lapinND

Hey there---any ND bandsters out there? It'd be nice to hear from you!

I have a similar issue. I'm filled 7 ccs in a 13 cc band. My last fill was 5 days ago. Since then, everytime I eat anything (even jello), it feels like I have a mix of heartburn/a pill stuck in my throat for quite awhile. Occasionally, air bubbles gurgle up through it. Then, it goes away. Is this what restriction is supposed to feel like? Water/liquids go down with no problem. I chew thouroughly, and I've stayed away from foods that might get stuck. But still, this lump in my throat. Separately, I do feel full with about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of food. But that's a different feeling that this throat thing. Any ideas?

In the month since my last fill, I have felt no restriction at all, and I've been hungry all the time! I was at 3 cc in a 10 cc band. So, I went in for a fill today, and the Dr. said he was getting nothing from the pull back, so I had no fill. He filled me with 3 ccs. Then he explained how fills sometime disappear. He said it could be a leak, the last injection could have missed the port, there could be a kink in the band so a pull back doens't work, etc. This makes me wonder...last month during my fill, the PA could only get 1 cc pulled back. She said she'd bring me up to 3 ccs. Then, she withdrew the syringe before filling, and I felt a cold sensation when she filled it , different than anything I've felt before. I'm wondering if maybe she wasn't in the port and the saline was released around it instead. That might explain both the sensation and the lack of any restriction from that point on. Any thoughts? Maybe I'm just over analyzing?

Sorry to not have replied sooner to the questions. 1) No swelling around the port, but I wouldn't think 3 ccs of saline would cause swelling? 2) I'm from Bismarck. I'm feeling this feel, that's for sure! I think I've experienced my first "stuck" experience. Once, with a salad and the other time with some lean roast beef. Looks like this fill definitely hit the mark!

I only have 3 cc in a 10 cc band, and I feel absolutely no restriction. ANd when I'm hungry, I'M HUNGRY! I'm going back in on Friday, and maybe I can make the case for an increase of 2cc, but most likely it will be 1 cc for a total of 4 cc. No weight loss this past month. But no gain either. Wish me luck!

My doc said "move up the schedule as you feel you can. That diet we gave out was more for full gastric patients." I felt a little like a fish out of water--there went my plan! But, on day four, I moved out of popsicles and Water and had my first scrambled egg. I could only eat about half of one egg. He also said I could move back into Protein after 2 days. I used the Liquid Protein from GNC with flat sprite zero. Between the two--protein and egg, I had a lot more energy and less hunger. After that, I had soft foods for a couple of weeks and slowly added other things. My favorite--crustless pumpkin pie. (Just make the filling part of the pie with low-fat milk and splenda). I got about 12 servings out of one recipe. Froze them in the tiniest ziploc containers, and took one out each night to have for Breakfast the next day. Day five, I had some cooked spinach and crab meat. The spinach wasn't my best idea ever, but the crab meat was perfect. Soft, good for you, easy on your stomach. Go slow with anything with more substance that what you're used to eating right now.

The scale hasn't moved much for me lately, so I was a little apprehensive to go shopping this weekend for some much needed spring pieces. I found a dress that was cute, so I tried it on in a 22 (was in 24s at surgery time). It was big, so I tried a 20. It looked pretty good, so I showed my mom, and she said she thought I should try a size smaller. So I did, and it fit perfectly! An 18! Woo-hoo! And then I tried a shirt in a 1x, and it fit, and I have to say, I actually like looking at myself in the mirror for the first time in a very long time. What a great day!

The question she posed was what she should do to get in the right state of mind, not what to do to get insurance approval.

That was supposed to be "aren't healthy," not are healthy.

One thing that I did during pre-op that helped me gradually get into the right mindset rather than going cold turkey was to start looking at ways I could prepare the foods I loved in a way that would work with the band later. For instance, I love buffalo chicken, but wings and fried foods are healthy. So I found a good wing sauce and I grill my lean chicken in a mixture of a little amount of sauce and Water, so I still get the flavor and not the fat or carb. I also found 100 calorie snack packs of some of my favorite snack items, so I don't feel deprived. There are some great options out there in 100 calorie servings. I even found a moderately healthy frozen pizza made here in ND. I am able to have 2 square pieces (that's how we cut it--probably equal to 1 medium slice) and fit it in with my daily calories and fat intake, if that's what I want to eat that day. It's about balance and paying attention, not deprivation. Since I've been banded, I've made healthy decisions, but I still eat regular food. If I feel like I want a hamburger, I find the healthiest one I can (bison or elk or lean beef--usually grilled, at home) and in the right size for me, and I eat it. You don't have to feel like this is the end of life as you know it. This is the beginning of a new life, but it is what you make it. The days leading up to my surgery, I think I mourned the life I knew--especially the food. That's when it became necessary for me to intergrate my favorite foods into this new life. You can do it. And before you know it, you'll feel better. More free. Good luck!

Good luck with your new endeavor. I do have a few concerns, though: as the daughter of a real, licensed dietician (not someone who calls themself a nutritionist, or even a doctor who has little education in nutrition) who I would consider a leader in her field, I can tell you that the whole organic movement isn't embraced by all dieticians. And a diet that takes out an entire food group, like dairy, is usually not supported by professionals. I think so many of us with PCOS are looking for answers and dedicated to making what ever changes are necessary to improve our health that I hate to see us being guided by people who might not necessarily have solid science behind them. That being said, I hope you have great success on this plan. But if you feel yourself needing to add non-organic beef or dairy to your diet, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.

I'm right there with you! I get ravanous around my perdiod, too. Nothing makes me feel satisfied. I think it's because hunger feels different after banding, and maybe the cramps feel like hunger in a weird way. Anyway--I try to eat good food that makes me feel full, like squash or good meat. And then, of course, I have a little chocolate, too. :smile:

I'll try to join you, but I'm stuck at week 2. I've been trying to move forward for 3 weeks, and my heartrate, lungs, feet and knees tell me to slow it down. Anybody else need a few extra weeks of 2-3 minute run cycles before they could hit 5 minutes running at a time?

I have hypothyroidism and I was still approved. In fact, it may have helped my approval.

I had a similar problem. After a few weeks (and being scared of taking a laxative) I tried eating a FiberOne bar for breakfast each day, and problem solved! Although, I skipped it one day this past weekend, and I paid for it the next day. So, it's back with FiberOne for me! I like the idea of a food source better than a supplement.

I've had my doubts that this would work, too, but it is, just very slowly. I feel hungry occasionally and don't seem to feel any restriction after one fill. However, I am still losing...slowly. I go in for fill #2 on 4/4, maybe I'll feel more restriction/less hunger then. But, I guess right now it's ok; I'm still losing even while eating more than I thought I would be at this point. Maybe it's the best of both worlds.

Find yourself a good endocrinologist and try again to be treated! I had a battle getting proper treatment, even from doctors who meant well. My endo really helped. Don't take a primary care physician's word as the final word. You deserve better care!

Vessa, For more info about PCOS, I've use the website: PCOSupport™ The discussion boards answer many questions, and they are usually pretty easy to understand. Good luck to you and your sister. I understand her sensitivity. I remember when I was first experiencing symptoms of PCOS, and I didn't want to admit to them, or worse, realize that they were caused by a disease I might have. But it does get easier. And there are ways to treat it. I haven't lost enough weight yet to see the symptoms reversed like they are for some people, but here's to hoping!

I was banded by Dr. Bruderer. He was excellent. I was told the whole surgery took about 15 minutes. His staff is great, too, so pre-op and follow-up visits have been a blast. (And how often can you say things like that?) I found him to be very down to earth and encouraging. My mother expecially appreciated the way he interacted with her on surgery day. Everyone at MCO was very helpful (except one overnight nurse who put my IV in at the end of her shift--she was a bit frusterating---my suggestion, drink a TON of Water the night before, and if they still have a hard time finding a vein, ask for a shot for pain before they put in your IV.) The dietician visit is done classroom style, and is pretty basic. Dr. B told me to step ahead on the post-op diet as I felt ready. So don't be surprised if you're on mushies sooner, and back to regular food within a couple weeks.

I tried GasX strips and Beano and a generic gas pill, but they only worked a little. Mostly, the gas pains went away after about a week or so. I was banded on 1/29, back to work on 2/4, and about mid-day that day, I realized I didn't have pain anymore. I bet within another day or two, you'll start feeling better.

Hi Mark! Excellent weight loss! You too, Trish! I'm down 18 lbs. Surgery was 1/29. Had my first fill yesterday, and I still don't feel much difference. (Just a bit sore from the needle trying to find the port). I don't know about you two, but this spring weather has me really excited for a thinner summer! It's in the 50s here in Bismarck! Great to talk with all you NDers!

I, too, didn't even feel the incisions at first--had to reach up and feel the padding around them to make sure I even had anything done. Woke up just fine--actually felt great. A little later (pain meds must have worn off a little) I had a pretty sore throat and the gas pains began in my shoulder. I went from about a level 3 pain (0 being none and 10 being out of your mind in pain) to maybe a 7 or 8 for a few minutes here and there (just because of the shifting gas that liked to gather in my shoulder), but walking around helped that. I was discharged about 4 hours after surgery, and I walked around all night, returned calls to friends and family, and basically felt like nothing had happened. Liquids went down really well--popsicles really helped the throat, as well as a throat spray. The next day, I was sore in the afternoon, but I think that's because I overdid it a bit in the morning walking a lot (and yes, even dancing a bit---apparently pain meds make me a little hyper!) The next few days I was tired, but it wasn't too bad. I think I was a little scared to resume normal life. Was able to shower every day starting the day after surgery with no pain or discomfort. You'll do fine! Good luck and keep us posted!

I'll be 4 weeks out tomorrow. My incisions are itchy, too, but not too bad. For the last week, I've been putting Vitamin E on them, and that's seemed to help. I was told not tp put anything on them early on, to keep them free from infection. But the skin is all closed up nicely now, just itchy, so I figured it was probably ok. No real problems. I was on mushies about 4 days after surgery, and for the past 2 weeks, I've been able to eat anything. I'd say I eat about 3/4 to a cup--heavy on the meat and veggies, low on the carbs. I'm hungry a lot--mostly in the afternoons at work. By dinner time, I seem to be more satisfied. On weekends when I'm home and moving around a lot, I don't feel hungry much, so part of my hunger is probably mental. I go in for my first fill on Friday, and I'm hoping that will help. I'm down 18 lbs total, about 12 lbs since surgery. Slow but steady. I keep reminding myself that that's the fastest I've ever lost weight, and that seems to keep it in perspective. I've been walking and biking, but hope to have the go-ahead to work out my intensely after Friday's appointment. I do find myself having a hard time getting all the liquids in. I used to drink a TON of liquids with meals. Now that I don't, it's hard to remember to get them in between.

Anyone get hungrier during your period? I had mine for the first time since banding last week, and four the full 4 days of it, I was constantly hungry! Day five, period gone; hunger gone. Anyone else experience this?

My doctor told me to move up the stages as I felt I was ready. I did clear liquids for about post surgery. Then I moved into 2 days of mushies, and after than, little bits of regular foods that I could chew really well. That kept me feeling pretty good, until the week of my period, when I was hungry for 4 days straight! Day five, period gone, and like magic, hunger gone, too. My mom is a dietician, so I asked her about things as I progressed, but she said you can't expect your body to heal well if you're not giving it the nutrients it needs. If you can stomach the protein supplements, I'd definitely take those. Also, I found a scrambled egg to be perfect for a meal as I moved up into the stages. And crab meat---someone on this board suggested it, and it was great. Really soft, easy on the stomach, and so yummy. Good luck!