bambam

Hallelujah for this thread! I was banded in March 2009. In November 2009 I noted my weight loss slowed. I am on Depo injections so don't get a period. Anyway it wasn't until Sept 2010 that I realized I am in perimenopause - hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability, trouble concentrating, you name it. I have had some deaths in the family so I thought some of my symptoms were related to that. I am now on an antidepressant and for the most part am comfortable with my weight where it is, but I really want to try to maintain and not gain at this point. I never thought entering menopause would take me for such a ride. I think I would have been able to handle it or the grieving process along, but together it has been crazy. Thanks for starting this thread!

Sun- I always experience some swelling with fills and it can take me 2 weeks to see where I really am. I would take it slow and if you are unable to keep liquids down I would definitely get an unfill. Otherwise I would just be very careful for the next few days. My doc advises several days of liquids - so maybe that would be easier for a few days and slowly ease into mushies then solids after that. Hope you are doing okay!

Dr. Schulman - I had LapBand surgery in March 2009. Within a couple of months I started having low back pain. I have a desk job and first noticed it when getting up to walk. With a lot of walking or activity it is worse. I thought it was odd I was having back pain after weight loss but just kind of pushed it aside and assumed it would improve. However, the more activity I do, the more it hurts. I have never had much for back problems before. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it may be due to my weight loss. I've lost 104-107 pounds (depending on the day). Obviously I know other things would need to be ruled out as the source of my back pain, but could my low back pain be due to the extra weight I am carrying in my stomach? Even with the weight loss I have some weight and extra skin in my stomach. Also, can you give me some ideas as to what tests might need to be done to rule out other problems? Am guessing a MRI scan, x-rays, etc. I would appreciate your advice on how to proceed with this. I appreciate your thoughts.

Bandmom - You likely have some swelling from the egg episode. It happens. When I have an episode like that I try tiny sips of a warm/hot liquid. I find that soothing - and it gets some Fluid in me as well. My doc suggests liquid Benadryl to help with the swelling for a few days and going to liquids... slowly advancing back to solids over a few days. Hope you are feeling better. I know what you are going through.

After struggling for the last few months to get to this point, I have finally made it! I haven't seen this number on the scale in 25 years. Woo Hoo!!!

Thanks for the responses you guys. I appreciate it! Lakegirl, feel free to keep in touch. I'll be anxious to hear about your journey and success!

I could have written this post. I had surgery in March 09 and am down 98 pounds from my highest. I've lost about 10 pounds in the last 3-4 months. I eat some things I shouldn't, know I don't drink enough Water, and snack occasionally - not out of true hunger, but head hunger. Those demons just don't go away and when I'm stressed it's a struggle to fight those demons. The problem? I honestly am content where I am for the time being. I have gone from a size 3X to a Large, my health has improved considerably - normal blood pressure and cholesterol, no more sleep apnea, and I feel great! Would I still like to lose more weight? Yes, but to be honest the number on the scale doesn't seem like as big a deal to me now as it did before surgery. I'm sure my surgeon wouldn't be thrilled to hear that. I have made a lot of changes to my lifestyle and diet, always get my Protein in and don't drink before and after my meals as instructed. The water intake and head hunger are what I struggle with the most. I feel I have good restriction at this point, maybe a slight fill when I go back next month to tweak things a bit, but I honestly feel my problem is my simply being comfortable where I am (at least for now). Anyone else experience this?

My husband and I eat out quite often. He asks where or what I want to eat and to be honest it really isn't fun for me to pick where to eat - simply because I know I won't eat much - so I would prefer he choose unless there is something I'm REALLY hungry for. Lots of times I will order a burger without the bun, a wrap without the wrap, chicken breast, etc. I still like the same things, just avoid the bread/wrap part of it. I still get fries once in a while - knowing I will only eat about 3 of them and my husband usualy eats the rest of them. I always have leftovers to take home and depending on the restaurant and portion size I can get anywhere from 2-4 more meals out of it. I guess I'm also more careful when eating in public than at home as I've never had a stuck episode while eating out.

My thought would be that you are eating too few calories to fuel your body. Maybe try to get closer to 900 calories a day?

I have gotten rid of: 1. sleep apnea - Yay! Bye bye CPAP! 2. High and going higher cholesterol - still on my medication, but I'm excellent in all levels and am hopeful that can be stopped within 6 months. (Family history so medication may always be needed.) 3. Uncontrolled high blood pressure ON medication. My BP is normal. I'm still on meds, but again a family history so while medication may always be needed, I'm thrilled with the improvement! 4. Inability to hike with my husband. 5. Horrible self esteem. 6. Feeling of no control over my food choices and portions. 7. Self defeating cycle of food, guilt, eating, etc. 8. Family history of diabetes, so at least I'm doing everything in my power to avoid that diagnosis. 9. Hate of mirrors.

Kelly - Will be curious to see what your doctor says. Did you go to liquids after you had the "pain?" Whenever I get stuck or have that feeling of discomfort - especially if it persists, I give things time to calm down and go to liquids for a few days, slowly getting back to solids. You may have some swelling and if you are eating solids it may be irritating it. Let us know what you find out!

Thanks for the post - I really needed the encouragement! I'm at a plateau. Know I need to increase my water and amp up my exercise and seeing what I've accomplished rather than focusing on being stuck will surely help! In the last 14 months I've averaged a loss of 1.25 pounds a week (just last night I asked my hubby if I was failing at this - HUH???) And I've lost 65% of my excess weight. WOO HOO!

My doctor had me take chewables right after surgery. He told me I could resume my regular pills at 2 weeks out I believe. Now I have good restriction and am especially tight in the morning so while I can handle my medications (smaller) by mid morning I can't get a Multivitamin or Calcium down comfortably. Cutting them up only made rough edges that hurt and didn't go down any better, so I just went back to chewable Vitamins and calcium.

Whillow - I know what you are going through! My doc's office advises taking liquid Benadryl to help with the swelling after a bad stuck episode (I can tell when I have swelling and when I don't). They advise taking it for a couple of days and it does seem to help, along with the liquids. Hope you are feeling better soon!

Whillow - I track all my food and fitness on dailyplate.com. It keeps track of your Protein, calories, carbs, sugars, fat, sodium, etc. Watch out for the prepackaged deli meats - I bought some 2 weeks ago and had some for my lunch - when I entered the turkey on daily plate I couldn't believe the amount of sodium in the shaved turkey. I try to stick to nonprepared foods when I can, but life happens. A site like dailyplate will make you aware of what you are eating (they have a great database of tons of regular and restaurant foods). So you may want to consider that. You can also track your exercise - it's fun to see how many calories you are burning, as well as your Water intake. The regular version is free -- the gold version costs. If you are truly hungry between meals (not head hunger) and eating more than what your doc suggested (I aim for 1000-1200 calories) it may be time for a little bit of a fill. I journal what time I eat each day if I'm questioning whether I need a fill or not, but I also need to be aware of whether I am truly hungry or just bored :scared2:

In order to gain 1 pound you have to consume 3500 extra calories, so to have a "true" weight gain of 5 pounds you would have had to consume an extra 17, 500 calories above your suggested daily intake in the last week. Since that really isn't feasible don't stress out. Your body is going through a lot. It isn't unusual for the scale to fluctuate when you start back to normal foods, your body is trying to figure our what is going on. Just continue to follow the rules and don't have a glass anywhere near you at mealtime. This has been an easy one for me but we all struggle with different things (mine is getting enough water). The scale will move in the right direction, just give your body some time to work through all this. In the meantime eat healthy foods and reasonable amounts (whatever your doctor suggested). I experienced the same thing prior to my first fill. For me, I had to stay away from the scale and weigh only once a week. We have so much fluctuation day to day that the ups and downs drove me crazy and caused too much doubt in myself and what I had gone through - so do what is best for you about the scale. HTH!

Whillow - I've hit plateaus too and they are frustrating! When I hit one I usually reassess everything I am doing. Am I getting in my minimal amount of Protein, making good food choices, eating the right amount of calories, drinking my Water, exercising. How often am I getting hungry, am I snacking? Etc. You didn't really say what all you are doing but as a fellow pepperoni lover I think (if I remember right) that it is high in sodium. So maybe just keep an eye on your sodium intake too. I love salty things but even with the band I can have a higher sodium day without even realizing it. I just keep reminding myself if I'm following the guidelines the scale WILL move, but sometimes it takes a lot of patience. In the meantime remember to take your measurements, even when I haven't seen the scale move I've been losing inches. Hope this helps!

I weigh once or twice a week. For me, the band has helped me give up my obsession with the scale. When I was on WW I would weigh myself several times a day, especially on weigh-in day. Now with the band I'm not worrying all the time about what my weight is going to be or how I've done this week. I weigh and record my weight once a week. IF I'm up for some reason (has only happened a few times) I know it is most likely due to eating higher sodium foods - my band simply doesn't allow me to eat enough to gain consistently like I used to - as long as I'm eating good foods. At times when my weight has stalled a bit I also let my clothes tell me how I'm doing, even when the scale doesn't move for a bit my clothes fit differently, so I use that as an indicator of my progress as well.

Nope you are not doing anything wrong, it is normal. You just had major surgery and your body is trying to heal. I know you've probably read it over and over, but this is a time to heal, not for weight loss (but like you I found it hard to see the scale stop.) My doc told me I may even gain a bit in this period, so just do what your doc says, and give your body time to heal. The scale will start moving again. In the meantime, keep track of your measurements when you don't see movement on the scale. Hang in there!

I can go for several months without being stuck, then can be stuck several times in a week. It just depends on my stress level, restriction, what I'm eating, etc. I don't PB often, maybe once every few months, but I do get that stuck feeling - have learned to stop immediately when I feel it and try to walk it off. If you are able to get mushies down, etc., chances are you are not too tight, just not eating slow enough, chewing well enough, or picking foods that you can't tolerate. (I'm guilty of all these at times.) When I've had a stuck episode that resuts in a PB and can tell I'm swollen, my doc's office advises liquid Benadryl for a few days to help with the swelling. They also suggest liquids for a couple of days, then soft foods, then slowly returning to solids. They say rushing back to solids is more likely to cause a slip than the PBing. I told my doc I occasionally get stuck and have an issue, but it is usually operator error, as much as I hate to admit it. He said that's usually the way it goes and pretty normal. HTH!

When I get a bad stuck episode like that my doctor's office advised I use Liquid Benadryl to help with the swelling for a day or so, and I find that hot liquds are soothing - but I really have to take those slow. My doctor encourages liquids for a few days, then soft, then slowly getting back to solids. They told me this is when it is most common to cause a slip - by rushing back to solids. Give your band and stomach time to recover.

Regarding the hair loss, it seems some people experience it and some don't. I've read it can be due to not getting enough protein, but have also read that it's the body dealing with the "shock" of going through major surgery. I've read of bandsters who have increased their protein and taken Biotine to combat it. Sometimes it seems to have helped and sometimes it hasn't. I just continued with my 60-80 grams of protein a day and it resolved on its own. I have thick hair so I wasn't too worried about it, but it was kind of freaky to see all that hair on my bath towel and in the shower in the morning. I think stress in general can add to hair loss, so don't stress out about it! This too shall pass :smile:

I saw the nurse first to be weighed and vitals taken. They asked how I was doing and went over my medication list (same every visit). When I saw the doctor he checked my incisions, asked how I was doing, told me I may not lose much before my next visit, could maintain, or possibly even gain a bit, but just to follow the food plan and hang in there until my first fill. Told me not to buy a lot of new clothes as my size would keep changing quickly. He also helped me find my port. I had been feeling right under my incision when laying down, it is actually about 1-2 inches above my incision and was felt the best when standing.

For me the hardest thing has been small bites and chewing well. Regarding thinning hair, I read that it can occur starting about 3 months after surgery and lasts for several months. That is exactly what I experienced and it just resolved on its own - I kept my Protein up to help.

I completely understand. For me, it's chips that call my name. I honestly can not have them in the house. I will buy some thinking I can stay out of them, but I just can't. If I'm around others I can have 3 chips, chew them slowly, and be satisfied. But if I'm alone... I guess I tend to snarf (habit from the old days when I would eat most of a whole bag in solitude) because after about 6 chips I'm getting that stuck feeling. It's the one food that I just can't seem to get a grip on. I've thrown away more bags of chips in the last year - just to get them out of the house. And for me it has nothing to do with the level of restriction. I have good restriction right now, but head hunger is still head hunger and those old food cravings we've had for years don't disappear overnight. Like another poster said the old things that I used to crave I just can't have in the house. If there is something I really REALLY want as a treat, I buy it in a small amount. One of those individual ice creams, etc. That way I can't go overboard. I really have to look at it as a treat though, not a weekly occurence. Off topic, I experienced something today that really threw me. My husband was at the hospital for a test and we went to have lunch between appts in the hospital cafeteria. I decided to try a piece of roast beef and told the lady I just wanted one. She said, "Just one, seriously? You do know they are going to charge you the full price don't you?" AHHHHH This is not the hospital where I had my band placed, but this hospital does gastric bypass procedures. I thought how crazy is it that a heath institution is encouraging you to take more than you want or need? I've had this happen in restaurants before and expect it there. I've eaten "cheap" for years - restaurants didn't make a lot of money off me in the past, so I have no problem paying full price for a smaller meal now if I'm not in a position to take leftovers home - better to waste the money than go to my waist. But I really thought a hospital would be a different story and encouraging healthier foods and portion control. Thanks for letting me vent!