Toddy

Drunk on a sip or two? Not unless you were seriously susceptible to the effects of alcohol pre-band.

This part 1 of 4 parts was the absolute best explanation for why we should eat slow:

If I didn't want to eat, I wouldn't eat, but I would make sure I had a protein drink if I wasn't going to eat a meal. I listen to my body and don't eat unless I'm hungry. I think my body knows better than a nutritionist what it needs. Just my humble opinion!

"Can I go home now?"

I've read somewhere that with the band your body gets used to having very small portions of food. After band removal, when you back into "normal" portions (and I don't mean those large portions that made us obese in the first place -- just normal) you will regain quickly. I can't remember where I read it, or who wrote it, but it just seemed to make a lot of sense to me. I have already made up my mind that if I ever had to have my band removed, I'm going with the sleeve, if possible!!! I don't ever want to have to white-knuckle diet again if I don't have to!

Yep, only concern is empty calories and possibly less tolerance since you are eating considerably less. I personally stick with wine (it's the least worst calorie-wise) and stay away from all carbonated beverages.

My understanding is that Biotin won't stop hair loss, it will just make your hair grow back a little faster. I'm 6.5 months post-surgery and I have been experiencing hair loss since about three months, and started Biotin at that time. In the morning when I shampoo, there's still a lot of hair loss, but overall it's not noticeable.

If you're having trouble keeping liquids down, you need to either go to the ER or see your doctor as soon as possible. Dehydration occurs quite quickly and IS NOT PLEASANT!!!!!

PB stands for productive burp. It is a regurgitation caused by eating too fast, not chewing well enough, or eating something that cannot pass through the band. You'll get that "uh-oh" feeling and need to excuse yourself to the bathroom to "urp" up the offending food. It can also cause "sliming" which is an excessive amount of saliva caused by when your body realizes there something that's not going down.

I appreciate your information. I like knowing that there is another option available if I ever have to lose my band!

The band is just the standard band. Plication is where they fold your stomach in and stitch it up to make it smaller. It is still in the study phase, so not all surgeons are doing it. So far they are seeing that it reduces complications from the band like slippage and erosion. Patients with plication will also likely need fewer band adjustments, and have the added benefit of losing weight faster than with the band alone.

I was going to reduce your quote to the two things that struck me the most, but as I was going through what sections to delete, I realized that everything you said was right on target and worth seeing repeated!! The two pieces of advice I like the most was, No. 1, to find the best doctor. I love my surgeon! I had a severe episode of pain (totally my fault; I was abusing my band) that sent me to the ER last month, but once my surgeon walked through the door, I knew that I was going to be all right!!! Secondly, just yesterday I saw your Dr. Paul O'Brien video recommendation and was just so incredibly amazed at the knowledge I gained from his four, nine minute videos! They should be required watching for all considering the band. I have done a ton of research, had a long one-on-one educational seminar with my surgeon, thought I had a really good grasp of the mechanics of how the band works, but after watching those videos, I learned so much more. It was very valuable to me and I hope everyone will take the time to watch them.

Wow, that's the first time I've ever heard anything about sleeping on your stomach possibly causing the band to slip?!?!?!?! I've been sleeping on my stomach since the day after surgery (I'm 6.5 months post-op). I do however only use a very thin pillow if I use a pillow at all. For me, a heating pad helped the gas pain a little bit. The gas was the primary reason I needed pain meds the first couple of days -- the incisions weren't nearly as bad as the gas. And GasX did less than nothing for me because it's not that kind of gas.

I would do it again in a heartbeat, the only difference being I would have it done in conjunction with plication! Plication is kind of like the best of both worlds, band and sleeve. The only time I know I have a band is when I don't eat properly. I can feel my port, it's kind of neat, let's me know I have a "little helper"! Do I miss eating as much? NO! I love the fact that I get satisfied with such a small amount of food!

I have chronic back pain. I didn't find out until AFTER surgery that I could no longer take ibuprofen or aspirin. They said Tylenol or nothing. Well, for me, Tylenol is LIKE nothing. I have mourned the loss of ibuprofen and aspirin more than I have mourned the loss of food!

Eight pounds from goal weight! That's great. Now you probably ought to start thinking about changing your screen name!

How much have you got in your band? I've read on here that everybody reaches restriction at different levels of fill. I've not heard of anyone being completely full; if that was the case, seems you wouldn't be able to eat at all.

I've got to agree with Derby, it's time for personal accountability. Most of us have had rough Patches, but you need to accept that you've been making the wrong choices and recommit yourself to getting back on track and being successful. That's one of the things that I love about the band, you may fall off the wagon, but that band is permanent, so all you have to do is make a conscious decision to jump right back on the wagon and not let excuses derail you again! Good luck!

I have to agree with tfm, it's time to celebrate. When I was in the green zone I had to steer clear of bread -- not a big loss for the great results I was getting. I had an "incident" of my own doing and had to have some of my fluid removed. I've had one fill since then and am still not even near the green zone. I'll be glad when I get that first signal that tells me I'm there again!!!!

Doesn't sound like a slip to me. If you've been around people with a stomach virus, that sounds like the culprit. However, it's always better to err on the side of caution and see your doctor.

To tell or not to tell is an interesting subject!! NONE of my in-laws know. Heck, in the past when I have lost large amounts of weight, they never even commented. When I told my mother she was concerned, but very supportive when I explained everything to her. I wasn't going to tell my sisters, but got stuck at one meal and ended up telling them. One sister (who has always struggled with weight, too) was okay, the other (weighs 105 soaking wet; went right back into her tiny shorts right after giving birth) was appalled! I wasn't going to tell my friends either, but they all know know now and they've all been amazingly supportive. The one I thought would be the most judgmental is actually having WLS this fall after she completes her six month diet requirement!!

I absolutely love my band because, No. 1, I physically cannot eat as much as I used to. If I'm in a buffet situation, I usually end up putting a lot more on my plate than I'm able to eat. If it's a social situation, I have to eat really slow, and chew really well, and it takes me just as long to eat my tiny portion as it does everyone else to pig out, so I'm not just left there to twiddle my thumbs. No. 2, when all the pigger-outters get up from the table, they're all moaning and groaning about "oh, I ate too much, I feel miserable. Me? I ate just enough and I feel great!! One month after being banded I went on a girls' trip with six friends that didn't know I'd been banded. Of course, as part of our trip we had to go to Paula Deen's buffet. It was just as I described above. I ate just as long as they did, but I ate only a fraction of what they did; they were all miserable; I felt great! The best part? Everybody was so busy eating and talking, no one even paid attention to what I didn't eat and never would have guessed that I'd had WLS!!

One of the things I like about my doctor is that he didn't show any obvious preference for which WLS was best for me; he asked me what I wanted. He did want me to watch a video on lapband and vertical sleeve. I did recently ask him if his wife/daughter were going to have WLS what would he recommend. He said that it depends on the individual and how much/how fast they want to lose. He also said it depends on the co-morbidities an individual has. For example, for someone with diabetes, the sleeve or gastric bypass would be the best surgery for them. My surgeon did offer lap-band with plication, which I declined. If I could do only one thing differently, I would definitely go for the plication!!!

I'm curious, too. I love protein bars when I don't have time for a meal, or I just need to bump my protein up for the day. I've been eating the Atkins for the low net carbs, but I'm going to look into the Pure, because it looks they have considerably more protein!

This sounds more like a "productive burp" rather than actually vomiting. With a productive burp, you are regurgitating the food before it goes through the band and into the stomach. Vomiting is a forceful expulsion of the food from your stomach and back up through the band. I've only vomited once since being banded. I'm not sure and my doctor isn't quite sure of the mechanics of what happened, but shortly after vomiting I ended up with such intense chest pain that it sent me to the ER thinking it was a heart attack -- not an experience I ever want to repeat!!