Alexandra

I guarantee you, LOTS of people have had this happen. Not a problem.

Strawarts, you have quite the way with words!! This experience is unforgettable, which is why it's such effective behavior modification. I think it's worse for those of us who have a natural disinclination to vomiting; before banding I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I vomited in the last 30 years. So after banding it took my body a lot of time to accept that sometimes, things that don't go down simply have to come up. There were two particularly bad EPGSHFLYADV episodes before I learned to let go more easily of what was bothering me. So rest assured, it's unlikely to happen again. Whether it's your mind or your body hanging on, after this event you'll probably be able to eject the bothersome morsel with a bit more ease. You poor dear!! Welcome to bandland, for real. :hug:

Leenerbups, the silicone in the band absolutely cannot leach into your system; it's an inert, solid substance. Of course, you should discuss your medical issues at length wth the doctors, but this at least I am quite sure about. (It's a question asked at almost every pre-op seminar I attend, and the doctors always say the same thing.) Bottom line: Some auto-immune and connective-tissue disorders may be issues when it comes to banding, it totally depends on the specific circumstances. This is not a question that can be adequately addressed on a support board. TALK TO YOUR DOCTORS.

No kidding!! Sorry everyone, I'm just seeing this now. On it.

Congratulations on your size 12, NewSho! You may find your body shrinking even more as time goes on, whether you lose more weight or not. I've had that happen--things that fit me last fall are now too big, even though I haven't lost any weight in that time. Guess I'm shaping up, or something!

For me, "full" and "satisfied" were two different things for a long time. It really took me a good year to totally internalize the fact that my band was doing me a FAVOR when it made me stop eating after a small amount. I had to listen to my body tell me that it really was no longer hungry, and learn to accept that this has to be my satisfaction point. It did happen, and now I'm happy to say it's easier than ever to stop eating when I'm done. But I won't kid you and say it happened immediately. This was one of the hardest things to learn, and I know I'm not alone when I say that.

I've been here longer than almost anyone, and I don't have a niche! What am I doing wrong?

I missed only three days of work when I had the surgery, Wednesday through Friday, and since it was summer all I had to do was take a couple of vacation days. Long weekends in summer are not at all uncommon where I work, so no one thought anything of it. The recovery is so quick that by Monday I was just a little stiff, and no one noticed anything I was eating (or not eating, as the case may be). The weight came off slowly enough that I think it's possible they might not realize I had anything done. I'd only been there just over a year and had just had a baby when I started working there. They didn't realize I was losing the weight of a lifetime, as opposed to just pregnancy weight.

So you lost 30 lbs and were, at that point, only 30 lbs overweight and your apnea was not improved? So why does your doc think doing so again would help this time? At what point would he expect to see an improvement due to weight loss, if 30 lbs wasn't enough? The band may be a great way for you to lose the excess weight and keep it off, but I just worry that it's addressing your medical problem in the wrong way.

I've heard of it happening both ways, simultaneously and also separate surgeries. Perhaps your doctor has a good reason for wanting to take the time to do them separately. Not to worry, though, it's not uncommon. Good luck!!

Hear hear!! Fingers crossed for your dreams coming true. :biggrin1:

Mary, I'm not suggesting banding is right or wrong for you, but it occurs to me that perhaps you should make as sure as you can that weight loss--even 30 lbs--would indeed help your sleep apnea. It would be a shame to have banding surgery, lose 50% of your excess weight (which is a not-bad result) and find out it wasn't the weight after all that was causing the apnea. There are so many people carrying 60 extra pounds who don't suffer from apnea that it just makes me wonder. There are thin people with sleep apnea, so clearly banding wouldn't be an answer for them. Are you very short? Is your doctor suggesting weight loss as a treatment for your apnea?

Congratulations, Dawg! NSVs make it all worthwhile. :biggrin1:

I completely agree with this, Dr. Pleatman--except for the which-is-safer part. For lots of people that's a HUGE concern, even bigger than the speed or amount of weight loss. As the seriousness of one's obesity issues increases, the concern with safety may lessen of course. But safety can't be discounted as a factor in the decision-making process. Not all morbidly obese patients need to lose weight overnight. Dr. Geller, thanks for your comments!

Holy cow! You're an inspiration, Ray. Congratulations!! :bounce:

I agree with what's been said. For me, the band severed the connection between my head hunger and the physical sensation of hunger--that is, I can now tell the difference between the two! Since banding I am almost never hungry between meals, and my body sends normal hunger signals only after I haven't eaten for several hours. It used to be that the sight, smell, or just thought of something I liked would actually create the sensation of physical hunger even if I had eaten recently. But now I can tell and respond appropriately to the cues all around us, and not eat when I'm not hungry. It's just amazing! :biggrin1:

Big hugs and lots of sympathy, Kellie! You're smart for getting it out, that can only help. Quitting smoking is WAY more important than quitting chocolate, IMO. When you finally do quit, you'll be a completely new person and your whole world will change for the better. If you already have the motivation in the form of your upcoming surgery, do whatever you can to make it easier on yourself. If that means chocolate, so be it! If it means Zyban, that's cool too. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to quit two difficult things at once--ONE is all anyone can handle at a time. Put those smokes down and walk away. The early days are the hardest but you'll get through them fine and then you're home free as an ex-smoker!! :hug:

Nykee, that's wonderful!! Congratulations and on to a terrific second banded year. :hug:

Lambchops, there are lots of people who feel like they're losing slowly with the band, more slowly than they would like. Do a search for "turtle" and you'll find threads about slow or no weight loss. IMO it's very easy to feel like a turtle with the band. A loss of 1 lb per week may not seem very inspiring after a big, expensive surgery. But you know what they say about turtles, and that's the whole reasoning behind the band. Turtles end up being winners, however long it takes them to get there. Patience and persistence are two things one needs to be a successful bandster, and which are not required for bypass patients.

Celebrating 100 lbs down is a huge milestone. I didn't do anything special, because every day has been special to me on this journey. But I toyed with the idea of getting a teensy, tiny tattoo. Only for a minute. Maybe if I keep the weight off for, say, 20 years I'll get the tattoo. Whaddya think?

It'll be ok! I promise! You're still healing, and there's a lot going on inside you that could be causing pain. I can't explain the mechanics of it, but what you're feeling now is way worse because you're not yet healed. Restriction does not feel like pain, unless you overdo it. In the best case, you can't swallow because you can tell something just isn't going down. Since that doesn't hurt, the thing to do is stop eating or drinking until it does go down--that's the behavior modification in action. As far as drinking without adding air, some people say straws are good. Others say straws are bad because they add air, :confused: so I don't know which is better. Try to pay close attention to how exactly you're drinking, and just be careful. You're doing great, just take it slow and don't do anything that hurts. You'll be fine!! :biggrin1:

I've been at the same weight for about 9 months now, and while some might consider that a stall or plateau, I consider it happily maintaining. I've lost 120 lbs and it's staying off!! If/when I decide to try to lose more weight, it will mean cutting calories and upping exercise. But for now I'm at a very good place and am thrilled that I don't have to try very hard to stay this way.

Stacey, if you just got banded on Monday you're still on liquids, right? It's way too early to be worrying about 1/2 cup servings. You're healing and this is not the time to be thinking about calories. People's capacity changes over time, with healing and with adjustments. Sure, if you can keep to 4 ozs of food at each meal and that keeps you satisfied, that will be a very successful way to lose weight. I know that when I'm not well-restricted, a half-cup of food doesn't do it. For me, not getting too hungry is the most important thing--if I'm too hungry I'll eat too fast and get into trouble--so I have never worried overmuch about the exact amounts I'm taking in. My focus has been on eating slowly and mindfully, and stopping when I'm no longer hungry. Most of the time that means a very small amount of whatever--probably 3/4 of a cup or so, which will hold me until the next meal or more. And that makes me happy. :biggrin1:

I remember eating like that! Amazing, isn't it, that this is a whole day's food? A typical day for me now is as follows: Breakfast: 6 ozs yogurt with all-fruit preserves, or a Protein Bar (Atkins) Lunch: 4 ozs of cold cuts and cheese (i.e., the insides of a sandwich), or a can of Soup Snack: large frozen yogurt Dinner: a small serving of whatever is on order; if I'm eating out it'll be an appetizer only.

Dr. Geller and Dr. Pleatman, can you share your practices' experience with erosion? We continually hear the 1-3% figure--is that where it stands with you? As for the 25% figure, it's just a statistic like any other--essentially meaningless. "Success" with the band is largely self-defined. My BMI hovers between 30-31 but unlike NewSho I consider myself a VERY successful bandster. Numbers aren't how I measure my success, and going into this decision I deliberately ignored the statistics in the same way I ignored them when I was told I'd have a "high-risk" pregnancy. Self-knowledge is the most important factor in deciding on the right WLS: our behaviors, our goals, our realistic abilities, our emotional states. It's a personal decision that has to be based on serious introspection, not the statistics from one small study.