catfish87

I know this has been discussed more than once, but I wanted to start a topic specifically for folks who have, or may have, experienced this or have knowledge of it. Some of you may know, I had a dehydration event in 2012, which led to a fall and resulting concussion. ( No fun ) Since that time, I have experienced occasional episodes of "seeing spots", felt lightheaded, etc, after getting up from a seated position or laying down. Fewer occurances the farther away from my concussion it becomes. Two weeks ago, I had the most significant bout with this I've ever had. Actually, passing out and falling down three times within appx 10 minutes. Luckily, I was at home and there were no injuries. There were NO symptoms leading up to this. 5 minutes after it was over, I felt like nothing had happened. I called my PCP and got in to see him at the first available time. We discussed EVERYTHING, history, eating habits, drinking habits, exercise, weightloss....everything. He did an EKG at the office = perfect. He did blood work = came back perfect. Today I went for a brain MRI. And he's gonna have me do a stress test if the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal. He said lots of times they won't come to any definate conclusions of what cause it. I've done a lot of reading, researching on the web, and find lots of information. Some suggest that these type symptoms COULD be caused by stimulation of the Vagus Nerve. So thats got me thinking....isn't the band is supposed to stimulate the vagus nerve? Thoughts?

Just curious what event fellow WLS patients may be planning on doing. It could be a way to meet others at one of them. So what's on your upcoming "to do" list? Event name? Date? Location?

I've had my Garmin 310xt for about 3 years now. I love it! I use it for cycling/running/hiking/etc. It's good for multisport, but if I was ONLY going to use something for running, I'd get a different model.

LOL....I remember FREEZING when riding a couple years back. I now have proper gear to be able to handle low to mid 30's pretty well for a couple of hours on the bike. As far as getting a trainer, look on craigslist/ebay/etc for a used one. I see them all the time on social media in my area for sale.

Congrats and much continued success. To the band!

@@dlappjr Have you considered getting trainer for the winter months? I got one a couple years ago and still use it when it's too cold or raining. (Too cold for me is below about 30 degrees) You might find you like it and won't have to wait on spring! Happy riding!

@@celestialsciences Your grandmother was such a nice lady. I never got to meet her in person, but spoke with her several times on here. May she rest in peace.

Congrats and continued success Bandista!

Just curious....what research shows "that after 4.0cc the biggest fills they should be doing is 0.2cc"? I've had much larger fills than .2cc's, even after getting past 4.0cc's, without any issues. But my surgeon does use fluoroscopy for all band adjustments now. It didn't used to be that way, years ago. Then it was just the blind fill...guessing method. To the OP, its wasn't uncommon for me to experience some added restriction a couple of weeks post fill. I kind of liked it....it made me re-think my food choices for a few days.

I am a September Bandster as well..... Sept of 2009 that is. Not one band caused problem, and I'm 100 pounds lighter than I was 6 years ago.....and MUCH healthier! Congrats to you all. It's the start to a new life! Best wishes! David

My lapband surgery didn't have any staples from it, only small incision that was basically super glued closed. I did have surgery years ago that required a lot of staples to close. They itched like crazy! They also were kinda raised up some. That was many years ago.

I actually had quite a bit of bruising around the area of where my port was placed, but it went away rather quickly. What are you worried about? Is there something specific? Maybe call your surgeons office and discuss your concerns with them.

What did you have stapled?

I use the "New whey Protein shots" occasionally, and have for years. I don't think they're that bad....although I don't sip them like I would a nice bourbon. The one's I use are 42 grams per tube....so I only take about half at once. Then half a bit later.

I pay $115 every two weeks for the couple that clean my house....and I think thats reasonable. I used to pay $150 once per month. There are two cleaners that come for about 2-3 hours. They do floors, sinks, counters, dust everything, bathrooms, etc. They do not do dishes (there aren't ever any), laundry, outside of windows on a normal basis. Once a year they come and "deep clean"....that's $300. I've used a house cleaner for the last 3 years or so. I work 60+ hours per week and CHOOSE to utilize my time at home for other things besides cleaning.

@@Sharpie Great story and glad to hear you had a nice time in Alaska!

@@Indieflickers If I'm going riding (hard) for more than an hour, I'll sometimes have a GU gel or chews about 45 minutes into the ride, and then about every 45 minutes thereafter. Or I just use full strength gatorade type drinks. I use Gu Gels more when running than I do when cycling. I can "eat" real food (bananas, nuts, Jerky, clif bars, etc) while cycling.

@@Indieflickers Yea, I'd skip the yogurt and see if that helps....dairy and exercise does not go together for me. I'd say since you're gonna be on asphalt and concrete, go to the bike shop, get fitted for a hybrid or a road bike. I live in a pretty big metropolitan area and there are TONS of used bikes available. My first road bike came from a bike shop....it was an aluminum frame Trek road bike. I put several thousand miles on it and then upgraded to a carbon Fiber bike last year. You should be able to find a good, VERY good slightly used bike for around $300-600 range depending on what you want. Maybe cheaper. Bike shops take trade-ins and should be able to steer you towards a good one. After you know the style and size you need, craigslist is a resource you may desire to look at as well. So many people buy one and don't ride it. And then theres always new....I see good Hybrids from $450 up. Road bikes will be more and carbon fiber = Much more. And really consider that heart rate monitor... I personally use a Garmin 310xt that works well for biking/running/etc. I would highly recommend it as a somewhat entry level multi-sport device that has a lot of info available. You'll be able to know for sure, just how hard you're working/distance/calories/etc. And edited to add: Make sure you get some good padded riding shorts/pants/bibs. After a long ride, you'll be glad you did.

@@Indieflickers What kind of surface do you ride on? Flat asphalt, dirt trails, crushed stone? As far as exercising while riding a cruiser = MY OPINION, get a heart rate monitor. Then you'll know if you're in the "fat burning/cardio zone". I think my HRM is probably one of the best investments I've ever made. Depending on the surface you ride on, there may be some good choices in the "comfort/hybrid" styles of bikes. Giant/Trek/Cannondale/etc all make quality bikes. Make sure to go to a real bike store and let them determine what size you need. One that is correctly sized to your height/riding style will be way more comfortable. As far as getting nauseous during the end of your ride: Do you eat anything before or during your ride? Any Protein type stuff? Protein drinks cause me the same as you're desribing. I do not use anything except water/coffee before rides of an hour or so. If I'm going longer than that, I'll have something such as a Clif bar and maybe some electrolytes about 45 minutes into the ride. Drink, Drink, Drink....dehydration and the end results are no fun. Happy riding!

@@hokiemama All the behavior modification in the world wouldn't have helped me. Years and years of bad habits and overeating weren't going to be changed by listening to some nutritionist. I have had my band for 6 years now. At first it was amazing. A couple of bites and I was done...finished eating! Lost 90 pounds in the first few months. Then after several months, I noticed I had no restriction.....I could eat anyting I wanted. And I did one day. Stopped in a fast food resturant and had the largest burger they had on the menu.....and ate the WHOLE thing in minutes. I knew something wasn't right. Why wasn't my band stopping me from this? I continued to go to my surgeon and get some small "blind" adjustments....back before he used FLUOROSCOPY. I was so mad and frustrated I was eating everything in sight and gaining weight like no tomorrow. I got so discouraged that I didn't even go back to my surgeon for over a year (BIG MISTAKE on my part!) When I finally had gained back over half what I had lost, I went back to my surgeon. He had started using FLUOROSCOPY for all band adjustments. My band had come undone....unbuckled! I was the first one (out of over 1000 patients at the time) that had occured to. Lucky me huh? My surgeon corrected it asap and my band has worked as designed ever since. Sorry for such a long post, but I agree with the others who've responded. Something is not up to snuff with your band or the adjustment level. And no amount of behavior modification will correct that. I'd be very blunt in finding and getting in to see a surgeon who will look at everything. "Look" being the key word. Best wishes!

@@B-52 And so it goes....just another great story! I'll never get tired of reading how much our surgeries have changed lives. Congrats on leading the pack during your mountain climbing!!! I haven't tried that....yet.

Happy, healthy, energetic, .....Enjoying life! 6 years post op = not one band caused problem.

....... men that I have dated have an astounding lack of curiosity..they just like the results. its not just us guys that like the results.

My surgeon started using fluoroscopy for all band adjustments about 4 or so years ago, and I'm so thankful he did! He's got the machine right there in his office building. You can see so much by using it. I get a fluoro at least once a year and plan on continuing to do so for the rest of my life. I go more often than once a year still, even almost 6 years post op. It's nice to just keep in touch, talk about upcoming events, longterm results, and look at all the successful pics on the walls. Reassuring and motivating to say the least!

What worked for me, was getting my heart rate into the aerobic or fat buring zone.....AND keeping it there. I chose to use cycling as my primary form of aerobic exercise early on when I couldn't/didn't run. It was (for me) the best thing I could possibly do. The most bang for the buck as you mention. I would never get my heart rate to the level necessary to burn enough calories just by weight training. I'm not saying you can't, but I didn't. And besides, cycling is sooooooo much more fun! After I lost most of my excess weight, I also started running.....and that changes things up too. I'd suggest to anyone, get some form of accurate heart rate monitor and figure out how many calories you're actually burning with each exercise. Then you'll know what burns the most for you.