PhotoNut

I am certainly no expert in this area, nor have I had any experience with slipping or erosion, so there may be some who think I shouldn't contribute to this thread. However, I will share with you what my Dr told me when I asked him these same questions. A large number of erosions have been thought to have been caused by an older technique that was used when securing the stomach around the band. From what he tells me, they used to pull the stomach over the buckle of the band but because of its shape and harder materials, they found that most erosions began at this location. Now they turn the buckle outward and do not overlap it with the stomach. They also use the pars flaccida technique now, which allows a higher placement of the band around the stomach and believe that this may have lessened the risk of slipping and erosion. And finally, there is also the posibility of erosion being caused by surgeon's error during the placement of the band. (ie nicking the stomach, etc) Slippage - My Dr said that most slippage is caused by the band being too tight. He told me that some Dr's fill a patient to maximum (unable to pass any liquid through the banded area) and then withdraw just enough fill to allow a small trickle of liquid to flow through. He said it is believed that this approach of starting out with so much restriction is no longer being used by many Drs as they feel it is better to slowly approach the right level of restriction without overfilling and risking slipping. So, for what it's worth, that's what I was told. You can probably Google "lap band erosion" or "lap band slippage" and find more information. Although I have found it very frustrating to find any information about the band that is more up-to-date than 2003.

Yay!!!! Celebrating with you in sunny Idaho!

Susan, your post made me chuckle. I remember feeling like I'd give my left arm for a big steak! At the end of week two, I saw my Dr and told him how hungry I was so he let me progress to mushies. That first bite of soft food I had was cottage cheese and you'd have thought I was... well, all I could do was say mmmm and moan a lot. LOL! That was THE BEST cottage cheese I'd EVER tasted! Sally I think there are some lists of mushie foods in the Food forum. Check out the posts there. I always recommend Gorton's grilled fish fillets (lemon pepper or garlic butter). Microwave in 7 mins. Yum. Some of my other favorites were oatmeal, cottage cheese, bean with bacon Soup, tuna with a couple of tablespoons of fat free thousand island dressing, peas and carrots (frozen, boiled until very soft), and canned peaches (lite syrup).

Hey Funny, It took me a while but I finally found the nutritional info on the Isopure Zero Carb drinks. They are made by Nature's Best and if you look online you can get a case of 12 for about $37. Having 40 grams of Protein in each drink means you'd want to space out one bottle over a day. Your body won't absorb more than, I think it was 23 grams of protein at a time. I'll check on that to be sure. "Isopure has no sugar, no carbs, no preservatives, no fat and is lactose free. Contains 40 grams of the purest protein known to science in a 20 oz. bottle. Isopure has a taste that is easily accepted. Fresh, not too sweet, invigorating and pure. Isopure may well prevent the loss of lean tissue. It may replace egg whites and soft cheese, skim milk and low fat frozen yogurt, even red meat, as a primary source of protein."

I've read every response so far and can relate with something from each of them. I'm so touched by the honesty everyone is pouring into this thread. My mind is spinning with thoughts but I'm too tired to put them into any kind of reasonable order. So I'll dwell on this for a while and keep watching and reading. You all say I've made you think with this thread... well, you are all making me think too. Hurts don't it? *grins* Love you all, See ya tomorrow. nite nite

Hi Dody, Welcome to LBT. I have no experience with a slipped band but I did have a few thoughts about some of the things you've said. First, you said you ate cucumbers and couldn't get full, so you ate a chicken breast and were then ok.. not full, but no longer hungry. I would suggest eating that chicken first next time. Hard Proteins won't go through the band as easily, they take longer to breakdown and digest so you have the feeling of satiated longer. Reaching that point of being satisfied but not "full" is a good place to be. We are so used to thinking that the feeling of being stuffed means we are finished eating, when really we could stop long before that and no longer be hungry. Also, you mentioned that you have been exercising for about a week. This means you are building muscle and muscle, while it takes up less room than fat, weighs a lot more. Someone who has lean muscle mass will look smaller but weigh more than the person who isn't. Make sense? It's possible that you are doing the right things but the scale is confusing you. Try taking your measurements over the next few weeks and see if they are increasing. I'm sure that being banded for so long and having reached your goal weight, you probably have a lot you could teach most of us here. Sometimes though, we just need to stop and go back to the basics to see where we've gotten off track. I'm sure you'll do well once you tweak things a bit and get some restriction. Best of luck to you, and again, welcome to LBT. Be sure to share a lot! We love experience!

I'd thank her if I could. She is why I got my band. I found out about the lap band through researching Heart a couple of years ago. I hope the news about her having the band removed and gaining back all the weight isn't true. But if it is, that was her choice, and I'll kick her butt for it when I get the chance. *grins* HeatherGurl - Heart was a group that got big in the late 70s with songs like Dreamboat Annie, Barracuda, These Dreams, Dog and Butterfly, and Magic Man. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were the first girl rock band I ever heard. They still rock! :rockon:

:clap2::clap2: :clap2: Yay for you!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Add me to the list of jealous people! I'm very, very happy for you!

Sounds like residual pain from gas during surgery to me. The diaphram gets stretched so much, its often sore for several weeks after surgery. The pain from that area often radiates upward into the shoulder. Very common complaint. I would suggest a heating pad on the shoulder just under your ribs, mid section. Movement will also help dissipate the gas if there's any lingering in you. Walk or do some stretching. This should go away soon. *hugs* PS - If it doesn't go away, or it gets worse, call your Dr.

Vines, I'm just so glad that you went home to be with your man. I know that has to be a huge comfort in the midst of all this upset and turmoil. I'll keep you, your family, and your mom in my prayers. About the job interview... in times when all hell is breaking around us and we feel helpless, we turn to what we know we can control and pour our energy into it. I suspect that's what you did on 90 minutes of sleep. I'm sure that even though you were tired, it was comforting to be in control of something. I hope the job turns out to be a real blessing for you. I didn't understand some of the things you mentioned, such as... "I got my famous jugs yesterday, so I'll do the first UFC tomorrow." and "He quickly outlined what the surgery would be in I had to have the adreanals done." What do those mean?

Kimmers, Im sorry for nagging ya girl, but I swear I think you need a slight unfill. Not much, but you get stuck way too often. I'm worried about you.

Quick, someone get a patent and a bunch of bottles! FunnyDuddie water, naturally filtered, in a variety of flavors. I think we're going to be rich!

Hm, those VG bands can be tough when trying to find the right spot for restriction. *hugs* Hang in there Dee. You'll find it. In the meantime, are you doing all you can to help things progress? Here are a few things that I know will help you if you will incorporate them into your life. 1. Do some form of exercise 30 minutes per day. 2. Drink a minimum of 64oz of Water per day. 3. Journal your food intake, every bite and every swallow. 4. Eat 1,200 calories or less per day. 5. Eat between 60-80 grams of hard Protein per day. (fish, chicken, beef, dairy) 6. Eat your protein first. 7. Do not drink with meals, or for one hour after a meal. 8. Chew your food well. Make each meal last about 15 minutes. I know it's not easy to do these things on your own. Heaven knows if it were we wouldn't need our band. But I believe it is a mistake to rely 100% on the band for weight loss. Success will require a change of thinking and lifestyle. Even with the band, success will not be as good without eating healthily, drinking plenty of water and getting exercise. Our bodies were designed to require these things. And, as much as we wish it were different, it will depend on us to see that our bodies get these things so we can be healthy. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. *hugs*

Wow, the scorecards really show where our weaknesses are, don't they. I need to stop sitting on my arse and do my walking everyday! And I've gotten so lazy about my water. I can see it in my weightloss too! The last two weeks have been sooo slooowww.

Aw, its tough isn't it? Focus on Protein first. Get a minimum of 60 grams per day. Try to get this from solid Proteins that will keep you "full" longer. shakes are ok, but they go through you quickly. Here are some other ideas that should net you between 60 and 100 grams of protein per day. Breakfast: 1/2 C low fat cottage cheese and 1/2 C fruit are great for Breakfast and keep me full until lunch. (14 grams protein) Lunch: Healthy Choice makes small lunch size meals with meat and mashes potatoes. These take 5 1/2 minutes to cook in the microwave. I sometimes have 1/2 C cooked veggies or fruit with it. (18 grams protein) Dinner: Do you like fish? I buy the Gorton's grilled fish fillets (lemon pepper or garlic butter). They are 100 calories each. I have two with dinner along with 1/2 C of cooked veggies. The whole meal takes 7 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup frozen veggies in a pan, add a bit of Water and a super thin sliver of real butter. Put on burner on High. Meanwhile, lay the fish fillets on a plate, cover with another plate slightly askew to let out steam. Cook in microwave for 7 minutes. By the time the fish is ready, the veggies will be ready too. I pour the veggies in a small bowl then lay the fish over them so I have to eat through the protein to get to the carbs. This meal really fills me up and takes a long time to eat. (34 grams protein for two fillets) chicken or roast beef can be cooked in the crock pot and eaten with steamed veggies or salad. I dump a bag of frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot, dump a couple of cans of sweet n sour sauce over them, turn them on high and by dinner they are ready. Couldn't be easier. The roast is as simple. Pour some beef broth in the bottom of the crokpot. Lay the raost in and then season with garlic power, onion salt, pepper, seasoned meat tenderizer, etc. Whatever you like. It takes about 5 minutes to throw it in the pot, cooks all day and will make a lot of leftovers. (4oz chicken 17 grams protein) (4oz roast beef 35 grams protein) Snacks: 100 calories bags of Pop Secret popcorn or kettlecorn are great Snacks. SF Jello or puddings maybe? I stay away from sweets. They only make me want more. 1/2 C Fiber One Cereal with 1/2 C skim milk. (9 grams protein) If you need more protein, try eating a Starkist Tuna lunch pack for a snack. (18 grams protein) Don't drink with your meals, and try not to for one hour after eating. These are my daily basics. Hope they help you. I eat between 800 and 1,100 calories per day using these foods. If you'd like a copy of my food journal, I'd be happy to send it to you. Also, knowing about the foods you eat BEFORE you eat them is very empowering. For nutritional information go to: www.nutritiondata.com If you eat out a lot check this site: http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp

Funny, I can't get over how much we four are alike! That's just hecka cool! *laughs* LSasha - As I was updating, I saw that you had lost 10 pound last week! Your four pound gain this week might be simple Water retention. It happens. You're doing great! Drink all your water and dont be discouraged! All members - I think I forgot to update the Honors Page last week. My apologies. I have done the updates to the Members and Honors pages for this week. Everyone check your stats and placements on the Honors page to be sure they are correctly displayed. I've been known to make teeny little errors before... Like reporting that someone lost over 2,000 pounds in one week! *blushes* Here we go on a brand new week of score cards and weightloss. Everyone really push to do your all-out best this week ok? We had a group loss of 70.1 pounds last week. That's incredible! I know it would be a lot higher if everyone were reporting in. Come on ya losers! Tell us what you've lost! Let's see if we can have a group loss of 100 pounds next week! Yeehaw!

Personally honey, I think you're just full of it. *grins* I guess I'd better get busy and update all of our stats huh? *whines* But I don't wanna... I'm feeling so lazy today. By the way, Dawg goes in for his first physical in 7 years. He has White Coat Syndrome really bad so he'll be a bundle of nerves and high blood pressure by the time we get there. For all you praying people, please pray for him - that I don't throttle him for trying to get out of it at the last minute *winks*

I recently had to take two gel cap pain relievers and I wasn't at home so I was very nervous about it. I took them one at a time, with warm water. I let each one sit in my mouth, in the warm water, for a few seconds before I swallowed it. The outter coating softens and gets slippery so I had no problems. Just take it slow, one at a time, really warm water, and you should be fine.

OMG! TWELVE POUNDS?! :faint: Shack, Thats freaking awesome!! You need to call me tomorrow. I have some clothes you might be able to wear soon. I lost your number. Call me! I'm so excited for you and so very PROUD of you guy!! *big hugs*

Thanks Kristin

Telly - Nope, no clef chin here. Sorry I'm not as hot as you thought. *grins* Feel2Young2B40 - Well hello there stranger! It's good to see you around and doing so well too! Good job! MoOrLess - You are what? 48?? No way! I don't believe it!!

Youre in Alaska, Tacwoman? I am SO jealous! Whereabouts in Alaska? Oh... duh. It does say Anchorage, doesn't it? *blush* I'm still jealous!

I think that's your answer. You've gone from liquids to a more solid food. It's very normal to gain a few pounds at this stage. But don't let it concern you. Once your body gets adjusted it will fall back off in no time at all. I'm sure you've heard people say that the first six weeks is for healing and you shouldn't be concerned about weight loss. If not, then you just did. *grins* Any weight loss prior to getting that first fill is considered a bonus. Besides, you know it's not logical to keep up a 28 pound per month loss. You'd be a sack of lose skin! Yuck! Get your mind focused on the goal of 2 pounds per week and you'll get settled into the groove. You're doing a wonderful job! Relax and enjoy the ride!

There's our Funny girl! Bout time you showed these people what a knockout you are!

*rips off a big old thick piece of duct tape and sticks it over dsrjrr's mouth* Ask and ye shall receive! *evil grin* My Dr told me that prior to getting a fill, I could probably eat as I did pre-banding but that didn't mean I should. The burger was ok, probably should have left off the bun. Don't tempt the PB gods at this early stage of the game! *hugs* Oh, when you promise to behave yourself, I'll rip off that tape for ya. *winks*