Hello again, fellow Bandsters... 10 years! It's been a very long time and a very bumpy road.

I had my band placed on February 17, 2005, so I am 10 years out  I have a 4cc band. I initially lost 100 pounds, regained some weight and, with the help of a different doctor, was able to get to a great fill level and start losing weight again.  

I was about 25 pounds from my goal weight (190) when I had a bowel obstruction and needed major surgery to correct it.  During my stay in the hospital, I had a nasal gastric tube placed and was NPO with the tube for approximately 10 days. Despite telling the staff that I had a lap band, no one considered it a problem that my band opening was smaller than the tube which was placed in it for such a long time to drain my stomach. After my surgery it became increasingly difficult for me to eat and finally I could not even drink water because my stomach had swelled so much inside the band.  

In the past, I had some major fill level disagreements with the medical group who placed my band. They had left the hospital program where I started out but I stayed with them since they did my surgery. After the disagreement I returned to the bariatric program in the same hospital where I had my band surgery and saw a different doctor.  Then the new doctor left the hospital and my original bariatric group returned to the hospital.  

When I called the hospital program to ask for help, I was told they would not help me unless the other doctor who had left that hospital and went to another practice in another city supplied them with my records. So there I was, unable to even drink water and unable to get help from the doctors who originally placed my band. I was desperate. I finally found another bariatric center doctor who was willing to help me in my terrible situation.  I had to get all the fluid removed from my band and regained 40 pounds. The new doctor is making my adjustments now and I am slowly getting back to a good fill level.  I have an appointment next week for what I hope will be the tiny adjustment that finally does the trick for me so I can lose the weight I have gained and get closer to my goal weight.  

Over the years, I have found that a 4cc band is extremely difficult to adjust. The amount of fluid required for a tiny fill in a larger band is huge in comparison to what I need to get a tiny fill. Even with a fluoroscope, it is really hard for the doctor to add the small amount of fluid necessary without tightening the band too much. I do hope that this will be my last fill for awhile and I will be able to get these final 40 pounds off. 

I am thankful for my lap band because I was heading for diabetes and the complications that excess weight brings. I am not in excellent health, but I am in much better condition than I would have been without the band. My mom basically died from diabetic complications and I was headed down that road before my band.  Thankfully, I do not have diabetes and do not take a whole lot of medications. 

I consider that my band saved my life, but bands are tricky devils and you really need to have a lot of patience and determination to work with the issues that you can have with the band.  Luckily, I am not a nibbler/grazer and do not eat a lot of sweets. I am a salty snacker and could easily eat a whole family size bag of chips. I can't do that now, thank goodness!!!  

I recognize that the band requires a lifelong commitment to small portions. It makes you think about what you are going to be putting in your mouth in far different terms than the way you did before. You cannot just mindlessly eat any more because you must consider the nutrition that you are getting from the type of food you are eating.

I won't lie. Sometimes I have felt deprived and sorry for myself that I can't eat the way I did before. I used to eat anything I wanted to without thinking about it.  Now, I have to think about food all the time to make sure I get the fiber and nutrients I need to stay healthy. 

Well, I have rambled on and made people read waaaayyy too much. I will try to respond with fewer words. LOL

Sorry to hear about your problems but glad they seem to have been resolved.

i also have a 4cc band and I used to find just 0.1cc could make all the difference. I find it amazing they can do just that amount but the doctor showed me the syringe! I have obviously been luckier than you with fills as all of mine worked well. I have never had one under fluoro as my doc only does them if there is a problem. 

I am afraid I am not as good as I shouid be about checking nutritional balance but basically I eat a good range of foods - there are no foods I can't eat although some require extra care. But I think I am healthy enough! We don't go in for as many tests over here as you seem to in the U.S. but I did have all my vitamin and mineral leveis checked a few montgs ago and everything was absolutely fine. 

I never had a fill with fluoro until this last doctor, and I agree wholeheartedly!  0.1cc can make a tremendous difference. After all this time, I also eat a good variety of foods and do not have vitamin deficiency issues. I do sometimes have to think about how full I will get if I eat a bunch of junk and not be able to eat a decent meal and it is in that way that I think about food more than I ever used to..

Oh don't worry when you have to have it removed you'll still have to eat like when you were banded because it will cause so much damage you won't be able to eat normally anyway thanks to the esophageal damage! So with ot or with out it you'll still lose weight!

Was that your experience? If so, I am truly sorry for you.  That was really difficult.  Hoping nothing like that is going to happen with me.  I know lots of people have problems but I have been checked for Barrett's Esophagus and there is only stretching so far, thank goodness. I had some GERD issues years ago but learned when NOT to eat and raised the head of my bed.

Hi Phyllis! Welcome back, glad you are getting your issues resolved. Keep is posted on how you are doing.

Hi..  I did have an adjustment appointment scheduled for today.  I thought long and hard about getting that adjustment because of the gagging issues I knew it would precipitate and, when I discovered that I had actually lost 3 pounds since the last time I weighed myself (several months ago), I made a decision.  I cancelled the appointment.

I realize that I am maintaining this undesirable weight with the band level I have. I can lose weight if I simply eat less than I have been.  I can control that issue. I don't need my band to tell me what I really know... that I have been eating and drinking too many empty calories!!!  So I am going to be more vigilant about portion sizes and not have that extra glass of wine or 2 in the evening...  LOL  That, plus trying to keep myself more active, should make the difference between maintaining and losing again..

I know how it goes to weigh out weather to get a fill or not. I had mine totally deflated  around 4 years ago. I had a slight weight gain 20-25 pounds. I left it deflated for about a year and then started with a couple small fills and then I stopped. I have not had an adjustment in about 2 1/2 years. I thought about it a few months back but realized I just need to pay more attention to what I am eating and drinking. Good luck to you, if you need pep talks let us know there are some vets around that can give a good kick in the pants(Bette B) lol

Love the new avatar, Cheyenne! 

Thank you Kate!