lisacaron

Here is my most recent NSV. This was a ROUGH week, extreme stress and I can't even begin to type out the story. If this week had happened 9 months ago, I think I would have been in the hospital with heart failure! So hooray for no heart attacks and being able to run around and keep up with it all!!! Hubby and I kick ass as the dynamic duo, and I tell you no lie 9 months earlier we would probably have to peel each other off the pavement, but today we are both at work doing our thing and breathing in and out! Maybe next week things will be a bit more "normal" dare I even say boring?!!

Ah don't worry about your fill so much. Don't think about it, don't look at the needle hold your breath and it's all done I feel like I am in a mechanic shop when I go in for fills and that's kind of what it felt like on my first one. I had this new apparatus in there that they were working on. My hubby hates the fill, makes the grimace face every single time he goes. I just think it's funny his face is all scrunched up long before she even reaches the table with the needle Also don't think about getting stuck. Remember your band mechanics and go back to basics after a fill this will help remind you of how to eat and what to eat, and to chew chew chew. The first few days after a fill, my doctor's office has us do a day or two of liquids then mushy then back to solids all as tolerated. For me it takes a few days for the fill to take affect, but it's a good practice to go back to the beginning again so by the time I'm chewing I'm mindful that I need to chew a little more before swallowing, put my fork down and let the food pass before taking the next bite. It works for me, and my band. Find what works for you, and listen to your doc. All in all the fill is a breeze. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I too am losing slowly but steadily this is not a sprint but a life long marathon. I didn't gain my weight in a year or even two years but over the course of several years. The numbers keep going in the right direction and for that I am happy and most of all my body is healthy. Celebrate your one year bandiversary and the weight you have lost so far. Check in with yourself and see if there is something you are doing or not doing that you can tweak today to get you moving in the direction of your ultimate goal. Then call and check in with your doc and your nutritionist and see if there isn't something they can do for advice they can offer you to get your band working in better harmony with you. Even the finest instruments need tuning every now and again to make beautiful music

I have the house full of teens and young adults. Both my husband and I are banded so compromising what we are going to eat is not difficult though we both have our own struggles with food, we are lucky because we can support each other. Our house hold has changed, in that we now cook most of our meals. We make enough for the "kids" to eat that evening meal with us if they choose. If they choose to opt for the fast food option we are OK with that, but they have to go and get it on their own. (So they usually opt to eat with us, when it comes to spending their own money for what they want it takes the flavor out of it for them ) When we are out at events or family gatherings or if we are hosting either of those we buy and make the foods that everyone loves and add a few healthy items for ourselves, so it's never really an issue.

Perhaps discussing with your surgeon, different surgery types that might be available for revision if you are really not happy with the band and think that you won't be compliant with a replacement. Either way just leaving it there especially if it is not working or disconnected can't be a good thing, so follow up with your surgeon or find one that has more extensive support and see what options are out there. Don't just let it sit.

Pretty interesting Catfish! if you look up Syncopy, (which is passing out) one of the reasons is the over stimulation of the vagus nerve. Just having the band placed is enough to stimulate the nerve and eating can cause more stimulation to the nerve. There are also some really serious reasons for syncopy...and I bet that's why your doctor is testing your heart and doing the MRI. Let us know what they find out, and be safe!!!

The port site could feel a bit lumpy and hard mine was tender for quite a long time after surgery. The other incisions were not so bad and once they healed I was able to forget about them, but the port site was noticeable to me for a long while after. A sharp tugging pain could mean that you are doing a bit too much. If any of the sites are red around the area of the incision or warm to the touch you could be brewing an infection. Since you are expressing concern about the surgical sites my best advice to you is to give your doctors office a call and have them ease your mind. We can all give you an idea of how it was for us, but a quick call to the doc's office will help set your mind at ease, and get you help if you should need it. Congrats on your band, and I hope your feeling 100% soon.

I'm actually wondering if you are lapband patient or a sleeve/bypass? Either way Cagottaband is right you need to be drinking more then 1 bottle of Water if your regarding the regular 16oz bottles of water.

I do what my father used to say...listen with deaf ears. (then he wonders why I never listened to him and my mother...go figure )

OK Kylee have you called your doctor? We all understand the costs when it comes to finance but no amount of money is worth your life or that of your child. Most people from what I understand have their bands totally unfilled when they are pregnant so that their baby can get all the nutrition it needs. Yes the baby will take from you what it needs, but you will suffer and the more you are depleted the harder your baby has to work to get what it needs and could soon become depleted as well in which case you could be at risk for all sorts of gestational abnormalities and complications you don't want. If you have not called your bariatric doctor please do so today, you don't necessarily have to be scoped but he should know that you are pregnant and having these eating issues. Hormones are going to cause you to have different eating patterns where you might be more hungry from day to day, some of us have issues during TOM where we are tighter and can't eat as much and then looser again. Being pregnant your hormones are all going to be up and down and all around this could affect your band depending on the level of fill you have which is why I think doctors like to un-fill the band during pregnancy. As Pretty Thick said earlier weight loss can wait, now is time for you to take care of your health and that of your baby. Call your Dr. today!! (if you haven't already) Congrats and Best wishes to you and your little one!!

Excellent article. Thank you for sharing. We can forget that we have emotions tied to many things in our lives. Even the good things can sometimes leave emotional issues that we don't realize exist. Things like a move which could be positive for happy reasons, or having WLS to improve the quality of our lives can be emotional and tumultuous, and when we are tired or emotionally exhausted from those positive things we feel guilty about it and we tend to care for ourselves less. I think that those are the times when we need to care for ourselves even more, to love ourselves enough to give ourselves a break, to decompress, give a little extra TLC to our body's and minds, and take a deep breath or four before jumping back into the fray again.

First let me say congrats on the move. You have just done something that is really stressful in your life. It is never easy to move and assimilate into a new environment and now you are having to meet and fill requirements for your new doctor also. My best advice is to first take a deep and cleansing breath. Then take a second to ascertain where your hunger is really coming from. Sure it is totally possible that you need a fill, and you are on your way to getting one, but some of this could be emotional eating and head hunger from the stress of moving even if it was a positive thing for you, it was still stressful. Once you know it's true hunger, try to monitor the things that you choose to eat to feed that hunger. Maybe break up your meals into several smaller meals that you eat consistently through out the day to keep your blood sugar stable and that may abate some of the hunger feelings. Choose higher Fiber and Protein rich foods. If you are going to "snack" make them healthy, and worth the extra calories. When in doubt someone told me drink a glass of Water first. If you are still hungry after that then eat because you are hungry. Sometimes we are thirsty or bored and we don't realize it and think of it as hunger. Finally I would call the doctors office and try to speak with the nutritionist 1 to 1 and let her know your new to the area, you will take the course but your an existing band patient who knows the basics, and doesn't want to get off track just because of your move. Maybe she can give you a short one on one course review if needed so you can see the doctor for a fill, or let the staff know you can by pass that requirement for now just to get in to the doctor and you will make up the class. Best of luck to you!

I no longer house the monthly visitor, though since I still have one working ovary I still have many of the pre-visit and post visit symptoms. When those happen and I swell, and let me tell you that happens to me also when I am under stress. I don't turn to the sweets even though I am a sweetie at heart I love sugar. Under those circumstances I go back to my basics and drink a nice chocolate Protein shake. I will add ice to it or heat it if I want something warm like hot chocolate. I will have a Protein Bar and there are lots of them out there today that taste as good as candy bars but have high protein content and can be a Meal Replacement for me. There are so many flavors and textures out there even cookie dough! There is never a reason to resort back to bad foods, you can do this if you really want to it just takes a bit of effort and some substitutions.

Does your bariatric doctor hold any support groups? Perhaps the nutritionist at the hospital might? Also some hospitals that perform surgeries will also have an organized support group. If you look on this site under the lapband forum section you will see a list of local support groups. Look up your area and ask that group if they know of any in your local area. Best of luck to you.

Sending out positive vibes and hope all goes well for you! The best advice on the band here is to give your surgeon a call. Both the doctor removing your gallbladder and scar tissue as well as your bariatric surgeon as their recommendations may be vastly different and you want to do what's best for you and for your band.

In all honesty beauty what works for me when I find that I am slipping off the bandwagon, is to go back to basics for a while. I go back to the shakes and planning out my meals. I go back to the "proper" band eating mechanics, the chew chew chew, the 20 minutes to eat time frame. The one cup measurements, the no eating and drinking at the same time. I'll wait 10-15 minutes to half an hour after eating if I can before having a full beverage. I will take it back to the days of just having my band and work my way toward eating in rhythm with my band I find that this helps me remember that I have that little life saver in there that needs me to be compliant for it to work the way it was intended. We all have slip ups now and then we are human and we are unlearning behaviors that have been ingrained in us over the course of our lives. So my advice dear friend is forgive yourself, and start fresh again. Going to see your Dr. and getting a fill is a great way to start and you are already back on the path again!

Oh my friend. I am sending you love and hugs and everything and anything I can throw at you for you to feel better! I really hope that everything works out for you, though I am curious as to why the Dr. would want to remove your band. I understand about the risks of taking all that medication, but I also wonder if there are some trans-dermal medications that might help as well without the risk to the band. Currently this is something that my husband is working with since he is banded and in extreme pain from degenerative hip disease. He needs a replacement but he's holding off to lose as much weight as he can before. This Lupus is scary stuff and the more I read the more anxiety it gives me...

As I read the article and I went through the list of things that could be signs that you are disconnected it made me sad. Not because I identify with many of the signs, but because I don't. There were a few, but for the most part I am me. That in and of itself is not easy. Even as a small child I was very self aware, independent and willful. I spoke up and spoke my mind and I learned in many ways all the lessons that you mention in the beginning of the article. How much people don't like it and will try to stamp it out and get you to stop being your authentic self and to conform to what suits the masses. Growing up was rocky for me because of this, so it makes me sad as I read through the article because I can identify with it too well and see myself as that little girl again. That square peg being forced to try and fit into a round hole. As my mother used to say walk with two feet in one shoe. I was never any good at being a fake. I have learned to be a bit more tactful and gracious as I have grown older, (ok maybe just a little bit more) but I was never any good at fitting myself neatly into someone else idea of what or who I should be, and at times that can be very isolating and lonely.

Feeling your headache pain. For some reason I also get that bit of a headache on the days I have my fills done. I don't know if it's because I break my normal routine and shift from solids to liquids for a few days or why that happens to me really... I love Kitt's suggestion, and that should help you feel less hungry. Hope it gets better for you as the day goes forward!!

Hi Interlish, So far your doing well. If your eating up to 1400 cal a day, cut that back a bit, and perhaps boost up the intensity of the work out your doing. Rather then walking 2x a day try to throw in some strength training or a different more dynamic aerobic work out like Zumba, or biking on a stationary or recumbent bike. Our bodies are great at adaptation so sometimes we need to shake things up and break it out of it's comfort zone. For me personally 1400 calories is way too much for the day. Dr. tells me to not go over 1200 even though I have a fast metabolism I'm too sedentary for it to apply. Let me know how it goes!!

There are some things like Soda and carbonated beverages that lots of doctors advise against after surgery. Also some people have issues with doughy products certain breads, pasta's and sometimes rice. I do not consume any carbonated beverages or soda's. I have had bread, Pasta and rice since being banded in very small well cooked portion and haven't had any problems. Mainly you want to be sure that the foods you do choose to eat are of high quality nutrition, but I have found very few things that I personally am unable to tolerate. Good luck as you continue to move forward!

I'm sorry you are having such a rough time. Congratulations on your little one!! My advice to you at this moment in time is to give your bariatric surgeon a call and have him check out what's going on with your band since all these events have transpired for you over the last year or so. Hopefully there isn't anything wrong and he can help either get it back on track if you want to start losing, and/or discuss some options with you to get you at least feeling better. Best of luck to you and please keep us posted.