Humming Bird

Wow, I read this thread awhile ago and see it has taken a few twists and turns along the way. When I first read the OP I felt sorry for the poster. What a let down. It's like having that feeling of another failed diet, but this one comes with a much higher price tag for some. I think she said insurance paid for both the band and the bypass, but geezz, 2 major surgeries. For now I'm a "band lover", but I do feel for the OP. I don't think it helps her much to tell her to "work the tool" because it's gone. I don't think it helps her much to tell her how bad RNY is because it's already done. It doesn't help to tell her you have a cousin that gained back all the weight after RNY. ........................the point of my post? heck, I don't know, maybe just to have some sympathy for the OP's situation I guess. I wish her well and hope the RNY works well for her.

Have you ever heard people talk about after you get married (or shack up) you get "fat and happy"? I think you are going to be just fine because you are catching it before you pack on too much weight. I am glad to hear you are being pro-active to get back on track... and congrats on meeting the girl of your dreams!!

Hitting those big milestones feels soooo good! Wooo Hooo for You!! :bananajump:

Good idea, but don't use it as a selling point unless you are sure you will deliver. (more sex that is)

I don't remember the exact times I was told, but yes I was told no drinking during (I can't anyway) and I think it was something like 30/30 for before and after. In the beginning and as I was getting fills to reach my sweet spot, these rules really helped me in the learning phase. Now that I am pretty much at goal and maintaining, much of it becomes 2nd nature. I think as I learned how the band worked for me I use the rules more like guidelines. I am able to drink all the way up to my first bite, then I have to stop. Depending on how solid the food is I ate, I may have to wait an hour to drink. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about eating or drinking around the band. I'm just saying that the hard fast "rules" become more like things I keep in mind or "guidelines" and I live a pretty normal skinny life. (or at least what has become "my normal" with the band)

Oh gee Shirley, I really do hope you get this thing resolved. I'm in Colorado, so the only way I can help you is to offer support and say a few words to that man upstairs for ya. Let us know how it all goes.

I agree ..... steak is evil and just because I can't eat steak DOES NOT mean I'm too tight.

I get so tired of the "tool" talk......... I think I like apparatus, device, or gadget better.

I guess it's just another NSV to celebrate! ( I guess you'll have to look back to your teen years to figure out what to do in that work situation)

I will have to give the lemon juice a try, but too much of that can erode the enamel on your teeth. As for the "problem", let 'er rip any chance you get and are alone. :Banane36: :Banane54: And yes, I do believe it is band related.

You go Dave!!!! geezz, what will you get for goal?

Ditto! you hit the nail on the head! Dump the jerk, you can do better!

wow, look at that flat tummy! :clap:

I have trouble with many of the protein bars. They taste very bad to me and most of them are just too *heavy* in texture. Many of them don't really have high protein numbers. The one bar I found that tastes ok and is not too heavy is Atkins Day Break Peanut Butter Crisp Bar. 10g protein, 150cal, 2carbs

Mattie, I think it may take some more fills, but you will get that restriction back. I speak from my own experience only, so keep that in mind. They did put in some fill for me at surgery and I reached my sweet spot at fill number 2 after that. They include some fat between the band and your stomach to help prevent erosion. If you shrink some of that fat, you may need another fill along the way. The band DOES restrict the amount of food I can eat and DOES control my hunger. I do not get sick, slime, pb all the time. The few times I have since being banded were all part of the learning process. There have been a few plateaus along the way, but I think that is pretty normal. I think my body just needed to adjust. I have no willpower and have not really needed much after I hit my sweet spot. It can be a very long road, so you may need patience more than willpower. I agree with keeping a positive attitude. You don't want to get yourself down or set yourself up to fail. Celebrate every pound. I think all the "tool" talk is hogwash. When is your next fill?

As for me and my situation, I'm glad I did very little research about the band because all the things that *could happen* would have scared me away and I would have never experienced the success I have had with the band. That being said, I do understand Elfie's post and will add in a few things I have learned for those who research the heck out of this thing. Many bandsters suffer hairloss. It is misinformation I have heard out there over and over that only G-bypass folks lose hair. Protein, special shampoos, and vit. intake will not stop the hairloss. I know this from experience. The band works different for everyone. Some bandsters still have to diet and some don't. Some bandsters have rapid weightloss and some don't. Some bandsters can eat everything (or almost everything), just in smaller portions. Some bandsters have a very long list of foods they can no longer eat, never, like bread, Pasta, rice, eggs, fried food, steak, chicken, porkchops..... Post surgery fatigue can last for months. Phrenic nerve pain can last for days, months, or never go away. There is no way to know how the band will work for you until it has already been placed. On a more positive note: The entire process can be much easier for some people than all the research tells them. For me, this is the case. I would have never taken off this amount of weight and kept it off on my own. My yo-yo and obesity history proves this. I thought I would have to *work* at it and I really have not.

So very close to ONEDERLAND!!!!

A few years ago my husband called the insurance company to make sure I still had coverage for some procedure. They told him I did. After I had the procedure we got a bill that said I had no coverage. I then called the insurance company and told them about my husband's first call. Come to find out, they record these calls and had to pay the bill because they told him in that call that it was covered.

This is my 2nd winter with the band and the weightloss. I am still colder than I was in my obese days, but this winter is not as bad as last. I can only hope my body will continue to adjust. Maybe I am just getting used to it, who knows.

I can only speak from my own experience and maybe a bit from what I have read ....... I have lost hundreds of pounds in my life only to gain it back, of course. The band is pretty close to perfect for a yo-yo like me. There were a few years before the band that I just gave up on trying to take the weight off because I knew I would end up even bigger in the end. That is how it has always worked ..... I accepted that I was obese and was just going to live my life that way..... depressing. You pretty much don't know exactly how the band will work for you until you get the band. You have to be a bit open minded about how things could be. For example, many bandsters have to diet and work at it quite a bit. Many bandsters can eat pretty much any type of food they want, but very small portions. Many bandsters can no longer eat bread, Pasta, rice, solid meats like steak, eggs ....... Many bandsters have mental attachments to food and struggle with depression and the loss of their best friend (food). There are so many things that you have to consider and I'm glad you are asking questions. Here is how the band works for me (this does not mean it will work for you the same way): I do consider the band "magic" in my own experience and have put in very little effort. I did very well with the surgery, had some long lasting fatigue, thinning hair, and phrenic nerve pain post-op. (all of these resolved now) I reached my sweet spot with fill number 2. I dropped 100 pounds in the first year I do not exercise I do not count calories, or anything else (I am mindful of it, but don't obcess over it) The band does help with portion control. It will not allow me to overeat The band has helped me control hunger and my interest in food I can not eat bread, pasta, rice, eggs, fried food, or solid meats. I don't miss them. This has been the easiest "diet" I've ever been on, and so far the weight has stayed off the best.

All weightloss surgeries are taking drastic measures that's for sure. A person has to make sure they are in the right mental place for any of these WSL procedures. Lapband was my first choice because it alters my anatomy less. If I had to have my band removed for some reason I would beg to have another band placed. If there was no way they could put in another band, I think I would go with the sleeve. I guess I don't understand how the sleeve option would have leak problems.

The only thing I have found that helps when I have a REALLY BAD headache is crushing 2 Aleve (Naproxen Sodium) and then disolving them in about a teaspoon or less of warm Water. It burns on the way down and that is why I crush and disolve. It takes a little while to disolve all the way, but you don't want any nasty little bits left behind to chew. Yes, it is an NSAID and we bandsters are to stay clear of them, but I only do it when things get bad. The reason we should not take NSAIDS is because they could sit in the pouch and cause ulcers. Yet another reason I crush and disolve. If the headache isn't too bad I use a double dose of Jr. strength ibuprophen (another NSAID) in liquid or chewable form. They also make adult strength Tylenol (not an NSAID), but it doesn't really work.

Why are you waiting so long to go get a bit of an unfill? Other bandsters have said I am too tight, but I am nowhere near this tight. I would think it's not good to leave things like this until march. Acid reflux at night is one of the "emergency signs" that needs to be taken care of ASAP.

I do hope you go have it checked out with a Dr. ASAP. It could just be hemorhoids. I have had some of the pain you talk about with hemorhoids, but you really can't go by what people tell you about here. You really need to have a Dr. check it out.

My experience has been that after I reached proper restriction, 1/2 c of soild food is all I can eat. The size of my pouch (volume) is only 1/2 c. If you eat more than the size of your pouch, the food is going through to the lower stomach too fast or you are streatching the pouch or filling esophagus. I have heard some people can stand food in the esophagus, bit I simply can not. I have to stop when I feel my full signal. Until you reach your sweet spot you will be able to eat more and will get hungry between meals. It sounds like you will still need another fill so you don't get hungry so soon after eating.