I had my LapBand placed at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX by Dr. Jason Johnson on December 6, 2006. I am 5'11" and at the time of my surgery weighed in at 339lbs! I was miserable. I had yo-yo dieted my entire life, going from a normal sized person to huge over and over. When I tipped the scales at 320 I finally decided that drastic action was needed. It took me about 6 months of appointments, scans, and exams before I got put on the waiting list for the surgery (I went throught the military).
My procedure was done on an outpatient basis and my husband drove me home. I was sore but nothing horrible. I was restricted to liquids only for 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks I lost 19lbs! I had to go to appointments every month for the first year. This is KEY! A LapBand will not work if you do not get to the proper adjustment, and that can't be done in one visit!
I got down to 209lbs when I found out I was pregnant (surprise)! The pregnancy and delivery went perfectly. I released all the saline from the band 2 weeks prior to delivery. I gained 19lbs during the pregnancy (which was much nicer than the 80 I gained during the first one), and lost back down to 218. Which is where I basically have stayed for the last 3 years. I'll gain and lose the same 3lbs over and over, but this weight is very easy to maintain.
I just had a mommy makeover 10 days ago and my tummy is so nice and flat! My port was not a problem, the plastic surgeons are used to them. I've lost a little more weight since they removed all my extra skin (with some fat :-). and I think I'm gonna finally get under 200 which has always been my ultimate goal!
In short, for me, it was totally worth it! I have never had any problems except if I eat something really bready too fast, then I know I'm gonna puke. and if I eat too soon before bed, then it's heartburn city. But now it's not really a diet anymore, it's just a way of eating. I eat smaller portions now, it's just what I do. I think that at this point, even if I had the band removed, I would be able to continue and maintain because I have changed my entire way of eating; at first out of necessity because of the band, but now because it is easy to eat this way!
Good luck All!
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I'm considering lap band surgery I am 5'6" and 233 pounds I have a type of back problem genetic, so my spine isn't fused. I recently had back surgery and was told if I didn't loose weight my back surgery would have to be more extensive in the future...scary to say the least . I gained 80 pounds after my fathers death 20 years ago and have gone up and down between 190 to 260, most days I can't look at myself in the mirror...today I got a shot of my reflection/ backside in a large window and thought ,sweet lord is that me I didn't recognize myself....I'm afraid and still think somehow I can make this happen on my own...but I am afraid now I don't want screw and braces in my back....any advice for someone looking into surgery.....
I know this is for the lap-band surgery, but I read the comment from Kirsty and wanted to comment. I am 56 and at 19 yrs old I had stomach stapling. I was 237 lbs at 18. High blood pressure, eating to get full, emotional eating, eating to get warm, eating just because... I spent a month in the hospital w/complications/a hospital strike/ and pneumonia. My stoma swollen shut causing extremely painful bronical spasms. I was released with an extrenal gastric tube and fed myself pureed baby food for 9 weeks. Still everything came back up. The weight poured off me. In 9 weeks I was down 40 lbs. I got down to 136 after a year but it took exercise. Now after 35 years I have semi watched my weight fluctuate from 145 (my most comfortable and healthiest weight) to a scary 201. I caught myself and I walk 3 times a week for an hour a day and eat protein first, a green vegetable and I wait an hour to an hour and a half to drink a glass of milk. I can't eat rice, or pasta and I try to stay away from bread. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend weight loss surgery as a tool. But it is not a cure. Also.important is phsycological guidance. If anyone tells you the way people (men) look at you as a thin person vrs a fat person makes no difference, they are lieing. Many of my friends marriages broke up after they had a different body. Beware...
My biggest concern, I guess, is just eating. I wouldn't label myself an "emotional eater", I feel like I'm a more of a "because I can" or "because it's there/available" eater, or because I'm bored. Know what I mean? For example, if I know there is a bag of popcorn in the cabinet and think about it, I can't get it out of my head. I can go and do/think about something else. But in the back of my mind it's still there and I'm not satisfied until I eat it and then I feel terrible. Is that emotional after all? Either way, my question to you is, did you have that problem? Because I worry that this will continue after my surgery and I will continue to be over weight. Thanks in advance for your help! =D
A need OTHER than hunger (actual hunger, not just head hunger) it's kind of like filling some void or shutting your brain up with food. You have to retrain yourself. Do
Something else when your brain won't stop
Obsessing about food. The band is a tool but it will fail if you don't change the way you look at food.
Hey there,
Welcome and thanks so much for sharing your journey with us. Congratulations on losing so much weight, you've done a great job and you look awesome! Did you find changing your eating habits difficult? From everything I've read and experienced, the mental aspect of eating can be harder to overcome than anything else.
Thanks for that advice, that's actually some really good advice to live by. I haven't had my surgery yet (I will be having a gastric bypass) but I have a friend who got the band and lost a huge amount of weight but put it all back on (and more) by finding ways to trick the band. I can definitely see why a lot of doctors make you speak to a therapist first before surgery.
Well, you've done a great job, so congratulations, you've definitely put the time and effort into making it work!