B-52

It is harder than most people think to stretch your pouch. First of all, to do so, you would need enough restriction to NOT allow food to pass easily, but accumulate in the pouch. When that happens, you will know it! Feelings of being stuck, perhaps pain. It's then that you would put the fork down and wait, and in some cases, stop altogether.. If you can put up with that discomfort, and keep force feeding yourself, then your puch will stretch. Drinking Water while eating will have the same effect. More than likely you will upchuck everything.

IMO, It all depends on how much weight you want to loose. My Dr. and I discussed it as a option, but since I have less than 100 lbs to loose, I opted for the band.

The overwhelming # of those who complain about the band not working are those who have been with the band for a month or less. Then the # starts to drop off from there. Many times I have read posts from people upset because they have not lost what they expected, 2 weeks if not 2 days after surgery. It took me 3 months to get to a point that I feel comfortable. These negative posts come so often, I feel many people get frustrated just trying to respond to them. I know I do. Years ago, I once had a Dr. give me his big secret formula for loosing weight: "You want to loose a lot of weight? Then stop eating so much!" Well, in a nutshell, that is what the band has done for me. I eat a 1/4 of what I used to. Period.

I wouldn't do it. Sounds counter productive to me. After being banded I have to adapt to a new life style. Getting unfilled in order to indulge sounds like "Cheating" when on a diet. Sounds like the old habits that got me here in first place. Thanksgiving is coming....maybe I should get a un-fill. Christmas / New Years is coming.....may need a un-fill. Have a wedding to go to.....un-fill?? Vacation.....un-fill?? Sounds like all the excuses I had all the times I tried to quit smoking. Always had a justification for one more. BTW, we cruise all the time and have been since being banded. Like any other day in life, you live with your band. I was fine.

It's still early. wait a few months.

You have had 3 fills plus one at surgery for a total of 4. That sounds pretty good to me. I am curious how much he gives you per fill. My first fill was 1 month after surgery and was given 4cc's He then had me come in once every month for 3 more visits / fills, total of 4. I have plenty of restriction and a tight band. Of course, everyone is different. I am now on a 2 month wait between visits, and don't expect any fills, other than +/- .5 cc for maintenance. (His words) I have read here on other posts where some Doc's are only giving a 1/2 - 1cc per visit/fill., which would make me very unhappy. BTW, if you are loosing weight, don't expect a fill. My Doc will look at how many lbs I've lost between visits, divide by the # of weeks, and determine if I am making good process or not.

I find this very hard to believe. Hospitals - Infectious Disease Control, take these kind of things very seriously. I cannot imagine someone with this going into the OR for Surgery. If anything, a hospital would want to put you in isolation to treat the infection. No offense, but if a hospital let it go, it would be a hospital I would not want to be admitted to.

I have the opposite effect. I CANNOT drink while eating or else it will all come back up! When I eat, with the level of restriction I have, the food passes through the band very slowly, forcing me to eat small amounts and slowly. If food is sitting in the upper pouch, like a slow drain or funnel, adding water to this will add to what is sitting there and make it back up and overflow. I like the slow drain analogy best. Think of a sink, with water sitting there because the drain is clogged. It does go down, but slow based on the amount of clog (restriction) Turn on the faucet and add water, the drain can't keep up and the sink will overflow! It is like this every time I eat. I do not have anything to drink anywhere near me. If I do, I will have to run to the bathroom. Simple. Many things I have learned, little sayings, rules, theories, etc, have become normal, natural facts of life for me since reaching that true "Green Zone"

I feel your pain. I filled about 4 large leaf bags of summer clothes since last may. This weekend I started checking my long sleeve shirts and all of them look like I'm wearing tents! Filled 2 bags today. Went online and ordered 5 new shirts. I have 3 nice sports coats that went also. I have to get rid of my suits but I am finding it hard to toss them. As far as pants,I have been going through them on a regular basis. Started with a 46"waist, with the elastic waistbands. I have been steadily dropping, and am now at a 36" non-elastic! Men's warehouse and Jos. A Bank are always advertising 2 for 1 sales, but I'm hesitant since I have only 20 lbs to my goal weight. Jeans......I can walk in any store and buy normal sizes again!

What time do I need to be at the hospital, What time is the surgery scheduled,. Can I expect to go home same day., Can I leave with my needed meds, provided by the hospital pharmacy. When do you want to see me in your office for the post-op follow up? (1 week) can we make that appointment now. What is your timetable for clear liquids, heavy liquids, mushies and solid foods. Explain to me the severe gas pain I hear others talk about, and what do you suggest I do if/when I get it.

Dr. gave the Ok after one week.

First, getting stuck is not always a bad thing. It is part of the learning process of having your band. Also, IMO, it is really not vomiting because it comes from the upper portion, esophagus, and not deep below the band. More like a baby spitting up or a hiccup. The body's way of dealing with this is for saliva to accumulate (sliming) forcing you to spit it up. When I get stuck to the point that it is very uncomfortable, and I want instant relief, I speed up the natural process by sipping some Water. (preferably over a sink) The water, like the saliva, has no where to go and will trigger you to immediately spit it up.

Yes, I have had that problem once. My stomach is tight skinned, and my port looks like a golf ball under the skin. People at the gym have asked me if I had a hernia. I can palpate the skin and feel the tube that runs from the port, going mid-line till it disappears and goes deep through the muscle to the band. I like to prop myself up on my elbows and watch the Dr. do the entire fill procedure. First time he explained everything to me. First thing he does is extract ALL the saline out of the band. This way he checks for discoloration, and also measures how much he extracted. Anything less that what he previously put in indicates a leak. Like I said you can feel the tube that runs from the port to the band. It does not go straight, but it snakes. It's only about 2 inches long. He told me this gives it slack for abdominal muscles stretching and contracting. If it was straight and tight, it could pull and hurt, if not worse. Well one time, when he was extracting the saline, he could not get anything out. He tried and tugged a few times. When he palpated the skin over the tube, he found that at one place where the tube curved, actually kinked! just like kinking a garden hose. The harder he pulled a suction with the syringe, the more it kinked! He had me feel it so I would understand what was happening. Since the tube is just under the skin, he just massaged the area with 2 fingers to straighten out the tube a little. Then everything worked fine. I have noticed that ever since then, he automatically starts the procedure with a little massaging of that area, along with the alcohol wipe.

Where else can people be so happy to be called overweight!!

I think it depends upon what you are comfortable with. I like my band tight. My eating habits sound similar to yours. I have problems with most meats. Can only nibble at sandwich meats and cheeses. No bread. Steaks, etc, have to be very tender. The new word for me is "Nibble" I really don't eat food like I used to, but "Nibble" at everything, and usually stop long before I get through. My band is tight, and I prefer it that way. I've read here about people freaking out when they get stuck for the first time. I was overjoyed! The band is working! Now I have to learn to live with it, and learn a new way of eating. Also changed social settings where food is at the center like back yard cookouts, etc.

Be sure to get to us and let us know what the outcome is. I have my suspicions, but I know enough to not question chest pain unless I am there to make a physical assessment.

It's all part of the learning process. Our old habits were to "shovel" it in. So when we sit down and start eating we forget and start eating too fast between bites and too much per bite. But it does not take long to realize the mistake. My wife does not even ask anymore when I put the fork down and act as though I'm finished. Just have to wait 5 minutes for things to settle down (hopefully) before resuming.

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Unlike fat and carbohydrates, the body does not store protein, and therefore has no reservoir to draw on when it needs a new supply so it has to be a steady part of your daily diet. Too much protein is not a good thing either. My daughter is a RPN in the ER, and she has told me stories of young kids, wishing to "Bulk Up", taking too much protein and going into kidney failure because of overload. Many times, when you find yourself binge eating, it is because your body is really screaming for protein, (and water) and we eat everything in sight trying to fill that hole.

I guess everyone is a little different. I feel full all of the time. It's not the old way of feeling stuffed, but it is more of having no interest, or urgency, to eat. Most of the time I don't feel like I need, or want to eat. But I do because it is the thing to do. Last summer, I went entire days without eating at all. Not intentionally, but after having a good Protein shake for Breakfast, would then go to a ball game, the beach, etc, where food was simply not on my mind at all, and I did not go crazy without it. 2nd, when I do eat, food will pass through my band slowly, and it does not take long before I just cannot eat anymore or it will come back up, and/or it can really hurt. Lesson to be learned and avoided: I know , when this happens, I can put the fork down, wait 20 minutes, and then continue eating all over again. You have to stop the first time otherwise you are "cheating the band" and overeating for no good reason.

My PCP, Surgeon and cardiologist all know I am a coffee hound and it has never been a topic of discussion. I like good strong fresh quality coffee. Sometimes black! NOT that stuff with all the syrups, whip cream, etc. Also learned long ago to drink it with NO sweeteners at all. Some people can't drink coffee without tons of sugar and cream. That is not always good. I'm 60 years old, and have never heard a good reason to stop. There are people who have certain medical conditions where caffeine would not be a good thing, but they know who they are. I have a friend who is wound so tight that drinking too much coffee would send him over the edge. BTW, I started drinking my coffee the very next morning after surgery. Be it a small amount, but I needed that cup!

I get on the Elliptical everyday, and along with a heart monitor I use the "Cardiac Coach" workouts on my I-pod with headphones. Lots of level 3 and 4 hill climbs and sprints. I cannot jog. When I do, I feel every joint in my body from my knees, pelvis, spine and shoulders slam together with every step. In other words, to high impact for me. After the elliptical, I go through my routine with weights, then crunches and pull ups. The health club I belong to has locker rooms with showers, sauna, steam room and whirlpool so I spend some time there before taking a shower.

Funny you should post this. We just got back from dinner. Started dinner with a Vodka Martini. Then had shrimp, filet and mashed potatoes. After 2-3 shrimp, excused myself to go to the bathroom. Spit it all up! Came back to the table and finished my garlic mashed potatoes. Never touched the fillet. On the way home stopped at Starbucks to bring coffee home. So that was my dinner tonight. Three shrimp I spit back up, a Martini, mashed potatoes, and coffee. Ahhh, the life of a bandster. Tonight's the Yankee Game. I'll have a Protein shake while sitting in front of the TV. For the newcomers, it is not always like this, but there will be days. Nothing to worry about, all part of the learning experience. Oh, I do take small bite and eat slow. But shrimp is one of those crunchy foods that does not break down easily as part of the digestive process. I generally stay away from "Crunchy" foods. Also, I can NEVER eat solid foods for Breakfast since being banded.

One week, cleared me when I went for my one week post-op appointment. said I could do anything, including sitting in the sauna and hot tub. Only thing he said was "don't over do it with the weights"

I chose not to tell anyone. Did not even tell anyone I was going in for surgery. Just took a week off from work, vacation time. People do ask me all the time what am I doing to loose all this weight. I just tell them the secret is to eat less, exercise everyday, and get all the protein I need.