There is more skin I would like to have removed. The surgeon did liposuction of the thighs but now I need a thigh lift. I would like to have a breast lift, arm lift and maybe an eye lift. But just getting the tummy tuck made a HUGE difference in my wardrobe and how I feel about myself. I can wear Spanx for my thighs and a good support bra and long sleeves to hide the arms, but there was no good way to disguise my gut. Having it off, I no longer have to wear a long jacket over every outfit I own. For the first time in 27 years, I feel pretty again. At least as pretty as you can feel at 57. LOL

So my advice, before you drop $11,000 or $12,000 on bariatric surgery, go to a good D.O. or better yet, an Endocrinologist, and have a full Thyroid panel done, Vitamin D, hormones and have them check for insulin resistance and gluten sensitivity. Once you have these items addressed, see if you can lose weight without the band. Try a low carb diet like Atkins. If you feel great on it and lose weight, you may well have been gluten intolerant. You might not even need the band. The band is not without risks. I have had to work very hard to handle Vitamin and mineral deficiencies from both dieting and the band. Healthy salads and fruits and veggies are hard to eat with the band. I rarely got in all the Protein I required without a supplement. I also have much more GERD or indigestion at night with the band. This can be very serious and cause esophageal cancer if left untreated. Our bed is propped up 6 inches and I can't eat spicy foods. The band has been a God Send but don't get it if you can lose weight on your own. Just get these items "ticked" off the list before you go under the knife. If nothing else, it will make your lap band more successful and you wont take 6 years like I did.

While the band, never really caused me to lose weight. It has been helpful keeping the weight I lost off. I can take a a few bites of a small piece of pizza and be stuffed, I can take a tablespoonful of Thanksgiving goodies and try a taste of each thing, but push away from the table with a plate still half full. In fact, I had my band tightened just before Thanksgiving to make sure I did not put any holiday weight on.

My band in 2006 was one of the early ones. The port is very prominent now that I have lost 100 or more lbs. and the band is tight even when empty. The new bands are larger in circumference when empty. I am going back in to have a new, lower profile port put in. When my plastic surgeon did my tummy tuck, he repaired 3 hernias. This caused the port to move to the mid-line since it was attached to the muscle and fascia he was pulling together. I want it moved back to under my ribs and right breast, where it originally was. Dr. Choban explained this replacement is not without some risk. She has to carve out a pocket for the newly moved port and then hope the empty pocket does not get infected. It is definitely not something I want a doctor doing who is inexperienced in lap bands. If you do decide to get a lap band and later a tummy tuck, allow for your bariatric surgeon to be present to adjust your port and possibly put a lower profile port in place. I thought it was something the Plastic Surgeon could have done but it turns out to be much more complicated than I originally thought. So discuss it with your Bariatric Surgeon first. Make sure your Bariatric Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon have privileges at the same hospital. It turns out, mine did not.

Feel free to message me if you want more info on the HCG diet or doctors.

[lisacaron 5,075]

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I have been down that road with many different issues that rear their heads and keep you from losing the weight no matter how hard you try.

It pays to speak up and advocate for yourself when you know things are not falling into place the way they should and something is just not right.

[B-52 7,113]

Sorry you had to go through all that.....

I don't think I could have done it....but then one thing I've learned is everyone is different and has their weight loss story to share with others........

That's what this forum is about...everyone sharing their real life experiences for others....

Thank You for sharing....

I'm sure it will helpful.....

Edited December 19, 2013 by B-52

[I♡BypassedMyPhatAss♡ 804]

Thank you for explaining your journey, you provided lots of useful information. Best wishes on your upcoming port replacement also

[kll724 3,055]

Thanks for sharing your journey! You sound like you have finally started a new phase of your life. Hurrah! Welcome and I am so l\glad that you are well. Best wishes! Karen..aka..kll724

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story. Good or bad it can help others. Before my surgery I had a lab sheet for over 30 blood tests. I have no idea what they were but I am happy the doctor requested them after reading your story.

[NaNa 878]

Surgeon: Dr. Patricia Choban Columbus, OH

I can safely say I am a "Lap band Success Story" now. However, I had a very slow start. My wise surgeon told me the band was a "tool" and not a cure-all and that I would still have to diet. She was right, but I had a lot of other contributing factors which made me fat and kept me fat. Here is my story:

I was always slim (size 8/10 135 lbs at 5' 7") until my second of 3 sons was born, 27 years ago, and I lost my father. 4 years later I had my 3rd son and lost my Mother. I went into a deep depression for which my family doctor put me on Zoloft. A year later I was up 150 lbs! Now I really WAS depressed!. I was also diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and was put on Synthroid. Each year my family doctor would test my blood and each year he would tell me my meds were fine. Yet, I had every classic hypothyroidism symptom in the medical books! I read him a list: hair loss, brittle nails, Constipation, inability to lose weight, gain weight easily, lethargy, memory loss, inability to concentrate, etc.. He never dug deeper so for 20 years I stayed on Synthroid and felt lousy. I have since found out, General Practitioners get just a few days of training on Thyroid and glandular disorders. That's why they are all quick to write a script for the popular Synthroid.

I joined a Medifast diet clinic and was on an 800 calorie ketogenic liquid diet yet could not lose a single lb. I was 5'7 and 318 lbs at my heaviest and wore a size 30 dress. My doctor decided to change my anti-depressant to Wellbutrin as he read Zoloft caused weight gain. I remember a different doctor saying, "When you are on the RIGHT dose of the RIGHT medication, you won't just feel better, you will feel WELL!" I wracked my brain to see if I could remember what "WELL" felt like. Well, after a week on Wellbutrin, I remember looking in the mirror as if I was Rumplestiltskin, waking up for the first time and I said, "What the hell have you let become of yourself?!" As the fog lifted, I effortlessly dropped 45 lbs, just changing meds. I tried many diets, still with very little success. I knew my surgeon through our sons and she suggested I get the Lap Band in 2006. I saved up $11,000 and had it done. I lost exactly 15 lbs the first week due to nausea and then never lost another lb for several years. It wasn't until the rest of the health puzzle fell into place that my Lap Band started to do its job.

I went to a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) in my town for hormone replacement to help me through menopause. I began to feel less moody and depressed right away. I read him the same list of Thyroid symptoms I read my family doc and my D.O. immediately pegged my Thyroid as the culprit. He did not just perform one blood test, which my family doc did each year, measuring T-4, but he measured 4 or 5 things. He reported at my next visit that my body was not converting T-4 to T-3 so it was not being absorbed into my cells. He started me on a new med, Tyrosint, and within days I began to feel better. I complained to him I was on Atkins and eating nearly zero carbs, yet I could not get my ketose dipstick to turn pink. He told me I must be insulin resistant and put me on Metformin. I am not a diabetic but insulin resistance is a possible precurser to Diabetes, if I continued the way I was headed. Within 2 hours of taking my first tablet, my dipstick was dark purple and the weight began melting off. So Hormone imbalance, Thyroid deficiency and Insulin Resistance were my biggest obstacles to weight loss. I had some other issues which he uncovered. I was borderline wheat gluten intolerant, mildly lactose intolerant, and I had burned out my Adrenals by eating wheat as a carb addict for 50 years. I felt so much better on the Atkins diet, which made sense as no dairy or grains were permitted. I now could remember what "WELL" felt like. My energy was back, I was back selling houses, I had energy, I no longer had to shop in the Women's department, I had my Mo-Jo back.

In addition to using the Atkins Diet, I also did the HCG shots and a 500 calorie diet. This was a grueling diet and one which cannot be entered into lightly. You need to look at your calendar and make sure you have 90 full days for the 30 day diet, 30 day transition and 30 day maintenance before even starting on it. Otherwise you will gain it all back again and more. So I lost my weight in sort of a stair-step fashion. 20 lbs or so at a time over a few years. Alternating between Atkins and HCG. Luckily I never gained more than a couple lbs. in between. As I lost weight, people began treating me differently. I was no longer "invisible". Men began holding doors for me and making eye contact when I walked by. I was getting compliments from my female co-workers and it was fun to buy clothes again.

So my road was a very long one. It was almost 5 years before I had all of the puzzle pieces in place and the band started doing it's job.. I saved up for a Circumferential Tummy Tuck last summer which carved off another 20 lbs. Now, at 159 lbs, I wear a size 10 at Talbotts. And without the belly fat, my blood profile has normalized. I am no longer insulin resitant and my cholesterol and Tryglycerides are now normal. There is more skin I would like to have removed. The surgeon did liposuction of the thighs but now I need a thigh lift. I would like to have a breast lift, arm lift and maybe an eye lift. But just getting the tummy tuck made a HUGE difference in my wardrobe and how I feel about myself. I can wear Spanx for my thighs and a good support bra and long sleeves to hide the arms, but there was no good way to disguise my gut. Having it off, I no longer have to wear a long jacket over every outfit I own. For the first time in 27 years, I feel pretty again. At least as pretty as you can feel at 57. LOL

So my advice, before you drop $11,000 or $12,000 on bariatric surgery, go to a good D.O. or better yet, an Endocrinologist, and have a full Thyroid panel done, Vitamin D, hormones and have them check for insulin resistance and gluten sensitivity. Once you have these items addressed, see if you can lose weight without the band. Try a low carb diet like Atkins. If you feel great on it and lose weight, you may well have been gluten intolerant. You might not even need the band. The band is not without risks. I have had to work very hard to handle Vitamin and mineral deficiencies from both dieting and the band. Healthy salads and fruits and veggies are hard to eat with the band. I rarely got in all the Protein I required without a supplement. I also have much more GERD or indigestion at night with the band. This can be very serious and cause esophageal cancer if left untreated. Our bed is propped up 6 inches and I can't eat spicy foods. The band has been a God Send but don't get it if you can lose weight on your own. Just get these items "ticked" off the list before you go under the knife. If nothing else, it will make your lap band more successful and you wont take 6 years like I did.

While the band, never really caused me to lose weight. It has been helpful keeping the weight I lost off. I can take a a few bites of a small piece of pizza and be stuffed, I can take a tablespoonful of Thanksgiving goodies and try a taste of each thing, but push away from the table with a plate still half full. In fact, I had my band tightened just before Thanksgiving to make sure I did not put any holiday weight on.

My band in 2006 was one of the early ones. The port is very prominent now that I have lost 100 or more lbs. and the band is tight even when empty. The new bands are larger in circumference when empty. I am going back in to have a new, lower profile port put in. When my plastic surgeon did my tummy tuck, he repaired 3 hernias. This caused the port to move to the mid-line since it was attached to the muscle and fascia he was pulling together. I want it moved back to under my ribs and right breast, where it originally was. Dr. Choban explained this replacement is not without some risk. She has to carve out a pocket for the newly moved port and then hope the empty pocket does not get infected. It is definitely not something I want a doctor doing who is inexperienced in lap bands. If you do decide to get a lap band and later a tummy tuck, allow for your bariatric surgeon to be present to adjust your port and possibly put a lower profile port in place. I thought it was something the Plastic Surgeon could have done but it turns out to be much more complicated than I originally thought. So discuss it with your Bariatric Surgeon first. Make sure your Bariatric Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon have privileges at the same hospital. It turns out, mine did not.

Feel free to message me if you want more info on the HCG diet or doctors.

Wow what a story! Thanks for sharing.

Funny how everyone's band experience is different, I guess other medical conditions can cause losing weight with the band a bit tough, I got my band over 8 years ago, I 'had' the old 4cc band too, but got it replaced last year with the 'bigger safer' band.

Honestly, I like my old 4cc band better from a weight loss standpoint, the 'newer' bigger bands, are MUCH more harder to lose weight in my opinion, however I like how my Allergan band feels more gentler on my body, or perhaps my new surgeon installed it better and fixed a hiatal hernia that was not repaired with my first band placement.

It's good to hear you finally lost weight with your band and found peace with it, I was the totally opposite, I went into my journey "running" I walked every morning, got my fills every month and I lost 130 pounds by 14 months post op and I was at "my goal" and I stayed there for over 7 years with no issues and I was "happy" wearing a size 8/10 - 10/12 for 6 years and felt amazing.

I NEVER 'dieted' with my lap band and I was very successful, I ate what I wanted most of the time, never 'deprived' myself of treats, but in order to see the scale move for me consistently, I made sure that I ate healthy 'most' of the time, with foods that I love, and on weekends, I always went to my favorite restaurants and ate sweets and everything else I wanted and I STILL lost weight because I 'walked' daily for about 1 hour, and my lap band kept my meals small -- that is ALL I needed to get to my goal weight.

So for ME, exercise was a trade off for eating what I want with the band, so I never dieted with my band, this is why I love it and got rebanded last year when my hernia got inflamed and I truly believe in the band.

Regarding HCG diets, I've heard they are not safe, I will not post any links to those, but I guess people can make their own decisions and do their own research on those fad diets, as long as my band works, NO hard core 'dieting' for me.

Wishing you more successful years with your band.