kiz

I have to say that I don't deal with judgmental people well, so I didn't tell anyone I was having surgery except my husband, kids, my hairdresser (lol), and a close friend who had band surgery a year earlier. Part of the reason was I knew the weight wouldn't fall off me, so I didn't want people waiting and watching for it to happen. When people started noticing that I was losing, I told my closest friends about my surgery. They were surprised and totally impressed with my results. When I told my mother in law, she said you know I would have told you not to do it, and I said to her that's why I didn't tell her. :thumbup:

Not every doctor requires a pre-op diet, but as far as I know you shouldn't eat anything after midnight the night before your surgery. I think Water is limited to what you need for meds if you take them, but I don't remember for sure. You should get information on your pre-op and post-op diet requirements. Are you scheduled to meet with a nutritionist? I had surgery around 8 am and was out of the hospital around 2 pm. Some band patients spend the night, so that varies.

For whatever reason, some people are just more band tolerant than others. My band, if going by fill level is very tight, but I don't have a large list of problem foods. I can't eat celery, and I just eat the tops off asparagus. I haven't found any other vegetables that are off limits to me. I love lean med-rare fillet mignon, but I have had to spit out a couple of bites, (very discreetly I hope), when it hasn't chewed up well. I haven't tried eating the membrane on citrus fruit, but I can eat the meat of the fruit just fine. I can eat bread. I wouldn't say I'd take a HUGE bite out of a dinner roll, and I only have a dinner roll very rarely and in very small portions. You can't control your tolerance level for foods, but you can control the tightness of your band, which also factors into what foods may or may not be off limits to you.

I consider myself at a point of ideal restriction. I can eat most foods (ex. chicken, steak, & bread) without chewing to pure mush and without taking teeny little bites. I also don't pb, slime or have reflux. I don't try to overwork my band, but I do let it do it's job. I reach satiety with 1/2 cup solid meals that lasts four hours and sometimes longer. I eat three meals/day and I can have a healthy snack. Some days, I want the snack, but others I skip it. That's not to say that I don't indulge in something unhealthy occasionally, but now, it's on a rare occasion, rather than daily and a small portion does the trick. I still have to limit my temptations though. For instance, I love home made chocolate chip Cookies (among many other things). If I made a batch, I wouldn't trust myself not to go into a feeding frenzy..sort of like a shark on bait..lol So, I do keep trigger foods out of the house. A single cookie when out would fully satisfy me, but there are certain foods that set me off, so out of sight (or reach) out of mind, works for me. The band allows you within certain parameters to pick the ideal restriction level for yourself. Some like their band a little tighter, while others keep it a little looser. As long as you're not making yourself sick with a too tight band, which will lead to future band problems, it's up to you and your doctor to decide the best restriction level based on your individual needs. This is one of the many reasons I love the band.

It really depends on your doctor on how often you can get fills. During the first year, I had monthly appointments which could include a fill if I needed one. However, a couple of times I could tell after only two weeks that I still needed another fill, and I was able to come in right away for one. I was self-pay with one year fills included, so I didn't have to get insurance okay's for fills, and that made it easier. I was very fortunate to have a doctor who was willing to work with me because it did take me more fill then the average patient to get to good sustained restriction. I was also checked a few times under fluoro to make sure everything was working right. I'm afraid I might have been a band failure had he only allowed very small fills at set dates.

I'm terribly sorry that happened. No wonder you're venting, you certainly have every reason to. I hope you get good news next week.

Wow, you have had to wait along time for your first fill. I know some people feel great restriction just from the band itself, but that wasn't me after the first few weeks. I was really happy to get my fill at six weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that they don't cancel your appointment again. Man, I'd be furious at this point. Don't worry, you shouldn't have any pain after your fill.

I think it's common that a small amount of saline can be reabsorbed after a period of time. I have a different band (9cc Realize Band), and the doctor never has pulled out as much as he has put in. He has never been concerned, and when doing a fill under fluoro it was obvious that the Fluid is still in my band, and I have good restriction. Your "loss" of fluid could be a little bit of fluid just not coming out when he did your check and/or a little re-absorption of the saline after a period of time. It might have happened so gradually, that you didn't realize it, and now with this fill your back up to the original fill level. My doctor usually recommends waiting two weeks after a fill to let things settle down, unless you can't take water or something of that consistency, then you should come back right away to have some of the fill removed. I think, at this point, there's no doubt that you need an unfill. As others have said, when they've put it off too long, their stomas have been so irritated that they've needed a complete unfill.

Good example of the squeaky wheel getting the oil, and very good advice! I hope you hear back from them soon.

At two and half weeks, I'd probably go for Beans, especially while out to eat with co-workers. First off and most importantly, you really want to baby your band during the healing phase and you never know how tough a bird might be cooked up in a restaurant. Secondly, beans are easier to eat, so you won't have to concentrate so hard on chewing through a piece of meat while socializing with your friends. You definitely don't want to end up in the bathroom retching up a piece of chicken that doesn't agree with you. I'll admit to being very cautious, especially when it comes to my band.

Good luck with all of your appointments, and I hope you get all good news!! I agree with you that it's better to be cleared of medical problems before surgery. There are so many underlying problems that can go hand and hand with obesity, so it's even more prudent to run these exams first.

I also think you are probably too tight and will need a slight unfill. There is a slight chance your band is irritated, and you have some swelling, but a few extra days on liquids should take care of it. As long as you can get down enough liquids to stay well hydrated, and you're not sliming, burping, etc your way throughout them, you could try to give your band a rest. Only then try the pureed foods and if you have any trouble whatsoever with them schedule an unfill. If you can't move on to solid foods by early next week, schedule an unfill. You just don't want to spend any significant time burping up your food, or you'll end up irritating your band more, and that can lead to other band problems. Your doctor may want you to come in right away for a slight unfill, so you might want to give the office a call and check.

I had a similar insurance situation with our pediatrician, and that's exactly the way I handled it. My husband is self-employed and we were applying for a new private insurance policy and we had a drop dead deadline to have all of our documents turned in, and this was the only doctor who was dragging his feet. The funny thing, he first tried to say that the mail was sometimes iffy, and he probably didn't receive the form I had sent him in a timely manner. Busted...I had also personally dropped it off to his nurse. I changed doctors after everything was said and done. I never did like him much anyway, and that was the final straw.

Best of luck to you, Sue!! It really is true that the band is only a tool, which means we have some work to do to get the best results from our band. Hopefully, you can be an inspiration to your brother.

I'm at my "sweet spot" and for me my diet is 1/2 cup meals. How much I could eat depends a lot on the consistency of my meal. I wouldn't try it, but I think I couldn't eat more than 1/2 to 3/4 cup of something very solid such as steak or chicken. However, I try to eat about 2/3 of my meal as a good solid food and the other 1/3 as a fruit/veg/bread (not all three at once). At that, I could eat probably up to 3/4 up to one cup of food if I was eating more of the sides rather than the solid Protein. That's why I have to measure, because in reality the 1/2 cup meal keeps me satisfied for several hours. My body must be pretty band tolerant because I could overdo it without an adverse reaction. My doctor generally schedules appointments four to six weeks out, but if after two weeks a fill doesn't seem to be enough, we can come back for another. I think I did that twice, and the second time he wanted me to have it under fluoro to make sure all was well, and it was thankfully.

Diva, I read your other post, and saw that your doctor isn't being supportive. I know that makes it doubly hard to go back to the office when things aren't going well, but that's when you need to go the most. Chances are, you're eating too much because you don't have proper restriction yet. Make an appointment for a checkup and a fill. I know the amount in a fill makes a difference, but it took me about ten to get to good restriction. I hope you call soon..like in the morning..and let us know how it goes.

I've read on LBT that some doctors require their patients to stay on liquids for two weeks. I'm at my sweet spot and have had numerous fills, and I never had any significant swelling after a fill. If it were me, and this definitely lay advice, I'd go back on liquids for 2 days and then try soft foods for 2 days before trying solids again, since your fill was just five days ago. If the soft foods didn't go well or if I couldn't move on to solids, I'd go back in to have a little fill removed. I would also suggest you call your doctor tomorrow to see what he thinks you should do. I hope you just need a couple days of liquids to let things settle down.

How long ago did you get the fill? If it was not more than a week or two, you might still have residual swelling from the fill, and you could try soft foods and liquids for a couple of days, then back to your regular diet. If more than one or two weeks, you should talk to your doctor and see if he recommends a slight unfill. I would guess that you are too tight. At your sweet spot, you should be able to eat at least 1/2 cup good solid meals without feeling sick. Just being able to eat a few bites means you're band is too tight, but you have to determine if it's due to swelling or being over filled.

This is some of the criteria from my doctor for needing a fill: If you feel like you're able to eat bigger meals then your doctor's recommendation and you're getting hungry in less than a few hours after eating your meals, you might be due a fill. Also, you should be losing 1 - 2 lbs/week. Since you're unsure if you need a fill because you're pretty happy with your restriction now, I'd probably hold off, especially if it's not difficult to schedule a fill with your office. Your calorie intake seems great at this point.

Hi Rachel, and welcome to LBT. My best advice to you for healing quickly is to follow all of your doctor's instructions. Be sure and stay hydrated because it seems that dehydration is one of the major reasons people end up back in the hospital. Be sure and walk a little every hour to keep the blood flowing in your legs. If your doc gives you a spirometer to breath into, do that as instructed as well to help keep your lungs clear. Most importantly, try not to over do it during the holidays. Recline and rest as much as you can the first few days to help with the healing process. Being young is definitely on your side, so barring any unforeseen post-op issues, you should be more than ready for your classes. Good luck!!

That happened to a close friend of mine, but she had been banded for over two years when, for whatever reason, her tubing became disconnected from her port. She realized that something was wrong when she suddenly had little restriction. For what it's worth, she said the corrective surgery was very simple and she had a very easy recovery. I'm so sorry you're facing this, especially so early on.

I don't have any advice to offer you as to how to go about changing band doctors, but I feel your pain. I don't blame you for being frustrated. I wonder if the doctor knows what how inept his office staff is. I bet you're not the only patient at their wit's end.

Shhhh...

"My band became tighter after a long flight to Hawaii in July. Weird, huh?" I have to start paying out of pocket for fills now, because I was self pay and my one year of included fills/appts is up. Next time I need I fill, I may just book a trip to Hawaii instead..lol There can be such a fine line between a little too much and not quite enough. I hope it ends up that your band loosens up a little without intervention, but if you start to PB a lot, I agree with you, I wouldn't try to wait it out. Congrats on the weight loss though!

Being too tight can lead to band complications such as a slip or erosion. Also, it doesn't sound like you're getting proper nourishment. If you begin to have reflux and pb's during and after meals, you might also begin eating more slider type foods to compensate, which generally are higher in cals and lower in nutrition and don't provide long lasting satiety. Many people are tighter in the morning, and loosen up during the day, (I'm the same all the time though), so it's not unusual to need to start off with liquids in the morning. My concern is that you are still so tight that you can only eat a few bites at lunch and dinner. If you had just a tiny unfill, and were able to eat three healthy but small meals, do you think you would halt your weight loss? You could loosen up over the next couple of weeks if you just had a recent fill, so there's that to consider too. There's no easy answer, and you know your body, but just be careful that you're not putting too much pressure on your band.