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I read on the internet that there have been some scientific studies done and backed up by the American Diabetes Association that Conjugated Linoleic Acid in a 3.4 gram daily dosage is beneficial to helping lipid levels in obese and diabetes patients. More info I gathered also indicated that this nutritional supplement will assist patients from putting on abdominal fat in conjunction of course with good nutrition and exercise. Another benefit - it keeps ones small fat cells from turning into BIG ones. Awesome if it is all valid information. Now, after having been on this conjugated linoleic acid for 5 days, I can honestly tell you that I no longer have cravings for chocolate, sweets, breads, carbs (nor Proteins for that matter). I take 2000 mg in the a.m. and it curbs my appetite - then I take 2 around 7 or 8 pm at night which is my incredible craving time of the day (imagine a 300 lb tiger with nashing teeth wanting to eat anything and everything - hungry or not-the old "head hunger" demon). To my delight and surprise, I no longer crave bad things after supper-don't even feel the need to "have something sweet and baaaaad" (other than my husband). My daughter tried it today and she had the same result - now understand that my daughter is no pushover and was quite skeptical to say the least. Is there anyone out there who knows if this is a real result of taking this supplement? Any info and feedback would be appreciated and may even shed some light on the matter. Not yet banded, but will be on Feb 7 2007.

Emily you are being too hard on yourself. Yes, you have a problem with food addiction - so do I, so do most overweight/obese people. I would be right back to my pre-banded weight if I did not have this tool - the band. I was banded 3 yrs. ago and it has changed the way I eat and what I eat. Food is a very complicated addiction to have - it is not something that you do not need everyday, like alcohol or drugs. Accept the fact that you have an addiction, keep going for help and if possible, consider rebanding, or some other form of interventional (surgical)treatment. I am twice your age - have fought the food devils for my adult life and now because of the band, I am happy. I will never be a size 8 or small in the clothing world - but I am so much happier, self-confident and forgiving of my "humanness" and all the trips, falls, failures, successes, wins, triumphs and challenges that the band makes easier for me to handle. Please do not give up on your health - you are still so young and have so far to go, I hope you keep on trying but also be gentle with yourself. My hopes and thoughts are with you.

I was born in Ireland and moved to Canada some years ago. Have recently been diagnosed with Hemochromatosis as have some family members. Since Ireland apparently has the highest ratio of its population with this disorder, are there any persons out there who have this disorder and have had lapband as well. The protein is an important component for successful weight lossus lapbanders, but am wondering if anyone has experienced greater hemo problems because of it. I have been banded for 2 years. Thanks so much!

Thanks -you are so right - I checked my old records and it was a panniculectomy (or apronectomy as one nurse called it). Sorry for the confusion - message is still the same - TT's are better!

I had an abdominoplasty done 19 yrs. ago and it was covered by BC health plan due to the back problems I was experiencing after 80 lb weight loss. But, it is not as involved as an actual tummy tuck. Gaffer, your abdominoplasty is all that will be required since you are a man. Most women however, will get a tummy tuck which also tightens the pelvic girdle muscles. I only had the abdominoplasty, and of course now, gravity has once again taken hold. If I had originally got a tummy tuck, things would have been a lot snugger than they are now. My advice to women is, if you can afford the TT over abdominoplasty, do it - results will be better and last longer as you age. :tt2:

Hi needto - I just sent you a Private Message. Hope to see you soon!

I got immediate relief and although I could not eat a lot, eventually I could eat more than the suggested 1 cup per meal. I do recall though that because of some stress I was under, I actually pb'd once after the first fill. Now I have had 4 fills and doing really well. Hope your band hasn't slipped - sure sounds strange.:confused:

Sounds very much like my dilated pouch experience. Lots of heartburn, reflux, especially at night in the wee hours of the am. I got defilled completely for 6 wks. Gained around 12 lbs. Have been filled now to a comfortable level at 5.0 and have not had a problem since. The dilation or stretch of the pouch occurs when your new little stomach cannot handle the volume of food coming at it, so it backs up into the esophagus and creates a bulging, which in turn enables us to eat even more food, but with more pbing, vomiting, reflux and etc. I found I got hungry faster than before the stretch and ate more often. Get help for this quickly, or you will develop a slipped band and could lose it as a consequence. Not worth the risk - get it checked out soon. Good luck. Let us know how you are getting on.

Hi Mike - I would have the surgery all over again and plan to have this for the rest of my life. Now, however, I will have to take control again and listen to what my body is telling me. I find when I am under stress, I don't pay attention and try to revert to the "old days" where my need for helping deal with the stress is to eat. The band is around our stomachs,not our mouths or brains and it is not always easy to manage the stress or head hunger. Being vigilant is crucial to having success, along with healthy food, limited sweets and lots of self-talk. This surgery is not the easy way out at all; it takes self-motivation and good food choices. Once you get a chance, as I did, to start over, with quick weight loss, you feel stronger knowing your band is the friend inside that controls most of the bad food decisions. Good luck.

Yes Gingerbug, if I had not stretched it for such a long period of time, I would probably have a slight defill, but mine was very severe and required all the saline taken out. Good for you that you were smarter than I was.:huh2:

Slackation - I knew I was having a problem because I kept getting vicious heartburn and then when I lay down at night, either fluid or food would come back up and burn like H%LL. I put up with it about a month - but I should have fessed up sooner to my regular doctor. Once your pouch has been stretched, you can easily do it again and that will lead to more problems and possibly end up with band removal. I was also finding out that I could eat more and more, even though I was formerly at good restriction. Felt a lot of discomfort under my rib cage when I would eat and would feel like food was stuck for a long time. Lived on antacids and even prescription acid suppressors. Always felt like my bra had shrunk and it was uncomfortable. Stress started the whole process off. I would get stressed, eat, then get stuck, then eat a bit more, get stuck, vomit. Man, what was I thinking? Stress eating is BAD! :huh2:

Yes - a barium swallow is the only way to properly diagnose a stretched pouch. Xray doc has you swallow this stuff (not tasty - but bearable), then he takes a bunch of pics of your stomach and voila! it shows up real well and it looks like you have an extra little stomach. Yes, the only way to undo a stretched pouch is to have a total defill. I was defilled for 6 wks. and am now back up to 5.3cc in a 10cc APS Allergan band. During that 6 wks. I gained about 12 lbs.and now am losing it again. :huh2:

I too had a stretched pouch and was defilled for about 6 weeks. Got filled slowly again and so far so good. I am better now at being able to tell when I have reached that point where I should not eat even one more small bite. Also, one thing to remember is that if you are a chocolate eater as I once was, chocolate relaxes the esophagus (especially if you eat it late at night) and even though you had a stretched pouch and go back to normal, you will still get reflux or heartburn issues and will have more trouble. Good luck!

Hi lizzieann - congratulations on your surgery - hope you are doing well. It ws the best thing I ever could have done for myself. Dr. O. will put in the amount that your lapband surgery doctor/nurses suggest, if they are the ones who give you after band support. I always call the clinic in Mississauga who did my operation first and discuss my feeling of restriction and then they determine from what I tell them the amount that needs to be put in. I am at 4.5 cc right now in my band which is a bit different than yours - 10 or 12 AP I think. I found that once I could start eating bread, then I definitely need a fill. As a rule, I don't eat any bread, but to test my band, I will try it to see what happens. Right now, I can eat one piece so although I had a fill 2 wks ago, I think it is time for another small fill, perhaps .5. That will put me up to 5cc. At 5.2cc, I was too tight and had some issues, like food coming back up and major heartburn which is not a good sign and pretty much says go get a defill for a little while.With your 14AP band, you will probably be able to tolerate bigger fills - but check with your surgeon/nurses for guidance. Keep them informed of how you are doing because they are the experts and are the only ones who can properly gauge the amount you may need. Dr. O. always finds my port and it does not hurt. The more I lose, the easier it is to find, although I think as I lose weight it tends to move around (perhaps where the fat was and has now shrunk away?) a little bit. I guess it just makes sense that as you lose bulk out of your abdomen, ones organs, stomach, and the port will also shift (just my theory). Dr. O. and no other fill doctor I have been to uses freezing - but honestly, all I ever have felt is like a flu shot injection feeling and then he targets the port injects the saline into the port(does not hurt at all) and then he has you drink a glass of water - if it goes down with no ill effect, you are done. On my fill days, I only have fluids for food, cause I don't want to dilate the pouch before the fill - for me it just helps to have an empty pouch, so no big deal. Good to know we have backup with Dr. Jim, if there ever is a problem, but I'm sure that is a rare event, considering we have so many lapbanders here in GP. We should perhaps form a group for support. If you have any issues you are concerned about either PM me on this forum or post a message for additional wisdom and experience that is out there. Good luck.

Hi again - have not been on this forum for quite a while, so just read your post today. Dr. O is very good and I an 5 other bandsters I know use him for fills. Was not aware that hospital does it for free and Dr. O. did say he has the name of a Dr. who does fluoros for his patients having any problems with fills. Phone Dr. O. - you will really be pleased with his personality and caring manner. Good luck.

Hi Calgarygirl in Fort St. John - call Dr. Ooustheizens office in Sexsmith, AB at 780-568-2277 and see if they will put you in touch with him - not sure if he will do out of country adjustments, but try - he is a wonderful doctor and has lots of lapband patients. Good luck

Annabellpk - I got my band 8 months ago and cannot recommend it enough. I have lost 52 lbs. only 25 to go. Another family member also got it done and has lost over 80 lbs. It has positively impacted so many areas of our lives and we are so grateful to have been able to afford it. Let your brother help you with the cost - your life will be longer fi you have it done and you can repay him by being around longer. What a great brother you have! Don't let fear hold you back-it is a simple procedure with so many positives for you.

Hey Doddie -good going on your weight loss and reduced meds. Now those are victories you can be proud of. I too am a slow loser - but a happy one. My habits did need changing and the weight is gonna go. I am resolved to a new way of thinking about food and to being gentle with myself about how fast to lose. It took a long time to gain it, and I'll take my time losing the last 30 lbs. This is not a race but a lifestyle.

Hey - how are all you Feb bandies? Just got done on Feb 7, met 3 other people which was great - all being done on Feb 7. Thought I should start a Feb Band thread so we can keep in touch and let others know of our "recent" experiences. Dr. C and staff were marvelous and very confident. Before I went under I had a quick little inner panic moment. When I came out of it I had a little inner anxiety moment that lasted about 2 days. Finally fessed up to my daughter that I actually for about 24 hrs. wanted it out of me . Then BAM! I got over it. Now I'm absolutely in love with the idea of having an "inner conscience". Did the gas shoulder pain thing and it's almost gone. Having my fluids and lovely optifast (1 daily). Tried some cottage cheese and did great on it. Diet jello - good. Gardennay creamy soup - good. Coffee - great! Went through my closets and turfed out stuff cause I've lost 20 lbs. since Jan 23. Took out my next smallest sizes of clothes - tried them on and won't need to shop for about 6 wks I figure. All in all, this is an unbelievably positive thing and I am so optimistic and, oh yeah - NOT HUNGRY! How totally supercalifragilisticexpealidoshus (sp?) is that? Keep in touch and in tune everybody - let the support follow you! I'm gettin too happy - better go now. :kiss :clap2: :clap2:

Hi everybody - thought I would check in on all the February 2007 new "banditos". I don't get a lot of opportunity to check in and write to everyone - but today, I just said "Do it!" I have now lost 46 lbs. total. Am doing very well and happy to be losing - albeit slowly- but steadily. I have gone from size 22/20 to 16/14 depending on the cut. Feel great, feet, ankles, knees, hips and back no longer ache constantly. I am not into the exercise thing - but know someone who was banded same day as me and she has lost 65lbs. with a personal trainer. Life is so very good and this is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have had my 3rd fill (5.5cc in 10cm AP Inamed band)and have found it a bit restrictive but keeps me from overeating which was my aim in life. Have had the odd cheat like ice cream and chocolate - but if I deny myself completely, I get obsessed so I just have a little bit and then I'm over it. I eat everything that will go down comfortably: chicken and salmon are "trouble"; steak (tender, rare) is not bad; bread I have to chew the hell outta it or it gets stuck; veggies (raw) no problem, but cooked(oh boy it hurts when they come back up). Finally realized that my "full feeling" was happening way too fast and read another post from a bandster that said she had been swallowing too much air when she ate and that made her feel stuck. I started paying attention to that and by golly that made a real difference. Now I make sure I burp between every 2/3 bites. Sorry for the visuals, but really - it feels way better to eat now. If any of you out there would like to share your Feb 2007 and beyond experiences, it would sure be fun and probably very informative to swap stories. Come on all you banditos, talk to us - tell us your thoughts, dreams, light bulb moments. Take care all of you - you are all courageous calorie fighters!:whoo:

Sweetforlife - I was banded in Feb of this year by Dr. Coburn. Very positive experience both pre and post op with the clinic, staff, etc. I know 3 other people who were banded by him and he is our lapband guru. Great person and doctor for sure. You can't go wrong with his clinic. I have lost nearly 50 lbs. and would do it all over again if I had to. You'll never regret this surgery. I did regret not having it done sooner though. :clap2:

Hey Becca and everyone! Just read Becca's post and wanted to say that I think there really is a bit of a grieving period for sure about wanting lots of food and whatever we want, when we want it. Good news! We can't eat a lot now cause our band reminds us to slow down. Milkshake sounds good to me especially if it was chocolate - for now I have resisted but I don't doubt that I will have the odd slip now and then. I just tried microwaved mashed/mushed eggs and got reminded that one egg fills me up when I could have a whole breakfast with bacon and toast and peanut butter before the band. I feel so much joy in knowing I have control at last (with help from my little bandalien friend in there). Just think of the band as your safety net if you feel like your gonna fall. It catches us and tells us not to worry because we are safe now from the predator food pangs that have plagued us all our lives. Oh yeah, I still want sweets, but I think about that band and this is absolutely the first time in my life I have not given in. You know why? Cause I feel HOPE instead of having this sinking feeling that I can't keep up the denial. Will I have the odd forbidden low nutrition blow out - probably. Will I keep on doing that? No way. I have HOPE inside me (literally) and its holding my hand (stomach?)throughout this trip telling me that it will not let me fail forever. I am one week further along from surgery than you are right now and I know that a week ago, I was also feeling some despair. Go ahead and feel it, you will get past it. From what I see of the posts in this forum, you are as normal as the day is long. Don't be so hard on yourself - you are gonna win this battle for once and for all. Look what courageous steps you have taken so far. Some will be baby steps, some will be giant leaps. Now exercise that face and SMILE! What a good job you are doing. :kiss2:

Good luck Suzie - I'll send good vibes out to the universe for you. It'll be over afore you knows it.

Becca the gas is a weird thing - I even had it up each side of my body to under my armpits. I can say that as of today, I think it is all gone.... I also used the heating pad which helped a lot. Congrats b russell and jcinabita. Keep the faith, it gets better and better.:bandit

Way to go all you newly banded stomachs. Conroe, good luck - you will love your new way of life. Becca, been following your progress to bandland and just know we are all on the sidelines cheering you on. Hey Astro - good to hear your feeling better. :clap2: