StephanieF

Had the same problem. Went to a nutritional MD gave me 17 diff supplements and even IV vitamins. The hair grew back once my weight stabilized. Sudden spurts in weight loss seemed to kick it in again. My hair will never be the thick curly hair it was. I started doing the Brazilian straightening (keratin) and my hair has grown a lot and is in great shape

Hello all. I've reached a point 3.5 years into my journey at my goal weight and a size 6 where I am what people call a pretty picture, but the misery that lurks beneath is ruining my life. Basically, I keep a tight band, because I cannot do the regular gym routine, and there is no way on earth I will gain back any of this weight. That being said, I can eat, I just can't eat things like veggies, fruit or anything with too much Fiber. All my Vitamin levels are good, blood sugar, thyroid, hormones, everything normal. So, I started having constipation pretty much right after surgery. Surgeon said to take a suppository every day if I needed. So, guess what happened? I became dependant. Throughout the course of that and as the weight loss progressed it got worse. It got to the point where now I had to do the warm Water enemas. I started seeking care from a colorectal doc about a year ago. I had the MRI defecografy, a CT scan and a colonoscopy. MRI showed weak pelvic floor, CT scan showed nothing and colonoscopy showed nothing. I was diagnosed with IBS with constipation. So, in addition to having IBS, I can't even get the stuff out of me due to these muscle issues. I have to take 3 Dulcolax oral pills every night, one Colase morning and night, and all that does is put me in a state of constant anxiety. My docs have me on pain meds which I try not to take since they cause further constipation. I have been given every prescription medication there is including Amitiza, but it didn't work. My life revolves around the pain, and bloating, and stress of knowing when I go out or have something social to do that I'm going to feel like crap, so I spend the hours before trying to get relief by getting it out of me. I'm to the point now where even creamed spinach is my demise. I can't eat steak or chicken, and my diet consists of pretty much mashed potatoes, yellow rice and any sort of fried fish. My dumbass PCP says, oh, metamucil at night and fiber. considering I really can't tolerate too much Fluid intake, that was a disaster, and no one said you must drink crazy amounts of fluid or you will end up in a tormented hell, that is what happened. Started with the Fiber One Cereal, almost ended up in the emergency room. Now it's to the point where if I go out to eat, the moment I stand up and walk a block I'm in crippling pain. Of course my surgeon insists it has nothing to do with the band, and I understand that band itself is working fine, but this is the result of his recommendation that I take suppositories daily at a point where I could still eat, and a band which allows me little food. I can only really eat standing up also. I started taking peppermint oil capsules a few days ago. It has stopped the pain, but now I feel so bloated and so uncomfortable. Maybe I always did, but the pain was more prevalent. I spend hours of my life on the toilet, and after eating out my night is ruined. My ex-boyfriend was so ridiculously understanding and cool and didn't care if I disappeared to do what I needed to do. But he's my ex now, and the thought of having to deal with this with a new guy, with whom there are many opportunities, is giving me crazy anxiety. Xanax isn't helping. I would sooner not go out to eat than have to attempt to fake being in pain. I have tried the magnesium, can't eat a prune if I want to live to tell the tell, the senna-based stuff doesn't do much. Fiber is my enemy. I used to be happy with a handful of Froot Loops for Breakfast until they decided to add fiber. Miralax, I could have died for the three days I was waiting for it to work. I have seen every doctor under the sun. Biofeedback physical therapy was recommended, but it's only half the problem. So, tight bandster who can't eat or drink much of anything, I really need tips or suggestions on what to eat that will be beneficial to me. So, here I am. I can't be the only person who is going through this, since I know a lot of bandsters who choose the tight band approach. Please, I am seeking tips/suggestions from seasoned bandsters with some experience on the topic, and I am not looking to be judged or lectured on my choices. I need help. I am not going to be loosened to any point where I can start eating all this stuff again and gain the weight back, and I couldn't anyway now that I have IBS, all the "good" stuff would give me so much gas and bloating I would die. I am desperate at this point, and I really don't know what to do. I feel very alone, and I actually cancelled a date tonight because I didn't want to deal with it. Thank you in advance for reading, and I look forward to any constructive feedback.

So there you are, all munched out after partaking....then what? My advice, just don't get started, you can't handle it, lol.

Again, please, no judging or lecturing here. I'm just asking an honest question. Who is doing this the tight band way? and if you are doing it that way, you know who you are. Not everyone can deal with the gym and calorie counting. For some of us the quasi-starvation method is what works best. Of course there are obvious side effects and issues with a tight band, but I would love to chat with others who got to their goal like me, with a tight band.

Thank you for sharing your story. I've been thinking that the only doctor who hasn't seen me is my gyno. I made and appointment yesterday

That's not MY answer though. And I've had every test under the sun done, CT, MRI, colonoscopies..that's one healthy colon they all say.

How much zinc do you take daily, out of curiousity?

See, thing is, doesn't matter what it is, carrot sticks or doritos, you just eat too much too fast, LOL

LOL, next thread: A lesson in how to PB when you need to.:thumbup:

Once you start getting fills and the post-op care instructions are no longer relevant you get restriction with each fill. Some of us like a little more restriction than others.

Thinking that means thin-obsessed. And yes, I am about as superficial as they come right now. Why not? I've waited my whole life to be able to strut my stuff and look good doing it and NOT look at other women and say wow, I wish I looked like that...Now other women say that to me. I'm not projecting either, by the way, I am obsessed with staying thin and I'm also superficial and THE WHOLE POINT OF MY OTHER POST WAS TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE WITH A TIGHT BAND HAD THE CONSTIPATION ISSUES AND HOW TO RELIEVE IT! You go the doctor and say you're constipated and they say eat this, eat that, drink this, take this take that, and I just can't handle some of it. It's just that simple and if you can find a support group for constipated people with a tight lap band, point me in the direction. yeah, the band is tight, but it's not TOO tight if I can eat all the very awful things I did to get here. It's more about consistency and porosity and bulk than anything else.

Good for you. Some of don't live in rural Australia, but rather NYC, so saving up for that extra expense of plastic surgery is pretty much impossible if I want to pay my rent and stuff like that. I work my ass off, it's not enough. I'm single because I recently ended a relationship, and I'm having a blast being the object of affection for men.

Really wasn't directed at you, my reply. I guess I'm on the defense here, and I'm really annoyed that I should have to be. nothing personal :thumbup:

I'm guessing he knows, since he's the one who gets all my emails when I have a flare up, he also did the fills, the unfills. And let's break apart what I can eat. I had a bowl of honey bunches of oats for Breakfast and a slice of eggplant parm for dinner. Doesnt' sound so bad. The only things I can't eat are grains like brown rice and bulky vegetables which I hate anyway and fruit. And I get the Vitamins through supplements. So, let's see, tuna salad, protein-check. smoked salmon and cream cheese-Protein, check. nachos...guacamole, avocado, Omega 3's-check, cheese, pinto Beans, protein-check, sour cream, yum- check. If I could still eat a turkey sandwich, i could still eat a slice of pizza, and i can't do either...doesn't mean i'm not eating healthy, i'm just not eating low fat high fiber. AND, considering I have nutritional blood work done regularly and NONE of my vitamins are deficient except for folic acid, which I am supplementing, what's the problem? Just because it's not "text book" food doesn't mean it's bad. And the reality is there are days the band is bitchy and all you can get down is something like ice cream. At least it's calories. It doesn't sound right, but this is the reality. The ice cream takes far less of a toll on my body than chicken broth which is LOADED with sodium. AND so many of the "judges" in here lost like 100 lbs in their first year, it took me 3, so, what's healthier? We coudl go back and forth for days, and that never was the intention here. But hey, I'm just getting warmed up. Bring it!

LOL, that's my girl! Seriously, the self-righteous BS is rather hilarious. Better we should say nothing, because this isn't intended to be a SUPPORT outlet or anything. Everyone has different things they need supported. It's so obnoxious to be judged on here, and if people are that dumb that they can't think outside of the box or what comes out of their doctor's mouth, or that dumb that they do stupid, reckless and harmful things to themselves based on what someone says on a message board, then I don't know, they have way more serious problems than us! Thanks, Kee. It's like, this is what I did, this is how I did it, this is the result, this is the down side, this is the up side. The down side sucks and I need help resolving it, but the up side is so much better! And I can't afford plastic surgery right now, AND I'm single, so yeah, if there's something wrong with setting my sights on a man with some money in his pocket as opposed to one without, um...I dunno, this seems like a nobrainer. I guess I'm a reckless, superficial, thin-obsessed, alarming, in-dire-trouble, HOT, THIN, SEXY, SINGLE BANDSTER? Works for me. :thumbup:

Yes, a VERY RICH MAN!

Um, not like I'm hiding anything here, and I have referenced my gastric problems numerous times in here. So, let's review, shall we? The issues started RIGHT AFTER SURGERY, I didn't have a tight band until about 7-9 months in, as also referenced herein. My body responded immediately to change in diet. the point of my post in the other thread was to seek tips in how to manage it. SINCE I GUESS YOU TWO ARE MY DOCTORS NOW, AND YOU KNOW ALL MY MEDICAL HISTORY AND WHAT PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS I HAD BEFORE I WAS BANDED, WHAT MEDS I WAS ON BEFORE SURGERY I WAS ON THAT I'M NO LONGER ON, ETC ETC, I'M REALLY JUST GOING TO SAY BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. I STILL WOULDN'T CHANGE A FREAKIN' THING. So, let's go back, since this started way before I had even close to a tight band, I didn't do this to myself. There are many people in the world who cannot tolerate wheat, gluten, Fiber, etc..and yes BEING THIN IS WORTH IT, AND I WILL FIND A SOLUTION. FINALLY, I THINK I HAVE SAID IN MOST OF THE POSTS THIS IS NOT MY ADVICE, IT'S MY EXPERIENCE. And with that, BLAH BLAH BLAH FANNIE AND JACHUT....really.

So can I ask how you're doing with maintaining? I'm really surprised to hear that with the unfill you still have such restriction! Are you keeping it off? I feel like if it were me I would be so anxious over keeping it off especially after the plastics. Are you exercising like crazy? I'm so intrigued, you're my motivation now! :thumbup:

Did I mention when I'm at home I eat standing up? Nothing like gravity...oh, and the only way i can eat is if I have some diet ginger ale. It's like a baby, I need to be burped. My ex used to see that face, you know the face, and would come and bang my back....I'm so jealous you had your plastic work done! I need to find me a rich man :thumbup:

OMG, ARE WE HAVING A MOMENT OF COMING OUT? That's awesome. That's it, I'm officially out of the closet. I'm a tight bandster and proud of it! LOL I have the night reflux on occasion. At one point I was waking up with the Fluid in the lungs and coughing myself awake. Another few weeks I was waking up with stomach acid shooting through my nose. Prilosec in the morning stopped it and it never resumed. But the nighttime can be tough. I know I can't lie down if I've eaten for hours after. Lying on the left keeps the stomach closed, but sometimes it is what it is. thank you for naming all this, the coming out. Awesome. Congrats on your journey, you look fabulous and good luck keeping it that way :thumbup:

Ooooh, scallops!