Post Disbanding weight gain

[rdbiles@sbcglob 0]

I don't know if this will work but have you tried increasing your Protein to help with the hungry feeling?

[badmadmama 0]

I don't know if this will work but have you tried increasing your Protein to help with the hungry feeling?

Actually, I was having awful sugar cravings until I increased my carbs. I was trying just to eat lean Protein and veggies - once I added a little bread, it made a big difference (I eat the crust and throw away the soft middle).

Eileen

[lawanda jessica 0]

I guess every doc is different.

They are suppose to test you for hpylori.

[kalamazoo 1]

WEll, my surgery was done 8/13; the band had severely slipped and stomach prolapsed badly; the surgeon did partial fundal plication for the reflux and said he couldn't safely reposition the band so it was removed; the good news is the reflux is gone at least for now; i'm hungry but not as much as I thought i would be; my mind is telling me I can eat anything I want but i'm trying to eat exactly as i did when banded; i'm so scared; my husband will never support my having another wls; i am considering the gastric sleeve if i start gaining but cant do this w/o my husband's support and frankly the money; pray i will be able to keep the wgt off; I haven't gotten much positive support from anyone on any of these "support" websites for people with wls; seems once your band is off you're really "disbanded"!!! I'm terribly depressed right now thinking of my band being off.

[chicken chest 0]

Dear Loser 75,

I have had a lot of the pre-lapband removal symptoms as you had.

I can add to that list, excessive sweating on my head, and hair gets saturated and drips on my face, clothes, and whatever else is sticking out! It greatly hinders my social life and it not only looks horrible to me, my husband has to look at me as well, and I'm sure he doesn't think I'm sexy when I'm soaked like I've just been in a Water balloon fight.

I can't dry and fix my hair pretty, although sometimes I try, (thinking "it might work this time"), but within fifteen minutes my head is soaked again. This is extremely frustrating and embarassing to me. To the point of tears. I am very thirsty as well and drink at least a gallon of water a day. My husband thinks that I am "puffy" because in his opinion, I drink way too much water. Yes, I have type 2 diabetes, but I've always been thirsty.

I can't sleep no matter what. I have tried everything my primary care doctor can prescribe. And more! I try excercising more, hot baths, praying, yada yada.

I have gained almost thirty pounds since I originally lost 50 three years

ago, after my lap-band was installed. I haven't put it all on at once. I am scared to have it out, but my husband says, "it's coming out." He is tired of me vomiting my guts out twice a day, etc. We are going to my surgeon tomorrow and asking that he remove it for all the reasons as you plus a few more. Wish us the best!

If you get any good input on your situation, could you please pass it on to me? Maybe other banders in our similar situation can give us some good advice.

In the meantime, I will sure be praying for you as well as wracking my brain for some clues!

Thank you for your message.

CC

[chicken chest 0]

Dear Loser 75, :faint:

I have had a lot of the pre-lapband removal symptoms as you had.

I can add to that list, excessive sweating on my head, and hair gets saturated and drips on my face, clothes, and whatever else is sticking out! It greatly hinders my social life and it not only looks horrible to me, my husband has to look at me as well, and I'm sure he doesn't think I'm sexy when I'm soaked like I've just been in a Water balloon fight.

I can't dry and fix my hair pretty, although sometimes I try, (thinking "it might work this time"), but within fifteen minutes my head is soaked again. This is extremely frustrating and embarassing to me. To the point of tears. I am very thirsty as well and drink at least a gallon of water a day. My husband thinks that I am "puffy" because in his opinion, I drink way too much water. Yes, I have type 2 diabetes, but I've always been thirsty.

I can't sleep no matter what. I have tried everything my primary care doctor can prescribe. And more! I try excercising more, hot baths, praying, yada yada.

I have gained almost thirty pounds since I originally lost 50 three years

ago, after my lap-band was installed. I haven't put it all on at once. I am scared to have it out, but my husband says, "it's coming out." He is tired of me vomiting my guts out twice a day, etc. We are going to my surgeon tomorrow and asking that he remove it for all the reasons as you plus a few more. Wish us the best!

If you get any good input on your situation, could you please pass it on to me? Maybe other banders in our similar situation can give us some good advice.

In the meantime, I will sure be praying for you as well as wracking my brain for some clues!

Thank you for your message.:help:

CC

[Loser75 0]

Jacki, I'm debating back and forth between Dr Pleatman in Michigan or Dr Joya in Puerta Vallarta. They seem to be most experienced in VSG revision. Dr Pleatman will charge $12,000 because I don't have a "virgin" stomach for him to operate on. I live in Washington, I would need to pay for airfare, hotel and rental car also with a trip to Michigan. Dr Joya advertises all expenses paid for $11,000 but I don't know if he charges more for us non-virgin stomachs. I've seen slightly cheaper prices in other parts of Mexico, but the experience level of those surgeons made me more hesitant to go with the lowest bidder. It's already bad enough that I've now paid $11,800 to get the band put in, another $12,000 to have it removed and will tack on $13,500 to get the gastric sleeve. This is putting a crimp in my retirement savings, but I think living as a thin person is worth it for me. Dropout, I think you're right that the genetic thing is so incredibly hard to fight. Damn skinny people with the metabolism of a race horse think you can eat like an NFL linebacker and burn it off by taking the stairs instead of the elevator to your 3rd floor desk twice a day. I wish.

[mcreatiev 0]

please get the surgery your life may depend on it, we all had this surgery because we have severe eating disorders, you need the surgery or you may gain it all back in a very short time !

[badmadmama 0]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a hiatal hernia that became so severe that I couldn't swallow, and was having reflux during the day, so you can imagine how bad the nights were. Dr. Myers took a lot of Fluid out of my band, and said that I would basically have to live with it that way. He said that hernia repairs generally cause the band to shift, so he didn't recommend it. So I feel like I have very little restriction, and of course, the pounds started to inch on. I had 20 more pounds to lose, so I was getting really depressed. I am still not eating a lot at meals, but I am now hungry an hour or so later, and my snacking is out of control.

What I decided to do is start the Weight Watchers diet. First of all, it doesn't restrict any foods, so you can eat anything. That was my first concern, because I have huge sugar cravings and tend to binge if I am given the opportunity. So I didn't want a diet that only worked if you didn't eat sugar or carbs. I also figure that I am pretty much going to have to do it forever, because the band is not doing much for me anymore.

So, of course, last night my teenager handed me a box of caramel popcorn, and I ate it ALL. So, not such a good start, but I can do this diet. Each food has a point value, and you get a certain amount of points to use during the day (mine is 22-24) plus 35 flex points a week, that you can use all at one time if you want to, so you can have a binge once a week if you want to. For some reason, it seems easier than counting calories. Here's what's interesting - I love the French Silk pie and the Lemon Meringue pie at Baker's Square. French Silk pie is 21 points, and the lemon is 9. So, every week, if I followed everything else, I could use my flex points for 1 1/2 pieces of French Silk, or almost FOUR pieces of lemon. Any diet that allows me to eat four pieces of pie in one week is my FRIEND. Diet Fudgsicles are two points, so I could eat 18 of them every week, on top of the regular food.

So I'm disappointed that I'm going to have to fixate on what I am putting in my mouth every day, but I can DO this, and that's what's important. I got most of my weight off with the band, so I hope that I can drop the rest with this diet, and then I'm going to have to just keep with it so I don't fall off the wagon. I figure, the band was a tool, and now I need a new tool. Not as easy as the old one, but if I can still eat my junk food - PRICELESS.

Eileen

Is anyone still around on this thread? I had to have the band removed last week. There was so much scarring from reflux and the hiatal hernia that they were unable to but another band on, so there I am. Dr. Alverdy said that I could still have gastric bypass, but I would have to gain the weight back to qualify. Just swell. I gained back 20 pounds before the surgery - I need it OFF. Not eating much, but it's impossible to see where my weight is now, because I'm so swollen with Fluid from the surgery.

[rdbiles@sbcglob 0]

I'm sorry you had to have the band removed, at the same time I know you're relieved to not have reflux day and night. It sounds as if you'll need to continue the ww diet, and up the exercise if you start gaining weight. What a sense of humor your dr has...gain wt to have surgery! Yeah right.

Hope you're feeling better today.

[badmadmama 0]

It was very weird, he said it so matter-of-factly. You expect to hear, "now you'll need to really watch what you eat and exercise, so you don't gain the weight back." I suppose if you devote yourself to obesity surgery, you have to think that some people just can't control their weight any other way. I honestly think that was the best thing for him to say to me - if he started talking about diet and exercise, I would have gotten so angry. So now it's up to me to show him that I CAN maintain my weight without the band. I still want to lose the 20 pounds that I gained - I feel that going out and buying new clothes is acknowledging defeat.

Thanks, Eileen

[rdbiles@sbcglob 0]

Eileen you've got the right attitude! I agree about the clothing, that would be enough for me to get myself into check. Personally I've had some issues with my band, I can't seem to get more than 2.4 cc in my band without having reflux. I am at 2.2 right now. I may never get more than that, but okay as long as I have some restriction in place. My weight loss is slow, but I'm hoping to get to goal one day.

[kalamazoo 1]

After having my band removed a year ago Ive gained 1/2 my weight back!! I am devastated and so depressed. I am exercising for an hour every day but I can't get my eating under control. I just want to advise everyone out there considering having their band removed to ALWAYS get a 2nd opinion! Don't let your doctor talk you into something you dont really need or want. Every situation is different and yes reflux is dangerous to the esophagus. Make absolutely sure your reflux is due to a tight band or hiatal hernia not just from a slipped band. I hate to say it but I think the docs take the high road on this as they arent usually overweight themselves and it is easy for them to encourage you to take off the band-it's an easier way out. INSIST on an upper GI or fluoro to determine if band is out of place. Yes there will be reflux visible on xray but make sure it's due to regular reflux and not from a slipped band. There should be no reason why a doc can't repair a hiatal hernia and put a band on-this is a common practice. A lot of people have hiatal hernias due to obesity and have subsequent lap bands placed without any difficulty. All I'm saying is GET A SECOND OPINION!

[badmadmama 0]

Actually, he WAS the second opinion. The first surgeon, Dr. Myers at Rush, said that any further surgery on the hiatal hernia (he did a fundaplication when he put the band in) would lead to band failure. I then contacted Dr. Alverdy at University of Chicago, who has published many scientific studies and has been named as one of the top surgeons in Chicago. (He saved my husband's life in 2000 when he had acute pancreatitis and another hospital had told me to make funeral arrangements.) Dr. Alverdy was confident that he could repair the hiatal hernia permanently and replace the band. But apparently, when they got in, there was a lot of band erosion (it had basically grown into the stomach wall) and scar tissue. He tried several different bands in different places, but none were large enough to go around the scarring - when he put them on, they just slipped to the end of the esophagus, so I would have been right back where I had been. After trying to manipulate the stomach several different ways, it started to tear, so he decided that my health was more important than the band at that point. So we can't talk about any other options until I heal. I have a huge hematoma - my entire stomach is purple - and am too swollen to get any of my pants on. My abdomen is sore, but I don't have the awful chest pain that I was having prior to the surgery.

[mcreatiev 0]

good luck eillen, sounds like your on the right path