Please can someone tell me...................

Please can someone tell me there is hope after failing the lapband.  I am thinking of having  it taken out and  maybe getting gastric bypass .  will I  fail that too? I never thought I would be in this position I thought I woud have lost the weight I needed to. Instead I lost 47lb and then put all but 10lb back. Is there anyone that has or had same problem?  I feel like a big failure and its all I think about, please any help is appreciated.

Honey,  you are not alone.  I 'm going for the vertical sleeve.  I lost only 13 lbs and gained back about 5 lbs.  Had the surgery about 8 months ago..  Had 3 fills and no restriction (sweet spot). 

So, even though my insurance Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal  will not pay for the revision.  Unless there was something wrong with the lap band, we wont find that out until they go in to take it out .   I'm going to pay out of my pocket.  I found another doctor to do the surgery for me. 

We must not blame ourselves I just think the Band does not work for everyone. I am a diabetic and I'm always hungry. 

The vertical sleeve surgery is supposed to help with the hunger and give you restriction too. 

Research before you make your decision on which revision surgery to do.  Best Wishes and Have a blessed Christmas and Prosperous New Year.............     

why wouldn't b/c b/s fed pay,  even if it makes your reflux 10 x's worse will they pay just curious

You are soooo not alone!  I had a band, lost 45 lbs (205 to 160)...then got sick from the band (puking, reflux, hernia)...gained 20 lbs or so...got a second band (got down to 165 maybe)...got sick again, even worse.....gained weight, back up to 191.....had revision to RNY and am down to 168 since Nov 5, 2008...

You are not a failure, my surgeon has even said to me that he has seen where for some reason the band is just not successful in some people long term.  Mine was choking my stomach, I developed a large hiatal hernia that my stomach was starting to come up into my diaphram.  Was not pretty.  It was always good for a few months after surgery only to then  get bad. 

Some people I have found have done tremendous with it, I was not one of them, however I would not let that stop me as it was not due to anything I did.  I used to puke up Oatmeal...now its not like I said "bacon egg and cheese on a bagel"..I said Oatmeal.  Hey, did I eat fast at times and puke, yes...did I eat past my limit, yes....but not enough to do the damage that the bands did.

Just try if you can to look foward and not back.  Do what you have to do to feel better.  I did RNY and the last 5 years with my bands are a distant thing that I forget at times.

Good Luck.

Theres lots of hope - I lost 20lbs in two years with the band, compared to 89lbs in 8 months with the DS.

I had the band out partly because I heard the DS cured diabetes (it has cured mine) and part of me thought the DS would be a disappointment like the band was. Wrong again...!

Your choice is RNY, sleeve or DS. All have their plus points and downsides, so research all of them and see which might suit you best. Try and find a good revision surgeon for whatever you choose - once you've had one surgery it makes the second surgery more difficult, so take care.

Your band failed you, not the other way round. Move on and find something better.

You are far from alone in your struggles with the band.  I was banded in January 06 and had to work my tail off to lose 85 pounds.  Then I stopped losing and eventually in March of 08 I started having non-stop reflux and vomitting.  My band had to be emptied and then my fight for insurance approval started.  In Auguast my doctor had to take out the band in emergency surgery because I couldn't hold anything down.  After he took it out he said that it was lose and therefore constantly slipping up and down. 5 days after it was removed I won my appeal to New York State. I had RNY surgery on 9/22 and I couldn't be happier! I feel that the band was not what the company promised us at all. It certainly wasn't for me and I am sorry that I wasted my time and energy fighting to lose with it.  I have lost over 30 pounds since September 22nd.  I am not going to fail this time and I don't think that you would either. 
Wishing you lots and lots of good luck

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories.  I do not feel so alone now,thank you so so much! I think I need to have some people in my family read all of your stories cause I know they think I just didn't do what I was suppose to do.