NaNa

MamaJamma, I totally AGREE with you, NEVER STOP doing what you are doing to be successful! I am NO authority on the lap band, it's not my business profession, I was just repeating what Dr.O'BRIEN' article and video says....and wanted to know to Poll others if they were now following HIS ADVICE.... I clearly don't understand what you MEAN by telling others to keep doing what they are doing as IF I AM SUGGESTING THEM TO STOP.-- is this some type of "code language" that I don't understand because I AM not suggesting OR DO I CARE what others do with their lap bands. I just thought I would put this information out there regarding keeping food flowing through the band AS DR' O'BRIEN suggest.... instead of possibly allowing food to stretch the esophagus overtime....HIS WORDS NOT MINE.... If ANYONE ELSE REPLY TO THIS POST AND SUGGEST that I AM CREATING THIS NEW GOLDEN RULE OF DRINKING WITH MEALS, OR I AM AN AUTHORITY --- PLEASE VOICE ALL OF YOUR CONCERNS and write a letter to O'Brien, who has the most successful long term lap band clinic in the world...and question HIM NOT ME... Good grief....I

And that's OK,...and I respect YOUR opinion and please respect MINE....that's why I said to PLEASE use the block button to make YOUR experience and mine more peaceful.

I am open to debates, and people who don't agree with me, but I AM NOT open to abuse....if someone comes at me in a negative way instead of ATTACKING the subject, then I fight back -- TIT FOR TAT...know one sends me nasty emails and expect me to just accept it.... Also MANY DO respect ME and my opinions, just because a particular "gang" doesn't, does not mean everyone does.... AGAIN those who don't respect my opinion or what I have to say or what I have to contribute can simply block me, it will make my time here and theirs more pleasant, it's nothing wrong with customizing your journey here. is there?

I would call the surgeon if the reflux is really bad, you should not have to wait, also you may want to only do full liquids like Soups until you can figure out what is going on. Also most newly post ops don't really get reflux, the cheese is kind a thick too this early out. You may be progressing too quickly, everyone has different post diet plans, but I did not eat thick cheese or pinto bean until about after 6 weeks post op.

Hi Bandista, Sorry about this thread turning into a train wreak.... I don't know why you are confused about my post, I was just repeating what Dr. O'Brien mentioned, OTHERS just made it more confusing. Dr. O'Brien clearly says in his videos, they've learned over the years, there is no advantage to wait 20 minutes to drink after eating. In fact he also suggest to drink a glass a wine with a meal WHILE eating, but again, he mentioned to wait and chew your food and wait until that food goes down before taking a sip of wine. One of the many lap band golden rules have always been to wait either 30 minutes or even up to 1 hour to drink to keep from washing the food through...but again O'Brien mention that after several studies and clinical research there IS NO ADVANTAGE to this. This was the POINT of my post apparently many can't seem to understand this. However, this does not mean for you to NOT follow your surgeons rules, so please do not get confused by what I post.... every surgical practice does not follow Dr. O'Brien but MANY do, since Dr. O'Brien has one of the most successful lap Band practices in the world and has very low long term complication rates. Unfortunately, if I block you, you can still see my posts ...apparently the technical staff has not yet mastered that functionality yet to have both the blocked and blockee to not see each others posts. Don't worry NO more posts like this...I will only talk about sex for the next few months.... :wub: '

You are newly post op, and your reflux is a bit different, you should talk to your surgeon about this. But in the meantime you probably don't want to advance your diet and only take small teaspoons of food. If he put 2ccs in there, you are probably still swollen. If it were me I'd stick to liquids for a few weeks, it sounds like you had a hiatal hernia, did he repair one for you?

Damn...Damn Damn...you mean to tell me that ALL those people that I've just blocked can STILL read my posts? I thought Alex said this would be fixed in this new rollout...ARG! I guess we need to ping him on that new functionality which is a MUST! Because you will get stalkers that will constantly terrorize ..... I've blocked just about half the people in this post, hopefully they get it -- that I can't see their posts and responding to me a fruitless..LOL...

Quoted Betterthe Bean Just curious.....which doctor said this? You've stated so many times how bariatric surgeons in this country don't know anything, so how could the surgeon who doled out this little gem about hypoglycemia 30 years post op be trusted to know anything at all? Perhaps he's just as ignorant as the rest of the bariatric surgeons we used. After all, where are his YouTube videos backing up his claims? Hello...ButtertheBean, If you read my posts carefully I've NEVER said ALL US Bariatric surgeons don't know anything, I said to always question surgeons and get second opinions if necessary and ALWAYS be proactive with your own health. Regarding Hypoglycemia - Yes my older sister had stomach stapling surgery over 30 years ago when she was 24 years old, (similar to the Sleeve) and she has had part of her stomach removed as well she she developed ulcers from the stomach staples years ago. She's had those hypoglycemia attacks for many years, but not to the extreme as she is having them now. I've seen how she has lived with this surgery over the years and she's had many stomach problems and pain, however she's never had a problem so severe that required hospitalization, she did have to get her gall bladder removed years ago also. Now she has started to get scared for her life because the attacks are more frequent (daily) and it is causing her to be disabled, she gets really hot, dizzy and her blood pressure drops to almost fainting, a few weeks ago at the casino she fell over people and could not make it to the ladies room, they had to call the paramedics, long term Hypoglycemia can be deadly. She has been to several specialists and they got no answers, only to tell her to keep a strict diet, and she can't eat many carbs without feeling sick, and now have to keep candy and crackers with her at all times, to combat the severity of the attacks, this is when the Bariactric surgeon told her that this can happen with any stomach stapling surgery such as VBG, Sleeve, RNY or DS since the stapled small stomach causing rapid emptying of the stomach that can create these bad side effects, but in many they can get chronic and debilitating over the years. Many Sleeved friends of mine complain of (dumping like syndrome) which is probably Hypoglycemic as well. There are clinical trials right now being done on Bypass and Sleeve patients for long term Hypoglycemia Here are links to some of the studies. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01581801 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22773085 The primary aim of the present study is to conduct a 1-year randomized trial to compare the incidence of hypoglycemia after RYGB or SG. Condition Intervention Obesity With Complications Morbid Obesity Reactive Hypoglycemia Bariatric Surgery Procedure: Gastric Bypass Procedure: Sleeve Gastrectomy Study Type: Interventional Study Design: Allocation: Randomized Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Treatment Official Title: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL STUDY COMPARING THE EFFECT OF ROUX-en-Y GASTRIC BYPASS AND SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY ON REACTIVE HYPOGLYCEMIA Resource links provided by NLM: MedlinePlus related topics: Diabetes Medicines Hypoglycemia Obesity Weight Loss Surgery U.S. FDA Resources Further study details as provided by Catholic University of the Sacred Heart: Primary Outcome Measures: incidence reactive hypoglycemia [ Time Frame: up to 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]The Primary Endpoint of the study is the incidence reactive hypoglycemia within 1 year after the bariatric surgery. Secondary Outcome Measures: insulin resistance [ Time Frame: 0,1,3,6,9, and 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ] Changes at 1 year of insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion measured after an OGTT. Changes at 1 year of body weight, BMI, abdominal circumference, body composition, lipid profile and cardiovascular system abnormalities. the incidence of severe hypoglycemia or related symptoms (shakiness, sweating, dizziness or light-headedness, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, confusion, syncope, epilepsy, seizures) within 5 years after the operation. Estimated Enrollment: 50 Study Start Date: October 2012 Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2014 Estimated Primary Completion Date: August 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) Arms Assigned Interventions Gastric Bypass25 subjects obese subjects with complications or morbidly obese subjects will be assigned randomly to this arm to undergo gastric bypassProcedure: Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass This laparoscopic operation includes the division of the stomach in two parts. A proximal, smaller pouch (20-25 cc volume), is connected to the rest of the gastrointestinal tract through a gastro-jejunal anastomosis, whereas the distal gastric pouch is left behind but excluded from the transit of food. An entero-entero anastomosis, with a Roux-en-Y type of reconstruction, allows the bile and pancreatic juices to mix with the nutrients at about 100-150 cm from the gastro-jejunal connection. Sleeve Gastrectomy25 subjects obese subjects with complications or morbidly obese subjects will be assigned randomly to this arm to undergo sleeve gastrectomyProcedure: Sleeve GastrectomySleeve gastrectomy Laparoscopic SG involves a longitudinal resection of the stomach on the greater curvature from the antrum starting opposite of the nerve of Latarjet up to the angle of His The final gastric volume is about 100 mL.

Thanks for that tip, I've always washed my fruit and veggies in hot soapy water before eating them. I am clean freak ..LOL...I can't stand getting sick! But I've never heard of the vinegar and water, seems like the vinegar would change the taste?

JennyBean, You are correct, many surgeons DO NOT know how to live with the band or give instructions on what to do, even after all these years. There was not much clinical experience in the US when I got my band placed, surgeons were learning with patients and some are still learning. I learned most of what I know from other veteran bandsters and doing my OWN research. Many surgeons really did not teach patients about the sweet spot or dangers to look for.Everyone will say...Oh I will ONLY listen to my surgeon, but if SURGEONS were so knowledgeable about living with the band and preventing complications with it there would not be a VERY high long term complication rate with it. You are correct we are all guinea pigs, my sister had stomach stapling surgery 30 years ago when she was only 24 years old, NOW she is 30 years post ope and in her mid-50's and she has just starting having serious hypoglycemia attacks that scares her daily, she's always had them, but not to this extreme where she almost fainted while walking in the mall. The doctor told her that this can happen to any stomach stapling surgery such as RNY, Sleeve, or DS, this is why I would never get any anything other than the band, at least if anything goes wrong I can get it removed.

Wow, what an ordeal. Good to hear you are on the mend and healing. Surgeons are suppose to have different size bands readily available once they get in to determine which size that will fit your anatomy. Strange though I've always heard of others having to drink barium after surgery, I've had two bands and never had to do any of that post op. Typically surgeons will prime the band with Fluid to check for defects, but the fluid in the band during installation really should not make you too tight unless it's just too small for your stomach. Ideally the band should not be too tight with priming fluid, if it is, as you can see that band was just too small for your stomach. Hopefully this new band works out great for you.

I've just blocked a lot...your wish will come true in a few minutes - cya....I won't even entertain what you just wrote.

This post turned bad because of BAD people. ...NO worries...I will do EVERYONE who responded in a nasty way a big favor and BLOCK them, that way we don't have to never read each other's post again, and you don't have to worry about MY post annoying you. That way you all can find a new target .. ...

Self righteous? First of all, WE ALL KNOW the lap band has a VERY HIGH long term complication rate, I don't have to post numbers or studies...people can google that. I've seen JUST ABOUT ALL OF MY FRIENDS LOSE THEIR LAP BANDS over the years....and they all did not have the old 4cc bands either MANY had the newer AP band, in fact...MOST of the newer complaints were with the newer bands. Another big lap band site has died due to MOST of the lap banders getting it removed and many are now band bashers because they are ACTING LIKE PEOPLE HERE .LIKE THEY ARE INVINCIBLE AND IT WON'T HAPPEN TO THEM...until it do then they get upset with the world... My post was simply about trying to prevent some of this...by researching seeing what new clinical studies are out there what exactly causes issues... I am a researcher by nature so I like to know what is causing issues with the band and how to prevent it....that is all... I am FAR from arrogant, I only get defensive when I am wrongly attacked... I don't care what some think of me, I am not here to GET A MILLION SILLY "LIKES"....I am here to share what I know and what I've seen, there is NOTHING ARROGANT AND CONDESCENDING ABOUT THAT...

They are ANGRY with themselves..I have not posted ANY thing wrong, I just posted a question and wanted to Poll newbies or anyone if they were following O'Brien's new drinking protocol with the band and what their thoughts were.... If they are following their OWN surgeons rule? What is the big deal? All they had to say in a response was -- NOPE I am using my own surgeons's rule...instead they attack me and put me on the defense AS IF I CREATED THIS DRINKING RULE -- WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THIS ATTACK IS MUCH DEEPER THAN THE DRINKING RULE AND MORE OF A PERSONAL PROBLEM WITH ME... And I cited O'brien the most experienced lap band surgeon out there and I am getting attacked for it...NOW that is funny.

Hazel, If you want to be an "elite" long term bandster you need to start acting like one....first things first...learn about the lap band and all of its competent like the Band, buckle, port locking mechanisms....what causes lap band complications..etc... I've seen your long winded..mindless posts...before I can respect you as a competent knowledgeable long term bandster you have to earn it...

Can you PLEASE TELL me what I've done except to simply ASK ABOUT THE 30/30 eating rule? Regarding posters here...if they want RESPECT from ME, they need to give ME respect. I've done my home work well...again, any thing I post I just post with studies...I just don't post willy nilly stupidness... Again...you are correct this post should never gotten out of hand, I was attacked by bringing up the TRUTH about my old surgeon.... I think many have personal problems and USING ME as a scape goat...hopefully OTHERS ARE EDUCATED ENOUGH TO READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS BS... .. I will keep posting and post the truth based on FACTS and cited referenced material..if you or anyone else got a problem with it block me, because as soon as the other website goes up I will be using the block button to custom my time here. This is a pubic forum and if some so called "respected vets" want respect they need to start posting FACTS and quit attacking me.... Also I can see there is some sort of "power" thing around here...I could care less what many say about me, heck I've seen so many lose their bands over the years, no need to have a power grab, because those who use to play those power grabs no longer have lap bands.. .I think we need to listen to ALL new updated info about the band...this is why I posted that new eating rule .. I think you know about this too Missy so I have no clue of why you are play devils's advocate here.... .I am more outspoken and will tell you like it is in your face...I am not a too faced sneaky person and I am a very nice person, just very blunt and honest..... Missy I respect you and your posting as well I don't agree with everything you post, but and you don't have to agree with everything I say....that's life Again I don't why this post went bad ...when it involved a study..NOTHING THAT IS COMING FROM MY MOUTH..SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

Hazel Dear, I am still confused and your post is not really coherent..LOL... Bless your heart, I know you mean well, I don't know what you are talking about regarding your medical degree..you don't have to have a medical degree to be very knowledgeable about the lap band. I have a degree in computer science and I work as an independent consultant...my own business and develop software applications for private industry...I use to do it for Federal Government but got sick and tired of BS. But anyway...my private profession has nothing to do with JUST REPEATING...O'Brien's study...I really don't know what you are talking about... If you got a problem with HIS study please write to him personally,... My original post was Polling people here if they are NOW following O'Brien's drinking rule since he suggested that the old 30/30 rules are no longer recommended.... And P.S. if you HONESTLY think you got your lap band down pat and it will be honky dory FOR EVER..you are more naive than I thought. Please log into Obesity help NOW ...there is a poster right now 10 years post op, that has developed reflux and heartburn and seeking a revision.... Also I post about what I've seen over the years too and not only cited material...I just use cited material to back up what I have to say in an articulate way... You have NO clue of what your future holds with your band...we all wish everyone does well forever, but that is just not being realistic. Edited to add: You made me remember you made a post RECENTLY about you had NO idea that a lap band port could be removed with the band still intact.....remember that post? Or do you need me to post it here to refresh your memory? Now please don't embarrass yourself with all of your so called lap band knowledge and long history in the medical field in Nursing...PLEASE.

I have been banded over 8 years and many long term lap banders report the same thing, tightness with elevation and temp changes too. I just learned to deal with it and adjust my eating accordingly. I never required an unfill though, if you are extremely tight to the point of not getting liquids down you probably need to see your surgeon.

May I bow down to you Christinia....I've NEVER SEEN SO MANY MEAN AND NASTY LAP BANDERS...whew!! They act as if they are "complication" or problem immune....but if you can see NONE of the nasty one's are greater than 5 years post op...LOL... Heck, my new band is PERFECT...so perfect it scares me...compared to my old band....but I am not stupid enough to believe it may be perfect forever, I sure hope so.... It's always better to be INFORMED with information and KNOW FACTS instead of being blind and dumb...again thank you for seeing the light. We need to be proactive with OUR OWN BAND HEALTH...surgeons get paid the same for fixing a complication or removing the band just as well as installing it. Gee...I was just making it AWARE that Dr. O'Brien suggest the old 50/50 rule of waiting to drink after a meal is out dated... People here should PRAISE ME....lol I am over 8 years post op and I have a lot of valuable info to tell..I don't post stupidity I post what I've seen over the years backed up with studies.... When I got banded over 8 years ago...the down side was there was not enough clinical study about the long term effects of the lap band in the US ...KNOW WE KNOW...LOL.

I always tell newly banded people to NEVER touch those steri strips, let them fall off and avoid letting the shower hit that area for about 6 weeks after surgery. This is why surgeons put those clear steri strips there and they are clear and allow the incisions to breath and they are sterilized. Those incisions need to stay clean and dry and not smothered with a bandaid to add moistness. You do not want to start any type of an infection, I would let that entire area breath and don't put nothing on it, I would wear loose clothing too for at least 6 more weeks until that port area heals. I think the bandaid was a bad idea. That is the worse part of recovery for that port area to heal good. hope you feel better.

And one more thing regarding Dr. Moazzez...I sought help for a few years before finally changing surgeons, Dr. Moazzez's office no longer helped after 5 years post op, his words were, your band has done its job, there is nothing they could do.... I refused to take that as solid advice, I grabbed my personal records and changed surgeons and that changed my banded life. I got rebanded last November I am almost 1 year post with my new band and I am just tickled to death to have GOOD restriction and NO reflux or heartburn and I am losing weight again. That is a great feeling. I can't thank Dr. Ku enough for fixing me....I've learned that your experienced long term greatly depends on the surgeon that you have.

He CLEARLY states that in the earlier days they thought that 'waiting to drink" after 30 minutes to an hour was good, but now they are suggesting NOT to do this because of long term issues like esophageal dilation. Did you read that part as well? My post was not about telling others what to do with their bands, -- it was just REPEATING WHAT DR. O'BRIEN SAID.... people SHOULD follow their surgeons protocols even if they cause long term complications, because their surgeons in the end will have to fix their issues or end up removing their bands.

First of all why are you ARGUING WITH ME? and Using all of these silly words like criticizing and mud slinging? And what do you mean you've reviewed MY ARTICLES? These are Dr. O'Brien's article, NOT MINE. -- I am just repeating what he said. The reason I posted the article is that MANY credible lap band surgeons in the US follow Dr.O'Brien green zone recommendations and his protocol. My post was to simply ask if anyone else still followed the old 30/30 rule and some surgeons's had 60/60 rule of not drinking liquids before 1 hour or 1 hour after eating. I am NOT SUGGESTING ANYTHING...Dr O'BRIEN said in his VIDEO that he no longer suggest to wait 30 minutes after eating because they learned over time that it can cause esophageal dilation long term...-- THIS IS NOT OUT OF MY MOUTH, so why are you arguing with me about what Dr. O'Brien and Dr. Simpson recommends? Regarding Dr. Moazzez.....I loved him in the beginning, he actually saved my life when I had a life threatening bowel obstruction that liked to ended my life in 2008, I still wonder if this was not caused by my band, but I will never know. However, when I went to him back in 2009 and I could never get my restriction right WITHOUT reflux I changed surgeons to Dr. Pinnar --- Dr. Pinnar's office SAVED ME...they started to fill my band correctly -- Dr. Pinnar is retiring, so they could not repair a hiatal hernia and fix my band issue. By the way -- MANY complained about not getting restriction with Dr. Moazzez, and they ended up changing to Dr. Pinnar -- who was/is still a very popular lap band surgeon in northern, va. So Dr. Pinnar office, sent me to a specialist and from then I had an EGD, and found that I had a pretty big hiatal hernia, then I sought out a very experienced lap band surgeon to help me, I had to go out of state and someone recommended Dr. James Ku in PA, I went to see Dr. Ku on a Tuesday last year and and I had had a band revision the next week, Dr. Ku was able to fix my hiatal hernia, remove my old band and replace my new band ALL in one surgery and I've had NO PROBLEMS SINCE, compared to my first band placement. Dr. Ku did not blow smoke up my nose, and try to KEEP his complication rate (spotless like Dr. Moazzez tries to do) he actually HELPED Me in a critical time of need...---Dr. Moazzez did NOT OR COULD NOT. My situation was complex-ed and I needed a VERY SKILLED SURGEON TO FIX ME. My new surgeon Dr. Ku told me that my first BAND, my hiatal hernia was NOT REPAIRED DURING BAND SURGERY....I have nothing against Dr. Moazzez afterall, I referred MANY LAP BANDERS TO HIM OVER 8 YEARS AGO -- AND most of my friends have revised to other procedures. Would I recommend him today? After 8 years -- NO. I am not bad mouthing I am being HONEST AND TRUTHFUL...I don't recommend people to BAD surgeons -- if your band is doing great after a few years -- GREAT, but keep in mine you are NOT long term yet, you are not 5 years post op, I wish you well and hope you have great lap band health long term. No surgeon can just install a lap band on me and if I have a problem years later be kicked to the curb - in order for me to say good things about a surgeon long term they have to keep their long good standing with me, through good times and complications. By the way, if you go to Obesity help.com right now and click on the lap band forum, I have a post about me referring someone to Dr. Ku from who SAVED THEIR BAND because NO OTHER surgeon in the northern VA area was skilled enough or cared enough to help them. Dr Ku was able to repair their hiatal hernia without removing their bands, the ONLY reason my old band was removed was because I had the old 4cc band and they don't unbuckle without destroying the lap band system, otherwise I could have kept my old band too. Here is the private email that the person is thanking me for referring them to Dr Ku. Date Sent: September 28, 2013 - 7:13pm From: Blown_away Subject: You gave me awesome advice Dear NanaB, I don't know if you recall writing to me last Febuarry. I had developed a hietal hernia that was underminiing the effectiveness of my Lap Band. My band was done by Robert Pinnar and his PA, Paul, was doing my fills. But Dr. Pinnar retired and the doctor that Paul joined refused to repair my hernia. Instead he wanted to revise me to a VSG despite lack of long term evidence about the safety and effect of the procedure. He simply felt that the hernia repair would fail. You pushed me strongly to consider seeing Dr. Ku at Lancaster General Hospital. I thought you might like to know that I am at home now recovering from the Hietal hernia repair that Dr. Ku performed on me Wednesday afternoon. You were absolutely right. He is great: he did the repair ( the hole was the size of a tea saucer - his word "huge"), he unbuckled my band to get he surgery done, actually had to remove the sutures creating the overlap, re buckled my original band, and re sutured the flesh. He said the repair and the old Lap Band look great and he feels I will do well. In the end, Paul looked into Dr. Ku as well and recommended that I go to him for my procedure. The hole was so big, I am quite sore, but I am feeling better everyday. And already back to losing weight. i just wanted you to know that your advice was welcome and valuable and I am SO glad you wrote to me. God Bless!

If you can't eat solids for lunch, you are already too tight and probably need about .1cc removed, the last thing you need is more saline. Ideally you should be able to eat 1-2 oz of solid Protein by lunch time chewed well, WITHOUT throwing it up. Being in the red zone for long term, can and will cause complications.