I Want My Band Removed Now!!!!!

[Anyalee 0]

Whoa that was like reading a suspense novel. I'm so glad it had a happy ending! I'm proud of Yaz for sticking with it. I have to say though that I NEVER had buyer's remorse for my band. I had my first pb today & I as SO excited I wanted to tell everyone at work (of course they wouldn't have understood). I love my band & I think we shouldn't say that everyone regrets it at some point...I don't believe that's true. :teeth_smile:

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I have never regretted getting banded. There were times when I had food stuck that I thought I hated my band. Then I remembered I love my band and I just need to chew more.

How could I not love my band, going from a size 24 to a size 12?

[favorite 3]

Yaz, I Am So Happy You Are Keeping Your Band. You're Doing The Right Thing By Not Getting A Fill. Let Your Body And Your Mind Adjust. Take It Slow, And Good Luck To You.

[KatieBelle 0]

I mourned my loss of normal food (my version of normal food, at least) at first. I am a guy, for crying out loud! It is considered manly to brag about how much food a guy can consume (at least here, in the US). I've had a sh*tty couple of weeks with work and there have been times when I have wanted to pig out and drink Coca-Cola till the freakin' cows come home. Thank God that my band has helped keep me from doing so! I didn't have to feel ashamed of myself afterwards. I don't know what new coping mechanisms I'm going to rely on, yet. I'm happy but not happy all at the same time. I'm going through what is known as "bandster hell". Do you know the difference between what I'm going through now and what I gave into in the past? I'm going to get through all of it this time. I AM! I KNOW it beyond any benefit of doubt! I have lost weight and feel soooo much better. I sleep better, I move better. I hate that I have lost one of my best friends... food... but I would hate it much worse if I were to just go on getting fatter until I was nearly immobile and die, in embarrassment, from this dreaded affliction!

If you want support, we're here to give it to you. We'll stand by you through thick and thin. We'll lift you up when the world has gone to sh*t around you. We will give you strength when you need it most. We are the world of fat. We are the world of the unseen and frowned upon. We are the reality of fat in the USA and Europe and Asia and anywhere else in the world. We're all either encountering or been through the same sh*t that you're going through. We, more than any skinny b*tch who has never had a weight problem in his or her life, know what pain you feel each and every day that you look in the mirror. We know how good you feel when you shovel nine bazillion calories into your pie-hole to quench the pain. We know how desperate and ashamed you feel afterwards. We know how unfair it seems that there are people who can eat anything that they want and never gain an ounce. We know how painful it is to gain weight on the scale even though we're watching and counting every bite that is going into our mouths. We are YOU, sweetheart! We are YOU! Please let us help you.. and you to help us. Together we CAN and WILL make a difference!

If, however, you're bound and determined to have the band removed despite anything we say... go ahead and do it. Feel free. You're grown. You have don't have to answer to a freakin' nanny or a teacher or all of us fat *sses! You do, however, just like all of us, have to live with the consequences of overeating. I was 375 freaking' pounds for cryin' out loud. I was a cow! Not a calf, but a freakin' COW! These wonderful people here helped me to make a very difficult terrifying decision to face my demons and accept help via the band. I will never forget them for all they have done to make my life more liveable. I owe my incredible surgeon my life! While I have only lost just over 40 pounds, I already feel like a new person. I couldn't have done it without ALL of them... good experiences and bad. My lapband buddy, gilliebean, with whom I exchange private messages has been the godsend for whom I prayed!

I only wish you well, with or without the band. Ultimately, you make the decision that's best for you... but please... plan for the worst and hope for the best. In the end, that's all any of us, as human beings, can really do.

WestCoastGuy......

Wow! I hardly even know what to say... Your post was so profoundly true & dead on, that it brought tears to my eyes. I am scheduled to have surgery in less than a month & have been good and then very bad all in the same day just from nervousness. And the Dr has a policy that if you are any heavier, even an ounce heavier on the day of your surgery, then he won't touch you. And that is daunting too. But your post rang such a chord that I will not gain any weight before this surgery, I will stay committed to this pre surgery diet, I will start walking everyday (like I should have been doing already) I will make this work!

Thank You & HUGS from Florida :thumbup: !

[mstrina27 0]

I decided to leave the band in but wont get a fill for now :thumbup:

Well i'm glad to see that you are going to give it a try.. and I can totally understand why you wanted to have it removed, why you were crying, and depressed... not eating for 14-days....OMG... are u serious... i would have been irate.. i'm talking about a real witch on wheels....lol... i'm talking breething fire.... wow.. that right there shows that u are truly focused and that you are not a quitter.... I am so glad that everything is working out for you... and the weight loss that u have had thus far is amazing... Prehaps your Dr. is trying no to praise you so you will continue to drop weight.. but starving is definately not the freekin answer...

[Prov31Wmn 0]

Amazing!!! Before my surgery (21 Jan 08) I was required to go through not only a psych eval but counseling. In 7 days my incisions were still healing and I was resting and taking walks. When I read the post about how disappointed people are and wanting to have the band removed I cant help but wonder what their expectations were. Did they not think about or believe "head hunger", did they think they would magically lose weight without any effort? Now I understand the need for the psych evals and I'm sure the intensive counseling I was required to get prior to surgery only helped me have realistic expectations. JoJo I totally agree with you I am going to fight to get and stay healthy. I am 43 and there are so many things in life I want to experience and enjoy..not just eating. Maybe the older you get the more you appreciate life. Being overweight and unhealthy is not how I choose to live.

[karook54 0]

I agree. I can't live any longer with my extra weight and I'm the only one who can change it .I've lost alot of weight before on my own but I can't keep it off. I need the lap band! I find it as a blessing that it is available for me to have. I know it won't be any easy road but I'm ready. I don't want to have knee replacements by the time I'm 50. I don't want to end up a diabetic. I want to have a long and healthy life with my husband, children ,and someday grandchildren and the only way to ensure that is to do my part by taking care of myself while I can. I'm a food addict but the love for myself and my family is far greater than any food I put in my body. So I'm READY!!!!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

As someone close to goal, let me tell you how nice it is to pull clothes off the rack and not sit and wonder if it's going to cover the fat where you need to to, and being able to shop in regular sizes. I have gotten where I try clothes on at home because most of the time they fit. This last

t shirt I had to take back because it was too BIG. That's a first!

[VIRGO_GIRL824 0]

I'm starving for one :ohmy:. All I do is cry becuase I feel I made a mistake. I want to be able to have the foods I like and I dont now.... I feel like i can try less dramatic ways to get healthy and feel good about my self. All I do is dream with food and soda.. I know that sounds silly . I feel like I was happier being myself before surgury.

Sweetie, you have to give it time. If "less dramatic ways" worked long term, wouldn't you have tried it sooner? You may have been happier before surgery, but were you healthier? Will you be healthier and happier 5 or 10 years down the road if the "less dramatic ways" don't work? I'm not trying to talk you into keeping the band, or make you feel bad, but you could just be going through side effects of being put under and having surgery. Anyway, the band is not a miracle cure for obesity, it is a tool. You have to be willing to change your lifestyle. If you can't do that then you probably should have it removed. Also please keep in mind that the less dramatic WL solutions also require a lifestyle change... Are you willing to do your part?

[AudricIan 0]

WOW! I definately had some issues after being banded. I thought for sure that it was going to be impossible to live with. I think all I thought about for the first 2 weeks was OMG, what if it slips or errodes and I have to pay out of my pocket to have it removed...I was downright scared of what I had done. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat the foods I liked ever again although I have read that some people can eat whatever they want. Then, I was able to eat and I felt to much better. I let go of my worries about band slippage and erosion and just decided that I should make it work while I have it because you never know what the future holds. Now I am 23 lbs lighter and I still enjoy the same foods as before. I do not binge like before but I do get to have a taste here and there and it is enough to satisfy the craving. Please talk to your doctor, try the gatorade and food thing. Maybe once you lose 10-15 lbs you will see that it is possible and it is not all that hard to lose the weight with the band. It is obvious that trying to make healthier choices in the past has not worked for you. If genetics are against you then you will struggle your entire life and one day you will think to yourself maybe you should have given the band a little more than a 7 day trial. It is not easy with the band but it is definately a lot easier than not having your band. I assure you alot of people had their regrets within a few weeks of being banded. It is obvious you have emotional attachment to food and it is killing you right now because you can't self medicate with food. Maybe you should try some sort of private counseling to help with the addiction itself, being addicted to food is like being a drug addict. Once you take the food/drugs away, it takes a while to "come down" so to speak, Good luck to you, stay strong no matter which choice you make.

[Karel M 1]

Are you in a support group at your drs office? Have you talked to his nutritionist? My band didn't work, that why I had to have mine taken out after 3 years. I would rather lose the weight and get it all over with now than have to live the rest of my life fat. Remember not fitting into booths at diners or having to get extentions when you fly on an airline? These are the things that I thought I could conquer myself after having my band removed, but now its 5 years later and I gained even more weight than when I had it put in. If you go back and read my story, I lost around 35 pounds after the surgery just from being on the liquid phase of the diet. I have gained it all back plus, as I now weigh 230. My heighest ever. HELP!!!!!

[jbflorida 1]

Karel, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't your band work? That must have been disappointing.

[yazmarrero85 0]

Hello Everyone,

I know, I know, I said I was not going to :confused:. But I got my first fill yesterday. I changed my mind since my best friend is getting married in August of this year and she asked me to come out in her wedding. My Doc. didn't actually say but i;m guessing I got a 1cc??????( MAYBE)

So far I feel ok, a bit hungry since i;m on liquids but nothing I can't handle!!

[Apples2 19]

Hello Everyone,

I know, I know, I said I was not going to :confused:. But I got my first fill yesterday. I changed my mind since my best friend is getting married in August of this year and she asked me to come out in her wedding. My Doc. didn't actually say but i;m guessing I got a 1cc??????( MAYBE)

So far I feel ok, a bit hungry since i;m on liquids but nothing I can't handle!!

Such good news, Yaz. Hoping the fill works for you. I'm curious. You said your best friend is getting married and asked you to "come out" in her wedding. Now, is that "coming out" in a good way or just phrased wrong. No problem either way....just interested cuz I am a true believer in people coming out.

[yazmarrero85 0]

Such good news, Yaz. Hoping the fill works for you. I'm curious. You said your best friend is getting married and asked you to "come out" in her wedding. Now, is that "coming out" in a good way or just phrased wrong. No problem either way....just interested cuz I am a true believer in people coming out.

Lol :crying: no I'm going to be a brides maid