Cocoabean

You had a lower starting BMI than many bandsters. I'd expect your weight loss rate to be on the lower end of average. You've lost 15 pound so far, that is actually great for 3 months! That is 1 1/4 pounds per week. Bandsters can expect 1-2 pounds per week AVERAGE loss. For you to be losing that right off, including your post-op healing phase is fantastic. If you are thirsty, you are not drinking enough. You should be drinking 3-4 liters a day. Thirst is the first symptom of dehydration. My average weight loss was 3/4 of a pound per week. I think you are doing fantastic.

Weesie, you being calm-ish about it will help him to be OK with it. My hubby gets more upset than I do. Mainly because he doesn't like to see me hurting. I keep the dramatics to a minimum during a stuck episode. It is kind of funny, he can often tell before I can that I am getting stuck. Something about the far away look in my eyes as I am evaluating. Follow your bandster rules. That will go a long way to minimizing problems. After a fill, go very easy for a while until you see what your new restriction level tolerates. There are lots of folks on LBT who have never had a stuck episode. I am not one of them. But I take it in stride. To me, it is a risk I run...sort of a cost of being healthier and thinner. I'll take the trade-off. The best defense for a stuck episode is that at the very first sign of discomfort you STOP EATING! Give it a few minutes. Once the pain is gone, then you can continue with your meal. If you keep piling food on top of a potential stuckage, that is a recipe for disaster. Yesterday, Hubs and I were having some chicken wings at a sports bar. I had taken a bite then went to say something to him. As I drew breath to speak and hunk of chicken slid down my throat unchewed...OH $H!T!!! I haven't had that happen in about a year and a half. Normally I pay very close attention when eating, even if in a big group of people, convo is second to what is in my mouth. So, that was my last bite for a few minutes until I determined the results of such a boneheaded maneuver. Turned out it must have been small enough and greasy enough to go through the stoma. But had it gotten stuck, I'd have slipped into the ladies room and taken care of it. It would have been over in minutes. I'd have been back to enjoying my day. A lot of it with our spouses is about our attitudes. He sees me take it in stride, and so does he.

Welcome! There is a pregnancy forum here at LBT. I believe most women get their bands unfilled while preggers to allow for more nutrition. Sometimes bands need to be replaced. You can search pubmed for studies on it. It is an implanted device, and something to be considered. Tell your surgeon you have worked with nutritionists in the past. I only had to do one consultation to be sure I understood how I should eat post-banding. As she is in my surgeon's office, it was part of an insurance-covered office visit with my surgeon. How much you will be able to eat will depend on your restriction level. I am in maintenance mode now. I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day. A meal for me is about 3 oz of solid Protein, 1/2 cup of veggies, and some starch. I do not eat low-carb. I still eat all the foods I used to with the exception of very soft doughy breads (they get stuck) and white meat chicken (also gets stuck). I still have my junk food treats. Just not as often, and not as much. If I cannot eat solid protein, my surgeon wants me to come in for an unfill. It is unacceptable to him for me to rely on Protein shakes and "slider" foods--foods that slide right on through the band. Those are foods like Soups, yogurt, and highly processed junk like chips, Cookies, ice cream, etc. Advice for the early stages...don't get caught up in Last Supper Syndrome. you WILL eat your favorites again. There is no need to gorge yourself on food like you will never eat it again. My diet is pretty "normal" now. Except when my stomach is irritated from a bad stuck episode, most people watching me would not know that I've had weight loss surgery. Don't stock up on boodles of protein shakes until you know that your surgeon wants you on them long-term. I bought a bunch of the stuff after reading on here how many people continue to use them after banding only to find out that my surgeon doesn't want me using them. He wants me eating my calories. I was only allowed them during the full liquid phase of post-op. This forum is a great place for support. My surgeon has support groups, but his are too late in the evening for me to attend as I start work early in the morning. I hang out here a lot and credit it with with my continued success. It helps me keep my head in the game. In real life I only know one other banded person. It's great to come here and be able to connect with peeps who "get it!"

I want to add, keep a sense of humor. It is miserable sometimes, but you get some good stories. When I get stuck my hubby usually just gives me space to do my thing. Once we were camping. Our motorhome doesn't have a lot of privacy. I was hanging over the sink (a favorite slime position) with the slime hanging from my mouth to the sink. It had little air bubbles about an inch apart running down the slime string. He passes by me and says, "oooh how pretty, a pearl necklace!" Snort! Slime everywhere! Also, a tip...if you are going to urp into a public toilet, put a seat protector into the toilet, it will stop the backsplash into your eye (yes, I've had it happen!) It was a lesson in humility for me. After comment to my hubby how I could not understand how people could get stuck on grilled fish...buhbam! Stuck...urp, splash into the eye!! Another tip about public toilets, beware of auto-flush. I got stuck at PF Chang's and was mid-urp and the darned thing flushed. I got a face shower!! And my jury duty story....well, that's one for another day!!!

A cheese stick or a yogurt should not constitute a meal. For me a meal is about 3 oz of solid Protein. Half a cup or so of veggies and some starch. Yogurt is a "slider" food, being not solid it slides right through the band and doesn't have much sustainability. When I was overfilled, I got stuck on mashed potatoes. I could barely get yogurt down. The last straw was when I got stuck on a cheese stick. Some people will remain too tight for fear that their weight loss will slow down or stop if they get unfilled. (Not talking about you here, Acadia!) So they stay too tight, struggling along, risking a slipped band or erosion for a few pounds. We SHOULD be able to eat!!! Getting a slight unfill does not mean you have failed. Asking for an unfill doesn't mean they will remove ALL the Fluid. It also doesn't mean you cannot go back and get filled again when you need it. A month after my slight unfill, all the swelling and irritation was gone. I went back in and got double the amount I had removed put in. That was a good level for about a year. Then I went back in for a little tweaking. The doctors cannot predict how we will react to a fill level. It is a guessing game. Too much is too much. Go back and get a bit taken out if needed.

My third fill took me to I think 5.5 CCs in a 10 CC AP-S band. We thought it was good, but turned out too tight for me. After a week of struggling, I went back and had 0.5 CC taken out. WONDERFUL is the word. After a month I was able to go back and get that half and another half (1.0 CC) put back in. A year later I had another 0.5 CC put in. Now I am somewhere around 6.5 CC in my band. The total CCs in your band doesn't really matter. What matters is the amount of restriction you have, and that you can eat and remain satisfied for a few-several hours.

Getting an unfill is not admitting defeat. It appears you are too tight. Not being able to eat solids is usually a sign of a too-tight band. Congrats on your loss so far! Keep up the good work. I had a slight unfill, I felt fabulous afterwards!

Hi Desertmom, glad you are feeling somewhat better, and have made some decisions in how you want to proceed. I do have a question for you. Is your band a 4cc band?

That's exactly how my losses went when I was actively losing. Don't fret!

I have caffeine. One or two cups a day. Some docs are OK with it, some aren't. Like most other band rules.

I say why torture yourself? I'd hope your doctor considered YOUR medical condition and his experience in whether or not he ordered a pre-op diet. There's nothing wrong with doing one, but the two weeks I was on it were a very miserable time in my life! But my doc did say my liver was very pretty!

I've not heard of anyone in the US getting insurance to cover at less than a BMI of 35. Your policy should state what it requires, or give them a call. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. With FDA approval down to a BMI of 30 now, insurance companies MIGHT follow suit. But it seems they are not wanting to cover people now who clearly meet their policies, so I don't know. Keep us posted! I wish you all the best.

My surgeon posted on his website that they aren't sure about carbonation. My take on it, the digestive tract is not a closed system, so it does have somewhere to go. I have it from time to time. It can give me the hiccups. Diet drinks can increase appetite due to the chemicals in them. Non-diet drinks have calories that need to be taken into account in your meal planning.

Found it! http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html I have no idea what Dr. Simpson's credentials are. But he speaks of the pouch emptying quickly and satiety coming from the upper part of the stomach.

Wow! That was quite a fill with a hernia repair! I am so glad to hear you are feeling better with the unfill. Thanks for the update.

That does sound odd! Well, I'd say if your BMI is 35 or over it shouldn't be a problem to at least have the consult covered. With a PPO you can generally self-refer to a specialist. Keep us posted!

Did you have a hiatal hernia repair at the time of banding? Sometimes that can cause extra trouble during post-op. Glad you made the call. Hopefully you had some fill at the time of surgery and they can take it out. Feel better soon!

Thanks Alien Bandit...my response was U. S. Based ... oopsie! Should have mentioned that! And not as thorough.

I have the no gum rule as well. My surgeon says you may have never swallowed a piece, but as soon as your are banded, you will! I've never been a big gum chewer anyway, so no biggie to me.

WLS, any procedure, is a WAY OUT, not an EASY way out. Why should I have to keep trying and trying over and over expecting a different result? Trying a new diet every other year for the past twenty years doesn't earn me the right to WLS? Please. It's amazing how some people think we just woke up one day and said, "oh, I am obese, I think I'll have surgery to magically lose weight!" I am very open about having had surgery. I educate people about it if they are interested. If they are way against it, I just say I made the best decision for me. It might not have been for them, but I am much healthier now than before. I don't go around advertising that I have a band, but people are going to ask what you are doing to lose the weight. I am just not one to say oh, diet and exercise. The person whom I asked how she was losing that told me she had gastric bypass that got me thinking about WLS was honest with me. (Wow, what a run-on sentence!) I didn't think she was heavy enough for WLS. Had she left off the surgery part, I may or may not have arrived at this part of my life journey, but I am thankful she told me.

While your motivation is high, go forth and be strong! Create the habits that will stay with you for the long journey to come. I didn't really have a lot of rules to follow. But I am with Reverie and Honk. During immediate post-op phase and after fills, I do what I am told exactly.

Lap-Band now makes 2 bands the AP-S is 10 CCs and the AP--L is 14 CCs max. Realize has 2 bands. The Realize is 9 CCs and the Realize-C is 11 CCs. The surgeon decides which size band based on your anatomy. Brand may or may not be up to you. My surgeon made the choice for me. As to how much fill you will need for proper restriction, everyone is different. Surgeons have different approach to how they go about first fills. Some are more aggressive than others. Some people here get adequate restriction without any fill, some take near the max their bands allow. It really isn't anything your or your surgeon can predict.

Are you HMO or PPO? I have BCBS HMO in CA. I asked my PCP for a referral. With that, I knew it was covered. It also covered the nutritionist. At first I was denied the referral by the medical group, but I was able to successfully appeal it.

Soft breads seem to stick together and re-form after swallowing even if you take very small bites. Then they lodge in the small hole between the pouch and the larger stomach. Not everyone has problems with it. I can eat bread, but not doughnuts, which I really don't need anyway. The official line for a stuck episode is to wait it out and if it goes on for "too long" whatever that may be, to call your surgeon for instruction. Either go in to the office or report to the ER for an unfill. Things to try...walking. It can sometimes help move things along. Chewable paypaya enzymes--available in the supplement section of your local store-- can help break down the food. Sips of pineapple juice--same as above. As a previous poster said, drinking Water. For me, I chug a few ounces, that will bring whatever it is up without retching. The least amount of retching you can do, the better for your band. You will find what works for you. Taking small bites helps a lot. Being very careful after fills until you learn what works and doesn't work. I always try to pause before I start to eat and remind myself that I am banded, and that I need to eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and take small bites. I am most likely to get stuck when I am very hungry and take too large of a bite, or when I am with a group of friends and paying more attention to the conversation than the food.

I agree with what Elcee said. I don't think there have been studies of how things truly work. I believe assumptions have been made, and now they are finding that the band doesn't work exactly as advertised. For me, I have had liquids with a meal and forgone them, either way the meal holds me about the same amount of time. I think surgeons have applied bypass rules to us without any real study/thought as to how different the two procedures are. With bypass, the pouch doesn't grind. They MUST chew their bites to absolute mush, then count on gravity to move things along. Our pouches grind, but we still need to chew the food to little pieces, or we run the risk of it getting stuck. For me, getting stuck is almost always immediate, which leads me to believe the pouch empties pretty quickly. Someone posted a link to an article by a bariatric surgeon that said the upper stomach has nerves that get stimulated when food passes over them. Having the stomach cinched by the band gives those nerves (or whatever it was) more stimulation with less food as the regular stomach would need to be FULL for food to hit that tissue if unbanded. As the food passes through the stoma, it stimulates that area over and over sending the brain the false signal that we are full with less food. Don't know if it is true, but it makes sense in my pea brain. I could be way off base, but these are my thoughts after living with my band for three years.