donali

Another curious question - Is the nerve on the back of the stomach? I'm sure I read that part of banding's success was due to the fact that it pressed on the nerve, helping to reduce hunger. What happens when the band erodes? Does it cut the nerve through? Do erosions tend to happen from one side more than another? I.E. more often from behind the stomach, or in front of it, or on a side? Perhaps the nerve is not encircled by the band, and the pressure is from laying against the band rather than the band putting pressure on it as it does the stomach? Never thought of this before.... :welldone2:

Generally there are very few things that are "off limits". Some surgeons use banding as an opportunity to enforce their idea of the "perfect" diet, and say no "white" stuff, and things to that effect. Bear in mind everything you know about nutrition, and you will probably agree that most "white" foods have very little to offer in the way of nutrition, and also tend to spike blood sugar which usually results in further cravings and fat storage. Many people can tolerate these foods - many people can't. Some can if they eat them in combination with other things to help stop the food from recombining in the pouch as a big "glomb". So there are two things going on here: 1. Nutrition concerns 2. Tolerance concerns Since most banded people are trying to lose weight, nutritionally it makes sense to avoid high calories foods with little nutritional value. Some lucky people don't have a choice, because their bands won't tolerate it, so it ceases to be a "willpower" issue, and avoidance is done out of sheer survial instincts. :welldone2:

Ah - do you see the problem? You are mentally in a hurry, even if you don't mean to be physcially. Can you keep a little snacky thing at your desk to help keep from being overly hungry when those precious 25 minutes arrive? That might help, too. :welldone2:

Another possible cause for morning restriction is mucus accumulating in the pouch while we sleep. Papillon - most PBs are avoidable, but sometimes they just sneak up on you, because we forget to pay attention, or we think the last bite was okay because nothing bad happened, but the next one proves us wrong. Many people have found that their bands can be fickle - behaviour that caused no problems yesterday suddenly causes problems today. You learn to be flexible. lol It is not a stomach upset, so no, TUMS would NOT help - once something is stuck in the stoma there is NO ROOM to put anything else in there. The offending particle either has to move on down or come back up.

I was self-pay, and had an additional 7-$8,000 in expenses after my banding - a port revision, fills, and my unbanding. I would go the insurance route, if at all possible. Aftercare is a must, and unless Monterrey is very convenient to you, you may put off necessary care due to expense or time required to travel. You could be one of the lucky ones that never has any additional expenses, or you could be like Deb who was out an additional $70,000 with an impacted bowel, numerous abdominal abcesses, peritonities and 90% eroded band. Unlikely, but insurance is a great thing in that case! :welldone2: I know how hard it is to wait - I really do.

Tom, you are undoubtedly still swollen from surgery. Take very small sips, and try warm liquids. Once the swelling goes away you'll be able to drink more normally.

I suffered with this for about a month, and then it went away. I don't think it's a sign of being overly tight. I think it's also referred to as "esophogeal spasms". My solution - drink something hot first. Take a very very very small, well chewed bite. Then go do something else for 5-10 minutes, and you should be good to go. This went away all by itself, but was annoying as H*ll while I was dealing with it!

Whole fruit! :welldone2: If that doesn't sound good, you could bake it, with cinnamon... :scared:

:scared: :welldone2: YAAAAAAY! :Banane21:

They're baaaack!!! :welldone2: :clap2:

They're baaaack!!! :welldone2: :clap2:

I agree that it is more likely your needle-happy doc punctured your tubing when he missed the port, and you have a slow leak. It seems as though many people with erosion have NO symptoms at all - not even loss of restriction, so I would start with the fill theory. Have the doc pull all the fill out to see how much is in there, and then give you a regular fill. When you feel the loss of restriction again, see how much of the last fill they can pull out. Keep us posted!

Whoo hooo!!! Congrats! :clap2:

SF is a debateable topic. Mostly people choose SF to reduce the number of calories (particularly liquid calories) that they ingest. There is wide debate on the safety of artificial sweetners, and whether or not they actually increase cravings for sweet things. Sugar, in addition to containing empty calories, tends to spike the blood sugar, which creates an insulin reponse that turns dietary fat into body fat. Once the insulin has removed the sugar from the blood, most people have some sort of blood sugar "crash" that makes them hungry and craving sugar again. I don't think there is any simple answer for people who like sweets. Whole fruit would be the best option, but somehow doesn't satisfy most people's desire for chocolate and other sweet baked goods. There are some more complex "natural" sugars, like black strap molasses and honey, but I don't know how much of a difference that really makes, as opposed to white sugar. I think it's clear, though, that we should probably avoid corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup at all costs... :phanvan

Hi Diane - It does sound like you are overfilled. If you need to work with this restriction for financial/convenience reasons, there are a few things you could do that might help, but bear in mind that if you continue to PB you are seriously risking a band slip, and that's a much bigger deal than getting an unfill. 1. ALWAYS start every "meal" with very warm liquids and small, small sips. 2. Avoid anything cold in the mornings. 3. Do warm liquids only in the mornings - heat up some apple juice diluted with Water, or something similar. I would avoid anything as thick as a smoothie. 4. At lunch time, start with very warm liquids. After a full cup of hot tea (or whatever you choose), have something thicker, like yoghurt and see how that does. If you have no problems, try some well blended chicken or tuna salad and see how it goes. 5. At dinner time, start again with very warm liquids. Follow the same protocol as lunch, but you will probably find you are more open at night and have less problems with real food. IF you PB, do liquids only for the rest of the day. It sounds as though you are irritating your stomach with all the PBing, and as soon as the swelling goes down the cycle starts all over again. If you don't want a small unfill (for whatever reason) you will REALLY, seriously have to baby yourself for as long as it takes. I am NOT advocating anyone keep a fill as tight as yours sounds, but some people can learn to work with it, and as time goes on it should loosen up naturally with weight loss. If you cannot avoid PBing, then you really MUST find someone to do a slight unfill for you. Promise?? :welldone2:

TommyO - I am totally stoked that you know the words to "My Favorite Things"! :mad:

Hi, P'nut!! :wave: Some people DO PB because they do not listen to the advice of their doctors. BUT... It's a rare bandster that has NEVER done it, ever. For most bandsters, it's just a matter of time. In the 18 months I was banded, it happened to me only a handful of times. The first time was a big surprise - it was on over easy eggs all mushed up. Now, who would have thought... :mad: Just FYI. :love:

LOL They're STILL tender. At least, I think they are... LOL I'll have to make my own thread with pictures instead of hijacking Crystal's. But hey, VQ, this keeps your thread on top!! xxoo :mad:

NEEDLES?!?! :lalala: :car: :faint2: :faint: :rip: Okay, I'm back. What were we talking about, again??? :mad: LOL

My undying gratitude. :hail: :mad:

:focus: I have NEVER heard anyone suggest that newbies or non-banded (whether pre-band or unbanded) people shouldn't give advice. Or that someone must be banded xx amount of time, or have xx amount of fills. That's simply ridiculous. What I get up in arms about is when the tone of the board starts to shift to blaming the obese for their disease. You want a board where everyone is belittled because of "lack of willpower" you can find plenty of other boards that fit in just nicely with that attitude. I have no tolerance for it here. I have been through a LOT of emotional counseling on this subject, and I have read a LOT about obesity, and what exactly causes it. The truth is, there is no one simple answer. And just because I happen to believe that for ME there is a biological explanation in addition to an emotional component does NOT mean that I am unwilling to take responsibility for my actions. BUT - just because I am the one putting the donut in my mouth doesn't mean that it's just a simple matter of NOT putting it in my mouth. For those people who have to lock their door and then check it ten times before they actually leave the house - yes, THEY are choosing to do that, and yet there is something very deep and primal driving their actions, and it is almost like they have no control. No therapist would tell them "Just stop. Use your willpower." I think eating some things for some of us is like that. And I think some of us are more hungry than others. And I think most obese people have a strength of will that far exceeds many others who do not have to fight this disease. Willpower is not indefatigable. It is not limitless. It is not designed for the long haul. There has to be a plan put into place - that's the willpower part of it. Then the plan has to be followed - that's the building habit part of it. Obesity is NOT unbeatable, but it's a complicated thing, and I resent someone trying to reduce it to a simple equation of calories in=calories out. It is so much more than that, and most people need a whole arsenol of weapons to fight and win the battle. And telling the people who are fighting the battle that they are not committed to the journey flies in the face of everything I know and feel as an obese person. IMHO

Tommy - Sounds like reflux to me. But your later posts makes it sound like it only happens with pbutter. Which in that case, I would have to ask... uh... why you keep eating it at night? :mad: Perhaps if you chased it down with several hot beverages? Generally accepted wisdom is to not lay down before 3 hours or so after your last meal. How long are you waiting? Are you already drinking hot liquids to wash down the pbutter? Otherwise, I'm with the others - I'd recommend eating it at lunch or Breakfast instead of at night. :car:

I'm home sick today, too. I guess that's a half happy thing... lol :mad:

How is everyone?? Everything go great, I hope?? Thinking about the newbies. *hugs*

I would definitely go with your lawyer's advice, and definitely give him a heads up on your soon to be ex's new attitude and threats. (((hugs)))