MerryHearted

That doesn't make any sense at all. At goal weight, you'll probably be eating even less than you do now. Just make sure to drink lots of liquid and that your Iron intake is adequate in the days before & after your donation. I'm scheduled for a donation too, and I'm not at goal. I plan out my eating every day, and for donation day I will plan to eat 1200-1300 calories, which is a little higher than normal. That will allow me to have a cup of juice and some crackers right after donating.

Then you should get another unfill. I'm sorry you're struggling. Hang in there. A lot of us have gone through periods where we didn't lose, or where we gained. I gained 20 lbs between the end of last May and this Feb. Most of that is off now -- just a few lbs to go and I'll be on my way down again toward my goal. Did your surgeon check into other reasons for you not losing, if you are eating low-cal and sure your food intake is low enough? I don't know if you remember Vinesqueen (Crystal) who was struggling in 2005/2006 but she ended up finding out she had Cushing's and that was why she could not lose. Hope that the meds help you. I know antidepressants have been a Godsend for me.

It's not. Getting too tight at some point is common, but an unfill usually solves that. Being that tight after healing from surgery but with no fill in the band at all? Highly unusual.

Christi, here's a typical day for me right now: Breakfast: an egg + a piece of fruit Lunch: 2 oz chicken breast, 1/2 c of raw veggies Afternoon snack: Glucerna chocolate Peanut Butter meal bar Dinner: 2 oz of whatever Protein my husband cooked, 1/2 c of whatever veggies are available. ex: roast beef & carrots, chicken & broccoli, turkey & cauliflower, corned beef & cabbage, steak & asparagus, turkey meatloaf & peas, etc. Evening snack: piece of fruit, or sometimes a bit of low-fat microwave popcorn And a ton of liquids inbetween - coffee w/a little milk, tea, Crystal Light, Water, sometimes a glass of milk. I usually have one Multivitamin and Calcium supplement. Some days I have additional dairy, like a latte or yogurt with bran cereal mixed in.

Unless you have insurance that requires it, you don't need permission from your primary care doc to get the band. At least, I didn't. So if your doc, on Monday, says "oh, you just need to exercise and eat a little healthier", you can still pursue banding. Start looking for a center in your area and go to a seminar. They are usually pretty up front about what insurance companies work best with them and you can ask if they've had patients approved who have your insurance. (your employer might also block it, but at least it's a starting point).

I second a couple of the other recommendations: write down every last little bit of food that passes your lips. TheDailyPlate.com works great for this and is free. Count even a miniscule nibble of chocolate -- it adds up! And then: it's time for spring cleaning!! That's some exercise to do on top of any "formal" exercise like going to the gym, and it'll keep you drinking lots of Water and too busy to nosh on cute widdle bunnies.

Yes, assuming your goal weight is within your normal range, sure! Lots of people have lost that much. My goal will put me pretty close to that much lost, too. Just don't fret if it doesn't happen all in the first year. It does for some, and not for others. I also figure that if I don't get all the way to goal, if for some reason I permanently stall at a size 14 or 16, that's still a heck of a lot better than barely squeezing into size 26/28's. Not to mention that I probably wouldn't have stayed at my start weight -- I would have continued to gain every time I tried a new diet, just like all the diets that got me that high to begin with. Good luck!! Oh, words of advice: stick with it. Have a plan ready for if you start to falter in making proper food choices. Be prepared to exercise if you want to get to goal. Keep on top of your fills - the band doesn't work well if it's too loose.

Most definitely glad I got this band. People who think it's the easy way out don't realize how hard we still have to work to lose & keep the weight off. (at least for me. I'm sure there's someone out there who shot right down to goal and is staying there with very little effort) Part of me wishes I had it done earlier and didn't spend most of my late 20's and early thirties fat. The other part of me is glad I waited til I did, when surgeons had already learned how to prevent band slippage and a lot about aftercare. And so that I never wonder if I could have done it "on my own".

Hello from Bellevue! Welcome to LBT. Hang in there. Time will fly and next thing you know you'll be a couple years out and that post-op diet will be a distant, foggy memory. :thumbup:

I'm quite a bit further north, unfortunately. But welcome, and I hope you are able to find a local support group. In the meantime, this is a fun place to hang out and chat about band stuff.

Welcome to LBT! How are you two doing on your losing?

1.) Who's you're insurance company? Premera Blue Cross 2.) What state do you live in? WA 3.) Was your plan provided by your employer or do you pay for it out of your own pocket? Employer 4.) Are you banded yet, waiting for approval, denied...etc? Banded 2.5 years ago. Covered with no trouble at all.

It might kick in later, but probably you'll need more fill. I didn't have restriction with that little fluid in my band, which also holds 4cc.

Nah. I think that 1) longer-term people who aren't having complications or struggles of some sort don't bother with the Complications forum 2) people who do have reflux are more likely to open a thread about it than people who haven't had any issues. My guess is that reflux is a much less common occurance than 75% among bandsters. I know there are some studies going on now; it'll be interesting to see if there are any stats around this in the future. I know I'm in a study and they do ask questions like that.

In May 2005 I hopped on the scale and it was 299. I drew my line in the sand and started up Weight Watchers again, determined to succeed. I lost 20 lbs and all was going well. And then I started to struggle, like always. 6 lbs up and it hit me. It was going to be like every other time that I lost weight - sometimes very successfully! - and then gained it back + more. And this time I'd end up over 300 lbs. And the cycle would NEVER STOP unless I did something drastic and completely different to change it. That was late July. I was banded on Aug 31st. I pray to God I will never lose this band. I feel so much better even now, that if I did lose the band and started gaining again I'd try for another WLS to stop it. Even if I had to self pay and go into serious debt.

Stick with it. I've had my machine since 1996. I had panic attacks the first few nights - claustrophobia with the mask -- and it took me awhile to learn how to sleep with my mouth shut. For awhile I had to use a chin strap to help. For the first several months I also used the ramp up feature on my machine. It starts the air pressure out really low, then gradually increases it to the right pressure. That really helped with the claustrophobia. Now it's the opposite -- I feel like I'm suffocating if I don't have full pressure right away. I *so* hope my sleep apnea goes away when I get to goal. I want to be able to snuggle with my sweetie again at night, to be able to lie down next to my daughter if she's scared and sleep with her, to be able to go camping in a tent, and a bunch of other stuff. :thumbup: I know I have a long way to go, even with the weight I've lost, because I still needed my machine even when I weighed 50 lbs lower than I am right now.

My doc uses a similar technique -- lie on your back on the table and lift your legs to contract your stomach muscles. The port is pretty easy to find. My surgery center does not use colored saline, but that's an interesting solution! I imagine the difficulty only comes in if the port is tilted or under a very deep layer of fat. I've heard of fill docs who miss the port but it's never happened to me - mine is pretty close to the surface and super easy to find.

Tons of diabetics have this surgery -- although you didn't say if you were Type 1 or Type 2. My hA1C was above normal but not quite at diabetes level for a couple years and getting worse; my doctor had me on Actos but not insulin. I had my glucose level tested about 3 months after getting banded and it was normal and has stayed that way. I'm sure you'll hear from many others. There are probably steps you can take to prevent infection after surgery; talk to your surgeon about it. (I'm assuming your doc who is concerned is your primary care doc and not the surgeon?)

Jeannie -- yes, the pain in your back is normal. You might be eating too much; it usually happens when your diaphragm gets irritated. Try a heating pad to see if it will give you some relief. I used to get this all the time but not lately. (knock on wood)

If you have a leak there are 3 possibilities, I think. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong: 1) It's a leak in the tubing that leads from the band to the port: you replace the tubing. 2) It's a leak in the band: you replace the band (ugh) 3) You leave it be and just don't have restriction. With a slow enough leak I suppose you can just get refilled from time to time. It's just sterile saline, so there's no harm to your body. This is obviously not ideal, but not everyone can afford to have surgery again, especially if they are self-pay. The port is self-sealing, so there shouldn't be a leak in the port itself.

What everyone else said with the addition of: 1) Do you need a fill? and 2) If you are still struggling a week or two from now, I highly recommend seeing a counselor who specializes in helping people lose weight. Or at least a meeting with a doc or nurse at your surgery center if they have good aftercare. My own personal experience: I started struggling last summer. Gained 10 lbs over the summer. Tried to kick start myself in the fall, lost a few lbs, then gained it back and another 10 lbs crept on over the holidays / new year. Now, with a fill and working through The Beck Diet Solution, I'm back on track and losing again. But I feel like I lost a year of my time! My weight could be so much lower now had I sought help last summer when I first started struggling. If I start struggling again now, I'm heading straight for a counselor. I already have her number from another bandster who recommends her.

Well, if he pulled out 2 and added 2, then you have 4 ccs. I've lost saline before, too. Now that you know you have 4 ccs, at your next fill have them pull out what's in there to check. If you're consistently losing saline you might have a leak. Mine only happened the one time. At this last check, the expected amount was in there.

Thanks guys -- I switched to The Daily Plate and already like it better than FitDay. It has everything I need - calorie, nutrition, weight and exercise tracking and the foods I eat are on there and so far easy to find. I'm doing a trial of the Gold membership; I don't mind paying a small fee to support a good site.

I hope the autopsy can shed some light on what happened. I'd be surprised if it's directly band-related. If you do decide to go through with it, it sounds like you might have to do so against the wishes of your family.

I don't think there are good stats on that. One of the great things about the LapBand is that it's adjustable. Unlike gastric bypass, where the pouch may stretch out over time, if you get loose with the band you add more Fluid and are back to having good restriction. I think there are 2 factors that people fall prey to and end up not losing well or gaining back some of their weight: 1) Eating around the band: liquid calories in particular, like ice cream, chocolate, milkshakes. Or eating junk food and washing it down by drinking with your meals. 2) Not getting adequate fill in the band. It only works well if it's filled. So yes, I imagine there are people who gain back all their weight with the band. I myself gained 20 lbs between May 07 and Feb 08 by eating lots of junk food. Pre-band I would have gained a LOT more than that and would not have lost as much as I have, that's for sure. And now I'm back on track and losing again, completely intent on getting to goal, so my lapse didn't completely de-rail me. Good luck making your decision! I don't regret my band in the least.