donali

This is the only board I've found that didn't run off people who had severe problems/complications. This is a highly unusual place. I understand how many people are uncomfortable with being reminded that the possible complications are real - not something that just happens to no one you've ever heard of, and no one you'll ever meet. Having the eroded bandsters stay is a difficult and frightening reminder to some. I would tell all of you this: make peace with the reality of what could happen. Embrace it, learn everything about it, and then LET IT GO. Deal with YOUR day to day reality. My reality is that I eroded. Your reality is that you have not. My eroding does not increase YOUR chances of eroding. Worrying does not increase/decrease your chances. Having us off the board does not increase/decrease your chances. Remaining in denial about the possibility does not increase/decrease your chances. However, if you are educated about the possibilities, IF you end up having a complication, you will know what you are in for, and you will deal with it then. You cannot "pre-" deal with something that hasn't happened, but you can be educated. And education is empowering. Everyone's journey is a little different, and everyone has their own unique challenges. We all handle adversity differently, and we all have our own unique coping mechanisms for when things don't go as planned. This thread brought me to tears - in a good way. Obesity is so complicated, and so emotional. The support here is phenomenol. I appreciate Dr. Ortiz's and Dr. Pleatman's efforts to interact with us. I appreciate those who rally to protect those of us who've eroded like we are some precious commodity (I really appreciate that, and am humbled by it). I LOVE that Cristan is being advised to stick around and get to know us - this is the essence of the LBT that keeps me here. I am in awe of all the people who have joined in this conversation to add their opinions, vent, protect, over-react, restate, poke fun, bring us back to earth, etc. I have seen a lot of posts from people relaying info they'd "heard" or been "told" about erosion that were just plain wrong. I'm glad Dr. Ortiz set the record straight in that regard. And while most band complications are not emergent situations or immediately life threatening, I will caution that in some very rare instances emergent and life threatening situations DO arise. Not all erosions heal as they go, and sometimes stomach content leaks into the gut during the process. A very rare few do experience severe, non-reversible stomach damage - I can think of two on the Yahoo! eroded bandster board. But that is even rarer than the erosions themselves. For many bandsters a more agressive WLS is their second option (for a couple it was their FIRST, but their insurance would only pay for the band!), so Dr. Pleatman suggesting a conversion is not out of line. However, emotions run high, and people can only assimilate information when they're ready for it. For some of us a more drastic WLS will never be an option - for others it would only be an option if things became unbearable and there was literally no other choice. For others it is the logical next step. It's an emotional issue, and emotions aren't static. Hugs to Penni - you will get through this, and your erosion, while possibly never forgotten, will become a thing of the past. You will move forward in your own time. Never forget that life is full of amazing possibilities, and as long as we are here we have the option of exploring them. Science makes amazing discoveries everyday. Society makes amazing progress everyday in awareness and acceptance. It's not always easy, and things don't always seem right, but I believe in the basic goodness of mankind and I think we are all doing our very best at any given moment. We all have to grow, and adversity, challenge and heated discussion helps us get to where we're going. Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's bliss, but mostly it's just... day by day. Life has no guarantees, no magic formula. It's the journey that's important - not the destination. IMHO

Here's my fainting story from my fourth fill... lol http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=756

Oh! I remembered another semi-phobia I have... the fuzzy TV station channels after the broadcasting day ends. I remember in highschool I would quick jump up and turn the TV off during the national anthem BEFORE the screen could go white and fuzzy... I think that was before I saw Poltergeist??? Regardless, I can't leave the channel on a "snow" channel... lol

I still occasionally get "stuck" - and my band was removed 7/04. Sometimes I still feel like I can "feel" it in there, but the restriction I have (which lets me get "stuck") doesn't seem to affect my appetite at all. Unfortunately the hunger level is the same as preband.

<oink> <oink> :baby: uh, I mean, HERE! I'd make the turtle sound, but I haven't learned it yet... :noidea: Don't wake me up... lol I'm in some serious denial... :bananapowerslide:

I did not have a loss of restriction. I was almost a model bandster - the last month my appetite seemed insatiable even though I was "full", so I was over eating somewhat, but not to a painful point, and not to a vomiting/PB point. But I did still feel like I had the same amount of restriction. But I didn't drink carbonation, did not take NSAIDs. I lived on extra strength Tylenol the month I tore my port sutures, but other than that rarely took any kind of medications at all. I lost 100 pounds in 17 months with my band. I did not have any real symptoms of erosion. In hindsight I can say that right before my fourth fill I had a night or two where my band was SO uncomfortable, I felt like it was pinching, or something, and I was thinking I should cancel my fill appoinment. But I kept it anyway, and my doc always lets all the fill run out before refilling, and I felt IMMEDIATE relief from that pinching sensation. My fourth fill was more than the one before, and felt perfect, and I didn't have that same pinching sensation after that at any time. About a week before I had my endoscopy I had what felt like a severe gallbladder attack. I knew it wasn't my gallbladder because that had been removed in 1992 - but the pain felt very similar. I felt like there was a lot of pressure somewhere, that might be relieved by a giant burp or fart, and yet I couldn't burp or fart. It scared me into going for my endoscopy. I was convinced, though, that there was nothing wrong with my band - I just wanted a clean endoscopy so that my PCP couldn't blame it on the band. Regardless of the true reason for that attack, I haven't had one since. So it's possible it was from the erosion, or it's just as possible I had a stone in my bile duct - which does happen sometimes, even after the gallbladder is removed.

Hi, my name is Donali and I was the first LBT erosion. Hopefully I am not responsible for this trend!! I lost my band due to 40% erosion after 17 months. I lost 100 pounds with my band. I was unbanded July 2004, and since that time (in spite of STILL having some residual restriction) have gained most of that 100 pounds back. I don't know how much, exactly, because I don't weigh anymore. But I have gone from a tight 18 back to a 26. Still a couple sizes smaller than where I started, but not as fun as being an 18. I continue to work on my habits. The worst one being not finding motivation to exercise. I do have a very small legitimate excuse for not doing certain types of exercises, but there are still lots of things I could do but don't. I'm working on that... :tired

I was telling my co-workers about this thread at lunch today and we were laughing (in a good way... lol). They asked me what I had posted as my fear, and I said nothing - I'm not really afraid of anything, and I was kind of proud of that fact. I mean, I get startled, but I don't really have any PHOBIAS. Well, I happen to work with my sister, and we always have lunch together, so she said, "What about giving blood? Aren't you afraid of needles?" :faint: DOH!! I am the BIGGEST weenie about NEEDLES. And anything that has to do with veins, joints, eyeballs... lol It TOTALLY creeps me out, and I have fainted more times than I can count now, just because someone was trying to get some blood from me for some sort of blood test, or insert an IV. This is my biggest fear. It is so bad that I even fainted off the toilet just reading an article about vericose veins... :Banane23: How silly is that?!?! I have yet to hear of anyone dying from giving blood or getting an IV... But the thought of that needle inside my vein... ACK! It's getting dark in here! I better stop while I'm still conscious... ROTFLMAO!!!

Ceira - I am SO SO sorry to hear your news. You are (unfortunately) in good company, though. You have a number of people here who have lost their bands due to erosion that can probably relate to everything you're going through right now. Please stick around for the support you're going to continue to need to fight the hunger demons, and for the entertaining threads that help keep my spirits up and give me at least one belly laugh a day. (((hugs)))

This needs to be a sticky - FANTASTIC post, Rorysmom!!!!

(((VQ))) White light and healing vibes beaming your way. Please keep us posted. I know that whatever reality brings you will get through it, one step at a time, and we're all here to cheer you on. xxoo

Draggin, draggin, draggin.... Oh where, oh where has my energy gone??? Not that I had that much to begin with. I want to vent on Francesca's thread, but what's the point. Sigh...

There is a non-adjustable band involved with the vertical banded gastrectomy/gastroplasty. Complications include erosion of the band and staple line dehiscense. http://www.womenfitness.net/vertical_gastrectomy.htm http://www.ddw.org/user-assets/documents/PDF/session_handouts/2004/books/Tuesday/Tues1415Farraye.pdf

Fructose has a low glycemic index compared to white sugar, and is not recommended as a combatant to low blood sugar due to excess insulin for diabetics, because it does not create the blood sugar spike that white sugar or glucose does. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose However, I just read two articles that make it sound even worse than white sugar - and here I am with several boxes of the stuff, thinking I was doing myself a favor as I try to reduce the amount of artificial sweetner I use. Sheeesh. http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/5/fructose.htm http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/fructose_dangers.html

This happened to me yesterday... Today all seems well for me.

Vines - At least they are actively looking for the cause, and not telling you you're full of "it"... Hopefully if it is Cushings, yours will respond perfectly to treatment and you will be on your way! Woo wooot!

WOW - THREE irish wolfhounds??? That's almost like having three ponies!!

I vote it's time for an endoscopy... You could be slipped, eroded, or something else, but you need to have a professional take some pictures and find out for sure.

Sorry, I thought you'd been living on baby food and ice cream for the past two years... :biggrin1: Here are all the gory details of my erosion - no symptoms to speak of, except what felt like a severe gallbaldder attack ONE day. Had the endoscope shortly after that to rule out the band, and the rest is history, so to speak. http://lapbandtalk.com/showpost.php?p=18974&postcount=9 http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2250 http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2256 As far as your question, most people here are trying to lose weight, but whether you want to lose weight or not, this is a great BAND support group. Don't post about not being able to lose weight, and people won't try to help you with that. I still think you sound too tight, but if you can eat well chewed steak... Welcome! Pull up a chair, and stay awhile!

Oh, and P.S. - living with such a tight retriction could lead to esophageal motility problems. GeezerSue can tell you all about that...

My guess is that you are too tight. Many people who have been living like you are (although not for TWO years!!) have commented that just a very slight unfill had made all the difference, and the weight started coming off.

How was this working for you, Vines? If you consider studies by the NIH and obesity professionals to be rubbish, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Eating less and exercising more works for most people while they DO it. MOST people are not able to live happy and fulfilling lives while constantly hungry and feeling deprived, and most are unable to muster up the energy for intense physical activity on a reduced calorie diet. Certainly whoever this works for, YAY for them. But in real life, 95% of the people cannot maintain happy lives living in hunger and over-exertion for their calorie levels. Most of the normal weight people I know do not exercise everyday. I asked my normal weight doc if he exercised an hour each day, and went hungry. He said "No." I asked him if he could, on a long term basis, and he sheepishly said "No." Most people can do almost anything for a short amount of time - but longterm very few people can maintain that type of lifestyle - living with deprivation. Has nothing to do with moral Fiber. I'd dig up another study JohnQ posted about starvation, but I wouldn't want to waste your time. :eek:

The lapband shuts off some of the hunger signals, and helps you feel full on less food, so you aren't STARVING every friggin' minute of the day when you're eating less. This statement shows a lack of education and understanding of obesity. Obesity is NOT a moral failing, due to simply to lack of motivation and follow through. For most obese people there are multiple and complex reasons for their disease, and some of them are PHYSICAL, not emotional or mental. Here's some research from a rant post a while ago. http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4750 Morbid Obesity is a DISEASE. It has been recognized as a disease since 1985(!!!!) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ...IN 1991, THE NIH CONCLUDED IN ITS CONSENSUS CONFERENCE THAT DIETS, EXERCISE PROGRAMS, APPETITE SUPPRESSANTS AND BEHAVIOR MODIFCATIONS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE THERAPIES. YES, I am YELLING. And to have this kind of attitude propagated on a weightloss SUPPORT board as acceptable under ANY kind of circumstances is absolutely reprehensible, and a symptom of just how well the prejudice against fat people is accepted. Not only is it tolerated, it is expected as our “just” punishment for being fat. Because after all, we are merely gluttons. The formula is so simple: too many calories in = too much fat. So diet and exercise. Too bad for you that you’re not one of the “normal” people who can regularly consume more calories than they need without getting fat – you are NOT a “normal” person, so you must just go hungry and exercise your butt off. Guess what? The formula is NOT that simple. NO ONE really knows the complete explanation of why some people become MO and some people don’t. But not understanding “why” is NO excuse for discriminating against the MO, or continuing to blame the patient for their disease. I cannot stand by and let anyone forget that we are NOT here because of some moral failing, some character flaw, some personal weakness. We are here because we have a DISEASE. We need treatment, not judgment. If we were not serious about getting better, we would not be here. NO ONE deserves to feel badly about themselves because they have a disease. NO ONE should be made to jump through hoops to prove they want to recover from their disease. MO is NOT A CHARACTER FLAW. This is NOT my opinion – this is medical FACT. It is up to US to know and understand this, and to eradicate the long-held beliefs that we have allowed to shame us for all of our lives. We must NEVER EVER allow anyone to get away with propagating beliefs that MO is anything but a disease that requires medical treatment. *************** www.shapeup.org/profcenter/diabesity/PoriesPres.ppt+is+morbid+obesity+a+disease%3F&hl=e n "The truth is that Morbid obesity is a disease, not a moral failing." “Obesity is a chronic, lifelong, genetically-related, life-threatening disease with highly significant medical, psychological, social, physical, and economic co-morbidities.” Statement on morbid obesity and its treatment. Obesity Surgery 1997 7:40-41 “In 1991, the National Institutes of Health concluded in its Consensus Conference that diets, exercise programs, appetite suppressants and behavior modifications are not effective therapies.” Report of the Consensus Conference on Surgery of Morbid Obesity, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC 1991 ************** http://www.rsapc1.com/morbid_obesity_surgery/ "Morbid obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in the United States and in the world today. It is considered after smoking to be the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States. </ST1:p It is a chronic disease which is very complex and has multiple etiologies." "We lose over 300,000 patients a year to morbid obesity and morbid obesity related medical problems." "There are social, psychosocial and economic consequences of morbid obesity that can be devastating. Unfortunately, the prejudice against the obese is very common in our society." "Conservative management of morbid obesity that includes diet, behavioral modifications, exercise programs and the like have been found to be ineffective over the long term. A person who is morbidly obese who attempts conservative management, as mentioned above, either alone or in any combination, is not expected to be successful more than 5% of the time. Over 95% of patients who are morbidly obese and meet the criteria for morbid obesity will regain their weight and often overshoot their previous weight. Surgery for morbid obesity is the only method that has resulted in long-term maintenance of weight loss and the reduction of the comorbid diseases that are associated with morbid obesity. In particular, hypertension, dibetes mellitus, risks for coronary disease, osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and many others. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease which is defined as a disruption of bodily function that develops slowly and persists for an extended period of time and often for life. It is multifactorial and includes genetic predisposition, environmental factors, social economic factors, cultural influences, hormonal influences and digestive abnormalities. In 1985 morbid obesity was recognized as a disease with associated comorbid diseases by the National Institute of Health. In 1991, surgical weight loss stated to be superior to nonsurgical weight loss methods and that only surgical intervention produced acceptable long-term results. In 1993 the National Institute of Health recognized the vertical banded gastroplasty and the gastric bypass procedure to be effective in significant reduction of excess body weight. The National Institute of Health recognizes morbid obesity as being an epidemic that can only be reduced significantly by surgical intervention for both morbid obesity and its associated comorbid problems." **************** http://www.landauercosmeticsurgery.co.uk/obesity/ "OBESITY: A MEDICAL CONDITION People who suffer from obesity are poorly misunderstood by those of the population who are not obese. There is a common attitude that overweight people are stupid and unable to control themselves. People who are obese are often the brunt of cruel jokes and thoughtless humour, even to the point of suffering abusive comments in public places. We now know that the medical condition of morbid obesity is a complex disorder, and not simply due to over-eating. The vast majority of people living in the Western World eat more calories than they need but it is only a small proportion that relentlessly lay down every excess calorie in their fat stores. Most people have a mechanism, by which their body knows when their stores have been refilled, but there is an unfortunate group of people where this mechanism is defective, and when they eat it can be likened to filling up the bath with the overflow blocked off. There are of course no fat people in starvation areas of the world, but this is because these are regions with chronic malnutrition and nobody there has access to even adequate calories. People who are morbidly obese often find it difficult to believe that their problem is a medical disease and not simply due to overeating. MORBID OBESITY IN FAMILIES The disorder of morbid obesity often runs in families. The chance of having morbid obesity is clearly increased if other people in your family have the condition. Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and brought up separately show that if one twin becomes obese, then the other one is likely to become obese as well."

I think this is my favorite... lol

Hi Blue! Congrats on your banding! The most likely explanation is that the swelling from your surgery has gone down, and you're healing up like you should be. Be sure to follow your doc's prescribed eating plan (liquids only for x number weeks, mushies only for x number of weeks, etc.) and don't move on to solid food until your doc says it's allowed. You will be HUNGRY, and you most likely won't feel too differently from pre-band until you start getting fills. Don't worry about the weight - you may gain some back in this phase, that's very common. Just follow the rules, don't worry about the scale, and once you start getting fills you will really be on your way. As far as vomitting goes, generally after an episode of vomiting you should do liquids only for 24 hours to allow the stomach irritation to resolve. If you continue to experience pain, or are unable to tolerate liquids make sure to get back in contact with your doc. If you ever feel like things really aren't right, you must call your doc! But if you're not having any pain and can tolerate liquids you're probably a-ok. Take it slow, take it easy, be prepared for feeling like you're not banded for the next few weeks. It all takes time. Have fun on your journey!!