crazycatlady

Hi writegirl, Did you have these stomach issues b/4 the band? I did but not to this extent. I was not a good candidate for the band & made a big mistake since I was not a volume eater. I just was desperate to lose the weight & didn't want to accept the fact that I had to work for it. I have since adopted the eating habits of bodybuilders & do heavy weight training/cardio 5 days a week & have my best body ever. I'm 52 & get hit on regularly at the gym by 30 somethings, go figure! I tell them I could be their mother to scare them away. My point in telling this is I have learned that everyone has the power to change if you are willing to accept that it will take hard work & dedication forever, not just until you lose the weight. I am not afraid I will gain the weight back, even though I might, because I know I did it on my own & can do it again if needed. All I care about is feeling better otherwise nothing else matters. Have have recently tried digestive enzymes & will be going to a natural medicine doctor, which will cost me lots but what other choice do I have? Good luck to you & if you need any advice on how you too can be your smallest size ever(I'm not selling anything) don't hesitate to ask.

OMG! I have the same thing except I have no restriction & haven't for a long time since I've experienced this since I was banded in May 2008. I have had numerous tests but nothing shows to be wrong. I'm having the band removed in Dec. since I cannot live like this with all the pain, bloating, growling & embarassing gas! The band doctor assures me it's not the band & the gastro doctors have told me there is nothing they can do since nothing appears wrong to them. I have actually lost all the weight I wanted to but only b/c I have changed the way I eat & started exercising 5 days a week. This stomach issue has made my life hell though so I cannot even enjoy my new body since I feel like crap most of the time not to mention I paid for this myself. Please let me know if you find anything else out. Thanks!

Does anyone else experience bloating/gas more than usual after a fill? I'm in such pain I'm considering having all my fill taken out. This pain is just not worth it. I AM NOT TOO RESTRICTED EITHER!

Since being banded in May '08 I have had lots of issues with excessive gas/bloating & recently added nausea to the mix. This has not been a good investment in my opinion since I have had to work so very hard & suffer with all these issues to only lose a total of 25 lbs since surgery. I've had to be unfilled completely twice due to being too tight once & having to have an endoscope. We are working back up to a decent restriction level, of which I have NEVER had except for the overfill that once. In the process of getting good restriction I find that I had an extra amout of gas & bloating problems. Does anyone else experience these symptoms when they aren't properly restricted? It seems if I'm unfilled I'm OK & if I'm close to a "sweet" spot I'm better but in between I have major problems.

I had to be completely unfilled.

Does anyone have more stomach issues since being banded? I have non-stop stomach pains, growling/rumbling, excessive gas & bloating most days since banding. It's starting to affect my mental state. The doctors cannot find anything wrong so I guess I'm SOL! Anyone else have anything like this? I'm starting to think it's IBS.

Tue, Wed, Thurs: Nothing...SICK! I've had a stomach bug & have been surviving on crackers & anti-nausea meds. I actually think a lot of my stomach issues are due to lack of restriction. It seems when I'm not restricted I have these problems. Anyone else have these issues which mainly consist of horribly loud growling, bloating & gas when their not restricted?

Monday: 50 min. legs/calves No cardio, felt very tired & weak :laugh:

Friday: back/biceps (graduated to 20 lb dumbell curls only 1 set but have to start somewhere!) 30 min. treadmill, 20 min. elliptical Sat: OFF Sunday: chest/triceps 30 Stairclimber, 20 Crosstrainer elliptical

I don't want to be a downer but in my personal experience it truly depends on getting your restriction right. I have been banded since May & only lost 20 lbs. I work out 5 days a wk vigorously & feel this is the main reason I have lost this much. I still haven't found my sweet spot but I also had to be unfilled around Thanksgiving for becoming too tight. For about 2 days I finally had the restriction that took my cravings & hunger away but then due to stresses of the holiday the band swelled too tight & ALL the fill had to be removed. So... to answer your question, I eat reasonably but I don't count or measure & eat fast food because I hate to cook. I do try to make better choices than b/4 just because I need this to work but I still eat junk so that is why I haven't lost very much in 8 mos. The 2 days I had good restriction that kept my hunger in check was a taste of how it's suppose to work & I cannot wait to finally be there for a while. I haven't lost 1 lb in months so it can get frustrating. I have exercised off & on in the past but when I saw this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought I got off my fat ass & started back. Exercise does so much more than shape your body, it feeds your mind. If you have never REALLY been into it I highly recommend anything you can to get active & after a while you will see what I mean and hopefully crave it's benefits. Good luck to you!

I am so glad you started this because gas has been the worst part of this experience. I wake up with horrible trapped gas/bloating/rumbling & NOTHING helps it. I have been to doctors & even had a cat scan but nothing shows up so I know it's just gas pressure. I have noticed that it gets better the tighter I am. (I was recently unfilled & working my way back) There is nothing more miserable than NOT being able to get it out either way. Weightbearing exercise, like walking or running, helps.

Can I ask what is the purpose of a sauna? I sweat enough doing cardio to go sit in heat not to mention I live in a sauna 8 mos a year in Houston. Wednesday: OFF Thursday: 80 min. Legs/Calfs/Shoulders 30 min. StairClimber (torture chamber) I can go longer on any other machine but this one is a killer. Says I burned 230 cal in 30 min. so I had some cheetos when I got home.

lu...I know what you mean & I went in there yesterday with disappointment all over my face & he even said he could see it in my eyes. He is actually a very good surgeon & cares about his patients, took the time to call Allergen(?) & talk to the head guy concerning my case. Doc told me that he was told to take it slow as to not create anymore trauma to the area that was still healing from the unfill situation. (I DID need to be unfilled completely come to find out) He had the surgery center (where they do fills because of the flouroscope) send pics of my last fill to his office so he could show me where there was still a weak area that needed to heal & being agressive could possibly cause more damage or even another surgery. I certainly don't want that so I left feeling better. He did give me a script for some phentermine though. Since I get my fills at JourneyLite free for life (thank God) he said he wants me there on his surgery day in 2 wks & will do my fill so that he can make sure everything is good & will fill me with as much as possible whereas the center can only put in 1cc max at a time, I think. Thanks for taking the time to respond!!

Can anyone help with what I should say to the doctor today about my lack of progress? I have only lost 20 lbs. in 8 mos & YES I exercise regularly & vigorously. I have expressed my dissatisfaction many times before to the doctor but all he wants to focus on is my diet. IF I COULD CONTROL MY DIET I WOULDN'T NEED THIS BAND! The problem is restriction or lack of it. I finally had the kind of restriction I needed to lose some weight but it became too tight & all the fill had to be removed (11/26) SO I'm starting all over. I think I have 6cc now (still no restriction :thumbup: )but who knows since it seems different each time they fill or remove. Anyway, my issue is that I need a fill but he won't for another 2 weeks & I'm furious that is why I'm going in to talk to him. It has been months since I have lost 1 lb! I had planned on this weight being off by March '09 for my daughter's wedding & don't think I was being unreasonable in my expectations being that I only needed to lose a total of 50 lbs. Please give me your opinions on what I should say or how to handle this. I'm self-pay so insurance isn't a factor. Thanks for at least reading my post.

Please don't misunderstand...I have no restriction which to me makes it like not having the band therefore I'm back to relying on my will power which is none. As I stated b/4 if I had restriction the way it is suppose to be I wouldn't be as hungry & more able to make wiser choices & eat less as well. I'm not stupid in that I think I can eat whatever I want just because I have the band. I know better but I also know how it's suppose to feel from when I had my fill at Thanksgiving. It would have been perfect but I stressed out from the holiday/family/cooking, etc. & it swelled on me making it too tight. The doctor on call was not my doc & he was an ass as well & wanted to make sure he wasn't bothered again during the holiday w/e so he completely unfilled me. I have done all that ya'll have suggested short of seeing a counselor for which I will not. I don't need head work I need restriction.

Hey jmegirl let us know what the doc says about the latte. I feel the same as you about these. I tried to wean off but I feel so much better when I have one, if only a tall. Actually my nutritionist said since it contains mostly milk (I don't get topping on mine)so it also has approx. 8 grms protein. But I still try to eat something b/4 lunch around 9:30-10.

Yesterday: I was going to skip the weights & just do cardio but I was there, felt decent so... 45 min. chest/triceps 30 min elliptical, wanted to continue with stairclimber but they were all occupied! I HATE this time of year at the gym! There should be a rule that you cannot join a gym in January if you don't plan to come all year.

I was banded in May '08 & it has been ever since. I have been to a gastro specialist & even had a cat-scan but nothing shows up. The reason I think it's IBS is because some days are better than others but nothing inparticular causes it to flare up. I also have lost only 20 lbs & that is with working out like a maniac 5 days a week. Why do you doubt IBS?

Monday: 75 min. back/biceps I'm trying to work on pull-ups & was unable to do even 1/2 of one! So I'm doing the machine assist for a while. What a whimp. No cardio, felt too tired & weak. Might have been that I wanted to watch The Bachelor & eat carbs. :wub: I'm doing a 2 days on 1 off schedule but will try to make it today for the cardio I missed yesterday.

Friday: 1 hr. chest/triceps 30 min. crossramp elliptical 20 min. bike Saturday: off Sunday: 1.75 hr. legs/calfs/shoulders 30 min. crossramp elliptical 20 min. treadmill

Has anyone heard from Blooeyez lately?

I guess I need to stop reading & start being accountable so here goes... New years day: 1 hr weights, back/biceps 30 min. elliptical, 15 min. bike

You DON'T have a band? How do you do it on such a small amt. of calories w/o the help of the band? Why are you on this site if not banded? Sorry about all the ?? but I'm confused.

Hi Danielle, Sorry to hear about your unfill, I certainly can relate. I FINALLY had really good restriction to the point, after 6 mos, only 17 lbs loss, that I wasn't hungry at all. Then I guess the stress of Thanksgiving, etc. caused me to swell & the doctor on call completely unfilled me. I am so upset since it didn't even give me a chance to lose any extra weight. I went in a week later & the doctor put back 5cc but said he could see irritation around the band from it being too tight. I'm going back on Thur. to get some more put in but I'm afraid he won't give me what I need to have good restriction. So to answer your question about the process I would think it all depends on the doctor & how you have healed. I would think having 5cc (10cc band) would give me some restriction but it hasn't at all. I can & have eaten everything in sight. Needless to say, I'm pissed off! I am lucky that I can get a fill every 2-3 weeks if needed & all mine are free for life but I too have to take off from work at least 2 hours. It's just very upsetting that I'm not even close to my goal 6 mos out. I would explain the situation to your fill doc. & let him know you cannot afford to keep coming back so many times & I would think they would have a better idea of where your danger zone is now. Good luck...