Cocoabean

I am with the others on the port placement. Mine is also at waist level, and even after 4 years it can bother me with some pants. Also, ask about post-op long-term diet. I read here how "everyone" drinks Protein shakes, so I went out and bought tons of the stuff only to be told my surgeon that I am NOT to drink them. He wants no liquid calories, period (after the immediate post-op period, and exluding right after fills that is). All my calories are to come from solid, nutritionally dense sources. So, I kept them around for just in case times until they expired then tossed them. Now I still keep some around for after stuck episodes, or if I am just too lazy to eat (yes, I said too lazy to eat!! Imagine that!).

Being full, stuck, and a PB are three different things. PB or productive burp is just that, you burp and something comes up with it. Like when a baby spits up milk. Totally out of no where for me, just burp and surprise! Eating too much and being uncomfortably full is not stuck. You ate too much. It hurts, but you can swallow your spit, things go down. Stuck is a rock in your chest. Most times you cannot swallow your own spit. The pain is intense. Walking can help relieve it somewhat, but not entirely. Your body might expel the offending item, or it might work for several hours to make it go down.

When you put solid/mushy foods into the pouch it causes the pouch to grind. liquids do not cause this grinding. Doctors have us on liquids because they do not want that grinding to occur and pull the stitches they've used to anchor the band into place. Each doctor has his/her own opinion as to how long to let those stitches heal before allowing the stomach to grind. I was told I'd be in big trouble if I needed a re-operation because I pulled my stitches due to eating. (What the definition of trouble was, I don't know, but I did not want to find out). I was three days post-op when I was so hungry I wanted to eat my dog. My surgeon called to check on my that evening. I told him my dog was lucky he could move faster than I, otherwise I might have broken my post-op 7 day clear liquid diet. He said that since I was doing so well and was so hungry, I could move on to a full liquid diet.

Wow, that is EXTREME, you poor thing. No band to help you through. Just try to keep focused on the surgery. You are doing this to have the safest surgery possible. It is what your surgeon believes gives his patient the healthiest surgical experience possible. Can you have any clear juices to break things up at all? Some apple or white grape would go a long way to help out. I think I'd be doing as much sleeping as possible.

My losses were never steady. That was the only thing i could count on. But if you stick to your rules and keep creating that calorie deficit, the losses will show in time. Our bodies let go of the weight when they are darned good and ready, not before. For me, I just had to accept that it would be in increments when my body felt like letting go, not steady week-to-week losses. But this is all about the war, won by creating good habits. It isn't won by getting on the scale and showing a loss each time.

Having a hernia repair can certainly account for it, but please call your surgeon to check in about it. Chest pressure/pain is always scary to read. If it doesn't feel right, call your doc, it is what we pay them for.

Well, CONGRATS on regular sizes!! Yay! I fondly remember that day. Reality bites sometimes, doesn't it? I don't wear anything shorter than capris. But my weight was spread all over, so my thighs and upper arms deflated like balloons. I don't wear tank tops either. The running joke in my house is that if my DH makes me mad I will use my bat wings like a whip and he won't know what hit him from across the room!

See??? Wonderful! Long-term success comes from developing habits that are good choices MOST of the time. There will be setbacks, bad choices, and purposeful "vacations" from your program. When the good decisions out last the bad decisions, weight loss follows. When the band is working with you, the good decisions are easier for you to make. Well done!

The latest study I read says 22.8% of bands are removed by 10 years. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22219011 It does not address the reasons why the bands were removed. (I have other issues with the way this study is worded, but the band removal rate is valid IMO). Each of the procedures requires Vitamin supplementation. I take regular multi-Vitamins and have my vitamin levels checked yearly. I came up Vitamin D deficient, so I take extra of that. VSG should be similar in nutrient absorption to banding as there is no mal-absorption with that procedure. Gastric bypass requires prescription level supplementation. This is a tough decision, I know.

Awesome! Congratulations! Cunner, I remember when you were going through the appeal process! Congrats on your successes!

None of the procedures is 100% successful or complication free. Lap Band has the least severe complications, but it also offers the lowest amount of excess weight loss. That doesn't mean you won't be able to lose 100% of your excess weight. As was suggest previous, see another surgeon and get other opinions. Do boodles of research. Read here and on sleeve forums. Learn as much as you can. When I was banded, the sleeve was not available. So, not sure what I would have done. If you are self-pay, consider that with a band, you have lots of after-care to pay for. Fills don't come cheap. The sleeve is set it and forget it, as long as you don't have complications.

It appears you'll have to convince the surgeon that you've dieted in the past. I don't see any mention of length of time you must have been obese, either. You'll need a pre-op psych exam, that is pretty standard. The exam itself varies by doctor. And depending on your BMI you might need a co-morbidity. It seems pretty straight forward, actually. :-)

Sorry, my "My Content" hasn't been working. Yes, I can drink beer. My surgeon says if carbonation bothers you, don't do it, otherwise in his opinion the digestive system is not a closed system. The gasses escape in the form of hiccups, burps or the other end. He feels we'd be in great amounts of pain before damage would be done to our pouches. Soda almost always gives me the hiccups, and I just don't have the taste for it these days. Beer on the other hand, I enjoy. Sometimes it will give me the hiccups, but for me, it is worth the risk as it is rare, and I love it so. I do keep the calories in mind.

Hey Sonnymom, I am a February Bandster, but from 4 years ago. I sort of poked my head into y'all's thread. :-) Hope you don't mind. Feb 15 will be my 4th Bandiversary. I am doing great. No complications at all. Normal BMI! Woot!!

It is, indeed! Thank you!

That's awesome that you won the battle at the store!! I'd be very distressed, too, in your situation. Hang on by your toes until you get refilled. A slip is nothing to mess with, so let it get fully healed. Best wishes in your recovery!

You can call them or look online to find out what their requirements are. Each BCBS seems to be a bit different. Plus they change each year, so you never can tell for sure.

This is a journey of a thousand miles. Don't let a hiccup throw you off course. Stay with your bandster eating rules. Get back to the gym when you can. Over the course of the long run, the losses will come. A 4 pound gain, I mean a TRUE gain would mean that consumed an excess of 14,000 calories. Do you really think that happened in the time since you were last on a scale? I sort of doubt it. Menopause sucks, doesn't it? Get back on the horse. You'll be OK. Did I put enough cliches in there?

Being successful (and by your ticker, you are!) means that by your habits you are making better choices MOST of the time. That is what it is all about! Life isn't worth living if we can't sit back and enjoy it once in a while. I say well done! Just don't let old habits sneak back in ALL the time!

This problem is indeed fixed..thanks...but once again, the "My Content" is not working from my control panel.

You can order it from amazon.com

I haven't been getting notifications of responses to threads, and my content disappeared...did you get a fill? Many of us are tight in the mornings. I sip my coffee on the way to work in the morning and eat a little bit a couple hours later. I start work at 6:30 am. I eat lunch around 11, that is generally my largest meal. I get home around 4, have a snack, then dinner around 6. Sometimes I get hungry between meals. If I am truly hungry, I'll eat. Sometimes, I have to fight it off, realizing it is not physical hunger. For me, one of my tests is that I ask myself if I would eat green Beans right now. If the answer is yes, then I am most likely physically hungry. If the answer is no, then it is probably head hunger.

I am in San Diego, 4 years post-op, but can relate to being banded! :-)

How are you doing with food? Eating and drinking should not be painful. I can consume large mouthfuls of water without pain. That might not be the case for everyone, but you should at least be able to sip pain free.