dizlizd

Everyone on this planet is different and we are all entitled to our opinions. Even if Spartan were not quoting facts, she is entitled to her opinion and can come here and express it. Each one of us has had a different experience. We are all worthy to judge what we would do if we had to do it all over again,,IMO.

Thanks Lucky. I really appreciate the support.

Woodstock, I went over a year with no fills because of the problems with food getting stuck, but I lost 86 lbs. in the process. Then I started being able to eat more with no restriction. My doctor wouldn't give me a fill right away because of all the problems I had before. He kept saying "Come back in a month and let's see if you're still losing". Well when I went back, I had lost a couple of lbs. so he still wouldn't agree to a fill. So 2 more months down the road I'm at the same weight and he finally gave in and agreed to do a fill under flouroscopy. He ended up putting in 3cc. I went home and two days later, couldn't get fluids down, so I had to go back and have 1cc taken out. Now I'm back to where I was before the fill and can't get another one until April 20th. What I'm saying is, if it takes fine tuning and maybe another year for me to lose this last 30 lbs., I will be happy with that. Because at least my bowels are not permantly altered and if there ever is a problem with my band, it can be fixed. Even with the band I have had some difficulty getting enough nutrients. I can't imagine what it would be like with the bypass. I agree with the others about the sugar cravings and the sweeteners. For a long time I was sweetening my iced tea with Stevia Extract (all natural). I got tired of that "not sugar" taste and discovered that I prefer my iced tea sweetened with very little sugar, just enough to take away the bitterness, so that's how I drink it. I put in less than 1/2 cup per gallon tea. And as for other sweets, when I crave them, I go for my favorite fruits. Believe me, I get in my fruit servings daily. That's my take on this whole thing. Didn't mean to write a book, sorry:confused:.

I know you guys are right. I'm just going to have to get back to it. It's the only way to make it work. Thanks for your comments.

I hit a plateau about 3 months ago and I am still struggling. I have lost 86 lbs. in less than a year without one single fill. So I decided it was time for a fill. My doctor decided to do it under flouroscopy. He put in 3cc and I went home on liquids for a couple of days. The first day was fine, but on the second day I started having trouble getting fluids down. I called the nurse and she said come back in right away. So they decided to take some of my fill. They took out 1cc, so I'm down to only 2cc. Well, guess what? I can eat anything and as much of it as I want, just like before the fill. Maybe I have a weak constitution, but I need the band to restrict what I eat. If I don't have that, I'm going to eat more. That's why I got the band in the first place. Yeah, maybe years from now I will be trained to eat smaller portions all the time, but for now, I need a tool, re: the band. I called the doc's office back to schedule another fill and they said it had to be 4 weeks from the last one. So I can't get it until April 20th. I already know that 3cc was too tight, so I'm going to ask for .5cc and see how I do with that. It's not that I am overeating and gaining my weight back, I am just not losing right now and I have 30 more lbs. to go to reach my goal. Wish me luck!:thumbup:

I hit a plateau about 3 months ago and I am still struggling. I have lost 86 lbs. in less than a year without one single fill. So I decided it was time for a fill. My doctor decided to do it under flouroscopy. He put in 3cc and I went home on liquids for a couple of days. The first day was fine, but on the second day I started having trouble getting fluids down. I called the nurse and she said come back in right away. So they decided to take some of my fill. They took out 1cc, so I'm down to only 2cc. Well, guess what? I can eat anything and as much of it as I want, just like before the fill. Maybe I have a weak constitution, but I need the band to restrict what I eat. If I don't have that, I'm going to eat more. That's why I got the band in the first place. Yeah, maybe years from now I will be trained to eat smaller portions all the time, but for now, I need a tool, re: the band. I called the doc's office back to schedule another fill and they said it had to be 4 weeks from the last one. So I can't get it until April 20th. I already know that 3cc was too tight, so I'm going to ask for .5cc and see how I do with that. It's not that I am overeating and gaining my weight back, I am just not losing right now and I have 30 more lbs. to go to reach my goal. Wish me luck!:thumbup:

I've only had one fill and it wasn't enough so I am not at the "sweet spot" yet. I rarely get the hiccups, but everyone is different. I do belch a lot when I eat. As long as you can tolerate this okay, I wouldn't worry about it and they may go away in time.

I went over a year with no fill, but I got my first back in March (3 cc). I did fine the first day after, but the next day I couldn't even get liquids down. So I went back in and they took out 1 cc. Well, I think they took out too much because I can eat anything with no restriction. I mean I am keeping my portions small and everthing, but if it is something I really like, I might eat a little more of it. So there is no weight loss going on. I called the doctor's office back and scheduled another fill (they said it had to be 4 weeks from the last one), so I am going to ask for .5 cc, because I already know that 3 cc total was too tight. I guess you just have to "fine tune" the fills in the band to get where you need to be. Hope this helps. :smile2:

Many thanks!

That was very good advice. I went in today and they took out 1cc. and that seems to be a lot better. I am not even burping when I drink and I can take my Metformin which is a large pill for my diabetes. So far, I have been able to eat a small amount of applesauce, some blended vegetable soup and protein drinks. The nurse told me I could advance to mushy foods tomorrow and then to whatever I can tolerate. I just feel soooooooo much better! Thanks for your help.

Last night I started pbing after a few sips of a Protein drink, so I stopped drinking it. Later on I was at a women's group meeting and they served food. There were deviled eggs, so I just ate the filling of one and pbed it up too. I couldn't even drink any iced tea. All of it just kept coming up. Then when I got home, there was the problem of taking my meds, I take a lot. I couldn't take over half of them because they wouldn't go down. This morning it started all over again. I took my meds one at a time with small sips of Water and that worked except for one, Metformin, which is too big and can't be broken in half. When I started on my Protein Drink, it just didn't want to go down, so I gave up. Now, a few hours later, my pills and protein drink are going down fine.

I had my first fill yesterday and was told to stick with liquids today. Every time I drink something, even water, I burp a lot on each sip I take. It hurts in my chest after awhile. I had 3 cc's put in. Is this normal?

Hi, I have been taking Topomax for over 10 years. It curbs my appetite and prevents my migraines that I used to have weekly. I take it at bedtime and the only side effect I have is a dry mouth. I think it works great. I have chronic depression and it also helps to control my mood swings. Good luck. I think you should give it a chance.