I know exactly how you feel. Unfortunately the band was a major failure for a lot of people. Myself included. Now almost 7 years later I just had RNY surgery Dec. 9, 2015. You may not need to if you can get on track with your eating but I tried to restart with the band having all fluid removed and then re added and I just couldn't do it. Talk to your doctor for sure! Hang in there! 

Diane

Is it me or do these taste really gross? What can I take/use for nausea?

Thank you for taking time to respond. I noticed you had a band date of 07 as well.  Do you still have it? Any long term problems? I'd love to do a revision, but my insurance will no longer cover it and money is an issue. Plus my family thinks the band was a mistake and I shouldn't have gotten it, so I know I'd have no support on doing a sleeve. I'm still interested though. I haven't had any trouble with my band, just totally was not what I thought it'd be. Definitely not for emotional eaters. I tried counseling after my break up earlier this year.  I laid it all on the field for this Dr. and she just listened and asked how things made me feel.... I felt worse after I left, plus a $90 copay every visit. Again, not what I expected. I wanted her to give me homework....guide me through changes, not just listen. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer lol.  I'm actually a fun girl! I have tried what I logically think will work, but just seem to be hitting brick walls. I don't know if I should even get a fill. I've only had 2.  The last one I got was bad. The day after I couldn't even swallow water, it just spewed back up. Longest weekend of my life until I could get some taken out Monday. I felt like pooh after no food or water for almost 4 days. That has scared me from going back all this time. I will be 40 in 2016 and this is a battle I have never made peace with.  I've been on a diet since I was 10 years old. I feel like my life has been spent being self conscious about my weight, struggling with clothes, self esteem. Skinny people don't have any idea what a living hell being fat can be, and how you feel like you have no control over your own body. I wonder what my life would have been like without this constant "chain" around my ankle. Anyways... this is sounding super pathetic. Maybe a fill and a liquid diet would be a good jump start, and a savings fund for a sleeve!

For starters stop blaming yourself! Over 60% of lapbands fail the users, it is a miserable failure for weight loss. There are a few success stories but in general you are just one of many who the band did not work for. I'd say if you are getting stuck the last thing you need is another fill in fact you might get a partial unfill. The band should not make you vomit on a regular basis, it should just make you feel satisfied with a small meal. The next thing you need to do is to start weighing and measuring your food. Myself I use a small saucer for my meals and a smallish fork or spoon. Cut your food in tiny pieces the size of a pencil eraser (I cut it all before I ever eat so I don't forget and take too big of a bite), eat slowly make sure the food is chewed to mush then swallow and wait a few seconds to make sure it has gone down. Now before you even start eating try waiting and doing liquids for a few days after vomiting so you stomach can settle down and the inflammation can go down. Then start eating solid food when it has calmed down. Eat protein first, then non starchy veggies and finally if room a healthy carb of some sort such as sweet potato or quinoa.

Now with all that said I would suggest if you really want to lose weight you will need to revise to a surgery that will actually work like the sleeve, bypass or DS. As I said the band has been a miserable failure for most of us, not to mention the permanent damage it causes like esophageal damage to the point many can no longer swallow at all. You also may have a slip in which case they may say empty the band until it heals but once the band slips it tends to slip again and again so again you still need to have a revision.

I would also strongly suggest you get involved in some counciling to help you learn to deal with stress because a meal should not be what provides you comfort. Food is for nourishment not emotional healing, that alone will help even more than a revision. I don't know if you have any kind of insurance but hopefully you do so you can start investigating  a revision because that is your only solution or long term weight loss. Good luck to you I hope your surgeon will also be able to help you altho many are ignorant of the actual use of the band.

Hi Karen,

That is fabulous that surgery went well and all in one operation too.  Sorry to hear about the nausea, must be nice to be progressing through the food stages now.  What a relief sounds like you had a terrible time with your band!  Be nice to feel "normal" again! And for the weight to start dropping off - so exciting!

I will be watching your progress too, I am at the mo having a few band fills to try to get in the green zone again, not quite there but have had fleeting moments of it after the fill when a little inflamed (?) and then it is disapperaring when it settles, so still not quite there but at least I remember now what it feels like to not be craving carbs and sugar - 2.5kg down so far (about 5.5lbs?)  In the past 2 -3 weeks, not huge numbers but going in the right direction at last!

Take care and keep posting x

Karen - NZ