Lap-band 5/07 and total loss 18lbs. Am I the only one?!?

I am TOTALLY frustrated.  I had my lapband done May 2007 and to date, I have lost a total of 18 lbs - and that was in the two months.  

I feel incredibly embarrassed.  I told my family and friends I was doing this and every time I see them I can see the weird looks and questions in their eyes, as if they're all saying "You have weight loss surgery and even THEN you can't lose weight!?" 

No, I'm not exercising (C'mon....am I the only one on this forum who is not exercising?), but I do think I'm eating ok (eating protein first, not drinking with meals, etc).

Going in for fills/check-ups is a nightmare.  I feel like I'm getting adequate restriction - in fact I'm getting reflux more often - but they just give me another pep talk and out the door I go. 

Guess I've just given up and I don't know what to do. Am I the only one?

2007 and you've only lost 18 pounds? I'm only asking because that just blows my mind. I haven't a clue about the band, so hopefully a bandster will be on soon to help you out.

Which surgeon did you have? I cannot imagine any program these days not helping a patient out when they are not hitting their goals. That is beyond my comprehension.

Please don't give up, though!!! You've got a tool in place to help you, and perhaps you just need a little more restriction or perhaps incorporating excercise will help.

But, Elena (amongst others, but I know her stats the best) is on here and she's lost like 100 pounds with her band, so it CAN be done!

Wow, 18lbs!
Maybe if your surgeon isn't helping you out, you need to go see someone else!! After 2 years I'd be pretty frusterated. I'm sorry this is happening with you. There has got to be something going on.

Post this on the LapBand forum, maybe you will get some other suggestions.

I would hope that your surgeon could help you along with their staff and nutritionsit.  However, maybe there is something that is malfunctioning with the band.  It is possible.  First I would try working with your surgeon and their team to figure out what could possibly be going wrong.

If none of that works I would look at a revision.  However, I would really try to make the tool you have work first.  Then if that fails start researching all of your options to help you make a decision.  We have lots of great programs here in Minnesota that offer all of the different WLS options.  Check them all out. VSG, RNY and DS among your options.  Since I have the DS I can give you websites for future reference if you need them.....dsfacts.com and duodenalswitch.com.  These two websites have statistics on the duodenal switch procedure. 

Good Luck to you and I hope you find the solution to this problem.

Jennifer

I think that something isn't right and your surgeon should be able to figure out what it is or I'd find a new one that can. I'm just over 9 months out and I've lost 104lbs so far. Have you spoken to your nutritionist about your food choices etc? I know that some people loose a little slower than others but only 18lbs with good restriction is just plain wrong.

Bob

I'd have to agree that there's a problem somewhere and don't blame you for feeling frustated! Have you ever actually tracked your food to be sure of what you're taking in - you can use fitday.com or sparkpeople.com or thedailyplate.com - there are many. Make sure you get enough liquids, enough protein, watch the carbs. Do you have a nutritionist you can work with at all? What does your surgeon say about no weight loss? And exercise is an important component for many people. Like Lorri suggested, go to the Lap Band forum and get some more ideas. There are also some great support groups around the Cities where you can talk to others and get some help too. The band can work for most people unless there are some underlying problems. Best of luck to you.
Jean B.