Maryland

If you have a big overhang, you will need to have surgery to get it corrected at some point. It's not urgent, but you are probably are not feeling full and are experiencing heartburn because the food can sit in the overhang. At least, that's what happened to me.

Dr. Pinnar in Reston, Va. He's very good.

I have a slipped band, and am scheduled for surgery later this month (finally). My trouble started over a year ago, when I had a band adjustment that was a little too tight. For the first time, I started having reflux at night, and some heartburn. I ignored it because the reflex only occurred when I ate late at night, and I had read that heartburn was pretty normal. Wrong!! The pouch was slowly dilating above my band, and also pulling up some of the stomach from below the band. I started popping antacids, and found that eating more often helped me feel better. For a long time I limped along, but a few big meals only helped stretch the pouch more. Now I have a big pouch overhang above my band -- the band has essentially slipped down my stomach. We tried emptying the band and going on liquids for a week, but nothing helped. It was too far along. And yes, I am gaining weight steadily. I did not realize ANY reflex or heartburn can signal that your band is too tight. And a too tight band will result in slippage. So please warn people to take ANY symptoms very seriously and don't wait to go to the doctor and get it checked.

You are in the period known as "Banders' Hell." You have not had a fill yet, and as your stomach heals you get really hungry. Just remember: the most important goal right now is for your stomach to heal with the band in place. Don't worry right now about trying to lose weight. That will begin after you get restriction with a fill. It looks like you are one week out from surgery? You probably have one week more to go before you can start on mushies. That helps a LOT. Yes, you can have plenty of liquids right now. And don't worry about calories so much. If you get too hungry and then eat something, that will be really bad. Before you had lap band surgery, the point of the liquid diet was to shrink your liver and make surgery safer. Now, the point is to let your band heal in place. So you can drink different kinds of things, since the goal is different. You can even drink milkshakes. Again, please don't stress yourself out trying to lose weight during this difficult phase. It will be over shortly, and then you will really begin your new life once you get a fill.

I was unfilled about 12 days ago when my doctor discovered my pouch was dilated. Hopefully, it will shrink back down and I can be refilled. I ate liquids and mushies for a week, and am still eating very small meals, but the heartburn I had been experiencing previously has not gone away. Taking Pepcid and some Mylanta. I am sleeping much better at night, though. Is this normal? Does it take some time to go away? Or is the continuing heartburn an indication that the pouch is not shrinking? Or band slippage?

You are going thru Bandsters' Hell. Yep, we've all been there, so hang in there -- you can make it! Try a baked potato with ranch salad dressing on top. And some of those "hearty soups" are quite filling. I also ate Hot and Sour Soup (has lots of soft stuff in it, but you have to like spicy). You can also make deviled eggs. They are nice and soft, but filling. Don't worry about trying to diet at this point. Just get thru it, and let your stomach heal. After you have your first fill is the time to start eating right.

Bonnie, we all go through plateaus. It is perfectly normal and to be expected, although of course it is frustrating. Why don't you revisit your agenda, and see if there is anything you can do? Look at what you are eating. Change your exercise around. If you are having acid reflux, I would suggest you examine what and when you are eating. Since I had my last fill, I will get it if I eat after 7 pm. So guess what I am changing? Yep, now I avoid eating after 7 pm. The acid reflux may suggest that you are eating too much or the wrong things, which may also explain the stall in weight loss.

Yep, I can't believe the silly myths that go around some of these message boards. If you call INAMED, they will tell you that soda/carbonation will NOT stretch your stomach, or cause band slippage, blah blah blah. Think about it. How would this happen? I drink diet soda every day -- no problem. Also coffee. I've lost 85 pounds in 14 months. I have few problems, just a little heartburn. Eat a couple of Tums a day. I would suggest that everyone just relax and do what is comfortable for themselves. Just use common sense, OK?

If you call Inamed they will tell you that drinking soda will NOT cause band slippage or erosion. Don't know where these crazy stories came from....

Some of you may be interested in my experience with esophageal spasms BEFORE I ever had the band. I was in a job with an enormous amount of stress, where a lot of people were complaining of physical ailments caused by the working environment. I began to have trouble eating. I would eat a piece of meat or something, and all of a sudden my esophagus would just clench up in a knot and the piece would be stuck. It was very scary. Sometimes the feeling lasted for over an hour, then it would gradually subside. Well, this would happen periodically. I realized at some point that it was related to stress, and would happen especially when I was thinking about something negative, related to work, or just rushing. When I left that job it started to decline, and slowly went away. I would consciously work at relaxing while I ate, which helped. It took a couple of years for it to go away completely, but I haven't had any problems for a long time, and none at all since being banded. It was very clear to me that the esophageal spasms were triggered by stress. It's amazing how much the mind and body interact.

I love, love, love my band. I've been banded for 14 months, and am down 84 pounds and still losing, although more slowly. I have about 36 more to lose to get to 145. As soonergirl pointed out, don't take all the negative comments on these web sites too seriously. For some people, the glass will always be half empty. Others don't necessarily cooperate with their bands. You have to listen to your body and learn new habits in order for this to succeed. Some people have very unrealistic expectations. Losing all the weight WILL take a while, and you WILL have plateaus and set backs, and you WILL have to change your eating habits. You WILL have to exercise to optimize your weight loss. Of course, some people are going to have complications. And for some the band is not the right course of action. But for me (and many others) the band is an incredible tool that has given me back my life.

Wow, that's got to be frustrating. I think you're wise to see your Endo now.... Hang in there, though. This summer I upped my exercise routine and was very frustrated because the weight didn't change. I kept at it, though, and all of a sudden, after two months (aargh!), I was down about 5+ pounds and into a new clothes size!

My first question is what exercise are you doing? Since you have some metabolism problems, you are going to need to fight to keep your metabolism burning fat. Or are you doing a lot of weight training? That will add on pounds of muscle, which will offset any fat lost. If you are losing inches (but not pounds), you are doing fine. On www.obesityhelp.com there is a new exercise and fitness forum which has a great article (in the aerobic exercise section) on walking to burn fat. NASA ran some tests to figure out the best way to keep the astronauts fit in space, and found that the most effective way was to walk two continuous miles seven days a week. This ramps up your metabolism, reduces fat, and builds muscle.