Kaiser Richmond Pre-op

[Ali2010 1]

Ash, way to go!! You're doing great!

If anyone is intersted, Thrift Town is a big thrift store here in Sacto on Fair Oaks Blvd and they are having a big sale this Friday, 50% off all clothing! And thier prices are cheap to begin with!! Today I got a pair of cute brown Mudd brand shoes for $1.50! I have become a thrift store shopper trying to keep clothes in my closet that aren't to baggie!!

[swrktp 1]

I shop thrift stores too........only way to keep up with the jeans sizes. I think I pay 5 dollars for jeans.

Now that I am losing slower I don't need to go as often but the first six months I was going once a month. There are lots of cool thrift stores around.............Thrift town is one of my least favorite. There are a couple I know of that always have lots of plus size clothes and alot of the 14/16s................Ali we need to talk-) I might have a couple you don't know about!!

Cole:

I am considered a lap band success. I have lost 50. Sixty at one time but lost my fill and now struggling to lose that 10 again. But I needed to lose 100. So I am not satisfied with just 50. I think it is a matter of what is success on paper and what do you think personally is success. For me I won't fell like my band worked until I am 100 down. Doesn't mean it didn't help me take 50 off.

My person view is that is............if you have a food Addiction you should not get the band. Because an addiction left untreated can find a way to defeat the band easy. All the surgeries can be defeated but band is very easy to outrun.........you can do it without really knowing or thinking your doing it. Anyone with an addiction that thinks the band (or surgery) will cure it won't succeed or they will get cross addicted to something else. If you don't have a food addiction and just need some motivation and a tool to help the band is great.

Not that anyone with a food addiction can't succeed with band but you have to be willing to get the counseling and be willing to serious address the food issues and come up and not eat around them. I think most of us a year or so out realize the different between head and body hunger and how the more weight you lose and the more you take away your comfort..........food the more your gonna struggle and other issues are gonna flare up.

WIth the other surgeries it is much harder to outrun them or fool them...............biologically!! So if you know you have serious food addiction or your not willing to work your butt off to manage them than the band is quite easy for addictions to overrun.

For me the more the weight falls off and the more I avoid my trigger foods the worse my anxiety gets..............that is something they just don't tell you up front and I don't think they even would know up front. But I have watched about 80% of my banded friends (and RNY) friends got through major life changes ans stressor the first year outta surgery. Divorces, cross addictions, stress, anxiety, anti depressants, ER visits......................along with the weight lost.

I really think that the band is for people who don't have a food addiction or who are in recover and working on not using food. Because I assure you an addiction can beat the band easiest out of the three surgeries.

That said if your motivated to lose weight shouldn't you also be motivated to get emotionally healthy at the same time................all three surgeries can be beat but the band you can beat right out the door if you don't get the addictions and psychologically issues nipped in the bud quickly.

So maybe Kaiser has figure this out without really know why...............just like band fails more often in the first year. I was also told they have a percentage of RNYs gaining back at last 50 pounds or more the second year.

Anyway...........thinking just my thoughts today on why sleeve might be better for some and RNY for some and than again band for some.

THIS IS NOT THE OPINION OF A DOCTOR!! LOL. I work with addicts and have been for 20 years this is based on my thinking that way and wondering how food addictions play into the picture.................

[momcof3 1]

I agree with some of what you said Tina. When someone loses a lot of weight, other issues usually are uncovered - and the best thing is to then take care of those issues. And whether you lose the weight fast or over time the same issues will come up - either sooner or later. I have never been diagnosed as having a food addiction but I know I used food to cover up feelings and emotions. I have been working on that for the last year and a half and it is a work in progress. But in my personal opinion it wouldn't have mattered what surgery I had or how fast I lost the weight, the issues would still be there. It would be nice if there were bariatric psychologists at all of the Kaisers - I think they would see the long term success go up.

I just hope that all of us realize that in the end we are still responsible for making the right choices for years to come - all of the surgeries prevent us from eating a lot at one time, but none of them prevent us from grazing through the day.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

[skiingj 0]

Ash - Wow!!! What a difference!!! You are rock'in it!!!

Good to see everyone at this past weekends meeting/lunch!!! Missed those that could not attend.

[swrktp 1]

I sorta think we all have food addictions...........some worse than others. Sometimes the band is enough to break someone of the bad habits, but I think more often it makes it easier to cheat.

RNY you can cheat for sure. I know people who do it and still lose like crazy. Eating ice cream and sugar all the time and still losing like crazy. BUT..........the body will eventually catch up with all the abuse. JUst it seems like you can cheat from day one and still lose and be a "success."

SLEEVE:

I don't know yet how that works since it is new. But your stomach is permenently restricted.

WIth the band I know alot of people who have voluntarily asked to get the Fluid out cause they wanna eat, or they are going on vacation...........Some get to goal weight and ask for it to be taken out. From what I have read on the board they usually gain back the weight until the fill is put back in. With Sleeve and RNY that isn't an option. LOL. You can't reverse what you did for a vacation or something!! LOL. There is also always a lower stomach to fill up if you get it past the band...............the other two don't have the lower stomach anymore.

[swrktp 1]

They said from day one if you got the band it was mostly effort with the band as your back up.................If you feel like you need more than a backup than RNY would be a more successful option.

For me grazing is NOT the issue as much as getting to tight and swelling badly every time I get a fill or unfill. I have only been at my sweet spot briefly becuase of the the fills, unfills and the ER visits................everytime I get close I get to tight again and swell the band shut. I get discouraged and feel like for some reason my body HATES the band or that it is my fault I can't handle fills very well.But I have freely admitted out of all of the group I got banded with I am the only one who has had this issue. Just the way my body deals with having a foriegn object/band.............I think it rebells and argues everytime I get a fill. Like Donna said at the last group the stomach hates to be messed with. I know mine does..........I think I probably need to stay home the next day after a fill next time so I can get used to it and not rush right back to work and stress!! LOL

Edited July 27, 2010 by swrktp

[swrktp 1]

stupid jury duty going on my second day...............need to be at work!!!

[momcof3 1]

Maybe your band is as tight as it can be without problems Tina. Do you feel okay if you eat 1/3 - 1/2 c Protein the three times a day and if you do, do you lose weight?

From the information I read about the sleeve, the pouch can stretch just like the RNY pouch can. I also know people who have had RNY, lost 100 lbs and have gained most of it back within two years after surgery - one lady said she figured out from the beginning that she could eat a bite sized candy bar every hour. I felt bad for her because what option does she have now. I am not perfect in my eating by far as my mind is sometimes stronger than my willpower.

I think I will eventually get my band tightened some more but maybe not back to 7 cc - that was too tight for me.

I'm watching "Huge" right now - it is kind of scary how big some of these young adults are.

[swrktp 1]

We are watching HUGE too!! The girls are big and so young. Sneaking all the candy...............

I very well could be as tight as I can be without problems but I can easily eat a cup of just about anything and stuck at 15 pounds lost since May.

The Proteins are about .5 to 1 cup right now. TOM is over so back to normal.................I would like to be at .5 for what the pouch holds. The goal is .25 but I think my body can't do that I will swell that small.

My band hurts or feels like it is streching when the food goes through it. Been doing that since the last fill.

[swrktp 1]

Pam did Dr. Im get back to you??

I have had two days of protiens only. Robin wanted to see how much protien I am eating at a time so we can see if I need a fill. So far about.5 to a cup for most protiens. ok maybe 3/4 a cup!! LOL. But I get hungry before 4 hours. The vegetables and salad over a cup easy...................I think Riley does salad first han protien on top to prevent getting hungry quick.

I am craving sugar like crazy. Can watermelon kick the cravings in? I know the crystal light makes me crave sugar so I am trying to change to water...................

Pam how is your restriction or do you know?? LOL. How do you know .7 is to tight??? YOu have that fill for a long time. Do you think if you were loser you would have lost better?? 80 pounds is better than regular lap band success.......

Edited July 27, 2010 by swrktp

[momcof3 1]

No I haven't heard back from Dr Im yet - maybe he isn't going to respond.

I haven't tested my band to see what can go through and I don't plan to - I will be able to see if 4 oz Protein and 1/2 c cooked vegetables will be okay next Tuesday.

The reason I said 7 cc was too much for my band is that most the time even if I only at 1/3 cup dense protein it was painful. I have not tried to eat a cup of protein or salad or veggies at one meal - I tell myself that even if I could eat that much that I won't even if I am still hungry otherwise I am not working my band. I think maybe I wasn't getting enough calories each day to lose weight - too few calories will stall weight loss too.

Gonna go take a bike ride with my daughter before it gets dark.

[singand_dance 8]

Just got back from walking the dog. It is so cool out tonight! I could have easily worn long pants and been comfortable.

Doing good Ash! Keep it up! I only know one person (besides you guys) with a sle.eve. She's 2 or 3 years out and doing fantastic. Congrats miss size 14!!!

[momcof3 1]

Hi Heather - I was actually kind of cold on my bike ride with shorts on. Nice though.

I heard back from Dr Im and this is what he said -"There is no discussion to "phase out" the lap band. Every procedure has their pros/cons. As more data becomes available, we realize that patients don't lose as much weight and the weight comes off much slower with the lap band. Generally, removing the portion of the stomach with the sleeve, you remove the area that produces one of the hunger hormones, but hunger can still return."

So I guess the rumor that they were stopping lapband surgery wasn't accurate.

I am curious if they publish their statistics anywhere we can see?

[swrktp 1]

Heather glad your back.............really nice outside tonight.

Wow 1/3 cup and it was painful? That is pretty tight. Do you know what 1/3 cup is ounce wise? I think that is more than they were saying was the "perfect" restriction of 1/4 cup. So if that was true than they would still technically still need to give you a fill. So you would be really, really tight at the perfect restriction. If it was painful to eat than I bet you were staying full longer than the 4-6 hours. Do you know what your cal intake per day was. I thought you said you were sometimes eating soft foods just to get something in for the day when nothing was staying down. So you were only eating 1/3 a cup three times a day and didn't lose......I bet you were only eating 500 calorories or so a day. I didn't realize that.

For me I am not sure working the band is staying at 1/3 to 1/4 cup if your hungry all the time or sooner than the 4-6 hours recommended. THat might be working the pre op diet and the rules but I think it is alot about willpower which we can do without a band. The band is suppose to help with the hunger and amounts. If I need 3/4 to a cup to stay full for the 4-6 hours I eat it. I just try to eat a protien and salad or a vegetable and not junk food. When I ear more than a cup of anything it is salad with Beans for protiens. I am vegetarian but still I am not gonna stay at 1/4 a cup three times a day if I am stil hungry I don't consider that working the band. To me that is inviting temptataion later when I am starving........I consider that a sign I probably need a fill so I get full and stay full longer. Why have a tool if your gonna do it on your own anyway? I got the band to help me do well, not so I would be in the same place with the willpower and struggle as before surgery.

Everyone is different so working the band is different for everyone. It is hard to understand full and the sweet spot until you hit it.

[swrktp 1]

So he got back to you. I emailed the same thing to my doc two weeks ago and nothing.

Pam he didn't say they were phasing the band out but if you read between the lines you can see he is saying the stats and results with the sleeve are better. I can tell which way he leans just by reading that. I think it is an informal leaning away from the band.

It would fit with what people have said about the casemanager saying go sleeve and with other people reporting that the sleeve is being recommended by the docs when they bring up the band........

In the long run it doesn't matter to me as I am banded. I just like to know where the docs are coming from and why. If Kaiser ever told me they recommend a switch or if I ever have my band removed I would consider it. I would also considering just forgetting the whole bariatric surgery thing.

Sounds to me like there are lots of sleevsters out there 2-3 years out that are going very well and are happy with the surgery.