Cleo's Mom

You are so right. There are several kinds of posters who respond to post from struggling posters. They are: 1) The successful, know-it-all. It worked for me because I followed all the rules. And if you follow the rules it will work for you. The band is only a tool ad infinitum, ad nauseum. 2) Those who think the poster just needs some " tough love" and they're just the ones to give it. No apologies here. 3) The stupid poster who says things like - I am so sorry you are struggling. I've never really had any problems myself. I lost 50 lbls the first month without a fill and 100 lbs. in the next three and can eat most foods but in smaller quantities. 4) The resident "doctor" who tries to explain in clinical terms how the band works and why it should work for you if you only do the right things. And then there is the poster who actually can offer some sympathy and good advice in a way that would be well received. They offer several concrete suggestions that the poster can try. We need more of these types of posters.

Is all this oatmeal gluten free? How long does it take to prepare? What makes it more filling than regular oatmeal?

If it's calories in vs calories out, please explain to me how burning more calories exercising causes you not to lose weight but reducing workouts and thus calories burned does? I'm confused about the science behind this.

It sounds like you are getting excellent care and the outlook is very positive. Isn't it herceptin that is used for Her positive cancer? I can remember my husband's oncologist (when he had esophageal cancer) saying that with some Her positive cancers (even if they spread) they used herceptin and it would be all gone. My husband's cancer was Her negative. He and I were diagnosed 11 months apart and he died from his cancer 5 years ago. With your family history I am surprised they didn't do a genetic test when you were first diagnosed but at that time I'm not sure they were doing them. It seems like genetic testing for BRC1 and BRC2 is relatively new. We both belong to a sorority that neither of us wanted to be members of. It justs seems like breast cancer is everywhere. Is there anyone who doesn't know someone who has it? I am not a optimistic person by nature so I am not one to say things like cancer was the best thing to ever happen to me or it is a joy. It is a horror as far as I am concerned. That being said, I am glad that you are able to remain positive and go into this with the mindset that the outcome will be fine. And it will. Some are looking at cancer as somewhat of a chronic illness requiring treatment from time to time. If caught early, like ours were, the prognosis for a long life is very good, like your mom. Again, good luck to you. I wish you the best and just remember there are others out there. Feel free to post again or PM me if you like.

I, too, have breast cancer. I was diagnosed with stage 1 (9mm tumor) N0, M0, T1 in 2002. I had a lumpectomy and a sentinel node biopsy. The nodes were clear. I had radiation (no chemo) and started on tamoxifen until my hysterectomy in 2003 when I was switched to femara. I have been on it since and my yearly mammograms have been fine so far. But being a glass half empty kind of person, I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am so sorry that you have to go through with this all over again. Although we don't wish this on anyone, don't you feel like saying. Not me again - isn't it someone else's turn? What was the stage of your original breast cancer? Was it ER+/PR+? Were you on tamoxifen, arimidex or femara? Do you have a family history of breast cancer? I was not tested for BRC1 or BRC2. I do not have a family history of it. I was treated at a leading women's hospital and state of the art cancer treatment center. They weren't doing genetic testing on a routine basis then. I believe my 100+ lb. weight gain in adulthood contributed to my breast cancer. No one who hasn't gone through this process can know how enormously stressful it all is - starting with the yearly mammograms and waiting for all the subsequent test results - not to mention all the pain of surgery and the side effects of radiation and chemo. Just know that there are others out here who have been through it and I wish you the best in terms of diagnosis, surgery, recovery and the rest of your life. Good luck to you.

Basically, it's calories in vs calories out. Have you been counting calories? Try measuring and weighing your food for a week and see how many calories you are eating. Unless you are really restricted and unable to eat much at each meal, you will probably get enough protein with meats, dairy and eggs. So, I would cut out the Protein drinks. Also, I am not anti-carb and I don't think a baked potato or whole grain Pasta once in a while is a problem. I mean did we really get obese from eating baked potatoes? Plus complex carbs are filling. So don't eliminate them entirely from your diet. Also, you should be exercising every day or at least 5 days/week. What concerns me about your post is that you indicate that you were hoping to have "more problems with the band" (than you are having) so that you wouldn't make the same mistakes. The band doesn't work by causing problems. The band works by allowing a small amount of healthy food to satisfy you for a certain amount of time and reduce hunger. If you think getting stuck or vomiting or other such problems will keep you on track, then you need to re-think your whole experience with the band and your expectations.

I urge you to get a copy of the operative report and find out the serial number of the band and contact the maker of the band as well as your state health board and/or the FDA. You might need an attorney if it is found that the band was defective in any way or not sterile (there is a sterility date on them to use by).

I agree with what everyone has said about getting a second opinion. However, before you do, get copies of all your test results, including the operative report, and the upper GI's and endoscopies. In some hospitals you can get a CD of your upper GI's and that would be very helpful with a second opinion. Obviously something is going on and it does sound band related and you deserve answers. Don't give up until you get them.

Thank you. I have a strong motivation to keep the weight off so that when we meet again he will see me as the girl he married. Now if I could just figure out how to look 22.

It makes me so sad to read some of these posts because my husband would have been so supportive of me with my WLS. Unfortunately he didn't live long enough. He died at age 56 five years ago of cancer. He married a thin woman and watched me put on over 100 lbs over 30 years and never once said anything negative about it. Never. He supported every diet I was on. I got breast cancer in 2002 and he got his cancer in 2003. It was at that time that I looked into WLS (the RNY at that time) because I wanted to look more like the girl he married if he was going to die. But by the time I went through all the pre-op stuff he got much sicker and I had to take care of him. So, I wasn't able to get the surgery until over 2 years ago. I have lost about 75 lbs and he would have been my biggest supporter all the way. He would never bring anything in to the house to eat if it bothered me. He would find a way to eat it away from me. He would do everything in his power to help me be successful. So, it makes me sad to see spouses who try to sabotage their partner's WLS. I'm sorry but if you tell your spouse that bringing candy bars home or other foods bothers you and makes it difficult to stay on track and he still does it, then your marriage is in trouble and you need to address it.

I take: -Centrum Silver -Vitamin D (500 mg) -Calcium -fish oil -Fiber

If your lapband friend is vomiting a lot she is jeopardizing her band and health. She needs to find out why she is vomiting. It is not normal. She is either too tight, eating the wrong foods or not chewing enough.

Are you kidding? I ended up in the ER with a stuck episode and had to have all my fill removed. The pain was so bad that I couldn't speak. You probably have some swelling and may have pulled a muscle, too. Just take it easy and do liquids for a day or so. Sip warm drinks or broth. Also, take some liquid tylenol. That should help.

You should get this addressed ASAP. My husband died at age 56 of esophageal cancer after years of GERD, and he was under a doctors care, taking nexium, and getting yearly endoscopies. He went from Barrett's esophagus to cancer and despite being caught early still resulted in death. So, it is nothing to ignore.

Thank you for this very informative and comprehensive description of the vagus nerve. I suspect that mine isn't being compressed and if compression can cause problems then in a way I am glad. I don't need any additional health problems. However, I never heard that you need to take B12 for life after the lapband. I think I heard that about the RNY, though. I don't take B12 and I haven't read any posts where they do either. Thanks again for explaining in more depth this issue. It's not as simple as some have portrayed.

Want to be thin: Why don't you get back on track in small doses instead of trying to do it all at once which might seem overwhelming and setting you up for failure. First, get rid of all the cookies, cakes, rolls, etc..all the food that we shouldn't be eating and replace it with: bread - lite whole wheat (toasted) milk - skim lunch meat - lite (low fat) use mustard instead of mayo make a half of sandwich with this. fruit - buy those no sugar added 1/2 cups of peaches, pears,mixed fruit, etc.. veggies - get canned, fresh or frozen. butter - use I can't believe it's not butter spray. carbs - make them complex - like a high fiber cereal, oatmeal eggs - use egg beaters buy a rotissiere chicken (if available) and remove skin, chop it up and add some fat free chicken gravy. get some rice cakes (35 cal/each) and spray them with some I can't believe and then sprinkle a mixture of splenda and cinnamon on them. salads - use lite balsamic vinegarette - Newman's makes a good one. baked potatoes - get those microwave ready one. A baked potato now and then isn't going to kill you. There are some 100 calorie protein bars that are good. sugar free jello - 10 calorie sugar free pudding - 60 calories This should give you a good start and provide you with enough food choices. At first just do the replacements of the unhealthy food with the healthy. Then after about a week or so, start keeping a food journal and measuring and weighing the food and decide on a calorie level (like 1500 to start and them lower over time). Start exercising a little each day if you haven't. Just walk or if you have a treadmill, do that. Then you can increase it as time goes on. I do the Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies. My adult son makes fun of it, but it's the music I grew up with so it's fun. You also need to see your doctor again and visit with the nutritionist. I am not going to tell you the band works for everyone because it doesn't work for me by reducing hunger and providing satiety, but I do what I can to keep the weight off. It is a constant battle and it is for life and no, it's not fair. I was the thin girl for the first part of my life and now I'm not. So don't worry about being seen as the fat girl. What others think isn't important. It's what you think. Think about getting healthy instead of getting thin. Some of us aren't made to be thin, But we should try to be healthy. Good luck.

When I read your post I got angry because your doctor appears to be one of those that I refer often to as being a skilled surgeon (maybe) but not knowledgeable about follow up care. These are doctors who were usually general surgeons who jumped on the WLS bandwagon to make money and while they can place the band they don't do good follow up which is the most important part. Red flag #1 was that you received a fill despite having trouble keeping liquids down. Should never have happened. You should not leave the doctors office after a fill until you are able to drink a cup of Water without problem. Red flag #2 was that you were continuing to get fills despite your problems and their ignoring of your problems. Not being able to drink normally can cause dehydration and major problems. You doctor should know this. Red flag #3 was their sole focus on your weight loss. I have said many times on these boards that inexperienced or poorly skilled doctors will see weight loss as their success and weight gain as your failure. Red flag #4Their answer to your problem sounds like something they just made up. You definitely should get an upper GI. Next, you should request copies of all your tests - both pre-and post-op, including your operative report. That will get their attention, at least. Finally, you should have a team of people involved in your band. The surgeon, a nutritionist and nurse. Call the hospital where you had this done and ask to speak to the nutritionist. Didn't you meet with one prior to surgery? Were you given a diet to follow either pre- or post- op? Please be proactive and don't allow them to treat you in this unacceptable way. If all else fails, find another doctor and take all your test results to him. Good luck.

I, like you, have an older 4cc band. Some on here have had a lot of success with this size band, but it requires someone skilled in doing very small fills in increments - like .1. Many doctors aren't skilled in this and overfill (like my idiot former doctor did) causing a host of problems. Also, like you, I am totally unfilled due to a major stuck episode requiring a trip to the ER and overnight stay. And that's where I am. I am relying totally on willpower. But I was hungry when I was filled to 3cc's and unfilled both. It hasn't changed. I never experienced that lack of hunger or satiety that successful bandsters get. You need to be totally evaluated. Start with an upper GI and if that shows that things are normal then request and endoscopy. These two tests should show is there is a problem with the band. Then go from there. But as I have posted over and over again on these boards, the band does not work for everyone as it is promoted. Good luck.

I think we all got obese for different reasons - there is even a thread on here somewhere that asks that question. Some have been overweight or obese all their lives. Some, like me, started out skinny or normal weight and gradually got obese. I come from a long line of obese family members, most of whom got that way in adulthood. I definitely inherited my dad's appetite. He was a volume eater. He didn't care what he ate whether it was healthy foods or whatever, just so that he ate. Growing up we didn't have fast food restaurants or eat out. So, he would snack on a sandwich and milk, or make jelly bread if there wasn't dessert (which there rarely was) or have some Cereal. I was a skinny kid and I could eat a lot and stay thin. I was one of those people who others would say "I don't know how you eat so much and stay thin." But, I ate when hungry, stopped when satisfied and didn't think of food again until I was hungry. All that changed in my late 20's. My metabolism slowed, my appetite was the same and I started putting on a little weigh for the first time in my life and it scared me. I went to WW when I weighed 136 (at almost 5'6") and thus started a lifetime of dieting, failing, regaining, etc..the whole yo-yo dieting that everyone does. I tried all the diets that everyone else has. All of this just caused me to be hungry, feel deprived and obsess about food. Nothing addressed my appetite. Now fast forward almost 4 decades and the more I read about the whole process between your brain, stomach, appetite, hunger, and satiety, I am convinced that something doesn't work right for me in all this process. Something is broken. Whether it is genetic or anatomical, I don't know, but I do know that it takes more food to satisfy me than I can afford to eat in calories. I thought the band would take care of this, but it hasn't. And I can eat enough to be satisfied but like I said it requires more calories than my body burns. So here I am still living with the hunger and depending on willpower to be successful. I mean I have gone as far as I can go with the healthy food choices and exercise. Obesity and weight loss is not a one-size-fits all problem but I think the medical community often treats it as such. When you say that no one wants to take the time to find the root cause of your obesity, you are right.

No, not at all. My insurance would never pay for it and I can't afford it. I have lost about 75 lbs, but only 15 of it post-band (well, after the post-op liquid phase was over). So my insurance would not see this as a problem worthy of revision. But I continue to fight the hunger and lack of satiety and what this doctor said could have been written for me, except I don't eat around the band, but I could.

I found this video and it exactly explains my obesity and experience with the lapband (which has never reduced my hunger or caused satiety). So, to those for whom the band is working - please don't do post after post about why yours does and ours doesn't. This video just offers another explanation.

I found this video by a bariatric doctor who explains grehlin, the vagus nerve and lapband and RNY surgery. He says that often hunger is increased after lapband due to an increase in grehlin and he also talks about the role of the vagus nerve. What he says is exactly my experience with getting obese and with the lapband (hasn't worked as promoted). I know the band works for many and I know people love their band and defend it all the time on here, but this is another side to the story and it absolutely my story.

If your band isn't working as it should, this video might explain why. What the doctor says about what one cause of obesity could be and how grehlin and the vagus nerve work in relation to the band and RNY is absolutely right on with my experience. When I watched it I thought he was talking about me. I posted this elsewhere, and as I said there - I KNOW that the band works wonderfully for many of you and you love your band, so this isn't a call to have post after post saying so. This is just to show that there is another side to the band and it is the band sometimes and not the person.

Obviously this doctor has a self-interest in promoting the mini-bypass at his Center for Excellence in Laprascopic Surgery, but I think he makes a lot of good points and he absolutely nails it as far as my experience with the band is as well as why I got to be obese in the first place (big hunger and lots of food to satisfy it). I KNOW that this isn't the experience of all those who love their band and for whom it works but it's worth watching. I also checked his credentials and they are impressive - thousand of surgeries, been doing WLS for 20 years. Here he discusses grehlin, the vagus nerve and how they relate to the RNY and lapband: So, this isn't a call for everyone who loves their band to dispute what he says in post after post. We all know that it works wonderfully for many. This is to show the other side as to why it may not work for some of us - like me. And to at least acknowledge that the fault could lie with the band and not us and why.

Does your doctor have a partner that you can switch to? Or other doctors in your hospital that do this surgery? You might also consult with the counselor/psych evaluator at the hospital/center at which you had the surgery. Did you have to have a psych evaluation prior to surgery? It sounds like you have some emotional issues that might be resolved with counseling. Is the surgeon who did your surgery also a general surgeon who maintains a general surgery practice (e.g. removes gall bladders, etc..)? Just curious. Mine former one was. Maybe you could meet with the nutritionist and explain your problem. You might get some help there, too. They've seen it all and are aware people gain weight back and can help you get back on track. And why can't you get a fill for months?