Sacred to fail again.....

First topic message reminder :

Hi Everyone

I was banded Feb 07 and now weigh 5k more than the day it was done. I have loads of friends that have had great success with their bands so I feel like such a failure. Mind you I have just found out that my pouch is 'on the small side' and there is nothing I can do about it :<a href=htt
I feel like I have wasted 18mth of my life gong nowhere and getting very frustrated and depressed at my lack of success when friends are at goal weight who had their ops months after me! I have had unexplainable pain under my ribs, pain around my port site and I can eat as much as my husband and still feel hungry an hour later.....

From what I have heard the sleeve may be the answer I am looking for? I am considering the road to the sleee but am hesitant to use the same Dr that did my band because I feel that he is not really being very supportive and is laying the blame on me. Can anyone recommend a surgeon in Perth? I am in Bunbury (Dalyellup) at the moment.

I just don't know what to do. This operation is a huge step and I have already failed with the band (my Dr did point out that the sleeve may also not work!) I don't think I coud cope with failing a second time..... the constant questioning I get about 'how much weight I have/or should have lost is the pitts. I just want to get my life in order!

Cheers Cindy :)

Hi Kitty and welcome
I'm so sorry to hear that you've had such problems and no success so far with the band. It sounds as though you've been doing everything as well as you possibly can, and I can only imagine the heartache that you're currently going through.
I haven't used a band, so I'm no help there, but I agree with some of the others that it might be time to seek a second opinion, especially since it seems that you've been having some problems with your current doctor. There must be a reason why this is happening to you, and it'd be great if you could find a doc that will help you discover what it is, and find the right solution for you.
I truly wish you all the very best luck in your trials, and hope that it will shortly be a problem that has been resolved to your satisfaction.
Chris

nicolev1969 wrote:

hi kitty smiles,

I am to from near bunbury ( dardanup ) which dr did you see dr newman or dr werapitiya....if it was newman then he doest do the sleeve anyway.

Just interested as i had dr w and he was really good.

Nicole

Sorry Nicole,

Forgot to add, how impressive is your progress since July! Well done!! Seems like only yesterday I saw you post on the lapband threads

nicolev1969 wrote:

hi kitty smiles,

I am to from near bunbury ( dardanup ) which dr did you see dr newman or dr werapitiya....if it was newman then he doest do the sleeve anyway.

Just interested as i had dr w and he was really good.

Nicole

Hi Nicole

I had/have Dr W. I have loads of banded friends who have him too and I have no problems recommending him to others (inc my mum) I think its just me! Surgery wise he is really good and pre and post-op he always visits which is nice. My problem is he told me one thing straight after surgery and the opposite a week later and I was too upset to challenge him, I think because I kept quiet thats why he started on the 'you need to do this yourself blah blah blah' and 'come back in 3 mths if you haven't lost any weight and we might think about the sleeve' Well I hav been thinking abut it for 8mths and we have already discussed it twice! Maybe I am just being too sensitive but I find myself reacting badly to his comments.

Anyways, yesterday was a really bad day for me, had a few meltdowns over the day but I am feeling a bit better today. Just need to put some positive strategies into place and get on with it.

Thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome and replied.

Cheers Cindy

Hi Kitty!
Welcome along, I am glad you are with us! You are not alone here, there are a few ex bandits here.
I have to say though, I didnt do fantastically on the optifast, by which I mean that I didnt really lose the amount I thought I would, but I am proving to be somewhat of a slow loser...lol... not really that funny though.

Welcome aboard again.

Hayley

hi kitty smiles,

I am to from near bunbury ( dardanup ) which dr did you see dr newman or dr werapitiya....if it was newman then he doest do the sleeve anyway.

Just interested as i had dr w and he was really good.

Nicole

Kittycat/ Cindy- If I was in a situation similiar to yours where the band which is a restrictive tool did not work, I would strongly consider going to a malabsorptive solution - either gastric bypass or even better- duodenal switch. I would also suggest that you continue working with a therapist because this failure has got to be a huge blow to the self esteem. Do your research very carefully before you jump on any particular solution, but for people who really can't control their head hunger - or whatever the issue is- you may need to jump to a more extreme operation. I would also get a thorough checkup to eliminate any underlying problems such as slow thyroid even if I had had it checked before the band. If you do go for a duodenal switch make sure you have a really, really skilled surgeon since this is a more difficult operation. The gastric bypass might be enough malabsorption for your body, since it is more common than the switch it may be the best choice of all.

hi apple,

sorry to interrupt'

Firstly I agree that there my be an underlying problem and that the band/sleeve are not quick fixes even though we all wish they were and like Adrian I think kittysmiles should see and another doctor BUT about the opti my wonderful aunt can not use opti as it makes her gain weight. Her specialist found this out after recommending she use it to lose weight before surgery not sleeve/band.

She spent a month following the opti to the letter and when she went back to her specialist he was stunned to find she HAD gained weight, I cant remember the exact reason but something in opti caused her body to react differently and caused her to gain rather than lose but as far as Im awhere is NOT a common reaction.(They ran heaps of test to find this out).
My aunt can not use any of the weightloss shake as they react in some way..

Donna-lee

Let me see if I understand correctly. You did optifast intensive that is 3 shakes a day for 2 weeks with nothing but 2 cups of veggies as extras and you lost no weight ? I am trying to understand here as not losing weight while sticking to to that means some under laying problem one a sleeve will not fix. A sleeve will only reduce you hunger and the amount you can eat but not to the pooint where you are eating less food than optifast intensive hence you would still not lose weight with a sleeve if you did not lose weight with optifast.

applesauce

Hi Adrian

Trying really hard to to stay positive! I guess I am lucky in that I have a really supportive husband and GP to get help from. I am researching Dr's in Perth to go to. I need something done, whether be a band revision or a sleeve, I just want help.

I have even been seeing a counsellor about why I eat and dealing with my past. Its just hard work reminding myself to do everything.....its even harder to make time for myself, I have a tendancy to put everyone else first.

Cindy

Yes Cindy I like applesauce am confused by your situation but if your current surgeon is not being helpful ask your GP for a referal to another surgeon for a second opinion (check out the sureon's section on the main page) . You said that you tried optifast for 2 weeks with no sucess did it or dieting in general work pre op? If not this needs further investigation again get your GP or surgeon to refer you. Above all don't dispair the answer is out there keep a positve can do attitude & you'll get there
Adrian

applesauce wrote:

I think you need to look very very carefully at what you are doing now before you look at a sleeve. You need to make sure what you are eating now is not stuff that just slides down though that band because a sleeve will be not this wonderful miricle if you actually work against it. I am asking this because you state your pouch is on the small side with one sentence then state you can eat as much as your husband with the next, sorry totaly confusin. Also being hungry and hour after eating, are you drinking with or soon after eating ?
Please do not get me wrong here I am so not trying to put you off a sleeve, I just want to understand why the band is not working for you beofre I say jump to the sleeve. See the sleeve will only work as a tool like the band, going to it from band without knowing why your band has failed might set you right back up for failure.

applesauce

Hi applesauce, your not the only one who is confused! I asked my Dr and he couldn't give me a reason why I can eat so much when I have a small pouch! As for drinking, the majority of the time I wait at least 1/2 hour before having a drink (I was told 1/2 hr before and after eating).

I thought the whole point of the band was to restrict the amount I could eat and make me feel full quick, that hasn't happened. I made the mistake of thinking that having more fill would be the answer and ended up with 9ml in a 9ml band. By that stage I could barely eat at all and totally stuffed up my liver again so I went back down to 5.5ml and saw a naturopath. Even following her 'diet' and exercising I was still hungry and lost no weight. All I got from my Dr was 'well you need to eat less and eat the right food'...ahh I was for two months and nothing happened, I went back on optifast for 2 weeks and nothing happened. I guess I am just destined to stay this way. Thanks anyway.

Cindy :[img]http://ww

I think you need to look very very carefully at what you are doing now before you look at a sleeve. You need to make sure what you are eating now is not stuff that just slides down though that band because a sleeve will be not this wonderful miricle if you actually work against it. I am asking this because you state your pouch is on the small side with one sentence then state you can eat as much as your husband with the next, sorry totaly confusin. Also being hungry and hour after eating, are you drinking with or soon after eating ?
Please do not get me wrong here I am so not trying to put you off a sleeve, I just want to understand why the band is not working for you beofre I say jump to the sleeve. See the sleeve will only work as a tool like the band, going to it from band without knowing why your band has failed might set you right back up for failure.

applesauce

Hi Everyone

I was banded Feb 07 and now weigh 5k more than the day it was done. I have loads of friends that have had great success with their bands so I feel like such a failure. Mind you I have just found out that my pouch is 'on the small side' and there is nothing I can do about it :<a href=htt
I feel like I have wasted 18mth of my life gong nowhere and getting very frustrated and depressed at my lack of success when friends are at goal weight who had their ops months after me! I have had unexplainable pain under my ribs, pain around my port site and I can eat as much as my husband and still feel hungry an hour later.....

From what I have heard the sleeve may be the answer I am looking for? I am considering the road to the sleee but am hesitant to use the same Dr that did my band because I feel that he is not really being very supportive and is laying the blame on me. Can anyone recommend a surgeon in Perth? I am in Bunbury (Dalyellup) at the moment.

I just don't know what to do. This operation is a huge step and I have already failed with the band (my Dr did point out that the sleeve may also not work!) I don't think I coud cope with failing a second time..... the constant questioning I get about 'how much weight I have/or should have lost is the pitts. I just want to get my life in order!

Cheers Cindy :)