Melissannde

My doctor said he would not tell anyone they couldn't have their coffee. He does want us to watch what we put in it. It's the sugar & creamer that can make coffee a poor choice. I use non fat dry powdered milk instead of coffeemate and Torani s/f choc. syrup in mine. Delicious and I get a little bit of Calcium. As to dehydration: I don't totally buy that. This is what a Mayo Clinic nutritionist has to say about it: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661 I think the thing to do is to see how caffeine affects you personally. If you find it makes you hungrier.. cut down. If you can't drink it without tons of cream & sugar.. then you shouldn't have it, or limit your consumption. If you're drinking more than 2 or 3 (normal sized) cups a day, better drink some extra Water too. These are JMO, YMMV

Being able to eat a bit more and nibbling and increased head hunger are actual signs that you might need a tiny increase in Fluid in your band. Not having a cycle in 2 months is a bit worrisome. If this continues, you need to schedule a visit with whoever does your gyn care. An excessive build up of endometrial lining can over time lead to very serious problems. (I know.. btdt) And this might also be contributing to the scales going up. Protein is good, but sometimes when I get the need to chew, but I'm not really hungry, I try baby carrots or celery or something like that. Those little Sunburst yellow tomatoes are very good. Hope this helps a bit.

I have oatmeal every morning. Steelcut oats is low glycemic, holds you a long time and has Protein in it. The brand I use (Bob's Red Mill) has 7 grams of protein. Not a huge amount, but enough. I add chopped apples to mine and also eat a turkey sausage link. However, if you're getting hungrier sooner after Breakfast than you'd like, try something else. If you're using a sugary instant oatmeal type, try switching over to steelcut. It can be made overnight in a crockpot so it's easy to have ready first thing in the morning. I thought whoa Nelly on the Starbucks smoothie too, but looked it up and while it's hefty in calories (http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks+vivanno+smoothies+fact+sheet.htm), it's not the worst choice in the world. I'd have it made with skim milk.. or even better make my own at home and bring it in a thermos. I like the idea of having something from home and putting the $4.00 in a kitty to save up for a fill. You're doing pretty well, a little more forethought and planning ahead will help you do even better! Maybe take an apple and some string cheese with you to work for those late afternoon hungries? Keep on posting, we want to know how you're doing.

no I haven't had this craving, but now that you type it, it sounds good. Wonder how limes would do .. DH usually keeps them in the fridge. Oh, I better not, the salt would make me retain water. phooey.

Mattie, I hope I can express this correctly. I'm not as eloquent as some others on this forum. It's not necessarily the amount of fill given, it's the willingness to listen to the patient, help them evaluate where they are as regards "the green zone" (which is probably about the same as the sweet spot that others talk about), and adjust the band (fill) accordingly. And keep in mind that while for some people it is the volume they are able to consume, it's just as often the dimming of appetite. I can still eat just about as much as I could prebanding.. if I tried. I don't try. I eat my measured portions and stop and am satisfied. It's not feeling full, it's a different feeling. My apologies if I've typed this to you before. I think I've been on the forum a bit too long today. Plus I'm a bit tired from boot camp. Have a great evening!

In the little bit of research I've done I read somewhere that while the bypass uses malabsorption, eventually the intestine which is not bypassed, learns to compensate for.. it starts absorbing like the bypassed intestine was designed to do. Therefore caloric restriction begins to fade. This happens sometime after the first year after surgery. So if the RNY patient doesn't learn to make better choices in that first year, they may be in for a rude awakening. We had a person at one of the support groups lately who was a bypass that had regained and was going for a band now. Called Band Over Bypass or BOB.

JulieK, your doctor may be sabotaging your weight loss. Most (but not all) people require more than 1.5 cc's in a 10cc band to get good appetite control. There are possibly other things going on with you that lead your doc to fill you slowly, but in general, his attitude is wrong. You shouldn't have to earn fills by weight loss. The fills are to assist in weight loss. I would suggest looking for another doctor in your area. I know someone else on the Smartbandsters list who went through what you are going through and finally got a new doctor just recently. Since changing doctors her journey with the band has greatly improved. I invite you to come join the list to discuss your doctor's approach if you are interested. (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters)

I hope your insurance approves you quickly also. btw: My starting BMI was 63, and I've done very well with the band. Research all WL surgeries 2 make sure you get the one that will work best for you.

Mine were covered for the first 90 days too. My insurance has an ASTRONOMICAL deductible.. I mean really really really high, so it's nearly impossible to meet unless someone is very ill.. so yes, doctor visits are mostly out of pocket for us. At my doctor, visits which include fills are 150.00, non fill visits are 75.00. Every doctor is going to have varying rates. You need to call your doctor's billing or insurance clerk and talk to them. I know other people who have bands who have told me they budget for fills just like any other recurring expense.

Everyone is different in how they experience the band. I personally could still eat as much as before banding if I really tried. However, I no longer desire to eat that much! I weigh my 3oz of protein and measure my 1/2 cup of (low carb, low glycemic) veggies, eat that and am done. If I'm still really hungry 20 minutes after finishing that, I can have more veggies. Most of the time I'm fine. I used to need a high protein snack between meals, but I haven't lately (except when doing exceptionally vigorous workouts). I don't drink protein drinks as a general rule, again, except after a very vigorous workout. My doctor says to avoid liquid calories as much as possible unless we are too tight to get solids down. Which is OK if this happens in the AM after waking up.. if that tight all day long, we need to come in for evaluation and possible unfill. The immediate time after banding (usually about 6 weeks, but can vary a bit) before you get your first fill is a bit of a challenge. You may or may not have fluid put in during surgery. I did and had no issues with it. Some people have too much swelling and have to have some fluid removed from the band. The challenge .. whether or not the surgeon gives you a "starter fill" is to deal with normal hunger after the swelling from the surgery goes down. This is the time that many call "Bandster Hell", you've got a band but it doesn't have enough fluid in it to help you and you're "dieting" on your own. And what some fail to realize (and evidentally some doctors don't reveal) is that it may take more than 1 fill to get good appetite dimming. But be faithful about going back for more fluid and you should eventually get to where you eat your small meal and are satisfied (NOT full.. the feeling is very different) for 3 to 5 hours. I didn't really believe it could happen, but followed my doctor's guidelines as close as I could (about 90% of the time) and it's working for me. Hope this helps.

Drinking has never been an issue for me from the get-go and I had 3cc's installed in my band at the time of surgery.

coffee in moderate amounts (2 to 3 cups) is no more dehydrating than Water according to a nutritionist at Mayo Clinic. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661) Of course, you can always drink more water if you want. I too find it more difficult to get plain water in during the winter. I try different strategies.. I really like Powerade Zero, so I buy the 20oz bottles and drink one and then refill it with water and don't let myself have more flavored stuff until the water is gone. Or I'll put some lemon or lime juice in my water (no splenda or equal.. just the citrus). I do drink a lot more herbal tea in the winter. Just keep trying is all I can advise.. and Jello & popsicles (in winter? brrrr) are also counted as fluids (at least my doc says they are). Good luck.

I'm almost 2 years out (22 months) and am still going in about every 2 or 3 months. However, I'm still in the losing phase, not maintenance.. so maybe that's different.

It's often been said that the band is a fickle b*tch.

My first fill was 1cc, since then they've been .5 and less and I've had many of them in 22 months.. haven't kept track of how many. But I started with 3cc's in my band from time of surgery and I'm just now up to 6cc's in it. The fill amounts really are adjusted to the individual patient and their needs. I know two other women, banded with same size band by my doctor and one is very tight with only 2cc's in hers and the other is a brand new bandster and came out of surgery with 4cc's and had 2 cc's added at her first fill. So at 6 weeks out, she's at the same level I am after almost 2 years. Go figger. $100.00 sounds pretty good to me. A reg. appt with my doc (and I never see the doc.. just one of the nurses) is $75.00.. if I need filling it's 150.00. I figure it's cheaper than getting treated for one of the co-morbidities of obesity.. JMO.

I'm sorry you're having difficulty, it must be rough. How long does your doctor have you on liquids after a fill? I hope not too long. My doc's post-fill protocol is liquids day of fill, soft foods that evening and back to solids the next day as tolerated. IF anything causes problems to back down and proceed again, but slower. Maybe you could call your bariatric professionals tomorrow and get permission to progress a little faster. Best of luck to you. And yes, it's not uncommon to not have appetite suppression after the first fill. Sometimes it can even take up to the 4th fill. Everyone is different. Hang in there.

I don't know if stress incontinence is/was contributing to your excessive lubrication, but it's certainly a possibility. And yes, SI can be greatly relieved if not cured by weight loss. I don't know this personally (that SI improves with weight loss), but I do know a nurse who was banded who said losing weight helped hers. I know you must be frustrated by the excess lubrication, but don't wish for dryness.. it's no walk in the park either. :/ Doesn't exactly answer your question, but hope this helps a bit.

If you feel like someone said (or implied) that the band not working for you is your fault, I'm very sorry. For some reason I thought you were looking for help, advice, suggestions on how to make the band work. If you were just wanting to complain about it, that's ok too and my mistake for trying to help. Hope this latest fill does dim your appetite. Have a great evening!!

17 lbs in what.. 5 weeks, 6 weeks is great!! You're right at where you should be at losing 1 to 2 lbs a week. I know we all want to lose fast, but the weight most likely was gained slowly and it's healthier and safer to lose slowly (in most cases.. nothing is absolute, except zero. ~ excuse the math/science nerd joke~). Be aware that you might not feel much difference with your first fill. Sometimes it takes 2, 3 or even 4 to "feel" a big difference. And you don't really need a "slap upside the head" difference in feeling if you are eating your small meals and being satisfied for 3, 4 or 5 hours. Seems impossible at first to go that long on such a small amount of food, but it does happen. Try not to worry about the apparent stall right now, as long as your are staying on the plan your doctor or nutritionist gave you. Sometimes our bodies need to take a breather and reshape before they release more weight. I'm really sorry you're having a bad day. Hope things get better for you. (and try not to read the negative threads while you're stressed from other things..)

I posted the same link earlier in this thread. The response I got was "but it IS about Restriction" (I might not be exactly right on the wording of the response, but it's close enough). I don't know if the person or people who were having issues ever read it. It really is a helpful article. And I'm glad you posted it again.

You might consider joining the DFWBandsters group (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DFWBandsters) and asking there. I know there are nurses who work for several different bariatric surgeons who post on that list. Good Luck.

For arms (I'm assuming you mean the back of the upper arms, where many of us get "batwings") google "tricep kickbacks" to get descriptions and/or videos on how to do them. I've been doing regular abdominal crunches (very similar to what we used to call situps back in the 70's) for a long time and I haven't hurt my port yet. However, my doctor does say "If it hurts, don't do it" and I won't do extreme abd exercises.. like bending backward off of a balance ball and then sitting up. I'm sure others will give more suggestions, and I could go into more detail, but I'm in a time crunch. If all else fails, consider hiring a trainer for a session or two to teach you some exercises. Congrats on your 30 laps in 60 minutes.. quite an accomplishment.

When I hear people say their doctors say "no snacking" I often wonder if this is a form of miscommunication. I think the professionals are meaning no chips & salsa, no Cookies, no ice cream, no fritoes, etc. all the things that we thought of as Snacks pre surgery. A healthy, low calorie, high Protein snack when worked into a sensible meal plan shouldn't be an issue with most doctors/nutritionist/dieticians. If it was, I'd really be curious to hear their reasoning. I might learn something!!

I think it's very wise to make small easily attainable goals and to reward ourselves with non food things when we get there. I found a site called Stickk (www.stickk.com) where you make a wager with yourself (can be monetary or not as you please) to attain a goal. I've set mine at losing 1lb a week. Every thursday the site emails me a reminder to weigh in. I also use FatSecret (hate the name.. great site) www.fatsecret.com and set my goal there very low too. Rewards are things like mani/pedi, new blouse or jeans, a book I've been wanting, nice yarn (I'm a crochet addict), etc. Congrats on the 10lbs.. now go buy yourself a manicure!!