Acadia

I've been a vegetarian since 1995; 90% of my meals are vegan, I eat fish 1-2x a year, will eat bread that has milk and eggs in it, and will sometimes eat an egg. Prior to two car accidents I was a body builder and have learned how to get up to 120 g of Protein on a vegetarian diet without using dairy or eggs. I have dozens of vegetarian recipes, resources, and 16 years of experience for anyone interested in vegetarianism. As for being a vegan 100% of the time, I love cheese and just haven't found an ideal goat cheese substitute. There are great regular cheese substitutes for those wondering. So if you would like to talk about being vegetarian maybe this topic will help.

If you want something Water resistant get the Jawbone UP. It won't help you in the pool though. Swimming is a different action. What you can do with the FitBit is press and hold to time the activity then go into the site or app later and mark that you swam and what you did then it will calculate the calories of that time period. Both are $99 and if you can, I suggest getting both the FitBit Ultra and the Jawbone UP for different reasons. If something is a benefit on one, it doesn't exist on the other. But the two together make for an amazing pair and it's only $198 total for both if you can afford it. Otherwise go with the one that has the better features for your life. The benefits of the UP are: ----------------------------------- - Built in alarm (it will buzz your wrist to wake you up when you are in a light sleep between 30 minutes prior to your wake up time and your wake up time). - Syncs with your iPhone if you have one. - Allows you to take pictures of your meals then asks you about two hours later how you feel so you can eat better by what makes you feel better (generally lower calorie foods and smaller meals make you feel better). - Can be worn all the time and is water resistant so you can shower with it (I'm too scare to). - Calculates light vs deep sleep. - Allows you to set vibration reminders to move every 15, 30, 45, 60, etc. minutes. The benefits of the FitBit are: --------------------------------------- - Amazing website with a ton of functionality - same for the iPhone or Android app. - Wirelessly syncs with the website any time you get near a computer that has a base station connected (so you can get a spare base station for work if you want). - Is small and no one knows you have it on. - Counts flight of stairs. - Shows you, on the device itself, your daily and minute-by-minute stats. - Shows movement when you're sleeping so you know if you moved a lot (restless sleep). - There are a lot of products that integrate with the FitBit. I've had a FitBit for two years now and bought one for my mother and sister. I've had both the original and Ultra - the Ultra is worth it for the stairs. I've been using an UP since its release, and I like the alarm function and light vs deep sleep, and vibration reminders - but beyond that it gets in the way, is out in the open all the time, gets caught in my hair and on clothes, has no online monitoring (apps only), and doesn't track calories / Protein, etc. If you can only get one - get the FitBit Ultra and use the website and apps along with it.

Sounds like you were in your green zone but didn't realise it. I was there, then got a fill - was over filled for two months, vomiting constantly but couldn't get an unfill because of insurance billing issues. Finally got an unfill and realised I was in the green zone. When you are in the green zone as little as 0.1 cc can put you into the red zone. Go back to the normal liquids, mushies, soft, then back to normal and stay there for a while then go back if you need to. You probably won't need to because you'll be more conscious about what you're eating but if you do need a fill do a tiny one 0.2 cc or so and ask them to do it under fluoroscopy and do a barium swallow so they can see the Fluid moving through the band so you don't get overfilled.

You are showing all of the typical signs of being very over filled - acid reflux usually only happens when you are very over filled, a little tightness doesn't cause that. Go back to your Dr and get half of your fill removed asap. And start taking Prilosec OTC to stop the acid reflux so you don't end up with pouch or esophageal issues. Until you can see your Dr. stick with pure liquids (clear Soup, Water, Protein shake, etc.) no semi solids or solids.

Some doctors fill with air, some with fluid, and sometimes they think they're filling and they miss completely. Since you have a fluroscopy coming up stay on fluids until then to minimize issues and get them to do a dye fill so they can see if your tubing or port has a leak and do a barium swallow to ensure fluids are going down safely after they remove everything or put more in. Your band may have slipped as well - the fluorscopy will show this.

While you can buy them they cost a lot and require specific experience about your band and its position, port depth, tubing location, current fill amount, ideal fill amount, and much more in order to be used effectively. If you buy them and use them you will very likely puncture the tubing or tear the port and you will ruin your band and no hospital will touch you to get it out because you decided to practice medicine on yourself without a license. This will also put your psychological wellness in question. If you can't find a physician there to give you fills then look for a nurse who is willing (and who has experience and ideally who works with a Dr who does this) or take the opportunity to use one of the great seat sales and go somewhere where someone can help you. Do not do your own fills. You are taking your band and potentially your life in your own hands. I speak from my medical experience not just opinion.

Sounds like you could have a slipped band - it would account for all of the issues you're having. Tell your surgeon it's an emergency and you can't keep anything down including liquids - they have a legal responsibility to see you immediately in that case.

Per what everyone else is saying: You are too tight. If you can't eat solids by lunch and are throwing up more than once a week (we all take bigger bites sometimes) then you are too tight. Get half of your last fill taken out. Your teeth are changing because of the vomiting and lack of nutrition. You will need to see a dentist to get that addressed - if you can't go for a few months do four things: 1) sign up for Groupon wherever you are, they often have dentist deals 2) use sensodyne whitening toothpaste and brush three times a day and floss but never brush after throwing up for at least 30 minutes 3) after throwing up rinse with Water only, generally you won't get much stomach acid with the band, more food from the pouch 4) start taking Prilosec OTC (you can use the generic too) and take that until you get to see a dentist because it will reduce the amount of acid you are producing to reduce the negative impact on your teeth. The biggest thing is to go get a partial unfill. Fills are expensive. I've paid for mine since day 1 and they cost me between $280-560 each time. But being too full has much greater consequences (band slip, swollen stomach and esophagus, teeth issues, band erosion, etc.). Once you get the unfill go back to your post surgery diet. Two to four days of liquids, two to four days of mushies, two to four days of soft food, then start with the normal food. That will give your system time to settle down. You'll get through it, due to issues I've had I've stalled with weight loss as well. You may also want to fit in a blood test and get your ANA level checked specifically. If it's elevated you may have Lupus - which can cause weight gain, hair loss, changes in teeth, and more.

Normally you should take Omeprezole (Prilosec OTC) for six months after surgery as you help your stomach get used to less food and different food. While you may not experience heart burn from food you may still experience acid reflux because the Protein pumps in your stomach will keep producing as if you're eating the same. At the very least take it for 28 days after to help your stomach. You do not want acid reflux with the band - the acid just sits there burning horribly for a long time. Regarding pills - take them whole. DO NOT crush them. DO NOT open them up and dump the contents. You are altering how the medication works by doing that. Even in my green zone I can take those so called "horse pills" that are Gelatin capsules with Fluid or powder in them. They sit in the pouch for less than a minute before dissolving and sliding through to your stomach. If you do plan on crushing pills or emptying capsules please take every single medication you plan on doing that with to your pharmacist and ask them what you can and cannot do with each pill. For example, Omeprezole (Prilosec OTC) SHOULD NOT be crushed because it's a time release medication. Even within days of surgery I was fine taking pills. If you can't take a normal pill you are too tight. For elongated pills that can be broken in half you can do that - but please see a pharmacist to make sure you're not risking acute overdose or altering the effectiveness of your medication.

If you can't comfortably eat your protein and 1-2 c of food per meal (depending what you're eating, e.g. 2 c of salad or 1 c salad and 1 c chili) then you're too full.

Acid reflux is a main sign of being too full. If you're not hungry for 4-5 hours between meals then you're in your green zone. Go and get a partial unfill. The acid reflux should stop. Ask your Dr. about using Prilosec OTC for a few months to help your stomach retrain itself by creating less acid.

You're too full. And trust me - you do not want to be too full. Get the entire 0.5 cc taken out. You were very likely in your green zone but you didn't realise it. You're saying that you ate too much because you could. That's your issue and the band can't help you with that. The band's purpose is to make it so you can eat less because you eat slower - not because you physically can't cram anything else in the pouch, feel full faster because food is passing through and sending signals to your brain that you're full faster, and feel full longer by slightly pressing on a nerve that helps control hunger. If you were eating more than you should it's because you want to - and being too full won't stop that, you'll just revert to sliders and you will gain weight. Get an unfill and eat healthy foods and watch what you're eating and if you're really eating because you want to - not because you need to.

You said, "I could not stop eating, even when I knew I wasnt hungry and was feeling uncomfortably full." To me, that says that you have issues you need to deal with before the band will ever help you. See a therapist and figure out why you're doing that. Are you afraid to be thinner? Are you afraid what people will say? Do you see yourself as permanently fat? Are you addicted to food? Are you exercising? Are you eating the right kind of foods (the other poster is right, what you're eating is really high in salt). You need to see someone and talk to them to figure out what your other issues are - this is something we should all do. The band isn't a magic tool, it is just a little prompt. You have to do all the work.

The band is not about restriction. It's about damping hunger between meals. He should be monitoring and recording his entire food intake, times, amounts, type of food, drinks too, and activities. Ideally he should be eating between 1-2 cups of food per meal (depending what he eats), no Fluid during the meal or 30 minutes after. If he stays between 1,200-1,500 calories per day and does at least 30 minutes of exercise per day and he'll see the weight drop off. And your friend is right. When he gets a fill he should be on liquids for 24 hours then soft food for 24 hours then back to normal.

Ask your Dr. to do your fills under fluoroscopy, they can see exactly where your port is, its position, etc. and can get access on the first poke.

Very glad you were in the right mind to get an unfill. Remember - a tiny unfill can be the difference between being too full and gaining weight (due to eating sliders) and being in your green zone. Congrats on being back in a good place.

Remember - the band's purpose isn't to provide restriction, it's meant to make you less hungry so you can eat less naturally, feel full faster, and for longer. If you choose to overeat then you're at fault - not the band. You still need to ask your Dr office for the new rules - in writing - and ask why they changed the rules and why you are cut off as that's not the point of the band. However, make sure the issue isn't you before you seek out another fill. It sounds like you're eating too much because you want to - not because you need to.

So many people think that getting an unfill means they've failed. They need to know it can mean the difference between being too full and causing damage and gaining weight to being in your green zone. I'm glad you finally got an unfill. That had to have been horrendous! I've been there. I know.

Amber0075: it sounds like you eat too fast and you eat for reasons other than just fuel. You don't NEED that much food, you choose to eat it. Which is why we're all here. The band will NOT stop your hunger immediately. While it could, it rarely works that way. You could require no fills, one fill, or thirty fills. Who knows. Do the work you can before hand to ensure success. I suggest you use your employer's EAP (employee assistance program) to set up sessions with a therapist and talk with them about WHY you eat. To better assist the therapist keep a very detailed food an activity journal marking down what you eat and drink, how much, when you eat it (time of day), how you feel before eating it, how you feel after eating it. How you feel 3 hours after eating. Start working out as well, even just walking, and get up to 10,000 steps a day. I suggest the FitBit $99 and it will monitor your activity, level of activity, steps, sleep, etc. and the website is free and will allow you to track your food. You may notice that you eat when you're not hungry, you eat when you're bored or with others and that you aren't moving as much as you thought. Doing all of this now will help you immensely when you get the surgery. You'll be leaps and bounds beyond most people.

I agree with the others. Talk to your Dr. My guess is that you had a fill during surgery (active or passive fill, could be either). Ask your Dr. if s/he did a fill and if so ask them to take some out. Some of us don't need much before we're in our green zone.

I recently discovered Gardein (http://www.gardein.com/) vegetarian and vegan Proteins. They are just like chicken, beef, etc. and taste great. It's an easy way to get your Protein in - and because they're very meat like you can share with your meat eating family if yours does. I've taken pieces of the orange chicken, sauteed them, added a multigrain mix, some sauce, and it's a great little meal. And it breaks down nicely when chewed so it doesn't get stuck.

AroundtheTown: Be glad that your Dr is going slow. I hit my green zone at 1.75 cc. But I thought my Dr was crazy for only doing 1 cc at a time. All because I read on the boards that people were getting 3-5 cc in a shot. If I had that done I wouldn't have been able to swallow my own saliva and would very likely have caused serious damage to my stomach. Yet that didn't stop me from going back for a second fill after my first and being too full for several months. Fortunately I didn't cause damage but it was horrendous. Take it slow. Up your working out and eat between 1-2 cups of food at each meal and you'll do fine. If you're hungry, eat an apple and a piece of cheese. Both will keep you full. Drink Water, crystal light, tea, etc. You'll do fine, it's a life change and it doesn't happen over night. If you want to help your Dr. understand that YOU understand, keep a very detailed food diary including what you ate, how much, and how you felt 30 minutes after, one hour after, two hours after, three hours after, etc. So you know how long it was before you felt hungry again. You should get to the point where you aren't hungry for about 4 hours between meals. Assuming your meals are proper meals and not sliders or junk. "You OFFICIALLY only have to wait 2 weeks before you can have another fill." -- NOT TRUE Fills can take up to 4-6 weeks to distribute and if you get fills only two weeks apart you will very likely end up over filled and causing damage.

I had my gallbladder removed six months after being banded but haven't had issues with fills. I also did not have to have an unfill for the surgery - you may have, and it's well known that being completely unfilled then refilled - your body will react differently to the fills. Monitor your food and Fluid intake and retrain yourself on your band.

Oh - and regarding the tests: Pap Smear - is usually to ensure you don't have an underlying cancer that could prevent you getting a lap band. Mammogram - same thing. Colonoscopy - same thing. Chest X-Ray is for TB or cancer - same as the above. They are all precautions.

For anyone else who reads this: Listen to Jachut - you're just retaining Water. Women's weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs a day (that's about 2 L) - men can fluctuate up to 20 lbs due to salt and water retention. Shocking isn't it? If you want to confirm this get a scale like the Omron and it will show you all of the factors you need to determine if it was fat gain or water gain.