Anyone here have lap-band?

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  • Schula03
    Schula03 Posts: 171 Member
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    Yes i did in Oct 2009 have lost 125 so far 20 or so to go....I have a fantastic dr.....very important to go in every month when you first start was.... Hope you get it adjusted correctly soon it's a wonderful life changing tool when it works...but you still gotta do the work too...I do alot of cardio and watch every calorie


    Holy Crap!!!! That is amazing!
  • Schula03
    Schula03 Posts: 171 Member
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    i have the band... And it has been really helpful... ive lost about 16 pounds with it since July...but i have been making the best choices either..and ive been drinking while eating. My band is now at 8ccs and i can only eat a tiny bit... the biggest thing being a whole sandwich while drinking.

    To have that surgery and only have lost 16 pounds in 7 months would seem like a disappointment to me. Is that all this thing does?

    I don't know...I lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks just by cutting my calories. I don't mean to knock you. I honestly don't. But if I'm going to have surgery and mess with my insides in an unnatural way, I better see good results.

    You know, that's right, I've lost 21 since Jan 1st? just eating right and exercising

    I am sorry, but maybe some of you do not have as much weight to lose as others. When I weighed 478 lbs, surgery was the best option for me. I lost 284 lbs with the help of gastric by pass. It also took diligence, hard work, discipline etc.... When you have an enormous amount of weight to lose, it can be very daunting! Just saying....


    Whatever you need to do to live a healthy life! :blushing:
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
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    I had my lap band surgery on June 23, 2008. It's still a struggle to lose weight and keep it off, but it wasn't coming off at all before my surgery, and I was seeing dietitians, counting calories, working out with personal trainers for years. My stubborn metabolism just can't seem to lose weight unless I eat less than 1000 calories a day, and I can't control my hunger that well without the band. But it took a number of visits over the first few years before I could get it right. It is just a tool, and requires quite a bit of post surgery visits for fills/un-fills. Still, I would do it all over again if I had to.
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
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    Do these get infected? It can't be good to keep going in and out of the body adjusting things.

    Seems that you can get the same results with just being "good" with your activity and the foods you eat.

    I mean, if you lose 50 pounds and gain it back plus more, why have it in your body at all? Can you get it removed? And why do they charge you to adjust it? Shouldn't that be part of the program you buy into when you first get it? Hrm...Just curious. Sounds like a scam to me (for most people).
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
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    I had my lap band surgery on June 23, 2008. It's still a struggle to lose weight and keep it off, but it wasn't coming off at all before my surgery, and I was seeing dietitians, counting calories, working out with personal trainers for years. My stubborn metabolism just can't seem to lose weight unless I eat less than 1000 calories a day, and I can't control my hunger that well without the band. But it took a number of visits over the first few years before I could get it right. It is just a tool, and requires quite a bit of post surgery visits for fills/un-fills. Still, I would do it all over again if I had to.

    How do they get it in? Small incisions? It's interesting...do you still have problems losing weight or will you get it removed because you have things under control? lol You don't have to answer me, just curious.
  • songofserenity81
    songofserenity81 Posts: 138 Member
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    a port is placed under the surface of the skin with a tube that connects it to the band..when a fill is needed a needle is inserted through the skin into the port and saline solution is injected, this travels down the tube and fills up the pouches that surround the inside of the band...the reverse can be done if someone finds the band is too tight and saline can be drawn off loosening the band. sometimes multiple fills are required until a sweet spot is reached whereby there is enough restriction without being too much. I personally will be leaving mine in once I hopefully reach target as its not necessarily the losing weight I struggle with when I set my mind to it but the long process of maintaining afterwards. I am hoping with my band as a tool and the help of this site and all the people here that once it is gone I will never have to be that big ever again.
  • amy0776
    amy0776 Posts: 25
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    I've had the band for right at a year now, and I've lost 80 lbs. I really think this surgery is different for everybody. From all the people I know with the band, I've learned that MOST people get out of it what they put into it. But there are quite a few people who try their best and still don't see the results they want. That can be because of failures on the doc's part, or on the band's part....or just how your body is reacting. As for me....the 80 lbs was all lost from February to October. I've been stalled ever since. BUT the problem was that I had sinus drainage that created a cement-like plug in my band and made it impossible for ANYTHING to get through it.....even water. I became terribly dehydrated.....but oddly enough I gained weight. There's no explanation that makes sense to me, but my doctor told me it was normal. Go figure. He ended up taking all the fluid out of my band and now I'm struggling with no restriction until my next appointment.

    With all that being said, I'm not sure if I'd do it all over again. Surgery is hard on me, and I still felt like I was starving for the majority of the time. You still have to count every calorie, and exercise like crazy. But I'm still counting it as a success because at no other time in my life was I ever able to lose 80 lbs in a year. But, at no other time in my life have I ever stuck with something long enough to lose 80 lbs., and I credit the band with that part of it! :D So I guess I would say that I get the credit for the loss, and the band gets the credit for helping me stick with it and keep it off so far! :D

    Good luck with your journey!! :D
  • amy0776
    amy0776 Posts: 25
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    I had my lap band surgery on June 23, 2008. It's still a struggle to lose weight and keep it off, but it wasn't coming off at all before my surgery, and I was seeing dietitians, counting calories, working out with personal trainers for years. My stubborn metabolism just can't seem to lose weight unless I eat less than 1000 calories a day, and I can't control my hunger that well without the band. But it took a number of visits over the first few years before I could get it right. It is just a tool, and requires quite a bit of post surgery visits for fills/un-fills. Still, I would do it all over again if I had to.

    I have the SAME metabolic issues!! I'm glad to hear that I'm not crazy!! My doctor INSISTS that I take in at least 1100. But I find that I'm not losing with this amount...even with extreme exercise. So do you tell your doc that you're eating less than 1000, or do you just keep it to yourself? I am a terrible liar, so I'd really hate to lie to him, but I'm seriously thinking about going back to 900 again....which is the amount I was taking in while I was losing the most. Maybe he won't yell too loud! :D lol....
  • mrjason
    mrjason Posts: 61 Member
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    Do these get infected? It can't be good to keep going in and out of the body adjusting things.

    Seems that you can get the same results with just being "good" with your activity and the foods you eat.

    I mean, if you lose 50 pounds and gain it back plus more, why have it in your body at all? Can you get it removed? And why do they charge you to adjust it? Shouldn't that be part of the program you buy into when you first get it? Hrm...Just curious. Sounds like a scam to me (for most people).


    It's definitely not a scam, if it's adjusted correctly it's supposed to work great. My issue is that due to job loss and financial reasons I was not able to get the band adjusted. They basically inject fluid in through a port under the skin. It's painless. Most doctors do adjustments under a "fluroscope" so they can watch the band expand and contract and get it adjusted correctly to the right spot the first time. My surgeon goes 1/2 cc at a time (I have room for 14 cc's in mine) and will only fill me once a month. At $500 per visit and maybe 12 visits in a year, that's $6000 cash that I really don't have to spend. ( I know, it's my life, what's money without health, but someone still needs to live)

    In a nutshell, when it works it should make a person feel fuller with less food intake, but getting it to work is a bit of a challenge and the failure is VERY depressing. I know now that it's "just a tool", but I wasn't educated well before the surgery. I'm working on finding another surgeon who can fill me under this scope and get me on the right track.
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
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    But that's what I mean as in 'scam'. Doctors seem to not tell people these things can happen and now you're stuck having to either pay 500 a pop or...get fat?

    I bet you could do really well with losing weight just by logging food and being active.
  • ToniAnn411
    ToniAnn411 Posts: 83
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    But that's what I mean as in 'scam'. Doctors seem to not tell people these things can happen and now you're stuck having to either pay 500 a pop or...get fat?

    I bet you could do really well with losing weight just by logging food and being active.

    A good Dr tells the patient about all the pro's and cons. Unfortunatly there are not so good Dr's and some lazy Dr's. That's why research is important.
  • mrjason
    mrjason Posts: 61 Member
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    But that's what I mean as in 'scam'. Doctors seem to not tell people these things can happen and now you're stuck having to either pay 500 a pop or...get fat?

    I bet you could do really well with losing weight just by logging food and being active.

    That's the plan. This website is what's going to save my life.
  • skyry321
    skyry321 Posts: 1
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    Yes! I had lapband surgery jan 25, 2010 and have lost about 83 pounds so far,
    It takes disclipine along with exercise to succeed.
    I have a few friends that fell off the bandwagon at their 1 year mark,
    I don't plan on doing that, I am now able to run and that's my new addiction.
    Best decision I have ever made for myself and so happy to have my life back.
    Get in a good routine and stick with it. you have to cut out alot of the junk food.
    I do eat it occasionally, but you have to have portion control.
    Good luck to you!
  • bluemtm
    bluemtm Posts: 1
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    I had lapband in Mexico about a year ago March 2010, before the band I did not look like I was pregnant and now I do, I had a fill four months ago and since then I have gained 15 pounds. I know I need to exercise more, I work 12 hours shifts as anurse and walk a lot but i know I need to get out and run and walk more....I cant seem to be motivated....I am goig for a fill this month...hopefully I can get some success from the lap band..
  • clare9289
    clare9289 Posts: 24
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    Does drinking affect it? I always drink! I didn't know this!
  • clare9289
    clare9289 Posts: 24
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    Hey there! I had my lapband put it in in August last year. I have lost 16kg (35 pounds) so far. I have found it really disappointing at times. My weight loss has been slow, but I came to find that it was my own problem. I was assuming that I was eating fewer calories than I actually was, and assuming the band was just going to fix it for me. Now I know I only get results from a huge amount of effort. I assumed the band was going to fix everything, but it really doesn't. Now I see it as simply a tool to decrease my hunger slightly, but the hard work is down to me. Changing to a positive "this is up to me, but my band helps" rather than a negative "this band doesn't work" mentality has been the key to what success I've had so far.

    Hope this helps!
  • landorki
    landorki Posts: 93 Member
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    Yes i did in Oct 2009 have lost 125 so far 20 or so to go....I have a fantastic dr.....very important to go in every month when you first start was.... Hope you get it adjusted correctly soon it's a wonderful life changing tool when it works...but you still gotta do the work too...I do alot of cardio and watch every calorie

    I can not agree more! I have lost 115 pounds in 8 months. BUT I count every calorie. I watch everything I eat. Little to NO junk food. I always look for healthy alternatives and I stay very active! The band is just a tool... not a miracle drug. You still have to do the work.
  • smsain
    smsain Posts: 3
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    It is just a tool not a miracle cure. I work just as hard losing the weight on other programs as I have since getting my band. It's all behavioral changes. I had my band surgery a month ago and have lost over 20 pounds not including the pre-op weight I lost. I'm only 2 pounds from losing 50 lbs since January. Best decision I've ever made.

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