lap band

I am 5'11'' and weigh about 280. I am almost done with all of the pre-op doctors appointments and should be ready to schedule lap band surgery soon. My weight is pretty evenly dispersed too. I'd be interested in hearing about your journey.

I had the lap band for 5 years and I lost over 100 pounds. One day food got "stuck" in my band and it caused inflammation. For two years I worked with Dr.s to correct the problem. I had fluid put in and out of my band so many times and the problem still wasn't solved. I threw up so much that the acids were messing up my insides. I got the band because it's reversible if something went wrong! I got the band out in January 2014. Over the two years I was having difficulties I gained most of my weight back.

Looking back on my weight loss I realized I lost the weight because I was starving. The concept of the band sounds like the perfect solution, eating small meals and feeling full. Problem is I could never get the food down.

Be prepared to give up some foods. I could not eat rice, bananas, oranges, any raw veggies, celery, bread. Chips and chocolate went down perfectly! The good food got stuck and bad food went down...... After my band was off I went through a few boxes of oranges!

This is just my experience and it doesn't mean it's going to happen to you. The truth is once I get my weight off again by diet and exercise the odds are I will gain it back. I have a 5% chance of keeping off for ever and ever. I would get weight loss surgery again. In fact I'm on the list for gastric bypass which will happen in the next few years!

The band will not "make" you lose weight. Its a tool and you need to choose to use it. If you don't use it properly then you will not lose weight.

You can out eat any weight loss surgery! They all come with consequences and are not perfect!

I wish everyone luck and hope you have a better experience than I did!

Please add me as a friend thanks

I'm 5.6" - and I was at 295 Last year July 4.
July 5 of 2013 - had Lap Band done.

Now I'm at 251 lbs ( almost 10 months later - meaning I have been losing about 4 lbs per month ) .. it is slow but at least in the right direction - . Without the band I would be prob. 350 by now bc. I have been gaining about 5-8 lbs a month ( the last 50 lbs came so quikly I don't know what hit me .. . one day I was 240- next day I was 295 ! .. that's how quickly it was going I mean I have no idea how fast I was gaining but it was very fast. I was getting depressed and I was eating non stop .. crying, eating, and so on.

Now - with the band. Yes- it Is not a miracle cure. It requires discipline. It requires patience . Yes - I have found out that cookies go down very easy .. ( crunchy .. not soft ) .. chocolate will go down - almost any time .

BUT

just because it is going down it doesn't mean we need to push it down ?

I mean common - we all have good and bad days.. but just because something is going down it doesn't mean I have to eat it all day long. Just remember all the pain you had to go through with this surgery.. for me it was extremely painful and the recovery was long. It's expensive too. It's a lot of trouble to get it done. And we all have it done for one reason : TO LOSE THE WEIGHT.

sometimes it seams like " let's find out what junk I can eat and how I can cheat the band " .. well what was the point of having it done to begin with ?

in other support groups I have read many times " I'm still drinking soda, it doesn't hurt me " .. I'm still able to eat the burger.. etc

well if you had no intentions of changing your habits - why the heck did you go through this procedure ?

Yes- I know how it feels when " only junk " goes down and everything else gets stuck. I have been there for about 2 months.

Than I finally decided to get an unfill - yes it means I will be able to eat a little more - but I have made a decision that it will be healthier foods. I got tired of eating the junk - and I was craving veggies and healthy food ( like other comment said oranges etc )

Small amount was taken out- .. it was better but still not good enough. A month later I have decided to go back and take even more out. I was at 5.1 cc in a 10 cc band. so at half of the " fill " .. that was too tight. So I went to 4.9 cc .. than 4.7 cc.. and now I'm at 4.4 cc .. yes I'm going backwards . most people are going " higher " to get it tighter .. I have realized that tighter doesn't necessarily mean better. . So I can eat now some of fresh veggies.. and some of fruits. I have to be very careful with the amount,
with the " time of the day " - it's very important WHEN I eat.
I have to chew- as we all know - chewing is very important. Eat slow. Take your time. WHen I feel it's not going down I stop. Wait till I can feel its' clear ' .. sometimes it can take about 20-25 minutes till the first bite goes down. but after that - than I can continue and eat normal ( normal for lap-band .. So don't keep eating if you can tell right away it's getting stuck - if I do that - sometimes I'm just not patient and greedy.. I know I WILL throw up . and that happens when I don't wait for the first bite to go all day way down.

Mornings- no food. Room temp- liquids. Mostly premier protein shake etc.
Mid-morning - smaller snack - I take a bar .. or cheese string.. or even a cookie ( yes I still eat those and I will eat them but I take 1-3 with me to the car and that's all I can eat bc I don't have the " whole package " with me ..

lunch - salad, meat, soup.. etc

snack : - popcorn, nuts etc

dinner - no dinner for me - I have no space for it most of the time and it does make sleeping more difficult. So I rather sleep through the n night a little hungrier than stay up all night with acid reflux and vomiting.

It's not a miracle cure. It requires time, discipline, patience. It was my last resort. It's not going fast - but it is going.
And if it's not working - it's because I'm not following the rules. I know that. I know when it Is my fault.

if you already have the band - and you are not following the rules- than what other choice do you have ? I mean think a few steps ahead.. what choice do you have ? Take it out - and go back stuffing your face and than come back here and cry ?

If you already have gone through the trouble of this surgery, than for God's sake do the best of it. Imagine how many people would be happy if they could get it done but can't afford etc.

If you need a fill- go get a fill. If you are too tight - than go take some out - just a little bit. but take care of it- Lap Band requires maintenance.

Ps. Fruits/ Veggies.. I can eat but it has to be very slow - I have to peel apples, grapes, oranges- etc. the problem is not with the fruit it self but with the " skin " that is what gets stuck.
I peel tomatoes and chop them very small -
Lettuce- I'm not trying I know it will get stuck. But I think I ate my share of lettuce in my previous diets for the rest of my life

I want to make it clear that the band caused damage to my insides and I had to take the band out. I had no choice in the matter. The issue started with food being stuck and the issue spiraled from there. Getting food stuck is a common issue. The medical issue was not my fault I didn't force food down. If I could have kept the band I would have.

I did change my eating habits and life style and I lost 100 pounds. That's all I could loose I was at my goal weight.

To be clear I wasn't trying to call the lap land down I was sharing my experience. I responded to the blog as I have over 5 years of experience living with the band and I may be able to help someone else.

With every weight loss surgery you will find good and bad stories. Mine was both. It is good to know the bad aspects of any surgery so you are aware of potential medical complications. As I mentioned earlier I would get weight loss surgery again and I hope for everyone to have a great experience.

I support everyone no matter what weight loss surgery they may choose. It's a personal choice. I'm getting gastric bypass and I would like to hear other people stories even if it's bad. I know there are negative stories about the gastric bypass. None of the weight loss surgeries are perfect they all have flaws and come with risks.

If anyone has any questions about my experience with the band please ask me as I'm willing to be supportive and share some advice.

I had the band put in about 10 months ago... I started at around 330lbs and I am down to 240 right now and still losing, slowly and safely. Its def. not an easy choice but I would not change my choice to have the surgery at all. While the "stuck" situations suck! I know that I only have them because I get carried away and I dont pay attention to what I eat- I'm still working on that part. I think in my 15ml band I have 12mls in there right now?

Anyone with the band feel free to add me! its always nice to see how other banders are doing!

tumblr: this*****belosing

I was banded 2/24/14. I have lost 33lbs since. 33lbs that I have tried for years to lose and now those pounds are gone forever. Lap Band has been my life saver. Yes, getting to the "Green Zone" is a process but it is truly just a tool to help with weight loss. If you are thinking that it is a magic band... think again. You still have to work, work, work!!!

I had my lap band on September 30, 2014 I weigh 184 at the time of my surgery. At my one week I weighed 174. I will have my first adjustment on the 21th. How do you know if you ate to fast or to much. The diet am on is soft food's.

halfcuporless wrote: »

I'm 5.6" - and I was at 295 Last year July 4.
July 5 of 2013 - had Lap Band done.

Now I'm at 251 lbs ( almost 10 months later - meaning I have been losing about 4 lbs per month ) .. it is slow but at least in the right direction - . Without the band I would be prob. 350 by now bc. I have been gaining about 5-8 lbs a month ( the last 50 lbs came so quikly I don't know what hit me .. . one day I was 240- next day I was 295 ! .. that's how quickly it was going I mean I have no idea how fast I was gaining but it was very fast. I was getting depressed and I was eating non stop .. crying, eating, and so on.

Now - with the band. Yes- it Is not a miracle cure. It requires discipline. It requires patience . Yes - I have found out that cookies go down very easy .. ( crunchy .. not soft ) .. chocolate will go down - almost any time .

BUT

just because it is going down it doesn't mean we need to push it down ?

I mean common - we all have good and bad days.. but just because something is going down it doesn't mean I have to eat it all day long. Just remember all the pain you had to go through with this surgery.. for me it was extremely painful and the recovery was long. It's expensive too. It's a lot of trouble to get it done. And we all have it done for one reason : TO LOSE THE WEIGHT.

sometimes it seams like " let's find out what junk I can eat and how I can cheat the band " .. well what was the point of having it done to begin with ?

in other support groups I have read many times " I'm still drinking soda, it doesn't hurt me " .. I'm still able to eat the burger.. etc

well if you had no intentions of changing your habits - why the heck did you go through this procedure ?

Yes- I know how it feels when " only junk " goes down and everything else gets stuck. I have been there for about 2 months.

Than I finally decided to get an unfill - yes it means I will be able to eat a little more - but I have made a decision that it will be healthier foods. I got tired of eating the junk - and I was craving veggies and healthy food ( like other comment said oranges etc )

Small amount was taken out- .. it was better but still not good enough. A month later I have decided to go back and take even more out. I was at 5.1 cc in a 10 cc band. so at half of the " fill " .. that was too tight. So I went to 4.9 cc .. than 4.7 cc.. and now I'm at 4.4 cc .. yes I'm going backwards . most people are going " higher " to get it tighter .. I have realized that tighter doesn't necessarily mean better. . So I can eat now some of fresh veggies.. and some of fruits. I have to be very careful with the amount,
with the " time of the day " - it's very important WHEN I eat.
I have to chew- as we all know - chewing is very important. Eat slow. Take your time. WHen I feel it's not going down I stop. Wait till I can feel its' clear ' .. sometimes it can take about 20-25 minutes till the first bite goes down. but after that - than I can continue and eat normal ( normal for lap-band .. So don't keep eating if you can tell right away it's getting stuck - if I do that - sometimes I'm just not patient and greedy.. I know I WILL throw up . and that happens when I don't wait for the first bite to go all day way down.

Mornings- no food. Room temp- liquids. Mostly premier protein shake etc.
Mid-morning - smaller snack - I take a bar .. or cheese string.. or even a cookie ( yes I still eat those and I will eat them but I take 1-3 with me to the car and that's all I can eat bc I don't have the " whole package " with me ..

lunch - salad, meat, soup.. etc

snack : - popcorn, nuts etc

dinner - no dinner for me - I have no space for it most of the time and it does make sleeping more difficult. So I rather sleep through the n night a little hungrier than stay up all night with acid reflux and vomiting.

It's not a miracle cure. It requires time, discipline, patience. It was my last resort. It's not going fast - but it is going.
And if it's not working - it's because I'm not following the rules. I know that. I know when it Is my fault.

if you already have the band - and you are not following the rules- than what other choice do you have ? I mean think a few steps ahead.. what choice do you have ? Take it out - and go back stuffing your face and than come back here and cry ?

If you already have gone through the trouble of this surgery, than for God's sake do the best of it. Imagine how many people would be happy if they could get it done but can't afford etc.

If you need a fill- go get a fill. If you are too tight - than go take some out - just a little bit. but take care of it- Lap Band requires maintenance.

Ps. Fruits/ Veggies.. I can eat but it has to be very slow - I have to peel apples, grapes, oranges- etc. the problem is not with the fruit it self but with the " skin " that is what gets stuck.
I peel tomatoes and chop them very small -
Lettuce- I'm not trying I know it will get stuck. But I think I ate my share of lettuce in my previous diets for the rest of my life

Update : - A week ago lap band had to be removed. It caused too many health issues- complications. I had it unfilled multiple times I went from 4.4 - to 4 than 3.5.. than 2 cc .. and at the end it was empty for a few months- and still causing acid reflux , food was getting stuck because my esophagus got dilated and swollen - had trouble getting water down without burping it back up .
My lowest with the band was 218 - than all the issues started spiraling and getting worse.

Was it a right choice ? was It wrong ? .. I don't know yet- it has helped me to get down to this weight- it has caused a lot of issues- cost me a lot of $ and pain.
My quality of life wasn't that great because - it was controlled by the " mood of the band' if it started acting up for some reason - I was not able to do anything.. either acid.. or burping- or throwing up ( yeah not fun when you are out with family or friends ? )..
Yes I was scared when I made that decision to take it out.
I'm still scared.
But I do want to believe in MYSELF - I can do this . Without the band.

I have MFP.. I have my willpower- I know how it is done.

Would I advice anyone to get the band ? .. After my experience.. No.

Research.

Don't be too optimistic ( I know I was I didn't want to research " failed stories " I didn't want to read or hear about side effects I only researched " the good stuff ) ..
Now I know I made a mistake- if I had researched the failed stories, and the side effects I don't think I would have been brave enough to put it in my body.
Do your research. And believe me - the failed stories are more common than the success. ( I was a success story just last year- read my comment above .. and this is the update ) .. I'm not the only one. Even the girls that are doing the tv commercials for lap band have it taken out ( I know some personally ! ) Don't believe all the stuff you see.

And the doctors- yes.. they will tell you everything you want to hear- but when you are stuck with the pain and the bills- they are just turning their backs on you " you signed the dotted line- you accept anything that happens so ..you on your own ! )..

I'm 5'4" and I have had the gastric bypass. At my heaviest I was about 275 lbs. Here's a before picture. I think my weight is fairly evenly distributed as well.


Did you know we have a group here?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/637-gastric-bypass-vsg-lapband