Unfilled and wondering...

Hello, I have been on the site before but cannot remember my sign on.  I was banded 8/2010 and did not have wonderful results.  I have come to reailize this is due to my own bad eating habits and have spent the last year working on my addictive eating.  It is still a problem, but better.  here is my dilemma.  My band got dialated (or the esophagus got dialated) and I had to be completely unfilled.  I am doing a moderated diet right now to try to heal the dialation.  The purpose is for the doctor to then refill. 

I wonder if I want to be refilled???  I didn't have great results and recognize why...I don't necessarily blame the band.  My husband says that would mean the whole thing was a waste of time...I think that may not be the case.  In the beginning, I felt powerless over food- that's why I gained up to 275.  With the band and even with eating poorly because nothing but chips would go down really well, I am still down to 237....I want to lose more weight, but really wonder if trying it the "old way" would be better?  Does that make sense?   Like using some mindfulness about my eating, which worked ok with the band. 

Am I making excuses for myself?  I don't know.  I never felt the band was successful...and I know it was really just me who was sabatoging.  advice?  anyone else feel this way or made the decision to stay unfilled....or get refilled a little??

~With the band and even with eating poorly because nothing but chips would go down really well, I am still down to 237~

That is a problem for many ppl. For many of us there just seem to be no happy medium. It's either too loose, or too tight. If it won't adjust properly and you are having trouble eatting lean, dense protein...........you have done what many do...........eat what goes down easily.

Many ppl want to gage how well the band works by how much weight is lost. But if your losing b/c it has too be too tight for you to lose with it, and you are not able to eat healthy food...........THEN THE BAND IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY! :-(

Your esophagus is dialated. I would not want to do further damage to it if I were you. Have you researched revision? If you look on the revsion forum you will find plenty of bandsters and former bandsters, since the majority of revisions are ppl revising FROM the band!

As far as the bad eating habits though.......most of us had that prior to surgery. That's why we needed the surgery. If the band is not assisting with weight loss IN A HEALTHY WAY, then I feel that would make it harder to switch over to a healther diet. Please research revision so you don't waste too much time on a band that is already causing you complications and could damage you further!

This question is right up my alley! I had mine emptied earlier this year because it kept tightening on me and I finally got fed up and said just take it all out. So far I have gained a few pounds but seem to be hovering around the same weight as I was with the band. My biggest problem is I'm unable to exercise and already eat small amounts of food so I'm not losing but I'm not gaining either. I can still feel some restriction just from the band being there even tho it is empty, so it does help even when it's empty. That might be all you need since you've done work on the head issues. I'd say go ahead and give it a try empty and see how it goes, If you start gaining well then you can try getting fills again. You can tell your hubby that even empty it still can help you control serving sizes. I still can't eat anywhere near what I could before the band, so it is still a useful tool if you use it. Good luck and if all else fails there is the revsion to consider.

Hang in there. It's a one-day-at-a-time process.
Good for you to have lost so much weight and kept it off!
If you can manage water aerobics, that's worth a try.
See how you do, and if you feel comfortable with trying a fill later in your journey, the band will be there
for you!
I still struggle daily, and have had very slow results, but it's weight I never would have lost without the band.

Cheers!

Mary

Mary after struggling "every day" and only losing 29 pounds in a year..........you really think the band is a good choice???

Maria:
Yes, it didn't go on fast either....
Weight loss is always a struggle. I haven't met the weight loss fairy yet. It's food and exercise charting daily, weighing in with the nutritionist, etc.
Even with the various surgical procedures, after a certain period of time, everyone has to go on  a diet and exercise. If there is another way, I'd love to hear what it is.....

Cheers!

Mary

Sounds similar to what's going on with me except I got my band in 2006.  I started out at 245, went down to 200 when I was still having great restriction and then by 2008 I couldn't get that sweet point again and slowly started creeping back up in weight.   My band was completely unfilled for dialation of the esophagus and I had lost a lot of hope thinking I'd just keep the band in and try to lose the old fashioned way.    Fast forward to summer of 2011 and all of a sudden food was getting stuck and there were a few days I couldn't keep anything down including liquids.   I ended up in the ER and was told the band needed to come out.    I am having a revision surgery to the gastric sleeve next week and my surgeon said he never puts bands in.....only takes them out:(    Since this summer, I've gotten some individual therapy for eating issues, have lost some weight and am excited and yet cautious about this revision but cannot wait to have the band out!   

So glad you will be able to revise. I would love to have that option as well!

You might want to join the Facebook failed band group.

Good luck!

 Not trying to be smart, but ask your self these questions?

1. Were you really using your band as a tool? A dilated esophagus indicate your band was too tight, if you really want your band to work, it CANNOT BE TOO TIGHT. Also, if you are prone to esophageal dilation it may happen again and if you spend most of your time with an empty band it will not be of any use to you. Once you damage the band or your esophagus from being too tight it may be very difficult for you to obtain a good fill again, this is why we vets used to STRESS to newbies DO NOT KEEP A TOO TIGHT FILL more than a few weeks-- NEVER, it can be tempting if the scales are moving, but it's that trap that usually causing issues or removal.

2. Since you've already suffered esophageal dilation, if you attempt to get filled again, you will have to go at it very slowly like every few months, and get tiny increments to see how you feel, it can be done but it has to be very slowly and very small fills.

3. Always be honest with your surgeon, your fill-giver DO NOT KNOW HOW TIGHT YOU ARE, it is up to YOU, to be honest even if your fill is done under fluoroscope, you can still end up too tight, you are the ultimate driver regarding your band health, never think if you can only sip liquids or teaspoons of broth this will be your sweet spot, the band can only restrict SAFELY about 1 cup of solid food per meal, give or take a few ounces, the band is just not designed to restrict that tight safely, even if you get to your sweet spot, it will be days where you will be able to eat more than other days, the band is a TOOL and if you are having issues with binge eating or other addictive behavior NO WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY WILL HELP that, you can't tighten the band to keep you from eating, it's just not going to happen without issues.

4. Those who lose weight with the band and not suffer complications have these things in common, they are honest with their surgeon, they see their surgeons often in the first 2 years to make sure they are properly filled, they get DAILY exercise in, such as walking, swimming, zumba, biking, treadmill, etc, at least 5 days per week, and drink lots of water, at least 8 glasses per day, and eat mostly lean proteins and veggies. You MUST have a plan set up, even if it means outside help like diet pills or counseling, some people have severe eating disorders that need to be addressed, and not just sit back and tighten the band to make you ill. If you are not willing or able to follow some type of plan the band will not work for you, but you can make it work. Good luck.

Mary why do you respond to me and then block me? Apparently you are very defensive about your choice it seems. It's not like I gave you those band results. I just pointed it out. Don't be coming on the band forum acting like the band is all that when it hasn't even worked that well for you!!!

~Post Date: 11/26/11 4:07 pm
Last Edit: 11/26/11 4:09 pm
Maria:
Yes, it didn't go on fast either....
Weight loss is always a struggle. I haven't met the weight loss fairy yet. It's food and exercise charting daily, weighing in with the nutritionist, etc.
Even with the various surgical procedures, after a certain period of time, everyone has to go on  a diet and exercise. If there is another way, I'd love to hear what it is.....

Cheers!

Mary~

Mary I realize that the weight didn't go on fast. That is kind of irrelevent now isn't it? Lol.

Haen't met the "weight loss fairy"? Well that of course is non existant. No one was trying to insinuate that having WLS is like a fairy tale! (Although I do know RNY, DS and VSG'ers that feel that has been THEIR experience). Some WLS's are just BETTER than others. It is what it is. Don't get pissed off at me b/c you chose the band and have only lost a few pounds!!!

~Even with the various surgical procedures, after a certain period of time, everyone has to go on  a diet and exercise. If there is another way, I'd love to hear what it is.....~

Well if you're going to keep blocking ppl you won't hear what it is now will you? Lol.

Most do have to diet and exercise after a certain amount of time. That is NOT true for all of them though. Why do yo want to bring up what YOU consider to be faults in other WLS's just b/c you didn't do well with YOUR WLS?!?!?!