donali

Thanks, everyone!

lol - they kind of reminded me of that lounge owner on "Angel" (the spin off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) only without the green skin. He's such an empathetic... demon? I'm not even sure what all those creatures are - I guess he's from some other dimension, or something. Anyway, I did find the little horns intriguing for some bizarre reason - kind of like a real life Pan, I guess...

I would just leave the gauze for now - I don't think it could get trapped in the skin itself??? (Not a medical expert, so you have fair warning! Use your best judgment.) You're very fair to be subject to keloids - they tend to be more of a problem for darker-skinned folks. I have heard of people having procedures to reduce them, but sometimes the scar from the procedure isn't much better than the original keloid. Maybe once it's fully healed it won't stick out so much? And lots of people say all their WLS scars disappear with their tummy tuck, so... Don't even make me ask about the BB... lol Wild woman, yourself! My dad had a BB lodged under the skin on his calf from when he was six years old. His older brother's friend told my Dad that if he would run along the hill and let him take practice shots at him, then Dad could have a turn shooting at him, knowing full well that at 6 years old Dad couldn't have hit the broadside of a barn. lol He never told his folks, so he kept his BB in his leg until the day he died... lol It was creepy... I wish he were alive today - I'd tell him he was a precurser to these guys that have surgical steel implants under their skin for decoration... His just wasn't a very interesting (or big) design... lol

I can't explain it, but here's the thread: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GraduateBandsters/message/8153?threaded=1 One of the responses to the thread was: "My doc said it is very common about half his patents at goal are this way. I've been at goal for a good while. I was banded at the same time (8-01) as three friends and we are all at goal by now. 3 of us needed several smal unfills after goal until the new reflux went away and we all take nexium or somethiung like it. Of course you need to not expect the band to keep you thin, just as the band did not stop you from eating bad things."

I watched "Taboo" on the Discovery Channel last night, and one of the segments was on body modification. Just pretend you're living on the edge, and are wearing your "difference" on the outside. You belong to a huge group of people with the same markings... Hey, we're kind of like our own cult, huh? lol Those people were paying big bucks to get branded and pierced and stuff. At the end it showed a group of them at a place like Beni Hana's, and a couple of the guys had horn implants. Maybe it was just because I was coming off my week of junkfood orgy, but... They were looking kind of cute... That wouldn't be considered beastiality, would it? Doing it with a guy with horns?

Thanks, Kelly! So do you!

Good for you for taking care of this, Kelly. It sounds like few people can handle the same tightness of fill when the get/are close to goal. I don't know why that would be, but that's what a lot of people report. I hope this slight unfill still helps with your appetite, but allows you to eat without reflux!

Thanks. And thanks to everyone else for their supportive and ego-boosting comments. This board is GREAT!!!

I can sometimes feel the band on the inside - not from the outside with my hands - or at least, what I think is the band. Usually not, though. If you have strong feelings about where you want your port to be you should discuss with your doc. I think most of them tend to use the same location they personally prefer. Some docs always use stermum ports, some at the waist on the left, some on the right. My doc put mine just above my waist on my left side. Never occured to me to ask where it was going to go, certainly didn't have enough info to have developed a pre-conceived preference. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to all placements. If I wear tight pants it pushes my fat up and irritates the port. But mine tends to bother me, anyway. Apparently, some people always have some sort of port annoyance (me), and some people are able to forget it's even there, once everything is healed.

Vera - lol. Mine aren't too terrible yet (am I just in denial?!?!) I mean, they're not perky, and they just lie there, and they start really low, but... They still have some form to them. I'm hoping they won't turn into socks with tennis balls. I'm pretending they won't. I like the knob joke. A woman goes in for a face lift, and the doc installs a knob on her forehead, and tells her to just twist the knob, and she can adjust her own facelift. A week later she returns to his office, complaining about the bags under her eyes. The doc says, "Those aren't bags - those are your breasts." and she says, "Well, I guess there's no point in asking you about the goatee, then..." lol

I couldn't do it without the band, either. With all I have learned in the last two and a half years, I finally am at the point that I no longer feel like my weight struggle has been a "bad" thing, or something to be ashamed of. It took a lot of therapy to get to this point, though! I take responsibility for my choices, but I also accept that my appetite is NOT "normal" - and that is what the band gives me - normalcy. And frankly, if I ever lost my band, and/or regained what I've lost, I would be just as messed-up about it as I was before. Well, maybe not AS messed-up, but certainly close. I am trying to deal emotionally with that fear, because although it is unlikely, it is a possibility that I will be one of the few that loses my band, and if I am unable to maintain my weightloss with my newly gained intellectual tools, I will regain my weight - no question about it. And I do NOT ever want to hate myself the way I did 2.5 years ago. So my working on accepting myself regardless and separate from my weight is very important to me, and is never far from my mind. Not sure that's a better obsession than food, though... My sister had the RNY too, about 4 years ago. She has gained almost all of it back. :think It just crushes me, because I know how it affects her emotionally. When I got banded, I offered to pay for her banding, but she declined. I don't know if she's one of those that could have a band installed over her RnY, but I wanted her to have the opportunity if she chose. The reality, though, is that she is a beautiful, intelligent woman - regardless of her weight. Unfortunately, when weight interferes with our mobility and emotional health (let alone our physical health) it is difficult to think about anything else. I went shopping last weekend with a couple of friends for one of their upcoming second weddings. She'd brought along her 14 year old daughter, who was also shopping for her celebration dress. This child is very slender, always has been. She nominated me to help her in the dressing room, and I was stunned to see this child had stretch marks all over her thighs, small breasts, stomach. I was so saddened to realize that I bore my stretch marks with shame - another outward testimony to my obesity - when I may have had them anyway!!! It is shocking to me some of the fallacies I still held - I had no idea that a person who has never been fat might have stretchmarks on their thighs/stomach. I'm glad you have realistic expectations. And remember - my pep-talks are as much for me as they are for anyone else.

Congrats, Darcy. The end of the month will come before you know it. Once you are banded, you must remember that this is a LIFE LONG journey - not a quick fix. This is not a temporary diet. The reason I am reminding you of these things is that you may not be one of those people who drops a bunch of weight right away. You may be one of the average bandsters, and lose only 48 pounds your first year - that's 1 pound a week, and the stats say that the AVERAGE bandster weightloss is 1-2 pounds a week. That's AVERAGE weightloss - meaning you may lose more one month, and less another. Some months you may not lose at all. Another month you may lose 6 pounds. SERIOUSLY. Most people who have a weight problem have made that the focus of their lives. It's part of the trick of avoiding the real, more important things that life brings our way. We become SO focused on what we eat, when we eat, how much we eat, when we will eat again, how much we're losing, how much we haven't lost... That the really and truly important things take a backseat - working on relationships, doing things that enrich our lives like hobbies, trips to the beach, taking care of the demands of daily life. Our weight has become the center focal point of everything we do. You know what? Life is so much more than our weight. I don't want to look back at my life and remember that ALL I could think about that whole time was that I was too fat, and what I was going to do to fix it - and that all the other important aspects of my LIVING are mere blips on the radar, few and far between. I have about 20 years of those kind of memories. I recommend to everyone to try and let their weightloss journey be incidental to their lives. We all know what's nutritious to eat, what brings health and vitality. We all know that moving our bodies is good for us. We HAVE to start living like healthy people - the band will help us with the quantity issue, and the ever present hunger issue, but it is up to US to LIVE!!! I want to find a new obsession - something that takes the place of my food obsession. I have long bouts now of being obsessed with other things - I'm working towards a permanent recession!! I wish for us all peace in this aspect of our lives. We have given it too much power for too long.

I tell anyone who will stand still long enough to listen... I'm not quite that bad, but if weight/weightloss/dieting comes up, I'm quick to share my story if it's appropriate. I respect anyone's decision not to tell - I'm just one of those people who keep a lot of secrets for others but few for myself. My Dad used to tell me, "You don't have to tell everyone everything you know." Sometimes I wish I could remember that advice! But not in this case. I'm also not very good at setting boundaries, so perhaps that's why I am such an open book. I think instead of worrying about people finding something out about me, I just surrender myself to the vulnerability of not having many personal secrets - that is made easier by feeling secure in my life choices, and not feeling apologetic about anything I've done in my life that others may find questionable. In the case of my WLS, I have met with nothing but support and interest, and no one has been weird as far as making comments about what I do or don't eat, or anything like that. I don't feel like I'm being watched. But then again, I could just be oblivious.

Thanks, Anne! It's a little shorter than I intended, but it will grow out. I'm particularly fond of the color, but have never been good in the past at keeping up with things like that, so we'll see if this time is any different. I posted a couple pics I had Mom take today in clothes that actually fit, so I don't look quite as wide as I did in my sideways pic at the Grand Canyon. And I love the lapis necklace I'm wearing in the first new do pic, but, Lord! do the breasts ever start?!?!?! How low ARE those babies?!?!! lol

First of all, if you PB, do liquids only for 24-48 hours after to let your stomach recuperate. You can read more details in my response to Francesca today. Second, as far as when you need to cut off eating/drinking before laying down. If you have a weak closure at the bottom of your esophagus, then laying down with food or Water still in your pouch will result in that stuff running back up your throat. This is reflux. Reflux is not to be messed around with, and can cause pre-cancerous conditions by eroding the tissue in your esophagus. It can also lead to aspiration pneumonia, which is inhaling some of that stuff into your lungs (usually while sleeping - you wake up coughing/choking). If your esophageal barrier is strong, and doesn't leak, you won't have a problem lying down after eating/drinking. However, the tighter you go, the longer the food/drink stays in your pouch, and the more likely you will start having problems with reflux if you lay down while your pouch is still full. Something to watch out for in your journey. The burping means you are swallowing air with your food. You need to slow down your eating, and NOT wait until you are so hungry that you wolf your food. Do yourself a favor and get on some sort of regular eating schedule to help you avoid getting overly hungry. The burping should slowly reduce as your swelling goes down. Some people burp less when they drink through straws, some burp more. Just try and be conscious of when you might be swallowing air, and try to avoid that. One last question - are you supposed to be on mushies already, just one week out? Most docs have their patients do at least two weeks of liquids before moving to mush. Just asking - you sound like your stomach is still swollen, so you may want to do full liquids a little longer.

Francesca - You definitely need to go on liquids for 24-48 hours. That is the normal protocol after PBing. If you are unable to tolerate liquids, or after the 24-48 hours are still unable to tolerate mushy food, then you definitely need to see the doc. For newbies: Do NOT keep eating after a PB - you must let your stomach rest and recover. Be gentle to yourselves, and remember - PBing is the number one cause of slippage, so it is to be avoided at all costs. Also remember that the stomach is a fickle organ - what you could eat yesterday with no problems may NOT be what you can eat today, or tomorrow. The feeling of restriction can change without notice, and is usually related to hydration/stress/menstrual cycles. This fluctuation in restriction is normal, and will generally even out over time. However, on the days that your stomach is finicky, don't try to boss it around! A slight irritation can turn into obstruction if you continue to irritate the stomach with yet more food. Be gentle to yourselves, do warm liquids and take a break from eating. You have lots of calories in storage, and liquids for 24-48 hours won't hurt you a bit.

A thousand congrats!!! You're doing so great!!

Congrats, Sassy!!

Hi Kathy - 1. Many people have no problems with small pills. Once you are on solid foods, and prior to your first fill, you should have no problems taking whole pills. Once you start getting fills, you will have to see what works best for you. I personally crush everything, because I don't want to get stuck, and I want to make sure that the Vitamins go through and don't sit above the band. I take liquid Tylenol. Before crushing prescription medicine, always check with your doc first. 2. You can drink up to 15 minutes before eating. If Water runs right through, you can drink up until you start eating. To get all your water in, you just have to remember to drink during your windows of opportunity. I drink a quart of water on the way in to work, before I eat Breakfast. I try to drink a quart of water after lunch, and then another quart on the way home. I'd like to drink a final quart when I get home, but that hasn't been happening lately. My after lunch quart hasn't been happening lately, either. I imagine that once you get into the routine you'll find it easier to get your water in. 3. That very thick feeling is the step before the "golfball" feeling, which is equal to the "stuck" feeling. If you had kept eating, you would have felt some real discomfort. It's good to stop before that happens. It means that you're eating faster than the food is going through the banded area. Again, you are still healing, so in another week or so, you won't get that feeling on runny oatmeal, most likely. Once you start getting fills, that feeling will return for certain foods - usually bread, rice, Pasta and dry meats. During this time you will feel lots of strange things, and it's easy to be kind of freaked out, since all of this is new. Unless you are in severe pain, or cannot tolerate liquids, chances are everything you are feeling is perfectly normal. With time you won't notice most of these things anymore. Welcome to bandlandia!

Kelly - Aspiration pneumonia is a hot topic on the boards right now, so hopefully that is not what you have. However, if you are not feeling better soon, or if your temp doesn't come down, you should probably see your doc and mention that you woke up coughing and choking, and that you'd like to rule out aspiration pneumonia. :think Sorry, girl. Hope you're feeling better soon!!

Pouch packing - I interpret it to mean that we continue to consume food even though the pouch is already full. I know sometimes I can feel it pushing back at the bottom of my esophagus, or wondering if the last bite is going to actually go down out of my throat. Others may more simply state it as "overeating" - but the above is my interpretation of what "overeating" means to me.

I need that feeling too, sometimes. I don't know if we're pouch packing or not, but I do find that drinking lots of hot liquids FIRST, and then eating my regular food, and then maybe some soft food helps me achieve that "full" feeling when I'm really craving it. Hopefully we're not doing any damage, but... We should probably look into other ways of getting satisfaction that don't revolve around that "full" feeling, which for me is my way of sedating myself. So, I'm sedating myself. I need to look at WHY, and face that. Then, once I've done that, perhaps I could find a different way to sedate myself, like a hot bath, or a walk, or something. I need to work harder on this, particularly this month... which is almost over... :sick

DeLarla - Here's some info from when I went through counseling for my compulsive overeating. Some of it may seem/sound hokey, but I have to tell you it made 1000% difference in my self-esteem. http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=434 Am I cured? Not by a long shot. But I have the tools now to help me when I'm falling down. Like this week. Which I was going to make a separate post about. Anyway... One of the miracles (for me) about this band thing, is that I CANNOT GIVE UP!!! Seriously - there is no giving up. Remember how when we dieted, we were "good" for as long as possible, and then we'd have a huge lapse in judgment, and before we knew it we'd eaten everything in the house and polished off all the take-out we followed-up with? And then... well... what was the point of going back on the diet after such a major break? We tried, but it was half-hearted. Well, NOW... NOW there is no "what's the point" - because we are STILL banded. Our "diet" (tool) is "permanent" - so no matter what we do today, tomorrow, this week, this month - our tool is always there, helping us get back on our feet. So breathe, be good to yourself. Know that you are not alone in any of your struggles. Once you start getting fills you will have more help with your hunger, and certainly more help with your quantity. Smile, girl!!! You're BANDED!!! :D

This article says that removal of the band after erosion is mandatory: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15072660 This particular article is NOT about the adjustable gastric band, but the band used in other WLS. However, I thought the info was still valuable, and the pictures show basically the same thing that would happen with an AGB erosion. The attached picture is one of these non-adjustable bands. http://www.cstobesity.com/articles/Fobi%2011(6).pdf Here is an eroded AGB: http://www.thieme.de/endoscopy/06_00/uctn_03.html An FDA doc on the LapBand that I have not seen before: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/pdf/P000008b.pdf Some articles with a little info about erosion: http://clos.net/lib/02-wls/agb-comps.htm http://www.contemporarysurgery.com/09_03/CS903Sym.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15056068 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15011918

I did not write my question clearly - I know the BAND does not erode, but gets absorbed into the stomach. I just called it "eroded band" as a name for the process in which it came to be lying useless inside the stomach. I have not heard of any test that can tell a doc when a band is beginning to erode, so that it could be prevented. I have only heard of people who suddenly no longer have restriction, and that is when it is discovered that the band is now INSIDE the stomach, instead of outside and around it.