BetsyB

I definitely experience increased restriction during PMS and the beginning of TOM. If I am swollen for another reason (recent fill, for example), it is really magnified.

I chose the band because it is less invasive. It can be reversed, while the sleeve cannot. The band does not involve removal or rerouting of my innards I believe sleeving is a good procedure for many. But not for me.

Not a single regret.

I'm not a fan. I am a former member, and while it is okay for getting into exercise if you're not active, there are problems inherent in the methods. The one that bothers me the most is the HUGE increase in injury risk with hydraulic equipment. Most experts recommend that joints be moved through the range of motion slowly during weight training. With hydraulic equipment, speed increases resistance. So, as you become stronger, you need to move faster to get results. And the risk of injury increases dramatically. There is one machine in particular that has given rise to what many orthopedists refer to as "Curves injuries." I think that says an awful lot---that doctors are seeing a rise in certain shoulder injuries as a result of increased popularity of fitness establishments, like Curves, that use hydraulic equipment. As I mentioned, I am a former member--I did not renew my membership when it lapsed because it became so, so boring. The hours were terrible (the founder is fundamentalist Christian, and believes women should be home with their families, so many do not have evening hours--and when I was a member, they even closed at lunchtime. Not so that employees could have breaks, but because they believed their members should be at home during those hours. No, thanks.) If you have kids, child care is likely to be an issue, too--despite their "strong family values," most sites do not have child care (though I think many franchisees are changing this). I'll say it: there's NO way that a 30-minute Curves workout burns 600 calories. I mean, they say "you can" burn that much. I suppose someone could, somehow. But the average Curves member? No way. Finally, I could not in good conscience continue to give money to an organization owned by a man who has made significant donation to extremist groups that have claimed credit for bombing women's clinics and have killed physicians who provide women's health care. I love the Y--zillions of programs, fun classes, great equipment, well-trained staff, child care, tons of fun stuff for the whole family.

"Full" is very, very different postop. You simply will no longer feel like you did when "full" pre-banding. That feeling does not exist any more. In fact, "full" is something I now avoid--it is unpleasant. It's really tricky to know when to stop before you approach and achieve restriction, so what I'm about to say may not make sense. (Your pouch is still emptying into the stomach below fairly rapidly, so I suspect you feel decidedly unfull most of the time!) But as you approach restriction, pay really close attention to how you feel after every bite of food. As you approach satisfied (or maybe what you will define as your new "full"), there are subtle changes that tell you that you're reaching capacity. You have to pay very close attention--because as you will find, one bite too many (just one bite!) can push you over the edge and into uncomfortable territory. It takes practice, and even after you get the hang of it, there will be times, probably, when you still have that one bite too many. But you will get used to sensing, "enough." You won't ever have the "full" feeling you had before---that sensation is caused by pressure on stretch receptors in the muscle of the stomach, and the "new construction" with the band doesn't allow for that kind of stretch before you hit the throwup zone.

Yikes! $1000 per fill, and only getting miniscule fills? That'd frustrate me, too! Can you find a fill center close to home? That way, even if the doctor is timid (or greedy--because I am convinced some of the tiny-fill doctors just want more $$--seriously, many of us got 4 cc on our first fills!), you won't have to spend such serious bank. Until you achieve restriction, you have to remember that your weight is 100 percent in your hands. The band will do its job once it's functional, but for now, it's not up to speed. So YOU have to do the work. You say you can drink beer, no problem. That many things go down easily. Well, the thing you have to accept is that just because you can do it doesn't mean you should. It's completely within the realm of possibility to lose weight as you work toward restriction. Will you be hungry? Sure. But it's the last time you'll ever be hungry in the name of weight loss. In your shoes, I'd work hardest on finding someone to provide aftercare in your area. (If they have postop support groups, all the better!) Getting fills locally will relieve a lot of your frustration, I suspect. But also give some thought to the way you're using the tool. To be sure, it's not much of a tool yet--but if you start "practicing" the behaviors you'll use when you get good restriction, it will be that much easier for you---and you won't see gains that mess with your body and mind.

Yes! I have pelvic issues to begin with (history of trauma)---and the lack of cushioning is really painful1

Knowing that he pressured you to have surgery with promises to care for himself properly---and that he's now giving you a hard time for things like Protein powder--puts a bit of a different spin on it, for sure. I understand your unhappiness--I really do. But no matter what, his weight loss ball is in his own court. Sometimes we learn who people really are the hard way--I hope this is not the case for you; I hope that your husband steps up to the plate and does what he needs to do, and you find that he's just another guy struggling with his own demons rather than someone who manipulates to get what he wants from others, without doing what he needs to do for himself (and his relationship--not that weight is a relationship issue, but coercing you to have a procedure you didn't really want? that's definitely a relationship issue).

Thank you everyone :cursing: Yes, what does not kill me will make me stronger. (And therefore I will be better-equipped to kill others who might deserve it LOL) Denise, I'm sorry you're battling the dentist demon---I hope there's a good solution that doesn't cost a fortune.

How odd--I will have to try it. I won't try meatballs with Protein powder added, though--if cooked past a certain temperature, the protein denatures and turns into a rubber-band consistency. (There's a real technique for using protein in hot foods--it has to be tempered, or it turns into a mess. Which doesn't really affect the availability of the amino acids to the body, but can make food clumpy and rubbery---which, for me, translates to "stuck.")

It's good that you're calling the doctor. I don't know whether the gas is the culprit--I'd be more inclined to think it was a response to all your body has just been through--anesthesia, meds, irritability of the stomach due to the placement of the band, etc. Your doctor will likely prescribe an anti-nausea med for you.

I can't douse a steak with anything, either. I eat it rare, and in tiny bites, well-chewed. I do this with most meats--I just make sure they are moist. Some days, they go down well, others are tighter---but sauce doesn't really make a tight day looser, so I stick with what I like :cursing:

I've lost 50.75 inches, and they've been really well-distributed across the areas I measure. The losses in chest, hips, and waist have been proportional---as have arms, neck, and thighs. Though the overall loss is proportional, it wasn't always even. My abdomen, which I never measured, is MUCH smaller now, but took a while to catch up to losses in other areas. Be patient--it takes time, but it'll come off!

My doctor is the most ethical doctor I've encountered (and I have encountered many), and he never measured my height. I guess if I'd claimed to be something different than I am, his antennae might have raised, and he might have chosen to do so. But when faced with a responsible adult honestly answering scores of questions about her health and history, I guess he chose to trust the answer about my height, as well. No one is looking to "cheat the system" here. A person posed a valid question. I know my doctor would not band a patient with a BMI of 29--because when I hit that level, he celebrated, with me, moving out of the band-able category. (And I'm only referring to what he would do.) Self-pay or no, 29 is not a level for which he does banding--largely for the reasons Leigha describes.

Yes, it will--eventually. Chances are, once the operative swelling goes down, you will have a period of time when you are genuinely hungry. It can take several adjustments (fills) over a period of months to achieve good restriction. So, it can be discouraging at first--you may feel as though you had the surgery for nothing. You can lose during this time, but you will be hungry, and any loss will come from bona fide dieting. As you achieve good restriction, your hunger will be HUGELY reduced. The smaller pouch will no longer empty rapidly, and you will stay satisfied for a period of hours after eating only a small portion of food. That said, your MIND may still want to eat things that your body has no need (or room!) for. I've found that this "head hunger" really does go away with time. If your body is satisfied, it really does become easier to say no to the stuff you don't really want or need.

Jacqui, I'm so, so sorry to hear what you're facing. I agree that meeting all of your body's nutrient needs will help you as you tackle the ordeal ahead. I wish you weren't facing it, but if there's anyone who can conquer disease, I have no doubt it's you!

If you haven't achieved restriction yet, I think it's reasonably safe to put concerns about pouch dilation to rest :cursing:

It'll be fine. If you meet their requirements, they can't turn you down--you have a contract! :cursing:

If he's overfilled and having issues as a result, the original surgeon certainly can handle an unfill.

No one has been impolite except you.

I agree with emjay--but my doctor's rule of thumb, postfill, is that as long as I can keep fluids down, I can tough it out for a few days to see if swelling goes down. It doesn't sound to me as though you were eating a ton pre-fill; my doctor is more than happy with an 8.5 pound loss/month; it's greater than average, and he would not even ask me to list my foods if I had that kind of loss. AND he's super-stringent---so if he's a-okay with it, it sounds like your doctor's... I don't know, doing too many bypasses and confusing his patients with one another.

I started in a women's 24, and now wear a 12 petite jean. But I lingered in higher sizes for a REALLY long time before seemingly suddenly jumping down.

I do low-carb, but would NOT be happy with a two-shake, 1-meal plan. (Sometimes I do this, if I'm really tight, however.) What's the rationale for replacing meals with shakes? If you're really tight, I can see it. But in general, shakes leave the pouch very quickly--why not aim for a solid diet that provides the same amount of Protein in a form that will satisfy you for longer? My basic day is a Protein Shake early in the morning, 2-4 oz. protein (egg, lean meat/poultry/fish, legumes + cheese---lots of variety) for Breakfast (sometimes, a fruit, too), 2-4 ounces protein for lunch + nonstarchy veggies, protein + nonstarchy veggies again at dinner, and a protein shake in the evening. When I hit 75% of excess weight lost, I will gradually add grains back in. According to my doctor, that's in about 3 pounds, but my goal is lower than his, so I will probably hold off.

Maybe a few years down the road, she'll be talking about your huge success to other patients. People repeat what they "know" (or, rather, what they think they know). Often, they are wrong. With your banding success, you will teach her the error of her ways :thumbup: My PCP had no role in my banding--I didn't need his approval, and he wasn't part of the process. But he was mildly....not disapproving, but not particularly supportive. But when I saw him next 40 pounds down, he really was impressed. Turns out he has another banded patient who gained weight. After talking with me about what I eat, he talked with the other guy, and learned that, because he had difficulty with dense Proteins, he was taking in about 3000 calories of Ensure each day. We talked a lot about my doctor's aftercare, and diet recommendations, and I learned that the PCP's initial lack of enthusiasm was based on this other patient's experience. He now not only views it very differently, but is able to guide the other patient more effectively (including, if he wants, to MY surgeon's postop support group). So, people can and do sometimes change their opinions--after all, there are many paths to the same destination.

I'm glad you're doing so well! Congratulations on your new band :thumbup: