Cleo's Mom

Yes, after seeing the poll on reflux I saw that 80% of those who answered the poll said they got reflux after banding. That's a lot. I was banded in Sept. 08. I have been on nexium for many years before this banding and that was because a long time ago I had heartburn but hadn't had any symptoms for probably 10 years. Until last week. I don't think it's a coincidence that I got the reflux after the second fill or shoulder pain after the banding. I had an endoscopy in June 08 (before the surgery) and everything looked good. I know from reading some of your other posts that you have some trouble with your band or aren't happy with it. I'm not that crazy about mine at this point in time. It has never reduced my hunger and that is why I got it. And I wanted to lose weight to help my chronic back problems. I have lost 65 pounds (5 from the band) and my back has not improved. Were the red marks they found with you in your esophagus? If so, keep an eye on them. Did they do a biopsy? They usually do. If so, did you get a copy of the report? I always get a copy of everything. I just asked my banding surgeon for a copy of the operative report. My philosophy is - if the doctor sees it, I see it. BTW - I like your Irish Snoopy - I have my Irish decorations up at home. Goodbye winter - hello spring! Thanks for your reply.

I don't get pain with every meal or every food. And I can't be tying myself to food all day like that. I do have a life and other things to do. I don't think that plan is realistic for most people. I don't want to keep reheating food or throwing it away. And more importantly I don't want to do something so time intensive to solve this reflux. I didn't have it before the second fill so it is band related. Also I don't believe that four bites constitutes overeating. The band for me is not what it was advertised or presented to be. I have lost 65 pounds with about 5 due to the band. If eating this way works for you, that's great. But if the band got you to goal why couldn't it keep you there? Why did you need a sleeve? Thank you for your input.

Thanks. My surgeon is a general surgeon who had only done 22 bandings before mine. He sees patients only on Tuesdays and in another doctor's (a pain specialist) so there are no charts or anything on the wall. Other than the nutrtional guidelines, nothing is given. When I asked him what to do when stuck. he said don't get stuck. I cannot get in touch with him outside of office hours unless I go to the ER. He's not like many of the bariatric doctors who many of the posters have. Having said all that, I don't want to give up on the band. I got it for one reason. It was advertised as controlling hunger. It hasn't for me. And I will not accept a "blame the victim" response. I am doing what I was told to do. I have lost a few pounds since my second fill because it hurts to eat. I told him that's a helluva way to lose weight - because it hurts to eat. So, he just wants me to stop when it hurts. I would love not to be obsessed about my next meal and be satisfied with 1000 calories. But I don't think the way to get there is to eliminate whole food groups. We'll see what the endoscopy shows. Thanks for your help. Take care.

Thanks, Jachut, for clearing that up. We say having a meltdown or going nuclear. I think I did both with my visit two weeks ago when everything came to a head - my cancer, my husband's death from cancer and this band not working like I thought it would. I don't think he likes seeing me coming - his other patients are probably giddy with their big weight losses and make him feel like a king. Thanks again.

Thanks, guys, for your input. After this endoscopy I am going to make a decision about seeing another doctor for a second opinion. I don't think it is healthy to eliminate entire food groups. He said I could get those nutrients in my multi-vitamin. I do think it is important to eat a variety of foods for nutrition as well as to not get bored. I already eat pretty much the same things over and over. But I do like salads and I eat the sugar free canned fruit (applesauce, peaches and mandarin oranges) - these were things on the list I was given. Now they might now fit in because I have pain when I eat - so just eliminate them? I don't eat any fresh fruits (except 1/2 banana) or fresh veggies (for fear of getting stuck) - I got stuck last week on baked fish and salad. I love salads so that is a deal breaker for me. All of you have provided me with such great insights that I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel like I am battling this alone but all of you help me with that. BTY - Jachut - what is "done my nana" - I never heard that one.

lesliewelsh: I'm also 58 and from Pennsylvania - what area are you from? There aren't many of us (age wise) on these boards although there is a special age forum. We are battling slowing metabolism, menopause and a whole host of other problems of the aging body. But willpower doesn't work. It's like holding your breath - you can only do it so long.

I have had cancer but did not have to go through chemo. And that was all pre-band. But I wish you well on this new journey. It is very scary. I would say that you should have the band unfilled due to the risk of vomiting with chemo. I know they give very good anti-nausea drugs but I think it's better to be safe. And you need to drink a lot of fluids during chemo. And stay healthy with healthy eating that may require foods your band can't tolerate. Also, chemo can sometimes change your taste buds. So - all in all - you have enough on your plate right now without having to worry about the band. Just get it unfilled for now. You can get it filled later when you're all better. And you will be! Good luck.

Those parameters are set by insurance companies. If he is self-pay something tells me he'll find a doctor who will do it. My concern is how much weight he will be able to lose with the band. That's a lot of money to spend for what could be very meager results. My BMI was just below 35 at time of surgery and that was 9/08. I have lost weight because of all the extreme "liquids only" for 4 weeks but have lost only 5 pounds due to the band only. Very glad I wasn't self pay.

Everyone is different with the foods they are able to tolerate. Some can eat bread and pasta, others can't. Some can tolerate meats, others can't. But you won't know until you have the band. But carbonated beverages are off limits because the carbonation can stretch the pouch. You have to let it get flat before you drink it, if your doctor even allows it then. And caffeine can act as a diuretic. Some doctors allow a little, others don't. Oh, and since pizza has a bread crust - some cannot tolerate it, either. It is a big decision that you have to be prepared to live with. As your band gets tightened you might have more problems with food. Some cannot eat solid foods first thing in the morning. But everyone is different so you won't know how your body will do until you get the band.

You would need to check with your insurance company beforehand. You don't want surprises. As with any surgery, the lapband can have complications. But more important, with a BMI of 31 - do you think the band is right for you? How is your eating now? Do you eat a lot of bad food choices or a lot of good food choices (healthy food has calories, too)? Do you exercise? How much weight do you want to lose? With the band and your BMI - you will lose slowly, especially if your food choices are not that bad now. You also have to be prepared to be unable to tolerate a lot of foods: bread, pasta, rice, beef, pork, ham, raw veggies, popcorn, carbonated beverages and caffeine. I'm not saying you will - but you need to be prepared to not have these. Can you live with that? And you will have to exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. Please do a lot of research before undertaking the band and make sure it is right for you. Good luck.

If I were still working (I'm retired) I would not have told my snotty co-workers. But my family knows. To those who know about it and make comments say -" No one food is off limits and I'm still learning what I can and can't eat and how much and it's all part of the learning process. But I'm sure that with the band I will now make the right choice about both." But on another note, when I see all the comments about one's DH - it makes me sad because mine died 3 years ago but if he were still alive he would be SOOO supportive of me - he would never say anything that wasn't supportive - just like he NEVER said anything when my weight went from 122 to 240+ over 30 years. Never - even when I beat myself up over it. He loved me in spite of my weight and I miss him everyday.

I usually eat alone but the only two times I got stuck was eating with other people. And they know I have the band. But I was pacing my eating to theirs. Big mistake. Make sure that if you order a salad or soup have it come when their meals come then you can take your time eating the things you know you can eat while they are wolfing down their food. Eat small bites of well cut up salad (no crunchy veggies like carrots!) but you might find you can't fit both the soup and the salad so pick one. And ask for a container when your meal comes and put most of it away and maybe eat one bite of the main meal and then eat your salad or soup or applesauce, etc.. and maybe they won't notice.

I agree HeatherO but I have only had two fills and I wasn't losing with one fill but I didn't have reflux/heartburn or pain/discomfort, either. I think I only have 3cc's in a 10cc band. I am going to ask for sure on Monday and discuss an unfill. I have had heartburn since Wednesday morning and it is now Friday afternoon. Nothing I do or don't do helps. And I do tend to eat softer foods because others cause problems. I don't eat pasta, rice and only toasted diet whole wheat bread maybe once a day at most. Is it possible to be too tight with only two fills and 3cc's?

I agree that the band isn't what it has been advertised to be. That is - a small pouch that allows you to eat normal foods but a much smaller quantity that will satisfy you for a longer time so that you won't be hungry. Well, those were the first 2 myths to go. It doesn't make me less hungry and you can't eat normal food. The list of foods I was told to avoid is long. But the way the band works for a lot of us (based on many posts) is that it is just too uncomfortable to eat very much. So you stop. Not because you're satisfied but because it is not pleasant to eat. Many choose to have a very tight fill so that they can eat very little and they are losing and are so happy with this that they will put up with pain/discomfort. Have you read the posts that say "I throw up a lot, slime and PB but I love my band." I didn't have a lot of weight to lose to begin with and was under 35 BMI before surgery so I am not losing a lot of weight. But I do have discomfort when eating. And reflux/heartburn and left shoulder pain. So as I see it, I have the worst of both worlds. I am going to ask for a slight unfill.

Thanks, everyone. On Monday, I will call my surgeon's office and discuss a slight unfill. Until I got my second fill in January (my first fill was November) I hadn't lost any weight after the two weeks after surgery - that would have been early October 2008. So for almost four months - nothing. My surgeon was not happy and gave me the "come to Jesus" talk about the band only being a tool. I told him I will not be a number on the scale. He has unrealistic expectations. Without a fill and two weeks after surgery - he wanted me to lose 10-15 pounds in the next 3 weeks! He acts like weight loss or gain reflects on him. But I had a serious talk with him the last time and he knows where I am coming from and I won't be bullied into some expected number or pounds. With the second fill I lost about 4 pounds but that is because it is painful to eat. I will follow up with what his office says. Also, just got an x-ray of the shoulder yesterday. Will post those results - but my guess is it won't show anything and I'll just have another medical problem I have to "learn to live with".

First of all, thank you for all your thoughtful answers. I have been exercising for almost 8 years - first walking and now the treadmill. But all those symptoms of reflux - many of them apply to me. I will talk to my surgeon about a slight unfill because my beloved husband died of esophageal cancer 3 years ago despite it being caught very early. There just isn't any effective treatment so I know the dangers of esophageal problems and I don't want to go there. I know my symptoms seem like I am too tight - but I think I only have 3cc's in a 10cc band. How could that be? The last upper GI showed a slight/mild hiatal hernia which I did not have prior to banding. I, too, don't understand those who post that they get stuck a lot, slime and PB, feel uncomfortable when they eat (one woman just posted that she has had the band for 5 years and can barely tolerate water and often has to eat standing up) and yet many of these same people LOVE their band. Why? Because for the first time in their life they are losing weight and like the way they look. And they are willing to put up with anything to get that way. Me? Not so much. I am a breast cancer victim and a widow and have to deal with a lot and the band was/is supposed to make my life better. It hasn't. Thanks again.

donnajo - go back and read your post. Do you see how insane it sounds? Why are you putting up with this? This is not normal. You are not supposed to be in pain or have to eat standing up or be unable to drink water. Whatever it takes, get back to your surgeon and discuss this with him/her. You need to get your life back to normal and do whatever it takes to do so. You've put up with this way too long. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Eat breakfast - even if it's a protein shake. Make sure you're getting protein in your soup or salad at lunch and add some fruit, too. Also keep in mind that for every 10 pounds you lose, you need 150 fewer calories to maintain that weight.

I have heard the term stoma used with gastric bypass but are you referring to the opening in the band as the stoma?

Many insurance companies require a 6 month diet program before they will approve surgery. I went to my first doctor's appt. the week after Thanksgiving 2007 and had surgery Sept. 2008. So, 10 months in all. I had to push to get it even then and had to change surgeons because my original one was too busy and I didn't want to wait any longer. Both surgeons are general surgeons who do bariatric surgery.

Does your doctor always take out all your fill first before doing another fill just to check on how much is in there? Is that how you found out you had 5cc's when you thought you had nothing? If he didn't do this, he should have. If he did and thought 1cc more was okay - well, it obviously isn't and you need some taken out. Maybe just .5cc. But not being able to keep your saliva down is not normal or healthy. Go see him and see if you can have him do it without billing your insurance since you were throwing up and you shouldn't have left the office without being able to drink.

Pachelton: Who makes fat free croutons? I have tried to find them and couldn't. I love salads and would hate to give them up.

I was banded in Sept. 2008 and have eaten salads all along. But after my second fill two weeks ago I was told to shred the lettuce, which I have been doing. I don't use raw vegetables in the salad - just chopped onions, some canned beets (chopped) and maybe some left over canned green beans. I avoid raw veggies like carrots & celery. But everyone is different as to what they can tolerate.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. My daughter was married in October 2007 and had a beautiful fall wedding. It's a great time to get married. Anyway, every 20 pounds is a dress size. So size 18 would be 20#, size 16 would be 40# and size 14 would be 60#. It is easier to take in a dress than make it bigger. You know yourself and your weight loss pattern. At least one to two dress sizes sounds reasonable - but make sure you find a good seamstress who has experience with formal gowns. It will be worth it.

Update on my second fill. I bought some gel with lidocaine and put some on my skin (twice) before the fill. He found the center of the port first time and I didn't feel anything - either due to this or the gel. The first fill he couldn't find the port center and it was very painful.