Longterm nutrition and health with a band

[Cedar Brett 0]

I have had my gastric band since December 2006. I had my first “fill” in May 2007. I lost a lot of weight (280 lbs down to 149 lbs) and am VERY happy with that. My weight is now ideal for me. But the price has been that I have not really been able to consume anything but liquids (smooth liquidized Soup, coffee which keeps me going) and even those things in very small quantities. I have always puked back about half of what liquid I consume. I have felt happy as I lost weight, and I kept going on this starvation diet of liquidized soup and coffee, but I ,often felt weak and exhausted. Then in August this year, fifteen months after having the fill, I began to feel not only weak and exhausted but actually really ill, as if I had flu. I knew I couldn’t cope any more. I had had the band put in at a private clinic, but there was no after-care plan with that clinic, and anyway I couldn’t afford any more treatment. So I delivered myself to Emergency at a public hospital (in England the National Health Service is free). They responded to the crisis by removing 5 milli-litres of ‘fill’. Since then I have recovered my health and am coping more or less OK, but am worried about long-term nutrition. I don’t want to lose more weight, but don’t know how to maintain this weight, how to keep myself nourished and healthy. Because… I not only continue to puke back a lot of the liquids I take, but am also sometimes actually vomiting quiet violently, a little while after attempting to eat more solid foods, even if I only ate a small quantity. The only way I keep going is by eating tiny amounts of very high calorie but totally unhealthy foods like chocolate, icecream etc. Even then, not much stays down. I absolutely can't eat bread, or rice, or fruit, salad or vegetables.Has anyone had similar experiences, and got any advice for the long run, please? Does anyone know if there is a "thread" or a "forum" for people with my problem as described above? This is the second time I posted this thread cos I havent received much experienced feedback yet. Thanks for any info.

[Donna113 2]

You have got to figure out how to get post lap band care. They need to monitor your fill level, check to see if you've had a slipped band and help you with proper diet and nutrition. At a minimum, you should be taking some sort of Multi-Vitamin.< /p>

[thatDEgirl 1]

It sounds to me like you are too tight, you should be able to eat most regular foods and not just liquids. That is not healthy. I think you need to do anything necessary to find proper aftercare.

[cajeal 0]

You sound exactly like I felt up to week ago. I couldnt keep anything down and that included liquids. The final straw for me was when I passed out at work. I just got so tired of not feeling good. I finally was told that I was clogged up and my esophasus was swollen. I had to have my fill removed until my thoart return to normal. I was told that I was literally starving myself. I am going to have the fill put back in the 5TH of Nov if everything be okay at that visit. I know how you feel. But to me at that time I just wanted to loose a little bit more weight and if I was eating a whole lot less, the weight loss would just go that much more quickly. Get help if you can.

Edited October 24, 2008 by cajeal
sentence didnt make sense

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

I'm experiencing a little dejavu while reading your post. 26 years ago I had gastroplasty (stomach stapling) to lose weight. I was nearly 400 pounds and miserable, but very healthy. The surgery went very well and I was losing pretty fast. Then I got pregnant and was told to slow my weight loss for awhile. As it turned out I couldn't do that because the opening in the staple line was growing shut. I was so happy about the weight loss that I didn't tell anyone I wasn't keeping food down until my OB said I was losing more than 10 pounds a week and something was wrong.. It's a very long story, but I almost died from starvation and malnutrition at 120 pounds after delivering a 5 week pre-mature healthy baby. They reversed my gastroplasy and fixed my stomach and then put me on a diet to gain weight........ Guess what happened after that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yup...... gained it all back over a few years.... including my health. Now I'm a healthy 56 year old who was lucky enough to be able to be banded and I'm on my way to a new me. I would never take a chance with my health again.. Go see a doctor and get on a health management program. What good is it to be skinny if you're near dead?????? I wish you very well and hope you find a good doctor who will help you make all your dreams come true... Julie

[lapbandtalker 0]

I've seen advertised on tv the new realize band that comes with 3 years counseling after banding.

This just drives it home that just because someone gets the band, meets goal, and a few months go by....they are so not done readjusting. It does take years.

I'm over a year out and met goal 10 months ago AND slime from time to time. I find with each passing month I get better and better but sometimes I backslide.

But with anything new...this will happen. My doc says things are normal and it will take more than just a few years to undo 40 years of bad eating habits.

Give yourself a break. You decide if you are where you want to be. You set your schedule. If fluids are killing you and you want to eat more, you can opt for an unfill. But if you want to continue on for a while longer, fine. Just talk to your doctor, they will help guide you in your decision making.

[Jachut 487]

You need your band checked out ASAP.

You are either WAY too tight, in which case it is fixable, or your band may have slipped.

These stories never fail to amaze me - sometimes there is such lack of information given to the patient and such lack of knowledge by the patient. This is not normal, and you should never have been led to think that it was. A lapband is not supposed to stop you eating, you should not be puking regularly, nothing about your experience is normal. Please get checked out as soon as you can!

[Fanny Adams 7]

You need your band checked out ASAP.

You are either WAY too tight, in which case it is fixable, or your band may have slipped.

These stories never fail to amaze me - sometimes there is such lack of information given to the patient and such lack of knowledge by the patient. This is not normal, and you should never have been led to think that it was. A lapband is not supposed to stop you eating, you should not be puking regularly, nothing about your experience is normal. Please get checked out as soon as you can!

QUOTE FOR TRUTH!!!

You should NOT be living on liquids or puking every day! You should be able to eat normal healthy foods like lean meats and fresh salads without any problems. The band is meant to restrict the volume of the food you consume, not force you onto a starvation diet. GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR AGAIN!