hope2bhealthy

I am banded and am 29 weeks pregnant. I am planning on giving birth naturally (no meds) and would really prefer to give birth at a birth center or at home rather than at the hospital. however, because I am banded, I don't know if this is feasible. My OB doesn't have any experience with bands, so he's not any help. I've emailed my band doctor, but I don't know if he will reply to me. What I'm wondering is if any of you who have had babies while banded have had any labor complications DUE TO THE BAND. I can't really imagine how the band might interfere with labor, but would like to know either way. If you read this and didn't have any band complications, and especially if you had a non-hospitalized birth, could you let me know that as well? Thanks

i heard back from my surgeon, and i've copied the meat of his email below. i figure someone else might someday have to same questions about labor after banding as i had. here is what he wrote to me... "Congrats on your pregnancy! The good news is that having a band does NOT increase your risk during your pregnancy OR during childbirth. It would certainly be fine to do a homebirth if you choose to do so. The baby will not come into contact with the band or the tubing so you don't have to worry about that. I guess if you were having problems with persistent vomiting then I would be concerned something was going on, but if you aren't having any of those issues then likely everything is fine with your band."

thanks for replying. my doc said the same thing when I asked him about pregnancy after lap band. i just wonder if "do great" and "have no related complications" are the same thing. because I'm considering a non-hospital birth, I just want to make absolutely sure that nothing is going to pop up.

I know that this thread has been going for so long that probably few people read it anymore, but seeing as I'm one of the 3 people who polled as "looser" I figured I'd post something anyway. I was pretty tight before I got pregnant and had just had another fill a week or two before I conceived. For whatever reason, I have felt looser during my entire pregnancy, and I'm 29 weeks now. I eat whatever I want, don't chew well, etc. I have enough restriction that I don't eat like a cow, but I can still finish off a normal unbanded person sized meal, and some days I can finish off a lot more than that. Every once and a while I've felt stuck, but that's typically because I've just swallowed a huge bite of something that I didn't bother to chew, and I deserved to be stuck. I don't really understand why I've gotten looser, but there you go. The thing is that as loose as I am, I have only gained 3 lbs so far, and that only in the last month or so. I eat healthy, but I eat what I want and don't diet what-so-ever. I guess my baby has a really high metabolism. I find it ironic that I try my whole life to lose weight and can't, I get banded and only manage to lose 15 lbs in 9 months, then I get pregnant, which is the one time when you are SUPPOSED to gain weight, and I can't gain for nothing. Somehow I feel cheated.

Was your band doc an integral part of your pregnancy? I am just wondering because I found out last week that I am pregnant. I am hoping that I won't have to get an unfill during pregnancy, and that I won't need to consult my surgeon for anything. Not because I don't want to gain weight, but because my surgeon is not covered by my insurance. Long story short, I have a different insurance now than I had for surgery, and my surgeon and the hospital he works at is not covered. And because I have a realize band, none of the surgeons for my new insurance will touch me. So I am just curious if any of you had complications from the band with your pregnancies, and/or if you had to consult your surgeon often? I am not really worried about needing an unfill because I am not very tight and I am able to eat around the band to get all the food I need. Luckily I AM tight enough that I should be able to manage to stay under the recommended 15 pound weight gain, which is good.

I was banded 9 months ago. At first, I was losing steadily, and lost 20 lbs after about the first two months. However, my problem was that I moved away from my surgeon, got really busy, and only had one fill. During the summer, I was going to school and eating poorly, and I had no restriction so I was eating a lot. I gain the weight back. I had issues with finding a surgeon in my area because I have a realize band and none of the surgeons around here will fill me because of it (something to think about if your doc is going to band you with a realize band). So I really wanted to get filled, but I couldn't. And I wasn't eating totally horribly, but bad enough to put 20 lbs back on. A couple of months ago, I go frustrated enough to make the long drive back to my surgeon (gas prices went down!), and he filled me. I started losing again. I got filled again a month later, and continued to lose. But even though I started losing, I think it is harder for me because I don't have the momentum that I had in the beginning. My metabolism has also slowed from the band, too. And now I'm pregnant, so I won't be trying to lose any more right now. So, the moral of my long convaluted story is that you need to take advantage of the band at the beginning. If you let yourself become complacent, if you don't get your fills REGULARLY, then the band will probably be a waste of money. But, even if you slip up, once you decide that you are ready to get back on track, all you have to do is go get a fill and get going again.

welcome! i'm from killeen. if you have questions, i'm happy to help.

hey, i'm just wondering how many bandsters are from the Killeen area. I'm moving back in a couple of days, and I'd love to find a band buddy to work out with, talk to, etc. I'll probably try going to the Scott and White support groups (if they'll let me since I didn't get my band done there), but it might be nice to have a Killeen group get together. Anyways, if you're from the area and interested, let me know.

i need support myself! let's get together sometime for coffee and chitchat.

Does anyone ever get pain in their ribcage, under the their boob? I get it occasionally, but normally it just lasts for a little while, a few twinges, and it's gone. today it's been hurting more and more all day. what was just a little annoying this morning hurts pretty bad now. It's like a mostly sharp pain that feels like it's just in the muscle over my ribcage. It was hurting on both sides, not it just hurts on the right. does anyone know what i'm talking about?

the things i paid for: the surgery a $50 copay to see a counselor for psych eval some lab work co pays my deductible i don't think my doctor's office even accepts money. if you doc is making you pay for the initial visit, he'll probably make you pay for the after care. maybe you should find another doctor.

i think what manatee meant (correct me if i'm wrong) is that he is tired of conversations with HIM about HIS losing weight. he is tired of being "the guy that used to be fat", instead of just "the guy". eventually, i think that people around you will quit seeing you that way, but it might take some time. probably even in your own head, you still have moments when you forget you're skinny now, or you look at yourself and are really happy and amazed at how you look. that's only natural, because it's only been a year. but if you still think about it, you can't expect others that have known you a while not to think about it too. eventually, you will begin to just see yourself in the mirror and not be surprised, and that's probably about the time everyone else will catch up as well. of course, if you want to move away, move away. there's a lot to be said of a fresh start, if you're able to make a fresh start. i wouldn't move the wife and kids half way across the country because you don't want people to know you used to be fat. but if there aren't any ties to the place you are, then who's to say that a brand new city and a brand new job aren't just the thing you need?

i think it sounds great! i just do better if i can share with other people. and since i had my surg. in san antonio, i don't get to go to support groups. (and their groups sucked anyway, because they all had some sort of theme, and there were only about 4 themes going on over and over for 3 months.) so, do you know any other banded people in killeen? otherwise, our support group might consist of just us. more like a support duo.

i have IBS, but for me, it was always diarrhea, never constipation. since being banded, i've been much more regular. some days i might not even go, but most days i do. i still occasionally get diarrhea, but now it's down to about once a week or so, instead of every other day like before being banded.

My Doc Told Me It Holds 10 Ccs. He Said They Only Come In One Size.

funny, my curse is to be big wasted and small butted. i've gone down a size, too, but i've had to get rid of several pairs that fit me in the waste but are super baggy in the legs. congrats on your NSV!

the main thing is that you don't want to over-do it or push yourself too early. i started back to yoga about 3 weeks post op. i was able to do most things, but a couple of exercises were too much. some hurt a little, like they were pulling. some just were too much for ab muscles that hadn't been used in 3 weeks. for the first couple of weeks, you won't use your stomach muscles. you'll have to roll yourself into a sitting position and you bend down at the knees, not the waist. i think 6 weeks is about right for when you can start doing ab exercises again, or at least it was about right for me. i tried crunches earlier, and couldn't do them. but i think i did 30 or so at about 6 weeks. no more pain, just weakness.

it totally sounds as if this person didn't know much about WLS except stories that they had heard, particularly since they were confusing bypass patients with band patients. i would have been frustrated by them, too. one thing that i hope that YOU understand is that you do need to work on your problem with overeating, and the band won't help with this. yes, it will restrict your intake, but no, you can't rely on vomiting to keep you in line. you have to be diligent about NOT overeating, because with the band, overeating can mean taking 2 or 3 bites more than you should have. and the band doesn't stop you from snacking or eating what you shouldn't. you can graze your way through a pack of oreos in 24 hours (believe me on this one, i speak from recent experience). i'm sure you've heard all of this before, but i just wanted to reiterate for everyone that the band really is just a tool, and emotional eating issues are probably BAND ENEMY #1. you really have to deal with them if you want the band to work out. it definitely helps you deal with them because you have the positive feedback of losing weight. but if you don't deal, then you'll plateau and stop losing, and you'll have to work out the issues. i speak from experience because i'm there right now.

so, i have been banded for about 2 months now. I lost great the first month, then yo-yo-ed the same 2 or 3 lbs for the last month. I have not followed the doctor's low carb high Protein diet, and I haven't been exercising, so I blame no one but myself. However, I decided last week that it was time to recommit myself. I started Couch to 5k, and I went to a WW meeting. I've been to WW plenty of times before, but never had any success because I never would stick to the plan. At all. I'd go to the meeting, the I'd count pts for a day, then forget about it til the next week. Now, because I'm banded, I don't have any problem sticking to the points that I'm alloted. I still have some left over for snacking, which I like, but since I'm actually counting my points, I am being careful about my snacking, instead of eating a whole bag of oreos in a day like last week. It's only been 4 days so far, but I think that I'll be able to stick to it this time. And between WW and running, I've lost another 3 or 4 lbs since Thursday, breaking my plateau of the last month. So, in summary, I think that WW is a very good idea, particularly if you find that you do need more accountability. Even though we're banded, we still have to be on a diet, and WW is a nice sensible diet that works if you work it. And I don't know who said it, but I totally agree that points are much easier to keep track of than cals, protein, etc. I don't know why, but they just are.

I totally know what you mean. I'm not one to be girly, and I'm still not. But there at the end, I only had a couple of T-shirts that I would wear, and one of them, my favorite, was way way too torn up and ratty to wear into public. But I was comfortable in it, and I would wear it out when my husband and I would go out to dinner. I just didn't have anything nice that I felt comfortable in. Now, I can fit back down into some of my older clothes, and I find that if I have the ratty t-shirts on, I'll change before heading into public. It's just nice to feel comfortable in my own skin again. And I've only lost 25 lbs!

dani - that sounds great! i had given up hope that anyone would reply to that message since i wrote it a couple of weeks ago, so i'm psyched that you replied. we can totally get together for coffee sometime and talk band stuff. why wait until you get banded to work out? of course, that's what i did. and actually i'm still not working out regularly, though i'm trying to work on that. if you do want a workout buddy now, then don't worry that i'm super buff and will leave you in the dust, because i'm totally not. no pressure, though, because just having someone to chit chat with would be nice too. anyway, i'll message you with my number. call me anytime. tracy

i was in the same boat. not that i wouldn't get approved, but the doctor asked me about a week before the surgery to try to lose 5 lbs before the surgery. it really wasn't that difficult. losing 5 lbs is easy, it's the keeping it off part that's difficult. so the week before surgery, i watched my carbs, ate high protein, and stayed away from the sweets. you only have to lose 3 lbs, which, pardon my french, basically means you need to take a good crap. you'll probably lose 3 lbs from the saline laxative you have to take the day before. drink a whole lot of water from now til then, and this will help with water weight.

so, i started the couch to 5k today. i've tried to start it several times before i got banded, but i'm not good at sticking to exercise. part of the problem before was that, at 290 lbs, my legs would really hurt and i wouldn't be able to finish all the intervals of the first exercise. (290 lb people maybe shouldn't jog.) i have shin splints really bad, and i also have heel spurs, so my legs and feet would often kill me just from walking, much less jogging. well, i did the intervals today, and not only did i make it through all of them, but i even went a couple more laps around the track at the end because i was almost to 2 miles. i was tired, but i wasn't in any pain. it's amazing what losing 20 lbs can do for you! i'm 6 weeks post op, and i haven't been exercising much. i've sort of been telling myself that i'll start exercising once i lose a few lbs, because maybe it will hurt less. well, i did, and it does, and now i think i'll finally get to really work on this whole 5k things. whippee!!

thanks gkeyt! i might do that. thanks for the encouragement.

did you do the 6 mo diet? what about the requirements did you not meet?