Had First TOO Tight Episode- totally unfilled

80 pounds is amazing!!!  

I'm so glad the band is working for you!  There are some people who have had incredible success with it, there's no denying that.

For others like me, it's like the planets have to align!    Between the patient, the band itself and how your body responds to it, and the aftercare it can be tough.

I got the band because I was afraid of the RNY (mostly of reactive hypoglycemia).  In hindsight, I was desperate for a change, but I don't know that I was ready.  I simply wanted something that would help me feel full and content with a smaller volume of food.  Portion control.

A year after my banding, I was diagnosed with ADHD and an eating disorder. ADHD does have an impulse control component.  For me, that doesn't mean traditional risky behavior like skydiving or fast driving.  My impulsive behavior is to eat.  And eat.  And eat. Binging on huge volumes of food.  But hey, the band is supposed to help volume eaters!

My personal interpretation of my experience is that the band was not the correct surgery for my head.  

I was able to change my eating habits and diet for 8 months or so.  But we could never get the band tweaked so that it worked with me to help reinforce those habits.  Does that make sense?  I could only go so far on my own (like with every other diet) and I desperately wanted the band to help me some.

It's like the band and my brain are at war:  I try to figure out if I'm hungry.  Maybe the band is whispering that I'm satisfied but I'm not sure I even know what that means.  And meanwhile, my impulsive, disordered brain is screaming to clean my plate, eat some more and see what else is around to eat.

It's like rock paper scissors, where brain beats band.  

Also, I am pretty detached both emotionally and physically.  I have a lot of physical pain from joint and lower GI issues.  I just unplug from it.  As a kid, I had a lot of emotional pain and I unplugged from that.  The consequence for me is that I don't understand what my body is telling me.  I have to learn to reconnect and listen.

Intellectually, I get all that.  Internalizing it, because of being so detached, is the challenge.  Learning to be quiet and try to listen to those signals (if they're even there) and then finding ways to shut my brain's impulsive chatter up is hard.  Trying to retrain 44 years of brain wiring is not simple!!!

So even getting to the point of always choosing a healthy snack or realizing a portion is too large is not reflexive for me, like it is your friend in support group.

I think the state of one's mental health is critical in how well they respond to the band.  The band isn't powerful enough to stand up against impulse issues (anxiety, depression, ADHD), sugar addiction, eating disorders and long-standing emotional eating.  It's far more complex than my pouch is full--DING!  Done!  Ya know?

Thanks to Docd's reference from Bariatric Times, I've really been doing a lot of thinking.  For now I'm stuck with the band, so how can I make the best of what I have?

Definitely in the pick yourself up and dust yourself off mode.   I've held a lot of resentment toward the clinic where I got my band, because they ignored my pleas for help and then a nurse got nasty and yelled at me in the fluoroscopy suite.  WTF?  It's time to let go of that and stop punishing myself because of my issues with the band.  Make lemonade out of lemons time.

Life is definitely an ongoing learning process, band or not!!!!

I can see where you are coming from and that would be hard especially what you are going through . With them impulses it would be hard for you to do this and not want to eat all the time .

Is there any kind of meds you can take to make things easier for you so you wouldnt have them impulses to eat ?  

When I looked into the WLS RNY was already crossed off my list .  My aunt had it done and she is so sickly looking I would rather be fat then look like her .   She is more unhealthy now then she was when she was overweight.  You get WLS to get healthy and then you become so unhealthy its scary.  My next door neighbor spent four months in the hospital because of the same surgery she just about died and to this day she is having major health problems.  I did not know one single person that had a good experience with that surgery and plus I didn't want to do something that drastic.

My doc came right out and told me we dont know how your body will react to this band.  You could be one of the ones that never have a single problem or it could be a problem from the get go.  He has about 10 patients that has never had a fill and has met their goal or dang close to it. 

I wish we knew before hand what surgery would be the best for us before we go under the knife.  I know people with huge success with the band and then I know people that has had nothing but problems some brought it on themselves and then those that just had problems with it being in their body.  I know people with great success with the sleeve then on the other hand I know people that has fighting not to gain their weight back , has had health complications ,  or wishes to God they never  had the surgery done .

You just never know how you will react to any surgery till you have it done and then its to late .

I do hope things get easier for you and thing work out for you whether it be the band or if you have a different surgery .  

 Thanks for being so understanding.  And your surgeon was really great to be so upfront with you saying it may work great or not.

This is why researching surgery is so important, just as it is important for post ops to tell their stories, both good and bad. You never know who is reading and how that information can help them.

I'm taking meds for my chronic depression and for ADHD.  They don't really impact the. Eating disorder part.  I am working with my therapist on that and am lucky that she also runs our WLS support group meetings.  I haven't missed a group since spring!

I'lll add more when I get back to my office!

 The other thing I was going to say (was at the pharmacy and they actually filled my order quickly!) was that I'm on Victoza for diabetes.

Victoza is a long-acting GLP-1 analog.  GLP-1 is a gut hormone and works with other gut hormones like PYY and OXM to help with satiety.

For me, it helps with the nonstop food obsessive thoughts some.  But I started getting injection site reactions--looked and felt like I was stung by a dozen bees!  Why do I always get the annoying side effects of everything???  I've gone off it until the inflammation subsides.  We'll see if I can use it again.

Anyway,  the critical hormones involved in satiation and satiety are GLP-1, PYY and Ghrelin.  

The sleeve cuts out the majority of the ghrelin producing tissue (ghrelin makes you feel hungry).

The RNY intestinal modification causes an increase in PYY, which helps reduce background hunger.

The band, because it's just a belt and tissues aren't cut, doesn't affect any of these hormones like the other surgeries do.  So we are still under the full influence of our wacky gut hormones.

If the band isn't adjusted properly in the green zone, it doesn't send the proper messages to the brain indicating satiation.  You basically have to diet old school style.

Long story short, it's important to understand how each surgery you consider works, and how you work in this world and how the two will work together for the best success.

Dang.  Why can't this stuff be easy?  

I may be an odd ball but I eat better and my band works better now that it's empty! I can finally eat healthy foods again without getting stuck and my band gives me a clue that another bite wouldn't be a good idea. So far after several months unfilled I gained 5 lbs. but after the initial 5 lbs have stopped and not gained any more. Haven't lost, but haven't gained either. I'm just so used to eating bandster size meals I don't bother to heap my plate, I know I can get more if I want but a small serving is usually plenty.