ElfiePoo

Mine are done lying down. Never had a problem.

I've never had kidney stones, but a good friend did and I remember how miserable she was until they passed. Question...why are you vomiting? Or are you just PB'ing and sliming? I ask because some people confuse the two. And were you vomiting/Pb'ing your shakes?

Yep, sounds like you need another fill.

I'm with Betsy. When I worked in offices, if someone was on a diet, this same type of behavior went on and it was mostly because people felt bad about eating stuff the other person couldn't have. I'd take the time to educate them since they already know you have the band. Can't hurt. .

Could be they're too tight and need a slight unfill. Could be they just won't stop when they know they should. Could be they're slow learners when it comes to remembering which foods give them problems. .

I disagree. That's not even 2 lbs a week. If the doctor is basing his fills on what she loses, then he's misusing the fills. We don't get a fill because we have (or have not) lost weight. We get a fill because we're hungry and/or able to eat to excess (assuming we're not eating slider foods). It's a diet industry myth that it's unsafe to lose more than 2 lbs a week. The more overweight you are, the faster you'll initially lose. If I could only lose 2 lb per week, I'd still have to overeat. Now that I have restriction and am able to stick to about 1200 calories, I've lost 18+ lbs in 3 weeks*. *Results are not typical.:smile2:

Thanks, HB I'll go today and check them out. I've been using topical rub in pain relievers and they work for a bit but wear out before the night is even half over. The last two mornings I've woken up with killer headaches and a stiff neck and shoulder which I think is a result of tensing from the pain in the arm. Here's hoping these Patches work and glad to hear there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I do not know how people deal with nagging pain day in and out. :smile2: .

My husband suggested that perhaps as I lose more weight, the tubing, or whatever is rubbing, may 'drop' and not be as taught. So I'm feeling a bit more positive this morning...and motivated to maybe work a little harder to lose a little faster just to see if I can't stop this pain. What I wouldn't give for a good night's sleep! I'm not a nice person when I'm sleep deprived. :smile2: .

Even before I was banded, I'd do 4 Protein shakes during the day (Breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon). I was, and still am not, hungry. If that works for you, great. If not... Another alternative is just to get back to the basics. Make sure you drink your 64 oz of Water. Get all your protein in. You can do this easily, and boost the protein which helps keep you from being hungry and craving, by drinking a low car, low cal Protein shake mid-meals. Journal everything you put in your mouth...even a tic tac. Make good food choices. You might calculate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight vs how many you need to maintain your goal weight. You'll either find that you need to lower your calories or (if your calorie requirement is already down to 1200) increase your expenditure by moving more.

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. If that was my husband and he didn't snap out of it, I'd snap him out. :wink: We all go through periods in our life when we wonder what life would've been like had we made other choices. We can either deal with it like the adults we are...or run to the other side of that fence where the grass looks greener (and rarely is). Here's hoping your husband will soon realize that it's not greener.:eek: .

Jen, It almost sounds as if you're too full. As long as you're taking sips and not gulps, it shouldn't cause you difficulty. If you can't get Water down, you need to contact your doctor. Otherwise, it may just be temporary swelling that will go down.

I just assumed it was the tubing. I'll have to look at an anatomy diagram to see if my port is on the diaphragm. .

I've found pain to be a great 'aversion therapy'. .

I agree. It makes no sense to go through all of this just to try and find ways to beat the band. .

What are the 'rules'? Read enough posts and you find that there are few hard and fast rules. Some doctors require their patients to stick to 800 calories or 1/2 cup of food at a meal and eat only 3 meals. At the other end of the spectrum, patients are told to eat 1200-1400 calories per day and 6 small meals. Some are told not to drink carbonated beverages. Some are told they can after so many months. Before we start talking about 'breaking the rules' we really need to define what the rules are. The only hard and fast rules I've seen are to drink our 64 oz of water every day and don't drink with meals. Perhaps the question should have been, "Do you break *your* doctor's rules?" So I'll answer that question. My doctor doesn't make rules and he's pretty up front about that...so no rules to break. Perhaps it's because he also has a band and has first hand experience and not just head knowledge. He makes suggestions but is pretty clear that they are just that. That each of us has to find how to make the band work for us. .

Did your nut say why they recommended a weight loss program. I ask because the only thing a 'program' will do is provide a formal structure. It won't necessarily kick you off your plateau. If you've hit a plateau, it means the calories you're taking in are equal to the calories you're expending. There are some minor variables, but whether we lose or gain has more to do with the calories we eat and expend. You might try going to an online calculator that uses the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate how many calories you need to sustain your goal weight and your current weight. Then journal your daily food. You might find you need to lower the calories you're eating or expend more energy. If you need the accountability that some programs provide, they're probably useful. If not, their program won't necessarily cause you to start losing...well, maybe money, but not necessarily pounds. :wink: .

I just tried to make good food choices and start the habits I would need once I had restriction. I didn't worry about 'how much' I ate. I was up front with my doc that they could tell me all they want to stick to 1 cup of food at a meal, but it wasn't going to happen...and it didn't. I also pushed aggressively for my fills. My first was at 4 weeks, then a fill every 2 weeks. Even so, I managed to average out at about 2 lbs loss per week during that time. By 3 months postop I had restriction and for the last almost 3 weeks I've been losing at a rapid rate...18+ lbs so far.

I would make an appointment with the doctor and be blunt with him. Tell him you chose him because you were under the impression that he understood the purpose of the band and how it works...and it only works when you get enough fills to give you restriction. Depending on his response, I would then tell him that if he's banding people with no intention of giving them the fills that make the band work, then he is banding fraudulently. In the meantime, I'd find another place to get your fills. There are many bariatric clinics and doctors and you should be able to find one who will continue with your fills. Then I'd file a complaint with the bariatric association. I'd also put his name on this forum to warn others away from him. .

I don't think anyone here has said they aren't being honest, aren't keeping their eyes wide open and not being accountable. In fact, we've said that we are making 'informed decisions'. :wink: What I find extremely frustrating is when people tell me I don't know what I'm talking about or am wrong just because it disagrees with their own perceptions or experiences. This is a process for all of us...and just as there is no one 'right' diet for everyone, this journey with the band will be just as unique. .

JoJo, My surgeon said if I really wanted the diet pop, I could have it *but* that most people have a problem with the carbonation. He suggested that if I really wanted it to let it go flat first. It's a myth that the carbonation will expand your pouch. Some people's comfort zone is in obedience without question to their doctors...and that's ok...but they find it difficult to deal with people who see their caregivers as just one more 'book' of knowledge. I've gone to great lengths to choose my doctors. I made appointments, paid their office fee and 'interviewed' many before choosing them. Not just my bariatric surgeon, but my gynecologist, internal medicine, endocrinologist, etc. I respect their knowledge and judgment immensely...but ultimately, this is my body and *I* will make the final decision on how to treat it. I require a 'reason' for why I should or should not do something. In the case of the pop, there was no surgical/health reason to give it up *BUT* there were other reasons. Studies show that the 'sweetness' (even of diet pop) and sodium actually increase the cravings to eat. Also, the chemicals used to create carbonation prevent our bodies from absorbing the Calcium our bones need (if I understand the explanation correctly) increasing our risk of osteoporosis. Based on that information, I chose to give up the pop, but others may not find the reasons compelling enough. I agree with you, by the way, on the craving issue. If I'm craving something, I'll tell myself, not today, but if I want it tomorrow, I'll have it. Usually, the next morning, I don't want it...but if I do, I'll have it. Sometimes those cravings go away because they're just a momentary weakness. My doc and I were talking about this and she said that's a very healthy way to deal with our cravings because she agreed that if we completely deny ourselves, at some point we'll go overboard and binge. We won't have that *one* cookie we've been craving. We'll eat the whole bag. .

Lasagna is a slider food. :tongue_smilie: .

We are all different and one person's slider food isn't another's. For me, Pasta and rice are slider foods. The fact that I don't have to bother about chewing them well, and they still 'slide through' my band says they are a slider food for me. And I do have restriction. I'm 'full' after about 2-3 oz of Protein, and 1/4-1/2 cup of steamed vegies and *maybe* (some days I'm too tight) 1/4 cup carbs. I had no problem putting down about 2 cups of lasagna...and I could've eaten another...and I didn't have to take small bites or chew well. Something I didn't realize until after I'd finished the second piece. These may not be slider foods for you. They are for me. Thanks to those of you who understood. .

Everytime you step out your door you risk getting run over by a car and yet you still go out that door. I'd guess your chances of getting hit by a car are greater than band erosion or any of the other nightmares you can come up with. Just do it. .

It will all depend on the insurance company. I have BC/BS of MI and all I did was list my 40 years of weight loss attempts with just the year attempted and an approximately of how long I lasted on each attempt. It was a very rough list. However, about 15 years ago, the same BCBS required *proof*. In other words, documentation that I actually attended WW meetings or worked with a doctor. Without that, I would've had to do a 6 month supervised diet. This time I didn't. I guess they finally got smart and realized that someone isn't fat for 40 years with zero attempts to lose that weight. My fear was that they'd look at the fact that I lost 70 pounds 6 years ago and never put it back on and refuse the surgery because I "obviously could lose the weight and keep it off". .