citygirl4616

I was banded 3-4 years ago. The procedure was a success, and I reached my goal weight of 150 (65 lb. loss) in 7 months. Shortly after eating my goal, I began to get really bad reflux, so my doctor suggested that I unfill the band for a few weeks and see if it helps. Once the liquid was removed, the reflux improved greatly, but of course, I gained some weight back. Long story short, my band has been adjusted several times, and it is now filled as much as it can be, without my reflux getting too bad. It is not filled enough to cause much restriction, and in the past year I have gained back almost 40 lbs. I am terrified and feeling out of control. At my last visit, my doctor said my esophagus was slightly dilated, and suggested I eat more slowly and chew really well. It's been 2 months since my last visit to him, and I just can't get back on track

I've had my band for about 3 years. In the first year, I had a couple of fills and un-fills to find my sweet spot. For the past two years, I have maintained my initial weight loss. About 3 - 4 months ago I began to have esophageal spasms, GERD and vomiting after meals. My GI doc did a barium swallow to check for damage in the esophagus, and noticed my pouch was dialated above the band. He recommended I get some Fluid taken out. All of my fills and unfits have been done with an X-ray in the radiation department. It is several hundred dollars I have to pay out of pocket for these each of these procedures. I have noticed on the forums that many people get their fluid adjusted in their doctors office, sometimes even by a PA. It would save me a ton of money if my doctor would do the adjustment in the office. Where do you get your fluid adjusted...the office or the radiology department? Is there any reason for this to NOT be done in the office?

Did you consider any other weight loss surgery options? What were they, and what made you finally choose Lap Band? I went in expecting to get the lap band because if there are any complications, it is removable. I asked my surgeon which surgery he would suggest, and he said, "Lap-Band, no doubt" Do any of you have any excess skin horror stories? I lost about 60 lbs. and did not have any excess skin. I don't know if it was because I was under 40 when I got the surgery, but it was a non-issue for me. Did any of you have Cosmetic surgery/tummy tuck etc. to correct excess skin and your insurance paid for it? When can you get your first fill? I think it was about 2 months after surgery. How many fills did it take to feel restriction? I got restriction after 2 fills. I still have to tweak it every few months. I get acid reflux, and it can cause pain for me. This is an illustration of the benefits of lap band versus the bypass surgery. If I ever have complications, they can be fixed by a quick unfill. Then, usually in 2 - 3 months, I go back for another fill. Any of you became pregnant while having the lap band ? Were there any complications? Did this negatively affect your weight loss journey? I did not have personal experience with a pregnancy , but out of curiosity, I asked my surgeon about it. He said it is usually not a problem, but as soon as someone is pregnant, they should get the band completely emptied. Then, after the baby (and probably after breast feeding) , the band can be filled again.

I would be surprised if it was a simple food blockage. Usually when food is stuck, you can't "push" it down with a drink, because it would just sit on top of the blockage, rather than move it along. But you never know, so I would call my doc. Better safe than sorry!

You will always be a little sore after a good weight workout. If you are not a little bit sore the next day, you probably didn't work out hard enough. Being sore is a good sign that you gave your muscles a good workout! I have been doing pilates for 2 1/2 years. I still find it very challenging, and I still get very sore after my sessions.

Have you seen an orthopedist about your pain? You want to make sure you don't have an injury before you begin any kind of exercise program. Exercise may not be comfortable, but it certainly shouldn't be described as "painful". Have you tried pilates or yoga? They don't burn as many calories as most cardio, but they are a good way to ease your muscles into a more active lifestyle.

I've lost between 75% and 80 % of my excess weight.

I have to constantly remind myself that the band is just a weight loss "tool", not an easy fix. My initial weight loss was pretty easy. Once I was within 10 pounds of my goal, I began to experiment with some of my old "trigger" foods. It wasn't long before I realized that I could still eat certain high calorie junk foods in fairly large quantities (ice cream, chips, toffee, chocolate, cookies). Within a year I gained back 25 pounds! When I went to try on my "skinny jeans" I was heartbroken to find I couldn't even get them up over my hips! It was a rude awakening, and a reminder, that keeping the weight off takes work! I was so mad at myself for going through all the effort to get banded, lose weight and buy beautiful clothes, only to gain part of the weight back. I realized that my old emotional eating issues were still there, and I needed to go back to eating healthy, small portions and using other ways to handle stress/boredom/anxiety. There is nothing about losing weight with the lap-band that is easy. It requires constant monitoring. Here it is, 2 months after trying on my size 8 skinny jeans, and I am down 15 pounds. Only 15 more to go to reach my goal weight. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I now know how easy it is to gain the weight back by not eating healthy and watching my portions.

Yup...the hiccups always come when I have eaten too much or too fast. Slow down and eat less, and I bet they will go away.

I hate having food get stuck so I try to avoid it at all cost. When food gets clogged in my band, my esophagus goes into spasms, and it feels like I am having a heart attack. That said, when something gets stuck, i wait it out for about an hour. Sometimes sipping pineapple juice helps (something about the enzymes in pineapple breaking down certain foods). If I am still in pain an hour later, and the food hasn't gone down, I make it come up. It has been 3 years since my surgery and I have a pretty specific laundry list of foods that I know will get stuck, so I make sure to avoid them.

I LOVE soup and eat a bowl almost everyday. At least once a week I make a big pot of homemade chicken broth to eat on its own and to use as a base in other soups (plus, then I have the tender boiled chicken to use all week). Some favorite soups I make often are vegetable, mushroom barley, tomato, butternut, chowders...pretty much anything that doesn't have big chunks of meat (I can't tolerate most red meats). It makes a great lunch and some nights, when my family just wants to grill steaks or burgers (or something else I can't eat), I am very happy and satisfied with a bowl of homemade soup.

I can usually eat a small amount of rice, but I cannot eat any sushi rice. The rice that is used in sushi rolls is way to sticky, and always ends up stuck in my band. I would suggest starting with a small amount of rice and eating it very slowly.

No problem eating out, but the way you eat out will change. Since I got my lap band, when I am at a restaurant, the first thing I do when I sit down is ask if anyone wants to split an entree. I can usually get my husband or daughter to share with me. If not, I'll order a healthy appetizer or the soup as my entree. When there is an entree that looks too good to pass up, I'll order it, and bring the leftovers home. It will take trial and error to discover what restaurant foods you can and cannot eat. For example, I can usually eat a roll without ruining my appetite, but even the tiniest bite of a fried appetizer completely fills me up. I have discovered that I can eat sashimi, but not sushi rolls (the rice get stuck). Pasta and pizzas are a big no, but fish and salads work for me. As for Mexican food, I have no problem ordering what I used to (crunchy beef tacos, rice and refried bean platter), but now I just eat 1 taco and a few bites of the refried beans, instead of the entire platter. I also cannot only have a few sips of my favorite frozen margarita, otherwise it will completely fill me up. Bottom line is remember to think small portions, eat slowly and order wisely.

You can have thicker and creamier soups, and soups with mix-ins, like soft veggies or potatoes that you can mash with a fork. Baked potatoes with salsa and cottage cheese (mash up the potato part), & puddings.

I have been lurking outside the zumba class at my gym for weeks now! I haven't worked up the courage to actually take the class, because I am so uncoordinated. I am always peeking in on my way to my pilates class, which is in the studio right next door at the same time. The music sounds so fun and everyone leaves the class covered in sweat. Maybe I will check the schedule and just go for it this week!:biggrin:

After my second fill, I was so tight, that I couldn't keep anything down. I was PB'ing everyday. I didn't mind though, because I was losing 2 - 3 pounds a week. After about 3 months of this, during which time got within 5 pounds of my lowest goal weight, I got terrible acid reflux. I would wake up in the middle of the night, choking from the acid that had bubbled up into my throat. I mean, literally, choking. I woke up unable to breath! It took another 6 weeks, many appointments with my GI doctor and many different medicines, before we thought, "Could this be from the band?" It didn't cross my mind, because I lived with the band for 3 months before I had any acid reflux symptoms. My lap-band® doctor completely unfilled my band, and my acid reflux went away immediately! I couldn't get it refilled for 6 weeks, to allow all the swelling to go down in the stomach and esophagus. Guess what happened while I had no restriction for 6 weeks? I gained 10 pounds! Then when I went in for a fill, my doctor only put in a quarter of the original amount. In a month, I gained another 5 pounds! I went back, and got another fill, and finally got the right restriction, but at the cost of almost 15 pounds. I feel great now, but my band is very unpredictable. Some days I can eat half of a baked potato, some days it comes right back up. Some days I can eat a small salad, sometimes I can't get past the first bite. It's very frustrating, so some days I just stick to protein shakes, soups and cottage cheese because I know that will stay down!

You need to be focusing on yourself right now, and not having any negative influences in your life to distract from your weight loss journey. Your friend clearly has an eating disorder and I was thinking you could work something out with her, but when I read that she told you to "not get too skinny", I worry that she may one day begin to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Is she afraid you are going to get smaller than her? Is she making up a weight loss competition with you, in her mind? Is she going to one day start bringing you cakes and Cookies because she knows they are your "favorite"? Since she is not a close friend, you really can't sit and have a heart-to-heart with her, which leaves you with only one option. Put up your boundaries, and make sure to put yourself and your well-being ahead of any "friendship" with this woman.

My port is located about 2 - 3 inches under my right breast. I can definitely "feel" it when I stretch or lie on my stomach, but it doesn't hurt, it just feels odd. My scar is barely noticeable (although the scar by the port is the largest one). It has faded and when people see me without a top on (locker room, trying on clothes with friends), no one has ever looked twice. I can see the port under my skin if I stretch my arms up and pull my stomach in. It actually just looks like one of my ribs sticking out!:biggrin:

I think the purpose of a liquid diet so close to your surgery date is to clear out your digestive system to prepare your body for the surgery and anethesia. The liquid is to keep you hydrated. if your surgery is tomorrow, don't worry about missing your protein for a day or two. Follow your surgeon's pre-op instructions exactly, or he/she may cancel your surgery.

Even though I am not allergic to dairy, I was playing around with being vegan for a little while. Some staple foods I ate during the time I gave up dairy.... Almond Breeze Soy Yogurt tons of Soups and broths fresh fruit smoothies (made with fruit juice and ice) mashed potatoes, thinned with broth and/or soy yogurt bananas mashed with some almond butter or Peanut Butter Go to a Whole Foods or health food store and check out dairy alternatives. Some are gross, but some are quite good. Also, check out vegan cookbooks (not vegetarian...vegan), since vegans don't use any dairy.

Have you spoken with your bariatric surgeon? Many of them put their patients on a liquid pre-op diet to lose weight before surgery. I was only on a pre-op liquid diet for a few days, and I lost 4 or 5 pounds before surgery, but many people on this board were told to start their liquid diet much earlier than me, and were able to lose quite a bit of weight before their surgery date. Check with your doctor or the hospital. Perhaps they can start you on the pre-op diet a couple of weeks early?

Breakfast: one cup coffee w/Splenda and 2 tsp. lite creamer 1/2 Ezekiel sprouted grain English muffin w/ 1 T. almond butter and 1 T. strawberry fruit spread Lunch: 2 T. hummus, 1 c. salad w/tofu and sesame sticks Snack: WW frozen oreo bar, one chocolate chip cookie, decaf coffee Dinner: 1/2 c. brown rice, 1 c. steamed veggies, 1/2 c. melted cheddar (only was able to eat half) Dessert: 4oz. homemade chocolate lava cake Note: I was having MAJOR chocolate cravings today!!!!! Still able to keep my calorie count under 1200 (if you also count my one hour crazy hard workout)!

By 6 weeks post-op, I was able to eat whatever I wanted, as long as I took small bites and chewed it well. I did not have a fill until about 8 weeks post-op, so I had a 2 week window where my band was unfilled, and I basically had no restriction. I also did not lose any weight during those 2 weeks. Once I got my fill, and hit my sweet spot, I discovered that I can I can 'taste' whatever I want. There is a list of foods, that I figured out through trial and error, that I know I cannot eat a plate of of...no matter how small. For me, it is pastas, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and cakes. Everyone is different. If I am craving that food, I allow myself a small bite or two, but definitely not an entire plate. I make sure I take a few small bites, and chew it very, very well. Sometimes, I take a bite, and it gets stuck, and I am screwed for the next hour or so. That pretty much kills the craving for that food for a long time.