cinward2001

If you've been exercising, you could very well be putting on some muscle. But even if not, you've lost 1 lb/week. The average weight loss for someone banded is 1-2lbs/week, so try not to be discouraged. You're very early in this process with only one fill. Even IF you stay at 1 lb/week (and I bet it'll increase!), in a year, you've lost 52 lbs. That's a chunk! Cindy

Inconsistencies from one doctor to another are NOT good reasons to "push the envelope." Some doctors who perform LapBand procedures give their patients bypass instructions. Some doctors who perform LapBand procedures don't give their patients ANY instructions. Heck, there are just some doctors out there who shouldn't be doing any surgeries. The consensus is that you should give your stomach 4-6 weeks to heal after surgery. If that's being overly cautious, it sure won't *cause* problems. But being overly optimistic (as in, I can eat anything right now!) *could* cause problems. There will always be situations in which someone does something they shouldn't do and yet they don't suffer any negative consequences (such as drinking carbonated drinks). But getting banded isn't about continuing negative behaviors...it's about losing weight and getting healthy. Cindy

Think of it this way...you have stitches in your stomach that are designed to help hold the band in place (the stomach is brought up over the band and stitched in place). Eventually, as your stomach heals, scar tissue is formed to "cement" the band in place. Do you think that that has happened at 2 or 3 weeks? Most likely, it hasn't. My surgeon wants his patients to wait as long as possible for a fill...8 wks at least. He has a very low slip rate and I think that's part of the reason. I know everyone is eager to start losing the weight, but if it's the difference between keeping your band for the rest of your life, or having complications, waiting another month isn't that big of a deal. Cindy

I haven't read this entire thread, so forgive me if I'm duplicating something here. But please, if you're having a LOT of trouble keeping food down, please go get a slight unfill. Even if your weight loss is going great, keeping your band too tight (PBing a lot) can cause a slip. Now, if you're pbing because you're eating too quickly, not chewing enough, or taking bites that are too large, then those are behaviors that you can change. Also, what the fluoro shows during a fill is NOT a good indicator of whether or not your band is too tight. Fluoro is just a guideline...you really need to judge by how you feel. Cindy

I don't need to provide you with proof any more than I'm asking YOU to prove you know what you're talking about. There IS a difference between an *elective* surgery and something like an appendix removal or colon resection. But whatever...the only reason I replied to your post was because, in my opinion, you're doing a very BIG disservice to anyone who is pre-op, has a pre-op diet to follow, and is reading this thread. It's not easy doing the pre-op diet, and you're here saying "Oh, but you don't NEED to follow it." It's like when people argue about drinking carbonated beverages or not. INAMED says NO. But people will come on the board LOOKING for a reason to ignore that...so when people say that they've been drinking carbonation for years, it doesn't help.

Allison, buy some of the 2 lbs ankle and wrist weights. After your son is in bed, wear them. Just by adding a couple of pounds to your wrists and ankles, you'll burn more calories when you're fixing dinner, putting in that load of laundry, etc. But do NOT get heavy weights...too hard on your joints. There are also things you can do while you're doing chores. For example, if you're standing at the kitchen sink, do "kick backs." Just lift your heel to your butt. You can alternate legs or do a set number on each leg. You can then do side raises...lifting your leg out to the side. If those are too easy, then buy some resistance bands and do them with the bands. The key is to use every opportunity to move more while still getting things done that you need to do. Park further away from your work, take stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Loreen, I don't think you're crazy for wanting the band out if you're that unhappy with it. However, I just finished posting to a similar thread about the *choices* people make when they're having trouble with their band. For example, even if you can't eat solid Protein (which is NOT normal, but we're dealing with what "is" right now), you still don't have to eat greasy, liquidy foods. There are soft Proteins, such as cottage cheese, refried Beans, soft fish. You can even do Protein drinks. I'm not saying that you'd want to live your life this way. But if you're still feeling restriction on an empty band, it may be that you're very irritated from the frequent PBing. Many bandsters, when they PB, will do liquids for the next few meals so that there's time for the irritation to subside. Unless you're just sure that you don't want to keep the band no matter what, try doing liquids for a few days. Then, progress to mushies...just like in your post-op days. Try to be very careful to NOT PB. If you can do mushies for a couple of days without PBing, then move on to solid foods. But choose GOOD solid foods. A hamburger, even without the bun, is not the best food choice. Make sure that you chew your first few bites VERY well and take time between those bites. Some people find that they have a "first bite" syndrome...where it'll feel like those first couple of bites are getting stuck and if you continue to eat, you'll PB. I experienced some of this in the first few months of banding. I literally had to chew a small bite very well, put down my fork, and wait a minute. Then another bite...wait...then another. After a few bites this way, I could "feel" things loosen up. But if I'd eaten one bite after another, I'm sure I would have PBed. I think that, sometimes, people get in this vicious cycle of PBing and then feel that the band simply isn't working. But it's usually not the band...it's what we're eating (and how we're eating it).

Living the rest of your life as an obese person because you don't want to give up pizza is pretty sad. Yes, I know you have other reasons for wanting the band removed, but they don't sound like very good ones to me. For example, if you had a slight unfill, you COULD eat solid foods like steak and fruit. But you first need to step away from the mac and cheese, chips and crackers, soup, and ranch dressing. Even IF you can't eat solids very well, you could be making MUCH better choices in your soft food. Cottage cheese, yogurt, soft fish, refried Beans...they're all soft foods and go down easily but they're high in Protein and low in carbs. Saying that you can't afford the groceries is an excuse, too...because, again, you *could* buy better soft foods. If it's your port that has busted stitches, that's often done as an office procedure. It's not a major surgery to stitch the port back down and as long as you can get the fills, you don't have to do it at all. I understand that not having insurance to cover fills can be a financial problem. But it makes me wonder why you got the band in the first place then? The fills are a lifelong commitment...at some point, you knew you'd be on your own. But look at it this way. You DO have the band. You already have a tool in place to help you lose weight. If you have it removed, you're most likely NOT going to lose weight on your own. Sorry, but only about 3-5% of people take the weight off and KEEP it off. So what kind of expense are you looking at down the road? Being obese can be very expensive in it's own way. I think it simply sounds like you're not ready to do what is necessary to let the band help you lose weight. If that's the case, get a complete unfill. For most people, an empty band feels like the band isn't even there. So you can try to lose weight on your own, not worry about fills, etc. If, at some point, you decide to use the band, then you can start getting fills again.

Everything that I've read and been told indicates that any rapid weight gain, as in the Last Supper Syndrome/gaining weight prior to surgery, significantly increases the fat in the liver. Even though the liver is being moved to the side, when it's excessively fatty, it's *easier* to damage. There have been cases of banding surgeries being *cancelled* after the doctor goes inside and sees how fatty the liver is. So even though you've been an OR nurse for 14 yrs, you might not want to second guess the surgeons who are doing this procedure. When they say it's to shrink the liver, I believe it is. If a doctor gives you a pre-op diet, you should follow it. Cindy

Many times, the first fill doesn't make a difference. Call and schedule another one!

GeezerSue, I would have known this was your reply just because of the negativity of it. First of all, what is considered a sliming or barfing "issue?'' Have I ever pb'd? Sure. Is it an "issue?" No. Do most people who PB do it because they're eating too fast, too large of a bite, trying to eat the wrong thing, or not paying attention? Yes. One of the sites I had in mind where most everyone is happy with the band has NEVER, in my entire membership time (almost 2 years) "swarmed on" anyone who wasn't happy with the band. We listen, we try to offer advice, but we don't criticize if someone is unhappy with it. Your comment about "well-minded" people is just flat out condescending. Because YOU had problems with YOUR band, you choose to think that the band is a risk for everyone, and for someone who isn't having problems...well, we're just not "well-minded" enough to know better. LOL But, yes, if someone is truly have PHYSICAL problems with their band (vs. the emotional and psychological problems of having to make eating and attitude changes), then they should have their band removed. Unfortunately, if you're having physical problems with either RNY or DS, then you're stuck with it. Cindy

Serenity, I don't agree at all. I AM thrilled with my band. I have no reflux or sliming and only occasionally PB. When I do PB, it's entirely my own fault...sort of like eating too much at Thanksgiving and then suffering the consequences. But I'm healthier now than I've ever been. It's possible, sometimes, to find a site that seems to be mostly people who have problems. I'm not saying LapBandTalk is that way...I honestly haven't been keeping up with posts lately. But if the majority of people here seem unhappy with their band, then I think it's the people and not the band. There are other sites in cyberspace where almost everyone is very happy with the band. Cindy

I love looking at everyone's before and after pics. :girl_hug: We had a birthday party for my youngest son today, and I was clowning around. My DH took a photo...it's not the best, but I thought it was fun. :mad: Here's me in Jan. '06 (right after banding) and one in Dec. '05: And here is me today:

Christy, I do have to travel for adjustments. There's a Dr. Colquitt in Maryville who I've been very happy with...he does adjustments for patients banded in Mexico. You can have adjustments done by the Ponce group, but they charge a $2000 program fee, which I think is ironic considering that Dr. Ponce used to work with Dr. R. : Our flights were only about $300 each. We had almost no other expenses while there because the hotel, cabs, etc., are part of the pricing. The hotel was great and the hospital is a major teaching hospital, The San Jose Hospital. Even though the admissions area was "rough" looking, once you're in pre-op, recovery, the or, and your room, it's all modern. Clean, well-equipped, etc. I've worked in a hospital off and on for 20 yrs, and honestly, I think I had a better experience than I would have had here. The attitude in MX is SO different...they treat you like a customer instead of a patient. My husband and I flew in on Wednesday, I had pre-ops that afternoon, Thursday am surgery, and we were flying home on Sunday. Cindy

Christy, head to Dr. Rumbaut in Mexico. That's what I did. Dr. R trained Dr. Ponce. I didn't want to have my surgery in the Dalton Medical Center because I'd heard a few negative things about it...and the self-pay option at Memorial would cost me $20,000. I paid $10,600 in Monterrey and it was the best decision I ever made. Cindy

Oooh, I have lots to say about your post. First, stop the negative attitude. You've lost 60 lbs in 7 months. That is GREAT! Nothing to feel like a failure about. In fact, it's well above the average weight loss. So try to cut yourself some "slack" that you've hit a plateau for a while. Second, why are you worried about being overfilled? Unless you're intentionally stuffing yourself, PBing a lot, etc., you're not abusing your band. Being too tight is accompanied (usually) by reflux issues, excessive vomiting, etc., so you'd know if you were too tight. Instead, you have classic signs of not being tight enough. Third, it sounds to me like you're not letting your band help you. Get the fill! That's why we have the band. You've paid $15,000 for the car and you're not wanting to put gas in it because you're afraid of over using it? I've been banded a bit over a year now. For the last 2 months, I've lost nothing. I'm at 4ccs in a 4cc band, so I understand your worry about being over tight. I sometimes feel like a failure because I feel like I "should" be able to do this without having my band so tight. But no matter how much saline is in the band, the band is LOOSE. I'm hungry, I have no restrictions on what I eat, and most of the time, I'm back to feeling like I don't even HAVE a band. So I'm going later this week for a fill. I recognize that feeling like a failure is counter-productive, so I try to NOT think that way. I've lost 80 lbs and I need to lose 20 lbs to be at goal...and I'm hoping that one more fill will get me there! Cindy

Summer, I'm sorry that you haven't been able to find a way to finance surgery. However, I don't consider that I'm "lucky" to have been able to afford it. I've worked since the day I turned 16. Well, I worked before that with babysitting and such, but 16 was my first "real" job. I remember having friends who would go on trips during Spring Break. For me, it was an opportunity to work full-time while everyone else took off. I put myself through college...often working fulltime while in school fulltime. I've worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time to pay my bills. I've busted my butt to have good credit. The money that we used for my surgery was money we'd been saving for 10+ years. I don't have rich relatives, no trust fund, etc...just plain ol' hard work...no "luck" to it. Cindy

Sugarbear, some people do feel restriction after the band is placed around the stomach just because it's there, but most people don't. The band doesn't really create a pouch (in the same sense as the bypass), but it creates a narrower opening from the top of the stomach into the lower stomach. Picture a funnel. food goes in the top, but the size of the opening determines how quickly food goes down. That's why liquids flow right through. So for some people, just having the band creates a smaller "funnel" opening. For others, they need 2, 3, or even 4 fills to get it small enough. Most of the time, any reduction in hunger prior to getting fills is because your stomach is swollen from the surgery...NOT because the band is doing anything yet. As for foods you can never eat...carbonated beverages are the only thing Inamed says is a no-no. Most bandsters can eat anything if done carefully, but being able to eat it and *should* eat it are two different things. Cindy

I find it sort of ironic when people measure the success of a particular type of WLS by whether or not someone achieves their goal. Yes, we all want to reach some goal weight, whether it's set by our own desires or the doc's. But the success of WLS shouldn't be measured JUST by that. There's also the quality of life to be considered and any accompanying health issues. I used to work with an RNY patient. She was thrilled with her surgery because she was thin. Her saggy skin, poor complexion and gray, wasted look didn't seem to matter. Then, she started passing out at work. Evidently, her insulin and sugar levels were going haywire. This was a problem for quite a while...I don't know if it was ever resolved because I no longer work with her. I recently met a DS patient. She, too, is thrilled with her surgery. She's thin and, I think, actually looks pretty good. But when she talks to people about how great DS is, she fails to mention that she's had 3 IV transfusions of Iron because she gets dangerously anemic. At a recent presentation by a plastic surgeon specializing in WLS patients, she stressed that WLS patients *always* have more post-op problems than non-WLS patients. She said that drains usually have to be in longer, incisions don't heal as quickly, and results just aren't as good. Her practice deals mostly with DS and RNY patients. When I asked her if she noticed a difference with banded patients, she wouldn't answer because she said it'd be "controversial within the group." Of course, the group was all RNY and DS except for me. Hmmm, I wonder what she was trying to say? I don't care how many times and ways someone tries to convince me that RNY or DS is the "better" surgery because you're more likely to get to your goal weight, I'm not buying it. Getting to my goal weight wasn't the only reason I needed WLS. I want to have a healthier life and be here for my children longer. Just reading the FAQs for DS (http://duodenalswitch.com/faq/faq.html#13) is enough to convince me that DS isn't much better than RNY. Here are some highlights: Well, that sounds pleasant. Just another indication of malabsorption. I have yet to read ANY recommendations with lapbanding for "needing" to take a Multivitamin (it's always recommended for everyone), or extra calcium or iron. No need for extra protein or labs to check Vitamin and mineral levels, either. So, add extra protein to the multivitamin, calcium, and iron regimens along with making sure that your time-released meds are absorbed properly. Sounds pleasant, doesn't it? The only thing that I have to modify with the Lapband are my *behaviors.* I have to eat more slowly, take smaller bites, and not drink with my meal. No need for extra protein, calcium, or iron, no need to worry about excessive flatulence or diarrhea, no need to worry that my labs need checking. Cindy

I've had 4 fills. The first was about 3 months post-op. That one didn't do anything, so I went back about 3 weeks later. Then another about 10 wks later and my last one 10 wks after that. That was end of October, so if my "pattern" is any indicator, it's time for another one because it's been almost 3 months since my last fill. Cindy

This reminds me of a support group meeting I went to recently. It was almost all RNYers and a few patients who had DS. I was the only bandster there. At one point, everyone divided into groups according to their surgery so that the pre-ops could ask questions. A 20 yr old girl with her parents came to talk to me about the band. While we were discussing it, 2 gals who'd had DS came over (uninvited) and started "pushing" DS. They were truly militant about it...even to the extent of telling her things that aren't true about the band...making it seem like fills are horrible, etc. They whole mindset was that DS is THE best WLS. Funny thing is that one of the gals has had 3 different IV transfusions for anemia. She didn't mention THAT when pushing her surgery. Most bandsters have NO medical problems from the band or the weight loss. Cindy

Terry, I'm NOT a creative bandster. I had a tendency (and still do) to stick to the same foods. I used to eat cottage cheese, yogurt, refried beans, soup, black-eyed peas, spinach, eggs, grits, oatmeal...can't think of what else now. I think almost anything canned is pretty soft. Cindy

Enterprise, your description of the Nutrisystem foods sounds...well, yukky. LOL But now I understand better. It sounds like you really have been following your doctor's guidelines! Good job! As for real alfredo and cookies? Of course you'll have them again! My son just fixed cookies tonight and I had one. Honestly, I'm having a bit of trouble getting my butt in gear these days. My original goal was 175...I hit 176 and I've been STUCK here for weeks. It's my fault and I also think that I need a fill. I've been snacking too much and when I really eat what I should, I'm hungry. I really want to get down to 155. You'd think that, after losing 80lbs, the last 20 wouldn't feel so HUGE...but they do. Most days, I still feel very fat. I can remind myself that I went from a 24/26 pants to a 12/14, but you know what? Those 14s FEEL like the 26s. Does that make sense? So in a very real way, I envy a lot of you just starting this journey. I want the excitement back, I want the quick weight losses...I want to be able to eat a chocolate chip cookie and still lose weight. Unfortunately, things that I could allow myself at 250 lbs and still lose weight just don't work at 176 lbs if I want to lose. : Cindy

That's ok...even though I don't want to intentionally anger anyone, it doesn't upset me if I did. And that probably sounds bad, too. What I really mean is that I expect that, sometimes, writing something like what I did earlier today WILL get someone angry or upset. How do I know this? They're the same things that were said to ME in the beginning. And I can remember getting pissed and thinking "Who is SHE (whoever it was) to tell ME what I should or shouldn't be doing?!" That can also be applied to when I was being told that I was making excuses to eat, and when I was told that maybe I wasn't ready to be banded because I was so sure that I didn't eat too much...and the list goes on. So I really HAVE been where everyone else is right now. I will also say to everyone, YES, follow YOUR doctor's rules. But also, if something your doctor says doesn't make sense, or you've researched and you think that your doctor is wrong, ASK your doctor. They're human, too, and they can make mistakes and honestly, sometimes they're so busy being doctors that they don't do the research that we do. So don't "blindly" follow the rules...but then, don't ignore them just because you don't like them, either. As for this thread getting quiet...well, I really don't mean to shut down the conversation. But we can get so involved in "supporting" each other that we sometimes "enable" each other, too. And part of me doesn't care how angry I get people if it ultimately helps you to lose the weight. :eek:

Sara, that's why I said "most" doctors recommend liquid diets for the first 2 weeks. As for the "to each his own"...I'm not sure that I agree with that. I DO think that some surgeons are better than others...not only in surgical technique, but patient education and bandster guidelines. Some surgeons say that it's ok to drink carbonated drinks despite Inamed (the maker of the band) saying that we shouldn't. Maybe eating solids too early won't hurt the band...but if you haven't seen evidence that it DOESN'T, I would much prefer to err on the side of caution. Put more simply...we can't prove that eating solids early does or doesn't hurt the band. But if so many doctors recommend liquids for 2 weeks, then mushies for 2, then finally solids, I'm going to be cautious and stick with the crowd on this one. Cindy