lap band failure

i am four months post op and have not lost an ounce in over 1 month.  I am running scared but was told to up my activity more.. Is this possible for you?

Well, I'm also failing this band.  Or is the band failing me?  I've been dieting since my surgery in May, 08.  I lost right away, but have gained ten lbs over the last four months.  I've had 5 fills and 1 unfill.  Right now I have 8.75 cc's in my Allergan 10cc band.  I can eat approx. 2 cups of food before feeling satisfied.  I chose the band because I cannot keep up with dieting.  So, now that I no longer have will power, I am eating way too much.  Then I feel bad and choose the wrong kinds of foods.  Every morning I start over.  I never give up, but lately, I'm tired of making my three medical loan payments knowing this surgery did not work.  I'm going to try for a revision in one year if my next fill on Monday does not give me the restriction everyone is talking about. 

thanks for listening,
Sandi

Please try soooo hard and stop eating the bad foods.  I know easier said then done.  I,m going for my third fill and am hoping that it helps but i have been staying away from from the bad foods.  Try taking a walk everyday thats what i am doing.  I know how hard this is but try not to get depressed about it.  You have come this far and today IS a new day.  Chin up!!!

Thank you for the encouragement.  I tried really hard today to avoid the bad stuff.  I started out really good.   But my dh has gone on a business trip, leaving me with five little ones.  They wanted icecream, so I caved.  I also had some.  I didn't even enjoy it because I knew it was wrong.  Tomorrow is another day.  I'll try again.  I'm making a list of things to "rescue" me when I'm tempted or depressed. 

Thanks again,
Sandi

hi  well i'm no angel when it comes to what i believe to be an eating disorder extraudinaire.
i had the band done at bupa bristol in sept 2005.
i have had many fills and blockages and now my band is empty.i lost 4 and a half stone by vomiting mostly.
i'm now 9 pounds heavier than my surgery weight.
it gets better.my long awaited appointment so see the clinical psycologist came through as i'm being considered for the bypass.
i will make the best use of the 3 appointments.
they said 2 stone weightgain was because i now eat 3 times a day instead of going 13 hours without food then having a huge meal.
i'm disabled so am not very active.
i do not wish to have the bypass for reasons that i will only share if asked about for fear of offending anyone.
3 drs have told me that because i ate like a snail and wasn't eating regularly i was missold the operation.
the band had no way of  allowing me chicken or fish unless it had a sauce and i wanted to stay on baby slops but they insisted i ate and chewed which was very frustrating.
i only joined today and this is my first post.i'd love to hear from any one,please just anyone who understands
shrinkpachyderm

Well ive been lazy, uninterested in posting until now.   I have accepted that my band for reasons i know now hasnt been the way for me. i eat like a snail, vomited like a seagul and never felt full. had a few blockage s and now im so fed up that finaly after one year and 6 months wait i have had a psychology assesment that said i would be a better candidate for the bypass. I was too scared to go for this in 2005 so better late than never.
Ive waited for the outcome. They changed the cryteria so bmi was in the catagory but i wasnt type 2 diabetic. bmi of 60 and they said no.
i was devastated............................... i kept calling the surgeons clinic secretary. i kissed but but she said up to 2 years waiting list even if i were to get a long awaited appointment..................again i was crushed but my  dad died and i just gave up.
something happened one day. i just decided to pass the secretary and her do not pass go  depressing talk and wrote a personal letter to the surgeon.
i emphasised id spent my savings of 9,000 pounds for an op that was misold to my snail eating ways by a hospital elsewhere. i thanked him for all his help, advice and pleaded that because i wasnt type 2 diabetic i was out of the loop. i told him this news sent me over the edge and i was suicidal and didnt have much hope.
somehow they had a management meeting. i'm tearing up as i type.
he wrote back. i had gone to his pigeon hole at a private clinic he was at once a month to get the letter to him so he replied himself.
i was to be reconsidered because i had been in the system for so long.
his letter said i would need to see his coleague. i went to the appointment.
i waited to see the mental health drs appointment. i got through the assesment. he accepted me and then one year on im away to start my 20 week therapy.
after this i will be reassesed to see if they think i will still do as well as expected.  then i have a year to wait for an assesment with the surgeon and a date for the op should follow within 4 months.......its been hell some days. im on the ladder, one rung at a time. ill need this site to cope without eating compulsively. i hope to hear from all you lovely peeps out there as i embark on my journey.many thanks shrinkpachyderm

I know it is slow and discouraging. I went for a fill every month and slowly came to eat less and get and stay full longer. This last month was the first time I got too full and had to go back for an unfill.
  Until you get enough in the band there really doesn't feel like much restriction to how much you can eat and that feels like the band is a failure.  you need to remember that the band is empty when placed which means no restriction. Once the swelling goes down they start to fill, but slowly.
  That's why you have to keep going back for fills. If they fill too fast it can cause erosion of the band and slippage.
  The other thing is that it seems that if you eat the wrong foods you can always cause failure especially liquid calories.
  I try not to deny myself at least in my head but always eat the food I am supposed to first. That means protein and vegetables first.  Then I rarely have room for more than a bite or two. And those treats are never more than 1 per day.
  I particularly like 1 square of a really good chocolate. If you let it melt in your mouth and savor it it fills the needs.

Hi All,
I had lapband surgery on July 28, 2008.  To date I have lost 30lbs, and become somewhat discouraged.  My Realize band is filled up to 6cc's now.  I don't think I have total restriction yet, but I'm getting there.  My biggest problem is getting all the water in & all the protein.  I need variety & I don't feel like I'm getting that.  As for exercise, I walk, I take the steps, I park further away from stores, I wear a pedometer.. everything I can to go the extra mile!
I'm open to suggestions! 

Hi,
I am also upset with the outcome of my lapband. I had surgery August 2008 and have only lost 31 lbs.  I have 4 cc's and will have another fill May 1. My Dr. will only put 1cc at a time.  I get enough water and protein. I do the same as you regarding exercise. Yes, I do have a bad day maybe once, twice at the most with my food choices, I just feel I eat better and exercise better than  I ever have, but, I just don't get that full feeling and I am hungry an hour after.

 

I got my band in May of 2007 (coming up on 2 year bandiversary *yawn*) - to date I have lost 50lbs but was stalled at 30 and started taking diet pills last May. I've had a horrible time lots of heartburn and reflux - vomitting.  I have never had the right "restriction or sweet spot" as many bandsters report.  My fills are either too much (have to sit up at night, choke, stuck) or too loose - I can eat anything. In the meanwhile protein doesn't seem to agree with me and I can't even choke down veggies.

I asked my Dr repeatedly for assistance and was shut down time and time again when I inquired about revision, even though my insurance covers it. I refuse to be stuck at 180 (still grossly obese) - plus the band has affected my quality of life as I can't even dine out for fear of having to run to the bathroom to spit up.

I finally changed Drs and have my pre-surg endoscopy (to prove my band is slipped and I have a pouch) and psych on Thursday - I can't wait!

Many ppl fail at weight loss surgery and some choose to get a revision. Don't worry you are not alone, keep going, seek out a new Dr. - prove your lap band is detrimental to your health and get that revision. You deserve it!