Alexandra

What's to lambast about it? Some doctors think it's absolutely crucial, others don't mention it at all. We are not medical professionals and all we can say is what our doctors told us. (Mine is of the "didn't mention it" school.)

LaMadam, was there any connection between your bowel obstruction and being banded? (Have I asked you this already? Sorry, if so.) In the 2.5 years I've been banded I've had only the minor "complications" that are involved in the learning curve of eating as a bandster. PBing, sliming, occasional pains that feel like heart attacks are all things that were symptoms of eating too fast or swallowing bites that were too big. Nothing like that has happened to me for months now. There's also occasional reflux, usually easily controlled by behavioral changes. The worst and most prolonged episode of this was after several days of really bad behavior (eating past the point of fullness, eating things that had to be regurgitated and not resting after each episode of this) which resulted in what I'm sure was esophageal and stoma inflammation. I had a major unfill which resolved the situation immediately, and was able to have a re-fill several weeks later. Since then I've had absolutely no band-related problems. And I've learned that my behavior is MORE important now, since after so much time my body has become accustomed to the new sensations. The feeling of restriction lessens, even if there's no less actual restriction than before. I think it's because the nerves at the lower end of our esophagus become deadened through overstimulation, which is why people can "pouch-pack" more easily as time goes by. I've had maybe 8 adjustments and all of the fills were under fluoroscopy. For my money, this is key to preventing overfilling, and thus to helping prevent the complications that can go with that.

My fills always took about three weeks to make themselves felt. It is indeed possible that what you're feeling is restriction, and it's telling you to SLOW DOWN. Eat smaller bites and take three or four deep breaths between bites, and you'll get the hang of this. Good luck!

Holy cow, Jodie, you sound wonderful!! It's so great to hear that big ol' smile in your voice. Have a wonderful holiday and keep up the great work!! :Bunny

Oh, man, i'm almost jealous. Carrying a baby is so amazing!! Enjoy, and don't worry about your band!! It will be there when you're ready to get back on the weight loss track. Congratulations!!! :eek:

My insurance company said/did the exact same thing. I fought, appealed, and finally won on external review. This was three years ago, now, so I'd think it would be even easier to get this absurd position overturned. What does "unfounded" mean? Your carrier is saying that a procedure approved by the FDA almost 5 years ago is still untested? Bah. Personally I wasn't going to let my insurance carrier make my medical decisions for me. Based on my health I felt it was better to try the safer, less invasive procedure first to see how far that would take me toward better health. It's a very sound medical position and ultimately convincing to a third party whose decision was binding in my case. What are your options? You should appeal, absolutely, and Inamed can provide you with information that will support your position. Elsewhere in this section are threads with appeal letters you can read that can give you ideas for yours. Good luck!!

I managed to change the picture size; that was a little overwhelming. These are very clear photos! What is your doctor's recommendation for action? What are your plans?

Oh, man, Lisa, I'm so sorry. :eek:

I think what Jachut means is that they've only been in wide USE for 10 years, so that's all we know for sure is their life span. But the band is an implant and like all medical implants it's made from inert, nonreactive material that is designed to stay in place indefinitely. There's no "10-year life span" mentioned in any materials I've ever seen.

I generally don't have any problem with guzzling pretty fast, either. There were only a few short periods of high restriction where I had to sip (other than right after surgery).

I'm settling in to the long run with my band, and the way I feel now I definitely plan to stay banded the rest of my life. It's a part of my body and a part of my life, and one I can easily live with forever. However, I could imagine a scenario developing where it would have to be removed, and that prospect doesn't horrify me the way I thought it would. I've seen enough people come through removal with their minds, bodies, and senses of humor intact that it would just seem like another path on the journey.

Hi dan! Welcome to LBT!! :eek:

They make you take your underwear off before surgery. I don't know what they would do if you "needed" it; but I guarantee you they have come across this before and have a way to manage it. Surgery isn't long--usually no more than one hour--so it's not going to be a big problem.

Hi Tina, welcome to LBT!! Let's see, you've lost almost 40 lbs in a little over 7 months, which is between 5 and 6 lbs a month. That's right on target!! There will be times of faster loss and times of slower loss, but overall your average is right where it should be. If you want to post what you are eating, I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas and comments. It's easy to get into a rut when you can't eat much at one sitting, I know.

My surgeon has us stay on liquids for a day and a second day on mushies, just in case there is any swelling in reaction to the tightening of the band. if you try to eat something solid before the stomach has acclimated to the new restriction, you might make a swelling situation worse before you even know it's happening. Just take it slow, is the mantra. :eek:

Sigh, another newbie. Oh well, I'll answer...AGAIN. :eek: 1. How difficult did you find the pre-op diet? I keep thinking I can't possibly do a liquid diet for a week. Not everyone has to do a pre-op diet. If you do, it's not as hard as you think. A week goes by faster than you imagine, and if you really think about what's it's for you'll find the motivation to continue. I once did a liquid diet for 12 weeks and there was no surgery at the end of it to keep me honest. But I stayed on it anyway. 2. I have had 3 cesareans and my gallbladder laproscopically removed. Does anyone know how the pain and/or recovery is in comparison? Can't answer this, never having had abdominal surgery before. I will say banding surgery was easier than giving birth naturally. 3. Now this is one I really haven't seen at all and am a bit shy to ask, but it's better to ask now then end up in the ER. How soon can one umm hmmm be intimate and are you limited in well you know <whispers> positions? If it feels good do it! The only restriction on physical activity, usually, is no heavy lifting for several weeks. But otherwise if you feel up to doing whatever activity floats your boat, your body knows best. 4. After going on solids, is there a weight gain? I plan on eating only healthy (low carbs) on the liquid and solid stages and fear that once I go on solids I may actually gain weight. Should I jus eat whatever I can tolerate on liquids and solids and worry about losing the weight and low carbing after I go on solids? You might gain weight, you might not. I don't remember gaining any once I started on solids, but the weight LOSS certainly slowed down in a hurry at that point. The most important thing during the liquid stage is staying on liquids so you can heal, and IMO that means it's important not to get too hungry. It's not a time to be worrying about calories. 5. What is the longest a person went without any fills (after surgury) and STILL lost weight? There are people who have never needed a fill. But that's meaningless to you, because the only thing that matters is when YOU need a fill. The band can't do it's job without proper, personalized adjustment and you just won't know what that is until you get there. You might need a fill, you might not, you might need 8. What's the difference? You'll find out what's right for you when the time comes. 6. For some reason it is very easy for me to lose 40lbs (after each of my 3 pregnancies I have lost all of my pregnacy weight which has been 40-45lbs within 2 weeks after delivery AND each time I have done Atkins I have lost 40lbs and then I stall). Do people stall on this and if they do and it has nothing to do with the restriction, how can you tweak your program to break the stall? Or is it a matter of just being patient and waiting it out? That has always been my downfall with Atkins, I would get discouarged and just start eating the foods I liked again because I figured I wasn't losing anyway. I don't like the word "stall." It's a simple fact of weight loss that there will be plateaus, and this is NORMAL. But what IS different about being banded and hitting one is that you simply CAN'T go back to your pre-banded eating habits. The band is still there, keeping you from overdoing it and destroying your progress. And since that's the case, the "stall" ends and your weight loss starts again. THIS IS NOT A DIET, and it's not about being "on" a plan and trying to rack up a certain amount of loss in a certain amount of time before you go "off" the plan. If you plan on being banded for the rest of your life, there's no point in worrying about stalls and plateaus. It is all just part of the journey.

Fingers crossed that you heal up and have no further progress in your symptoms!! Good news about your band, though. :eek: And I guess you had reflux prior to banding, right? So this diagnosis is not really related to your being banded? Anyway, I'm glad it's caught and is treatable. Take care of yourself!

Hi Belinda, I'm well over two years out and have experienced everything you mention. The trick, I think, is not to worry/obsess about it. You have the rest of your life to maintain your weight loss, and an up-and-down swing of 7-10 pounds from time to time is not going to mean you aren't a whopping success. When I get reflux I manage it with behavioral changes--nothing after about 6:00 p.m. and only a small meal before that. A cup of hot tea sometime after dinner helps everything go down. Drink lots of Water and eat very small meals--being good to your esophagus is the way to resolve minor issues. You'll be fine!!

The reasoning is that your stomach is still healing around its new band. Soft and pureed foods make the stomach work less to move it down, so there's better stability for healing. Most doctors say to stick with liquids and mushies for at least 4 weeks after surgery to allow for optimum healing. It is hard to stick to it, but remember it's not about restriction or how you feel at this point, it's about healing. Eating solids too early can compromise the health of your banded stomach. So don't take chances!

Hi Andrea! Welcome to LBT!!

I just discovered Mark Gatiss, whose new The Vesuvius Club is quite enjoyable. But if I had $50 to spend at Borders I'd get The Historian by...um...what's her name. My favorite genre is probably historical fiction. That's a great gift! I don't usually shop at Borders but was there last weekend. Just in the front FOYER we found gifts for several people, at prices I couldn't believe. There was a fantasy novella compilation in hardback for $5.00!!! Normally this sort of thing blows, but it included novellas by Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin, two authors I've wanted to read. Anyway, other suggestions for authors I love are Elizabeth George, Anita Shreve, and probably my all-time favorite Larry McMurtry (I'll read anything with his name on it). Have you ever read Lonesome Dove? That's probably my favorite novel ever. Have a blast!!

Johnnyreno, please tone down the personal comments. We really don't want to get into a p**sing match of snark. Thank you.

Hi, and welcome to LBT! It doesn't sound like you've had a lot of information about the band available to you yet. A "fill" is an adjustment, as in "adjustable gastric band." The band is adjusted by way of adding or taking away Fluid from the bladder that encircles the stomach. Fills are given on a personalized, as-needed basis. Visit www.inamed.com for the basic information on how the band works.

Excellent advice. I had a similar problem with meat over the summer, and I finally had an unfill to resolve it. But that probably wasn't necessary, since two days before the unfill the situation had started to resolve on its own. BABY THAT SYSTEM until you feel better. Stick with soft foods and lots of thin fluids. In a few days I'll bet you'll be feeling much better. Good luck!!

I've heard this topic discussed before, but there doesn't seem to be any agreement on whether PBing or reflux can really hurt our teeth. It seems to me that it would have to be extremely frequent in order to have any effect. Lots of people suffer from reflux who aren't banded. I've never heard of any connection between it and tooth decay or deterioration. Bulimia does affect the teeth, but PBing is not the same as vomiting up stomach acids on a regular basis. I think any bandster-reported connection may just be the natural inclination we have to attribute any negative symptom to the fact that we're banded. Personally my teeth have never been better. I attribute that partly to the fact that I eat less often, but mostly to my Sonicare toothbrush.