2 and 3+ yrs out. Need to hear from you.

Ok, first and formost good job asking for help!!!! 1 year ago tomorrow I had my 2nd prot replacemnt surgery becasue it flipped. I had some infection after this surgery as well. I was banded 9/24/2007. I hear you about the weight loss struggle as I try to get back on track after some Christmas indulgences. My suggestions:
1. Get Jean McMillian's book: Bandwagon. It truly helped and continues to help me. Also, I would suggest signing up for the Bandwagon newsletter.
2. See your surgeon and tell her/him about your struggles. Hopefully, you can make the decisoin of fill/unfill together. I do know that eating meat is improtant to maintain satiety.
3. I hear you about the health problems. The best thing for me between my knees and feet is water aerobics. I highly recommend it. Also, I bought some mats to exercise on at home that gives me extra cushion and decreases the pain. Walk Away the pounds can be great I turn the volume on the TV low and put on my music becasue Leslie Sansome's constant chatter gets old FAST.
4. get to a support group for old timers.

I hope this helps! K

While I don't have the band I have been around these boards since my surgery of 4 years ago.

BASED solely on what you write if you are UNABLE to eat GOOD, NUTRITIOUS foods like meats and vegetables then you should get a slight UNFILL.

The band is here to HELP you but you have to help the band as well.  You need to FILL up (not get stuck) on the good for you foods.  If they are currently getting you stuck you need to be open.

The HARD part of that is your HEAD issues because while a slight fill will HELP you eat the RIGHT foods in a more normal quantity your ability to eat MORE crap foods is going to increase as well.  It's a catch 22 in this case.

You are currently going to easy foods for fear of getting stuck (which I hear is HORRIBLE).  So getting an unfill you have to be READY willing and able to do YOUR part and NOT eat the other foods that you are currently relying on.

You are not going to like this but being ABLE to eat several cups of chili is ONE thing...CHOOSING to do it is another.  Which is where being honest with yourself comes in handy and for many of us therapy to help with our food and head issues are a must.

CALL your doctor and while you wait for your appointment make a plan!!  Plan out your meals, and if you CAN eat 3 cups of chili make a promise that your meal will only be 2 cups for NOW and when you are done do SOMETHING else, etc.  Start journaling HOW you feel when you eat, what you eat and more importantly WHY you are eating.

MS Shell

Ms Shell,

     If you have never had the band you really wouldn't understand.  It's much easier to lose weight with the sleeve than the lapband.  Everyone at the Center of Excellence I go to now say the band is crap.  Maybe not in those words.  They have people coming in all the time to beg for them to do another surgery.  Sure, you have to watch what you eat but it is easier with the other surgeries.  It's very hard to explain the band.  People that are successful with the band are dieting.  I was told at my last visit to write down everything I eat and exercise.  Sounds like Weigh****chers.  I was told when I got the band, don't count calories you won't have to with the band.  I can only lose weight if I count calories.  They don't even have the answers.  I do like to exercise but I am getting tired of the band.  It can be very expensive going in for fills and unfills.  I do wish I would have chosen another surgery.

                                                                    Lori

I looked and my answer never address her ability to lose weight but rather her ability to overeat BAD foods and not consume GOOD foods and as long as I have been a member of OH that equals a TIGHT band.

Only those VERY fortunate don't "diet" after any of the WLS.  While the band and sleeve are different, I too have to watch what I eat and diet.  Actually I (today) came upon an AMAZING article that goes into WHY those of us that are fat "struggle" to keep the weight off and how we will probably have to diet the rest of our lives.  The article is called Fat Trap take a look it's 8 pages of amazing info to ME.

I was sold the name mythical thing about MY surgery but I'm not normal and the sooner I realize it the strong.  I almost got the Band in 07 but I researched and came to a PEACEFUL place when decided to remove over 1/2 my stomach...but that's a conversation for another time.

In this post to the person I merely talked again about her issues and how they sound initially like a TIGHT band.

Ms Shell

I feel you are on to something and along with the others, a small unfill may be the answer.

I don't think anyone here wants to read my opinion, but I will still give it...

In 2008 I had a 10cc Lapband placed, in July 2008 I had port revision surgey because it had flipped.  I was the textbook bandster and found my sweetspot by early Sept, by Nov of that year I was down 60 pounds.  Went for another fill after miraculously losing restruction and got too tight.  By February 2009 I had to get a complete unfill due to developing pneumonia.  I had zero restruction for a year and ended up gaining all of my weight back.  In addition, during that period I developed severe GERD to the point I had esphagus erosion.  I followed the diet, the rules and did everything I was supposed to do and had complications I wouldn't wish on anyone.

So, I get extremely offended when the few successful long-term people out there that I know of "praise" the band and suggest that we fail our bands and not the other way around.  I am one of those who decided to revise to RNY this August.  Many posters on here have hinted that it is the easy way out and is "easy" to lose weight with RNY surgery...it isn't.  Yes, I'm doing well now but my revision surgery was hell.  Had to be open due to my lapband complications and my original surgeon actually stitched my port under my breast to my rib bone, which was very difficult to remove in surgery.  Like the band, RNY is a WLS tool and we have to work at it as well. I don't have reflux anymore, no more sliming, foamies, chest pain when I eat, throat pain when I eat, and thank God I don't get stuck anymore, my esphagus is still messed up but only time will cure that.  Before the band I had none of those issues...

You're not alone, JeepGirl. My band nearly took my life. My opinion is that the lapband works for very few people long term. And those who don't have damage and complications should consider it a minor miracle.

There's nothing "less invasive" about it. It's not "safer" than any of the other WLS procedures and the sooner the advertisers start being honest, the fewer people will be harmed by it.

It sucks when you're told you messed up rather than the band causing problems.  Hugs!

I've had my band 4+ years. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.  For me the band was great the first 6 months- lost 75 lbs. Never really found my sweet spot. My "weight loss" spot was too tight to eat the right things so I began eating "slider" foods and liquid calories again (coffee drinks) just to avoid extreme pain from stuckage. At my tight "weight losing" tightness I got bad reflux.

Got pregnant in 09 had band unfilled to 4cc, did fine only gained 15 lbs in pregnancy which was nice. Kept it at that fill level until this year, it kept getting mysteriously tighter, had 1cc unfill, got tighter again (i'm talking (any food gets stuck and can barely have liquids). Had 1cc unfills until band was competely emptied, due to constant nausea (felt like morning sickness but wasn't). Have had heartburn and reflux pretty much the last 3 years on and off.  A month -2 months ago had the barium swallow and EGD to find it's slipped 5cm and the ***** is coming out. I will be revising to sleeve and I can't wait to get my surgery date set.

What I went through is pretty common (mysterious tightening, heartburn, reflux, slipping despite not vomiting much and having it placed pars flaccida with a very good surgeon).

If you have specific questions I'd be happy to answer. From the sounds of it you need an unfill so you can eat the right foods. once my band got unfilled I lost 30 lbs. eating low carb since I could finally eat the right stuff. haha. The sad irony.

Well seems everyone who is pro-band says a small unfill. I will talk to my Dr in 2 weeks at my next appt and see what he says