everyone is not a lapaband success story!!!!

I have read previous posts where people have been FLAMED. I know I am opening up myself to that but I don't care.There are so many wonderful weight loss stories on the lap band board, and they are very inspiring, however i think that people who are not as successful are reluctant to write heir stories. Well here we go.... I was banded on Sept.29,2005 and to date I had lost about 12 or 13 pounds on the liquid diets but gained them all back plus 4 0r 5 more once I started to eat mushies and regular food again. I was the "model" patient at first, following all the rules of postop life. But then the hunger came and I was not prepared for it.Also at the same time, I started to gain weight just from transitioning back to regular food. This weight gain sent me right back into the patterns that made me fail as a dieter before surgery.I would diet for a week or two or three, but as soon as there was no weight loss or a slight gain, I would give up and my mental "issues" with food would take over.I have had 2 fills so far, each .5cc. To my body that is like water. i feel like i have NEVER HAD SURGERY!!! My doc is pretty dissappointed in me but no one understands that this is the problem that led me to have surgery in the first place. I can not "white knuckle" it. I fail at that miseribly and it sends me into the yo- yo pattern that got me here in the first place. Also, i have a very unique metabolism. I know most people's metabolism is screwed up from yo- yo dieting, but mine is non-existent. I went through 4 pregnancies in which I lost an average of 30 lbs. with each from excessive vomiting and nausea. After the pregnancies, i would look GREAT but from the first crumb I put in my mouth, my body would hold onto it for dear life and now it has become sooooo adept a doing this. With any decrease in calloric intake it holds onto everything and resists weight loss, so the postop diet started that cycle over for me. Well this is my story.... I have not given up totally yet, I have still been trying to eat like a bandster by chewing completely and I have even gotten good at not drinking with my meals.I am trying to diet also. I tried medifast, but the hunger was unbearable so now i'm trying Dr. Phil's diet since I lost 20 lbs. on it before and it is very close to bandster style meals. Iwill also try to restart exercising at least 30 min. a day in the next couple of weeks. I have basically tried to institute one healthy behavior per week. Last week I drank at least 5 glasses of h20 a day, this week i will try to increase that and get control of the eating by trying to stay on the diet.My next fill is for march 2.,but i'm trying to lose something, anything so I won't be soooo embarassed. Do you know how humiliating it is to go to your surgeon after he operated on you and you have GAINED weight. I know I am messing up his success rates but right now I am doing the best I can. The tears are coming right now as I write this because it just hurts so much. i am glad that I didn't tell anyone except my husband or it would be even more embarrassing.One last thing.. Last summer me and the family were at Busch Gardens, my 13 year old and I were trying to get on the roller coaster and I had to get off . That had never happened to me in my life before so I was caught off guard. It was so humiliating but it showed me how much bigger i have gotten over the past year. Also this year I opted out of my 20 year reunion because I just couldn't face all those staring eyes. Life is passing me by. This June the family is going on an airplane to disney( the kids first airplane ride). Please pray for me that I can at least lose enough to fit in the airplane seat and the rides. I know i don't have much time... So there you have it. I do regret getting the surgery because nothing has changed in my life and one more failure has really messed up my already fragile psyche....

I see nothing in your post about exercisinbg. No WLS will work if you do not hit the road running as soon as you can after surgery. Not running exactly, but any vigorous exericse - up to at least 30 minutes a day. It will not work with eating issues only. Emotional eating is a big issue. I was banded in May and am down 60 lbs. I have 40 more to go. I had a kinked tubing in Sept., and had to get an unfill for a few months, but I'm back on track now. I love just eating meat, veggies, berries and nuts. I jsut don't have any other food in the house. You can easily lose weight on that diet if you exercise. I'm really disappointed that more doctors don't screen emotional issues better. You are one of many I've heard of with both surgeries who have this problem. Counselors need to with with us to understand hunger issues before and after surgery. I still feel at night before bed I need "comfort food". I'm like an addict roving the house looking for a fix. Please don't give up. Get your doctor to get your fills right. Get into a good support group. We have one in CA that walks EVERY day togethers, take dance lessons, etc. You need support. A lot of doctors don't realize how important that aspect is. Best wishes - please write me if you need more help. We are on a journey . Don't give up.

Re: "I see nothing in your post about exercisinbg. No WLS will work if you do not hit the road running as soon as you can after surgery." I can't speak to all wls's, but I lost about 60 pounds in the first two-and-half months after my DS surgery and barely moved off the couch. I'm three months out on Tuesday and trying to force myself to go do SOMETHING. Sue

I have lost 91 pounds in 5 months with lapband, eating what I want with virtually not excercise at all. Its all about portion control and not binging. Kim 294/203/160

I don't think it's portion control. I really think it has to do with each person's body, etc. I also chose RNY because I felt like I had a non-existent metabolism as well. I have lost 26 pounds with RNY and it's been a little over a month. BUT I have not lost anything in almost 2 weeks. I BARELY eat, sometimes forget to eat and when I do eat, it's protein. I take my vitamins and I walk 3 miles a day. YET, I have still not lost another pound in 2 weeks. But let it be someone else's body and the weight would be falling off. Prior to surgery, I dieted and walked 3 miles EVERY SINGLE day, power walking and I ate no more than 25 grams of fat a day, I was very diligent, took me 3 months to lose 40 pounds, let it be someone else, and they would have done that in less than 3 months. Just like you've lost 90 pounds in 5 months with the band and not exercising? THAT could not be me. I BET if I had the band I would probably have lost 10 pounds the first month, no more. And the only reason I believe I've lost with RNY is becuase of the malabsorption part/bypass part. As I've said, I've had RNY and I eat SMALL portions, no sweets, no greasy food, and I exercise and I'm still a slow loser. It just depends on each person.

Brandy, I am sure I would feel the same way if I only had 1cc in my band... that is less than my first fill was!! My first fill was 1.5ccs and I still didn't have restriction! You have to USE your band before you can declare it a failure, and I am afraid your surgeon hasn't filled you enough to let you know what the band is capable of. I questioned whether I even had a band until I had some restriction, so i can certainly understand where you're coming from. The band does work in most cases, you just need the support of a surgeon and a drive on your part to get those fills so YOU can stop working so hard!! That's not why we got these bands... it wasn't so we work our butts off for the rest of our lives, it's so we could get some help. With that said, yes, we do need to follow some basic rules and exercise, etc... but it's SO much easier once you have restriction. Restriction makes this whole process make sense. I hope you'll go back to that surgeon and get another fill. Fills are just as important as getting the band put it. It makes ALL the difference. Good luck to you in this journey, Melissa

Don't worry-You are not alone!! I had the band put in about 2yrs ago and it did not work for me either. Last month, I had it taken out and revised it with the RNY...And, my surgeon told me that he has taken several failed lapbands out!!!

I can certainly understand your feelings. I waited too long to get my first fill (6 weeks) and I regained a bit when I got on solids. I can see where it would have been easy to backslide right then, but by some miracle I didn't. My first fill was 2.6 cc! My surgeon and I believe in a big first fill, then lots of small tweaks. Maybe that's something to discuss with your doctor .. once you know the reason for his fill protocol, you can work with him to your advantage. You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, and in fact you can use it to your advantage, hopefully, to get your surgeon's attention. I didn't get a sweet-spot fill for over a year and a half .. it's a process that requires much attention, patience and tweaking. You are a relatively new Bandster. This surgery takes more patience and work on the part of the patient than the others, but the result is so worth it. I wish the best for you. Email me if you want. jeanie jeanie

Don't be hard on yourself and don't give up!! You shouldn't have to "white knuckle" it but you do have to watch what you eat and exercise. Don't get me wrong - if I could eat veggies instead of chocolate I won't be here either! I'm still a newbie but it definitely sounds like you need more fills before you can decide if this worked or not. Good Luck! Kim

You are NOT a failure!!!! Your band is just not helping you yet -- so any loss you've experienced, you've done on your own!!! My doctors office was verrrrryyyy conservative with their fills, and would only consider fills with an 8 WEEK time pass!!! That is forever to someone who had surgery in order to get a hold of their appetite!!! I finally decided to switch doctors offices to someone who would listen to me when I told them I feel NO restriction, and these puny little fills were not helping AT ALL!! My surgeons office called me and basically said "OK - you want a fill? I'll give you a fill!!!" And they did! It was agressive, which I would not recommend for everyone, but for someone like me who had NO NONE ZERO restriction even at 2.3cc, I NEEDED it!! She put me at 2.8 which was PERFECT!! I FINALLY felt satisfied with a bandster sized meal. I finally stopped thinking about food because I wasn't hungry in between meals. I started to LOVE my band again and it renewed faith in myself that I made the right decision in having this surgery. You are not a failure - and you will not fail at this! You are doing everything right -- it just takes time. Start tracking what you eat & how much & how long it takes for each meal. Bring it to your doctor and tell him "A bandster should not be able to eat this much in one meal!" He will have to get the point. Tell him you WANT to succeed and remind him that you need him to help you do that by giving you the proper fill level. Good luck honey -- I know how hard it is before you reach restriction. We depended on food for so much before surgery - especially comfort - and the surgery doesn't help take that need away. Hang in there -- you are a success in progress ((hugs)). Kristin J