I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. Diets and
weight loss have been a part of my life since the 6th grade. It's not easy being the fat kid, a lot of cruel jokes, tears and rejection. I still struggle with low self-esteem.
No matter what I tried, my old habits came back and so did the weight. About 5 years ago I decided to have the lap band procedure. It looked like an easy fix to my long term problem.
My doctor emphasizes the low carb lifestyle and portion control. The most important thing was to avoid throwing up at all cost. Eating too fast or too much could cause this.
The lap band was successful for a while, I lost 50 lbs and felt great. All too soon my bad habits came back. I wasn't accountable. I thought I could do whatever I wanted. As the weight started coming back, I started throwing up more and more. Food would get stuck and the only way to relieve the pain and pressure was to make my self vomit.
My doctor did several CT scans and found that the band had slipped. We waited a month or two to see if it would go back into place on it's own. It didn't. The decision was made to go back in and remove the band. While I was in surgery they discovered that not only had the band slipped, but my stomach had grown around part of the band. My surgeon had to cut my stomach so the band could be removed. I then developed infection in my abdominal cavity and had two drains installed to help remove the fluid from the abscesses on my diaphragm and liver. This was accompanied by high dose antibiotics. Four weeks afterward, I returned to work.
The doctor who performed my original surgery has moved to another state. The surgeon who removed my band said he didn't think the lap band would be performed for much longer. It just doesn't work for the majority of people. He still performs the gastric bypass though. The sad part is that I've heard of many people in my community who have had the by pass and are gaining the weight back. Some are going so far as to drink large amounts of diet soda to stretch their stomach so they can eat more. What a waist of money and a lot of pain to go through.
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