2muchfun

I never claimed it would last forever, that was your strawman. I would imagine that some people will be able to keep their band for their entire life but for others, it may have to be replaced or removed? And I too can post my opinions! But unlike some posters, I can back my opinions up with studies and personal experience.

No one disrespected you so you can drop the feigned indignation. I was calling you out on this statement. "The problem with those who experience failure or complications isn't the failure to comply or keep the band a bit on the loose side. The very concept of the band is flawed" Your link to Allergan doesn't support your statement or your opinion. This thread has turned into another band bashing tirade. I can't let unsubstantiated remarks go unanswered. You can have your opinion but don't present it as facts. Please?

Esskay, salmon, low fat hamburger, turkey, Beans, tuna, tilapia, shrimp, pork can all be prepared to fit into our lifestyle.

pretzels Pastries Stuffing yourself occasionally Bacon Jerky OK, drop at least 2 of these and I'll bet the scale starts to move down? tmf

Relax, this is so normal. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. You're still in the healing phase. Many of us don't lose weight and lose our appetite till our bands are adjusted and we're exercising. If you're not consuming enough Protein your body will tear down muscle and use it for fuel.

You could have damaged your pouch but highly unlikely. You're going to have to master the not drinking while eating rule or you're not going to be very successful. Did your surgeon approve you to eat solid foods yet? Most of us were told no solid food till at least the 30 day mark?

It could very well be sliming. It takes many months to learn how to slow down our habitual gobbling of food. It takes months to learn how to eat small bites and chew food to a mush. You could be suffering from eating too fast, too big and not chewing enough. Or, you may have plication or a very tight initial band that is causing food to back up into your esophagus. This is what causes the sliming/excess phlegm/saliva.

The eating demons never go away Bama. Sugar can only exacerbate your hunger as it can spike your insulin levels and when they come back down, you want more sugar or carbs. Also, if you've lost some weight lately, your body could be trying to maintain a set point causing you to be hungry. As we lose weight we develop new weight set points that our bodies defend vigorously. Fill up on healthy foods so you aren't hungry is all I can offer

I've never had reflux so I'm not much help!

A Bariatric nutritionist can go over your nutritional needs as well as foods that may work with your band. It would take over an hour to go over things like, how often you eat, what you eat, how you eat, a daily menu of foods you consume, starting weight, current weight and other band related issues. I don't think you're going to find any answers here without more information? We can advise or support specific band related issues but yours seems like a professional issue such as finding a competent doctor who can diagnose your problems without getting emotional?

That is a problem? Maybe you should consult with a therapist before you make the plunge? Most of us develop a lack of desire for our trigger foods after surgery but there's never any guarantee. And your pre-op diet will most certainly include no sugar.

Some ERs won't unfill you? Does your bariatric doc have an emergency line you can call? We should always err on the side of caution with these episodes but I know if it were me, as long as I can eat 3 large shrimps, I'd wait till Monday. BTW-Ibuprofen is an NSaid and most all docs mandate we don't use them. I still do on occasion but if you can get some pain relief from Tylenol you'd be safer?

First, the band does not stop you from eating too much. The band, if adjusted properly, helps you feel satisfied with less food. The soft stop signals are very subtle. I think it was Jack who compared it to a songbird far off in the forest. It can be faint for some and loud for others. It seems the further out we get the harder the signals are to feel. Here are some of them: Runny nose Burping Hiccups sighs Too many people keep looking for the full feeling and don't stop till they feel stuffed. That's not how this works. For me, I can feel the signals above but mostly, it's I just lose interest in what I'm eating. And, I put much less food on my plate these days. If you put a lot of food on that plate, you're going to want to eat it all. You could also be eating slider foods that don't provide these signals? Many people fall into this trap when they feel too tight and don't want to bother with the small bites and big chew thing? I know I sometimes make the mistake of putting too much food and too much food that slides through my band. tmf

Jack, you crack me up!!

OK, everyone who has never slipped up and over-ate raise your hand?? Hmmm? I'm not seeing any hands? Relax Kandi, you're just being normal. You may have pushed the limit on your stoma and esophagus but probably no harm done. Most of us, when we do this(oh yeah, I have), go back to liquids and soupy foods for a day or two to let the stoma recover. If the surgery demanded perfection from it's patients, no one would ever qualify.

This is your own opinion and has no basis in fact. You're still grinding your ax here even though your band failure was surgeon induced. Please provide your proof to document your assertion? I believe that most people who fail with the band do so through lack of compliance. Sure, there may be a few who fall into your little niche but people fail with any WLS and most of it is due to lack of compliance. However, compliance is more crucial with the band. Non compliance can create a multitude of serious complications that you won't see with the other WLS. And there is no doubt that our bodies can reject the band, the port and the eating protocols we have to live with. What % is unknown but it's probably at least 33% of the failures. I think most all recently banded patients are aware of the serious consequences of WLS, all WLS. But there happens to be a segment of this patient population who do not want their guts rearranged. Without the band, thousands of this niche, would continue to yo-yo diet till they die an early death. Thanks Heavens for the band.

chicken is a solid and is one of the more difficult foods for our bands. I'd advise against any solid meats at this point. Refried Beans, oatmeal, mashed spuds, mashed yams, overly cooked veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. If you want to puree the chicken and add to your mashed potatoes that should be fine.

I'd like to see your documentation Chris? Short term? 3-5 years failure moves up sharply? Yes, I've looked around the boards and since the band has been around longer than the sleeve, there will be many who have revised. But that's the point. They were able to revise. There are still patients out there who have had their band 20 years. Many people would not have WLS if not for the band. Many of us would not have our stomachs removed. That's why we were banded. And you know what? About 60% of us lost enough weight to make it worthwhile and still have our bands. The band has a place in bariatrics that is obvious. Sorry your band failed you as you say, but you're just throwing out wild assertions with no proof. Vent away my friend. Vent away.

30 days before I had solid food and no problems.

Welcome and congrats on taking such a huge step forward.

Most of what you ate are slider foods so you'll probably be fine. But you know that the surgeon sutured your band into place with about 6 sutures and the reason for no solid food is they don't want your stomach moving around trying to push food through the band. Also, if food were to get stuck in the band you could cause the sutures to tear away. Please follow your surgeons advice and go back to the post op plan. tmf

Chris, I asked my doctor about the band and he said he's still performing surgeries at about the same clip and maybe more since the lapband helps diabetics lose enough weight to lower their medications. It's offered here by maybe a dozen different doctors. I'm sure most docs have seen a decline in band placements due to the popularity of the sleeve. But it's not failing at an alarming rate. It's still failing around 10-15% depending on your definition of failing. The downside to the band is if you don't follow the rules, dilation, erosion, slippage can cause some very bad problems such as yours. But don't judge the surgery just by your own experience. It's not atypical of most patients journey.

Doesn't this remind you of how circus trainers train baby elephants by tethering their legs to a rope and large post. Then they're conditioned for life to think anytime a rope is around their leg they can't move? You have cognitive thinking abilities though, so look in that mirror and tell yourself how pretty you are! Cuz you are!

LOL. that's because I forgot to paste it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjCZ3YjMzE0&feature=player_embedded

Here's a picture of a fluoroscopic fill. If you look hard you can see the band is at about 1 o'clock. 3 o'clock would mean the band has slipped on the upper part of the stomach. I'm no doctor so take what I'm posting with many grains of salt. Vomiting so soon after surgery is not good. You may need to get an attorney? Tell your doctor to make this right or you will?