Stuggling with the band and need some help big time!

[heidiinSD]

Hey Everyone,

This is my story....I got the band last April. I lost about 13 pounds on the liquid diet. I waited six weeks and got my first fill at the OCC. I live in San Diego, so I can get down to the office. My first fill was to 5.0cc's. I had no restriction at all. I went back a couple of weeks later and Dr So took it up to 8.0cc. I couldn't eat at all and was throwing up. I went back again and we took it down to 7.5. Still too tight and I was throwing up. Backed it down

again to 7.0cc. I was still tossing my cookies not all the time, but more then a couple times a week. So being the food addict that I am I start eating things that I know I can get down. The chips they did go down easily!

I could not get any bread or pasta down and had a lot of problems with protein too.

So, about three or four months ago I got totally fed up and went down to the OCC and had it totally unfilled. My last straw was throwing up my dinner in a trash can outside so my husband didn't see. I have young

kids and the unpredictability of not know what would go down and what wouldn't was just not practical. I once tossed my cookies in a plastic bag in my car in front of the kids. It freaked my four year old son out.

Now, I am feeling guilty that we spent all this money and I really haven't lost any weight. I went to a consultation for the lap band in SD. The doctor made it sound like you just put this thing on and you lose weight.

Do you really have to diet with the lapband? What has made you successful?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Heidi

[canuk98828]

Hey Everyone,

This is my story....I got the band last April. I lost about 13 pounds on the liquid diet. I waited six weeks and got my first fill at the OCC. I live in San Diego, so I can get down to the office. My first fill was to 5.0cc's. I had no restriction at all. I went back a couple of weeks later and Dr So took it up to 8.0cc. I couldn't eat at all and was throwing up. I went back again and we took it down to 7.5. Still too tight and I was throwing up. Backed it down

again to 7.0cc. I was still tossing my cookies not all the time, but more then a couple times a week. So being the food addict that I am I start eating things that I know I can get down. The chips they did go down easily!

I could not get any bread or pasta down and had a lot of problems with protein too.

So, about three or four months ago I got totally fed up and went down to the OCC and had it totally unfilled. My last straw was throwing up my dinner in a trash can outside so my husband didn't see. I have young

kids and the unpredictability of not know what would go down and what wouldn't was just not practical. I once tossed my cookies in a plastic bag in my car in front of the kids. It freaked my four year old son out.

Now, I am feeling guilty that we spent all this money and I really haven't lost any weight. I went to a consultation for the lap band in SD. The doctor made it sound like you just put this thing on and you lose weight.

Do you really have to diet with the lapband? What has made you successful?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Heidi

Heidi, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. All I can tell you is what my experience has been. I was banded on Aug 3 this year, I felt restriction immediately (whether it was mental or not, who knows). I am down over 60 lbs and eat 3 to 4 small meals a day. I always make sure I eat protein first, then veggies and fruit then carbs if I feel the need. I have learned what my soft stop feels/sounds like. Everyone has a different soft spot signal, have you learned yours yet? It can be coughing, heavy chest feelings or like mine I start sneezing. There are a few of us that are able to get to our goal without fills and I truly feel blessed to be there. But yes, I have learned chips are easy to go down.

That all said, my main thoughts for you are: are you chewing sufficiently? do you wait the 60 minutes before drinking after u eat? are you eating slow enough? All of these definitely make me feel uncomfortable if I don't pay attention. Hope this gives you some ideas, if you ever want to just talk send me a private message and I will give you my number. If you do not have a support system in place, it just makes it harder. Take care and stay

[themelina]

hello ... hopefully im not responding to your blog too late.. i had the lap band put in in october of 2005 and removed august of 2008,,, under 3 years... i went through the same situation as far as the tossingcookies bit... i am glad your catching it now while ur aware of it... my advise that i can give you that did work for me when i was in the same situation is an hr prior to a meal or even 30 minutes prior drink something warm like hot tea or some weak coffee... i felt that something warm kinda relaxed me a bit and helped the food go down easier... definately chew as best as u can eat protien first then veggies then carbs... give it a try dosen't hurt.. i wish u the best of luck i lost a total of 140 lbs and now without the band life is easy to maintain healthy weight loss..

[EricaG]

I can totally relate to the whole "tossing cookies" in the nearest trash and being in the car and having to spit and so on. I have learned that the band is NOT going to melt the fat away. I also had that impression that I was going to be able to eat EVERYTHING I wanted, just small portions of those unhealthy foods. This was before I started getting real serious about losing weight. I researched before I got the lapband and read all these post on here from REAL lapband patients and well... I came to the agreement (with myself) that I was able to compromise not having a HUGE bagel with cream cheese anymore, or stuffing my face at the buffet, or having ONE more "food coma"..

I know if I don't work out and eat healthy, I WON'T lose weight. That's how everyone's body works. I'm just so thankful for my band because it reminds me that I don't NEED to have that second serving of what ever, I don't feel as "hungry" as I used to say I always was. I'm not going to say I mastered my band yet, I don't think I've found my soft stop spot yet, I still have to spit up sometimes because I had one too many extra bites of something. I think everything takes time and just be patient. I'm sorry you had to get unfilled, and that you had to experience that... just be patient with it. I'm sure you didn't just waste all that money to NOT succeed. Give it another chance and try, just don't rush.