snowbird

Thanks, mariem. That might work for me, especially if you break him in first! My daughter's doctor didn't know anything about the band until she went to him and said she wanted to be banded. He jumped on board the "bandwagon" when he started researching for her, and now that he has seen how successful she has been, he is an enthusiastic proponent of lapband surgery. Maybe that will happen with your doctor too-- if he has band patients, he may educate himself about the band. I really am looking for a doctor who at least knows what banding is and understands how it works. I would like his name, if you don't mind. Thanks for remembering me and replying.

When you say "I'm so full it's about to come out of my nose" and you REALLY mean it.

I'm 10 lb from goal and have had 2 fills. I don't think I will need another to lose the last 10 lb. If I had more to lose, I might think about another, since my weight loss has slowed down. But I can do the last 10 on what I have. First fill 1.7 cc in 4 cc band. Second fill additional .2 cc total 1.9 cc

Deb, You're new and I can't tell how far out from surgery you are. Are you still on any type of liquid or mushy diet? If so, follow your doctor's instructions on types of foods to eat to the letter. If not, I find that a Fiber One bar, Curves granola bar, or a half cup of Fiber One Cereal keeps me full in the morning, since there is more bulk to it and it takes longer to digest. Given what you have been eating, I am not surprised you are hungry. Plus, unless the yogurt is low sugar, it is going to give you a quick sugar boost and then a big dip that will make you really hungry and give you the shakes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no snacking. Might as well tell me not to breathe. The idea of three meals of solid food every day is great in theory, if we had an hour to spend at each meal. Most of us don't, and that's why I count calories--to be sure I am eating enough to stop my hunger but not so much I can't continue to lose weight. If you aren't eating enough at a meal to stop your hunger, then you haven't finished the meal. If you haven't finished the meal and eat more, you're not snacking, you're still eating breakfast! There are as many theories on how to lose and not be hungry as there are bandsters. You need to find what works for YOU. What isn't going to work is to feel like you are starving all the time. Change up the types of foods you are eating, and find what will keep you satisfied while allowing you to lose weight.

Check to see if you need a B=12 shot. My daughter started getting them after she was banded and said it made a huge difference in her energy level. Are you drinking plenty of Water? Dehydration can do that to you, too.

The higher the number of occurrences, the MORE true the average. If I've only done 20 surgeries and have one erosion, then my stats are skewed to 6%; it may happen that I don't have an erosion for the next 50 surgeries, but for a moment my stat was 6%. If I've done thousands of surgeries and my erosion stat is 6%, then that is a true indicator of my skill.

You totally agree with yourself???

Well, you are going to see posts on this forum from a lot of people who have done really well with the band, and also from many who have not. I guess that's why the statistics say the you lose on average around 50% of your excess weight! The band is my safety net, which keeps me from eating too much for meals and cuts down on my desire for big Snacks. However, I still have to have the mentality that I am going to try to eat less and eat better. It has changed my relationship with food and I no longer desire many foods that I craved before, simply because they cause me pain and suffering now. I CAN'T eat a half dozen donuts anymore; I can't even eat one. However, I CAN eat an ice cream sundae, but I have to choose not to. I am satisfied with smaller portions of everything, including ice cream now.

I would guess it's because they are hard to digest and hard to chew up adequately. The idea is to not make your stomach move too much right after surgery, so that the band has a chance to heal in place completely. My doctor didn't specifically say no raw vegetables, but he did say to avoid foods high in fiber, which of course produces another problem . . .

When the waiter brings the meal and you realize you've just done your grocery shopping for the week.

Great attitude, Lexy! It's not that hard once you realize food is NOT your best friend. Being banded doesn't mean you can never have a treat, never have a cookie, never have ice cream. It just means it is a TREAT not your regular diet.

I thought of that too. I haven't even tried to eat Pasta. I don't WANT to know it goes down easy. I just mentally wrote it off as something that wasn't part of any food group of mine anymore. I did Atkins for three years prior to getting my band, so I was starting in a different place from most people. Everyone thinks of it as an unhealthy way to eat because they picture you scarfing down bacon right and left. Actually it is, or can be, a healthy way of eating: a "normal" amount of Protein, some good, low sugar vegetables, and none of the filler/killer carbs that add a lot of calories and sugar and no nutritive value to your diet. My doctor never said, "no carbs!" He told us to eat our protein first, then our vegetables, and finally our carbs if we had room left and were still hungry. The "magic" of the band is that I quickly learned I never had room left, and I wasn't hungry, so why have those carbs on the plate in the first place? In case you're wondering, I lost 65 lb on Atkins, but was slowly regaining the weight by eating portions that were too large and snacking on low carb foods too often, which is why I decided the band was the way to go.

I don't think they are necessarily related. In fact, sometimes when I feel I am at a perfect level of restriction, a pb episode takes me unawares. While pbing can be an indicator of too much restriction, it is often merely an indicator of poor eating habits--too fast, too much, not enough chewing. In fact, when I am feeling I am at a perfect restriction level, I often pb because I am not thinking about being banded and how I have to eat regardless of my restriction level.

Yes, as long as I don't eat it too fast and learn to stop when my stomach tells me to.

Well, that was my first thought too, but I can see where an area for specifically "female problems" of a physical nature would be a good idea. It could be for stuff that might be under the heading of TMI in general conversation. Hey, maybe that could be the forum name--TMI, with subforums for men and for women . . .

Most hernias discussed here are hiatal hernias, not umbilical ones. A hiatal hernia would impact your band and is an easy fix, apparently, when the surgeon is doing the band implant, but that wouldn't necessarily be true of an umbilical hernia, so I don't think previous posts here would be applicable. However, you would think that since you are already in the OR and anaesthetized you could get some kind of twofer deal!

Soft tortillas can be a killer. I can eat chips and salsa just fine, but I wouldn't touch a soft tortilla. Chile rellenos (which were never my favorite before) are now my Mexican meal of choice, or sometimes we just split an order of nachos. Everybody has different foods they have difficulty with, so (after listing my own favorites) you will just have to figure out what works for you.

Everyone at that meeting, as well as everyone on this board, has been in the same position as you are. My motto is always "you can't change the past, but you can change the future." You are taking steps to do that, so you should be proud of yourself. I'll be 54 in two months, and as of last week I weigh 100 lb less than I did 5 years ago. I feel better than I did 20 years ago. You really CAN change the future.

When I first developed GERD I mistook the pain for hunger pangs. Are you taking anything for the reflux? It can cause real damage to your esophagus and isn't something to take lightly.

My doctor usually does saline fills after six weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised that you need one now. Did your doctor give you any guidelines on when you would need your first fill?

yes, it's bad. . . http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/oops-has-anyone-else-done-64878/

This is an emergency situation, and you may need an i.v. to get some fluids in. When you had the unfill, did you have a fluoroscopy to check the position of your band? If you are still unable to get water down, don't let this go over the weekend.

This is a generality, but usually people who can't lose weight are eating lots of things that are not restricted by the band. I can eat no end of chocolate, ice cream, pudding, creamy Soups, Peanut Butter, baked potatoes . . . I'm getting hungry just making the list! However, I can about 1/4 of a meat serving compared to presurgery; I can't eat bread and enjoy it, and many Snacks have to be eaten slowly or else I will get sick. The other problem area with "eating around the band" is snacking and grazing constantly. If you eat a little bit, then a little bit again, then again, and again and again . . . well, you get the picture. If you follow the rules of eating a regular solid meal three times a day, with your Protein first, then veggies, and finally starches (which I usually just leave out, except on special occasions) then you will find your food intake drastically reduced. Finally, get your fills when you need them! If you don't get your band adjusted properly, it isn't going to work like it is supposed to.

McD's does have decent salads, although the can be very high in fat with all the bacon and dressing they put on. DH and I have found that you can order a side salad and a 99 cent cheeseburger without blowing sensible eating way out of the Water. Sometimes we order that and split it. Whatever you get, order it "to go" even if you are planning to eat there, then leave half of it in the box to take home. We do this at any restaurant--ask for the to go box right away and put away half the food. If it's off the table, you don't feel like you have to try to finish it. When you reach your good spot for fills, of course, you can't finish it if you wanted to.

I would go on liquids only for 24 hours and let things settle down. My doctor usually recommends that after a fill anyway. Your stomach is probably just irritated at this point. If this continues or you can't get Water down, you may need to go in for an unfill.