health1st

Early on I read on this board "just because you can doesn't mean you should" -it really helped me put a perspective on my eating. Just because I can eat a giant dinner, doesn't mean I should. And over eating can cause long-term problems, that keeps me honest, most of the time. I guess we all get head hungry. And even an unfilled band can (might not but can) give some restriction. Mine did. I have a few "band buddies" that I contact pretty regularily to keep me honest. They ask me if I am really following the rules of the band or just in denial. Maybe something like that would help you. Take care and best wishes on your journey.

Lap, so sorry to hear about your slippage/prolaspe. How long have you had your band?

My Doc said to eat 4-5 small meals a day, primarily protien. No snacks because with 5 meals I'm eating often. It works for me. Their thoughts is with 5 small meals you can trick you body into giving up the fat. If your body thinks you not going to get food for a long period of time, it holds on to the fat, lowers metabolism. Not sure if that's true but it sounds good.

Best wishes to you! I can relate to trying other things. You have to find what works for you. And liquid diets work. I lost 100 pounds 15 years ago on a liquid diet. It was really pretty easy, there were no decisions about food to make and the liquid protien was satisfying. (I still use it in the AM). And according to that weight loss program, I was successful, I kep most of the weight off for 3 years. BUT once I started eating real food, I SLOWLY gained 100 pounds back over 10 years. 10 pounds a year. That really isn't bad, just 200 or so extra calories a day will do the trick. For me, it was keeping the weight off.

LOVE THAT! 20lb Turkey Take Off

I'm no Doc but if you are feeling OK you probably didn't hurt anything. From my own experience and what I've read on the board "most" people know when they've had a slipped band. Your weight loss is great at only just under 3 weeks. take care

Format for Submission of Data: Date Banded: 1st surgery May 2, 2006 2nd surgery May 5, 2006 Country: USA Doctor: Dr. Snyder Erodoed: Y/N no If Eroded Date Removed:

I'm no expert but I don't think the band is suppose to be SO restrictive. You should be able to comfortably eat 3-4 ounces. The pain is similar to what I felt when I had a slipped band BUT I've also heard it is the same for too tight of a fill and it can take weeks after a tight fill for your stomach to stop being irritated and inflamed. Take care and congrats on being so patient! WOW!

Melody, your weight loss is inspirational! Well done! I know it isn't all the band so you are doing great.

When I get frustruated, it helps me to remember where I was, where I am going. I thought maybe some bandsters could share their experiences, The GOOD (now), The BAD (pre-surgery) and THE UGLY (whatever). Here's mine. THE GOOD: Being able to walk from the grocery store to my car without being in tears from the pain and wondering if I'll make it! THE BAD: Pre-surgery...going to a restaurant with friends and not being able to fit in the booth The UGLY: A sister who is VERY negative about my surgery and has stopped talking to me.

Surby, I was wondering how you are doing and thought about sending you an PM? As you know, I had a slip right after surgery. It really is RARE! I only know of 2 others on the board who had a slip right away. There was a thread on it and I'll find it and send it to you. I'll really never know why I slipped so soon because I never vomited. But others had a lot of vomiting. If you are worried about it, have your Doc do a fluoroscope. Just looking at the statistics, it is most likely you are still having post-op pain and not a slip. Some people recover SO FAST that we think we should TOO! But not everyone is running a mile in a week. Many people take a while to get over the surgery. Have you tried liquids for a few days to calm things down? Are you talking to your Doc about your concerns? Keep us posted. Take care!!

Tired Old Man, I always enjoy your posts.

This kind of behavior is so unfortunate. If this crap worked, there wouldn't be obesity issues.. How many times have we been told we were slugs either verbally or with a look? Today, a sunny Sunday afternoon, as I GRATEFULLY rode my bike thru our safe urban neighborhood, I recalled a day like this when I was young. The streets and yards would have been filled with kids playing outside. There were no kids outside, what's going on? Are they all watching TV or playing on the computer? I guess I'm an old fuddy duddy, but it doesn't bode well for the future of obesity issues for these kids. (AND to be honest, 5 months ago, I'd have been watching TV today not riding my bike! I am so grateful!)

I could go back to swimming as soon as my incision healed, about 3 weeks. Swimming was the best exercise for me because it didn't jar my stomach. I had some port pain that kept me from jumping up and down for a while.

The Good: crossed my legs at a party! The BAD: Food spoils in the frig because I just don't eat that much anymore The Ugly: Yes, its gotta be the flappy skin Kristen: you said: the bad, self-esteem. My opinion: YOU"VE done fantastic. It's hard work and you've put in the effort for over a year. Well done. I hope I can do as well as you. How can we support you?

Read this thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23261

I agree with everyone, to be a little afraid is normal and I think slippage is NOT very common. But I was just one of the lucky ones and had a slip. HOWEVER, I am so glad I was banded. Yes, I was in a lot of pain, blaa, blaa, blaa,, .....the important thing today is I feel the best I have in 15 years. As I rode my bike in the foothillls of the Rockies today, I cried with joy and thanked the universe that I am on my way to being healthy and maybe a normal weight! I could NEVER have lost weight like this by myself. It feel so good and it is SO WONDERFUL not to feel starved all the time dieting. Yes, there is some risk but what is the risk of being obese the rest of our lives?

I know there is a range of experiences and attitudes about fills. . . . . and I error on the side of being under filled. But to me, just doing liquids for weeks seems to be a sever way to lose weight with the band and not really how it was intended to work. Forgive me if you aleady know this, my motives are good , : But you do know that a band too tight can cause long term health problems like pouch dialation and possible slippage. (I had a slipped band so I know how painful that is and want to help others avoid it!) I just want to say that you might want to be careful about being too tight, in case it causes you some problems in the long run. Attached is some info I found useful.

One more thought, get istchecked out soon, because if you are just too restricted and g a lot of vomiting can cause a slip.

Jeanne, I can only speak to my experience on a slipped band. I've heard some people have no idea their band slipped. But for me it was like swallowing razor blades. I couldn't swallow anything, not even my spit. It hurt all the time in my stomach area, deep in, not the port area. I was nauseous all the time, not hungry at all, weak. I was on an IV so I wasn't eating much besides a few bites of Jello. It is my understanding that being too restricted can feel very similar. I'd really encourage you to stay hydrated, sip as much Water as you can. Whatever the problem, being dehydrate can make things much worse. Call you Doctor right away. They can do a fluoroscope and see if you have a slipped band. There is no need to suffer wondering what is wrong. I've also read that you can get more restriction even 7-10 days after a fill, so may that is what you are experiencing. Keep us posted, I know how scary it can be.

Imartinez, thanks so much for sharing and joining this board. It is important that we get the good and the not so good. I really do feel for you. Please take care of yourself. I know how tired I was. It took me about 8 weeks before I could say I was glad I was banded. SO NOW THE GOOD NEWS, there is life after a slip. I am very happy now that I did get banded. Also good news, because I was so scared of another slip (it hurts so bad!!) I was so VERY careful about what I ate, my weight loss was very good. Fear is a good thing sometimes. One more thing to think about, it may take a while for you to need a fill. Everyone is different but my stomach was so irritated with two surgeries that I JUST got my fill at 18 weeks postop. I probably should have had a fill sooner as my weight loss has slowed, but to be honest, I was terrified of an overfill and another slip. (The fill went fine by the way.) Take care!

carolc, you've had your band much longer than I have so you have more experience. My pain was a few weeks after surgery so I don't know if if can be the same kind of thing a year later. If your band did shift, I think it probably would have made some nerve endings very unhappy. The pain made me double over. And then one day it was gone. But based on your note "it doesn't hurt when I am just sitting still but if I then try to move it is terrible". That is what my "raw unhappy nerve" did. I was OK sitting but moving was like a lightening bolt thru my stomach. I always error on being cautious, at least call your Doc. When I call mine, he says come in, no matter what. He's also very cautious and so far (except for the initial slipped band) I've never had a problem.

YMMV (=your mileage may vary) has got to be a bandsters daily mantra. I have the VG and just had my first fill (1.5) at 18 weeks post-op. I had good restriction until about 3 weeks ago. I had a slipped band immediately so I had 2 surgeries in 4 days. I think I had a lot of swelling and scare tissue. It’s only my 3rd day since my 1st fill but I think I’ll need more. I had no restriction before the fill. On another note, I know I’m not suppose to drink liquids after I eat but sometimes I drink a little (1/4 cup or so) low carb milk (Carb Countdown. chocolate, Yumm!) & it gives me more restriction & I feel fuller. Go figure!

Interesting research on microorganisms contributing to obesity. Bugs in our guts!! New York Times-August 13, 2006 Excerpts "If microbes do turn out to be relevant, at least in some cases of obesity, it could change the way the public thinks about being fat." "I wanted to find out everything Gordon knows about the bugs in our guts, and how those bugs might contribute to human physiology — in particular, how they might make some people fat. " .......... Gordon first began studying the connection between the microflora and obesity when he saw what happened to mice without any microbes at all. These germ-free mice, reared in sterile isolators in Gordon’s lab, had 60 percent less fat than ordinary mice. Although they ate voraciously, usually about 30 percent more food than the others, they stayed lean. Without gut microbes, they were unable to extract calories from some of the types of food they ate, which passed through their bodies without being either used or converted to fat. ...........Gordon likes to explain his hypothesis of what gut microbes do by talking about Cheerios. The Cereal box says that a one-cup serving contains 110 calories. But it may be that not everyone will extract 110 calories from a cup of Cheerios. Some may extract more, some less, depending on the particular combination of microbes in their guts. “A diet has a certain amount of absolute energy,” he said. “But the amount that can be extracted from that diet may vary between individuals — not in a huge way, but if the energy balance is affected by just a few calories a day, over time that can make a big difference in body weight.” Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/magazine/13obesity.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=f843a5b06faa63f8&ex=1313121600&adxnnl=0&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1157418486-4z6r0JgpR1tVLqEl1NLjlg

Carolc, how long ago were you banded? I had this kind of pain early on, a few weeks after surery. It was very painful for about 4 days, shooting pain at times. My doc said the nerve endings were raw and kinda exposed and unhappy (my words). I used a heating pad and it helped. 18 weeks postop, sometimes I get port pain when I ride my bike or bend over. And it hurts a few inches away from my port. Don't know why.