Alexandra

Graduate bandsters is great, too, yes indeedy. Thank goodness for people like the ones you name who are willing to share their journeys. Where would any of us be without the internet? Seriously, remember the dark ages? I for one would never have had the courage to take the step of being banded without the 'net. I'm thinking about what I would have said if a doctor floated the subject with me; I'd have run screaming from the room. But reading the experiences of hundreds of other people over the course of a year made it a reality for me. Getting the thread back on track: blaming the patient would be a lot easier if we didn't have this and similar venues to discuss our experiences. HA!!

Hey Jennye, I hope he buys your condo too. He sure doesn't deserve you!!

Hey Bobby, I think it's unlikely that you've stretched your pouch out in any permanent way. A sandwich is not a huge amount of food (unless you're talking about one from the Carnegie Deli, of course), and it's not a tragedy that you can eat one. What IS probably happening is that your stoma has gotten larger as you lost weight. Food is going through faster now, allowing more room at the top for another bite. THIS IS WHEN YOU NEED A FILL. Why not get another one? Eating slowly, chewing well, and stopping after a small amount all get harder if your band is not adjusted properly. Can you rein it in on your own? Probably, but why not let your band do its job? Let us know how it's going!

Hi Cmore, congratulations on your banding! It sounds like you're doing absolutely fine, and you'll feel an improvement each day from here on out. Why do you think it might be unusual for you not to be having a problem with liquids? Liquids are prescribed at this stage of the game, so YES, they should be easy to drink. Just take it slow and listen to your body, and if something hurts stop doing it. Hope your recovery is smooth!!

Nanny, you should remind yourself that most people don't know what they're talking about with regard to WLS. I was terrified to broach the subject with my husband at first, so I just handed him the Inamed book and let him read it. He then came to me with questions. (You can download the patient handbook from www.inamed.com.) Whenever someone started to express concern or talk about side effects or dangers, I just nodded knowingly and thanked them. It's simply a matter of comparing apples to dinosaurs--they know not whereof they speak. One thing I've found that works to allay some of this is to use the word "implant" rather than "weight loss surgery." If you say that they seem to get it that it's not the same thing as they've heard of and maybe have a more open mind. Congratulations on your approval and good luck!!

Lame as it can be, I'm going to put in $.02 for SmartBandsters. It's a great site and the best place to soak in the wisdom of the marvelous Jessie Ahroni. Sure there are some loudmouths and self-appointed experts, but they are everywhere. It's funny to see them evolve--I've been reading SB for almost two years now, well before DL was banded. Wow, he's learned a lot! Donali, you're taking the best approach and I wish everyone were so smart about online discourse. Head-to-head arguments just spoil it for everyone else after a while. I took a long break from reading SB but started up again recently. I need the daily--nay, 50 x a day!--reminder that I should be good to my band and let it work for me instead of fighting it. I'm not losing weight so here is my public announcement of my intention to get back on the BAND wagon!!

Donali, you are my hero. 'Nuff said.

Hi Suzy, Welcome! We look forward to getting to know you. Any friend of LaMadam's is a friend of ours!! :)

How wonderful! I hear grandchildren are way more fun than children. (Shhh...did I just say that? ) Congratulations, grandma!!

Recently there seem to have been a rash of slips and erosions so naturally I'm all nervous now and imagining things. Suddenly I'm reminded all the time about this plastic thing I have cinching my stomach into an unnatural hourglass shape and thinking I feel it. Yesterday I spent a lot of time pushing a swing and every time I raised my arms I wondered if this was potentially the push that would dislodge my band. Today my chest muscles hurt a little from the exertion, and naturally I'm worried that I did something I shouldn't have. But then I remember that it's normal for muscles to hurt after unaccustomed use. Hello? OK, I'm scared, I admit it. But maybe that's a good thing. It's so easy to overeat and think that the only side effect is discomfort, and PB, and a plateau. But it could be worse, and I need to remember to BE GENTLE with my band. So let me say a sincere thank you to the people willing to share their stories, because by doing so you are protecting other bandsters in ways you didn't intend. If I'm ever a statistic, I promise to do the same. Let's be careful out there!

Hi Carmen, Welcome!! We can all relate to those long stretches of time with no weight loss, particularly before a fill. Good luck with your next one and let us know how it went!

Angela, we're neighbors!! I'm in Morris County. Who is your doctor and where are you being banded? And my perennial question to NJ bandsters, who is your insurance carrier? Feel free to tell me to buzz off if you don't feel like sharing.

Hi Fred, You seem to have one of those doctors who wants to "sneak up" on the correct restriction. While that can be frustrating, you may be glad of it in the long run. Being restricted can take some getting used to and there's a lot of people who think the slower approach is safer. If your doctor does not use fluoroscopy, what sort of test does he do during your fill? Do you feel restricted at all?

Excellent post, Penni! Thanks for the very clear explanation. I wanted to reiterate that our stomachs are MADE to stretch, as we fill them with food. Our pouches are made of stomach, and are soft and can accommodate more than the 2 or 3 ozs some of you have been told is all you can eat at a time. So the very word "stretching" is not a bad thing, it's a normal process and our pouches stretch and rebound in size several times a day. It's OVERstuffing until the food has nowhere to go but up that is bad. We can damage the opening from the esophagus to the pouch, which can lead to reflux as well as compromised weight loss. So that's what must be avoided. I really don't think it's possible to stretch one's pouch permanently without a HELL of a lot of abuse.

You know, the funny thing is that at the support group meeting I attend in person, we don't talk a lot about quantity. The rule of thumb seems to be that everyone discovers their own rules. With everyone being at a different point in time and a different level of restriction, it just doesn't make sense to compare every detail too closely. That said, I'll tell you that at lunch I ate the turkey and cheese off a small chef salad, along with a couple of bites of lettuce. That did me fine for lunch, because I'm making a new commitment to STOP EATING WHEN I'M FULL (emphasis for my benefit, not yours). I could have eaten the whole salad, but decided to see what stopping was like. It was fine. For dinner I'll try to limit the amount to about a quarter-plate-full of shrimp and vegetables. I'll let you know how that goes.

Sultana, there's no problem with drinking before eating. If you don't wait more than a few minutes you may not want to eat, but that's all to the good, right?

Hi Janie, You're getting advice for RNY patients that does not apply in the same way to bandsters. It's really pointless to attend combined meetings, and I wish all doctors would realize that! Pouch-stretching is a possibility, sure, but our pouch is not physically constructed the same way as it is in an RNY patient. It sounds like you're doing absolutely perfectly well. Just pay attention to your body and stop eating when you start to feel full. That's the key. It is possible that consistent overeating over time can damage the esophagus and cause reflux and so forth, but the pouch itself is made of stomach and is therefore stretchable itself. I don't think you have anything to worry about based on what you've written here.

Donali, you handled that with your usual grace and style. Thanks for the reality check and education, as always. And I'm having fun imagining what could cause erosion with a penile implant!

AMEN TO THIS!! Donali, you are amazing. Thank you for showing us the RIGHT way to handle adversity... I'm keeping your post in my "inspiration" file.

Have a great time! We'll keep your seat warm for you!!

Hi Keith, welcome! You're doing great, and I hope you'll stick around to share some of your experiences. We don't have enough men on this board!

Hi Tina, Welcome! It is hard to take a leap from never considering surgery to actually considering it for oneself. I remember taking that exact leap about two years ago. Going from thinking that I was fine the way I was (at 350) and healthy (sure, for the moment), to realizing that the years were creeping up and my health was a blessing I couldn't count on, to sneakily allowing myself momentary dreams of having a "normal" body someday. It's a mindblower, really, especially for people like us who have never been thin and can't imagine a life without extra XXs on our clothing labels. I'm sorry I don't have any statistics to quote you, but I can tell you that I had reached a point where the worst possible thing that could happen because of banding was better than doing nothing. I never could say the same about bypass, and still wouldn't consider it. Banding has risks, sure, but most of them are easily handled and cause no permanent damage. You've probably seen Donali's posts about her just-diagnosed erosion, which is the most serious kind of band problem, but when her band is removed she'll still have all her working parts and be able to heal and eat and digest normally. For my money, that makes this the surgery to have. Whether you want surgery at all is, of course, another decision, and a much harder one to make. Good luck!!

Hi Lori, welcome! :)

Donali, oh my goodness! What a shock that must have been and is to all of us as well. I'm so sorry! Your perspective is wonderful, though; recognize the sadness and hassle but also recognize that you're very, very lucky in many respects as well. This is very disconcerting since you are so knowledgeable and careful about your band! It seems impossible that there's no way to completely prevent this problem, but on this point we're at the limit of our knowledge I guess. I know you're going to take this experience and learn even more than you already know, and share what you can with the bandster community. You are THAT special. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for being willing and ready to share what you're going through, and I hope we can be some source of support for you.

Hi Carolyn, You've discovered that other bandster symptom: "sliming" That thick saliva is being produced by your body because your esophagus has something in it (read: you've eaten too much or too quickly) and is trying to lubricate it away. You may not feel the excess food as painful or anything, but the excess saliva tells you something is in the wrong place. It's just another sign to modify your eating behavior. Slow down between bites, chew your food to nothing, and STOP at the first physical sign of feeling like you've had enough. As we all know, that may be WAY before your brain and mouth feel like they've had enough, but the band knows better. As far as the hiccups are concerned, I think that's just an involuntary reaction that some people get in the early stages. I used to get them occasionally and as long as I stopped eating and relaxed for a bit they passed quickly.