DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

Not from surgery, no. The gas they pumped in during surgery has been gone for many months. Check with your doctor because the shoulder pain has nothing to do with a surgery 8 months ago.

I say take the extra 200 calories because they're assuming you are anyway.

If you are having acid reflux your band is too tight. So either way it sounds like you need to have a little bit of Fluid removed. Best wishes.

Just my opinion, but there's no way I'd get on a cruise ship without seeing a doctor first. The last thing you need is for something to go horribly wrong when you're thousands of miles from home and stuck out at sea. It's just not worth the risk.

I had to have my band unfilled entirely for an emergency surgery in August (not band related). It wasn't until October when I finally got back to the Green Zone like I was before the unplanned surgery and band unfill. Between August and October, despite being considerably more hungry than I was in the Green Zone and wanting to pig out on everything, I still managed to lose about 28 pounds. Was it easy? No, but I knew I had to stay in my daily calorie budget and a cup of food per meal if I wanted to continue losing despite the temporary surgery set back. I know it's not easy, but you have to stick to your calories and portions despite the hunger. It's the only way to succeed until you are in the Green Zone again. Best wishes.

Honestly? I take a lot of walks, a lot of baths, and a lot deep breaths. There really isn't any good way around it and I refuse to give into hormonal cravings.

I'm no doctor or nutritionist but 400 calories a day is way too little. I see no veggies and no fruit in your daily menu. That would be the first place I'd try to start adding in some calories. I also see no dairy, which is another food group you definitely need for calcium (unless you're lactose intolerant). Adding a cup of skim milk or a Greek yogurt would be great. I would take your food logs into your nutritionist, they'd be the best person to help you adjust your daily routine. Best wishes.

I try to cut recipes in half but I still end up throwing out left overs all the time. But I'm ok with that. I was raised to "clean your plate" and "don't waste food"- and that mentality is part of led me to weigh over 400 pounds. It's better to throw out left overs than to eat food you don't need.

You have to remember, whether or not you gain the weight back is entirely up to you. Losing weight is simple math- if you burn more calories than you consume you lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Sure a people will gain weight back and that is 100% their own fault, not the fault of the band. The band is a tool, not a magic cure for fat. When people stop doing what they know they need to do to maintain their weight loss then you can't blame the band for their mistakes. Oh and btw, the study I posted way overrides any data they state on this link you posted. The one you posted is from 2011 and doesn't cover much data, patients, or years. The one I posted was just released in 2013 and actually covers 10 years of data on over 3000 patients.

I have taken Nyquil since being banded. No problems whatsoever, especially since I took the liquid and there's no NSAIDS in it.

As stated above me, unfortunately what you linked to isn't a study, it's nothing more than a poorly written blog stuffed full of complete myths and complete crap (sorry for the vulgarity but it's true). If you would like to read an actual study, here is one: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The study, the longest and most comprehensive yet reported, appears in the Annals of Surgery, and finds a significant number of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (lap banding) patients maintained an average weight loss of 26 kilograms for more than a decade after their procedure. Researchers analyzed the results in 3,227 patients who had gastric banding surgery in Australia between 1994, when the procedure was first introduced, and 2011. The patients in the study were averaged at 47 years-of-age and 78 percent were women. Of those patients, 714 had surgery at least 10 years ago and, on average, had maintained a weight loss of 26 kilograms, or almost half of their excess weight. The weight loss results were similar for the 54 patients in the study who had undergone treatment at least 15 years ago. “These results show that when you have a significant problem with obesity, a long-term solution is available,” says Professor Paul O’Brien of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Monash University in Melbourne. “This surgery is safe and effective, and it has lasting benefits. Substantial weight loss can change the lives of people who are obese—they can be healthier and live longer.” O’Brien says there are also important ramifications for the control of type 2 diabetes, which was strongly associated with being overweight. “In obese patients with type 2 diabetes, weight loss after gastric banding can lead to effective control of blood sugar levels without the need for medication in about three-quarters of cases,” O’Brien says. The patients included in the study had followed the rules of their treating team regarding eating, exercise, and activity and committed to returning permanently to the aftercare program. All the surgery was performed by O’Brien, an international pioneer of the technique, and Associate Professor Wendy Brown, President of the Obesity Surgery Society of Australia and New Zealand. There were no deaths associated with the surgery or with any later operations that were needed in about half of the patients. About one in 20 patients had the band removed during the study period. “In treating a chronic disease such as obesity over a lifetime, it is likely that something will need to be corrected at some time in some patients,” says O’Brien. “The study shows a marked reduction of revisional procedures with the introduction of the new version of the Lap-Band 6 years ago. Importantly, those who had revisional surgery lost as much weight in the long term as those who did not need it.” The report also included a comparison of gastric banding—which can be done as a day-surgery procedure—and more invasive types of weight-loss surgery such as gastric bypass that are high risk and require longer hospital stay. The weight loss with gastric banding, and the need for future revisional surgery, was similar to that with gastric bypass. “Access to weight-loss surgery in Australia remains severely limited for many obese patients as relatively few cases are treated within the public health system. We are working hard to improve access,” says O’Brien. “We have ample evidence that weight-loss surgery is effective, and it is unfair that half of eligible patients cannot be treated, particularly as it has been shown that gastric banding is a highly cost-effective health care measure. The stigma of obesity, and the assumption that it is the person’s fault, entrenches discrimination against people who could benefit.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------- original article: http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

Dry meat is the only thing to really give me problems. If meat is really dry, it's not going to go down without a lot of discomfort. Whenever I cook at home this isn't a problem but a few times while dining out I've been served chicken that was just too dry to eat. Sandwiches I do ok with so long as it's not really fluffy bread, like Subway. I don't even think it's the bread so much as it's just too much food and too hard to take small enough bite. A lot of time if I have a sandwich, I'll have it on toast or flatbread and eat it with a fork to control my bites more easily.

Puree stage of your diet doesn't mean chew until it's mush, it means it must be mush before it ever gets into your mouth. This is why others on the puree stage put the chili through a blender before eating it- as you should have too. If you can blend it into baby food consistency, you can eat it. If it's not mush then you can't eat it until you're past the puree stage.

Well I'll keep you in my prayers that you get good news- they figure out the source of the problem and fixing it doesn't require the loss of your band.

Wow... it does sound like the band then. I know you don't want to have your band removed or revise to another WLS, but look at the bright side: You can have the band removed and revise to a new surgery (if you choose). Your problem is then gone as well as your risk for future issues as a result of esophageal irritation and reflux. That is a A LOT better and easier to "fix" than something far more sinister and unrelated to the band, you know?

Well we're not supposed to eat until we're full, in fact, if we eat until we're full we're likely eating too much. Have a look at this, it explains it well: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html The band helps us to feel satisfied on a lot less food for a lot longer periods of time. Because I am in the Green Zone, yes, I can easily go more than 4 hours without hunger. More often than not, I don't even finish a whole cup of food. I just don't want or need that much anymore. The important thing to keep in mind is the band goes around your stomach, not your head. You will have to learn the difference between head hunger and physical hunger. The band can and will control your hunger but it's not made to stop you from "eating non-stop". Best wishes.

Does your esophagus show any abnormalities? Like polyps or lesions in the lining? I hate to even ask this, but have they done any sort of tissue biopsy to make sure there isn't something going on? I really hope they get to the bottom of it. If it is the band causing it, let's be honest, that's a lot easier to fix and less serious than some of the other options.

LOL I DO have kids at home and I still don't buy that stuff or keep it in the house! Let's face it, garbage food isn't any better for them than it is for me. My logic is, why would I feed my kids crap and not myself? That wouldn't make a very good mother. My kids love string cheese, almonds, and yogurt. They even love the SF pudding that I snack on occasionally. The only thing they snack on that I don't is granola bars because they're too much sugar for me. EDIT: Oh and fresh fruit. My kids go through TONS of fresh fruit a week!

Have they done an upper GI? There's a number of things that can go wrong with your esophagus that GES won't necessarily show. I hope they figure it out, I'd be frustrated as heck in your shoes.

I wait until I'm truly, undeniably physically hungry. Stomach growling (though it can make noise that has nothing to do with hunger) and that "ok I'm starving" feeling. If I don't feel that way for 6 hours and miss a meal, no biggie. It's more important to listen to your body's natural hunger signals than to listen to a clock.

In my opinion, that's the way to do it. Take on one little goal or target at a time. This way you don't get overwhelmed and you're setting attainable, realistic goals for yourself. You're off to a great start!

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I've had many abdominal surgeries, including multiple hernia surgeries and a c-section. The Lap Band surgery was a piece of cake in comparison. I had the surgery on a Friday and was back to my normal routine by Wednesday. I was uncomfortable the first couple days but not horribly so. I didn't even take prescription pain killers after the second day because I didn't feel I needed them. I've lost over 190 pounds in less than 14 months since my Lap Band surgery. Getting the band is by far the best decision I've ever made for myself.

Unfortunately it could be a slip, but you won't know until you have the band checked. Who did the chest and stomach x-ray? Your surgeon or another doc? You need a barium swallow done specifically by your surgeon to check the band placement definitively. Even if it's not band related, you shouldn't be having refulx regardless. What so many people see as something harmless and just pop antacids for can actually lead to much more serious problems- and even more so if you have the band. If I were in your shoes, I'd be insisting your surgeon and/or doctor get to the cause of the reflux. If your surgeon refuses to listen to you then fire him and find one that will. Best wishes and I hope you get it sorted.

Oh how awful!! I hope you feel better soon!

You're not eating anything wrong at all and you can't chew too much. Food should down without a problem so that's a good thing, it means you're taking small enough bites and chewing it well. Have a look at the link I posted to the post above yours, it will help.