michele2008

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It has been about 7 years since I have had the Lap Band surgery.  I had surgery on January 10, 2008.  I have not kept up with postings, and I really wish I had.  The first year, I lost 105 pounds.  My starting weight was 287 and I got down to 182.  Shortly after that, I began feeling invincible, a feeling like I could do anything and that I had finally conquered this battle.  So, as a result, I went to the gym less, and began to allow old habits to creep back into my life.  I had gained about 20 pounds back by October 2009.  Then, I went through a series of difficult life events that contributed to more weight gain.  Although I had lost weight, I don't feel that it had been long enough since surgery and getting to that milestone of weighing 182 to really prepare me mentally to face the difficult challenges that I did.  Not living in this new mindset long enough, meant that I was vulnerable and easily swayed into my old habits.  I began emotionally eating and abandoning the gym altogether.  I separated from my husband of 9 years in 2010, my brother and his wife of 14 years divorced in 2011, and my parents of 40 years divorced in 2012.  In a matter of 2 years, my entire family unit as I knew it was completely changed forever.  My family disintegrated right before my eyes, starting with my own marriage.  Along with all of that, I faced a very difficult year at work in 2010 and 2011 (but that is a whole other story).  I began a relationship with someone that lasted almost four years, which just ended in December.  I have been through a lot, gaining weight along the way.  The most frustrating part, was that I knew that I was not doing what I should with the Lapband, but as I would go in to get fills, it only made me sick.  I went on a rollercoaster for about four years of fills, fluid out, fills, fluid out.  I could never find the perfect spot.  I either got sick very easily or I ate too much.  Finally, in December 2014, they did an Upper GI and realized that I had something "funny" looking above the band (the bottom of my esophagus looked as though it was bulging).  For the last four years I have had to take a prescription for severe heartburn twice a day.  Of course if you have heartburn, they let fluid out.  At times, I was not truthful about my heartburn because I did not want them to let fluid out, because I knew I would gain weight. After the results of the Upper GI, they scheduled a scope to be done on my esophagus and stomach and small intestine.  They discovered that my band had slipped and was not in the correct spot.  This explains why I could not find the "right spot" and why I had heartburn, as well as massive weight gain.  So, on February 10, 2015, I had my lap band removed, weighing 264.  Now, 6 weeks later, I am closer to 275.  It has been so difficult, because I feel hungry all the time.  My surgeon wants to give me 3 months to heal before doing another surgery, but not lap band.  He feels I have a good chance of having the same thing happen again.  So, I am considering having gastric bypass.  I will most likely have this done at the end of May or the beginning of June.  I feel nervous about it, but I am so ready to begin a new journey.