lavishblue

OK I have to ask... So does anyone else dream about food? I know this might sound ridiculous even hilarious to some of you- but unfortunately its been happening to me at least every night. I was banded in October have had 3 fills and have some restriction so I haven't eaten anything like Pasta bread or rice in months. I have been eating healthy- no junk food etc. However, I find myself dreaming about eating sweets. Am I cookoo bananas? I have always had a sweet tooth and am trying to stick to skinny cow ice cream when I need it or other low cal low fat sweets, but i often find myself not satisfied with those. Just wanted to know If there is anyone else having these "withdrawal symptoms"- ha Also any advice would be helpful.

After surgery or any stressful event your period is easily thrown off. I wouldn't worry about it. After my banding my period was not only over a week late but it was super light ( not normal for me). However, after a month everything was back to normal.

thanks for all your comments. hehe I feel a little less nuts haha

Hey Not sure if this is what you meant...but I found this website ( link and article below) about lap band erosion which is essentially the band damaging your esophagus. Hope it helps! http://all-about-lapband.com/problems/erosion.html Lap Band Erosion Erosion is the condition in which the band erodes away the stomach where the band and the stomach come in contact with one another, eventually resulting in a hole being worn in the stomach wall. When lap band was new the erosion rate ran as high as 10 percent. This occurred primarily in Australia and Europe because they used the peri-gastric technique. This lower placement of the band caused a higher slippage rate. The solution to that was to stitch the stomach tightly over the band. Any time you have living tissue in contact with something artificial, in this case the lap band the tissue if under too much tension can't get proper blood flow. As the tissue dies, it can't resist the pressure of the band and it erodes into the stomach. Later on the Europeans and Australians realized they were causing the erosion with their technique and changed to the the pars flaccida technique which places the band much higher on the stomach. They also don't wrap the stomach tissue so tightly over the band so the tissue doesn't die and the band won't erode in. The erosion rate is now down to less than 1%. How to you tell if you have lap band erosion? Probably the biggest indicator of erosion is weight regain because the band is no longer in place to restrict the food intake. Another one of the signs is redness, swelling and pain around the access port. This is caused by bacteria from the stomach getting into the capsule that forms around the band. The infection simply travels to the outside port along the tubing. Another sign that erosion is happening is that the erosion causes the band to be less restrictive than before so you can eat more than before. A lot more than before. Causes of erosion Usually erosion is cause by the band being in too tight of contact with the stomach. For instance in Europe when lap band first started, surgeons would stitch the stomach tightly over the band. This cause the tissue to not get enough bloodflow over time and start to dye. As tissue dies it erodes away and the band sinks lower and lower into the tissue, eventually ending up inside the stomach. The European and Australian surgeons figured out what was going on and changed their method to the flaccida technique which is the method commonly used today. Diagnosis of erosion Usually it first shows up on an x-ray and the confirmation is doing an upper GI endoscopy. The band can be seen penetrating the stomach wall if you have erosion occurring. There is variance in degree of erosion in patients. There are documented cases in which the band has completely eroded into the stomach. Treatment of erosion Lap band erosion typically requires that the lap band and access port be removed. It is more critical to remove it quickly if the erosion has caused an infection near the access port. In extreme cases the band erodes into the stomach completely. In some of those cases the band was able to be removed directly from the stomach via endoscopy without surgery, though usually it is caught before the band erodes all the way through and surgery is required. Once removed, the eroded part can heal. This takes three to six months. After the erosion heals, you can once again be banded. Sometimes instead of rebanding your surgeon may want to do a gastric bypass or duodenal switch rather than risk putting another band in place and having it erode as well. This is a choice for you and your surgeon to make. In any case the surgeon will make sure enough time has passed as rebanding too soon will likley lead to another failure. Six or more months is a common time frame to heal before considering rebanding Avoiding erosion What if anything can you do to avoid lap band erosion? Avoid carbonated beverages or any other food that can cause bloating of the stomach. This goes back to the original diet plan you did when you first got banded. You drank a lot of fluids, the idea being to not push the stomach into the band and let the stomach become accustomed to the pressure exerted by the band. Eroding is less likely if there is this initial break in phase after being banded.

Dude! That is super crazy! Even at my thinnest in highschool at 120lbs I was a size 9! Ya I will also stick to what I believe to be regular (under 12) and plus sizes ( 14 and up). That's just my opinion not meant to be a definition by any means. I can finally fit into a size 18 after losing 12 lbs and im super happy about that. If I could ever fit into single digit sizes I would not be impressed to be shopping in the plus size section at all! The designers are crazy. I'm going to stick to goals of a healthy BMI, decreasing my need for insulin with my diabetes, and lower my cholesterol. Hopefully along the way I can fit into single digit size pants!

Thanks very much for your responses 54Shirley and melbanded. It is slow... I did confirm that I didnt have a leak! Phew! Went in for a fill today and all the Fluid was still there from last time. so thats good. I will just take it day by day. thanks again for your responses

Can I ask for some help from other hypothyroid bandsters? I have had hypothyroidism since I was 19- after being diagnosed I literally ballooned up. I went from 135 lbs to 165 in a year and then gradually almost 10 years later I was 227 lbs. I don't simply blame my thyroid I know I helped the process along. My Thyroid has always been irregular at one point I was getting blood tests done monthly seeing specialists etc they had a very hard time getting the right dose. I started seeing an endocrinologist a year ago who actually suggested the lap band has helped me get my thyroid to normal levels. So I had my surgery October 4th, so about 3 months post op. I have had 2 fills - the second time I went in the surgeon said there was no Fluid and wasnt sure why? ( maybe he missed). When i was filled the second time I felt it and I had good restriction the first week after but can eat alot more than I like since then. In total I have lost 12.5 lbs which is super slow for over 3 months I feel comparison to others. I knew I would lose slower with my thyroid problems but I am super discouraged and frustrated. sorry long background story.. lol So like 2 days ago I went to see my endocrinologist and my thyroid levels were off She said since I had lost weight I needed less thyroid medicine- since now I was losing weight because of my thyroid medicine being too high- and i was losing the bad way etc. I take synthroid 100 and cytomel 10 daily - she told me to stop taking the cytomel. I told her I was scared that taking off the cytomel will stall/slow down my weight loss even more. She said that may be but unfortunately thats your genetics! I am super frustrated!!! Sorry for the long rant.. lol Any advice? Any tips? Anyone dealt with/dealing with this and have you had success? thanks. and good luck everyone.

Hello All I was banded October 4th - so about 5 weeks post op- no fill. I will be getting my first fill Nov 14. Since my surgery I have been able to feel my port directly underneath my port incision. However this morning I noticed it isn't in its usual place ( left upper abdomen).... I noticed that I can now feel it right above my belly button almost. I also noticed a rise in pain a few days prior to me noticing that the port had moved. I have an appt with my surgeon on Nov 14th- The pain is significantly less this morning. A few questions: Has anyone out there experienced this? If so was it normal/expected or is it something I should inform my surgeon about ASAP? Any information/comments would be appreciated- thank-you

Hey Thought I'd post a follow up. I spoke to my surgeon Monday. He said the pain is normal and it is just the port healing. In terms of the port moving- he said the port is anchored very well - and If i felt anything moving it wasn't the port but the tissue/muscles do move around. He said its nothing to worry about. Hope this helps anyone else with this issue. Also thanks again to everyone who replied to this thread- it was helpful

Hey Thanks everyone for your responses- they were helpful and reassuring. I am still having a considerable amount of pain- I will call my doctor first thing monday morning. Thanks again

You are lucky to only get 2! I have 5. One in my belly button. A 2 inch incision on my left side above my belly button (port site). Also 3 small incisions across my upper abdomen.

Hey I am 13 days post op. I also felt super weak from being on just Protein shakes for a week and felt lightheaded/dizzyness and what you describe. All my literature says that the whole purpose of the liquid diet is to do 2 things: 1- accelerate weight loss, and 2- allow the stomach to heal. At my one week post op appt with my surgeon I discussed all my concerns and he said it was fine to start on pureed stuff. He even recommended that I could chop up a chicken breast and throw it into soup! I was so shocked! I was like so chunks are ok? (in my diet paperwork it said I could only have strained cream Soups at this stage). He said depends on the size of the chunk- but yes. What I did was took some cooked chicken and chopped it in a food chopper and added it to soup- It was awesome! and way more filling than a Protein shake. My surgeon also said cottage cheese was ok. So my surgeon said 7 days post op mushy things were ok and that finely chopped chicken in Soup was ok. I don't think you will hinder your recovery- as long as you take at slow and make sure your food is finely chopped or chew well. Take it super slow and nothing to drink for at least 30 mins post eating. I don't know if its rushing things along... I agree the stomach needs time to heal but after a whole week of liquids as long as you aren't in pain and aren't vommitting I think adding foods like Flaked fish and chicken, cottage cheese, mashed sweet potatoes should be ok. Stop and go back to liquids if you start vomiting, feel bad heartburn or get a stuck feeling. I also felt a little guilty for not waiting the suggested full 3 weeks of just liquids. However, I try to keep at least one meal full liquids so that I am not overdoing it. Hope that helps/answers your questions Good luck!

There is a great explanation of the zones on this website. If you go to the POST OP section- there is a topic called "THE GREEN ZONE" It is permanently pinned so should be on the first page. It should answer all your questions. hope that helps. good luck!

Congratulations! and Thank-you for your post! I am just six days post op and yes miserable at times, doubting myself, and all that. So your words are encouraging. Congrats again!

Congratulations! Good job on all your hard work!

I am sorry you had to go through that with your port. Sounds like you are doing everything right! I hope it closes and heals soon.

A quick note about DERMABOND I have noticed more and more surgeons are using DERMABOND to close incisions especially after laprascopic procedures like the lap band- so I thought I'd post a little information about it. I am a Registered Nurse on a surgical unit so I have some experience with dermabond- as a side note I was just banded october 4th- so its on me now too... lol ( still a newbie on here) I noticed a few posts about itchy incisions (which I cannot find now) and I noticed someone said they peeled their dermabond off- that made me a little uneasy- haha. Anyways- here are the instructions direct from the manufacturer's website: Caring for a wound that has been closed with DERMABOND®1: Keep the wound dry Do not scratch, rub, or pick at the wound or DERMABOND®; doing so may loosen the film before the wound is fully healed You may take brief showers or baths at the direction of your physician. After showering or bathing, gently blot the wound dry with a soft towel Do not soak or scrub your wound; do not swim until the adhesive film has fallen off naturally Stay out of direct sunlight and do not use tanning lamps Do not apply liquid or ointment medications or any other product to the wound while DERMABOND® is in place. It could loosen the film before the wound is fully healed Hope this helps! Good Luck to everyone with their surgery, recovery, weight loss and lifestyle changes!

Great! I am glad your surgeon was that thorough!

hello all! I had my surgery October 4th. Doing ok so far. look forward to comparing notes with everyone!