Wendell Edwards

You're very welcome!

I suspect the cheese plugged the stoma, leaving the Fluid nowhere to go when you drank it. owie. I always do two days of fluids after every fill or PB to rest the stoma

This is taken from a post I made a long time ago: . "Is it possible to stretch out the small stomach, or "Pouch"?" The pouch seldom enlarges, because it is created in an area that is very resistant to enlargement. The esophagus above the pouch will usually stretch before the pouch itself does. That is almost always caused by repeatedly over-eating, AKA "Stuffing the pouch". Not very many people do this, but if they do, it can result in "Esophageal Dilatation" or stretching of the esophagus, which can be a very serious thing. The usual remedy for esophageal dilatation is to completely unfill the band for a period of time, in the hope that the esophagus will shrink back to its original size. In some instances, where the patient refuses to stop "Stuffing the Pouch" band removal is necessary. Note: I am NOT saying that this is your case. Most doctors will have you do a barium swallow under fluoroscope to verify pouch or esophageal dilatation. If it is present, a complete unfill followed by a liquid diet for two or more weeks will shrink the enlargement in most cases. Then you get a refill and that's it.

Vomiting is really for a person with a band. What does your doctor say is causing this?

Maybe that doctor is a "Band Practicioner"... :bounce:

Hello. I'm a new member. Hello Don't mean to offend anybody here, that's the last thing I want to do, because I'm thinking of getting banded and I need answers from you, but isn't this lap band gimmick a big con? No. I mean if you want to lose weight why not diet? Because diets do not, and never have worked. If you get banded you still have to eat less and diet so why bother getting banded? Because there is a world of difference between being banded and dieting. Surely when your banded 'pouch' is full of food you may feel full but you must still feel ravenous because the rest of your cavernous stomach is completely empty? No, that's not the case in my experience. I want to believe that banding works but I can't see how it reduces your hunger pangs and you can't eat what you like - I mean indian curries and savoury foods. I eat pretty much whatever I like, only in smaller quantities. I almost never experience hunger. How much will power do you bandsters need to succeed? Far less than when I was dieting. And if you have will power why don't you just diet and avoid surgery? I did that for 38 years and continued to "fail" at dieting. I have not "failed" at Lap-Band. This banding idea doesn't make any sense to me, it's just a big con. Simply because you do not understand something that you yourself have not experienced does not make that thing "A big con". Sorry if I've offended anybody but my doctor said that I couldn't get banded unless I could show that I could lose weight, so I tried and failed. That's understandable. Maybe it's time you found a doctor who understands the morbidly obese better than the one your currently use. But hang on a minute! If I could lose weight by dieting I wouldn't need to get banded would I ? You need to seperate losing weight from maintaining weight loss. I have lost weight, a lot of weight, several times in my life, only to re-gain that weight whenever my "willpower" gave out. I have lost weight, a lot of weight, while wearing a Lap-Band, and I have not re-gained that weight. Losing weight is relatively easy, keeping that weight off for life is the hard part. It's all a big con. The fact is that you could all lose weight without the band, banding is a big con. I disagree, and I dare say there are tens of thousands of people who used to be morbidly obese that wouold also disagree with you, they simply chose to not argue the point with you, as you seem to be prejudiced against the Lap-Band. Thanks for reading the rant.

That is a very good question. All my fils have been done on a fluoroscope, so it's easy to visually confirm the opening of the stoma. That shows the tightness of the fill, which would seem to indicate the reduction of the fat-pad. I didn't obtain effective restriction untill my 4th fill, and have had to have more fills after that to compensate for the reduction of the residual fat-pad. After my 7th fill, it was a VERY long time until fill 8, over 14 months, with effective restriction that whole time. So in my experience, I know that the residual fat-pad was going away based on the time between fills and the very tiny amount of fill required to re-obtain effective restriction.

Hi Maria, I don't know if you can rule out the effect of the Lap-Band on your relationship, because, in my experience, having a Lap-Band changed how I view things. Prior to banding, I was less likely to reject unacceptable situations, and was more passive in what I wanted. After Lap-Band, I seem to be far less accepting of a less-than-desirable result. I am more demanding that things go "My way". My relationship is very strong, and was going into the surgery. Even so, I have noticed that I am more demanding that things between Angela and myself go "My way". I know that PRIOR to having Lap-Band, I was already changing my acceptance of intolerable situations, so it may be a coincidence that, post-op, I am noticing that change in attitude more. I also believe that in my pre-band life, I used food as a comforter when I did not get things "My way", and I know that was a major contributor to my obesity. So, the chicken, or the egg? Did my attitude change because of the Lap-Band, or did I get a Lap-Band BECAUSE my attitude was ALREADY changing? I don't know... But I *DO* know this: If I were in a relationship now that I felt unfullfilled in, I would be getting OUT of it as soon as I could, because life is too short, and frankly, I deserve better!

The hundreds os stainless steel surgical staples that are used to close the incisions made during RNY surgery remain in the patient's body as "Foreign Objects" also.

Thank you for the compliment!

I went over 14 months twice since banding. Once that residual fat-pad around your stomach, the one between your band and the stomach, is gone, fills become much less frequent.

I hope you are focusing on getting in the Protein and fluids you need, and some veggies and Fiber as well. You didn't say which size band you have, but that's OK, it really doesn't matter. The ONLY thing that matter is whether that fill gave you effective restriction, which it did not. So, what is causing that shoulder pain? Here are some possibilities: You may have residual gas from the operation. You may be getting "Referred pain" from the diaphram. You may have that pain as a full signal. You may have that pain from eating too much. I recommend slowing down and chewing thoroughly to see if you can identify what is known as a "Soft stop", what I call a full signal. That may be any change that you experience while eating, but typical ones include sniffling, watery eyes, a feeling of "Stuffiness", a feeling of "Pressure" a hiccup or hiccups or any other physical change that you notice while eating.

There are a few possibilitys. My doctor says two days of full fluids after every fill, because the stoma may be swollen as a result of that fill, making it very tiny and subsceptible to obstructions. If that is your case, a few days of full fluids will allow the swelling to reduce. Another possibility is that the cracker might have had wheat flour in it. Wheat combines with saliva and forms a gluten ball in the stomach. That gluten ball is infamous for plugging up stomas, which is why many doctors tell their patients to avoid bread, rice and Pasta. Eventually a gluten ball will dissolve and pass through the stomach. Another possibility is a reaction of the stomach tissues to the pressure of the fill. Reactionary swelling is relatively rare, but needs doctor attention. People with auto-immune disorders frequently experience reactionary swelling, which is why doctors are told to not band people with those issues. When in doubt, call your doctor, because only your doctor is qualified to give you medical advice.

You're very welcome!

Hi, I have one question: Are your fills done with a fluoroscope, or are they being done "blind"?

Thank you for the compliment!

I just use the term "Full signal". For me, it's one tiny hiccup. I can eat one bite after that hiccup, but if I eat two bites past it I get sick.

Sliming and vomiting after a fill are a sure indicator that the fill is too tight. Even a small unfill of POINT ONE CCs will help. (.1CC) Repeated vomiting is a very dangerous thing for a person who has a Lap-Band, as that is the number one cause of band slips.

It depends on the doctor whether they will require this. Some do, some don't.

You're very welcome!

My comment is sort of harsh: Doctors earn more money for doing bypass operations, and that may sway their opinions. My starting BMI was 73.2, and I am living proof that your doctor and your boss are wrong.

Oh yeah, that happens all the time. It's because your stomach is still swollen from the operation, which is causing temporary restriction. That will go away as the stomach swelling goes down. I would concentrate on getting in the Protein and fluids, and of course you might want to contact your doctor, because only your doctor can really give you accurate medical advice.

Whether or not you may have created a problem for the band is something that only time will tell. Many people have a hard time sticking to the strict post-op diet, but it is really important that you do. I wrote this post about it a lomng time ago, after I realized the danger of not sticking to the post-op diet. ******************************* "How Important Is The Post-Op Diet?" It is critical. Most doctors prescribe a post-op diet of weeks of clear fluids, followed by weeks of full fluids followed by weeks of mushy food. My doctor said 2 weeks clear Fluid, 2 weeks full fluids and 2 weeks of mushy food. The time following the operation is for your stomach to heal. The Lap-Band needs to form a groove on your stomach. That groove makes the Lap-Band resistant to slipping. Eating food during the post-op period before you are supposed to be eating food could cause the Lap-Band to slip, or increase the risk of a future slippage. Food causes the stomach muscle to "Work" to digest the food. The "Work" could cause the band to not seat properly on the stomach. Weight loss is NOT to be expected during the recovery time after the operation. If you lose weight, wonderful, but don't expect it. The time between the operation and getting an EFFECTIVE fill that causes restriction is called "Bandster Hell" for a good reason. Without an EFFECTIVE fill, our hunger is just as strong, but the band does not work to help us. Getting an EFFECTIVE fill sometimes takes multiple fills, it is not unusual for it to take 3-5 or even MORE fills to obtain restriction. Because the band has to seat into the groove to hold its position, and every time the band is filled the fill adds extra pressure on the band, most doctors choose to let time pass between fills. Most doctors will not fill a band before 4 weeks after the operation, 6 weeks is common and 8-12 weeks of healing time is not unheard of.

Nobody weighed me pre-op.

Some theorize that the Lap-Band is affected by the amount of dehydration of the patient's body. A person who is dehydrated may have a looser Lap-Band due to "Flatter" cells that are not fully hydrated. Conversely, a patient who is fully hydrated may experience a tighter lap-Band due to "Plumper" hydrated tissues. This is another reason to drink more Fluid that you did before you were banded.