Figuring out where I went wrong and fixing it.
Hello and happy almost spring! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.
I have a lot on my heart and in my head tonight and there is no better way to work through issues than getting them out of my head and onto paper or into cyber space as it were! I was banded in 2008, did very well for awhile and managed to maintain my weight loss for six years. Then my Fathers death, my sons wife's death and my sisters husbands diagnosis within two years has me at a 45 pound gain.
I am lol king into g toting my band out as I have had many problems over the years, and getting a revision, probably gastric bypass.
There lies the issue I am struggling with right now. I know that to leave see weight with a band you have to view it as one of many tools in your weight loss toolbox. I also know that bands are notorious for a large failure rate due to many factors.
I was however able to use my band as an effective tool to remove excess weight and maintain it......until my world was consumed by chaos, heartache and emotional upheaval. That makes me wonder if the problem doesn't lie more within me than with the band.
There are a lot of things to take into consideration when contemplating a removal and revision. Did I do everything I could to be successful? Was my weight gain a symptom of the emotional trauma in my life that can be remedied when life settles down? Did the band fail me or did I fail the band? (I say this as I consider all the problems I had too) am I hearing the time when the band will have to be removed? Will a revision have the same results? The surgeon fixed my stomache not my head, do I need to look deeper into this issue?
Getting this out serves a couple of purposes, it helps me to evaluate and hopefully it will generate conversation that will also help me evaluate. Thank you for tolerating a long post. Doxiedoodle0551
My advice is get it out as soon as possible, the longer they are in the more damage they do. They have a 60% failure rate so please don't blame your self for the problems you are having. Most people will still need some form of weight loss surgery after the band removal simply because our metabolisms are so messed up after years of yo-yo dieting that we've done in the past.
Getting some counceling will never hurt, it just gives us more tools and teaches different ways to deal with stress. So it will never be a waste of time. It can be expensive but some times insurance will cover some if not all of it. It sounds like you have a prety good sense of yourself so you wouldn't need sa lot just a few ideas on dealing with stress and grief.
There is also the sleeve if you are leery of the bypass, The sleeve doesn't have malabsorption so it is more like the band. In fact people I know who have revised band to sleeve say that it is like what they told us the band would be but it wasn't.
I had my band removed 2 yrs ago and still have damage from it and probably always will have it. So I advocate everyone getting them out, they are pure evil! You will feel much better with it out.
Good Morning Hislady, Thank you for your reply. Boy did I need to hear your words. Side note, I just reread my original post, I used my cell phone and so sorry for the auto correct mistakes, lol. I know your words hold much truth and certainly apply to me. I am going to make an appointment to see my surgeon and walk through this process. His nurse has already told me that this needs to happen and I guess the part I was trying to figure out was do I need to do the revision. NOTHING has changed for me since the original surgery, I know to be successful I will need the revision. Thanks so much. Sometimes it just takes someone to reaffirm .........Doxie
I had the lapband in '07 and did really well with it. I got close to 100 pounds lost but maintained an 80 pound loss over 8 years. My band slipped in January '15 and was unfilled. I worked with the doctors who felt bypass was best for me. I had revision surgery at the end of Oct '15 and have been doing really well so far.
I had reflux and Barrett's Esophagus from the band, so the sleeve wasn't an option for me. I now enjoy no food getting stuck and no more throwing up! I would say I'm in the honeymoon phase of the bypass - I'm eating well, no sugar, no high fat foods, just like I did after I got the band. Over some period of time, bad habits crept back in with the band. All I can hope for is that i can control those old habits and continue to eat healthfully. It's just a tool.
I am not hungry often and feel full quickly. I have faced no food intolerances and no dumping as far as I can tell. I've lost 45 pounds in four months and feel good. Whatever you decide to do, good luck.
on 3/13/16 7:13 am
You are obviously thinking this through seriously ( congratulations) and it sounds as if you have two issues. So the best success will be through addressing both of them.
Sounds like it is time for the band to go due problems which will only get worse over time.
Emotional eating and weight gain are something many of us have to deal with, including myself. I am trying hard to ask myself every time I want to eat the wrong things (old habits) or nibble why do I want to do this. If it is emotional I then ask myself is this problem/event etc worth committing slow suicide over and sabotaging all my hard work. So far it works most of the time and I don't eat.On the odd occasion I still want something then a rice cake is all I allow myself. I break it into small pieces and crunch on it for while. I think with a little more time I will be able to abandon that as well.
Good luck and I hope your Dr is of great help and support.
Amen! and thank you for your guidance and help as I work through this. Although it is not what any of us intended at the beginning of this journey, it is indeed part of our journey it seems. We have two choices, to wallow in the misfortune that has befallen us or to take the proverbial bull by the horns and make this work to our advantage also. Thanks so much for the support!
Doxie
