Do your docs LISTEN to you?

[Klisa 0]

I'm reading about all sort of folks who are suffering with not being able to be comfortable, not being able to eat or drink much of anything, having to sleep certain ways, experiencing nausea and vomiting very regularly, etc...

I know that these are all par for the course, but if you are experiencing symptoms that are not dissipating, doesn't that indicate that maybe your band is too tight? If that's the case, shouldn't your doctor take out a bit of the fill? Shouldn't they be listening to you and saying, 'OK, lets try this then...'?

My cousin's wife was originally banded in Dec and STILL can hardly eat any solids, can only eat a meal that's about the size of an egg (if that), vomits almost every day, etc. She told the person doing her fills about her issues and he basically nodded his head and said, 'yep, that's to be expected'.

I'm a newbie so maybe I have no clue yet, but if the doc told me that after so long, I'd want to deck him! Shouldn't your band be adjusted so that you can live a fairly normal existance so long as you are 'good'? Obviously if you are overindulging then you're going to suffer the consequences, but if you are doing what you should be, shouldn't you be able to do it comfortably for the most part? Or do I just have a seriously rude awakening coming?

[Bree99 1]

Yes, you should be able to live a normal existance, just not eat as much. I am able to eat anything if I chew well and I have never vomited. I am losing weight regularly and enjoying life. The band must be adjusted properly and that is different for each person.

[Klisa 0]

That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Curious how common your experience is vs the bad experiences.

I wanna be like YOU!

[Melinco 1]

She is definitely too tight! And that type of response, the vomiting and only eating about an egg-size portion, is definitely not normal!

I've been banded 7.5 months and I don't PB, slime, etc. Makes me wonder how much her doctor really knows about the band if he thinks that is normal reaction to the band.

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

I'm curious who is doing her fills. And why she is still getting fills if she's this full? Something isn't right and she needs and appointment with her doc/PA/NP whomever, not for a fill, but to sit down and discuss her problems and yeah, she probably needs a slight unfill. Now, I personally know several people who keep their band so tight they can barely eat and vomit frequently....they want to lose the weight faster (but in fact a couple have sabotaged themselves and are gaining because they're living on crap). Life with a band should not be miserable. You SHOULD be able to go out and eat a fairly normal meal with your family and not be miserable.

Good luck with everything! On an average day I kinda forget my band is there....it's fairly amazing actually.

[Froggie D 1]

I agree. You should be able to have a life. I have gotten stuck and it has come back up on several occasions, but they have been when I did not eat small bites, ate too fast and did not chew well enough.

When I do what I am supposed to, I can eat anything, eat comfortably, and still lose weight. I got my band to improve my life, not to make it miserable!

I think some people want the band to do more than its share so they get over restricted and suffer. It just doesn't work right that way. I have found that when I do what I am supposed to do, it does what it is supposed to do.

I love my band!

[LeighaMason 19]

i think some people want the band to do more than its share so they get over restricted and suffer. It just doesn't work right that way. I have found that when i do what i am supposed to do, it does what it is supposed to do.

I love my band!

like.........

[Jachut 487]

The opinion I've formed over the years based on stuff like this is that there's an awful lot of doctors out there who obviously got onto banding as a money spinner and a) know NOTHING about nutrition know NOTHING about how to actually manage a lapband and c) know NOTHING about the challenges and issues of overcoming obesity. They are surgeons, pure and simple, they place the band and then they try to give aftercare that they are simply not qualified to give.

Doctors have no business letting a patient exist on a liquid diet, they really have little business insisting a patient stick to some predetermined fill schedule, when its a totally individual thing and they really have little business arguing that the patient does or doesnt need a fill. They have no business chiding patients if they dont fit some statistical weight loss pattern and its pretty darn stupid to make people believe that there's no chance of losing any more than 60% of excess weight.

And (take a breath Jacqui) they also have absolutely no business setting people's goal weights for them. They know very little about a person's determination to succeed, or conversely about a patients lack of real desire to be thin when they just want to be healthier. They cannot possibly tell you that this weight or that is not realistic or that you wont get to it.

I would run a mile from a doctor who did any of that. I simply wouldnt believe he gave a crap about me as a a person rather than viewing me as a weight loss statistic (or risk) to bolster his practice.

[dman3998 0]

The opinion I've formed over the years based on stuff like this is that there's an awful lot of doctors out there who obviously got onto banding as a money spinner and a) know NOTHING about nutrition :tongue2: know NOTHING about how to actually manage a LAP-BAND® and c) know NOTHING about the challenges and issues of overcoming obesity. They are surgeons, pure and simple, they place the band and then they try to give aftercare that they are simply not qualified to give.

Doctors have no business letting a patient exist on a liquid diet, they really have little business insisting a patient stick to some predetermined fill schedule, when its a totally individual thing and they really have little business arguing that the patient does or doesnt need a fill. They have no business chiding patients if they dont fit some statistical weight loss pattern and its pretty darn stupid to make people believe that there's no chance of losing any more than 60% of excess weight.

And (take a breath Jacqui) they also have absolutely no business setting people's goal weights for them. They know very little about a person's determination to succeed, or conversely about a patients lack of real desire to be thin when they just want to be healthier. They cannot possibly tell you that this weight or that is not realistic or that you wont get to it.

I would run a mile from a doctor who did any of that. I simply wouldnt believe he gave a crap about me as a a person rather than viewing me as a weight loss statistic (or risk) to bolster his practice.

I can tell I dont want to get on your bad side!

I agree 100% there are some real jokers that are masquerading as doctors out there.

I think part of the problem is "we" and I mean the general public are more or less conditioned to let the "experts" tell us how what why where and when. I challenge most of what my Doc tells me and make him explain it to MY satisfaction. and I do a lot of research on the internet to get educated on any particular medical subject before I even go see someone.

That's how I roll anyway.

dman

[Jachut 487]

Lol, I dont really bite, but some issues really get my goat, this happens to be one of them.

[eve529 0]

If you are vomiting nearly daily and can only eat soft foods, your band is too tight.

It's VERY dangerous to vomit so much.

I am posting this so none of you make the mistake I did. I suffered for 18 months with a band that was too tight. I slimed daily, and could only eat soft foods and liquids, but the thing was that I was still hungry and gaining weight!

I was ashamed to go back to my doc since I was gaining weight, and I foolishly assumed that if I was gaining weight the band wasn't tight enough.

I finally went back yesterday with my tail between my legs, because I learned that frequent vomiting can cause fatal issues with the esophagus. I didn't know what the solution was, but the doc was very understanding and she said that I had probably switched to a soft food diet out of necessity, and thus was unable to eat most protein-rich foods --you know, the kind I'm supposed to be eating 60g a day of to help me feel satisfied. She was right. My diet started deteriorating because I was trying to work around a too tight band, with little success.

So despite the fact that I have gained a substantial amount of weight over the last 18 months, my Doc loosened my band. It's only been a day, but I can't tell you what a relief it is. I can't believe I liked like that for a year and a half! I actually can swallow chicken breast and fish now! I am much less hungry and feel much better.

My doc's having me return in a month. I have high hopes that with my concentrated effort and a properly inflated band, the scale will move in the right direction again.

I am so glad I finally stopped the foolishness and faced the music at my doc's office.