slimmap

First I want to say to you congratulations on how much weight that you have lost already. It slows down and gets a lot harder once you get around that first 100 pounds. (I speak from experience). It is very easy to eat too much and then we stretch our pouches. That is probably what has happened. I have done that so many times and it is really hard to shrink it back. But you can shrink it back. There is something called the pouch test diet, or the seven day pouch test, or something like that. You can google it and it will give you the whole diet to follow. I've done it and have had good luck shrinking my pouch. But it is easy to backslide too. What helped(?) me was I was really sick recently and had to go on some weird antibiotic. It made me so nauseas. I thought I was going to puke. This lasted for seven or eight days. When I got off the antibiotic the nausea went away but I realized that my pouch was really tight again. Up til then I had been eating waaaay too much food and was afraid what was the matter with me. So if you have pain or other symptoms that seem suspicious, call your doctor. But maybe just try shrinking your pouch. You have nothing to lose (except weight! haha! sorry!) Let me know what happens.

It sounds like you are too tight. It has happened to me a lot, which really is a drag. But what is happening to you is what happened to me, too. I would wake up literally choking on acid. It was horrible. You can try things like Prevacid or whatever antacids you like. Maybe they will work for you. But they didn't help me and I had to have an unfill. It isn't as bad as you'd think. For me though, acid has been a big issue all of last year. It is why I cannot keep my band very tight. Talk to your doctor and see what they say. So good luck and let me know what you find out.

Don't worry. It takes a lot of trial and error getting to the "sweet spot". So many people seem to just breeze through this process. But not me. I have had little fills that do nothing for me but it seems that is the safest way to go. It just takes time. If you get lots of big fills, that is when you get too tight. My friends, being too tight is always horrible. So hang in there. It will eventually be where you say to yourself, "It is finally doing what it is supposed to do." Good luck.

I have really struggled with the acid reflux thing whenever I get a fill. In the last 5 months I'd only lost 3 lbs! (112 total). So I went to get a tiny fill today (One quarter of a cc). I feel great except that my throat is a little tight. Is this okay right after a fill ? I just don't remember. There aren't any other problems. I don't have any tightness or burning in my throat or chest. I am just paranoid. Anybody have any words of wisdom?

You'll do fine. Just take it one day at a time. Or in my case, one hour at a time. You will see that it can be done. You won't gain weight. But you will probably stay the same. That is okay though. I think when I had to go through this ( 3 times! ) I stayed the same or lost only 2 - 3 pounds. Have faith in yourself. Believe that you can do it and you will.

I know how you must be feeling. I've had my band "drained" more than once. Believe it or not, it wasn't that bad. You still have a little pouch compared to the original stomach size, if you know what I mean. (My brain is not working at all today. I was at the ER most of the night with my dad who is not well. Then off to work). Anyway, this is a do-able thing. Be sure to measure your food. Don't go over. It is more important now than ever to stay within recommended portions size. If you are still hungry an hour later, have a Protein shake or a very small snack. You see ? You can do this. Be glad it isn't something really serious that requires the band coming out! Six weeks will pass and you will be healed and back on your way. Hang in there. Keep me posted, please.

I think that this happened to me a while ago. I didn't have the tests that you did, due to insurance problems. So that is how I don't know positively that this happened to me. But I really suffered for a while. Then, just as suddenly as this problem developed, it went away. With me, when something good happens, I don't question it!! So like I said, I don't know for sure what happened, but something happened. Something else to consider is what another bandster told me. She said that changes in weather and barometric pressure can make a band way tighter or looser. I asked my doctor about this, but Dr. No-Personality said there wasn't any documentation that he was aware of. Well, I've rambled on and I don't even know if I answered your question. But hopefully there is something in this note that can help. Good luck. I will look to see how you are doing. Let me know.

It sounds like you should probably call your doctor's office. If you have a hard time with getting Water down, then my bet is that you are too tight. I know, I know, nobody wants to hear that. I sure do'nt. But you could really mess yourself up with a too tight band. I have been there and I know. Call tomorrow. Let me know what happens.

Yes! I have been struggling with this same issue for a while now. If I get tight enough that I feel good restriction, I get terrible, terrible acid reflux. I will even cough all night these acid coughs. It's really frustrating. When I get a little taken out the acid reflux goes away but then I am wide open and eat too much. Very Frustrating. I am going this Friday for a much needed fill but am very afraid that the horrible acid will return. Up til now my dr has had this attitude of, "well, this is it. deal with it".I am ticked off to say the least. I've lost 110 lbs but have another 100 lbs to go.

Kate it happens to me sometimes too. I've had my band in since June '08. I don't know what causes it but does it ever go away or is it always numb? It cold be a sign of diabetes. Something to check out. Good luck.

I just talked to a friend who recently met with her dietician. She was given about the same info as you and I. I think somewhere around 20 grams per meal is probably a good idea. Some people go a little higher and some a little lower. But it seems that we are doing the right thing. Also, depending upon how much we exercise will determine if we can have a little more or a little less carbs. Enjoy your weekend!

Maybe you can eat some bread. Sara Lee has a thinly sliced multi grain and whole wheat bread that I toast. It doesn't get stuck if I toast it and it only has 9 grams of carbs. The first ingredient is whole grain, which is what we are supposed to be looking for. Good luck!

Wendy's has a good chilli that is very filling and pretty darned healthy too. When I am feeling really ambitious I make my own chili with that soy bean burger stuff and add lots of my favorite veggies. I freeze some of it and when I feel tired and don't want to cook, it is only a few minutes from freezer to microwave. That is one of Dr Oz's suggestions, too, if any of you watch him. He says to always be prepared! I think he is awesome and am trying to incorporate his ideas into my way of eating, such as always having something healthy on hand.

From a diabetic standpoint, I THINK, (am not positive about this) that 15-20 grams of carbs per meal is really good. We all know that there are different kinds of carbs, right? I mean, there is one kind of carb in say, white bread, and another, better carb in whole or multi grain bread. Also, veggies are lower than fruits, , but not always. Does any of this help?

I too am just starting out with low carb. Like you I did the Atkins diet, but it was a long time ago. I lost 80 lbs on it but gained it all back and more when I tried to eat any starches. I have not read the book you are talking about. Who is the author? I get so confused because I want to get that healthy whole grain food in my daily diet but I need to stay low carb. It's all so confusing! Maybe the "Metabolism Miracle" will help me. Good luck to you and to all of us!

Why have you not gotten a fill and gotten so far from the "lap band way"? I am just wondering because I do fall off the wagon sometimes and it is hard to get back up! Have you heard of the 5 day pouch test? When I really need to get myself straightened up I use this diet. I don't really recall all of the specifics of it except for the first 2 days you can only have soft protein stuff like liquids and puddings and stuff like that. It is hard to follow but your pouch will hopefully shrink a bit plus it helps get all the cravings for bad stuff out of your system. That is where I would start. Go to google and type in 5 day pouch test. It will give you the web site that tells you exactly how to do it. Godd luck, and please let me know how you do.

I've been using Benefiber since I had the lap band surgery one and a half years ago. It worked pretty well, but I had to use a lot more than the recommended amount. But it stopped working and I've used a lot of it. What do you think is going on?

It sounds like maybe you are just a little too tight. Nothing serious, just a little tight. But that might not even be the case. Like I said before, my band will do what yours is doing sometimes. Also, another bandster pointed out to me something that I just never even considered: weather or bariatric changes. For some bizarre reason, when it gets colder, my band tightens up. Are you living up north where the temperatures are droppiong? It sounds crazy, but it really is part of the weirdness of my band. I asked my doctor about it recently and he said there haven't been any studies that he is aware of but he has heard about this from other patients. Could this be a factor? Did this start to happen when the weather changed? Also, calling your doctor shouldn't cost any money. You can always call and see what they have to say. Let me know.

I hope everything works out okay. But if you just can't get foods down, you probably know what that means: unfill. I know those are dreaded words to us, but I have had to do it 4 times in the year and a half of being a bandster. Maybe it is just being tempermental, and I hope that is all it is. It probably is just being a tempermental band. But if it stays this way, if you have to live on liquids only, I would definitely call your doc. When I am overfilled I love how I can barely get any food down because it helps me lose weight. But the risks are so overwhelming, I know I cannot stay that way and I have to get just a little squirt of an unfill. The dr wants you to succeed. He most likely wouldn't drain your band. But I've had that done too and it wasn't as bad as I feared. So, stay on top of it by being vigilant. Please let me know what happens.

:thumbup: On Thursday night I took 2 Tylenol P.M.s One of the pills got a little stuck and after an hour of pbing, I puked it up and was okay. The next day I felt pretty sore and took it easy with liquids and soft foods. I was also wearing pants that were a little tight around my belly. By that night I had some pain in my stomach but didn't think too much of it. Saturday it felt pretty weird too. By now I am thinking that maybe I might be a little constipated and that is the problem So I added some Benefiber to my water. By Sunday I thought constipation is definetely causing these stomach cramps and had some more Benefiber in my water. Now today it still feels like stomach cramps, from my belly button on up about 3 inches and sometimes it's down a few inches. Is this something I need to be worried about? I mean, it is not serious pain, but it's there. I am a self pay and I have to drive an hour one way to get to my doc. Maybe it's a flu bug? My friend says it's just gas. Do you think it could be something serious or probably something that will get better in time? Help somebody!

:thumbup: On Thursday night I took 2 Tylenol P.M.s One of the pills got a little stuck and after an hour of pbing, I puked it up and was okay. The next day I felt pretty sore and took it easy with liquids and soft foods. I was also wearing pants that were a little tight around my belly. By that night I had some pain in my stomach but didn't think too much of it. Saturday it felt pretty weird too. By now I am thinking that maybe I might be a little constipated and that is the problem So I added some Benefiber to my water. By Sunday I thought constipation is definetely causing these stomach cramps and had some more Benefiber in my water. Now today it still feels like stomach cramps, from my belly button on up about 3 inches and sometimes it's down a few inches. Is this something I need to be worried about? I mean, it is not serious pain, but it's there. I am a self pay and I have to drive an hour one way to get to my doc. Maybe it's a flu bug? My friend says it's just gas. Do you think it could be something serious or probably something that will get better in time? Help somebody!

Dear Gutbegone, First I wanted to tell you I love your name. Next I have to say that I sometimes go through what you are going through. My band cam be a bit tempermental. Sometimes I can eat anything and nothing happens. Other times I will eat something that has never given me problems before, and I get stuck on everything. I say try to go easy. Liquids, soft foods, etc. See if you feel better and can tolerate other foods. If that doesn't work, call your doc. I know about having to pay your own way. I do that now. It's expensive and I don't have the money. But this is your health, your life we're talking about. Also, stress can do amazingly strange things to our bands. When I'm around certain stressful people my band slams shut. I don't know what to tell you otherwise. I am going through some stomach problems right now that may be stress related ( I pray that's all it is). I am going to post about that right now. So good luck and write back if you'd like. Hopefully what you are going through is nothing. Also, sometimes I will stay the same with my weight for a long while and then drop 5 pounds overnight. Good luck.

Night coughing is Not good. It has happened to me twice and both times when I called the doc's office said to get in quick for an unfill. The coughing stopped a day or two after that. It is dangerous and somehow related to acid reflux.Acid reflux feels different to different people. It can be tightness in throat, acid in your throat, burning, etc. Do an internet search for more thorough results. If you overeat you may just stretch your pouch. But some people vomit if their band is tight. It isn't something we strive to do, but it happens to the best of us. Good luck.

I was going to suggest the five day pouch test also. It's kind of hard to do but it really does help get the pouch shrunken. You can probably find it on this website somewhere. I have a posting floating around and a lot of people joined me, which was really helpful. You can also do a google search and get to the webiste telling you exactly how to do it. Just one word of caution: you will get your pouch shrunken but it will stretch out amazingly fast again...so be careful after the 5 day pouch test. Good luck.

Have you called your doctor's office and asked them about it? I am having the same symptoms as you are for the last three days. On Monday I am calling and asking is this the flu? Could it be serious? Let me know what happens with you, and I will try to do the same.