Alexandra

Welcome to the world of restriction! When you get that feeling, STOP EATING. Your esophagus is not intended to hold food in it for any length of time, and if you can feel it in the back of your throat that is indeed what's happening. Eat slower, eat less, chew carefully. Welcome to big-girl bandland!!

Oh, Vera, that all sounds so rough. Here's wishing you a quick and COMPLETE recovery, and and end to surgeries!! Good luck with the waterskiing. That'll be a great NSV, and we want to see pictures.

I'm another long-termer who can eat a lot more, sometimes, than before. I'm also, I think, on that razor's edge between not tight enough and reflux-tight. But I'm not worried about losing the last 10 lbs, so I'm not interested (yet) in going for another fill. I think that the "full" feeling is less not because the restriction isn't what it was, but because our nerves aren't what they were. So to me it's perfectly plausible that food or Fluid would be moving slowly through the stoma but we can't quite sense it in the same way anymore. This would be so, I think, even if the band is in perfect position and everything is exactly the way it should be. Maybe it's an inevitable passage of being banded long-term. Our lower esophageal sphincter may not be looser than it was, but the nerves around it may be losing sensation due to much more unaccustomed pressure over time. The good news is that the physical capacity of the pouch is still MUCH smaller than that of our pre-banded stomachs, so we're not without any assistance at all. But indeed our challenge is going to be a bit more difficult than it was when one tiny extra bite was enough to let us know we were overdoing it.

Fingers and toes crossed for an all-clear, Kathy! Whatever discomfort the diagnostic process causes, it's worth enduring so you'll know what's going on. Good luck!!!

A lot seems to be happening to me physically, and I'm wondering if I've turned some sort of corner. For one thing, I seem to be heading for menopause on a rocket train. My cycle is 23-25 days, now (compared to a normal clockwork-like 28)! Pre-menstrual carb cravings are worse than I've ever experienced them, and I can't stop once I start. At 120 lbs lower than my highest non-pregnant weight, I'm feeling very well thank you. But I'm 50 lbs heavier than I probably "should" be. Do I want to go there? I honestly don't know. For one thing, as my face gets thinner I think I look older, and at 43 looking my age is bad enough. With more weight lost I'd just look even older! I'm starting to feel like my skin needs tightening almost everywhere, but have absolutely no desire to attempt plastic surgery. Can't afford it, surgery scares me, I'm happily married, clothes make great camouflage, so what's the point? Maybe in 10 years our financial circumstances will have changed, but for now it's not going to happen. Right now it feels like the only thing good about losing more weight would be the reflexive thrill of seeing the numbers go down, numbers on the scale, numbers on clothing. But I'm not sure I'd look any better with less weight--I'm curvy and svelte compared to where I used to be, and it's certain that yards of loose skin won't add anything to the picture. :rolleyes Maintaining this 120-lb loss is and will continue to be an amazing thing, and that's what I'm thankful for every single day. Perhaps someday if I can manage to get plastic surgery into my mental realm of possibilities, losing more weight might be something I can think positively about. For now, perhaps it makes more sense to concentrate on physical challenges (like the "running" I recently began) just for fun. All of this is just me airing my thoughts out for no particular reason. Just thought I'd share in case it resonates with anyone else.

Good god, Zoe, say it isn't so!! Cripes, my fingers are crossed that my experience is different. Is it true that one's mother's journey may predict one's own? Or is that an old wives' tale? My mom seemed to go through menopause smoothly. She said her cycles speeded up and shortened until one day they were gone. Mine are speeding up and shortening, too. Maybe I'll get lucky? Too bad I can't ask her how old she was. If I have another 5+ years of 23-day cycles ahead of me, Playtex is going to make a mint!

I've never heard of anyone dying due to anything specifically related to their band if they'd received appropriate medical care. If the story that DeLarla refers to is the one I'm thinking of, it was indeed because the person ignored very severe symptoms for quite a long time past the point where any normally cautious person would have sought help. There have been deaths due to surgical complications, but the rate is extremely low. ALL surgeries have risks, general anaesthesia being a major factor right there. (Not that it's a major risk, but it makes up a large portion of the relatively small risk of surgical complications.) That's another way of saying that going under at all is the risk, not the band-specific surgery. We all have to examine our risk-benefit ratio. Is the tiny risk of being banded worth taking to change the (possibly much greater) risk of staying obese and gaining more weight? I know it sure was for me.

Hey, we just got a Fantastic Sam's! If your hairdo is any indication of their skills I may have to throw over my hairdresser for a new one. (If you can consider Supercuts a "hairdresser," which I think it's safe to say we can NOT.) You look absotively marvelous, my dear!!

I don't think it's a mind game at ALL, Kathy. In my experience the weight loss does indeed come off in those fits and starts and I think it's natural and normal. A constant downward trend wouldn't be healthy! We have talked about this before, average weight loss and progress over time, and it's really important to remember that the changes we're making mean our bodies need time to adjust. A quick drop is the kind of weight that comes right back on. This is permanent weight loss, and slow and steady is the only way to get there. Robyn, you're doing GREAT and your first fill will soon be behind you. Keep your head up and enjoy the progress you've already made!

I take Tylenol when I need something, but not often. The only thing I've needed it for in recent months were headaches, and back when I had strep throat I was popping it like candy. Before banding I used to take Advil for serious menstrual cramps every single month, and I was really worried about whether Tylenol would be able to manage it for me. I've been surprised to find that I don't even need anything anymore; I guess the cramps weren't as bad as they used to be and I just never noticed because I was numbing them away. Are you talking about chronic pain? What hurts?

Kelly Ann, I've been waiting for Starr to come out of the closet, too! Her weight loss really seems on a par with a bandster experience, doesn't it? What a boost for the band that would be. I don't understand why all these celebs choose RNY when the band is available. What on earth are they thinking? Carnie Wilson I'll excuse because she had her surgery quite a while ago, but Al Roker should have gone a different way. When some stars come out of the bandster closet we'll see more publicity about the band, but probably not before. It's just not dramatic enough; but of course, that's what we love about it.

Thanks, ladies. Wow, really? What a thought. [shiver...] I guess the tube extend out through a hole in the stomach in such a case? Sounds like something NOT to be left alone, indeed.

So glad you're feeling better! What a trial that must have been.

Donali's right. I'm already uncomfortable with the amount of personal medical detail that has been shared here without the participation of the person in question. I am assuming someone who knows Diane would be able to say that she wouldn't mind all this info being posted about her. But there are privacy laws and if she were NOT on board with all this, well, I don't want to go there. In any event, I'm glad to hear she's on the mend. What a horrifying series of events.

By general agreement of the moderators we are locking this thread to new posts. If anyone is interested in more information about this event, please contact Iris directly at the e-mail given above.

Melissa, I totally second and applaud Megan's comments. I too have to go to a hospital for fills under fluoro and the first time had me rolling my eyes in frustration. It's just such a big DEAL at a hospital, for a 10-second procedure! But now I'm glad they do it that way because I know each time I'm getting a mini-diagnostic on the band's position and so forth. There are probably many adjustments in your future and they will get easier both for you and the staff. Patience and a positive attitude will rule the day! Ann, I've heard that the pain associated with banding is NOTHING compared to that of either a hysterectomy or even a gall-bladder operation. Nothing internally is cut, all that needs to heal are essentially some internal stitches and just a few incisions on your stomach. There's usually some achiness/bloating afterward due to the gas used in surgery, but lots of people don't find it painful (though of course, some do). We all heal differently, but if you had a previous abdominal surgery you'll have some idea of how you react to anaesthesia at least.

Barbara, be sure to talk to me on Wednesday so I can hug you!! What a sweet thing to say. Betty, I'm with you in believing that being comfortable in one's skin is really important. I think it's the source of inner beauty, actually, which is probably why I'm so hesitant to think about going further. I guess I think that if need surgery, makeup, lots of age-defying concoctions to think I'm presentable, that indicates a deep-seated dissatisfaction that makes daily life unbearable. And of course it's not. Jack, you are so right about avoidance being the best way to beat the carb dragon. It's much easier at some times of the month than others, though. Kathy, I know you're right that 50 extra pounds is not a good thing. And when my doctor is done reeling from the 120 lbs that are gone, she might actually say something to me about it. Sarah, your approach is probably where I'm going. My lifestyle has changed so much that regain is not really a concern (for now), and continued healthy habits may lead to additional weight loss. Who knows? I'll bide my time and see, as a perimenopausal woman trying not to worry about THAT next corner to be turned. Maybe I need to think about actually challenging myself in other ways now. During all my life as a fat person I've worked so hard to not hate myself that maybe I've learned to ask too little of me. There's ups and downs to having good self-esteem, I suppose.

Good luck, La_Madam! We're looking forward to your report.

Yep, that's her. See what I mean? The band isn't getting any more interest, just this one person's story is circulating all over the place. It would be great if this publicity will inspire smaller media outlets to look locally for their own bandsters to profile, but in this time of conglomeration it's much more likely that the one person will do all the shows and nothing new will get said. Phooey.

Hi Beth, Welcome to LBT! I can certainly relate to your fear of going under--that was really the only thing about surgery that frightened me. Medical people are so cavalier about it; they see it each and every day time and time again, but if surgery is a rare occurrence in one's life general anaesthesia can be terrifying. Your feelings are perfectly valid and understandable. I think they will pass, though, as you move through the process and get closer. There's a lot to think about and process, and the actual surgery itself is only one of those things. Learning more about it can only help. Good luck, and nice to "meet" you!

I'm sure all kids get cranky when they're hungry. My daughter Gillian takes it to new heights, though, and I'm just wondering if this is normal or something I need to ask her doctor about. G doesn't eat much, and before meals sometimes she can turn into a BEAR of the worst order. Worse, she'll resist eating and say she isn't hungry; she'll blame her mood on being tired or something that happened at school. But we know that after even a few bites of something, her happy disposition will return. My 4 y.o. gets cranky when she's hungry too, of course, but to what I would consider a normal degree. Gillian's behavior is infantile, literally. We all know how it is to feed a baby who is so crazed with hunger s/he can't calm down enough to eat, right? We recognize that is beyond the baby's power to control, but I don't think we see the same thing in kids who are almost 7. So what I'm wondering is if perhaps there are some blood-sugar issues I should be worrying about. Maybe Gillian's blood sugar is really dropping into some super-low zone before a meal or something? It doesn't happen all the time and I'm not really aware of it having been a big issue until the last few months. I mean, it sort of seems to have gotten more extreme since her 6th birthday, but again, it's not an everyday occurrence. Sorry for the novel, but I can't see calling up our doctor just to run this by her before getting a few more opinions. There's nothing else going on with Gillian physically; she's growing quickly, of course, and could eat a better diet I'm sure. So am I overanalyzing a normal reaction to being hungry? Or could there be more going on? Any insights from parents here? Thanks!!

Ouchie-wowchie!! Been there, done that. You are definitely right to stick to liquids tomorrow; it sounds like your esophagus has been through the wringer! Talk about negative behavioral reinforcement, huh?

Oh my god, you guys just literally brought tears to my eyes. Wow. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm all verklempt! You may not be surprised to know that I try to go every month to my surgeon's preop seminars because I think it's that important that people learn about the band as an alternative to RNY. Not that I think my achievement is so incredible--trust me, it isn't--but people need to see that this little band of silicone can be our path to a normal life with less risk. I have to bring my "before" pix with me because I'm certainly no advertisment for a weight-loss program without them. Sharing my experience with others keeps me mindful of this project I began two years ago and that will never end: the project of managing my morbid obesity. It's wonderful to be told that it helps on the receiving end, too.

All caffeinated beverages are potentially irritating to the stomach if you're sensitive, I think. But lord knows, I couldn't live without coffee.

If the patient is Lisa Sohr, she's the same one who was featured on the cover of New York magazine recently, the article about weight loss surgery. You know what this tells me? Lisa Sohr has an agent. She's all over the freakin' place talking about her weight loss and how different her life is now. What do you want to bet she's selling a book? Sheesh. There are THOUSANDS of successful lap-band patients out there, and the only ones who get airtime are the sexy ones with agents. Media whores. Edited to add: I have nothing against Lisa Sohr herself, obviously. It's just that I have yet to see an article or show about the realities of banding. She's a looker and has hired a publicist; the publicity has nothing to do with any real attempt of the media to shed light on this amazing medical treatment.