donali

I love "Portia", too! I call mine "Casper, the friendly phantom band"...

Leatha!!! So glad you're back, and everything went well, knife fight scars and black eye not withstanding... May your recovery be speedy and uneventful!!

LOL... Please?

I agree - if you're losing well, and not suffering/struggling, there's no need for a fill!

Heather - It is not unusual to not be able to pull ALL of the fill back out - a little bit unaccounted for should be no big deal. But if they can only pull out significantly less, then a leak should be suspected. However in your case it sounds like you're doing very well. What is your goal weight? Unless you are very petite in stature you don't have that much more to lose. The closer you get to goal, the slower the weightloss will be, because the discrepancy between the number of calories you need to maintain your goal weight and the number of calories you are consuming becomes less and less. I agree with Rebecca - sounds like you're doing great!!

Teresa, you made me spit out my coffee with that one... lol Yes, the worms have feelings, too! I have alternately fished worms out of puddles to save them, and then turned around and used other less fortunate ones as bait. Some life forms seem lower on the hierarchy than others. I have no problems cleaning fish, but do have pangs of guilt throwing a live lobster into the pot! Yes, I'm with DeLarla on this one. Can we agree to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all that wonderful meat grew on trees or something? I did give up meat for about two years. Emotionally I'm a vegetarian - physically and socially I crave meat. That old lady with the goats from "Cold Mountain" seemed to have a very balanced view of the whole thing... If I were starving I'd have less problems making my own meat... But being so well fed, I'm grateful there's someone else to do it anonymously on my behalf... :sick

Hi Newlapper - It is possible that you are one of those people who needs a lot more Fluid than others to feel restriction. If you are practicing eating the "bandster way" most of the time (NO drinking with meals, solid Protein first, then veggies, then carbs) but can still eat a lot, then you need more restriction. I agree with Teresa, that you should have your doc see if they can pull out all of the fluid that's already in there, and check that you really are at 2ccs. If they can't pull it out, it's possible you have a leak, and that's why you're not feeling restricted. Do you feel restriction initially, and then it disappeared? Or have you never felt any differently with any of your fills? Shelly was getting fills, and they were withdrawing the right amount of fluid, but somehow the fill wasn't making it to the band. Do NOT dispair! Either you will get restriction, or you will find out why your fills aren't helping. Believe me, with a proper fill, you will not be able to eat too much. Hang in there, and keep us posted!

Rebecca - lol Yes, it is ironic, isn't it? All that time I tried to be so careful not to PB, and now I'm almost grateful I can! lol

Well, it's official. I DO still have some restriction, sans-band. It is not my imagination. This morning I ate a small, very ripe nectarine, followed by a handful of well-chewed nuts (I thought) to give me the fat to bond my chewable Vitamins. A big swig of Water, and I was STUCK! And "OWWWW!" I might add... I coughed a few times, and then the swig of water came back-up - just the swig - no nectarine. Would be nice if that's a permanent feature of being unbanded...

Hi Anne!! Chin up, girl! Isn't it wonderful to know that all this time it really WASN'T your fault?!?! I am sure that your leak was NOT caused by your body trying to reject the band. Either they did not connect it properly when it was installed, or the connection was faulty. Once you get a properly working band, you'll be back on the road! I am so very truly sorry for all the frustration and anxiety this must have caused you. But now that's in the past. Best wishes on a speedy recovery from your rebanding!

OH, Penni - I do so hope it is not erosion. But listen - it does NOT make sense to me for you to go through a port fix surgery if erosion is suspected. The endoscopy should be done FIRST, and the possibility of erosion should be removed BEFORE doing any kind of surgery. There is NO point in fixing your port if your band has eroded, and it makes NO sense to make you go through two possible surgeries. Please insist that the endoscopy is done first before you submit to any surgeries. It is my understanding that endoscopy is the ONLY definitive test for erosion. Once you determine your band status, THEN you can have your port fixed, or band removed, whichever is called for. But that's only ONE surgery, instead of a possible two. I'm thinking about you, and hoping for the best. sheeesh!

Sascijo - no, they don't know why my band eroded. According to my doc, I had a lot of adhesions around the tubing and port, which to him meant that my body was trying to get rid of it. So, maybe my body just doesn't tolerate foreign objects well. DeLarla, rumake sounds delicious. I like my liver with lots of onions and mustard. But these days with all the pesticides and such, liver is not considered the "health" food it once was, since the liver is the organ that filters out all that garbage.

What's "rumake"?

Hi Ginny - In addition to Water loading, a time of inadequate restriction is a great opportunity to eat more challenging foods, like more fibrous vegetables, and tougher meats. Use less lubricant, like sauces. Eat drier meats. I bet if you didn't chew quite as well your pouch would get full faster. You have to be careful with that method, because you don't want to be obstructed, so don't be swallowing things whole! Good luck, and hang in there until you can get your next adjustment. Do not fret!

lol Yeah, I hate those meaningless rumers... No, I don't think it's in my head, because of the physical sensations. I think there are either stitches or scar tissue that is making the opening to the stomach smaller than usual. It's possible that will relax/go away in the future, but for now I still need to pay attention. I do not feel the same sense of restriction as with the band, although the stuck feeling/pain was the same. But generally I would say I am somewhere between "wide open" and "good restriction". Water goes down very easy now at night, although I still have troubles finishing my full quart on the way in to work in the morning. Probably still some residual swelling. Outside tummy feeling much better, not nearly as red and swollen at incision sites, but the overlap site is still gross, and overlapped...

I've heard about the stomach "pace maker" - it sounds pretty cool. I guess they're doing some gene research in L.A. as well - there may someday be a gene therapy for morbid obesity - whoo hoo! As far as maintaining weight, I shot up from 204 day of surgery to 212.5 by 7/8. It certainly was quality/quantity that I was eating, so had to be some kind of Fluid retention. I'm back down to 207 this morning, so I think that means I'm really healing.

Hi Ginger - After my last fill, I burped a lot, particularly about an hour after eating. Even now, unbanded, I burp a lot more than I did before.

I have never cheated... lol Many of my yes answers were also from my past... I'm not quite "squeeky" now, but not nearly as menacing as I was in my wild college days... lol

No mini-skirts for me... But I'm up for the boots! I certainly remember Penelope Pitstop, and that crazy cross country race she was in. DeLarla - about your restriction. Stress tends to increase restriction, so you just need to get stressed out... lol And to clarify the liquid thing - atmosphere should NOT affect the pressure of liquid, so your band should not be affected by altitude. Whether or not YOU are affected by altitude, I do not know - but the pressure in the band should not change, because it is filled with liquid. I know it is frustrating to suddenly lose restriction, but continue to be careful, because it can come back with no warning!! You sounded pretty tight to me right after your fill, so I wouldn't be surprised if this lack of restriction is just a temporary phase. As far as the need to eat junk food, I call that the compulsion part of my food addiction - I'm not physicall hungry, I'm not tired, bored, sad, lonely, depressed, etc., but I am COMPELLED to eat. I think the only thing that can beat compulsion is to find something else to do that totally absorbs your interest. I know that's hard to do, particularly when eating is so fun and easy. You'll have lots of opportunities to practice - remember, progress, not perfection. Oh, and could you throw my shoe back, please? lol

Good luck, Leatha! We'll be thinking of you! I know it seems like a huge delay in getting back on track with fills, but I agree, better safe than sorry. You'll be refilled and back on track before you know it! I hope your recovery is quick and uneventful!

I'm no student of science, but I will throw out there what I've read. Apparently, liquid filled things do NOT react to atmospheric pressure like AIR filled things - so if the band was flushed properly, and doesn't contain air (like it shouldn't) there should not be a difference in restriction due to the band/altitude. However, many people's bodies retain Fluid when flying or at different altitudes, and THAT can affect your feeling of restriction. If you're retaining fluids, it is very possible that your band will feel tighter. Just my second-hand two cents worth...

Terry - lol I sincerely hope your endoscopy reveals that all is well with your band, and that the stomach burning is something that can be easily treated, and then you can get your fill! I am not so very brave about losing my band, but the truth is, it happened, and there was nothing I could do about it, and life must go on. I wept and bawled and screamed and cried, but it didn't change the outcome. Playing the "Grateful Game" really helps me put it all into perspective. We have no control over events, but we have control over how we react to them. I'm just trying to exercise some control over what I can. And so far there is still enough swelling going on that it hasn't been too difficult to stick with bandster portions for the most part. And staying distracted helps, too - like being on this board. Thanks everybody for your support of my tasteless picture. Hopefully no one has been scarred for life...

lol Too bad the Oregon police didn't read/understand the "ONE OR" part.

lol You know you are my inspiration.... lol See, I'm just a bad girl waiting to be led down the garden path, and DeLarla, you're just the kind of girl I would follow... So I can never see you again... I can't afford to end up in jail!!!

I could LIVE on Mexican food! yum, yum! And what a coinky-dink - I live in Escondido, too... So when's your next big Mexican food feast? I may crash the party... lol