2muchfun

620, Facts?? I think it was quite obvious that her post was simply a regurgitation of someone else's opinion? There were a few facts such as the chip but for the most part it was mostly a forecast of what someone else hoped for ACA. Here are a few facts for you: 1. The website and launch is a disaster. 2. Healthcare will cost a lot more than we were told. 3. Your crystal ball isn't any better than anyone else's. 4. Profit is not a pejorative.

I would strongly recommend finding a surgeon/bariatric clinic near you. Going out of state could mean you would have no local support or follow-up? It's very important to have a good surgeon but half of this journey will be aftercare with a bariatric group you have a lot of confidence in. tmf

You should create an account at http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/ . It's part of the same group that founded this site and has the same format. There won't be many if any one here who has a sleeve.

OK, I've always had this one pet peeve. It's not loosing weight, it's losing weight. It's not loose weight, it's lose weight. Loose means something is not attached. OK, I'm done.

It's hard to tell from the information you gave? Can you drink a glass of water? Just wondering if you are stuck?

Cold is usually the cure for swelling. They put ice on swollen knees, shoulders and elbows. Ideally using a combo of ice cold and then warm liquids could help shrink the swelling and then the warm Fluid could stimulate blood flow. It's easy to do on limbs but kindof difficult for a swollen stomach so I usually suggest just cold. A steady flow of warm fluids could cause more swelling. Just my opinion of course. tmf

OMG I love frozen yogurt. I love the new ones where you go in and choose the flavors you want and then add your own goodies. Fortunately, there isn't one close to me so it's rare I get to indulge.

Can you control your sleeping positions? I fall asleep on my left side and usually wake up on my back or slightly to the left. I'm sure I'm tossing and turning all night. But I only have control over the first few minutes. Tightness should depend mostly on how much blood is in your stomach lining. The more blood, the more swelling you'll have and that will make your stoma opening smaller. Interesting subject though and you're the first to bring it up as far as I know but it looks like you have one other member who might be experiencing similar symptoms? Let us know what your research comes up with?

If you really threw up, as in hurling, and you have blood in your saliva, call your doctor. If you just PB'd then just let what's still plugging the stoma pass and stick to cold fluids for a day. Food in your pouch is exposed to stomach acids and will break food down within a few hours. If it doesn't, call your doctor.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on one episode. If it becomes a trend then maybe make some changes. For me, I have no control over how I sleep so I've never equated the way I slept to tightness. Almost all of us experience some extra tightness in the mornings. A smaller stoma can be a result of so many other causes though? Excessive sodium consumption, TOM, altitude, sickness, stuck episodes, excessive carb consumption just to name a few. I've read somewhere that when we lie down at night, blood seeks a level throughout the body. Then, after we awaken and are upright, the blood pools in the lower half of our body. I don't know if there's any validity to this theory but it's an interesting thought.

If you go to a forum where people have had problems with the band, that's what you will find. If you go to a forum titled Dodgerhaters.com you'll find a lot of people who hate the Dodgers. Of course some people have not found success with the band. Some of them have complications due to no fault of their own and many have problems because they couldn't control their appetites and continued to eat too much food. The band goes around your stomach, not your head. The number of complications pale in comparison to the folks who have had success with the band. The number of forum members on this site is in the multi thousands and the amount of complications are in the low hundreds. You have a small chance the band won't work for you. tmf

Seems a little early to be eating solid food? Some docs allow it I know but it's one of those things with the lapband that should be approached very very slowly. First, let's address one bad thing: Vomiting? If you really vomited vs PB(productive burp) try not to do this again. Especially this early in your journey. The band is sutured around your stomach and then the surgeon pulls the stomach below the band up and over the band and sutures this in place. A full blown hurling episode has caused many a Bandster to have to go back in for a revision. Full blown vomiting causes the lower stomach to convulse and then violently expel the food in your stomach. Usually it's just fluids but they now have to go through a small opening(stoma) which can cause the sutures to rip out of the stomach. Very dangerous! If you ate very slowly and ate a very small bite and, chewed to a mush, you would be one exceptional newbie Bandster. It took me 9 months to get the hang of eating slow, chewing a lot and eating very small. So, yes, you could have been stuck and it could be any one of the foods mentioned? Bread, egg, crust? Many of us can eat anything we want as long as we follow the rules of eating small, chewing big and taking our sweet time. You might want to speak to your doctor about the barfing session? tmf

Also posted on your previous topic: I agree with the previous posters but I'd like to add that if you follow the eating rules/guidelines, you won't be as hungry after meals which helps me to avoid snacking on bad foods. But it won't stop you from drinking 2 liters of soda a day or a lb of M&Ms, it can only diminish these impulses. Something that motivated me was just the fact I lost so much weight, and I'm confident it won't come back, is this, feeling healthy, feeling thinner, fitting in my clothes and moving with much more ease. They replaced that empty space where only food would satisfy before. One never knows until one tries. As another poster once said, "Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears"

Agreed. Most of us weren't allowed to eat solid foods till day 31 too?

I agree with the previous posters but I'd like to add that if you follow the eating rules/guidelines, you won't be as hungry after meals which helps me to avoid snacking on bad foods. But it won't stop you from drinking 2 liters of soda a day or a lb of M&Ms. Something that motivated me was just the fact I lost so much weight, and I'm confident it won't come back, is, feeling healthy, feeling thinner, fitting in my clothes and moving with much more ease, they replaced that empty space where only food would satisfy before. One never knows until one tries. As another poster once said, "Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears"

So sorry for your Father's relapse. It happens. We see people come here occasionally who didn't lose all the weight they wanted to lose and decided to have their band removed and went for a more radical WLS program. Some are successful and some aren't. But, at least with the band most can opt for another type of plan to lose weight. For a more radical surgery, you have no other options after surgery removes your stomach. Let's face it, the band, bypass or sleeve are not right for every person. Many of us have a mental eating disorder or other circumstances in our lives cause some to fall back to old habits.

I'll try to be short with this. Losing weight and losing fat are two different items when dealing with any weight loss program or modality. Most of the weight we lose in the beginning 4 weeks is simply fluids our body retains within the fat and muscle cells. Some people who are very obese(400lbs) will lose 40-50 lbs the first month. It's 95% Water and 5% fat(maybe). Your scale does not differentiate between the type of weight we lose. The most fat any normally active person can lose in one week is around 2 lbs. But, you can also gain 2 lbs or more of Fluid by eating high carb or high sodium food. TOM also plays a part for the women. What you are experiencing is normal and to be expected. You really won't start your journey till your band is adjusted properly and can work it's magic. Good luck. tmf

You can start by looking at the top of this page and click on surgeons. Enter your city, state and zip to find one in Boise.

If you count calories and keep them around 1000/day you should lose 2-4 lbs a month. I would highly recommend you count calories. You can go to this site and sign up if you want to know more about the sleeve: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/ Just be aware that there are a few angry X-bandster's over there.

There's no such thing as a sure thing with losing all our weight. The sleeve has some similar issues with the band and has some other issues all it's own. With the band, it's so important to be in the green zone. The proper adjustment is so important. Basic math is at the center of all weight loss be it WLS or just dieting. With a properly adjusted band you should be able to eat less and feel satisfied longer. But, most all of us were banded because we didn't want 90% of our stomach's removed and we could always have it(the band) removed and try a sleeve or bypass. You might want to also subscribe to the sleevetalk side of the forum? I'm sure there are many former bandster's over there? You won't find many or any former sleevers here since you need a stomach to get a band. Good luck.

Several thousand people here relate to your story. One thing you should be aware of is, the band won't stop you from eating bad foods. What it does, if it's properly adjusted, it can help you feel less/not hungry for 4-5 hours. Those food demons that dance around our heads will always be there but can be contained much easier after the band is adjusted so it performs it's magic. Don't go into this thinking this will be easy and you will have your friends/relatives claim you're taking the easy way out. It's not, not by a long shot. This will be one of the hardest things you may ever do in your life. But, with the band, losing weight and keeping it off is now achievable. Where before, for most of us, it was impossible. tmf

Just curious? Did you have any vomiting/hurling sessions after your band was placed. Vomiting can cause the band to migrate north and so can drinking too much carbonation. Just asking? tmf

Why no fills? Be assertive with your doc/nutritionist/PA? You may not feel the satiety to go longer between meals without a proper adjustment? tmf

Losing weight and losing fat are two completely different things. It's nice to see the scale go down of course but usually quick weight gain or loss is simply the body ridding or absorbing fluids. It's nearly impossible to lose more than 1/2 lb of fat in one day unless you're a marathon runner or ride a century bike ride. Some types of food or sodium can cause the body to eliminate fluids or absorb fluids. Carbs and sodium can cause these wild weight fluctuations. If you're hyper-sensitive to seeing the scale jump around on a daily or weekly basis maybe you shouldn't look. But if you understand the reasons for these fluctuations and don't take them personally, weigh yourself daily like many of us do. I weigh morning and night. Just remember that you need to consume 3500 more calories than you burn to gain one lb/fat. Or, you need to burn 3500 calories more than you consume to lose one lb/fat. If you eat 1000 calories a day and burn 2000, you could be losing approximately 1/3 lb/fat a day. But, if it's your TOM or you consume a snickers bar or a bowl of cheerios or 2000mg of sodium, your body could retain 1-3 lbs of extra fluids. It's not fat weight but your scale can't tell the diff. Hope this wasn't too lengthy and helps?

You have a few misconceptions as to what the band can do? We don't look for "full". We look for being satisfied. Satiety is the goal. Being satisfied with less food enables us to eat less and be less or not hungry for 4-5 hours between meals. Some of us needed 6 or more fills/adjustments to feel the satiety to go 4 hours between meals. One fill seldom does it. Weight does not fall off every day or every week. You should be looking to lose fat and when you lose fat, your clothes will fit looser. Sometimes we lose fat but replace that fat with muscle. Muscle takes up less mass than fat so our clothes fit looser. Early in your journey you will experience these short plateaus. Weight fluctuations can occur simply because when you work out, your muscles store a lot of fluids to repair themselves. Good luck, it looks like you're right on track. tmf