elcee

Yes what exactly is wrong? Eating too much? Hunger between meals? Still able to eat chocolate and icecream? If you give us more info then we can hopefully supply more informative answers.

Well lets put it this way. There are a couple of possibilities. 1. I could be 80 my band could be still working fine and not causing me problems. 2. By the time I reach 80 ( in 30+ years time) they have come up with a new , more effective , easier way of losing and maintaining weight so I opted to have my band removed and go with the new method. A choice that I would not have had I gone for a bypass or sleeve initially. 3. My band is causing me problems because I am old and gaga and can't remember to chew properly. Again I have the choice of having my band removed or I might just get it completely unfilled. 4. My band is still working fine but I have no teeth so i am existing on slider foods and gaining weight. I don't see what the issue is. At least there are still choices which is not true with some of the other surgeries.For example what if I got to 80 with a bypass and ended up malnourished because I was unable to eat enough and absorb enough for my bodies needs. It is even possible that in this time frame my band may have to be replaced, possibly more than once. Again I don't see this as an issue. Knee replacement, hip replacements, prosthetic limbs,transplanted organs also all have a certain lifespan and then they too need to be replaced.

My favourites were being asked to model at a local fashion show and having neighbours not recognise me. I saw one at the post box a couple of weeks ago and she asked me if I was the new person that had just moved into the street!

That's awesome. You go and kick some ass!

I'm with you Brenda. My surgeon told me the same. There is not normally any need to use protein shakes as it is easy to get sufficient protein in from a normal diet. The only time I drink my breakfast is if I am in a rush to get out of the door, then I will grab an up and go as I can drink it and drive at the same time.

Usually when you suddenly can't get food down it indicates a slip. I would make an appointment to see your Dr urgently to make sure that everything is OK.

A lot of people have more trouble in the am than the pm. Try sticking to liquids for a day and then soft foods , if you have irritated your band or are swollen that should help. Start off the morning with a warm drink. If you are able to eat after that fine if not have a Protein shake instead and have a proper meal at lunctime when the band should be looser. Also scrambled eggs are notoriously difficult. Rather try a soft poached egg instead - it goes down a lot easier.

I think part of the basics of eating properly that you need to get back to include how to eat as well as what to eat. It sounds as though a lot of your problems may have been caused by you eating too fast or not chewing properly or not leaving enough time between bites. If you haven't got this right then it is easy to get stuck and "vomit". Make no mistake it can be hard. First you have to unlearn the eating habits that you had for the rest of your life up until being banded. You have also learned that no matter what you will always be able to eat candy. You need to find some way of dealing with this. You may need to cut it out completely. You may want to make an allowance for it in your calorie or points for the day/week. You have also found out that having WLS does not guarantee success. That is because it is only a tool. It makes healthy eating a lot easier but it doesn't make the food choices for you or put the food into your mouth. That is the part of the process that you will always be responsible for. Also at the beginning it is new and exciting and we are really motivated. After a while that wears off and it becomes easier to slip into bad habits. What you need to do is remember the reasons you wanted to lose the weight in the first place. So you have made mistakes but that doesn't matter.Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back to basics. Do this and I am sure you will soon achieve the success that you are after. And don't forget to keep logging onto LBT as you will get lots of support and encouragement.

Most dr's in Australia have stopped doing things this way as the constant emptying and refilling of the band can actually contribute to problems and affect the level of restriction. The best way to imagine it is to think of a balloon that has been blown up and then deflated a couple of times, compare that balloon with a new one that has never been blown up and look at how different they are. The material in the one that has been constantly blown up and then let down is stretched and not as elastic.

I agree Sue i also thought that was a bit of a strange response. No she is not most likely overweight, she is obese. True Who says she is not serious?( The OP doesn't seem to be the person with the attitude). I understand that she wants to find out if it is possible for her to have the surgery before she gets all excited about it, I would. It is quite possible that she may not qualify via insurance but that doesn't mean that she cannot enquire. She may also consider her options for self payment and if she could afford the surgery that way. That would mean she also need to consider if she would be happy to travel outside of the USA because of price considerations. thatsvanity please feel free to ask more questions ( real or otherwise) and don't let some people scare you off. There are a lot of supportive people on this board that are happy to help.

I think your Dr is talking BS. Yes the band can take the maximum capacity it is designed to, sometimes more. As to whether or not you need your band filled to maximum that is another question altogether. Can I ask which brand of band you have?

Well that does happen to some people after they lose weight!

I may have a few more wrinkles than preband but at least now I only have 1 chin. I think 2, 3 or more chins looks really awful and makes a person look far worse and far older than a couple of wrinkles.

Generally if you get stuck you do get hungry sooner than you should as you probably didn't manage to finish your meal. I wouldn't even contemplate having another fill at this point. You need to focus on eating slower so you don't get stuck. Another fill will just make getting stuck even easier.

So was I then afterwards I thought wow that was easy why did I spend so much time worrying! Different Drs have different methods. Mine just got me to lie down, he felt around for the port and then got me to do a small crunch , he put the needle in and a couple of seconds later he was all done.Just had to drink some water to make sure everything was OK and then stick to liquids followed by soft foods for a couple of days. Easy peasy!

I haven't got any experience with the beds in question. However in order not to get a huge indent in your bed you should flip the mattress once a month. One month turn it top to tail, the next side to side. It does make a difference.

Sometimes I get a bruise sometimes I don't. It's not really anything to worry about.

It might help you to get full with less food but you are also more likely to get stuck. You will probably also find that you get hungry again sooner than you should which is why the "rule" is there. Not sure why you are upset about not getting a fill.If they think you are doing fine and you have discussed it with your Dr then you probably are doing fine. You have lost lots and the last part is always going to be harder to lose than the first part.

What is it in the yogurt that you are allergic to? Generally people that are allergic to yogurt would also have issues with other dairy foods such as cottage cheese. I can't see a problem with substituting yogurt with cottage cheese except that initially the texture could cause problems, yogurt is more liquidy. You could just leave the yogurt out and eat the other foods on your list. Light olive oil is not light in fat. It would be better to eat your salad with no dressing.

It's probably a reaction to the anaesthetic - they may have used a different 1 to the previous surgeries. I hate anaesthesia as it always makes me feel sick afterwards

It is more likely that the high protein diet is the culprit not the weight loss.

Try blending your soup so that it doesn't consist of chunks and watery liquid. Also soup isn't one of the best foods post band as it is normally a slider - you should focus on solid foods that fill you up for longer.Maybe the rice is swelling and causing an issue so you could try skipping the rice. I've never actually had rice in soup before! Eat your cereal with just a dash of milk or try eating it with yogurt instead.

I would say your weight loss is well within the expected range. If you are stuck then take careful note of what you are eating - maybe you have become complacent and sneaked in a bit more than you think, or increase your exercise.

It is really unusual to get stuck on icecream - normally it is a slider food. You may be too tight. Why don't you go back to doing a few days of liquids, followed by soft foods and see how that goes. if you still have problems then I would suggest you need a small unfill.

If food gets stuck then yes you must have some level of "restriction" as obviously without a band this would not have happened. It does not mean however that you have enough "restriction" or that you are too tight. Food getting stuck is often a result of user error - not chewing properly, too big bites, not waiting between bites etc. You have said that if you don't chew well or get distracted that you get stuck which would seem to indicate it is user error. Bread is also a food that many people find difficult to eat once banded as it is doughy and can form a ball or plug that gets stuck. What you want to aim for with your band( and I am not going to refer to it as restriction as I hate that term because it gives the wrong impression) is that if you eat a meal of the size and type of foods that your Dr has recommended that you should be SATISFIED and NOT HUNGRY for a reasonable length of time afterwards. The length of time varies from person to person and the amount of fill but you would probably be hoping for 3 - 4 hours. You will not feel full in the way you did preband and it is still perfectly possible to have head hunger.Being able to recognise this for what it is and having some method of dealing with it makes a big difference. HTH