WASaBubbleButt

Some people that are extra sensitive to antihistamines (knock's em out) they are likely to experience the same with narcotics. In those people it might not be wise to combine the two drugs. That's why I suggested people talk to their doctors. Everyone is different.

Before considering revision maybe we can help you with your band. How long have you had it? Any fills? Any restriction? Why do you hate it? What is going on?

It's easy to get financing for Mexico. MedChoice Financial - Patient Financing, Cosmetic Surgery www.MySurgeryLoans.com There are others, I forget the names. But don't get banded anywhere unless you have local follow up care.

Lap bands require a lifetime of aftercare, do not go to a place where you don't feel especially good about your surgeon. You will have to deal with these people on an on-going basis. The purpose of a seminar is to sell you their services. If they are presenting you their best and that is not something you feel comfortable with, find a new doctor. I'm in Phoenix as well and I can't say I am familiar with your doctor. And btw, just because someone is from Banner doesn't mean anything. Banner is a mega huge company and they contract with anyone that can get through credentialing. I'm not saying Banner hospitals are bad, they are not. But they are a huge mega business just like anyone. They only time I suggest anyone is good merely because of the hospital they are affiliated with is when they are from Mayo. But Mayo does things much differently from pretty much any other hospital. Does your insurance co contract with Mayo?

Itching is a side effect of narcotics for many people. Especially facial itching. It's caused by a release of histamines. That's why if one takes an antihistamine the itching is often times resolved. I do not suggest people do this without talking to their doc, narcotics make you drowsy, antihistamines make you drowsy, some shouldn't be taking them together.

Anyone having stomach surgery can have symptoms similar to dumping but it's not dumping, it's a colon spasm. Results are the same but the cause is completely different. It's short lived, it will go away with time.

I do know what it is like when a band goes bad, BTDT. With that said, you have been banded such a short time. Maybe we can find a way to make the band work for you? What exactly is going on? Understand, I'm no fan of the band but that is what you have. I'd like to see you at least get your moneys worth. How is the weight loss? What is your diet like? How much of a fill do you have? What problems are you having?

When I start getting back to carbs I do the 5DPT. Two days of Protein shakes, two days of soft Proteins, and then one day of hard Protein. Gets you off carbs and back into the right mode.

Soak newly healing incisions in a bath? Most people are told no tub baths, swimming pools, etc., until the incisions heal.

We all have time to exercise. Don't wake up late, wake up early. If you have time to post you have time to exercise. Even 20 minutes a day twice daily is beneficial.

I would ask your doctor why you are on a high carb, high sugar, liquid diet to begin with. Seriously, ask them for studies showing that a high carb, high sugar, liquid diet is superior to a low carb, solid food, liver shrinking diet. Tell them you need references to the study that supports this is the best diet. BTW, what are you talking about that drinking slim fast will cause renal failure?

I didn't. I wrote no such thing. Lots of newbies want reversible and I think it comes from dieting and exercising and failing for so many years. There is a part of most of us that thinks WLS will fail too. If it does you can remove the band. For this reason a WLS being reversible is appealing but once you get to goal you WANT permanent and forever. If any of us loses our surgery type we stand less than a 5% chance of maintaining. Me... I want forever.

I'm no expert, I'm still learning a great deal about this myself. But I do have info from the Vit D Council posted here: http://verticalsleevetalk.com/vitamins-supplements/375-vitamin-d.html Most MO folks are low on Vit D.

Are you estimating your caloric intake or tracking it on something such as: Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal When you track calories are you tracking absolutely everything that goes in your mouth including Water? Even spices, cinnamon is very high in carbs... as an example. Condiments, the works? How many hours of hard cardio weekly are you doing?

Congrats on the weight loss! You look fantastic and love the kitty too, very pretty cat! Your BMI is 24.2, a perfect healthy weight. If you want to stop losing without a slight unfill just bump up your caloric intake a bit. Feels good to have control, doesn't it? ;o)

How much are you eating in the way of white carbs? How many hours of hard cardio are you doing daily?

Heh... for every 6 people we could order one entree and share. ;o)

I think it is Dr. Cirangle that refers to it as "resizing" your stomach. ;o) Sounds just about right to me. I wish I would have been born with a smaller stomach, makes sense. Smaller stomach, bigger boobs... that would have been perfect. HA! I'm glad someone who has battled weight issues previously is going with you. She will "get it" unlike those who are skinny their whole lives.

That is ridiculous! That's one of the dumbest things I've heard someone repeat that their doctor said in a long time. They are doing WLS on teens today. Yes, what Jacqui wrote! Don't wait until you have joint damage, more back problems, heart disease, and diabetes before you do this. Get your life back, get surgery.

It is very common to have some scar tissue around your port after surgery. Sometimes it is a seroma, no big deal if that is what it is. Most people feel something that is a bit smaller than half a golf ball and they swear it is their port. It isn't, it's something that will go away in a few weeks/couple of months. Then after it goes away they panic because they are just sure their port is floating around their body. ;o)

Did you also research sleeves and DS? I lost 108# in the first 10 months but that is unusual. I busted my butt to lose it but I did. What is so great about it being reversible? The only reason you would want to reverse a band is because the band itself malfunctions in some way. Newbies do tend to want reversible, those at goal want forever. ;o)

You need to fully understand that 1 in 4 banded folks fail. To avoid reading the negatives of any surgery type is a huge mistake. There are different complications with any surgery type and you need to seriously look at which set of complications you can live with. If you are not 100% sure of any surgery type, wait. If you don't get the right surgery type for you then you will eventually need a revision and that carries far more risk than an original surgery. Regardless of surgery type you WILL vomit. There is a learning curve to eating after surgery and you don't know what you tolerate and what you don't. You don't know how much you can eat until you try it. Your stomach will be much smaller than you realize regardless of surgery type and the only way to know what you tolerate is when you realize you just barfed. ;o) But, vomiting after any WLS is much much different from vomiting before surgery. It's not nearly as disgusting. Don't get me wrong, it's not a pleasure to puke but it's not as gross as before surgery. Read the good and the bad about all WLS types. Don't pay a lot of attention to newbies, they are all excited but they are new, they haven't lived with their surgery type yet. Talk to those AT LEAST 1 year out, better two years post op. They have lived with the surgery type and they aren't on a WLS high. Everyone loves their surgeon and their surgery type the first six months. After six months they realize they are doing the work and not the surgeon but they still love their surgery type because the scale is moving. After a year they are much more realistic about their surgery. Know every surgery type inside and out and know why you are choosing one surgery over another. If you do not fully understand each surgery type you do not really know why you are not choosing that one. Lap Bands, Sleeves.. those are restrictive only. Gastric bypass and DS... restrictive and malabsorptive. Research every single one of them and know why you are choosing one over another.

One really hard thing about WLS is that it's like looking at a pair of shoes and trying to decide if they will fit. You don't really know for sure until you try them on. Sadly, you can't do that with WLS. The best you can do is know all the procedures inside and out and fully understand why you want one procedure and specifically why you do not want another. You need to fully understand *how* each procedure works and specifically what your role is. In all WLS types you have to do your part, you have to change your eating behaviors, watch food choices, be aware of the "fat mentality" as well as exercise. Exercise is the most important part of weight loss. You need to look at risk and not just with the surgery but long term. Surgery isn't the only risk of WLS, complications long term are probably a bigger issue in the whole scheme of things. People look at the band and believe it is the safest overall. It is not, there are many complications with bands and many are revising to sleeves, bypass, and DS. When I originally had my band (I have a sleeve now) I thought banding was the safest. No malabsorption, no extreme surgery, nothing like that. I was dead wrong, while I knew the band provided the lowest and slowest weight loss of all surgical procedures I knew I would work hard. What I was not prepared for was the complications. I have esophageal damage from the band and always will. I found the band far more difficult than I banked on. I'm not talking about food choices and exercise, I was a pro at that. I'm referring to the vomiting, restriction issues, foaming, sliming, esophageal spasms, embarrassing moments in public, having to keep containers of some sort with me to puke when I wasn't planning on it. ;o) The big issue with a band is that everything affects restriction, everything! Time of day, time of month, food temp, weather, altitude, stress, emotions, hydration level, everything. I could either eat an entire steak with all the trimmings in one sitting or I couldn't swallow my own saliva. I'd be drinking Water and it would go down just fine and BAM! My stoma would obstruct and for no reason. After 4 months on liquids I finally revised to a sleeve. Banding is not easy and I'm not referring to the weight loss. Pain with eating, getting stuck, maintenance on the band for life, everything. All WLS types are hard, banding is the hardest to live with on a daily basis. Please know ALL the surgery types, only go to a WLS that does ALL surgery types. These doctors are in business to make a living like the rest of us. Don't go to a band mill... someone who does gazillions of bands and only bands. Don't go to a bypass mill. Go to someone who does all procedure types so their information will be more balanced. If you go to someone who only does bands and bypass they aren't even going to mention sleeves since they do not do them. They are in business to earn a buck, nothing wrong with that. But they aren't going to encourage you to look at a procedure they do not do. If you do not completely and totally understand all surgery types you really do not know why you aren't choosing that particular surgery. Too many people get a band and then start learning about other surgery types. That isn't the best way to approach surgery. ;o) Life after weight loss is fantastic! You get your life back.

What you are feeling is completely normal. We ALL have a bit of regret after surgery. It will pass. Better yet there will come a time when you won't care if your family is eating at Outbacks or not. food won't be as important to you and that is the ultimate goal. When you view food differently the weight melts away. When your family is eating good things just remember, you can have it too, just not today. You'll be able to eat most of the things you did a month ago just in smaller quantities. Keep telling yourself, I can have that food - just not today.

That doesn't really seem like it was something that anyone had any control over. Some people have a weird anatomy and they are hard to intubate.