lap band failure

CAGirl,

Reading your post is like my LIFE! 

However, unlike your doctor, mine has suggested the revision to RNY.  I am not sure what I am going to do because I need to have an Upper GI in two weeks but I am seriously considering it because I still have about 80lbs to lose and I am still Morbidy Obese (go figure...lose 115lbs and still obese). 

Keep me posted on how things go with you...I am interested.

Cindy

I am new to this forum. I had my lap band of Aug 2008. Have only lost 30 lbs and persist in vomiting, choking and resorting to eating the forbidden"soft foods. My band is now completely unfilled. My Doctor is saying, give the band 3 more months with your best effort and then we may have to consider that it is just not enough of a deterent for you. She is recommending the sleeve. I have a long history of binge eating and emotional eating. I am discouraged but not giving up yet. Smyley.

I had the lap band surgery in Oct. 2005, lost about 65#...then got pregnant in May 2006...I only gained 20# w/ my pregnancy BUT during that time and after, I couldn't get my "fills" right, they kept adding and adding w/ no real restriction for me until 1 time they added and I couldn't even ge****er down and had to go back for an ER "unfill" 2 days later...ANYWAY after almost 1 year of going back and forth with fills, they sent me for an upper GI and "lo and behold!"... my esophagus had dilated...b/c of that, I didn't have the restriction b/c the food would just back up into my esophagus...SO in March 2008, they removed the band and gave me an RNY and now I've lost over 100 more pounds since then...maybe your doc can send you for an upper GI to see if that's an issue

I had the Realize Band placed on July 18th.  I've lost about 35 lbs since the surgery and am very happy with my weight loss.  Sometimes I wi**** was faster, but I think the pace I'm moving at is also instilling some major lifestyle changes that will be necessary to aintain my weight once I get to my goal.

Slow weight loss is optimal and if you can lose 30-40 lbs in a year, you are a success!  Don't be too hard on yourself.  Dropping weight rapidly is not good for your body and should only be considered if you are significantly obese enough that your immediate health is in danger.

I started weigh****chers a few weeks ago and that has kickstarted my weight loss again. 

Maybe try adjusting your diet and exercise routine?

i had my band surgery in december.  lost 25 pounds.. in 2 months.  then i had my gall bladder out.... in the last 3 months i haven't lost anything.  actually gained 5.

i am soooo depressed about this.  i havent had any fills yet because i was practically throwing up my first few bites of food everytime i ate so they wanted to watch me for awhile. 

lately its only happened a few times.. but i am ready for a fill.   i feel like i can eat too much already...   i can't eat nearly what i used to eat but it sure seems like this isnt working. 

super sad!!!

I had my lapband surgery March of 2008. I lost 40 lbs in about 6 months. But in December my blood sugar went out of control. I have since gained 30 lbs back. I now have a BMI of 33. My band was adjusted last under a fluroscope so I know it is correct. I still can't eat a lot and stick to my diet faithfully. So I am going back to my surgeon July 8th to talk to him about an RNY. My husband had RNY in 2005 and has done wonderfully. He has maintained his weightloss and had no problems. So I think an RNY is my best hope. I am sorry for your problems but recent studies do show that not everyone loses with the lapband. We all have different metabolisms and sometimes it just takes more.

Reading this post brought tears to my eyes.  I had my lap-band taken out Tuesday.  I was tired of 2 years of hell.  I'm glad that it is out!  I ended up hating my band, the scars, and the tears that came with each weigh in.

My new doctor didn't really want to take it out, but agreed after my continued trips to his office with complaints.

Please excuse my bad English; I identify myself with 2nd chance. I live in Mexico, About 3 years ago I was weighing 110 kg, I guess like 225 lb, I met a doctor who put me an intragastric balloon which I know that are not used in the US, And I lost 35 kg in in the first year. I was so happy then. This balloons can be left in the stomach for no more than 6 months but I felt so great and my doctor was OK about it, so we left it 18 months. When I had it taken out I was placed a new one for another 12 months. And let me lose like 20 more pounds. In fact I could have lost more but I became a little comfty with weighing 65 kgs, in fact people told me I looked very well; that more could make me look ill. I guess I have big bones and my structure won't let me weigh less than 63 or so, w/o looking ill. Since I didn't have any device in me I started adding up a few pounds. Then I asked my doc to place  a new balloon and he said balloons are not supposed to be used more than 2 times and isntead offered me the Lap Band and I thought "he know what he's doing "so I trusted immediately and didn't investigate myself about the Lap. Terrible mistake. I had it placed in Jan 2010 and it's been such a failure. everything I've read about other's stories is true, it's a complete failure. I want to take it out and have a balloon again (that works great) but my doc is so adamant to give the lap more chance, but I don't want to spend another month wasted in the lap band. I strongly recommend that if you can, try the balloon. I will take the "risk" of getting a 3rd ballon although my doc does not want me to take the lap band out (he will have to) and then he does not recommend a 3rd time but Im sure it will work agan, after almost one year without a balloon. best of luck to all!

That is so not normal.  Have you talked to your doctor?  It sounds to me like you have a leak in the band or the tube going to the band.  You should not have had to have eight fills.  How many cc's of fluid are in your band, and what size is your band?  There is no way you could eat a whole sandwich if your band were functioning properly.  Get back to your doc ASAP and have him fix it.

I am so glad to find this thread. I felt like i was the only lapband failure in the world! I had surg 21009. I had my first fill in April. My doctor complained that I was the worst patient that he had ever had because I'd only lost 14 pounds at that point. That has crushed me. Since then, I've only lost 8 more pounds. I had decided to just give up and not return, but I have since made an appointment with a new doctor. I chose my surgeon because he had done the most surgeries of all the docs listed on my insurance plan. Several of my coworkers have also gone to him, and none of them will go back because of how he degrades you when he speaks. I think he's trying tough love, but it really does affect you psychologically. 

I hope that my new doc will be able to help me to get back on track. Having only one fill since my Feb surgery, you can imagine that my restriction is very little. I am just wondering what my next step should/will be.  PLEASE GIVE SUGGESTIONS