GE Mom

I've had my CPAP for about 10 weeks now, and have lost about 25 pounds. I'm finding that it's more and more annoying -- I get a stuffy nose and so I tend to wait 'til it's been on 5 hours then remove it and go back to sleep. The doctor told me they want it on 4.5 hours/night. Is that OK or will I not get the full benefit of having it?

I have 5 cc in a VG band, and I feel only a teensy bit of restriction. I see the doctor again this week and am going to request a bit more. I would characterize the way I feel after a meal as a 'soft landing' -- just a little bit of discomfort if I eat more than I should. Last night for dinner I had 1/2 of half a large chicken breast and an ear of sweet corn with a little (1/2c) salad. I'd had some shrimp appetizer earlier. I did feel a little uncomfortable for a while after dinner. I'd like to get the signal to stop a bit earlier than I do. I am losing weight, a bit slower than I'd like to.

Faybie, I really, really appreciate your concern for other people and your positive outlook. Thanks! I hope we're supportive of you, too! I got a tear in my eye, too, at the idea of the bride going from a 24 to maybe a 14. What a great story! I think I'm just beginning to realize that the weight is REALLY going to come off. The only downside, and I'm happy for this downside, is that I never know from day to day what's going to fit. I'm only 5'2" and all of a sudden my pants are always too long. (For the tall folks who won't understand that, as the tummy gets smaller the pants slip down and seem long!) I wore a suit yesterday with size 20 pants and 18 jacket, and it buttoned and zipped just fine!

I've been kind of unhappy with the slower pace of my weight loss (25 lbs) but I tried on a brand new pants suit that I've had in the closet for about 4 years, size 20. (I don't know why I bought it, I could never even begin to get into it.) (I was a 24-26 before the surgery) Anyway, I put the pants on, zipped 'em up and put the jacket on and buttoned it. The pants are still a little bit too tight for comfort -- but I'll be wearing that sucker in a couple of weeks. (But now I'm thinking I should sell it on EBAY because it probably won't fit for long.) And my husband patted me on the knee and said OH MY GOD YOU ARE REALLY LOSING WEIGHT!

I would also talk to your doctor about whether you should take a migraine preventive drug. I take Toprol XL, which both lowers my blood pressure and prevents the migraines. My quality of life has greatly improved since I started the Toprol. I also have a prescription for Phenergan, an antihistamine that prevents/treats nausea and vomiting. It comes in both pills and suppositories, and is relatively inexpensive. (The suppositories are for use if you're already vomiting so much you couldn't keep a pill down.) The downside, if you consider it a problem, is that it usually makes me sleepy. But if the migraine is so bad that I'm upchucking, sleep is the best thing I can do. I also use ice on my head. I think that's very interesting that headache may be a sign of being full. I'll have to watch and see if that might be happening with me. My headaches have gotten a lot worse since I got banded, but I thought that might be because I've halved my dose of Toprol, since my blood pressure was getting too low with the weight loss.

I don't know....Although I'm very short (formerly petite) and that dress is definitely a taller girl's dress, I cannot imagine ever fitting into it, even when I was a size 6. I would be trying to talk the bride into a safer choice. However...More power to you!

Yeah, that's what I've been told and read, too. But two years ago, I had a torn meniscus diagnosed by MRI. I never went back to the doctor because by the time I got the results, the pain had stopped. So my plan this time is to give it a couple of weeks to see if it'll get any better. If not, I can always do the surgery.

I was banded on August 7, 2006, and have had no hint of PB, nausea or any other digestive problem. I have had one fill, and believe I have zero restriction. In fact, I seriously wonder if my band has fallen off. I've only lost 23 pounds in 8 weeks; the doctor is happy but I wish I were losing faster.

Rlittman, I have had exactly the same experience! I apparently have a torn meniscus, probably caused by my increased walking. I think I'm going to wait a couple of weeks to see if it heals on its own -- I am not up for more surgery, more pain, more time off work right at the moment. Darn it! And I've had to stop walking because of the knee. Does anyone have ideas on exercise I can do that doesn't hurt the knee? I'm also not feeling any restriction, and I'm stuck on my weight loss. I didn't think it was going to be this difficult! I should get my second fill on October 18. Will that get me started again?

Today I came across the phone number of the insurance company's medical reviewer (nurse) who approved my lap band surgery, and I picked up the phone and called her to say 'thanks'. I told her I very much appreciated the opportunity to have the surgery, that my energy level is much higher, that I'm walking daily and have lost over 20 pounds so far, and that I can do more, and have already been able to reduce my blood pressure medication. She said she had never had a patient call to say thanks before. She'd been having a bad day, and really, really appreciated my taking the time to call. Then she asked me to talk to her manager, which I did, also. I'm thinking this is a chance to educate insurance company people on the benefits of Lap Band, and maybe the next person whose file gets put in front of her may have an easier time than folks whose reviewer doesn't know much about the procedure.

I had been walking 2 to 3 miles a day but in the past week my knee started really bothering me, so I'm staying off it. I have an ortho appointment this afternoon, and hopefully he'll be able to fix it. I sure hope I don't have to have surgery. Is there any exercise I can do that doesn't involve my knee? That spaghetti squash dish sounds great -- I always microwave spaghetti squash, and it's done really fast.

OK, I'm about 23 pounds down from my preop weight, but I just gained a pound! I'm kind of floundering...I'm eating about 1/4 of what I used to eat, but I think I used to eat too many carbs. Can those who are losing post what you're eating in a typical day so I can get some ideas for successful eating? Thanks. Any other ideas?

Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis etc. are all members of a drug family called Nonsteroidal Anti Inflamatories (NSAIDS). They work better than Tylenol type drugs for many types of pain. BUT, and this is significant, one of the unavoidable side effects is bleeding in the stomach, sometimes causing ulcers and even (rarely) death. So you want to minimize the amount of these types of drugs you take. I called my surgeon's office yesterday, talked to the nurse, and she said it's OK to take them, for a short time in small doses with food or antacids. It's worth it to check with your own doctor -- as we know, different docs have different opinions. I think, if Tylenol will work, use it. If not, check with your own doctor.

OK, here's my info: I was banded at Central DuPage Hospital on August 7 by Dr. Spitz. I've lost 25 pounds from my preop visit, 18 from day of surgery. I had my first fill on August 20, 5 cc in a VG band. I think I'm going to need more because I feel absolutely no restriction, just that I stop eating when I've had about 1/4 my previous intake. No nausea, no PB, nothing else. Too good to be true, I think. In fact, is it possible for the band to simply fall off and disappear? If it weren't for the little cuts on my abdomen, I wouldn't think I'd had surgery....

I was banded on a Monday, stayed one night in the hospital, rested Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I worked half a day on Friday, then went back full time on the following Monday. I felt like I could have gone back all day on Friday or maybe Thursday. But I'm in a job where I'm either in the office or out at meetings, so it's not like I'm on my feet all day. I figured, my tummy was going to hurt no matter what I did so I might as well go about my business.

I was banded on August 7, 2006, and have lost about 20 lbs, but my clothes keep getting bigger. (Must be from walking.) So I've been putting the ones that are simply too big in the closet in the guest room -- but my question is, is there any reason to keep them? Am I ever going to be a 3x again? For those who have been banded a while, what did you do about the clothes you grew out of?

I know that you can have sleep apnea and not snore. I only snored occasionally. On my sleep study, I did not snore and was still measured as having 'severe' apnea. I believe it is not safe to discontinue CPAP without getting medical advice to do so. Are there any medical professionals on this board who can amplify?

I had a long discussion with the dietician about Coke. I have basically kicked my Coke addiction, but I REALLY like to have one when I have a migraine, when the caffeine and sugar and carbonation combine to help my queasy stomach. She concluded by saying that a truly occasional Coke (once a month) is 'counterproductive not dangerous'. But the problem is most of use can't stop at one, and if it becomes habitual the carbonation can contribute to pouch stretching. AND it fools you into thinking you're full when you're really not so then you end up eating more total. So there are good reasons to give it up. I'm thinking I'll wait 'til I get to my goal weight and then have the occasional Coke.

It still boggles my mind that I WILL NEVER WEAR THOSE CLOTHES AGAIN! And God knows, there's nothing among them that I liked!

My recent favorite is cottage cheese mixed with chopped up strawberries with just a little Splenda. It's really good!

My pcp (thin) was obsessed with my weight, and attributed everything that went wrong to obesity. She was really negative about it, in a manner that probably was not helpful. A couple of years ago, I finally said to her: "You need to understand that we don't know everything there is to know about obesity, and I have repeatedly tried diet and exercise, and for me it simply is not working. So the question I have for you is -- if I can't lose the weight, can you still be my doctor?" That opened a good discussion that left both of us understanding the others' perspective. If that hadn't happened, I would have found another doctor, and I wouldn't have had a doctor who turned out to be a good advocate for lap band when I decided to do it.

Just in case, a nearby program is at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield -- I was banded there in August and I was very happy with the people and the program. Dr. Spitz was great, meticulous, and I've had a good outcome so far. They are a smaller program and newer and I think they're trying very hard.

I'm using CPAP, too, and the pulmonary doctor told me they'd do another sleep study to see if I still need it, when I've lost 75 or 100 lbs. My surgeon told me the apnea might go away when I've lost about 30 lbs. I'm using Swift mirage nasal pillows; it's ok, I'm not thrilled with it. My husband says the occasional noise from the machine is a whole lot better than listening to me snore. The machine is a lot less noisy than I thought it would be -- only occasional noise if the mask slips off. My question is, for those of you who discontinued CPAP on your own, how did you know when it was safe to do so? Since Sleep Apnea can result in heart disease and stroke, weren't you afraid to discontinue it?

My dietician told me, if I really need to, I can have no more than 1/4 cup of water with my meal. And to be sure to go into a meal well hydrated. But this is a really tough requirement, though I understand the reason for it, it's a radical change. She said that's one of the most frequent reasons that people don't lose, because drinking too much with meals actually undermines the effectiveness of the band. So I'm really working hard to comply with that requirement.

No, I got 5 cubic centimeters, too. That was a period at the end of the previous sentence, not a decimal point!