Love it Or Hate it?

 HATE IT!

Ruined my life for about 8 years, had three lap-band related surgeries and finally had it removed last year.  Revision to RNY and have lost more weight in 4.5 months than I did in 8 years with my horrible band/s. 

Band caused such severe permanent scarring to my tummy that my RNY was affected, meaning my pouch isn't as small as it should be due to the damage from the band! But, even with a bigger than normal pouch, my RNY kicks my bands ass!

Band ruined 8 years of my life I will never get back.

WOW!  I can't believe the first time I come back here after what has to be more than a year I come back and click on this thread first.  I have to say that MOST of the time I absolutely HATE my band.  I feel like a complete failure most of the time for only having lost a grand whopping total of 63 pounds.  Scratch that... I gained back 10 of that and continue to YO YO up and down 5 pounds.  I absolutely cant stand myself sometimes.  All I wanted to lose from day one is 83 pounds.  Could probably handle to lose more than that but I factored in my age and blah blah blah I don't expect to ever be the weight I was in high school.  So I started off with what I though to be an attainable goal to reach in ONE YEAR.  Well here I am with my stupid band and at the end of May I will be at my 3 year BANDIVERSARY feeling like a complete loser once again.

I thoroughly expected this band to be a bit easier to deal with until I figured out quickly that you can actually "work" it.  You can MAKE yourself able to eat the wrong things.  Try my friend Hot Tea or Coffee before a meal and if you are at a restaurant you can most likely eat a decent meal.  If the liquid is HOT enough.  Mostly has to be just about scalding for me which is hard to find at a restaurant...then I discovered the wonders of ALCOHOL.  Yep, that's why they say don't drink with your band.  I was good with that for the first two years and didn't drink.  But I would mess with hot liquids so that I could actually have breakfast before 11 a.m.  I found that skipping breakfast because I was to tight did nothing to help me lose weight.  All that did was make me hungrier for the rest of the day.  I got so sick of any protein shake I STILL cannot even stomach the thought of choking them down again.  I'd rather just not bother.

I fully admit to using alcohol to relax my band ESPECIALLY when having to be eating at family functions or other times where I am forced to eat in front of people.  I dread having to have meals with people around.  Especially my own KIDS.  I can't eat with all the noise.  It sucks feeling like you need a few ****tails just to get a meal down.  At the very least feel that you must have a scalding hot cup of tea first so that you can actually take one bite of food in front of others without fear of having to run for the toilet. 

Been through all the noise with the too tight, not tight enough... I NEVER have had the luxury of feeling a "sweet spot" so I wonder if that really even exists.  I struggle with whether to get a fill or not when I am not losing because I am not comfortable with the way eating with my band at any level of fill feels.  But when I get back to basics and test my band without greasing it with something hot or alcoholic I am still able to eat enough food that keeps me from losing weight.  Yet I sit scared to fill it any further.  I'm at 3.5 cc's in a 4 cc band so there's not much further for it to go.

Well this is probably just a lot of blathering.  But I have serious issues obviously with my eating habits still.  The band hasn't helped me with that.  I figured out a way around it.  But still... I feel that it shouldn't have been this difficult for me to lose weight initially.  I was completely following my band rules for more than the first year.  Didn't seem to do much for me.  I've never been satisfied with my rate of weight loss.  I feel it's to slow.  I should have been to goal 2 years ago and not looking down at what could pass for a 9 month pregnant belly still.

So, I guess all and all I hate it.  But would rather hate my band and keep trying to figure the darn thing out (and myself out) than go back to the way I was before I got it.  If that makes any sort of sense at all. 

My experience with the lap-band is junk food goes down great Go to a restraunt order a nice healthy small meal take a few bites chew chew chew then its stuck slime for a hour leave the restraunt and since your hungry eat something nice and soft that goes right down Ice cream.
If you choose the lap-band you will not be able to eat a healthy breakfast until around 3pm.

I totally get you about the alcohol issues.  In order to eat a meal (especially in public) it took a glass of wine for me not to be stuck and slime in public.

Sorry... I have nothing to suggest for you. :o(  But I can give you ((((HUGS))))

I had my band almost 6 years.  The first couple were good, although I would throw up quite a bit.  I was always too tight or too loose even without changing my fill level.  The last few years weren't so great.  Acid reflux, even with medication was horrible.  For 6 years, I was never able to eat dense proteins (chicken, shrimp, steak) without being sick (threw up 75% of the time so I gave them up).  By the end, I threw up almost daily, up to 30 or 40 times per week.  It wasn't from overeating; it was often that first bite that made me sick.  I chewed everything to applesauce consistency.  And I was always hungry.

Today I enjoy a normal life - I eat when I need to and actually get to enjoy a "full" sensation after about 4-6 oz. of food.  I have not thrown up since my band was removed.  I'm grateful for the time I had it; I believe that it kept me from gaining 100 more lbs, but I'm grateful today that the band chapter of my life is over and I'm back on the road to weight loss.

I know the band has been through several generations since I had mine and I also think that some surgeons make the pouch larger than 1-2 oz (which mine was; it didn't stretch) so I'm hopeful that it is more successful for people today.

Love it!  This is a tool and you have to be committed to healthy eating.  It's not magic. You can be successful if you follow the rules.  I would do this again in a heartbeat.  It's giving me back my life.

I followed the rules to a "T".  The band almost killed me.

"Love it!  This is a tool and you have to be committed to healthy eating.  It's not magic. You can be successful if you follow the rules.  I would do this again in a heartbeat.  It's giving me back my life."



 I followed the rules and it was a disaster. So what other reason do you have for my band not working? 

No offense, but I can't stand people who say that when the lap-band doesn't work it's the persons fault for not doing the right thing! Were you there for my 8 year journey? Were you there in the mornings when I woke up choking on my own spit? Were you there when I went out to dinner in a restaurant and had to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes?  

Nah, I don't think you were, so I don't think that qualifies you to say that I FAILED my band by not following the rules! Nice try though.... maybe it's because the BAND FAILED!

Whoa!  I replied to the original question.  I have never talked to you.  It can work for some people, and I am certainly sorry you have had a difficult experience.  My post was to encourage the original writer of this thread.  The band works for me.  It sounds as if you think I attacked you personally.  I assure you that I did not.  I hope you find health and happiness.  I certainly don't need this kind of vitriolic response.  This site is for encouragement, not hateful comments.

 Hi,

Nope. I definitely didn't say you attacked me. No way. What you did say was this:  "You can be successful if you follow the rules." And to me, that indicates that you believe that anyone unsuccessful DIDN'T follow the rules. That is why I replied to you.

There are many people on this site who claim that anyone who doesn't achieve success with a lap-band FAILED the band, that they didn't follow the rules some how....  and this is NOT TRUE.  That is why I responded to your statement of  "You can be successful if you follow the rules."

I would genuinely like to know, based on your above comment, why my band failed? I mean, you say I could be successful if I followed the rules..... I DID. Any ideas Dr Roseviolet??

ETA:  Believe in what you said so much that you had to deactivate your account? Can't stand behind your own ridiculous comment that those whose lap-band doesn't work for them didn't follow the rules so it's their fault? I think your hasty exit says it all!  Nice and brave of you to stick around and stand behind your claim ........