Depressed with Band Results

This is my first time here and its nice to see people who aren't all roses and sunshine.

I've lost about 80 pounds the past year, but nothing the last two months.  My band is so tight, I can't eat.  Everything comes up.

I started at 335.  Right now I'm 254.  If I were to be in the medically approved "range", I'd weigh about 175.  Thats almost another 80 pounds.

I'm SO frustrated and depressed.

I keep thinking I made the wrong choice.  And I don't know if my insurance would approve a revision to anything else.  I have a dr appointment tomorrow to get an unfill so maybe I won't throw up all the time.

SO, I'm pretty much just whining right now. 

I had my band place in April of 2007.  I lost no more than 30 pounds. I have been filled as much as my Doc will allow. I see on the xray that any tighter food will not be able to pass.  I don't get full on small amounts of food.  I wish they would close me up so I can do a liquid diet for a while. I have never thrown up and only had foods stuck or slimed on foods way early in the process.  I kinda give up. I thught about the GB but my job got new insurance and chose not to get the Obesity surgery rider so the decision has been taken out of my hands. I don't know if this is the most helpless I have ever felt but it damn sure feels like it.

Hi Mom2TwinsPlusOne

Im sorry to hear of your frustrations but I can definitely feel for you. We started around the same weight and the most I ever lost was 80lbs and that was 4 years ago. I am currently completely unfilled because I wasnt able to swallow my own spit even with the littlest fill. My stomach is completely out of wack. I can go up to 3 days with out keeping anything down or I can eat half the fridge in one sitting. I think alot of it is psychological like I have to overeat because I dont know when I will be able to eat again.

Ive been completely frustrated and depressed just like you are... I would say definitely talk to your doctor and see what the best course of action would be, and if you have to go get a second opinion.

I have a appt next week with my surgeon to discuss a revision.. unfortunatley Im one of the one's who this tool didnt help. Hopefully that wont be the case for you. Best Wishes

wow I am so happy to find people that are as unhappy as me.  I was so tight for 8-months I couldn't swallow my own spit also and I misunderstood and thought I had to pay for unfils so I did not go to the Dr. until I was so ill and weak and that lead me to blood test comfirming I was a nutritional wreck and I did not loose one freakin ounce.  I have lost 100 pounds but I have 100 more to loose.  I was unfilled for 3-months and had to learn to eat solid food again and gained 28 pounds back.  Well for the past 3-mionths I have gotten a fill every month and I just now have restriction and worried that again it might be too much.  The NP at Dr. Currys office said it was like starting all over again so lets hope it is.  I did not excercise the first 100 but I am walking 30 to 45 min a day 6-days a week now and I was watching everything I eat so close I got sick of it.  I am eating what I want and counting protien like we were origanlly supposed to.  I gained 6 pounds last month and they are blamming that on my steriod injection to my back which should be out of my system in a week or two.  I feel like this is just another failure for me.  I am trying to have hope and I don't think my insurance will cover a revision.  I can eat about 3/4 to 1 cup 3 to 4 x a day.  I make sure I get >60 grams protien a day and drink 100 oz water or tea a day.  I just a started light resistance program also. My God what else am I doing wrong and why is the weight not falling off because if you ask my husband and children they would tell you I used to eat 10 times the amount I eat now.  Please keep sharing your comments. 

I know it can be very frustating not losing very fast with the lap band i was such a slow loser at first with the lap band in fact first 6 mos i did not lose more then 10 lbs and I was tight but seems no matter what I had to exercise 3 hours a day  to over come the metabolic shift and the scales did not move and what i finally figured was I was in starvation mode and I need to eat more not less and only then did i get the weight off. I had my surgery april 07 and currently 171 and 11 days post TT. I would drop like 12 and nothing for months seems how my body got rid of weight. Hang in there and good luck

Lisa

My menu for a day is
 Breckfast
1 piece of bacon
2 oz of oat meal 

Snack
handful of nuts or apple  small cut up
Milk whole milk (u need fat)


LUNCH
2 oz beans with cheese garnish
2oz of veggies


 Snack
1 oz string cheese

Dinner
2 oz of baked fish or chicken
1 oz of starch
1 oz of veggies

Milk 1 cup

Snack
low calorie pudding with milk
 water when u can
I cannot eat more than this if i do I am vomiting hope this helps

I was told by the nutritionist and via the lit. I got at tmy orientation that after lap-band surgery, snacks between meals is a no-no. I am confused.

I had a failed band.  I had the most miserable 1.5 years of my life with that band.  I had reflux, went months without being able to eat solid foods, etc.  Same things you're experiencing.  I was also thinking of getting RNY but when I went to the revision board I read of so many people that had failed RNYs.  I already had 1 failed surgery and didn't want another.  So I researched the DS and that was the surgery for me.  I had my revision a year ago and my only regret is not getting the DS as my first surgery.

I had the lapband and revised to the DS almost 1 year ago.  It was the BEST decision I ever made.  As you can see on my signature I got pregnant early post op but I am still doing great and still losing weight.  Baby is growing great and my life has changed so much for the better.  Don't give up and do your homework.  Let me know if you have questions.  GOOD LUCK!

I have not yet had my surgery, I  just had my appointment with my doctor yesterday to decide which surgery to do, LapBand or RNY.  He told me that he would be willing to do either but with the amount of weight that I want/need to lose the LapBand is not going to give me the results. I am currently 353 and he wants be down to 200 ( i, of course want less) but with the LapBand that would be next to impossible. See if your doctor is able to go in and change from the band to RNY.