Cleo's Mom

sil - did your doctor tell you why he chose that size band for you? And not one of the newer ones?

I cannot get my replies to private messages to go through. I tried three times. They still show up as new messages - not replied to. What is going on?

Sara - despite what you say about not being too tight it might not be true. If you are only eating slider foods it doesn't matter that you can eat a lot of them. You still can be too tight. Not losing or gaining weight is often a symtpom of being too tight. You need to discuss this with your doctor and get an upper GI to see what is going on. How many cc's you have in your band does not necessarily correlate to tightness. Find out what is going on. Now, for foods with sauces. Try buying a rotissiere chicken and remove the skin. Add it to some fat free gravy (heinz makes it) and put this over some mashed potatoes. I eat this and have had no problem with chicken. Try steaming veggies and eat no sugar added fruit in cups. You can buy those steamer bags. Add "I can't believe it's not butter spray" (0 calories) to help flavor the veggies. You might have better luck with these. Make a salad and put in the food processor (use the slicing device - not shredding) and add a little olive oil and vinegar and spices. These are just some suggestions. Finally, you could truely have band intolerance but you will need additional testing, I think, before you come to that conclusion. And 55 pounds in two years is 1/2 pound a week - that is not bad. You said you didn't have as much weight to lose to begin with. I wish you the best of luck.

For all of you that have the 10CM band (4cc) - when & where (US or Mexico, etc.) did you have your surgery and did your doctor tell you why he chose that size band that isn't used much anymore (replaced by the AP standard 10CC)? Also - what was your fill schedule like (amount each fill)? Thanks.

For those who have the older lapband model that only holds 4cc - what was your fill schedule like and where did you reach your sweet spot? Did you have any problems with reflux, heartburn or pain when eating? Thanks.

The FDA has given Reglan a black box warning. Use only if there is no other choice but I don't blame you for not taking it now. Do more research about it and ask if there is an alternative medicine. There was a similar drug called Propulsid that they took off the market years ago. You have lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. I think a complete unfill is in order. See what your doctor says, but your whole system will need time to heal. Good luck.

Alwaysinpain: Pain is always a sign that something is wrong. Please get an upper GI. Also, check for pancreatitis or some other pancreatic problem. And then go for a second opinion. I did that and ended up changing doctors. My former one was too inexperienced. Good luck. BTW - left shoulder pain is very common after banding. You will find many posts about that here. No one (read: doctor) seems to know how to get rid of it.

What is complicated about knowing how many cc's are in your band? Or trying to find your sweet spot? Sounds like you need to be assertive with this doctor. Never accept rude behavior. Doctors are too often used to being treated like gods. It's our job to bring them back to earth.

As to crappy doctors - can't help there - and changing usually isn't an opionon as most doc's won't take another docs patient - you can find them but it can be hard Well, I can help there because I did it. It wasn't hard. I just did my research and my new doctor's website says he takes patients who have had WLS previously. If her doctor is inexperienced or just isn't very good, then she owes it to herself to find a new one.

Anytime you feel horrible pain something is wrong. You need to get to the doctor for an evaluation. Probably an upper GI. Pain is not normal and only being able to drink. You are not just getting stuck if after the food went down it hurt to drink. It could be a slip or band erosion. You need to call your doctor and get evaluated ASAP. Good luck.

Elizabeth: Other than the barium swallow test showing that there was no slip - what else did it show? Was the barium going down without a problem? Was the pouch or esophagus dilated? If they don't know what the problem is - what are they going to fix during surgery? Here is my suggestion. Get a copy of your upper GI on disc and take it to another doctor for a second opinion. I don't know how experienced your surgeon is in bariatric surgery but having another set of eyes look at the test might help. I got a second opinion and am now changing doctors. Mine former doctor was just not experienced enought to deal with my problems. You owe it to yourself to find out what the problems is. Good luck.

Okay, people, here is my band philosophy: The band is promoted as tool to help you to be satisfied with eating less (healthy) food. Some foods and drinks you won't be able to tolerate. Other than that, I don't think anyone signed on to develop reflux, heartburn, pain when eating, liquid coming out of their nose during the night or the whole host of complications people seem willing to put up with. I know I didn't. Having the doctor tell you to stop eating or drinking after a certain time, or taking a decongestant, etc.. is not the answer. Why shouldn't you be able to take a drink of water before bedtime? Or during the night? That's normal. If you can't - in my opinion - something is wrong. No amount of weight loss is worth putting up with being unhealthy or miserable. I don't care if I lose another ounce. I was overfilled and developed reflux, heartburn and pain and when I got a slight unfill they resolved. My husband had GERD all his adult life, a hiatal hernia, aspirated food during the night and died of esophageal cancer 3 years ago. This is nothing to mess around with.

I buy a whole rotissiere chicken and remove the skin as I use it. Then I slice chicken off this and add it to fat free gravy (over mashed potatoes) or add some BBQ sauce to it. But it seems moist enough that I don't think it would get stuck by itself. Chicken is almost the only meat I eat. I got stuck on an onion ring and too big a bite of turkey and stuffing.

Barb - the 4cc band has a smooth inside tube whereas the 10cc VG band has individual chambers - something like scalloped - that hold the fluid. There are those who say that design is better because less of the inner tubing touches the stomach reducing the chances of erosion. I don't know. My new doctor only uses the Realize band and his hospital has been named #1 two years in a row for bariatric surgery in my state - based in part by the very low complication rate. I don't anticipate having to have my band changed, but it would have been nice for my former doctor to give me the correct information about what band I have.

Jachut - I got that information from CORE - Center for Obesity Research & Education in Australia. When I found out the information about my band it had an expiration date of June 30, 2009. My (former) doctor took over a practice of a retiring bariatric surgeon and it is my belief that the practice came with bands on hand and he wanted to use them up before they expired (expiration date, I think, meaning the guaranteed sterility date) - otherwise it doesn't make sense using a band that is not used much anymore having been replaced by the AP Standard bands - which have a different interior tubing. I would love to have the experience with my band that you have had with yours and hope to achieve that with my new doctor. My appt. with him is on May 4th for an upper GI to see if the problems have resolved. Thanks for your input.

Update on the 4cc band: I just did some research and found out that this band should be filled in small increments usually less than 0.5cc and as little as 0.2cc can make a difference in effect. The average volume to achieve the sweet spot is 2.3cc. My (former) doctor put in 2cc with the first fill and 1cc with the second fill (total 3cc) and then blamed me when I had all those problems of reflux, heartburn and pain. Could he possibly have convinced himself that I had the 10 cc band? All the more reason to leave him for a doctor who knows what he is doing.

From my own personal experience, and those who have been following my lapband drama on these boards know, I will tell you what I expect from a surgeon. First, he should be a bariatric surgeon exclusively. Not a general surgeon who does bandings & fills and bypasses almost on the side. Second, he should be experienced. Third, he should be knowledgable about the complexities of obesity. One size does not fit all. Fourth, he should be willing to listen to your questions and if he doesn't know the answers, say so and then find out. Fifth, he should stay current by attending bariatric conferences and symposiums and bring that knowledge back to his practice. Sixth, he (or designate) should be accessible after hours for those problems and concerns that can't wait until normal business hours. For many of these reasons, I just changed doctors this week. So, sometimes, it isn't the patient, it is the surgeon. Now, as to how the band is promoted. It is promoted as allowing you to only eat a small amount of food that will satisfy you for several hours. Healthy foods, of course. Nowhere does it say the band should cause pain, heartburn, reflux, hiatal hernias. I know that's not what I signed up for. For those who reach their sweet spot without suffering any of these problems - great. They are among the lucky ones. But read these boards, for many, many bandsters - it is not working this way, despite their best efforts.

Lisa, I hear your frustration and while I agree that most doctors wait until 6-8 weeks to do a fill - most don't do a good job of telling patients what to expect during that time. And it is not up to the patient to be knowledgable enough at this point to ask the right questions. Is your surgeon a general surgeon who does bariatric surgery also? That's what mine is/was. I just switched surgeons this week to one in a top ranked hospital of excellence. My new surgeon only does bariatric surgery. My former surgeon only met with bariatric patients on Tuesday afternoons and I had two appts. canceled due to emergencies (that I presume where his general surgeon patients). When I met with him 3 weeks post op (no fill) he wanted me to lose 10-15 pound within the next 3 weeks (by the next appt). How about that for "not getting it?" He was all about the number on the scale. What I have found is that with me, I still have to rely heavily on willpower to avoid overeating. I had many problems with my last fill (had to have that amount unfilled) and that, along with other factors, caused me to get a second opinion and eventually change doctors. If your doctor is not a full time bariatric surgeon, that might be a problem for you. You can private message me if you want more information about my lapband journey (I was banded 9/08) because much of my experience sounds like what you are going through with your doctor. Good luck.

Just banded - good luck on your "trying to get pregnant" journey. I just hope you don't get morning sickness and have to add your Linda Blair exorcist picture again. LOL. I still laugh about that and your evil carrots. I'll bet you never ate them again. Anyway, I think getting a total unfill is the right thing to do. And you might be surprised at how little you can eat. Plus you know the right foods to eat now, anyway. Even if you do eat a little more, you will be eating healthy because you know how and healthy eating is good for the baby. Again, good luck.

prurep: I assume you are totally unfilled. If that is the case and you are still having all the problems then your band will probably have to come out or at the very least replaced later if you still want to go that way. Maybe they could go in laprascopically to see what is going on. Good luck in any case. I just changed doctors because mine was/is inexperienced and I developed some problems that he did not address to my satisfaction, among other things. Maybe you need a new set of eyes to look at all your tests. Just a thought.

Thanks, restless, I made a copy of that information. Plus, and here is the funny thing, on that medical records report it listed as manufacturer: General Store. What did he do, pick it up at Wal Mart on his way to surgery? I called Allergan and gave them the serial number and it indeed was one of theirs, but general store? Who knows? Maybe it was an old one and he wanted to use it up before starting to use the newer ones. I may never know.

I did some additional research on these two types of bands and the one I have is a smooth continuous tube whereas the AP Standard 10 cc is scalloped (like the letter mmmm) creating little chambers that I understand minimize the contact of the band on the stomach and might reduce chances of erosion.

I got the report from medical records today and I have a 10 CM band (the length of the band) that holds 0-4cc and I do not have the AP Standard #10 (which holds 10 cc) that I was told I have by my doctor's nurse. This is one of many reasons I changed doctors the other day and now will be going to someone more experienced and who hopefully knows what kind of band he puts in his patients. BTW, this band is not used much anymore I am told, and there was an expiration date of June 30, 2009 listed with all the band info. I was banded 8/22/08. I am going to find out what that means, too. Does anyone else have this band? If so, what has been your experience? Thanks.

Lilith - if you have a hard time telling family members what you need from them, try writing it in a letter and sending it to them. Don't be critical - just tell them what you want and how it makes you feel when they are unsupportive or critical. Then tell them that the next time you call, you hope they will be supportive and understanding. Then if you call and they still say mean things - just say "Well, it's obvious you aren't going to change and I need supportive people in my life right now, so when you're ready to be supportive, give me a call." And hang up. That's all you can do. You can't really change people - only your reaction to them. Forget the guilt. You have nothing to be guilty about. If you do the above, the ball will be in their court.

lilith - I'm older than you (58) and have dealt with mean people in my family and at work, etc..Here is how I deal with them. If they don't treat me in an acceptable way - they are out of my life. Period. Life is too short to deal with people like this. Tell your grandfather that you are having this surgery for your health and based on medical opinions. You are doing it so you will be there for your kids. Ask him for his support and to refrain from any negative or mean comments about it. Tell him what you need from him. And tell him that if he is unable to do that, then you will be unable to call or contact him. People have to be motivated to change. If he wants you in his life, he will change, if he is not willing to change - well, then, that tells you a lot. My beloved husband died 3 years ago of cancer and I haven't spoken to his mother in over 6 years. Because of her treatment of us. I also haven't spoken to my brother or his family in almost 15 years -again because of the way they treated us and my parents. I don't miss any of them. My life is much better, healthier without them. No more negativity, drama, battles, etc... I have only people who care about me (and me them) in my life. One of the big lessons I've learned. Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I wish you much success.