leatha_g

woohoo.. you go girl!! congrats!

After suffering with a severe headache for days, the aneurysm in your brain bursts, killing you instantly. Yikes..

Awesome pics, Audrey!!! Wowee.. you look like a totally different person and I bet you feel like one too! Great job! Thank you for posting the pics!!

Jack, I have provided a link to the warnings in Inamed's handbook. I'm not nearly as good at quoting some scientific or statistical things as I am in sharing my own personal experience which I fear may be misconstrued as negative information. Pouch dilatation is a common occurence amongst bandsters, especially after a period of time has passed. Usually, it requires having the band unfilled for a period once it's detected. Hope this helps to explain. Quoted from the Patient Handbook at Inamed.com " WARNING: Esophageal distension or dilatation has been reported to result from stoma obstruction due to over-restriction, due to excessive band inflation. Patients should not expect to lose weight as fast as gastric bypass patients, and band inflation should proceed in small increments. Deflation of the band is recommended if esophageal dilatation develops. WARNING: Some types of esophageal dysmotility may result in inadequate weight loss or may result in esophageal dilatation when the band is inflated and require removal of the band. On the basis of each patient's medical history and symptoms, surgeons should determine whether esophageal motility function studies are necessary. If these studies indicate that the patient has esophageal dysmotility, the increased risks associated with band placement must be considered. WARNING: Patients with Barrett's esophagus may have problems associated with their esophageal pathology that could compromise their postsurgical course. Use of the band in these patients should be considered on the basis of each patient’s medical history and severity of symptoms. Link provided for verification and additional reading. http://www.allerganandinamed.com/pdf/health/94800-12_LB_Product_Data_Sheet.pdf#search='esophageal%20dilatation%20lap%20band'

Great post, Janet. Sounds like you guys had a good time!

Good luck and a great recovery to you!! Let us know how you do !

Hi Poodles! Yes, you CAN still lose without exercise, but you're accurate in saying that it will slow the process. Many people here have lost lots of weight without exercising. Hopefully, once you begin losing you'll begin to feel like adding exercise to your regime. I think I started out with like 10 minutes on the treadmill. Eventually, I worked up to half hour, hour, etc. Personally, I find it easier to walk on a treadmill than the regular ground or concrete. I also got myself a bicycle and a recumbent exercise bike at one point. Now, I do Water aerobics which I can do with no problem for an hour and it's the best exercise I've done yet. It feels wonderful, has much more resistance than being outside the water and you can do things with your body that some of us simply could NOT do ever outside the water. Also, Curves was my saving grace in the beginning, as well. Progress, not perfection..

I wondered the same thing, but another thing I have done is to just get the small 4 oz serving of cottage cheese and eat it and see if I feel full when it's done or if I think I could still eat more.

Thank you very much, however, I've been banded 3 yrs this coming week. I wish you all the best!

I'm going to Maese this Thursday. My doc doesn't use flouro and has begun charging an outrageous amount for ultrasound guided fills. Since my insurance has changed to 80/20 I'm going to see if Maese can help me and at least I can check my band placement and see how my pouch is doing. I've had some issues with esophageal motility and no satiety signals, but I'm hoping he'll work with me on easing into just enough fill to help me continue to maintain or possibly lose a bit more.

Welcome Gayle. So glad to hear your surgery went well and you've had a great loss so far!! I live in McKinney. Who was your surgeon?

Sounds like you're still doing wonderful Shelly!! Hope you get the restriction worked out! It's really tough being away from your original docs.

GERD stands for gastro-esophageal reflux disease. See the link below for some facts to common questions. http://www.gerd.com/faq/gerd-faq.htm

The twins have gone south, the bod will never be close.. but once upon a time, it was a reality.. so it's still what attracts me, it's still who I am inside.. doggonit..

Thank you ma'am.

Well, I'm not a great story teller, but I had a thing happen to me in Walmart awhile back that I still haven't been able to get over. So here goes: I am single (was married 20 yrs) 45 yrs old, for those who don't know. I was in Walmart just spending time one day and I found myself in the lingerie section, just browsing. I travel and spend a lot of time in hotels, so I'm always on the lookout for comfy things I can wear in the evening, but that will still allow me to open the door for room service or any other hotel personnel that might be needed. So, I was browsing through the light cotton gowns (my favorites), but most of the time, they are a bit thin for opening doors to strangers. Of course, I always see the more feminine, frilly things, but I'm in hotel room, alone and just don't feel okay with those either. Then, there are the dorm-shirt type of gown, longer in length, a little heavier fabric and nowadays they have pajama pants with the coordinating T-shirts which I think are cute. They're comfortable and they cover you up enough not to have to wear a robe most of the time. So I'm browsing through the cute little capri length bottoms and checking out the little tops that you can coordinate with them. Minding my own business. Up walks a lady, I'd say at least 50, looked more like 55 or 60. Bleached blonde hair, leathery skin - a bit worse for the wear, it appeared. She seemed to get a little 'close' as I tend to like my '2 ft space'. Courteously, I move onto the next rack. She seems to follow and she opens her mouth. Taking the very article of clothing that I'm actually admiring (the capris and cami top), she says, "Now doesn't that just spell SEX?" very sarcastically, in her very raspy, bawdy, long-time smoker's voice. Myself and another lady in the immediate area look up at her and smile, and just want to mind our own business. Then, she says very loudly and without much reserve, 'If I wore that to bed, my husband would kick me out on the floor!" Me and the other woman just looked at each other, not knowing whether to even respond at all. But, I left knowing and envisioning more than I ever wanted to know about this stranger. Um.. okay..?? And I needed to know this WHY???

Leener, I don't think there is a specific 'amount' that one would need to stretch the pouch. I think it is something that occurs after a period of time, if you consistently eat more than the initial size of the pouch that was created during your surgery. I believe it is calibrated about around 4 oz. There was a test that was passed on from some old timers called the 'cottage cheese' test. Originally RNY'ers were encouraged to try to keep in mind the size of their pouch by practicing this test on occasion. I have attached a link to the steps involved. wehttp://www.geocities.com/sweetartz1975/cottagecheese.html

Sounds like esophageal agitation at this point. Hopefully, that is all and you'll be back to normal after a day or two of liquids only? Are you able to drink liquids okay?

I can see why some might think it necessary, however, just a thought. IF you were in a serious accident OR went into cardiac failure for some tragic reason, what would be most important? Reviving you, saving your life from some serious trauma or wasting time being concerned about a gastric band? I have a keychain that states I'm on Anticoagulants cause that's life-threatening, in the event I were in a terrible accident. The fact that I have a lapband should never take precedence over a serious traumatic injury or cardiac event, in my opinion. Being intubated is very necessary in these events. We can deal with the band later. YMMV

Welcome! You'll be cleaning closets in no time!

We need photos, Audrey!!

You're doing a great job Telly! No one can take that from you, but I am very sorry that you feel the need to be so vicious - speaking to 'negative generalities'. I think this thread has past it's usefulness. The message seems clear.

ohmygosh!! What an awesome accomplishment!! Congratulations Audrey!! :confused: I am so very sorry to hear of your mother's passing..

I couldn't agree more!

I am no medical professional. However, I have had slippage and been re-banded and it was speculated my pouch was distended. As it turned out, mine was clearly a slippage instead, but I was told at first that I needed to be totally unfilled to allow the pouch to move back down. In my opinion, SHE SHOULD NOT have put a fill on top of this problem. You have lots of time to lose weight. a few weeks unfilled seems far better than getting a fill on top of a distended pouch. I'd ask the doctor and state your concerns. Remember, this is not a race, there is no hurry. The health of your band and your esophagus is far more important. Just my opinion!