DreamTheaterFan

Hi, I'm new here. Banded 11/8/07. I had the same problem. I thought I was having "spasms". It did get better when I was able to advance my diet to full liquids like an atkins shake. I did meet someone recently in the office that said she had the same thing and she said she had to go back to the office and get her fluid out of her band taken out. I don't know if she said it had just accumulated there or they did fill it. I would call your doctor and talk to them with your symptoms and see what they suggest.

Embarrassingly - I have this exact same fissure problem (I was banded May 2007). From the transition to food after surgery, I got a fissure too. Took 2 months to diagnose by several clinics and finally my primary doctor, and then I had topical Rx treatment to help. It did, but every 2 - 4 weeks it gets re-aggravated. Not as severe as originally, but enough that I keep using the Rx lidocaine (sp?) to numb it. I'm contemplating the same procedure you mentioned, but I haven't pulled the trigger because it's only a minor inconvenience twice a month right now. Not nearly as bad as when it first started. But it seems like it never fully heals or goes away - hence my consideration for surgery like you're doing. Fiber One bars keep me regular. I take CVS brand stool softeners. But I have a hard time swallowing them depending on my tightness and time of day (won't go down, or gives me heartburn). And with this type of problem, it just takes ONE bad episode and the whole cycle starts all over. But I'm VERY interested in how you procedures goes (or went, if you've already had it). Please post how it goes or private email me - just post a note here and I'll give you my private email. Thanks for any insight. I haven't found ANYBODY that has this same problem as me or willing to admit it.

Well, I've jogged 2 miles in each of the last 2 days, and big surprise - the scale is moving again. Lost 3 lbs alone in those 2 days. It's not a scientific study since it can fluctuate and it's only been 2 days, but there you go - cardio helps. Duh. What's crazy to me is I burned the same calories for that run as I would've for the same 2 mile walk (I think?) that I do daily anyway - but I guess not all calories are created equal. Getting the heartrate up must make your body react differently and search for or use energy differently. So that's encouraging anyway. I'm going to do some bike-spin today at lunch instead because I'll get bored with running quickly - need to mix it up. But getting the heartrate up has helped already, if you look at the results after being at a plateau for awhile.

What's an example? Like you normally did one thing (walking) then did something else (aerobics or biking)? I've done no real cardio to this point, so I'm injecting that into the mix now. I just wonder if I'm going to be locked into jogging 4X a week if I find jogging starts my weight loss again. Not that I can't jog 4X a week - just wondering if your change that you mentioned was just something temporary to shock your body, or if it was indeed a gradual "ramp up" of activity that stayed with you, cumulatively having to do more and more as the weight was harder to drop. LIke walking, turned to running, turned into more aerobics or jogging/biking - and then farther/longer. Thanks for your advice.

I was banded in late-May 2007, and the weight melted off. Lost about 75 lbs by October. I walked (and still do) everyday, but aside from that, not much effort. I let the band do the work, and it did. I hit a plateau at that point. I gave it 1 - 2 weeks without worrying. Then 3. Then 5. Finally around 6 or 7 weeks, I got discouraged - and snuck some Snacks into the mix at night. Strangely, I didn't really gain, or if I did, it was very little. I would hover around a "setpoint" weight, and fluctuate 2 - 3 lbs higher or lower from that. It was like my body was "set" for this weight, and it wouldn't move. Despite being "good" or "bad." My interpretation subjectively - not a medical or scientific claim. I just got a fill in January, and feel much tighter. That was encouraging. I proceeded to lose about 8 - 10 lbs in those first 2 - 3 days because I was on liquids. Now, a week later - I'm holding steady with that weight - and I'm eating very little (about 1/2 cup like expected, good quality food). So it might be too soon to officially say I've plateau'd again, but I'm worried that I'm a little lower and THAT will hold for several more months. Has anyone else hit a plateau for MANY months and eventually had it break without doing something drastic? Or what has anyone done? My next option is to start jogging to get some cardio and burn more calories than my 45 minute daily walk. But I hate running and I'm not sure what kind of quality of life I'm going to have knowing I have to jog 10 miles a week. If I could've done that already, I wouldn't have needed the surgery. I need to break out of this plateau - and I'm hoping it will happen naturally. Like my body will adjust. I'm worried that this is my "final weight" and I'm locked in. Which is better than pre-surgery, but still 40 lbs more than my ideal goal. Any advice or experience about slowing or stopping weight loss would be appreciated.

Cool - Thanks!

Hey y'all, another East Tennessean here. I live in Knoxville. I was banded in Chattanooga on 5/24/07. Everything was great with the surgery and everything has been great since then. I'm a pretty private person in general, but the irony of my office visit last month was I met someone in the waiting room as we casually compared our progress and experiences, thanks to her starting the conversation. She was several months ahead of me and it was great to hear her talk about stages in the process that I would be encountering - like band fills, food tolerance, etc. I then realized that maybe a support group with actual people would be beneficial despite my normal private "I can do it myself" attitude. So if anyone does know of a Knoxville support group, I'd be interested. Until then, I'll keep reading the LBT forum board.