Hi Everyone....
OMG... it has been soooo long since I wrote my last blog *badme* Please forgive me :-(
How is everyone? I hope life is treating you well and that you are happy and healthy :-)
I would also like to say "Hi" to my new followers and that I am very happy to meet you. I will soon be following you as well... I just have not been on here for a while and will need to work my way through Lapband-Blogland for the next couple of days. Please bear with me :-)
I was just checkin in here and decided to leave a little update.
On the weight front all is going okay... I am still in the range of 166-171 lb... I have some good phases and many not so good phases. My main problem is finding some kind of a sweet spot or at least a restriction that I can live with.
It all began last May when I suddenly got extremely tight (without a fill, just out of the blue) and suffered from very bad reflux and was not able to eat any solids at all. So I went for an unfill... and I gained 9 lb. :-( Of course I went for a fill again and at first everything seemed to be fine... but after a month or so I again got extremely tight and suffered from the worst reflux ever, especially at night. I woke up choking almost every night. I had chicken noodle soups for dinner and even though I stopped eating and drinking at 7 pm the noodles and the tiny veggie pieces form the soup were still sitting in my pouch (and worked their way up while I was having my morning coffee, sorry) Very bad.
So all of this has been going with me since last May. There are now only two extremes for me. I either have very little restriction and I gain weight easily (slowly but surely) or I am so tight that I can't eat and suffer from extremely bad reflux. My restriction fluctuates by itself, out of nowhere it changes... I am fine one day and the next day I can't even drink water.. the next day I am lose again and could eat a double bandster-portion. I charted the weather, my menstrual cycle, the barometric pressure... there is no pattern that any of it plays a role in my restriction (or lack thereof).
I have NO idea why this is happening... everything was fine for almost 2 years and I have lost almost 130 lb. and kept it off (with a couple of ups and downs).
The most disturbing thing is, that when I searched the internet I found sooo many other bandsters that are having the same issues with their lap-band and most of them are having (or already had) a revision to the vertical sleeve (or bypass) because they can't take those unpleasant side-effects from the band any longer... and I don't blame them... it's horrible. It also affects weight loss. The weight I have gained when I got the unfills was the hardest to get rid of. I truly miss the good old times, the beginnings in Lap-Band-Land when everything was working well, when I was happy, made good food choices, drank enough liquids, etc.
I wonder if anyone of my followers has those problems? Are you still having sweet spot restriction? Are you still losing weight? Have you reached your goal weight and is it easy for you to maintain?
My biggest question is....
Does the band have an expiration date? Is it just not designed to keep us happy for a life time?
Please do not get me the wrong way... I do not want to spread any negative energy on here and I do not want to ruin any weight loss journey of happily banded people... I just want to know if anyone is having similar issues?
I am kind of disturbed... and deep inside of me I know I can't go on like this :-(
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Great to see you back.
ReplyDeleteI had the exact problem you describe and had a revision to the Sleeve last June. I couldn't take the fill/unfill cycle anymore. My doctor explained that for some, when the band tightens to a good restriction level, our bodies reject the tightness and swell up. This causes the sudden tightness you describe, and it doesn't lessen until you get an unfill.
Getting the band out and revision to the sleeve was the best decision for me. I hit my goal of 150 2 months after revision surgery and went on to lose another 11 lbs since than. I have had no trouble maintaining my weight, actually being under, since last August.
Wow, I was so surprised to see you pop up on my blog roll, but pleasantly. I'm sorry that you're going through this. Jacquie was the first person who came to mind when I read about your issues. I'm 2 years out and doing fine. My band is very fickle, sometimes super tight sometimes loose, but very liveable for me. I have not lost all my weight though, I have about 30 pounds or so to go. Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you :-)
ReplyDeleteI am glad to be back as well. I just read my entire blog... wow... what a journey and I will definitely have to add some NSVs.
Jacquie, thanks for letting me know... my surgeon also thinks that it would be best for me to have a revision to the sleeve... so I think this is what it will all come down to. I will definitely read your blog to read more about your journey.
It just takes some mental adjustments for me to accept the fact that my lap-band and I are not really a good fit... and to prepare for another surgery...
I will keep you informed on how it is going.
I'm sorry to hear of the discomfort you are experiencing. Follow your doctors suggestions. I'll be thinking of you. Have a good weekend. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you are going through this. BUT, remember, you have been a successful "loser" so don't let this get you down and make you feel like a failure. You aren't! I never had a band, only the sleeve, and I love it. I've never thrown up, and I'm 7 months out of surgery and can eat anything. Yes, anything. Some things, like bread, pasta, will restrict me too quickly, so I tend to avoid it, but I can eat it and without pain. I have no problem at this point eating raw fruits and veggies either. I love it. Also, I used to crave sweets but now, if I get a craving for one, I'm satisfied quickly. Not just because of restriction, but because things TASTE a little differently (richer, sweeter). Like, as soon as I had surgery, I quit putting cream in my coffee. Only splenda. The cream was too sweet (in any amount). Weird things like that. Surgery changed my taste and cravings immediately (and so far it hasn't come back). Can't say I miss it a bit!!
ReplyDeleteI am having the same symptoms as you - tight one day, loose the next. But the reflux at night is horrible and like you I wake up choking and coughing and it's disgusting. I've had my band almost 5 years and I've been dealing with the this issue for months and months. I don't want to get an unfill, but I'm exhausted. Haven't seen my doc in over a year b/c everything was fine. But I don't know how much longer I can take this. I get the hiccups a lot, too.
ReplyDelete