flyahead

Hi T... have you tried drinking your water room temp or warmer? Sometimes really cold stuff hurts my stomach.

Hi everyone..I had my surgery almost 2 years ago... Hw:285 Cw:204 Not where I want to be but surely not where I've been. .. lol I'm so grateful for my journey. .. This morning I had an EGD...I was diagnosed with a pretty nasty ulcer. I was having difficulty in between meals. .. As long as I ate I was fine but when the food digested my acidic juices would have a party at my expense. I heart this is pretty common with the rny. So pau attention to your body. ..

Hi Tbone... congratulations on your progress. It is nice to see the numbers go down or at least in the right direction. I'm one of those who I can get one right or the other (eating or exercise) but rarely both at the same time. ... I'm a work in progress lol

I'm excited for you Mona!!!...you are right, things happen for a reason!!!...

Hello Everyone, I had my surgery 11/29/12 and I'm still in the journey...have not quite made it. Mine is a little complicated, started with the lap band had complications and ended up with the RNY. I have lost 85+lbs with the RNY...but I still have another 25-30lbs to lose. I am wearing a 16 currently....my goal is 168lbs. I am originally from Chicago, but now I live in Raleigh, NC. I still struggle...old habits die hard!!!...urghhhh!!! I am still able to consume sweets...I hate it...it is my very biggest weakness...I eat very few breads/or rice/potatoes, etc...and I drink unsweetened tea and coffee mostly...I don't really care for artificial sweetners That's my story in a nutshell

Hi Jenn, I have a 14cc band but I can't answer your question....right now I have 3cc in my band....I'm starting over, just had a surgery to correct a hiatal hernia......right now I'm doing ok with 3cc....sometimes I feel restriction (or what I believe to be restriction)....you would think I would know by now...I have had my band for more than 2 years....but during that time I only lost about 25-40lbs.....so this is a new start for me....I'm hoping that someone who is truely further along will answer your question... You don't want to fill it to quickly though....I do know that.....you want to do it gradually....do you have a hard time tolerating any type of food? Does your dr. do a barium swallow test before giving another fill? flyahead

onederland = 100 lb loss

This sounds so good....and I love Sweet Baby Rays....thanks for sharing....

Hi 2-Lose-Fluff, Sorry it took me so long to reply. I often crave sugar. I could skip most meal for something sweet. One thing that I have tried and it works fairly well, is that I find the one thing I love (it has to be something that you can't get your hands on easily)...maybe it is a homemade dessert, or a piece of godiva chocolate, etc....and if you are willing to go out of your way to have that dessert, have it and don't guilt yourself about it. For instance, for me it might be a good piece of Cheesecake, but it would mean, getting in the car, driving about 15-20 min, finding a park at the busy mall, willing to stand in line, and then spend 7.00 on a slice of cheesecake....if I'm willing to go thru all of that, I don't guilt myself for having it....I might even make it a little harder and I have to park at the opposite end of the mall, which means I get in some exercise walking there and back....so I have to really want this to go thru this effort. But I can't make it a hershey chocolate bar, because that is something you can find at a corner store, when your out buying gas or getting coffee....to easy to grab.....so, I try to treat myself to the best, which ends up being not to often, because I don't want to make the effort.... Hope that helps... fly

Hi Saundraq, I just went thru a similar ordeal. I was told that my esophagus had dilated back in April because of a band to tight....they put me on a band holiday with meds to reduce the size of the esophagus....after the band holiday, with no Fluid in band, I was told that I had restriction on a barium swallow test (there was a little reflux shown on the screen).....they always said that I show reflux also....but I never felt like I had a reflux problem....although I was having problem losing wt....because I could never find restriction....however the test said I did have it.....it turned out I had a hiatal hernia....I just had surgery 2 wks ago....I will go back in approx. 2.5 wks and we will start the whole fill process again..... flyahead

Hi 2-Lose-Fluff, I absolutely love what your friend said....I'm at a point of wanting to reclaim my band..... I understand the love for junk food....I have been a sugarholic for years....I so want to rid myself of that. I really want to be healthy.... So, I'm committed to keep up the work and keep on trying.... Thanks, Fly

I have had my band for more than 2 years, have only lost a small amount of weight....have really struggled to find an answer for why this has not worked as a tool for me....sometimes the only time I know it is there is because I can feel the port.....all that said, I've gotten a new wave of energy, and a repair of a hernia....I'm praying that this will help matters and that I can find true success.... So no regrets here!!!!!

Liquids one day is good...and take it one day at a time.... I'm just out of surgery on Fri (repairing hiatal hernia) and I have been on liquids since Saturday....my dr. told me to follow the diet for the lapband but I didn't have to follow the progression of one wk for each new step, (i.e. Clear Liquids to full liquids, etc).... I'm doing ok right now because I'm not really hungry...but I also don't have a lot of energy right now....today I drank a smoothie that I made at home....and I had a Jello....now I'm drinking a Protein drink....I suspect that I will go to mush foods by fri....by then I'm sure a scrambled egg will look so good

I think this is my first time posting here. I have had my lapband since late June, 2008. I cannot tell you how excited I was to start this journey to find my old body, my energy, etc. I have struggled since early on. I think I have lost a total of 25lbs. That is very disappointing for me. And with that disappointment, it has not made things easy, however, I have not stop trying. I unfortunately don't know all of the details, I have a large band, which I think holds 14cc, at one point I think I was at 8.5cc....still no results, no feelings of restriction. Then they got the new machine that xrays the barium swallow....the P.A. decided that I needed a band holiday because my esophagus was dilated. I cried in the office. He put me on steriods and a antibiotic. After about 3 wks, he had me do the barium swallow again and he said the esophagus was back to normal. And guess what, I didn't gain any wt during this period....I think I was to scared to allow that to happen.....the other thing that he suggested was that I had restriction while empty. Huh????....what in the heck was he talking about....I was at a point of using willpower to get me thru this period and I didn't know how much longer I had on that.... So he gave me a small fill anyway, against his better judgment....hmmmmm.....still I felt no restriction. Finally, I demanded to speak to the surgeon....he said fill her up, let her feel restriction....then back it off so that I could consume some calories....I then had to promise to come back in 1 months time..... No weight loss.... So, I got another visit with the surgeon....after listening to my symptoms, and looking at my xray pics....he suggested that maybe I suffer from a hiatal hernia. But there is no real way of telling without going in....the xray pics show shadows (which suggest a hernia)....in the pre-op phase he thought I had a lazy esophagus...now he said that could have something to do with the hernia... But this is what happens to me....I never get sick, except when I'm first filled (likely a result of swelling)....I never have a problem swallowing ANYTHING....sometimes I chew enough....but it is not a habit because if I swallow it whole there is no problem. I can swallow horse pills with no problems.....instead my food will just sit in my chest....and at some point later, I will fill some pressure and then a movement (my food going down)....according to the surgeon....there is some theory in the eyes of surgeons that say that a hiatal hernia could thwart weightloss efforts....the way he described it is with a tube of toothpaste....if that were your stomach which is situated below your diaphragm, it is the combination of the diaphragm at the top of the pouch and the band around the center of the tube of toothpaste that work together to provide restriction. If there is a hernia, the stomach will retreat back above the diaphragm and you lose some of the restriction. I still don't regret my decision for a lapband. I admit some of the failure on my part. But I'm having a hard time considering it a tool over my 2 year experience. I just hope that on Fri that the surgeon finds and repairs any abnormalties....and that I am able to use the band as a tool to get started again.

I have to pay for my refills, although insurance covers some of the rate. And to me it is still not cheap....I started to ask them to just save off my Fluid (from the band holiday), I would just reuse it for a cheaper rate...lol...I was really a little upset when I went in for a fill and the first time I pd the rate for them to take it out....then I went in for a fill 2 wks later for him to say, no fill, instead wait and come back....so that was another co-pay....this time he did give me the fill, but only the 2.5ccs I just started seeing a chiropractor for some neck pains....and it was funny that with my case he said that it could affect my esophagus....I asked how, he said it could render it inactive, not helping to push down the food into the stomach. So hopefully I will see some improvement with my lazy esophagus. Over the past 4 days I have been doing good, but again, I'm stopping the eating because I'm trying to do right....but it is not at all because I'm restricted by the band.

After your reply, I went back in and reread what i wrote and thought that could sound misleading.... The P.A. who is fairly new to this office, said that with the use of the xray machine and the barium swallow, that for every 1-2 patients that he gives a fill, there are prob. 4-5 patients that he see that really are to full and really need either an unfill or a band holiday. But of course we (namely I) didn't want to hear that....it was disappointing not to get a fill after paying my co-pay....but I have done what he suggested, and after a 3 wk band holiday, i'm not eating soft foods....so far, so good....but I tell you I still find no restriction...only me saying enough is enough....nothing physically nudging me to say that is enough....and for me, head hunger is a hard thing to deal with:ohmy:

I am working on 2 years post surgery....I had my surgery on June 27, 2008....and in that period of time I have only lost approx. 30lbs. I'm quite disappointed by those numbers and I am trying to work closely with the PA to try to get around these issues. One of the things that I did was to hire a nutritionist, I love her....however her ideas are not necessarily inline with lapband typical diets....when I went to get a fill about 3 wks ago, the PA removed all of my Fluid (band holiday) because he wanted to give my esophagus a chance to heal, it was dilated and there was evidence of reflux, visible with the barium swallow/xray...but I have not known any sign of reflux...all a mystery to me....plus after he removed the fluids, he said I still had restriction (what???...obviously his idea of restriction and mine are totally diff)....he put me on 3 meds (one being a steriod)....they took away the dilation, however when I went back again he said that I still show restriction.....again, what restriction? He gave me 3cc, did the barium swallow and notice reflux...so he removed .5cc....repeated test, no reflux. For 2 days, on liquids, 2 days of soft foods and then norm. eating....so the jury is still out.... 1. how will I feel once I'm able to eat again? 2. will my body adjust or will I never be able to get another fill because of the reflux? I used to have 8.5 cc's but he said i will never get back there....he suggested for every 1-2 fills he does, he recommends 4-5 unfills. :thumbup:

I also am happier on full liquids, I will have to look for the Campbell soup you mentioned...I returned to work today, it has been fine. Good luck.