donali

I joined this group in 2003 when I was banded. I would be very surprised if more than 5 of the original members still had their bands. :-( kerrib, I think it's time for you to have an endoscopy, if you haven't already. Donali

Condolences on your band loss. As far as what you can do when the hunger monster returns... The same old things we tried before. Water load, vegetable load, solid Proteins, exercise... That still didn't stop me from regaining 133 pounds. I had to get sleeved to regain control. Wishing you good luck. Donali

I was banded for 18 months, started at 303 got down to 200. Band removed 7/04 due to 40% erosion, gained back to 333 from 7/04 to 08/09. Vertical Sleeve done 8/14/09, down to 197ish depending on the day. Once my band was removed my hunger kicked back in to pre-band levels. :-( I feel like my band controlled my hunger better than my sleeve, but I'm still restricted enough (apparently) to achieve the same results. I did have a rocky time at the beginning of my sleeve journey due to a self-contained leak and spent the month of November in the hospital, but all is good now. Without the help of the band most people will not be able to maintain their weightloss - depressing, but true. No different than going off a "diet". That being said, there are those rare folks who are able to manage it. Best of luck - Donali

Hi - I am assuming that your doc removed all the Fluid in your band? That's usually the first step in a slip, with hopes that the slip will correct itself. Erosions generally are asymptomatic until there is no restriction whatsoever. I was 40% eroded and felt no differently from the day I got my band - no pain, no loss of restriction, nothing. I don't know the stats between a slip becoming an erosion, but I have not heard of any correlations there. Erosions can only be reliably diagnosed by endoscopy. Good luck!\ Donali Banded 1/23/03, debanded 7/04 due to 40% erosion VSG 8/14/09

Hey, Bright!! Whatever happened with your band? Hopefully all is well and you are back on track! Sorry Ireland didn't happen this year, but a friend and I are determined to Celebrate our 50th birthdays there, so sometime early 2011 is the goal. I see crazy fares right now for slightly more than $600! xxoo

Hey, Megan!! Time for your 6 year update!! I miss you! Hope you're doing well, and met your goal!

I loved my band, had a great experience. I was one of the lucky ones where my hunger was absolutely under control. Bread, rice and pasta were hard to eat, so those items were mostly eliminated from my diet. If I *really* wanted those things I could have them, but they were hard to eat and I had to go very slowly. Same thing with rubbery foods like shellfish - I could eat it, but it wasn't fun (or tasty). If I hadn't eroded I imagine I would still be banded today, pretty much at goal, and loving life. Unfortunately, in spite of being a model bandster, my band *did* erode, and I had to have it removed. I am now sleeved, and wish I had done this from the beginning (if I'd been sleeved to begin with, I would have saved $17,000+ dollars, avoided two major surgeries, and avoided 2 twilight procedures). Make no mistake - I loved my band. It did everything I expected it to do, and I lost 103 pounds with it *effortlessly*. I was in heaven! Until it all went south on me. So, hind sight is 20/20 they say. If I could do it all over, and if I could have known then what I know now, I would have been sleeved to begin with. But I didn't know. I chose the procedure that I thought was safest and least invasive with still a chance of a good outcome if I were willing to put in some effort to change my eating habits in response to better controlled hunger. I wish my band had been a permanent procedure (in that it worked exactly as it was supposed to with no complications). It's good that it's reversable, though, since the chance of complications is much higher than advertised (IMHO). After my band was removed I had a lot of scar tissue where the band had been placed and eroded and repaired. I would still ocassionally get "stuck", but I did not have the added benefit of true restriction, or reduced hunger. So my 103 pounds came back, plus 30 of their previously unknown friends. Thank goodness my Mom was able to lend me the $$ to be sleeved. I don't think I could have lived another year at 333lbs - every day I could feel myself literally dying a little more.

After my port repositioning, I don't recall the band interfering with my singing. Bear in mind my singing (while paid) is very low key, and not professionally operatic (I'm a paid church soloist). I do a solo once a month, and sing with the choir one service a week. For a true professional who's doing shows 5 days a week, I couldn't say how it might affect them. If you haven't been banded yet, I would highly recommend you consider the sleeve instead. No maintenance, no foreign object near your diaphragm, no chance of erosion...

Rosario, you have my condolences on the loss of your band, and having to go through another surgery. My band removal was a much easier recovery than my band placement - that missing 103 pounds really helped, I think! Are you really having no restriction from your eroded band? I regained all my weight plus 30 pounds after my band was removed. It took me five years, but once my normal hunger kicked back in I was fighting a "losing" battle. I just got sleeved on 8/14/09, and am already down 38 pounds from my highest. Wish I had been sleeved to begin with! Best of luck, and keep us posted. Donali

LEATHA!!! OMG! How the heck ARE you?!?! Okay, you already answered that, but it's so good to see you! Congrats on your reaching goal and then some - I hope you are able to put back on the weight you need. If you need any tips on gaining weight I'd probably be a good person to ask... lol Now that I look back, I think, "What was I thinking when I chose the band???" Did I honestly think that I would have that device in me for the next 40 years? I guess I did. Hopefully I won't think the same about my sleeve once it's done... lol

Thanks for everyone's replies. MacMadame, you made me smile. I used to be one of the top posters here many years ago, but once I lost my band it was just too hard to keep coming back, particularly when the weight started piling back on in spite of all of my good intentions and knowledge. Elisabethsew, I'll PM WasA. I did some research on other surgeons, but am self-pay, and wasn't sure I wanted to do another surgery in Mexico. Pleatman had the best self-pay prices I found for the states, plus he includes all the pre-op testing in the price, and has hundreds of VSGs and RnYs under his belt. He has also always answered my emails to him personally and promptly (I contacted him several years ago when I started thinking about the sleeve). But more info is always welcome. Tiffykins, that sideways port is torture. I could not get mine respositioned myself, and boy-oh-boy did it smart! I can't imagine doing it on my day out of surgery! Yikes! Thanks for the well wishes, and I send them back to you for your own revision. Oregondaisy, nice to meet you! Dr. Pleatman has taken his share of knocks on the board, but I always thought it was nice that he tried to answer some questions. The board has evolved quite a bit since he first joined - we didn't used to have ads back then, so docs posting on the board initially weren't exactly welcomed with open arms. Ruthi, are you being rebanded or revising to something else? Thanks again for all of the support!

Amen, BJean. It is up to all of us to protect the rights of everyone. It wasn't that long ago that it was illegal for blacks to marry whites, and if you put THAT to a vote in some areas of the country, it still wouldn't be allowed. The majority doesn't count when it comes to protecting civil rights - that's the whole point of minority protection. It's just a matter of time before these final discriminations fall away (the younger generation cares less and less about these kinds of discriminations, and tend not to support them), but in the meantime there are real people suffering the effects of this last bastion of bigotry. Equality for all can't come soon enough.

Hello Old Friends (and soon to be new friends!) - It has been a long time since I posted. I was one of the original members when LBT first started - WOW!! It has grown, and has SO much more than before. Alex - fantastic job! Anyway, for those who don't know/remember me, I was banded 1/23/03, had a wonderful/uneventful band journey until June-ish '03 when I tore my port sutures and had to have a port revision, followed by more wonderful/uneventful band journey with a loss of 103 pounds in 18 months, at which point it all came to an unglorious end 07/04 when my band was removed due to 40% erosion. I can't believe it has been FIVE years since then! Of course my lost weight all came back once the hunger kicked in again, plus an extra 30 pounds or so. I am back at critical mass, and now have an appointment for 8/20 to get sleeved. Whoo hooo!! I feel so hopeful again, and can hardly wait. Any advice from sleevers, fire away! Donali

Hi Everyone! I know - long time, no hear! I still check in on the group every once in a while, even though I rarely post anymore. Most of you probably don't even know who I am! But I was banded on 1/23/03 and unbanded 7/04 due to 40% erosion. I was banded in TJ by Dr. Lopez. Since my band loss my weight is pretty much back up to where it was before my 100+ lb loss with my little band buddy... *sniff* Oh, well, someday, somehow I will find a way that works for me to lose and keep it off. I'm still paying off my banding, port repositioning, and de-banding, so another surgery isn't in my immediate future. If I get fed up before I find a way to do it on my own I will probably go with the vertical gastric sleeve. But again, my insurance won't cover that, either, so this time I'm going to save up the $$ before the surgery. ugh... Anyway, I know some of you still cook, even though your portions are much less, and I am hosting my first ever in-home party (not counting my own Slumber Party that a few SD bandster friends attended)! If any of you are interested in coming to the actual party (Escondido, CA) send me an email and I will send you an invite. Otherwise you can shop from the comfort of your own PC if you like, and still take advantage of the guest special without actually having to leave your house! http://www.pampered chef.biz/ mreyes?showId= 1207950 NOTE: Please place your order prior to my Show closing date: Sat 06/30/07 If you get prompted to enter a hostess name when you place your order, please use: Donali Again, if you'd like to come to the party itself, drop me an email and I'll send you an invite! The party is on Wednesday, 6/27 at 6:30pm in Escondido. We'll have food and drinks (she'll be cooking something yummy for us!), and there will also be an on-time prize drawing. Come and socialize! Get a free meal! lol Happy shopping!! Donali

<hijack>HI HI HI HI BRIGHT!!!!!!! XXXXXXOOOOOOXXXXXOXOOOOXXXOXOOOO</hijack> xxoo Donali

OMG!! I haven't been here in ages, and THIS is what I find?!?! I am so grateful your surgery went well, and that rebanding is covered, and all seems to be well in hand. I miss you!! xxoo Donali

:girl_hug: That's the noise of killing a tumor! xxoo

I would take it very very easy - it's the deep breathing where you're really going to notice a difference, and perhaps some real pain. Don't push those deep breaths - your pouch/band is right below your diaphragm, and pulling the diaphragm down to breath will most likely remind you of that pretty quickly. I went back to my church job too quickly - I think I gave myself a week. 3 would have been better. After I was all healed up it wasn't really an issue, but sometimes on those deeper breaths I could still feel the band resistance.

COOLS Chauvenists often offend ladies' sensibilities. SKATE

Any new stories out there??? My great aunt Eris and my great uncle Perry had taken me one summer when I was 7 or 8 one year. We did a lot of traveling that summer, and a lot of camping. I found a quarter at our campsite one day, and my imagination started to run wild. I told my aunt and uncle "Just think of all the money people must have lost here throughout the years!" I was certain I was going to be rich! After I came back from playing that day I was fussing around the campsite, and darned if I didn't find a quarter and a dime! And then something else! I was SO excited! I had "found" about $1.50 in change by the time I looked up at an odd moment and caught my uncle laughing. Then it hit me - he was seeding our campsite with change for me to find! Ah, I was so crushed! lol He died about 10 years ago, but that summer I spent with them has always been one of my favorite memories. This August I went back east with my Mom to visit the relatives on her side of the family, and I got to visit with Eris (who is now in her 80's). After we got back home I started finding a penny every day for about two weeks. The first one was on the bed. I had made the bed, went off to do something, came back into the bedroom, and there was a penny. I was alone in the house, so it was kind of weird. But as I continued to find one each day for a while, I decided it was Perry's way of saying "Hi!".

Bumping for the gift giving season... lol

I don't think "I'm loving it." is a new way of using English, or even an improper/less formal/slang way. "I eat it." That's a lot different than "I'm eating it." Using "I eat it." to indicate something that's happening right at this moment, or something you intend to do in the future is like that bad pigeon English depicted in old Westerns for American Indian version English. I don't see how "I love it." and "I'm loving it." is any different than my example above. To me the implications of "I'm loving it." is that it is something you are actively doing in the moment, not some abstract feeling... Okay, I'm obviously no English teacher, but this does not strike me as bad or misused English... Hopefully that doesn't mean I have just become desensitized! lol

I certainly don't think that they should serve without pay! But if only rich people can afford to serve at the average American wage...???? Now, how wrong is that?? Why can't the average American serve at the wage they're already currently earning? That is my point. And in order to serve under my fantasy rules, the rich would have to donate ALL of their extra wealth (what they have above and beyond the average American) to the campaigning pool. So the rich would not be allowed to stay rich if they wanted to serve - they'd have to give it up and live like the average American. If the pay is already the same as what the common working man/woman is making, then they should not be disadvantaged in serving. In fact, for a lot of them that "average" wage would be a step up.

This is my dream for our politicians (I'm sure it would never be practical for many reasons that are not obvious to me, but this is my fantasy, so I got to make the rules! lol) ALL people "serving the people" MUST live as the majority of Americans live. I.E., if 53% of Americans earn between $$ and $$$, then our political servants must as well. If the majority of Americans don't own their own homes, then our public servants cannot either. If the majority of Americans only have $$$ in savings/checking/investments, then our public servants cannot have more. No golden parachutes - if the majority of Americans are retiring to SS, then so must our public servants. I think you get the idea. All their surplus wealth must go towards ONE big pool that pays for ONE TV channel/radio station/newspaper to be used for campaigning. In order to run, each candidate must have xx amount of support from the people. There is NO fund raising and no private campaigning. All politicians running for election get equal time rotated through the reserved media specifically for this purpose. There is one big mass "stomp" across America for campaigning purposes. Everyone goes on the same bus, to the same places. They each get to do their stint enough times so that anyone interested in hearing what they have to say has an opportunity to attend. Then they all pack up together and go to the next place. I doubt being a politician in the above scenario would be very attractive to most of them. The draw for doing it would be simply because they genuinely want to do the best for the people. It seems to me that our politicians are so far beyond the "average" American's experience that they are completely out of touch with the daily struggle of the majority. When was the last time one of them could live on $60,000 a year? And I believe that amount is higher than the "average" American's annual income... I hate that it seems once these people get into politics they pretty much have it made...

Mindy - I agree 100%. There is NO WAY I personally will ever know "the truth". Cynicism - my middle name... lol What's that saying? How can you tell if a politician is lying? His lips are moving... lol Honesty is not a rewarded trait in U.S. politics. I certainly don't trust the media to feed me all the facts without spin, and I will never be in a position to KNOW for a fact what is true and what is false. My opinions are based on my gut feelings and my idealistic view of how things "should" be, or in my opinion "could" be... I believe this war was begun under false pretenses. I believe there is some big U.S. business/es benefitting from our current situation. I believe there are gross inadequacies in our society. I believe politics and religion should be seperate, and that we as a people should not be governed based on religious "morals" that are not held by all of us.