Cleo's Mom

Thank you for your honest answers, Meschultz. I appreciate your input. I have a problem identifying with the past eating patterns of many of the posters. I was a thin person until my 30's and I put on weight not by eating fast food or junk food but by eating a few more calories a day than I burned. Sure I sometimes ate out of boredom or stress or ate the wrong foods. But over 35 years (I'm 57) just a little bit too much each day adds up. My biggest problem has always been my appetite. When I was young I could eat a lot of food and not gain weight. So after many years of dieting - the hunger and appetite always won. When I saw the ad of TV with the woman saying (with a lion roaring in the background) "that was my appetite - always roaring at me..eat, eat..eat" - I was walking out of the room and I stopped and said to myself "that's me - what is this ad for?" And I saw if was for lapband and I knew that I needed something to control my appetite. So here I am several years later with the band (9/22) and one fill and food just does not taste good to me. I started this journey a year ago with the 6 month diet and truthfully - I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten something that tasted good or eaten a meal that satisfied me. This is especially true since the band. My biggest fear is that I will have the worst of both worlds - restriction that won't allow me to eat but still being hungry. I only cook for myself - my husband died 3 years ago and my kids are married. So I don't eat out much or have to worry about preparing food for others. I just wish I would get to the point where I am not hungry and what I eat satisfies me. Thanks again.

Meschultz - I have only had one fill and am a long way from reaching my sweet spot but can you tell me something and please be honest. Do you still enjoy food - the taste and just eating? By eating such small bites and chewing to a liquid stage does food still taste good? Also, do you eat out and if so how do you eat that slow or do you take such a small amount that you are on pace with fellow diners? When eating at home, how do you keep food warm? Do you keep reheating it in the microwave? These are just some practical things I have thought of and had to deal with. Thank you.

Annie - I'm with you and I've said that several times on this board. There should be a dietary standard that bariatric surgeons have their patients follow. And there should be sound medical reasons for it. And the patients should be told what they are. I am a patient who asks a lot of questions and gets copies of every test. I also thought they attended symposiums and topics like this were discussed. While I am not a fan of one size fits all medicine it seems like from doctor to doctor that is the approach each uses. If it is a strict doctor - all his patients are put on the most restrictive program, etc...I would like to see more uniformity among these surgeons. There are standards of care for cancer patients, why not bariatric patients?

I buy New Whey liquid protein from GNC. It is 42g of protein for 3oz. It comes in 4 flavors: grape, fruit punch, orange and raspberry. I have had the last 3 and mix it with the same flavor of crystal lite. It's an easy way to get a lot of protein. I don't like the milk based protein drinks. Or the powdered ones.

Do you feel nothing when you eat? Not the least bit of pressure or that you shouldn't eat anymore? Can you still eat the same amount as before the band both in quanity and types of foods? Maybe after another fill you might feel something. Some people need 8 fills to reach their "sweet spot". Maybe your next fill should be done under x-ray to see what is going on. Would your doctor do that? I've only had one fill and can feel some pressure when I eat but I don't feel satisfied and am still hungry most of the time.

Thank you Mindy for your response. I am going to ask my doctor about the shoulder pain. If he doesn't think it's related to the banding or fill (and he probably won't) then I am going to my PCP. As for the stuffing and cornbread - I had eaten stuffing before but only in those frozen diet dinners. And I thought cornbread was crumbly not sticky like rolls- but I do think I took too big of a bite and didn't chew. I will say this in all honesty - food does not taste good to me now. After all that chewing it just loses its taste to me. I will adhere to the diet and continue with fills but I haven't enjoyed food in a long time and I certainly haven't been satisfied with eating. I don't identify with a lot of the eating histories of people on this board. I didn't eat fast food or a gallon of ice cream or have a lot of junk food in the house. I just ate more calories of normal food than I burned. And I did this over 30+ years. I am 57. I am not unhappy with the weight I am now but to lose more weight I am going to need some help from this band.

I developed shoulder pain after my first fill on 11/11. On the same day. It feels much like the shoulder pain I had after surgery on 9/22 (which went away in a few weeks). I don't think it's a coincidence. Has this happened to anyone else? Also, I have not lost any weight since the 2 weeks post-op liquid phase of my diet. Here is my biggest fear - having all the worst aspects of the band (pain, pressure, not being able to eat many foods, etc..) without the one benefit I wanted when I got this band - controlling my hunger. I know one fill doesn't usually do it - but I've already had one bad episode at Thanksgiving. After two bites of food - one stuffing and the other cornbread, I had major pain for a half an hour. I must have either eaten too big a bite or not chewed enough because I don't think it was the food itself. Anyway, any thoughts? I am frustrated at this point. Is it a trade off - pain in order to control hunger? I just read so much about people PBing and vomiting and having pain. I know myself and I will not lose weight unless my hunger is controlled. I weigh 183 now and have lost 63 pounds on my own and through all the dieting with this program and procedure.

The FDA issued a black box warning about two prescription oral sodium phosphate products - Visicol and OsmoPrep - used for bowel preps. The warning is also for over the counter bowel preps such as Fleet Phospho-soda. They all can pose the kidney risk of acute phosphate nephropathy which is a type of acute kidney injury. Talk to your doctor if any of these are recommended for you prior to surgery.

I agree that there should be a standard set of dietary guidelines. Don't these bariatric surgeons go to symposiums or something and isn't there data to suggest what it best? Shouldn't there be research or medical justification for the dietary restrictions we are put on? I hope that it isn't a hit or miss approach with each doctor trying his or her thing to find out what works. My doctor is on the strict end but I read about so many whose doctors were lenient. And they seem to be doing okay.

If you are peeing brown and you had some prior bleeding you really need to contact your surgeon. Neither is normal. If your are hydrated enough your pee should be pale yellow or clear. Don't assume you are better until you talk to your doctor.

I would definitely be concerned about what looked like brown blood and pink blood. I think you should call your surgeon and tell him that. And tell him that you may be dehydrated. Six pounds in 24 hours is not normal. You are probably not able to get enough fluids now.

At two week post op I was still on clear liquids. Then it was on to mushies for a week then a soft diet for 4 weeks. Why are you eating a full solid meal so soon? Does your doctor allow this? You are still healing and so is the band and your stomach. That much food probably irritated the band and you might still have some swelling. You should follow your doctor's guidelines for food or call your nutritionist. It sounds like you did too much too soon. Good luck.

I am 57 years old and 5'5" and weighed about 245 over 3 years ago. I lost weight on my own and then last year with the 6 month diet, then the pre & post-op liquid only diet. Lost about 60 pounds. I was banded on 9/22 with one fill. Haven't lost any weight after the 2 weeks post op. So my weight has been the same since early October. My main reason for having this surgery was to see if weight loss would improve my severe and chronic back pain. It hasn't. I do have (or had) mild/moderate sleep apnea and GERD but those things do not affect my daily living like back pain does. I also have breast cancer that was diagnosed 7 years ago. I have no doubt my 100+ pound weight gain as an adult played a major role in my cancer. Hopefully losing weight will reduce the likelihood of a recurrence or a new cancer.

I remember pain in the calves as being a symptom of being dehydrated. Make sure you are getting enough fluids.

I am on a full diet. Banded 9/22 and one fill on 11/11 and I experience the same thing. I don't want to get into the head hunger thing. I'm either hungry (not satisfied) or I'm not. And since I started on the 6 month diet last December I have been hungry most of the time - before and after I eat - yet I can only eat so much with the band. It is a big fear of mine that the banding will produce the worst of both worlds - it won't affect my hunger but I can only eat a little. And by the way, my diet doesn't allow for snacks - just 3 meals a day. When I was at my heaviest I knew when I wasn't hungry anymore - when I ate enough to be satisfied - now that doesn't happen.

I was banded on 9/22 and I take chewable omega 3 - orange flavored. I get them at GNC and take two a day.

I was banded on 9/22 and got my first fill 11/11. Although I do feel some restriction now I am still able to eat about the same as before the fill. And yes, I was hungry after the effects of the surgery wore off. I have plateaued for now. Most of the bandsters says it will take several fills to reach your " sweet spot" the place at which you eat enough to be satisfied and stay that way longer and lose 1-2 lbs. a week. Don't forget about exercising. It is very important because with all the pre and post op dieting your metabolism decreased so you need to exercise to get it back up. Good luck and don't fret.

Sunny Skies - get a complete physical by your family physician and demand complete blood work that looks at your thyroid - TSH and T4. Discuss all these weight loss problems with him/her. Also, no drug is completely safe - not even aspirin. All have potential side effects. And when you stop using the appetite suppressant you will gain the weight back. Frankly the diet sounds like a rip-off cost wise. You could probably find those vitamins OTC much cheaper. See your surgeon again and ask that the band be adjusted so that you can eat without vomiting and retain some fullness for a while. Take care.

I was banded on 9/22 and will go for my first fill tomorrow (couldn't go last week - I was working) and since I haven't had any restriction and am hungry all the time - I haven't lost weight. My last visit and weight was coming off 4 weeks of liquid only diet. Now I've been on pretty much the 6 month pre-op diet (maybe less food) - protein, veggie, fruit. I have actually been losing weight for 3 years (2 years before I started this banding odessey) and am down about 60 pounds. I am happy with this. But my doctor said at the last visit that he wanted me to lose 10-15 lbs. in 3 weeks. I am about 185 lbs. Not only is 10-15 lbs. in 3 weeks unreasonable for any diet, but even more so for where I am weight wise and with no fill or restriction. I don't feel like I need to starve myself to reach some artificial goal. My surgeon is a regular surgeon who also does bariatric surgery and I was only his 23rd banding case. Anyone have this experience?:thumbup:

laurigee - No, I was not offended in the least. Thank you for your kind words. What I have learned from being on this message boards is that no two people are the same and each has to do what is right for them. Each person's journey is unique. The kinds of foods they can eat, their eating experience, their approach to food now compared to before banding, exercise - all of if is so individual. But the common ground is that each person should feel better than before because they are eating healthier and doing something to improve their health. That is my approach. Good luck to you and thanks again .

laurigee - One of the reasons I don't like Weight Watchers is because you are just a number on the scale. I actually became a life time member. I refuse to reduce my success to a number on the scale. That is why I won't use a ticker. I am so much more than a number on a scale. I am a breast cancer survivor. I have been a widow for 3 years (from age 54) and I have had to learn to live alone. But for the purpose of this post I will tell you that I weigh 184. My highest weight was 244 a little over 3 years ago - so I have been losing weight for over 3 years - before I started this banding journey.

Well, get this. I will have had about 3 weeks between my post-op visit and my first fill and the doctor wants me to lose 10-15 lbs. Is he kidding? Lose? I'm starving!! I'm maintaining my weight - but lose at this point? I don't think so. I was 196 at surgery and am 185 now. No diet should expect you to lose 10-15 in 3 weeks. I hope my first fill makes a difference because I am very hungry now.

I was normal weight and weighed 122 when I married in 1973 at age 22 (5'6"). I always had a BIG appetite and could eat whatever I wanted and didn't put on weight. Didn't think about food. Just ate when hungry and stopped when satisfied. Started to put on some weight for the first time in my life after marriage. By the time I was 27 I weighed 136 and went to my first weight watchers meeting. From then on food was always on my mind -and it was the beginning of the yo-yo dieting. I put on about 3-4 pounds a year over 30 years - that's about 30-38 extra calories a day. I tried all the diets, like everyone on these boards. Then I got breast cancer at age 51 and I am sure my obesity contributed to it. I lost my husband to cancer 3 years later. Not wanting to face old age with health problems I researched the lapband. Was banded 9/22. Also, both parents, 3 of 4 grandparents, brother, aunt and 4 cousins are all obese. So genetics definitely plays a role. I was 196 on the day of surgery. Lost about 12 pounds. Not filled yet so not losing at this point.

I had been on xenical (prescription alli) for 7 years before I started on the banding journey. I haven't taken it since I was banded on 9/22. I had fairly good results with it when I watched my diet. I just thought that if the band did it's job you wouldn't have the hunger you did before and would be more inclined to choose smaller portions of ( healthy) foods, etc...and feel satisfied.. Plus the exercise. I certainly have no desire to go back to the pre-band routes and diets like weight watchers - been there, done that. But that might work for some. Just not for me.

My doctor says no liquids 30 minutes before and one hour afterward.