suepro

Its a good sign that you are losing weight as you are in 'ketosis'. It is horrible but a small price to pay for getting slimmer. Maybe the attached link will help you. How to Treat Ketosis Breath | eHow.com

If you don't have a lot of internal fat then often the band is inserted with some fill in it to make it fit. Most of my fat was round my bottom and thighs and my surgeon told me thatas I had so little abdominal fat he decided to put 1.5ml in to make sure the band was a good fit. I was banded in November 08, now have 5mls in a 10ml band and am only 7lbs from my target weight.

i was banded in november 08 too and my band tightens up each month during my cycle. i drink lots of fluids daily but at this time of the month I retain Fluid, my fingers and ankles swell and also my insides. i had an unfill recently after the monthly tightness didn't settle down and I am pretty close to my goal weight anyway so I decided to go for better nutrition and exercise off the last 7lbs.

i felt a lot of restriction from my first 2ml fill. It wore off after 3 months and I had another fill, got great restriction for a further 3 months, then another small fill. I have 5mls in a 10ml band. My starting weight on my pre op diet in August 08 was 260lbs, banded 6 November 08 and current weight 154lbs. you may indeed feel a reasonable level of restriction after one fill, some people never actually have a fill ever, just the band in place restricts them (a tiny percentage are like this). On the other hand you may be like me where there is restriction that loosens as internal fat is lost or you may be like a lot of people where you need a few fills to get any restriction at all. We are all different but most of us get there in the end. Good luck! Sue

I definately am much tighter at that time of the month.

Sounds like acid reflux to me, although I don't suffer with this myself (yet) I know others that do. most get prescription drugs from their doctors (over here in the uk it is free to visit a doctor), however as you can't afford that go see a pharmacist for an over the counter remedy as there are lots available. Sleep propped up on lots of pillows or raise the top end of your bed. Avoid drinking or eating close to bedtime. Hope you get some relief soon. Sue

I feel for you, its hard sometimes a bit of a roller coaster ride. Your weight problem didn't happen overnight and as putting a band inside doesn't alter whats in our heads, it is often an uphill struggle. I was banded on 6 November 08 and am doing really well- only 7lbs off goal weight so I am sending you lots of postive thoughts accross the atlantic. You deserve some of my good luck. You don't say whether you have restriction or not so if you haven't book yourself a fill. If you do have restriction but are eating/drinking junk, then clear out the fridge and larder and start off again on the healthy stuff. Are you exercising? If not then get out there and do some, I find it energises me. You can lose 8-10lbs in no time if you put your mind to it. I know that you probably got banded so you would never have to diet again but you are going to have to get a grip. Take care, keep us posted with how you are getting on. Sue

You probably just need to build up your fills slowly little by little. Don't worry you will get there eventually, frustrating as it is.

I have lost my weight whilst eating 3 small meals and two Snacks a day. I started off my pre op diet in august 08 at 260lbs, got banded 6 November 08 and am now 154lbs. To me restriction is being able to eat a small portion of most foods, although there are some foods I stay away from, including bread. Sometimes foods don't go down well. I did have a horrible 10 days after my 3rd fill where I could only tolerate liquids and mushy foods and I went straight back for a small defill . I find I lose more weight by eating lean meat and fish and vegetables than I do eating shakes and sloppy food. You must have restriction if you can only eat soup and yoghurt so maybe a small unfill would sort matters out. In any case, I would discuss with my dietician or bariatric team. Sue

It is still early days, you probably just haven't reached your 'sweet spot' of restriction yet. some people take quite a few fills to get there. You have still lost over a pound a week which is pretty good and yoou are a whole lot lighter than you would have been without a band. Why not make an appointment for another fill? Sue (Starting weight Aug 08 261lb's pre op diet, banded 6 November 08, now weight 154)

I don't think you can compare with other people as we are all different. You have done really well so far, 30 pounds in 4 months is brilliant. I lost an average of 7lbs a month in the early days and am only 13lbs from my target 8 months out. Just remember it isn't a race, you will lose at your own pace and when weight loss stops, then you can book yourself a fill appointment to kick start it again. Good luck! Sue

I too never had a problem pre banding in losing weight but always fell off the wagon at some point and regained it all back and more. The difference I have found since having my band is that I don't feel as hungry, before on weight watchers and other 'diet' plans I was always hungry. With my band although there a quite a few foods I can't eat, I don't have to be on a diet as I can only eat small portions. I was banded last November and am only 13lbs from my target weight. If I hadn't had my band filled I would have probably lapsed by now and put some weight back on. I doubt that I would have got to this weight loss so quickly through dieting. There isn't much point in having a band if you are not wanting to have restriction to control your portion size. I do keep my band fairly loose as I like to be able to eat 3 meals a day, including fruit and vegetables but if it weren't filled, I couldn't see much point in it being there. You have done really well so far, good luck for the future if you don''t think you need a fill, don't get one until your weight loss has stopped and needs a kick start. Sue

My periods went haywire for a few months after banding, thankfully things have settled down now 8 months out. I think that surgery is a shock to tthe system and much less losing a lot of weight at a fast rate messed up my body rythm. Now that I am near my goal weight I am feeling great.

I found that with each fill as I progressively got more restriction, more foods wouldn't go down easily and I haven't always had the inclination to try something again if it caused me discomfort when eating it. I suspect that some of the foods I keep away from would go down on some days but not on others but I have a nice wide range of healthy foods that go down easily with no discomfort so tend to stick to them. My main forbidden foods are bread, Pasta, tomatoes unless skinned and celery. Some foods can be tolerated if eaten in a certain way, for example Grapes have to be peeeled, apples have to be peeled and chopped, carrots have to either be cooked or grated.

I find my band tighens up on its own from time to time, usually during times when I would retain Water, pre time of the month or during very hot weather, also when I am really stressed. I find that for 4-5 days I can only get fluids and shakes down and then things go back to normal. As long as you can keep fluids down you will be ok and not dehydrated. if you have been pb'ing a lot your oesophagus will be inflamed so go back to liquids for a day or so to allow things to settle down and then gradually work you way back up to solid food. if you are worried give your bariatric team a call and if you can't keep liquids down, go and get an unfill as soon as possible.

My band tightens on a regular basis, each month before a period and at times of stress it tightens so i can only manage liquids and very soft foods for a few days before things get back to normal. See how things go but if it doesn't settle after a few days give your bariatric team a call and seek advice. You may need to have a small unfill.

Its trial and error with a band to see what foods suit. I personally can eat rice but not Pasta, I eat most veggies, can eat strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches and plums need to be peeled, can't do apples or pears even with the skin off. I eat brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts and hazel nuts. I eat a little Peanut Butter too. Don''t worry, once banded you will find a nice range of healthy foods you can eat.

Mine tightens about 3 days before and stays tight for around 7 days. I have never experienced the night choking though.

Mine had 2.5mls in when it was insterted. My surgeon told me that i had very little internal fat and he normally puts some fill in if that is the case.

There is a weight loss surgery support group in Manchester affilliated to the WLS info charity and forum, for information contact email : manchestersupport@wlsinfo.org.uk Hope that helps. Regarding size of fills, usually i would tell you to take advice from your surgeon, some prefer small fills, gradually building up restriction others take a more aggressive approach. However if you were banded last September and have not had enough fills to get restriction at all, you do need to find another fill provider.

Interesting thread! I was prepared for the weight loss to be slow, I did lots of research before going shead and asked my surgeon and dietician lots of questions. The reality has been that my weight loss has by far exceeded my and my sugeons expectations. Since starting my pre op diet on 22 August 08 and being banded on 6 November 2009 I have lost 100lbs and am only 16 lbs away from my target weight. I think some people are not fully prepared for surgery, some don't get much information from their bariatric team and others ignore what they have been told and don't work with thier bands. although I have lost a really good amount of weight, it hasn't been all plain sailing, it has taken a lot of hard work but I have been one of those really lucky people who has achieved good restriction easily. I don't like my band too tight as I prefer to be able to eat a reasonable amount. I have seen a lot of bandsters here that have thier bands so tight they can barely eat apart from Protein shakes, I like to eat solid food so have mine looser. Exercise has also played a big part and although my band is responsible for my weight loss, the exercise has helped boost this and tighten everything up. My advice to anyone considering a band is research really well and this is for the long term so if it take a few months to get proper restriction, don't become disheartened. Be prepared to work with your band which sometimes means you can't eat your favourite foods and take plenty of exercise. Sue

I think it is usually mostly saliva mixed with any liquid or liquified food you have consumed that hasn't gone through the band. its pretty gross any way. Definately no stomach acid in mine.

I know bypass patients who have had lap bands fittted as well because their RNY pouch has stretched over time, I also know several people who have been revised from band to RNY as they cheated with the band and didn't lose weight or they had reflux issues or slippage. I was offered the choice of either operation but as I had no health problems apart from obesity I didn't feel that I wanted the more invasive surgery that a bypass entailed, plus as a self funder, it was a lot more expensive. If for any reason my band fails in the future then a sleeve is probably what I would choose to be revised to.

My doc and dietician told me to eat a balanced diet of approx 1200 calories a day. He agrees that my diet of 3 meals and 2 snack works well for me. I like to ensure that I get my fruit and veggies in and can only do that by having Snacks. I also include carbs as I like to have all food groups. Dietry advice really does differ so much from different surgeons but over here in the uk, they are not so focussed on high Protein no carbs as seems to be the case from the Us posters here.

You might find that now you are nearer your sweet spot some foods you could tolerate before don't agree with you. Sometimes it takes a few days to settle down after a fill, I usually stay on liquids for 24 hours then soft foods for a further 24 before eating normally.