HeatherO

I agree that it depends on your fill and restriction level. At any rate, it gets a lot easier after you have been banded for some time. After six months to a year, you pretty much know what you can tolerate and what you can't. I tell people I am dieting in a lower carb fashion and don't make mention about banding. Usually that provides better choices . . . but not always. I just accept that unless I am really close to someone, dinner at their house is a bit of a crap shoot. However, most dinners will have at least one thing I can eat.

Sometimes the band is fickle and restriction comes and goes when you wouldn't expect it. I wouldn't worry about it until you go back in for your next fill. You did lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time . . . if you had much fat around your stomach it would have been impacted as well. Perhaps the band is the same but your stomach is not quite as big now. If you are really concerned you can request a fill under fluoro.

I am sorry to hear that . . . what a bummer. If you can't switch back then gong 70 miles away isn't the best option in the world but at least it is an option to consider. I wish you the best of luck.

I agree that it could be sugar substitutes if you are eating a lot more than you typically would. Caffeine can also be a culprit if you were used to a certain level and then cut it out. I have an awful migraine from cutting out the caffeine on the day of surgery . . . and there was not a darn thing I could do about it.

Although it seems obvious to me now that you mention it, I wasn't really thinking that I was at an energy deficit. Of course I would have to be to lose weight. I could probably start adding in a supplement like a once a day nutrition shake and just watch the weight gain. Perhaps I could just knock out the shake or cut back if I gain more than 2 pounds in a week. I just realized that with my pregnancy half finished, even if I gain a pound a week from this point forward I am still well within the appropriate range. I might have just become a little too uptight about weight loss after being so dedicated for such a long time. I guess I am a little nervous about losing my momentum.

I agree about calling your doctor or maybe clipping it in a sterile fashion. It is probably best left alone as is - pulling or squeezing it isn't good for healing. Your regular doctor should definitely be able to help with this. It is really a minor issue.

I had a little port pain after doing abdominals 4 weeks after surgery. My doctor just told me to take it easy another week or two and then I should be fine. I have no problems now. At 7 weeks out you should be just fine as long as you are using appropriate lifting technique and are not overdoing it. Just listen to your body. Start easy and if you are not sore the next day or so then you know you can pick up a little more. If you are careful and listen to how you feel, it is not likely that you will injure yourself.

Almost no one experiences much restriction without any fills. It is not all that much different than being unbanded. Unless you get some fills in place, your band is sitting idle. The sooner you get in a for a fill the better. Without a fill your band isn't failing you, it just isnt really in use. If you can't get fills through your surgeon for whatever reason, start calling around or use a fill center to get in and start filling your band.

I am interested but afraid to buy it. It is a big investment for something that might just be sitting in a drawer a month later. I am not sure if it is user friendly enough to be worthwhile.

I think you did the right thing as well. People know what they need to be doing . . . and if they need help or advice they will seek it out. If you would make a point about it being an inappropriate food, you might have just embarrassed this person. I would have passed on the buckeye balls as well and just show by example that I am making the right decisions for me. It will become very evident in the coming months as you lose the weight that making the right decisions is making a difference.

By the way . . . my quad check came back normal. I also had my mid-point ultrasound and everything looks great and the baby is in breech position right now. Also the tech said for the sex check that there are three lines and no dangly's . . . so she is pretty darn sure it is a girl but she is not allowed to say it with 100% certainty. It is so exciting and now it is so real. My pregnancy seems to have moved in my mind from a "condition" to an "actual baby." It makes all the difference in the world when the ultrasound shows fingers, toes, nose, eyes, etc. instead of shadowy blobs, lol.

I had my appointment today with my OB/Gyn and she said just keep doing what I am doing and didn't suggest any meds. The only thing she mentioned is maybe using a heating pad as well. I really miss my Advil which is a very definite no. I guess it is all for the good of the baby so I will grin and bear it for now. :cursing:

It was kind of a mix of both. I definitely didn't want to become pregnant at an unhealthy weight . . . because I know I would gain a lot and possibly not lose it afterwards. Family members have also suffered from gestational diabetes that never went away after delivery. So banding meant that I would be in a better position to become pregnant and stay healthy at the same time. So pregnancy was a motivation for being banded . . . but it came after getting healthy and becoming a more "normal" size. However, with a son who is 16 years old I had become used to the idea of having a single child. I was somewhat resigned to the fact that I may not ever have another child and I had accepted that possibility. So in a way it was coincidental as well. I did not know I would become instantly pregnant after getting close to goal.

I would have to agree with Jachut. Eating may never feel the same as it did pre-band. You will get different sensations, but I don't think they should be overly painful, just different. If you are constantly regurgitating food, having swelling and pain after and soothing it or avoiding pain with sliders . . . it sounds like you are too tight and could be harming yourself. The sweet spot is not always easy to find but you should be able to eat normal foods without regurgitating them. I think sometimes people keep their bands too tight out of fear of regain . . . eventhough they have already plateaued due to eating sliders that don't hurt so much going down. Being too tight can lead to lack of weight loss as much as being too loose. Eating healthy, whole foods such as Proteins, veggies, fruits, whole-grain carbs is what helps to keep your body healthy and helps your band to work better in that you feel full.

For me this is correct. I have kept an active gym membership for the past 4-5 years - and I used it. Although this did not prevent me from having a BMI of 40 when I wasn't banded . . . even with an active lifestyle and healthy food choices (albeit too much food, obviously). My sister has a BMI of over 55, she doesn't exercise or make healthy food choices and is a severe diabetic. What is the primary difference between my sister and I ??? . . . other than lifestyle, not much. I am sure that if I would not have maintained a healthy lifestyle - I would have carried an extra 50-100 pounds plus. I think starting from a healthy lifestyle and then being banded on top of it made this an easy choice for me. Perhaps I am not the average bandster although I know there are some others like me. Without being constantly hungry it is relatively easy to maintain the weight as long as I maintain what I have been doing previously.

That is great news. It is always wonderful when it turns out to be something harmless :0)

I agree. Not barbaric, just a good option for the times in which we live. Banding seems like such a simple concept, but it is very effective and it has worked for me. :cool:

I was having trouble getting back on the wagon as well. I started by cleaning out my kitchen, replacing anything inappropriate with appropriate things and started charting calories again. I use fitday.com. I hate to track something like a piece of cheesecake so it helps me to avoid that kind of food. The other thing I did was cut out carbs altogether . . . I was becoming too dependent again. Good luck. You can definitely get back on track and you have had success before. Regrouping and starting over again fresh should really help.

I hope you are feeling a little better soon. I am sorry the dinner plans didn't work out for you. I agree with the others who are saying that you might be al little too tight . . . but sometimes it does loosen up after a fill. I can really eat at least something at every restaurant now . . . even if it is only Soup.

I wish you the best of luck as well.

The source of my pain is an injury that happened about 6-7 years ago when gardening. I never felt it happen at the time, but I was in pain for about a week thereafter and it was nothing crippling. It would come and go occasionally in the years thereafter, just a twinge for a few days but nothing unbearable. I would take some liquid advil, lots of bubble baths and a little massage and that was enough to get through. Then I got pregnant. The pain that used to be every few months started happening every week and was worse than ever before. When I am at my worse, I can get around but I am not comfortable and can't concentrate on work or anything. It is a misalignment right where my bra strap crosses my back. My chiropracter helped - because I was definitely misaligned. He said it is because pregnancy releases something called "relaxin (spelling?)" and I am just more prone to be misaligned because my joints are looser. He also gave me exercises. I have to stand in a doorway with my hands in the jambs and do a stretch kind of like a push up. I also do the stretches on my hands and knees where you arch your back in and out. The exercises are helping amazingly enough. I am going to ask my OB for some baby/band safe meds for when it is really bad next time. Tylenol doesn't do anything for me at all - I am starting to think I am immune to the affects. Monday is my exciting mid-point ultrasound where I get to hopefully find out the sex. I can't wait :0)

MyNewLife, I am really so sorry to hear your news. My heart goes out to you. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

LJM, I am so sorry you are having such a rough time of it. I hope these last couple of weeks pass very quickly so you can hold your baby in your arms.

Some people seem like they are less than informed on what they should be doing. I think for most people posting these kinds of threads, the primary problem is that they are just non-compliant and not following the rules. They know what they are supposed to be doing but just don't follow it and are looking for feedback (and unfortunately sometimes looking for justification to continue doing what they are doing). Banding is not easy and we all have slip ups in the beginning, but wantonly disregarding the post op diet and rules on a regular basis is the easiest way to fail the band. Everyone of us has the ability to succeed or fail at this, we just have to decide which side of the fence we want to be on - and then take personal responsibility for the results.

I personally wouldn't risk it unless I was a nurse. Mistakes can be very costly.