Three years...and starting over.

[ts505050 1]

Hi there. I have not posted in quite some time, nor have I been reading other posts religiously as I once did. I am hoping to hear from some other people that are years into this banded life that can shed some light on some things for me. I was banded in the summer of '05. I was pretty sure that I would lose every single extra pound in the first six months. I didn't, but I did lose about 30 pounds. In the first year I lost a total of 40 pounds. I was pretty happy with that. In the second year, I reverted to some of the emotional eating that made me fat in the first place, but managed to stay stable despite myself. In the third year, which will end in August, I have managed to gain back all 40 pounds. In the beginning of the year, I was teetering on being too tight. I didn't want to gain weight so I kept it that way. Over the course of a few months, it seemed to get tighter as I gained a few more pounds because of all of the soft foods I was eating.

Then my surgeon left town. That was the biggest blow, because she was amazing. I found myself on my own and I had no idea what to do. By the time I found a new surgeon I had gained about 15 pounds because it was too tight. The new surgeon, although nice, had no clue what to do. He took Fluid out of my band, but way too much. This left me with almost no restriction and have since gained back every pound that I originally lost.

I'm going to a new surgeon tomorrow, one that has a great reputation from what I have read. I am hoping to be able to start all over and find success again. Has anyone had luck years later? I am frustrated today, and have been for quite some time. I have even been considering looking into alternative surgeries. I never thought I would consider that.

Any advice and/or similar experiences would be so helpful to me right now. I am really hopeful that by Christmas, I can manage to get my weight back down below 200. I'm at 260 right now. Thanks to anyone who has advice or encouragement for me, and thanks for reading this far! I'm hoping that involving myself in a support group will help me get this thing together.

Thanks!

Edited May 19, 2008 by ts505050

[cb11213 5]

Well, I think we need to hear some more positive things instead of one horror story. I lost 30 pounds in my first 2 months! I am doing great and I continue to lose weight every time I have a bowel movement!

Advice for you: eat more healthfully! It really can't be that big of a mystery as to why you gain weight. I mean, you don't gain weight by eating right and exercising.

[pearlygirl 1]

Holy cow CB! A little harsh maybe? It seems to be that she's looking for a fresh start and some SUPPORT. I understand the tough love thing but you weren't even helpful...

TS - Welcome back!! A fresh start is exactly what you need. Good luck with your appointment and let us know how it goes and how you like your new surgeon.

[Laurinda 1]

WOW cb11213 I find your comment to be very rude and even uncalled for. I don't think the poster was asking to be criticized and bashed. If losing weight was so dang easy I don't guess this board would be here. I am very glad that you have done so well at your weight lose and I do hope it continues, but when you start walking on Water maybe then what you have to say can be taken serious.

ts505050 I am sorry I have not had the band but four months so I have no "long term" advise to give you. The fact that you want to move forward and make this band work for you is awesome! Do you have a local support group? Maybe the new surgeon will have some ideas of places you can look into. For the most part I have found this board to be helpful and supportive with great ideas. I don't post often but I read daily. I'm sorry you reached out for advise and help and got such an arrogant response right of the bat. Pfffft that one and keep moving forward!! Good-Luck to you!

[ts505050 1]

To Pearlygirl and Laurinda: Thanks for the encouragement. It was indeed what I was looking for.

cb: Please do no respond to my posts again. I came here for a reason. I needed support. I am very glad that your first months have been so successful. Guess what...so were mine. It's not always going to be that easy. There was a reason I asked for advice from people that had some experience with the band. It changes so much over time. Your response was quite immature at best.

My question is simple: Has anyone that has experience beyond a couple of months have some advice and encouragement for me? I have been battling for the past year. Partly with myself and partly with my lack of surgeon atatus. I relied heavily on her support and with her leaving, I have struggled. I'm not attempting to make excuses for myself, it is what it is. I just want it to work from this point forward and would love to hear that others have had success after struggling.

Again, thank to the encouragement the two posters already gave me and please, if you want to talk about bowel movements, go to a different thread.

[kellye 0]

Cb you are not right. "It really can't be that big of a mystery as to why you gain weight. I mean, you don't gain weight by eating right and exercising". My Question to you is...If you know you don't gain weight by eating right and exercising....WHY ARE YOU HERE??? Oh I guess that was something you learned after being banded, right? You just made it sound like every overweight person in America is an idiot.

TS...Hang in there. Find you a good Dr. and do the best you can. It is not easy for any of us or should I say most of us. Don't let rude, cold people discourage you.

Kellye

[MerryHearted 20]

Hey there-- I responded to your post on GraduateBandsters so I won't repost it all here. But yes, I was also banded in Summer 05, had issues my 2nd year with emotional eating and gaining, and am now back on track and losing well.

So it can be done!! If you want to, you can reach your goal. I plan to reach mine, setback notwithstanding.

:wink_smile:

[Bel 1]

Hi *waves*

I wanted to let you know i understand! I have been banded 6 years, 7 in November. I got my weight off but around two years ago had to have an emergency unfill and was loose for the last 2 years because i didnt want to have a fill again for fear of being too tight, i put on a bit of weight...not heaps but i started to feel hopeless, i forgot what it was like to use the band as a tool and not think it is meant to do it for me.

When i joined this board i realised how far out of control i was and just how loose. I found that i cant depend on the band like i used to because now my body is used to it, even with restriction i have to stay in control.

I went to see my surgeon and get regular fills, i started back on the track 3 weeks ago and have lost 3 kgs.

The key is to find what made you get the band in the first place, what helped you in your head to lose the weight initially and then use it.

I have also found going back to my surgeon once a month for regular fills and weigh ins has got me back on track.

I hope you find the way through this and dont give up, if you lost the weight the first time you can lose it again chicka.

Bel

[becca77 0]

Hey TS you are not alone, I am at 1 year and 3 months out and I am starting over too. Don't be ashamed, we got this done in the first place because we do have a problem and it isn't easy. I lost 20lbs and then gained it back and then got pregnant so I am back at square one.

My suggestion would be to start off brand new, like a brand new bandster. Change your profile, you do not need to put your banded date on there, thats no ones business. Make a new ticker and start from the beginning. Use this board as your support.

Good luck to you, we all need it. There are others out there going through the same thing but they're just not posting. Good for you for coming back after so long!

[Jachut 487]

My biggest piece of advice would be to learn to love exercise. I am like a broken record on this, but I swear, if I did not run every day I would not have been nearly so successful in losing weight and I certainly would not be so successful in keeping it off.

I also think you need to remember that fills are for life - maintenance must go on. If at any stage after you reach goal weight you find you're hungrier, its time for a small fill! I recently had one and even my doc questioned me, I think he thought I wanted to try to get even skinnier but truly, I was just beginning to swing a bit up and down by 2lb and I wanted to nip it in the bud before it got out of hand. It worked brilliantly, I havent lost (it was only .1ml) any weight, but I have stayed back down at the lower end of my usual weight and my weight has stopped fluctuating. You need to keep seeing a doctor regularly and you need to fill when you begin to feel you need it.

My internal dialogue was all about "well, I'm at goal weight now, it's OK if I eat a little more" but in all honestly, its NOT OK. And I was not eating a little more than the 3/4 of my sandwich I can eat at lunchtime, I was eating the 3/4 of a sandwich and then chocolate all afternoon. Its very hard to fight the I've lost weight now I dont have to worry mentality but its the most important thing in the whole battle. Just as for weight loss, maintenance takes a properly functioning band.

Good luck. With perhaps a fill and renewed commitment, you can lose that weight again.

Edited May 19, 2008 by Jachut

[tammygirl 0]

CB, hurting people hurt people. I am so sorry you have been hurt. I pray for your continued physical healing and the beginning of your emotional healing.

To the original poster, Hang in there and welcome back!

Tammygirl

[losingjusme 12]

ts -

welcome back. i agree with almost everyone here, you can do it.

jachut was right about the exercise. find something you really like to do and do it. swim, walk, gym, run, soccer, ANYTHING that gets you moving.

best of luck to you, come here for support, there are many here that will give you the support you need and deserve. dont listen to the negative posters, they are just trying to cause attention to themselves.

keep us posted.

[*susan* 1,709]

Hi TS, and welcome back!

Yes, it is possible to have problems, rally and come back from them to begin losing weight again. I do know from experience. I had my band on 4/28/06. Like you, the first year was wonderful for me. I lost 60 pounds my first year and thought by the end of my second year I would be at goal. Then, much like you, I got overfilled. I was having financial issues and the end of my one year of free visits had come and gone. So, I let the problem persist. I finally went in for an unfill and then tried another fill two months later. I was still overfilled. Once again, I let it go on for months. I began living on things like ice cream. I gained back 20 pounds. When I finally went back to the doctor, he chastised me for not coming in, said my health was more important to him than money and refused to charge me. I had a slip in my band because I was so tight that I was pb'ing constantly. So, I had to have a complete unfill for about two months. I gained back another 10 pounds.

We learned from all of this that we need to go very slow on fills with me and a little bit makes a huge difference for me. As of April, I am finally back at my sweet spot and am losing about 2 pounds a week again. I am exercising and feeling great and back in love with my band again. So, as I have shown, it is possible to come back from problems and start losing again. I have learned to not let any band problems I am having persist for more than a day or so now, it simply isn't worth it.

I hope you have wonderful luck with your new surgeon. I would suggest having him do a fill under flouroscopy just to make sure everything is ok with your band.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Don't let one bad apple spoil the crate for you, so to speak. We really are a supportive group here and want to help one another. Even with the band, this is not an easy road and we all need help from time to time.

[ts505050 1]

Ahhh! THANK YOU ALL!!! I have never utilized this board for support, in the past I used it to read about the basics in the beginning of this journey. I am so glad that I got up the nerve to admit to my shortcomings and challenges. I love the advice to channel the reason I did this in the first place...and I plan to do that today. This is going to be day #1 for me. (But without the PB's and things that happen when you just don't get it yet)

I have indeed found exercise that I love. I joined Lifetime Fitness and have been going to Cycling religiously for the past few weeks. I'll keep doing that. I'll also utilize the resources that I have here if you all don't mind. I'm truly ready to do this, and do it right. Thanks so much, and keep the encouragement coming. It's nice to know that I am not the only person that has struggled. (Not that I want anyone else to have a hard time, but at least I don't feel like there is something fundamentally wrong with me.)

Thanks for welcoming me back to this board.

[shoresexy 0]

:wink_smile: I hear ya,

I was banded 12/05 and did tremendously. I lost 135lbs then I had a complication that inverted my pouch and had to have the band repositioned. I was fortunate to not have to have it removed like some other peeps I know. I gained slowly for like 5 months and then the depression of being a failure and emotional eating came back 10 fold. I put back on a total of 60 pounds. Scared to have a fill and to go to my doc and be seen as a failure I hid and went back to my old ways.... but.... there is hope. We all know the rules, we all know that the band is just a tool and we can either use it or trick ourselves into eating around it. I went to the doc and he said " it's like you have a Porsche parked in your garage and wont drive it. Lets get you started with a fill again and back on track. " That day was like a new birth. Now don't get me wrong I still have been struggling. Every morning I wake up and say Today I start agiain. So far I have dropped 7 lbs! Yay.. it aint really that large of a number but I figure if I drop 7 lbs it's better than staying or God forbid gaining like I was... I broke the cycle, now.. it's the hard part. I go to support group every week and have found myself back here again too... We can do it.. with the help of all the great peeps on this site it can be a little easier, and as far as people who are not so supportive, ignore them. That was not nice CB you should be ashamed of yourself. Posts like that are not what this site is about! SHAME ON YOU..... GOOD LUCK AND KEEP POSTING!

Jen