lovecats85

Thanks guys - I feel better now. It was just a temporary low, I will cheer up now!

I know someone just posted that people should essentially quit thier bitching, but I don't care if I'm bitching b/c I have EARNED that right too! I have been at basically a 10-11 week plataeu, I'm eating under 1200 calories per day, I'm tracking my everything at fitday.com, I'm exersizing 20 minutes per day (I know I need to make it more but from someone who NEVER exersized pre-band I'm doing pretty damn good. Anyways, to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat. I am convinced those 250 calories an Isopure shake with skim milk is what is making me maintain. I'm thru with them! I will just eat meat everyday and hope that is enough protein. Now without that shake I can cut my calories by 250 per day.

Doctors Debate Safety of Obesity Surgeries By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer Mon Jan 2, 9:22 AM ET As more people abandon New Year's resolutions to lose weight and turn to obesity surgery, doctors are debating which type is safest and best. And researchers are uncovering some surprising trends. The most common method in the United States — gastric bypass, or stomach-stapling surgery — may be riskier than once thought. Yet surgeons still favor it for people who need to lose weight fast because of heart damage or other serious problems. A gentler approach favored in Europe and Australia — an adjustable stomach band — can give long-term results that are almost as good and with far fewer risks. It may be the best option for children or women contemplating pregnancy, and is reversible if problems develop. A radical operation — cutting away part of the stomach and rerouting the intestines — is increasingly being recommended for severely obese people. It gives maximum weight loss but also is the riskiest solution. A large U.S. government study just got under way to compare all three options. But regardless of which method is used, studies show an inescapable reality: No surgery gives lasting results unless people also change eating and exercising habits. "The body just has many ways of compensating, even after something as drastic as surgery," said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the weight loss program at Weill-Cornell Medical College. He is president of the Obesity Society, the largest group of specialists in bariatrics, as this field is known. The group's recent annual conference in Vancouver featured many studies on surgery's long-term effects. Obesity is a problem worldwide. About 31 percent of American adults — 61 million people — are considered obese, with a body-mass index of 30 or more. That's based on height and weight. Someone 5-foot-4 is obese at 175 pounds; 222 does it for a 6-footer. Federal guidelines say surgery shouldn't be considered unless someone has tried conventional ways to shed pounds and is at least 100 pounds over ideal weight, or has a BMI over 40, or a BMI over 35 plus a weight-related medical problem like diabetes or high blood pressure. More people are meeting those conditions. A decade ago, less than 10,000 such surgeries were done in the United States. That ballooned to 70,000 in 2002 and more than 170,000 in 2005, says the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Doctors disagree over which is better: the most popular method, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, or the adjustable band, which is rapidly gaining fans. Either can be done through a big incision, or laparoscopically with tiny instruments passed through small cuts in the abdomen. In gastric bypass, a small pouch is stapled off from the rest of the stomach and connected to the small intestine. People eat less because the pouch holds little food, and they absorb fewer calories because much of the intestine is bypassed. They must take Protein and Vitamin supplements to prevent deficiencies. The adjustable band has been available in the U.S. only since 2001 but far longer in Europe and Australia where it is dominant. It accounted for 17 percent of U.S. obesity procedures in 2005. A ring is placed over the top of the stomach and inflated with saline to tighten it and restrict how much food can enter and pass through the stomach. Deaths from the procedure are only 0.1 percent compared to about 2 percent for gastric bypass. One recent study of Medicare patients found deaths a year after gastric bypass as high as 3 to 5 percent. The band's reversibility makes it a better choice for children, some doctors say. "It's becoming more well-known and more accepted. Patients like it because it's less invasive. It's an easier surgical procedure. It's safer," said Georgeann Mallory, executive director of the bariatric society. "To me it is a very straightforward decision," said Dr. Paul O'Brien, director of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. "I would strongly recommend that the consumer consider the safest effective procedure first," which is the band, he said. American doctors have preferred bypass operations because they produce faster, greater weight loss. But new research by O'Brien and others calls that into question. Combining results on 23,638 patients in 43 published studies, they found that bypasses beat bands for the first three years but were comparable after seven years, with excess weight loss of 55 percent for bypass and 51 percent for bands. That impressed Dr. Edward Livingston, chief of gastrointestinal surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and chief of bariatric surgery for the Department of Veteran's Affairs national system. "I really was not enthusiastic about bands until I came to Dallas from Los Angeles and saw the results from the group that I joined, which where quite good," he confessed. "What you can accomplish in a year with a gastric bypass you can accomplish in five years with a laparoscopic band." Results would improve if Americans copied the Australians and included in the price of the band any future adjustments, Livingston said. "A key to the success of banding procedures is the followup and working with a patient on their compliance," he said. "When they come in and they've sort of fallen off the wagon, you adjust the band. It really has an amazing effect." Bands also appear safer for women attempting pregnancy. Several years ago in Massachusetts, a woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after gastric bypass surgery. Other pregnancy-related deaths have been reported. In contrast, another study O'Brien and colleagues presented at the obesity meeting found that pregnancy outcomes for women with stomach bands were comparable to normal-weight women, and better than for obese women without bands. Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, did a band operation in October for Long Islander Donna Dotzler, who weighed 279 pounds, but wants to do a more drastic surgery for her husband. "I gave up on New Year's resolutions maybe five years ago," said Jim Dotzler, who weighs 479 pounds. "I'm a smart guy. If this were a matter of willpower, I'd have taken care of this a long time ago." The operation Roslin has advised for him is BPD, which stands for biliopancreatic diversion, with or without a second procedure called a duodenal switch. Studies show it can cause loss of up to 80 percent of excess body weight for at least as long as 10 years afterward. Surgeons remove three-fourths of the stomach to leave a sleeve- or banana-shaped organ that is connected to the small intestine, bypassing more of it than a standard gastric bypass does. It can be done in two operations a year apart to reduce its severity and the chances of death, which can be as high as 5 percent. The "switch" preserves a valve that controls release of food into the intestines from the stomach. These operations account for nearly 5 percent of U.S. obesity surgeries and are growing. On the horizon are other approaches, like vagus nerve stimulation, to control impulses to eat, and new drugs like rimonabant, which blocks a pleasure center in the brain that makes people want to munch. "I see the future as combined therapy," with surgery, medication and other approaches used simultaneously, said Aronne, the obesity society president. "Time will tell what works out best."

Well, Dr Maese who did my fills said I should have a protein shake a day to make sure I was getting enough protein, am I have one in the morning b/c I am too tight to eat in the AM. But not anymore - I'm done with that. I eat alot of meat so I'm not worried. Also, I don't exersize enough and I should be measuring myself b/c my DH says my arms look smaller even though the scale hasnt moved. I guess I'll get a measuring tape. I know I am a slow loser and I've pretty much accepted that but I still feel the need to bitch and moan once a month or so and I'm glad you guys still listen to me!!! Thanks!

I had pains here and there for a month after banding - I think it was just healing. I wouldn't worry about a pain here and there at this early stage.

After I have kids I will for sure get a tummy tuck and boob lift.

dont worry - with your band you'll turn "overweight" and then "normal"

I hope you are at least taking viatamins. I think you need to adjust what you're doing, b/c basically you are anorexic and my freind who is anorexic has serious health problems. I hope you can get some help and maintain your weight loss while still eating and getting protein and nutrients.

Just call the doc - or any doc - that's what they are there for. Infections can take over your body. My dog had a stomach bug and 24 hours later she died in the emergency vet - bacteria can multiply faster than you can imagine - don't take any chances. Call your doc. Get better!

And also, I am healed and not even filled up very tight and bacon is hard as heck to eat - it's also loaded with fat which is hard to chew. Just stay away from bacon if possible. Meats and breads are probably the 2 things you will have to chew the most if you can even eat them at all after banding. Good luck - hope you feel better soon!

I think its WAY to early to eat bacon. Even if you surgeon says you can, I would still stay on mushies until at least 3-4 weeks out of surgery. You NEED TIME TO HEAL!!! I cannot stress that enough. Any kind of throwing up or PBing in the 1st few weeks could pop a stick and slip your band - your band needs to stay put to heal in the right place. Only eat 2-3 ounces at a time and stick with mush for goodness sakes! As far as your issue right now - I think your bacon isn't stuck - you already threw it up - I think you are experiecning post PB swelling, which is common after any PB and you are very sensative now b/c you just had your surgery. Stick with liquids for 24 hours and then 2 more day of mush and you should feel fine.

Honey, I think you probably have massive infection in your body.

I was reading that thread about how someone slipped a day after SX b/c they ate steak and it reminded me of this AWFUL story I heard. My mom's friend's friend had a RNY and the NIGHT after her surgery she ordered pizza to her hospital room, ate a bunch of it, it made a staple pop out, and the staple went thru her blood and into her heart and she died. I know that's a really awful story - but it's a good reminder for the newbies that you MUST give your body a chance to heal after surgery. You will be able to eat again, but stick to liquids and mushies like your doc says until you heal.

Glad you're back. Was there still infection in there that they could see? It's so hard to clear infection once it's in the body like that, and with all your port problems I'm not surprised at all that you ended up eroded. I'm sorry you had to go thru that. We'll all always be here to support you and your weight loss band or no band!

Reminds me of some book my mom read that I think was a true story about some Swedish settlers in America way back when and they made this pudding and I guess it had alot of cornstarch and what not in it and the little girl was missing and they found her dead in the basement b/c she had snuck all the pudding, ate it all, it expanded in her stomach and her stomach expoloded!

woooo hooo, I can't wait for that to happen to me - I mean I am married so I try to tell myself the wedding ring scares them off,,, not my fat haha. It will be great when someone besides the butcher at my local Kroger hits on me. I think he hits on EVERY woman that walks by!

hahaha, I am literally rolling on the floor right now! too funny. anyways, saggy or perky - i find men like them any which way,, and when they have a naked women the last thing they're thinking about is the scars. As far as the gallbladder - you dont have to say you had anything taken out - you could say it was "exploratory laproscopic surgery".

Im oppopsite - I cant eat breakfast, lunch is ok, and I'm wide open at night! My 1st few bites of the day are always hard. I'm also opposite from most women on here who are locked down when they have thier periods - my period opended my band like a floodgate (it sucked that it was so open over Xmas week when there was all this crap to eat around all the time)

I'm only 26 and all the docs I've talked to including my PCP ever said about me having band surgery at my age was that its good to see someone getting a grip on the problem now instead of dying early and being fat by whole life. I say go for it if you've read everything on this wesbite, done research, and believe the band is for you.

Ok, I am revising the Mexico v US problems poll so we can evaluate people who have been banded for 2 years or more.

plus, I always ask my hubby if the scars bother him and he says guys dont think about that when you are naked - they are looking a little bit further up at your you know whats!

any type of laproscopuc surgery leaves the same scars basically, so just say you had some laproscopy and leaveit at that!

I have no idea what her pre-op was but I asked my mom for more details and apparently she had a friend sneak the pizza in for her - that friend must feel pretty darn bad!!!

Once again, my doc and many others do not require a physch eval so you could pick a doc like that and you won't have to have one at all.

I have discovered a great way to get extra calcium! I am scared those Viactin chews will get gunked up in my band b/c they are so chewy. Now some place makes these chocolates called Adora Calcium chocolates and they have dark chocolate (which they sayd one peice of dark chocolate a day is good for you b/c of the antioxidants). Anyways, just passing along info on a great find!