B-52

No, just 1-3 days, every 4-6 weeks...I can usually tell when it's time, and it does keep things "Fit" so to speak... BTW, I do not thing of anything as a slider food...don't ask me why, I just don't...have never found any difference for me....

I wanted good health, and feeling fit....... I had one heart attack, Coranary Artery Disease, resulting in cardiac surgery, I was a diabetic taking 60units of lantus every night and oral meds throughout the day, plus I was taking meds for cholesterol, triglycerides, high BP, and things I cannot even remember. I smoked 1-1/2 packs cigarettes per day since 1970......I could not walk up 5 stairs without getting out of breath....and would break out in sweats for no reason....along with my family's history, loosing both my brother and sister at an early age who had the same lifestyle, I too was at death's door...PCP words, not mine. I was told time after time by my PCP, Cardiologist, Endocrinologist, etc...I need to loose weight and exercise or else..I told them I have been on every diet under the sun and nothing ever worked...I have no will power, and can do the "work" it takes to diet successfully....maybe for a few months, but then it all comes back like a land slide.... Finally, I had WLS, to do what I could never do on my own...wish someone told me I was a candidate years before...... Lap band surgery, for me, IS the Magic Remedy....it does take care of my eating, making it impossible to over eat, and in the end it does not matter because it also handles my appetite/hunger.....so I do not have any cravings, head hunger....I can take it or leave it.... I lost all my excess weight, no longer take the long list of meds used to...I still get blood work done every quarter and it is rock on solid, right down the middle.....I get a stress test every year and my cardiologist cannot be more impressed....he always encourages me to never hold back..give it all you got and go for it...I know other cardiac patients whose Dr.'s encourage them to take it easy and don't stress yourself..... I go to the gym every chance I get, started out slow and easy, and after a few years worked up to running 3-5 miles, plus weight lifting. I play 3rd base on a softball team with guys 10-15 years younger than me...I'm the oldest on the team, if not the league... I am 62, soon to be 63, and I cannot remember when I have had this much energy.....I feel I can do anything, and I am not afraid to try.... All this, simply because I had same day Laproscopic Surgery I could care less what others may say, or think, or what their philosophies about the proper way to "Work" this band, let them share their success stories and we can all rejoice together....or not..it does not matter... Don't get me wrong, the first 6 months was pure hell!!! frustrating, feelings of failure..everything I read from beginners everyday....what made matters worse was well meaning people telling me it was Ok..don't expect too much......sorry, it is not OK...I have no other choice..... what else was I going to do but stick it out and stay with the program....and learn all the needed lifestyle lessons that go along with WLS...many of which I learned the hard way.....and I do mean the HARD WAY..... Until that day, having found the right amount of restriction, the Green Zone, and finding my "Groove"...it has all been a free ride ever since, and it just keeps on getting better and better.... I got everything I wanted from WLS, and much more I didn't even imagine....coming up on 4 years, and other than the first and 2nd phases, I have not had a single complaint....

Just read a post by Bama53......I started to reply and my reply started to get long (go figure) so instead I started my own post...but this is in responce to Bama53, that got me motivated..... When I had my last fill I encountered difficulties.....,.......I immediatley started to blame the band, thinking I may be too tight...even called my Dr. after a few weeks....fortunately he talked me out of getting Fluid taking out, , but instead explained to me the band will CHANGE my life...and that a lifetime of eating the wrong foods the wrong way are now showing itself...exposed to the light! I learned I could not possibly be successful with the band and still hang onto some (many) of the old ways...the ways that made me fat and almost killed me.... That was over 3 years ago....and everyday it just keeps getting better, and healthier...because now, since the band limits what and how much I eat within a given day, thanks to the restriction, I have become a real food junkie..making the best of what I can eat....always looking for the best, natural, nutritious foods out there...giving up things that now disgust me to even think about, like cheeseburgers and pizza. I sit and stare at TV commercials and can't believe what they are shoveling to us...where is the nutritional value??? No wonder there is an obesity epidemic... And don't even get me started on eating out in restaurants....all I can think about is John Lennon's song....Little Piggies...."Have you seen the little piggies with their Piggy wives, clutching forks and knives....." I read posts here every day about people with the band getting a fill, only to get an un-fill because they are getting stuck - sliming - regurgitating......., then struggle with food and hunger and come here to seek advice..,......so they go and get another fill, then are unhappy again and get it taken out...it is an endless cycle.....unhappy they are not loosing weight...the band is a failure...I'm a failure.... They fail to realize there are other factors involved... Whenever I go to my Bariatric center, the PA there always has funny stories for me...as an example, she would tell me about people making appointments, asking for fluid to be taken out, the staff thinking their must be a serious problem....only to earn they want it so they can enjoy their upcoming vacation, a Family Wedding, holiday, you name it! We laugh...not at the patients, we pity them, and it is sad....but at the absurdity of it all....do you want to loose weight or not? You did have surgery just for that reason, right? They started teaching me and telling me to follow the "Rules" long before I even had my surgery....just for this very reason. I was told that there will come a day, that will be the only way I will get by when the band is properly adjusted.... Of course I can always get a little fluid taken out, start to eat and enjoy the foods I want (or think I want) then I can go sign up for Jenny Craig, or Weight watchers again, and be just like all the others....and come back here a year later asking for advice... Like someone else said, it is a Choice! Sorry, just wanted to get it off my chest...and I am in no means telling other people what is a truth...for that you have to find on your own....it is just my experience....no one else s....

A Dr. needs to gradually make adjustments so the patient can slowly build up a tolerance to the changes the bad can make.... The amount I have in my band right now, after a series of adjustments.....imagine if the Dr. somehow knew that would be the magic # and gave it all to me during surgery,,,then sent me home.......I cannot imagine...total disaster!!!!

Some people get fills during surgery...some people never get a fill..... The key is, your Dr. has a treatment plan individualized just for you...no 2 treatments are ever identical because there are too many variables between individuals....and you need to stick to it... There is a good reason why some Dr.'s are stingy with the amount of their fills with some, and aggressive with other people... Of course, you can argue with him/her about what that plan is along the way, but in the end it is between you and him/her.... People on this forum should not tell others what is right or wrong, and what you should or should not do....what they can do is share their experiences, and then you'll see just how vast the differences can be......yet it works for the individual.... In clinic, we will see a patient and come up with a recommended course of action...then the very next family that comes into the room, although the exact diagnosis, age, etc,, after asking a few background questions, the team will come up with an entirely different approach....with the same end goals in mind.....

Now, in gratitude, all 3.5 million send Alex just 1 measly Dollar...... Congrats on a successful endeavor....

I'm right there with you...Jan. 2011...although Green and Goal(s) met sooner... Like you, I too have not had a solid Breakfast in I don't know how long, although I do make a high Protein nutritious smoothie every morning which is probably better than anything I could possibly eat, and I also learned - the HARD way, not to eat in the evening before bedtime. But now, the topic becomes...Now What? Asked my Dr. and staff that question many times...answer was, nothing changes...just keep on keeping on...it's a new lifestyle....the word "Maintenance" does not exist except for dieters..(IMO) I did get a little taken out of my band not too long ago, and it totally disrupted that "Balance" and I began eating and gaining.... Went back and got the same amount put back in...now all is well...so I guess this is how it's going to be...and I don't mind. I don't ever want to be fat again. You do look great!!! Welcome to the other side!!!

Love it....and stories such as these..straight forward and simple! No complaining, no woe is me.... BTW, the girl on the right, looks like the other girls little sister....or niece...

Congratulations.....it just keeps getting better and better....the new life gets more and more reinforced.... Until you don't even think about it.....

First month after surgery I lost weight, hard not to following a strict post-op liquids then mushie diet ordeal.... Then a 4 weeks, I got my first fill...4 cc's, was also able to start solid foods again.....after which I gained weight. I came back 4 weeks after that, 8 weeks from surgery, for my second fill...reported in heavier than last visit.... To say I was very upset is an understatement....I too felt this was not going to work...and what made matters worse was the staff at the center started telling me about dieting, counting calories, measuring portions...WHAT??? I NEEDED SURGERY TO DO THAT???? That was exactly what I did for 30 years with no success....I thought surgery would get me away from all that.... It took me about 12 weeks, and 3 GOOD fills before things really started to be noticeable.....and then other problems arose where some people would have went back for an un-fil....but that's another story.... Today, I can say this thing truly does work....just have to give it time, get it adjusted, and change your ways in order to let the band work it's magic..... !2 months after surgery I was a different person living in a different world...unbelievable!! But I was not so sure early on....

Why are you getting un-filled???,,,Then come back to get re-filled???....perhaps there is another variable(s) your not considering besides getting filled and un-filled....

You Don't see that many veterans on this website....I have been here just long enough to see many just drop out of site.... And I get it..I can understand why....This forum is mostly comprised of people just starting out with WLS, and have all the beginners questions and fears....so they ask the same questions time after time after time.... And that's fine - good...they need to know. I asked the same questions and ad the same fears also. But the people whose posts I would follow are all long long gone.... So it does get a little old after a while and you definitely need a break to get on with your new life, and not linger around the starting gate forever..... But then, you see a trend, a movement of belief about WLS (Band) taking place, and much of it can be based on a misconception, or what one or two individuals believe, whether it b fro what they have experienced , or read, or some you-tube......and all the new people start picking up on it and following - believing it as though it is the absolute truth and there can be no variation....LEMMINGS.... I read some posts, scratch my head and say what in the world are they talking about? Where is that coming from? And if that is what people believe, then that is OK also...me or no one else is in a position to tell others their right or wrong, and how the should run their lives.... What this forum does need, are people willing to stand up and say Look...I don't care if you believe me or not, but here I am....this is how I do things, and this is the results I have gotten...take it or leave it....does not matter to me.... When I read your OP, my immediate belief is that many people will say that this is not possible...it's fiction. You mean there is a life after this???? The world needs people who will speak out...willing to go against the tide....what a boring, colorless world this would be if everyone believed the same, dressed the same, looked the same.....followed the same leader, had the same religion (or not). And NOT be intimidated by the "Secret Police" So Terry, I understand completely what you're saying...but the world needs to know there are people like you are out there...individuals with different stories and viewpoints....and still going strong in spite of what others may believe... The world needs people willing to admit they were abducted by aliens...(Where the heck did that come from???) How about...I have sailed around the world and I can tell you, first hand, the World it is NOT FLAT! (It's 5am, I always ramble this early over my morning coffee....off to the gym, and afterwards sanity/reality begins to kick back in)

When I log in, I click "New Content" and then directly into the "Lap Band" section.... And yet, it seems the majority of posters there are people other than those with the lap band surgery?? Even when the OP is is a Lap Bander, and asks a specific lap Band question or comment, the majority of responses are from those who have had other surgeries? Is this giving the OP a realistic discussion???? I have had the lap band procedure....I cannot and will not post under a topic that was started and pertains to say, Sleeving, for instance. I have no experience in this area, so I cannot comment, and I seldom go to those forums.... I have no knowledge of other bariatric surgeries and the possible similarities, but I feel it can be confusing to hear other peoples advice and personal experiences when they have not had the same surgery as the OP. Especially someone just starting out, and has a specific question pertaining to their surgery..... I know you can enter a "General" wight loss discussions, and that there are forums specific to the different procedures, why are they all mixing in, and cannot participate strictly within the area of interest??? Yesterday there was a topic started by someone who had the Lap Band Surgery, and the question was very specific to life with the lap band. This morning I go back to read through the many comments made since yesterday, and was surprised to see the over all majority of comments were from people with gastric Sleeve..... In this particular topic, I do not think the experiences are the same, and the original topic got watered down in the process....Newly banded people reading that topic will get a very unrealistic view of what the experience is really like with the Band.

Yep....I know EXACTLY what you mean....I take my band for granted, as though it isn't even there some days... It does become a normal way of life eventually.... With so many newly banded people on this forum, I know that is hard to comprehend....when all this is no longer the center of your life...and that includes worrying about weight and dieting.... No more counting calories, food logs, etc, etc....I do weight myself everyday but not for loosing weight purposes...My gym has very expensive one in the locker room that does more than just weight....hard to pass by on the way to the showers...

It is a very thin line, a delicate balance between having the band properly adjusted, and adapting new habits in order to exist and let the band work optimally....and the perception of what is that "perfect" place is left up to the individual.....many variables to consider.... The hardest aspect of the Lap band Surgery was finding that place....took many months of some very hard lessons, many stuck episodes, a lot of behavior modification....some very miserable experiences. I had to accept things that I did not want to accept....I had to loose things I did not want to loose....I had to change...I was forced to change..... The downside to all this is that is is totally up to me to manage this...I can determine what I want to do, and then determine whether or not my band is adjusted to where I want it to be... At any time I can tell my Dr. this or that, and can pretty much dictate if I want more or less Fluid in my band....I can determine for myself what and where I want to be...where I want my comfort level....I could if I wanted to, have my cake and eat it too..... No wonder there is a high failure rate with the band. A short time ago I asked to have a small amount of fluid taken out....for no good reason, and my Dr. thought I was nuts....but he did it....and I was back 2 weeks later getting the fluid put back in....with a big "I Told You So" grin on his face... And yet...it was my decision....I was/am in control....what was my Dr. going to say, NO? Unlike other surgeries, where it is what it is, lap band surgery is a process, it is adjustable.....and the Dr., staff, cannot get into our heads and really know what it going on.....they have to leave it up to us to tell them, and it can be construed to our liking....good or bad.... Reading these forums, people with the lap band are over the spectrum....too tight, too loose, always hungry, never hungry, one small fill and can't keep anything down.....numerous fills and cannot stop eating.....100% successful to can't loose at all....on track, off track..... THIS, for me was the most difficult thing of all about this surgery....I wish it was cut and dried....2+2=4...but it's not.....just read these forums enough and one can see just how broad this can be in peoples beliefs, experiences, theories, and success and failures...or not. It is difficult to pin it down as to what is happening, because it is all about each owns personal behavior. i can read a post about someone who has lost all the weight, only to gain much of it back, needs to get back on track, lost restriction...... In reality, I have absolutely no clue as to what is going on with that person...nor do I care to speculate.... Only thing I can do is share my experience, but that does mean anything other than what I do, what works for me..... On the flip side I do not need people telling me what I'm doing is right or wrong...they don't know me no more than I know them....and I have experience and a successful track record without any problems....it's kind of hard to argue with that.... It took a while for me to figure it out....and what I have found what works for me, is not what others should or should not do....unless they find similarities in their experiences..... I know nothing about the other WLS's, but this Lap band can very difficult......there are just too many parameters...to may variables.... I can see why it is frustrating for many Dr.'s to work with The lap band, and would rather go with something else such as the Sleeve or By-Pass.... And I can see why this can be very daunting for newly banded people.... This website can be very, very helpful...at then sometimes, too many voices......

I LOVE the new me....I LOVE going to the gym...I LOVE buying and wearing fashionable clothes....and now that the summer is here, I LOVE being able to do yard work, etc, without a shirt on.... The whole world is vain when it comes to personal looks, image.....look at all the TV shows, magazines, advertisements, etc, etc....it's everywhere!!!! Sex Sells.... It is the overweight, obese people (like myself) who make excuses, and try to play the whole thing down as if it is not important....while inside they all wish....

There is not a Surgical procedure to treat Drug addictions.....Fortunately for us who are/were over weight, obese, there is something, unlike what others need to do to combat other addictions. I'm a product of the 60's and have a pretty good experience.....

I work with NJ Medicaid daily...over 80% of my patients are on NJ medicaid....(also New York) New Jersey medicaid has gone over to contracting out with 4 major Insurance providers...... United (Formerly Americhoice), Amerigroup, Horizon NJ Health, and either Qualcare or Healthfirst.....(can't recall because it's the one of the 4 we don't work with with) Very rarely do you find anyone who is still enrolled in what was once considered "Traditional Medicaid" unless you are in a long term, residential state run facility or a group home. Each of these different providers have slightly different policies, and you can do your research and find which of the 4 best suits your personal needs, in this case WLS.... You can also change from one provider to another, but it is not immediate to your request, and you do have to justify why...again, WLS. Also, if any of the HMO's do not meet your medical needs, you can complain to the State of NJ...

It's all about how many calories consumed throughout the day, and calories burned off.... I have a good friend with the lap band for over 5 years now, whose protocol is to eat numerous small meals - Snacks, throughout the day...a nibbler who has put it into some structure...she never sits down to a full meal...but maybe has 5-6 very small meals throughout the day....her total calorie intake is very small, and she exercises everyday, plus works a full time job, She has had the band longer than I have, and is 100% successful in her weight loss.... The band does work, but it has to get properly adjusted first...and that can take some time...months usually. The more successful people are those who comply and change themselves to adapt to the demands the band requires.... And then there are those who choose not to change, and in order to keep their old habits/foods, they will come up with different excuses, rationalizations and theories as to why they don't want the band adjusted.....then complain later it does not work, or they have fallen off the wagon and need to get back on track.....when really they won't let the band do it's thing. It's totally up to you...and no one else can do it for you...it's a free decision. But the band can, and does work if one wants it to and is willing to make sacrifices, life changes, or they can hold on to the old way of doing things, and stay fat, and unhappy complain all the time.

First...I have to say I am a Lap Band Patient....so my perspective is different from other WLS..... I have set many goals, and continued to loose weight going right past them... I once asked my Dr., very early on about what my weight loss goal should be...and what do I do when I get there... He basically said it is NOT about goals, it is NOT the same as a diet where you can turn it on or off...it is a NEW, PERMANENT LIFESTYLE.... For years and years, my whole life perhaps, I lived a lifestyle that was made up of over eating, poor food choices, and physical inactivity...all the things that will gradually and consistently make you fat.... Then I had surgery to correct that bad lifestyle, and force me to adapt a new lifestyle with new eating habits, good food choices, inability to over eat, topped off with increased physical activity.... Just as a bad lifestyle gradually made me fat, changing that lifestyle will gradually return me to "Normal" And that is exactly what happened...little by little my body lost fat, until finally it stopped and settled out where it feels it should be...not me.(again, I can't turn it on or off...it just is) I plateaued at a certain weight....and when analyzed I see I have a very, very low body fat %....so that is it...finished, there simply is no weight left to loose and remain healthy....my body settled out where it wanted to...It was not my goal, but my body returning to a optimum place, where it should be. As long as I have the band, and keep it adjusted where it is...this new lifestyle will continue...and so will my weight remain constant.... I have not lost, nor gained any weight in over 2 years now...except within the normal 5 lb range. A few weeks back I had .5cc taken out as a experiment....my hunger/appetite increased immediately and I began to gain weight...got that .5cc put back in 2 weeks later....now everything is back to normal, and hopefully stay that way for the rest of my life. I should add, as a veteran, this new lifestyle, from doing it day after day after day, becomes 2nd nature..no longer having to remind myself what I need to do, or not...it all comes natural...making this the easiest thing i could have ever done...don't even think about it that much during the day...... granted, the first 6 months to a year was pure hell and I felt many times a made a big mistake...a lot of old habits needed to change, and new habits formed......a whole life had to change in order to exist with the band......

All the time...I think it's pretty cool....gurgling right now with my first cup of coffee at 5am.... It's like water circling the drain...

The first thing you said, before you got sick, was that even though you were successful with the band, you had ALL the Fluid removed? May I ask why? And yes...vomiting with the band is the one thing that always scares me also...since 2011 I have not been sick enough to vomit....but I travel a lot and the risk of food poisoning, etc, concerns me and if that should happen, I am prepared to do a complete un-fill.... But you had all the fluid taken out PRIOR to getting ill..... BTW, people with the band use the term vomiting very loosely, especially in terms of getting stuck, etc...it is not actual vomiting...if the band does make you vomit then you have different problems and should call your Dr. immediately...Just read the OP...

For me, restriction is the inability to continue eating....it is physically impossible for me to over eat.... I have tried, and put the band to the test and the band always comes out on top. Vacations, weddings, back yard picnics...you name it...the band is the band no matter what or where I'm at. This evening I had 2 crab cakes and some veggies...It was slow go and I could barely get through one crab cake, then simply could not continue...making it impossible for me to continue and overeat. Certain foods will not go down easy at all....so I have put them on my "Do Not Eat List"...things such as rice, flour products such as breads, Pasta, etc...I have also not eaten Red meat in almost 4 years....does not agree with the amount of restriction I have. I also feel the restriction when drinking liquids...the thicker the drink, such as a shake, the slower I need to go...even straight Water I cannot gulp, and have to be careful at times.... i am one of those who seems to be tighter in the morning...I have not eaten a solid Breakfast in over 3 years....but rather make a home made high Protein smoothie..... Things do get a little better as the day goes on. Been this way for over 3 years now....once I had .5cc taken out, against my Dr.'s advice, and it totally disrupted that perfect balance...went back and had the .5 put back in 2 weeks later....with laughing Dr. saying "I told you so" Restriction is different with everyone, the band is adjustable......some people have no problem eating what I cannot, yet there are things I can do that others cannot....Some people have to crush their meds, I do not....some people cannot drink carbonated beverages...I can, carefully. Some people can drink while eating...I cannot... I can on and on and on.....but bottom line is that the band is adjustable, and where you find your sweet spot and choose to work it for complete success can be very subjective, and I have heard many different approaches from many different people. As long as it worked for them, that's all that matters. I should add...some people find satisfaction between meals....I find the loss of hunger - appetite 24 hours a day, food being the last thing on my mind so much I have forgotten to eat at all some days, if I'm busy traveling, or just plain busy.

You're obviously admired and somebody's hero, and role model.

I agree 100%.....but my point is, if you have a Specific question or a specific problem pertaining to your type of surgery, it would not be productive if I were to tell you what I think based upon my type of surgery and subsequently my experiences.....I think in that case, you would prefer to hear from someone in the same boat, as it were.Generalities yes, but specifics, no. Yet that is what I see...I do not think people realize what forum they are responding to. I do not use my smart phone to access this forum....I did once or twice and noticed I did not have all the menu choices readily available as I do on my PC or Tablet....that may be the reason.