giveyouthemoon

You are too tight. There is no benefit of being too tight. It will drive you to eat things that you can get through the band which are NOT going to help you lose. Remember, the band is made to hold food in the pouch for a couple hours, thus keeping you from being hungry. If you are drinking all you eat, you are defeating all the reasons you got the band. Get an unfill. Take it from my experience!!! Being too tight is miserable and no, it won't loosen up in a couple days.

My band doctor's philosophy on fills...."better to be a bit too loose and able to eat too many bites of chicken breast than too tight and eating milkshakes"

Get an unfill!

Oh, and being too tight is the #1 reason for slips.

In-n-Out cheeseburger, Protein style. Can't finish the whole thing.....

Shoot, you can do this. Just say you are on a diet and trying really hard to eat less! They will ALL be jealous!

Just act confident. If you act like something's up, they'll sniff it out. If you just shrug and say "hey, I'm trying to get a couple pounds off" you'll be ok.

I'll advise you tho...when you are having one of those get togethers...remind yourself to CHEW and chew and chew. I get to talking and that's the surest way to get stuck...and hiding a pb is a hard thing to do.

Have fun!

I've kept my surgery a secret quite successfully! You can do it too!!

I think the only reason your doc recommended the children's chewable is just to get Vitamins down without getting stuck. It wasn't about the relative merits. Any Vitamin that works, goes through the band, is all good.

Enjoy!

Beautiful work! I also cross stitch and know how much time and patience something like that takes. It's just wonderful and what a great present.

Lisa...I'm sorry for your loss. I know Voodoo was very special to you. It's hard to lose a friend. :scalesno:

lol! Great post Koala!!! I read it aloud to my bf and we both laughed.

I'm much impressed that you can run....I had to do more of an ass clenched two step shuffle. I was afraid I'd blow on the way and running would rattle it out. Let's just say, I soiled more than a few pairs of undergarments.

I guess all I can say is....yup, yer normal.

Congrats on being banded!!!! It gets better....I promise!

What I was told by my doc when this happens is.....if it's bright red blood, then likely you busted a vein in your throat or esophagus when you PB'd and that will resolve itself with fluids for several days. If the blood is dark red or brown, get thee to the doctor IMMEDIATELY!!!

Well damnitalltohell! If it wasn't illegal I'd get a script and give it to you! Pesky laws!!!

Hang in there. I use Hoodia from time to time and have been using it lately with this dilation. Get it at a health food store. It helps me some, not always but it's something.

babsintx, just for reference, I was diagnosed with mild dilation, don't have to do liquids, just tiny, tiny amounts of food and my surgeon was practically trying to shove a prescription into my hand.....It must be something about your doctor in particular. Perhaps by saying "I know other band doctors (see my siggy line for specifics) who have no qualms in this situation"

Just my .02

Carlene - mine is a similar one...

This from my primary care physician no less...

"So you lost 100lbs in a year and your health is great. Surely by now you've figured out how to eat, so you'll have it taken out, right?"

I was like "um....my plan is to keep it forever"

And then from a RNY patient at the "support" group meeting. "Oh..." < sad face > "it's too bad you didn't get the permanent solution" < I feel sorry for you face >

I just laughed.

First off, big huge congratulations for being open and honest with yourself. What you have here, those kind of eating patterns, is less about food and more about control. There's something going on in that noggin that only a trained therapist can help you figure out. Congrats on seeing your pathway and I wish you much love and luck on the path.

With the grace of God and a good therapist, I was able to kick pretty severe bulimia, so I know a little bit about those urges that cause you to eat and eat for no real good reason.

*hugs*

I had a lump under my scar for my port for the longest time. It was nothing, just tissue from surgery. It finally went away. I thought at first it was my port but it wasn't. My surgeon says that a knot of tissue like that over the port but under the skin isn't unusual.

To be safe, probably should check with your doc. Especially if it is red or feels hot to the touch.

If it makes you feel ANY better...for my first fill...my surgeon, who does this ALL the time...had to stick me...get this, SEVEN times. I could count the red dots on my stomach. He couldn't hit the port and then the needle wasn't long enough. It was ALL I could do to keep from crying.

I TOTALLY know where you are at right now. Big hugs!!!

This was my therapist's number one question too. She says that people who have addictive personalities don't just stop being addictive. They find something else.

So this issue...what to replace food with...is a BIG one. I haven't figured it out yet...here a year post banding. Nothing gives me the comfort that food does. For a while after banding I had a near scary shopping addiction but I got that back under control. I think for a while after the band I was addicted to the control I had...the fitday.com calorie and carb counting frenzy. That has worn off. So I'm left with lots of question marks.

My therapist advises it be something that 1) keeps your hands busy and makes you occupied (knitting, sewing, for me cross stitch) 2) something that you'll feel a sense of accomplishment about (learning to play an instrument, painting, etc)

Luck all! This is a tough one for me personally.

My surgeon's advice? "Don't even look at the menu...just stick to the appetizers". Like others I usually have an appetizer, a Soup or salad or I split a meal with my boyfriend. It's good for your dining out partner to be on board with the whole thing so they can help you make good choices. My bf has often come up with good ideas that I didn't think of but that worked great.

Good luck! Hey, think like this about your surgery date....it's a day of much prayers and so there is much love and compassion everywhere. Let's not think about sadness but about the beautiful lives those people lived. I think it's a beautiful day to have surgery. It is a day of life changing events. You now make is a beautiful and positive life changing event!

Whoa. I mean....whoa. THAT is amazing progress. You so utterly and completely ROOOOOOCK!!! Go you!!!! :confused: I'm proud of you. Don't forget to be proud of yourself too!

I'm with Vera...we just had that mess...sorry to send it your way! Uh...here in the Bay Area...many folks don't have A/C...even many stores don't. I know from stupid hot!! I don't have A/C at home so I actually stayed later at work! You can *rarely* get me to do THAT.

Stay cool ya'll. Remember, drink your Water and stay hydrated!!!!!

http://www.protica.com/

Heard about this from my Dr. It's 25 grams of Protein in only a couple swallows of a drink. Has a very, very mild taste. Quick way to add in Protein fast. You can order from that website. They have good quick delivery.

*hiccup*, *burp*, *all better*.

Also known as....how does a bandster spell ultimate RELIEF!!! LOL. Only a bandster can understand how that sequence is the closest thing to heaven!!!

:clap2:

Not a great photo...a scan of a not very good photo....but there you have it. And like others have said here....I felt pretty porky back then. The weight I was then is my goal weight now.

Forty lbs to go.....

But as others have said...I'll never look that young again.

The problem is...I look at that photo...and I see a sick girl. That girl was in the throes of rampant bulimia. So I guess I'd rather be fat and healthy than sick like that again......

According to my dr...if you start having reflux (where you didn't before) and/or you find you cannot eat, then you are likely to have a slip.

Also...if you suddenly feel like you've lost ALL restriction, usually accompanies by reflux, then that's also a sign.

I think probably you might have tugged at your stitches at your port, but things are fine. Just go easy for a couple days.

Sometimes I just get general hiccups...when not eating. They still hurt. I've always been pretty prone to hiccups anyway.

But often when eating, I'll get 'em, and they are DEEP hiccups. THAT tells me something is not right and my diaphram is trying to dislodge it. Yup, sure sign to put the fork down and wait things out to see how they resolve.

I'm confused a little. You said that you didn't have any restriction, is that correct? And now the restriction is coming back?

Yeah, for me it was like one day I was PB'ing and the next day I could eat ANYTHING. That sudden loss of restriction is a prime symptom of a slip so I was FREAKED OUT. Thus why I got the esophagram which led to the diagnosis of dilation of the esophagus and pouch. Not so bad that I need to be unfilled, but bad enough to be concerned.

I am having WAY too much restriction. My fill doc doesn't think it's a slip, but I have been thinking otherwise. I have not been able to eat solid food, and having pain when liquids or soft foods go through the band (or what I perceive as the band). I'm also having pain in my back, inside my left shoulder blade. I have to sleep on a heating pad at night most of the time now. I'm going in for some tests soon.

The easiest way to know for sure is to get an esophagram. Does your dr do fills under floro? Mine doesn't but others on here do and their dr has seen problems that way. Maybe you can ask your doc to look under floro?

It sounds to me like you are WAY too tight. Getting a bit of an unfill would be the easiest test. Being too tight like you are is a good way to get a slip that you don't want. Tell your fill doc what you told me, that you can't eat, it hurts, pain at night. I'll bet he'll want to do an unfill.

Remember my surgeon's motto about fills. It is better to be a bit too loose and able to eat a couple extra bites of something healthy than be too tight and be driven to bad behaviors, meaning eating things that will go down which usually aren't filling or healthy.

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

Also, my .02: So that may only add up to ~1700 calories or so...but there is something more insidious at work in that menu. It's heavy on simple carbs and sugar (fast food has a LOT of sugar). So what the carbs do is give you a NICE insulin spike. You feel refreshed, full of energy....then your blood sugar drops suddenly and you are tried, grumpy, hungry. Leading you to UP UP UP again with carbs...then crash crash crash down again....up up up.....crash crash crash. Even if you intend to only eat the ~1700 cals, you will find yourself hungry and miserable and looking for Snacks to eat.

Ungood. Unhappy bandster.

It was a good question tho! Keep 'em coming!!!!