10 1/2 years later

Hi.  It has been years since I was here.  I figured I should come visit.  I lost 90 lbs with my lap band.  I have gone up and down with the band over the years.  At one point I was back up 60 lbs.  I lost back down to 70 lbs lost though.  About 3 months ago I started having horrible acid reflux out of the blue.  I have not had that since I was banded in June 04.  I started having reflux in the night and would wake up with stomach acid in my throat.  I was starting to spit up blood and I called the gastro doc.  My surgeon is 1300 miles away now.  They did a barium swallow and an endoscopy and found I had very bad ulcers in my esophagus.  I was noticing my belly was swollen too.  Both doctors decided my band was too tight.  So after searching for a lap band doctor that would take me on as their patient (4 doctors later) I found one.  He is great and so nice.  They insisted on doing a barium swallow and too said that the band was too tight.  We were all puzzled that I only had 1/2 a cc in my band.  They saw that my esophagus was a bit wider and swollen and said after about 6 weeks it should be back to normal.  Since having the fill taken out I have had no reflux.  My stomach feels smaller already.  I had been given Prilosec by the gastro doc but had awful bloating and digestion issues.  After 3 weeks of waking up with dreams that I was in labor and awful gas pains I decided to stop and seek natural methods.  My stomach pain has decreased greatly.  I am taking aloe vera juice twice a day and natural tablets.  The burning has decreased.  I am not bringing up food anymore either.  SO nice considering that for 3 months I was pbing daily.  I am hoping to get 20 lbs off again after the ulcers heal up.  I read over my other profile I had originally started and can't seem to access anymore (Grrr)  So much has changed since then.  I am really glad I had the band done.  It has made all the difference for me.  

Welcome back!  Not all that many old timers here now, you may see Bette, Mona, Mira and a few more. Some have had problems. Some have gone to other boards, some just don't post. 

I had a couple of episodes of band tightening, probably due to scar tissue but luckily I caught them very early and a tiny de fill sorted it out. No issues for well over two years now. 

Glas you seem to have got things sorted.  Kate

Thank you for the reply.  I remember when this place used to be hopping.  I see 32 people looked at my post but one reply.  I know for me that after I hit my goal I had a lot of changes.  I divorced the cheating ex and I moved 1300 miles away.  I ruptured a disc 2 years ago and had surgery for that.  I have had 5 knee surgeries and despite all of that I am 20 lbs from my goal.  I am limited now in my exercising.  When I eat a low carb diet I do so much better.  I am glad that you are doing well with your band.  My new doctor and his team was saying the new bands are so much better than the one I have now but they didn't even mention me having a revision.  The only thing I have had done is change out the port for the low profile one.  

A busy time!!  But glad life is basically good!

i have the old 4cc band, presumably  the same as yours and the only issue I had was a leak at about four years out.

this board  more or less died about four years ago. There are a lot of people on OH who had serious band problems. Some were undoubtedly the fault of the patient for keeping th band too tight, expecting the band to do all the work. But many were not. And quite understandably the people whose band caused them to have health issues were bitter. Some of them made it their mission to warn others and of those, a few went too far. Newbies would post full of the usual early questions and would be told they were stupid to have got the band and failure was inevitable. Anyone saying anything in favour of the band attracted vitriol and was told that they were stupid. Personally I was a called a liar, a hypocrite, a moron, dangerous!

Vets left, in large numbers.  To some on here that proved their point, very few long term banded people post, must prove not many exist! In fact, most went to other boards or simply stopped coming on any board. 

There are a few of us left. I stay because I have been in here for a very long time and feel I have online friends here. Those of us who stay all avoid controversy about the band. The most I ever really say is that I know IRL almost 50 banded people and almost all are absolutely fine!

Most of the people I know who had the band were happy with it.  I went to one surgeon who I refused to go back to after he didn't even know how to do a fill.  I had them many times trying to find the sweet spot.  I was having to help him get the right spot.  I didn't go back.  I am going to leave my band as it but will make sure to check in with this new doctor again in a year.  The band helps me out and my eating has changed so much.  I have pcos so that is a whole other layer of weightloss issues.  I lost 90 lbs though with the band.  70 now and I am determined to get these last 20 off.  I found an eating plan that works well for pcos women and other women as well.  It is low carb and low glycemic with lots of dessert options for those who love desserts.  I am more of a savory type person but I have lost weight on the plan.  So once the ulcer is healed up I plan to get back at it.  I am glad you are here and sorry to hear that bitter people took the board down.  I had thought of doing gastric bypass way back when and I am so glad I didn't.  Most of the ones I know who had it had some sort of issues.  Some were totally fine though and still are quite trim.  I had a friend do the sleeve recently and while she lost quite a lot she has stalled out and put some on again.  When eating is emotional there needs to be more work done.  I feel bad for those who had surgeon errors.  The surgeon I went to trained under a great surgeon and he did a great job with mine.  I feel like a success story for the band.  

Glad things are working out for you not alot of long timers left just Kate, Bette and me I think. I had my band removed earlier this year it was just too painful to even try to work it anymore and I inly lost 20 lbs with it anyway so it was basically useless for me. It was empty for 2 years before I had it removed and I lost more weight with it empty than with a fill. Even without it I maintain my current weight, not goal but I'm done with weight loss surgery or even weight loss for that matter. Take me fat or leave me alone is my new motto. I just stay around to annoy Kate!! She's such a delicate little flower, bwahahaha. What was your username whenyou were here before? Just curious.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/profile.php?N=B1087917292