Tired of the band

[fbscpa]

Hi,

I was banded last November and so it is coming up to a year post op. I have lost about 1 1/2 stone, which is far less than I hoped for and most of that was lost with little restriction whilst working out with a trainer.

Recently I have been having problems with the band. Heartburn and lots of problems with things getting stuck and sickness. I had some fluid removed a few weeks ago and that seemed to have eased the problems somewhat but now they are back again.

I was just wondering if anyone has experience asking your provider to empty the band? I feel that this will give me (and my partner) a break from constantly worrying about whether I'll be able to eat meals, and also test whether the band is really influencing my weight. Obviously if I start to regain weight I can go back to start the refilling process but if I'm one of the unlucky people the band hasn't worked for I feel like I don't need the hassle of not knowing how the band is going to effect me one day to another. Some days I can eat normal portion sizes whilst others I can't keep anything down.

Just after some opinions / advice I guess!

 

[Banderbird]

Maybe a complete defill will be a good idea to let everything settle down, and you can then start again.

See what your provider says. I hope things get better for you x

 

[fbscpa]

Yeah I'm a little worried wit the sickness coming back after a slight defill. I have a nurse appointment on Tuesday so shall discuss it with the nurse - just wondered if they would be funny about doing a complete defill or if that was an OK think to ask for I guess.

 

[BandedHun]

I imagine they will be fine with a complete defill. They will talk you through all the options surely.

I know for me some days are worse than others, have u kept a real accurate log of what foods u eaten that cause the issues on that day and on good days have an accurate log of what foods went down well?

Also do u follow the rules religiously? I just had a slight fill weds and my nutritionist was saying to me most complications come from clients thinking it's ok to go back to normal eating habits ...

It's just a few things to maybe discuss on Tuesday with the nurse?

Good luck though and I hope you find a happy medium sweetheart xx

 

[vampalicious]

...

 

[fbscpa]

Well I couldn't really afford the £5k I paid to put it there, so unless something goes wrong and I can get it removed on the nhs its not really an option unfortunately.

I guess I do struggle with the rules sometimes... but even when I still religiously to them things still get stuck sometimes. Also I really want to concentrate on more protein / lower carb but I just don't feel comfortable eating those things with the band as it currently is.

Obviously I will talk it through with the nurse tomorrow. My band restriction seems to be incredibly sensitive to my emotions of physical well being. If I'm getting an infection I usually know about it before I get symptoms as the band gets tighter. Time of the month is a nightmare. Also generally if I'm feeling stressed, anxious - or weirdly even just excited I can feel it in the level of restriction I have.

I guess on my good days my portion sizes can be "normal", though not huge. But aslong as I aren't getting any sickness/pain and I'm still hungry I was under the impression this was OK. Could eating too large a portion of food really effect me the next day, even if I wasn't sick and suffered no adverse affects at the time?

My boyfriend has seen how the band has affected me - he worries about me greatly if I have to be sick. He is also convinced the band is the cause of my ill health recently - I seem to get every infection that's going round. Recently I've had: ear infection (2 lots of antibiotics to get rid), UTI (2 lots of antibiotics to get rid), conjunctivitis (yuck) not to mention a whole bunch of days where I've just felt ill for non-specific reasons.

I guess in my head I am thinking if I have a complete defill I still have the band in place and just over a years worth of aftercare as a safetly net so that if I find that actually the band whilst not helping me lose all that much weight but it is infact good at preventing me gaining it!

Also I really really want a meal without thinking what I can and can't eat for a change. Tomatoes are the worst. I love them but have to avoid all but passata / puree at the moment!

 

[Banderbird]

^ good luck tomorrow, let us know how you get on.

I'm sure it can be sorted hun.

get it removed, band was the worse thing i ever did, worse 11 years of my life x

Not exactly very helpful advice. Not all bands go wrong, as I said before.

 

[BandedHun]

I'm sure everything will be ok.

Just ask as much as you can tomorrow and see what happens. Just for reassurance there have been a lot of stories of women and men believing the band may have been to blame for illness / pain when indeed some have had other complete separate conditions ... Gallstones etc. It's important to investigate every angle .

Be strong and good luck xx

 

[fbscpa]

Apologies for the late reply - my appointment got moved to yesterday morning. We decided to half the fill level from 6 ml to 3 ml, and I can tell instantly my restriction is much reduced and so far I've had no problems. Long may that continue! I think going forward I'm going to have to take it really slowly in increase restriction, it may be that I'll do better with a more modest level or restriction where I feel it fits better into my lifestyle. Anyway fingers crossed for the future and all that

 

[sharon2014]

Good luck with the 3ml love! Go back to basics and you will do fab!! X

 

[Mazza]

All sounding positive, good news indeed xx

 

[Banderbird]

That's great news!

Take it easy, and maybe try going for tiny fills once you're happy to try fills again - just so you can adjust.

Over-restriction is horrible!

I'm so glad you're feeling better, long may it continue x

 

[fbscpa]

Yeah thanks guys - I'm feeling much more positive My hunger has returned big time, so I guess at least this proves there are some positive effects from restriction, just need to find the right level for me!

 

[Crystalrainbow]

Great news hunni, just take it easy now..slow and steady