Desdemona

I'm with Donna. IS your MD is anti-banding? Does he really understand bariatric issues as well as he should? OR ---- perhaps he doesn't like your insurance and doesn't want to deal with them? It's REALLY important you have a surg who knows the surg, system and has a good attitude. Get someone else! Also---call you ins co and see if they will itemize their requirements for you. Then prep out your own lists and give it to your next MD. It's a shame -- but sometimes we have to do half their assessments for them.

Donna-- To be specific, here is a list of factors I can think of off the top of my head: People who have higher BMIs tend to lose faster. gender age Metabolism The first several lbs contains a lot of Water and glycogen and that comes off quickly so if people were required to lose weight before surg they already lost some of the "fastest" weight. Different MDs give very different after surg eating plans (and for different lengths of time). People who have fewer calories lose more. Some people exercise or are more active then others. There are differences to how well people can stick to their dieting plans. The human body may have set points (unique weights where each body "likes" to rest and cling to for a while before moving up or down in weight. There may be more factors that I'm not listing In addition; according to Dr. Ortiz (Lapband for Life) it is very common for lap band pts. to have a period of weight loss stalls after surg and the initial weight loss. This can be cause by a "shock" to the system -- or the body's effort to adjust. I lost 20lbs before surg, 11 within 2 weeks, several more in the next few weeks---then I stalled for about 6 weeks even though I was being golden. At times I have been frustrated but when I stop to look at it ---I have lost 49lbs in 6 mons. I'm half way to my goal and my goal is actually 8lbs less than a normal BMI. I haven't gained 1lbs since I started losing. Six months ago I was 92lbs overweight and now I'm 42lbs overweight. I know are worried and you want to lose faster. I feel the same way -- but try not to worry

Janet! Looking Good!!! REAL GOOD!! Orea---you sound terrific and really up! Good! Hi Mary!!! Welcome! gottaluvme--Oh my!! I'm so sorry. I think Phil's post sounds like it could be very helpful. 50 grams of protein? Well --I think it's important to listen to your MD but I have to say that it sure does sound like every MD and their mother has a different take on protein levels. My nutritionist and MD are on the SAME treatment team and 1 says to stay between 40g - 60grams and the other one says get at least 90grams and if I go over that -- it's fine. Go figure.

BNL---but your sense of humor and sense of style is INTACT!!! I'll bet ponying up will help you come to a screeching halt. Thanks for sharing. Hang in there with us! :ohmy:

You can read about BMI at the CDC (which is the most authoritive place to get it from). You can use this link: BMI - Body Mass Index: Adult BMI Calculator: English | DNPAO | CDC I checked it and you are WELL within a healthy range! 140 almost sounds too low. See what your MD says. Ya. It sounds like you need to let your band out and start working on good, healthy maintenance eating. Good for you!! You did GREAT! :ohmy::blushing::biggrin:

ladybug3---I hear you. Sometimes I slip up too but, as you have already said, those days are just not that often and when I do slip up, it's not nearly as damaging as before I got the band. Have you noticed that there is a 12 step thread on this board? Maybe it would help if you wrote out a short list of things you will do if you start craving. When you start craving - snap the band (be gentle!!!) and let the snap mean that you HAVE to do something on the list for yourself---like come to this board--or pick-up a workbook that you will have on hand on mindfulness. You can mindfully redirect yourself that way. :ohmy:

Holy Toledo!!! I'd just love to kow how you did it!!! And there were 4 plateaus in there!!?? The only thing that comes to mind is--I'm wondering if you are really insulin resistent while you were overweight and now you aren't any longer as you have been in a normal range. Insulin resistance does get better as we lose weight but it might be that it's even better in you. What does your MD say? Is s/he concerned? Are you eating well? Is your goal weight set at between 20 to 25 BMI? Could be that your body wants to be 23 BMI instead of heavier. That would be even healthier than 25 BMI.

Ugh!!! I'm really sorry to hear this. I can understand why you are upset with them. Please don't take your frustation with THEM out on your poor body. Stick up for YOU -- by being the 1 person who right now who really understands your inner child. Take care of her. Maybe you can think about who in your family will be the best one to sit down and have a real heart to heart talk with tomorrow once the pizza stops flying and they have returned to their senses and love for you. Is there someone in your house who would be particularly good at helping you work out a plan for making this easier the next time they all have a food party. I do realize that they live there 2 and will still want to have food parties and company -- but there just has to be a better way to deal with these difficult situations and I'll bet someone there will help you. Good luck sweeite.:ohmy:

I don't think I have an answer for the hard stomach. I'm assuming that you aren't talking about the type of hardness we have when we have gas. But -- as far as loose skin--my understanding is that everyone is different. I did some research on this and found out that ---bascially -- they really can't predict who will and who will not end up with loose skin. They think the biggest factors are -- genetics, age, how long we have been overweight, and some people think the rate of weight loss is part of it. I am surprized and happy to say that SO FAR -- I don't see any loose skin. I have lost about half of my excess weight. In fact--I'm finding that there is a certain color and quality returning that I haven't seen in years. Now -- I don't know what will happen in the next 50lbs but I'm hopeful. You may want to go to the Reconstruction thread on this board and see what women who have lost all their weight have to say about this. Good luck.

Harley---Now that's what I call a NSV!! In fact there are At LEAST 2 of them in there! Sounds like a nice day.

The company I work for is located in another state from where my main home is. This summer I wanted to see an MD outside the usual network for my insurance co. I called the ins com to see if there was anyone at all within a reaonable distance. They did have the name of someone but as I as talking with the woman from the insurance company she told me that whenever their isn't anyone in the network within 40 miles from where I live they will attempt to locate a professional within the 40 mile range and make a deal with them to treat me. I was very surprized. I thought it might come in handy in the future. So try calling your insurance co to see if there is anything they can do to arrange your evaluation and treatment with someone near you who is out of network. Good luck.

Charlene--Sounds like you might want to call your MD.

jencys---I think you are right. After what I have been through--I have really learned how unproductive and potentially hurtful an overfill can be.

Chia--WOW!!! I think this is really interesting!!! I'm aware that there is quite a controversy about level of protein. My nutritionist and the U.S. says 40-60 but there has been a lot of very interesting research that argues for far more protein for weight loss. That school of thought is saying that the more we weigh--and the more weight we need to lose --the more protein we are suppose to eat. They claim it takes a lot of protein to burn the fat and if we don't get the protein we will be slower or not lose. Others say -- that amount of protein is not good for us. Well. Hmm. What have others been hearing from their MDs?

2bthinagn--I second what has already been said here-----give yourself a lot of credit for the 50lbs. Plus you have kept it off! That's great. Sounds like your spinal condition is really painful and restrictive. I was just reading someplace on the board that losing 1lbs removes 4psi from our joints. I was very interested in that because I have spinal disc degeneration around my neck. My spinal cord is flatted in that area and it causes numbing in all 4 limbs. I also have (had!) a fair amount of pain in my neck -- shoulder and down my arm into my fingers. I have lived with that for about 5 or 6 years and it was 1 of the things that really pushed me to get the band. I can't believe the difference with just losing half of the excess weight. I started physical therapy 3 weeks ago and the improvement already is such a blessing. The therapist thinks she may actually be able to make the pain go away and restore the shape of my spinal cord. The reason I'm saying this --is I'm wondering if you have tried PT or talked with your MD about it. When I talked with my neurosurgeon, who has an excellent rep, he told me that PT could probably help with any bursitis that may be in the shoulder but it wouldn't help the neck or spine. I found out that physicians don't always fully know what PT can accomplish. I'm wondering if you got PT if it would help you feel better. That might, in turn, help you with pool exercise and renewing your energy cutting calories.

Hi Pat. Welcome. We know how you feel as you are looking forward to your banding day.

Amysoc---also --I'm living in Westfield.

Everyone here is right. I hope everything turns out well for you. If you want to join a group on this board you might want to look into the "Shrinking Shamrocks." We are a group that all got banded in March 08. All you have to do is look down the board and find the monthly groups then follow the links to March 2008 and we are there. We welcome all who have been banded in March 08.

MSnika- I don't really use the ketosis sticks anymore but I remember reading on a message board once that you could save money on the sticks buy cutting them the long way so they are more narrow. I know they costs a fair amount.

SpecialK----hmmm- well---does your MD have a policy on the upper limit they'll do on an office fill. My MD won't normally give more than 1cc in office (he waits til he had an x-ray to go overboard!!). Given the experience I just had -- I urge you to not get more than 1cc (no more than 1 and a half) in office given the 5cc that you have now. The reason I say that is -- if it ends up being too much and you get swollen like I did---they may have to take out all or at least a significant amount and then they need to wait 4-6 weeks for everything to rest.

Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it. Yes--I thought 3cc was pretty darn aggressive. He didn't tell me before hand how much he was putting in. I think he got over-confident because he was doing it by X-ray but he still should have tested it with a barium swallow and I was just to chicken to challenge him. I really though he could see what was happening so I didn't question him. I guess this was a lesson for both of us. I do feel much better today. Keri--you could join us on the Low Carbers Unite thread if you want. It's under food and Nutrition and it does help. Fenton said he was going away but in his last post he also said that he didn't feel well and thought he was coming down with a bug. FENTON!!!??? We are thinking of you!!!!

I have been on and off low carbs since 1971 (pre-Atkins!!) and I have lost and gained more weight than I can shake a stick at. I STILL do Atkins -- but man-or-man you just won't believe how much easier it is to stick to with the band. The band is the most wonderful jump start and it's also a great tool for helping in times of weakness. One night I fell of the low carb wagon and made myself a hot fudge sundae with coffee ice-cream with sugar-free hot fudge and whipped cream (and real ice cream!). It was so good I decided to go out to the kitchen and make myself another one. I put 2 spoons of it in my mouth and my band said, "oh no--your not doing THIS!!" I put that bowl down and watched a perfectly good sundae melt. The whole thing went down the sink. Now that is the very first time in 56 years that this woman EVER turned her nose up at ice-cream. The next morning I was right back on my diet and went to the gym. THAT is what the band does for me. What was difficult for me before -- all those years---all those other times---is not anywhere as difficult anymore.

For what it's worth –I’m a therapist and I have a few thoughts on your post. I'm certain your instincts about the source of your emotional eating are right on the money. I sense that your eating habits are, indeed, a metaphor for what is going on in other areas of your life. You feel out of control in those areas -- so you are acting it out somatically with food (out of control). You also said you are mad at yourself! Perhaps, on 1 level, you are angry about the other areas where you’re out of control and you may be taking it out on yourself by sabotaging your wonderful record of mastery and success in losing weight. At another level---eating whatever and whenever you feel like may be your way of lashing out against the forces that are out of control. Eating could be your effort to have at least 1 area in your life where you get to do whatever you please. As a banster I also really identify with you on this situation. I was experiencing a lot of stress over a job situation for about 2 years prior to getting the band. At the same time, I was also very worried about my parent’s health. I was driving around like a mad woman trying to cover all the bases. I ate fast food in the car constantly, didn’t get any rest, and felt worse and worse physically and emotionally. For me the turning point came – when I really admitted that I just didn’t have a lot of control over most situations that were causing me so much stress. I truly felt like if something didn’t change I was going to die of a stroke, heart attack or cancer. I felt like I was killing myself with stress. I came to a place were I fully realized that losing weight was just about the ONLY thing I COULD exercise control over! By looking at it that way---I decided to focus on the 1 area where I did have control and could do something really major to help ME feel and look better. That is how dieting and exercise became an act of being IN control of at least 1 thing in my life. I made a list of all the reasons I want to lose weight. I taped that list on my car dash board, my frig, my bathroom mirror and on my bedroom wall. I made a point to read it at least 2X a day. I put a rubber band around my wrist and every time I got a craving or started feeling like I was going to do something leading to out of control eating, I’d give that rubber band a snap. It’s a little behavioral technique and it works. Try to see a therapist and talk it out. If you can’t afford it – go to some Overeater Anonymous Meetings. They focus on emotional eating. Good luck to both of us.

I woke up dizzy in the early AM yesterday and could tell I was dehydrated. I was only able to get down about 2000 calories of food this last week after the MD put 3cc of saline in my 10cc band. On Weds I was only able to get 3 glasses of fluid down. I felt like I had a constant lump in my chest. The MD took out ALL of the saline that he put in the week before under a fluoroscope. Then yesterday he said I was too tight and swollen. He said I shouldn't have more than 6cc and he mumbled something about that he was leaving 3 in there. I asked what happened to the other 1cc of saline because he put 2 in at surg ---2 eight weeks later and 3 last week. He said something about 1cc going into tissue. And then he said something I didn't understand about letting scar tissue heal and then adding saline in about 4-6 weeks but not going over 6cc. I have to say I'm rather annoyed. From what I have read, it seems to me that he was suppose to have me swallow barium while he was doing that 3cc fill under the fluoroscope last Thurs to check the stoma. It seems to me that if he had followed that protocol -- this would not have happened. In a way – I blame myself for not saying something to him about it but I figured---“he’s the surgeon---what do I know---he must know what he’s doing.” Now I'm back to first fill level! FIRST they can't find the port opening in the office in June, then they make me wait until July to overfill (and hurt) me, and now they take it out and tell me I have to wait until late Aug. SHEESH!!!

hi Niki-- Yup. This is where you wanna be. It's very helpful to be in a place where everyone else is around the same place in the process. It seems that we often are dealing with the same parts of the learning/feeling/process curb. Fenton---feel better! I think I going to call my MD today and get a bit unfilled. I seem to have a constant lump in my lower chest and I hear lot of squeaky noises --like Fluid trying to make it's way down. I seem to be able to get Water down (slowly) but even the smallest amount of food seems to cause pressure in my chest.