niki

I've been banded for 2,5yrs. and never had had constipation problems, but I eat lots of fiber and veggies all the time. Make sure you are drinking enough water. You should check with your doctor before taking anything for that (you don't want to hurt your band). hope it will soon get better

Each doctor has his own politics about fills. Mine for instance is very conservative about fills, meaning I've had 8 fills during these 2,5yrs I've been banded. My doc says it is important to allow your stomach and your body to adjust to the band (even if this means I'm loosing weight at a very slow pace...). I sometimes get very frustrated with that, but at least I notice that my skin is doing OK and slowly adjusting too (of course that exercising 4 times/week it helps too).

Fills are tricky, aren't they? Only on my 6th or 7th fill I started to feel some restriction. And i think I need a new fill, I'm eating way more than 1 cup... I currently have 9cc. niki

hey mindy, I wouldn't worry too much with those 3 eggs. Time and patience will teach you and your band on how much is the correct portion for you. Trust me, your band will tell you if you are overeating. Your pouch won't stretch that easy, either. It is important however to try and make correct food choices, exercising a bit, etc. As far as «correct» portions of food are concerned, this varies a lot from one bandster to another, and from one doc to the next one. keep researching and reading a lot on the subject. I have my band for almost 3 yrs. and I'm learning something new everyday. you'll be fine, niki

I don't think hair loss is a direct consequence of the band. My father is an anaesthesist and he knows from experience that several patients complaint about hair loss after a surgery. I don't think it has to do much with protein intake either. When we get banded we should make an effort in doing correct food choices from nutrional point of view, we're not supposed to starve, we have to replace all those wrong foods and eat our veggies, lean meat, fish, etc. And we should be taking multivitamins, too. Biotin, zinc, all those B vitamins, Vit.E, fatty acids (Omega 3, etc) are fundamental for keeping your hair healthy, even if you're not banded.

Call your doctor. If he's not available talk to one of the nurses and ask if there's something you might take for a speedy recovery. niki

Julie, This is one of the best threads EVER here on LBT!!! Your story is amazing and you are the living proof that it can be done, we can get there, it's up to us to make it happen! Your before and after pictures are fantastic! just one thing did not change - your smile! you have the most beautiful smile! Thanks for sharing all this with us. Thanks for making me belief again that I'm on the right path. Thanks for showing me that with effort and hard work I can get there and leave this fat'gal behind. Thanks for giving me new hope! niki

I would leave it exactly as it is. You're still loosing and that's what's matter, why take a risk of messing it up? And if i were you, I would talk to my doctor and ask my him to give me a small report I could take with me explaining what I have and how it should be handled (in case it's needed). best of luck, niki

Gosh! that's awful! Maybe it wasn't the port that set the alarm off. I've travelled several times since I've had my band and it never happened. Last month i was going through a german airport, it beeped, a lady with the wand took me aside and she came to the conclusion it was my bra. I didn't even mentioned I had a band or a body implant or that would have been a long story that i didn't want to tell right then and there. Honestly, I don't think our cards make much of a difference (just imagine how easy that would have been for terrorists to fake that sort of medical cards if they would get away with it). But yes, you should file a complaint.

I eat out as much as I used to before the band. And I haven't told most of my friends about the surgery, so I just keep saying I'm on a diet, and nobody really makes a fuss about it. There 's always soup, salads, appetizers, grilled stuff, even pizza (I eat a slice or two). No problem whatsoever.

I was told 5 meals a day: 3 main ones, plus 1 snack mid-morning (yogurt, some fruit) + 1 snack mid-afternoon (same thing). And lots of water between meals. My doc says I need to keep eating in intervals of 2 or 3 hours in order to make my metabollism burn calories and fat.

SueSue, Did you ask your doctor what kind of band you have? I have a band that takes 10cc and it's been hell during these past 2,5yrs since I have it to get good restriction. I've had 7 fills and still I feel I don't have ideal restriction because I eat way too much, never threw up, never had a PB or got stuck. All goes down weell: chicken breast, all sorts of veggies, bread, you name it! My doc is very conservative with fills (always less than 1 cc). You need to feel some restriction in order to loose. And even if you're in a plateau, you'll get out of it, just hang in there, don't despair! niki

Brilliant thread! very inspiring!!! :clap2: Going to the gym and being able to exercise for an hour just as anyone else overthere , makes me feel I'm a winner! niki

Very interesting poll and some very interesting replies! I've been banded for almost 3 yrs now and never had any reflux problem. I wonder what doctors say about this question. It seems that in several cases, reflux is a consequence of being too tight and a simple unfill will solve it, but in others it doesn't seem to be corelated, or people that have had the band for several years without any reflux issues, suddenly it starts happening even without a new fill... It's kind of strange. niki

Everytime we have a fill, that kind of procedure affects how our stomach reacts and we should allow it a few days of rest before we go back to eating solid food, that's why most doctors recommend from 3 to a week with liquids and mashed food after a fill. Don't try eating solid food (even if you it very well) after a fill, that will only upset and irritate your stomach more and more. niki

I would allow it one more day with liquids and soft foods, too. Maybe because you were with company at your place you forgot to chew slowly?... give your stomach another 24hrs to go back to normal and it might go away. If not, you should call your doc. niki

I've been banded for 2,5 yrs. had 7 fills till now and still didn't reach my sweet spot... that's very frustrating! Sweet spot is what you get when you reach the perfect fill for you (this varies a lot from one person to the other) and that gives you a wonderful feeling of restriction during which you loose weight at a steady pace, without needing an unfill. The soft-spot is when your brain and your band are tunned in and agree it's time for you to stop eating (or you might feel stuck, blockage , PB, ...) Best of luck for your new life, niki

My doc is very conservative with fills (I've had 7 fills during the past 2,5yrs) and he says that as long as I'm loosing, even if at a very slow pace, that's OK. Besides, the advantage of it is that it allows your body and particularly, your skin, to slowly adjust to the weight loss. I can eat a whole chicken breast with veggies, too - he says that's not a problem as long as I'm doing the correct food choices and exercising regularly. I just feel a bit frustrated sometimes because I'm not loosing as fast as some people. niki

I agree with Wheetsin, you're probably talking about two different things. You should check that acid reflux with your doctor as soon as possible. Don't let it go on or it might hurt your band and your body. Once you've dealt with that, it will be easier to figure out the fill/unfill matter. hope you'll soon feel better, niki

I wouldn't jump right away to get an unfill. Fills can sometimes be very tricky and vary a lot from one person to the other. If you can eat chicken for instance, without problems (blockage, PB, etc) than maybe you don't need to unfill. Try to pin point which foods go down well and which don't. You need good solid food and you need to chew, chew and chew some more before you swallow it, and you need to make correct food choices (chocolate and ice creams are a no-no...) niki

Good for you! my boobs are getting smaller too. Not that I minded having them as they were (they were never too big anyway) but I think they are pointing south and they only look ok if I'm wearing a bra. I am considering a boob job once I achieve my goal. niki

Very interesting question! I mentioned it several times to my doc but he never gave me a precise answer or reason why that happens, he just knows that most patients say the same about it. Generally speaking I think it has something to do with body fluids and the fact you have stayed relaxed on a flat position for those night hours while you were asleep. I don't think it is the band that contracts per se, but our body fluids that become more evenly distributted, mainly on the mid area of our body. I can't start off my day without breakfast. My metabolism is very slow and if I don't «fuel» it up, it just won't burn off weight as it should. Starvation, in my case at least, slows things down, so I keep eating (good stuff) every 2 or 3 hours maximum. Usually I start my day with a good shake or a smoothie (oatmeal, a banana, a little protein and milk). niki

Being banded sometimes it is not easy, for me it's being quite hard for these 2,5yrs I've been banded. If you do some research here at LBT you'll soon find out lots of testimonies stating it is not easy. The band is a tool that's there to help you out, but it's up to us to do most of the hard work - I mean doing correct food choices, exercising, fighting compulsive eating and head hunger. The band will rarely do it alone, but it's there to help you out. Two weeks is not enough time to see if it is working well or not. The main goal for us should be re-learning to eat right and that's for life. It's no use achieving our goal and than going back to old nasty eating habits or it will all come back in a glimpse. I read somewhere that our brain takes something like 20 minutes to understand we're not hungry any more and that we should feel satisfied with our small portion of food. Eating slowly and chewing it over and over again, sometimes helps. Trust me, I fully understand you, this has not been an easy road. As Jachut well said, there will be ups and downs, and plateaus one after the other. Will power sometimes let us down, but it is up to us to make this band work. hang in there, niki

BOoBOo you're doing a great job and you're quite an inspiration for us all! Congratulations! Don't let your doc spoil you that well deserved victory! If you're healthy and you're feeling well, all is well. Keep working out as you normally do, that will help your muscles to stay fit&firm and chase away body fat. Of course we are supposed to work out, where on earth did your doctor heard that we shouldn't??? just don't overdo it and pay attention if you are eating adequatly to what you do on your daily routine. Well done! niki

Fills can indeed be very tricky and each one of us reacts differently to a new fill. You have the same sensation whether it's cold water or warm tea or some soup? Kacee is right, in the morning when we are ussually more restricted cold beverages don't go down well, but some tea or coffee don't seem to be a problem. niki