webkat

I was banded over a year ago. I've had illnesses, a move, a complete unfill and various good excuses but ultimately if I'm honest I have chosen to gradually cheat here and there, eat around my band and never started an exercise routine. I was hoping to maybe find a buddy who is also struggling. We can hold each other accountable and get back on track.

I'm so sorry to hear that! You have a great attitude about it though. And good job getting to the gym today! I'm struggling today. It's just a generally bad day and taking care of my diet and good habits it the first thing to go. I don't want to exercise and have been putting it off all day long. I'm going to go down and get on the treadmill right now and get it over with. Wishing you all sweet dreams.

Day 6! exercise - check fitday - check post - check I'm thinking of you, Tabithan, and sending thoughts of encouragement.

I've actually had a good weekend so far. I'm on day 5 of keeping my goals. Woo hooo! That's day 2, oops 2. I'm not letting you off the hook! You don't need to overdo to make up for what you missed but you do need to exercise at the next available time. It your gym open now? So, what kind of exercise are you going to do and when are you going to do it? Sometimes the Biggest Loser is encouraging to watch. They show it can be done.

I totally relate to the heading of this post and love it. Honestly, I have failed my band, past tense mind you. For me it is a shot of honest confession. I willingly, knowingly did not follow the bandster rules and was cheating around my band. You can't change what you don't acknowledge. I'm now back on track and doing good. I enjoy coming to this thread for support because there are other bandsters who understand and can relate. I don't relate to the mass of people that were banded the same month as me and have lost over 100lbs and reached their goals. Thank god weight loss is an ongoing venture! So true. Thank god the band is for life, otherwise it would have just been another diet fallen by the wayside. I appreciate your input and encouragement. This really is a good thread for those of us who need it.

Hi, all! Here's my quick daily post. Exercised this morning, 7 min on treadmill - check Journaled all food at fitday - check Daily post here - check I hope everyone had a good day. Kathy

I'm so glad you asked!!! I went straight to the treadmill last night after my post. I already did the treadmill this morning, even went an extra minute. I have to admit that my muscles ache a little more than usual but I feel good inside and it gets easier each time. I'm going to have a good exercise habit in place by the end of this month! Yippee for me :ohmy: I have also been using the exercise ball a little while I watch TV at night. Though I have to be careful not to over do it. I have done that in the past-- it kinda sneaks up on you. I'm only journaling my foods this month but am not specifically menu planning and calorie counting. Though the journaling helps a lot and makes me mindful of my choices. Even with my eggnog latte snafoo on Tuesday I was under 2000 cal for the day. Yesterday was 1610 cal. Today I'm at 321 so far. Not too bad.

Hmmm... You were on vacation. Did you fly? Or were you at a higher elevation in NYC than where you live? Most people get a small unfill before going on vacation because changes in cabin pressure or elevation can cause more pressure on the band. If the stoma is irritated due to extra restriction or sudden changes in restriction it can swell. When you PB it causes even more swelling and it creates a vicious cycle. The only thing they can do is unfill, let you heal and start again. For me I was too full and PBed on a piece of chicken I didn't chew well enough. It started the swelling cycle and I had to get an unfill. It sounds like yours may have been due to holiday travel or maybe holiday stress/excitement? Kathy

Oh, I hope not! There is also the possibility that he missed your port entirely and didn't get the saline in the port at all. Even the trained nurses that do fills all day long under fluoroscope have problems getting the needle all the way in and in the right spot. I'm hoping for the best possible news. Please keep us posted.

The five day pouch test is a five day eating plan that lets your stomach shrink back to it's natural size and then tells you if you have enough restriction and how big your pouch is. The plan here: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test There's really three possibilities why you have no restriction. 1. You've stretched your pouch and are eating foods that get through the band. 2. They never got the saline into the port. 3. There is something wrong with your band. I hope your Dr is at least using the official lap band needle. They are expensive, something like $15-$20 each, so some Drs opt for the cheap $0.30 needle. But there is a difference. Regular needles have a hole at the end and can core a small section of the port out, allowing leakage. The official lap band needle has a hole on the side so that it splits the port but doesn't core it. Are you by chance in the Seattle area? My Dr's office is awesome. If you have a lap band you can find specialized Drs here: Lapband.com - LAP-BAND® System - Find Certified Surgeons in Your Area Congratulations! Getting my band was the best thing I ever did. I just wish I would have rearranged my life a little more around it. It's kind of like the Biggest Looser. They spend months away from their family and are dropped into a situation where they have to super focus on their weight issues. The lap band does that for about a month after surgery. Much like going home after the Biggest Looser, after that month you have to figure out how to cope with the stresses of regular life again and not fall back into bad habits. Wishing you the best! Welcome! Congratulations on your 54lb loss, even if it was accidental that's cool. Imagine how well you'll do when you get back on track! Our stories are so similar. I too have had issues with fills and even had an unfill because I couldn't swallow my own saliva. It stinks but it's just a small set back and shouldn't prevent us from still doing the bandster lifestyle. So, are you ready to recommit to your band? What are your specific goals? Kathy

Really? Why are we not supposed to take naproxin? My main Dr and surgeon said it was OK, but I'd love to hear what you've heard. I practically live on it and have for years. On bad days I take two every 4 hours. On a regular day I take two in the morning to prevent pain and two before bed. I use a pill crusher and gulp them down with Water. It tastes awful and irritates my stomach for a few minutes but it passes pretty quickly. I wish they made it in liquid.

Good job on the work out! I had a good day. I did my exercise last night as promised and will do it again tonight as soon as I get off here. I feel pretty good about that. I tracked all my calories yesterday and today at fitday.com. I posted here. All three daily goals done. Something that has helped me in the past with eating out and events is to plan ahead what I will have. A lot of restaurants have their menus online which makes it super easy to plan ahead. Heading for my exercise. See you tomorrow. Kathy

Hi, skhopp! I'm glad you got a new Dr. You should have a Dr you can trust and feel good about. It's always best when you take control of your own health care and not just settle. Personally, I highly recommend getting a fill under fluoroscope with the special lap band needle. (I have a post on my blog with a picture: Watch Me Shrink ) It does seem odd that you have no restriction, especially if the put 4.25cc in your 4cc band. I would hate to speculate as to what problems you may have, but I think it's a pretty good guess that something is wrong. Something you can do on your own, while you are getting Dr stuff straightened out, is the 5 day pouch test: Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test Please keep us posted. Wishing you the best. Kathy

Good job!!! Congratulations!:tt1:

Thank you! I have probably a normal appetite. I don't have quite enough restriction yet-- close but not quite. I am going in for another fill next week. I have a fitday account too. It's been so long since I logged in that they have made a lot of changes to it. LOL Working out every day to me is the goal of getting on the treadmill for 5 minutes (to start). I have pain before I ever get on it. So, it's a real struggle just to talk myself into doing that much. The most important thing I want to accomplish is to create the habit. I was at work for 10 hours today, plus a commute, but I WILL go down and get on the treadmill as soon as I'm done with this post. I know from experience that posting and being held accountable by my fellow bandsters here helps me A LOT. For example I probably would have skipped my work out because it's been a rough day. But writing about it here makes me say "Hey, I can go put in just 5 min and get it over with". I thought I was doing good on my food today but when I logged my foods I found out some horrible news. The very delicious 20 oz butter rum eggnog latte that was packed with 24 grams of Protein was also packed with a whopping 849 calories and 47 grams of fat!!!! Holy crap!!! :tt1: I had no idea it was that bad. That's why journaling every bite is so good for me. I won't do that again. I'm right there with you. 1 cup uncooked rice was 2 meals tops for me. Now if I eat rice I get too stuffed and can't eat much my meat. When I eat the right foods, with no liquids, small portions can last for a long time. Even liquids last longer than they used to. Yeah for the band!:whistle:

Hi! Fellow struggler here. I was banded Aug 07, lost 40 lbs at my best point and gained back 20 lbs after an emergency unfill. I know I have been slacking off, eating through my band and not exercising. I am determined to get back on track. My goals for December are simple: 1. Track every bite of food I eat. 2. Exercise every day. 3. Post here every day. Well, it seems simple enough. Now, if I just do it every day for the month of December it will create great habits.:angry_smile:

I was losing slowly but steady for the first year and the Dr was OK with it because I had a few minor complications along the way. I have 200lbs to lose, was down 40lbs to 307 at my lowest. In July I had to have an unfill because I had swelling and couldn't swallow my saliva. (I don't ever want to relive that experience.) The time between the unfill and the refills to get my restriction back up I gained nearly 20lbs. My Dr is no longer OK with my progress and neither am I. I have fallen into bad habits and need to get back on track. I was doing so good after surgery, but now I'm way off track. The biggest thing is exercise. I hurt all the time anyway-- knots in my shoulders and headaches. Any exercise makes me hurt more. I need to just do it anyway and be happy with 5 min on the treadmill to start. You are so close to goal. That must be hard. Being so close and not slipping into old habits must be a whole new problem, or the same old one revisited. The band truly is just a tool, huh? So, what kinds of things helped you lose as much as you have and stay on track?

I called my insurance, Healthnet, and they said it is a plan exclusion. They don't cover Lap Band at all. (Lap Band says they are a Lap Band friendly company) The guy even supposedly asked a suppervisor to make sure. Should I just take his word for it? What do I do next? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I change insurance? ~Kathy

Hi, Gary. I have a possibly odd question for you.... Which insurance companies do you deal with the LEAST? lol! I am going to switch insurance companies (we own our own business) and I'm trying to find out which Oregon insurance companies are the most Lap Band friendly. ~Kathy

Sorry for the typos. I thought it was most important to correct that I'm 346, not 446. LOL! I lost 100 lbs in one re-post. Nice!

Thank you to everyone that has answered my questions and been so friendly! I thought I should take a moment to tell my story-- it sounds a lot like many of yours. I grew up in So. California, where everyone was so obsessed with weight (think Chrissy on Three's Company). I grew up feeling fat. At 18 I was 127 lbs and too embarrassed to wear a swim suit (CRAZY!). I slowly added a few pounds every year and then put on 100 lbs with a pregnancy. I have tried and tried to loose weight, yo-yoing up and down with every diet I struggled through-- gaining back even more each time. I reached 330 lbs a little over a year ago and finally discovered I was a big as I have always felt. My latest yo-yo was I started Dr. Oz's "You on a Diet" and lost 10 lbs over the holidays, which brought me back down to 330. I thought this time I had it! I even got up enough nerve to go to Water aerobics, even though I had to wear shorts because I couldn't find a suit to fit me. Then my clothes started to feel tight again. I went in to the Dr and sure enough, I gained 15 lbs. I'm at my heaviest ever: 446 lbs! My story is getting too long winded, so let me wrap up by saying... I reached out one last time and think I've finally found the tool that will give me that major push I need. I'm so glad I found out about the Lap Band and that I found this message board! I don't want to die! I'm in this for the long haul! ~Kathy

I'll get it one way or another! I saw your sig tag earlier, looked up your Dr's website and emailed. I live in Newberg, so it's not too far away. It sounds like you're very happy with your band. How long have you had it?

Hi! I live between Salem and Portland and am VERY EXCITED about getting the Lap band! I'm so glad I found this group! I am so frustrated with our health insurance, Health Net. the Lap Band site says they are a LB friendly company, but they must not be talking about Health Net of Oregon! They say it is a medical exclusion. I plan to switch insurance companies and could really use some tips on what has worked for other OREGONIANS. I am currently looking at Kaiser, BC/BS and getting a SSI disability approval so I can get Medicare (the toughest option). Looking forward to getting to know you all better. ~Kathy

Vicki, what Kaiser plan do you have? Silver, Gold Platnum? With Rx or HSA option? Thank you for your post! ~Kathy

I called my insurance, Healthnet, and they said it is a plan exclusion. They don't cover Lap Band at all. The guy even supposedly asked a suppervisor to make sure. Should I just take his word for it? What do I do next? Has anyone else had this problem? Should I change insurance? ~Kathy