Alexandra

Oh, yeah, this is true too. If you have good restriction you may find that drinking while you're also putting food into your pouch doesn't have the effect you're used to. The liquid may just come back up if it can't go through the stoma because there's food in the way. That's a very unpleasant experience and a sure way to break yourself of the habit pretty quickly.

Welcome to the ranks, Betty! Has Marie shown you the secret handshake yet?

Yep, they're both new and we don't quite know what they mean. Anyone can add to anyone's reputation, and even write in a little comment--which is visible only to the person who got it--by clicking on the scales in the upper right-hand corner of the message. I'm still not sure what Reputation Points are, like whether you get them by giving or getting reputation comments. The whole thing is very surreal.

If you think about it, the whole reason we (humans) drink while eating is to wash down more food. Since we no longer want to do that, there is no reason to drink while we eat. If you're eating something dry and need a little liquid to wet your whistle, go ahead. I do it all the time. But the huge glasses of Fluid that used to accompany gargantuan meals quickly become a thing of the past. If you are in the habit of drinking while eating, it's a very good idea to become more aware of that and start to try consciously limiting it. It's by no means impossible.

No, it seems to have nothing to do with post count. Maybe it's related to how often someone adds to someone else's reputation?

Rep power is a mystery to THIS moderator, anyway. I'm still waiting for enlightment on that one!

Hmmm... This seems to be a new function of the forum that lets us "rate" each other's posts and add to people's "reputation" by clicking on the scales. I don't much like that sort of thing, since it detracts from the purpose of the board. (I don't even like post counts, for the same reason, but realize lots of people do.) What do y'all think? I guess we need to know more about how it works. Anyone know more than I do?

I agree with the other moderators that gifts are unnecessary. I truly get a great deal of joy out of just knowing this site is out there and that I do a little (tiny) something to keep it alive. Being able to tell other people about this site is a great thing, and that's really thanks to all of the members! You're who keep it going, not us.

You got me! I'll see what I can find out and get back to you...

I've been rewarding myself with clothes all along the way. You learn pretty quickly, though, that it doesn't pay to invest in quality, since they get too big over the course of a season. I have a shelf-full of sweaters from LAST winter that were a new, smaller size for me then and which are too big to wear now. But I do have a dream item of clothing, one I've never ever been able to wear. If I ever get to a point where I can put on and comfortably wear a pair of decent BOOTS, I will happily plunk down whatever it costs. I've been dreaming of Frye boots since I was a child. Styles have changed somewhat, but something classic, durable, and good-looking will become my wardrobe staple if I can ever get them on. (Oh my god, I'm turning into my mother!!)

Sharon, you will find indeed that many doctors have a preference for RNY. The doctor in question may think there's not enough information for him. You might ask him what WOULD be enough information. The band has been approved in the US since June of 2001 and has been in use in other countries for close to two decades. What sort of additional information is he looking for? Given the different physical realities of RNY and the band, does he think another 20 years will teach us something that would make him think banding is dangerous? What is the worst-case scenario of banding? It's removed. It may not be the final answer for lots of MO people. But that should be OK with the medical community, because LOTS of things we do are a first step towards treatment. You don't go straight to amputating a leg when you have a broken ankle, right? If I fail to use my band correctly and end up MO again someday, the RNY will still be there and I will still be medically qualified for it. Why go right to the most dramatic, invasive, and risky treatment first?

Does your name mean you're 25 years old? If so, you'll probably have little to worry about in the matter of excess skin. And at any rate, with banding your weight comes off slowly enough to give your skin a MUCH better chance of bouncing back. Exercise will help a lot because it tightens up the underlying muscles giving a firmer appearance to everything. But like Leatha said, if you lose a LOT of weight you've had for a very long time, you'll likely have some looser skin in places. Age is probably the deciding factor--when I was 30 I lost 75 lbs in 3 months and don't remember having any particular issues with excess skin. This time around it's hanging in places--my upper arms are the worst--but it's definitely better than what was there before!!

Hi Sharon, Your fears are completely understandable. I found that realizing that the band is an implant like any other helped me understand how I could have it the rest of my life. People have artificial heart valves, knee and hip joints, all sorts of things made of similar inert materials which have been proven over great spans of time. Of course we are all concerned about future health risks, but that's the MAJOR reason I chose the band. RNY and all the other surgeries make major changes to our basic anatomy so there's obviously a much greater risk of major complications in the short run. My band may require maintenance in the coming years, but not the kind of maintenance that could land me in the hospital for weeks or months at a time. Even a "minor" complication of RNY, like adhesions or a stricture, requires an additional surgery.

Brenda, thank goodness everything went smoothly and you were able to come out with a brand-new band! Good luck and best wishes for a very speedy recovery. Fingers crossed that you have absolutely no problems in the future!!

This is a brilliant thread, and I don't have much to add. My experience as a lifelong fat person has steered me away from other fat people. I lived in Manhattan most of my life and there just aren't that many fat people there. Once my father returned from a trip to Queens and went on a rant about how HUGE everyone out there was--he seemed to look at big fat strangers with real contempt. Charming. (Think I'm still carrying some of that around with me?) So I've always, ALWAYS been the biggest person in the room. I vividly recall meeting a work colleague with whom I'd only had a phone relationship and being thrilled that she too was morbidly obese, only to find out that she was about to undergo RNY surgery. I'd be losing my only compatriot. Now that I'm banded, and living in the suburbs, I've had to face up to my reactions. I still find myself wondering if I'm the largest person in the room--am I bigger than that person? Or that one? Much of the time now the answer is no. I don't hate fat people--I try consciously not to see their size. Because that's how I always wanted to be treated and it's the least I can do. The people I do feel sorry for are the kids, though. When I see really chubby 7-year-olds in my daughter's swim class my heart just breaks.

Congratulations to another bandster success story!! :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana

Julie, you're right in the place of learning how to eat with the band! This is restriction you're feeling, and the answer is to eat more slowly and carefully. The hardest thing for me to learn was NOT to take that next bite before I knew the one I'd just taken was well down my esophagus--all my life I'd been eating just as fast as I can, and this is a VERY hard habit to break. It may be that you're just taking one or two bites too many for your pouch to handle at one time. Take very small bites, chew very carefully, and put your fork down between bites. Let a good 30 seconds AT LEAST go by before taking another bite. Before too long you'll learn what is enough, and what it is too much for your new tummy.

Hi Bigmom, I've had insomnia on and off all my life, but it's been no better or worse since banding. But it's not so surprising, since your brain has a lot to think about now. I highly recommend Valerian root or melatonin. Both are natural substances sold in health food stores (or any big drugstore with a good Vitamin section). Valerian is an herb sold in kind of large capsules, and it smells pretty rank, so it may not be the best choice for bandsters. Melatonin is, I think, a hormone, and it works beautifully too. It comes in very small pills that are very easy to take. Either of these does a great job of just relaxing you enough to get sleepy, and there are absolutely no effects when you awake. They'll even let you wake up in the middle of the night if you need to (such as to a crying baby) and be alert. I swear by melatonin now.

Mine was an unusual case, in that it took almost a year from my first phone calls to surgery. Normally it should only take a couple of months, give or take, depending on how extensive the testing is that your surgeon requires and how slow you are about putting paperwork together. Typically there are several appointments with different specialists for tests or evaluations, plus whatever physical exams and/or bloodwork your doc wants. And of course, there's your surgeon's schedule. Some offices have lengthy wait times just because they're so busy. Your insurance carrier should NEVER take more than 30 days to respond, and most do so much faster than that. But the biggest hurdle is getting that file totally complete before submitting the request for precert. Information usually has to be gathered from several sources and one or the other of them often hangs it up. If you're very diligent and ready to pester people you can speed the process up.

1. Well, the clear liquid diet going okay. But, I have been noticing my BM's are liquidy too. Like, watered down. Is that normal? Yes indeed, perfectly normal. Liquid in, liquid out--not so surprising when you think about it. You'll find that things normalize when you're on thick liquids and mushies (possibly too much in the other direction due to lack of fiber). 2. My left side (where the port is) feels weird, like if I laugh too hard the port will pop out! Is that normal? You've been banded, what, three days? Of course it's normal to feel a little weird about the changes in your body!! It's not likely at all that you could damage your port stitches by laughing, but you do want to be careful about lifting, stretching, or anything else that's strenuous for a good three or four weeks. Which brings us to... 3. With my flu, when I cough, I feel like I could move my band. Is that even possible or just paranoid on my part? Your band is stitched in place but it is still healing. I imagine it all depends on the severity of your cough. A friend of mine once had a cough that was so bad she actually broke a rib! A cough like that might be troublesome, so if you think it's getting to that degree please call your doctor. Normal coughing and movement should present no problem. What a drag to have the flu while you're healing from surgery! You have TWO reasons to be extra good to yourself. I hope you're staying home tomorrow with several good books. Take care!!

I felt exactly this same way. But as it turned out, I only had to take one person in my office into my confidence, and he was very supportive and helpful. When I ran into another problem with my carrier AFTER they'd been told they had to pay for it, I did confide in our sales rep for the carrier. Believe me, I resisted that BIG TIME. I don't know if he pulled any strings for me or not, but the problem was solved within a couple of days. My point is that as you go forward, your feelings about going "public" may change. For the most part I'm still very private about it--of the 7 people in my office 4 still don't know (or at least, they don't mention it). Confiding in a select few for assistance doesn't mean you'll be the "poster child" for WLS. After all, you'll have the HIPAA laws to protect you. (Also, one thing I made VERY VERY clear to those people I did tell was the difference between banding and RNY. No one wanted to see me have RNY.) Cheers,

Just wanted to bump this to remind New Jerseyans and neighbors that the Abkin/Bertha support group is meeting again on Wednesday the 23rd at 7:00 p.m. At the last meeting I asked if patients of other doctors were welcome and the answer was a resounding YES. So even if you're not an Abkin/Bertha patient and you want to come, contact me directly and I'll give you the address. Hope to see you there!

When I'm well restricted, I really don't snack. That's the miracle of the band. But at other times I'll definitely need a little something at about 3:00 in the afternoon. My whole office is on the low-carb bandwagon, so there are always nuts around. It just takes a few to take the edge off. Recently I've been having serious carb cravings, which I've been indulging because I need the fiber. A trail mix with dried fruit is a staple now. And there's always cheese with a cup of tea. The other day I bought a box of Wheat Thins and actually put away about 2/3 of the box!! So I'm staying away from crackers--they're dangerous.

Megan, did you ever let us know what you decided? How are you doing now? The symptoms you describe are pretty much what sent me in for my last fill, and like you I lose 10-15 lbs pretty quickly and then plateau. So how are you?

Rachel, congratulations and welcome to Bandland!! Take care of yourself, you're working hard healing now. Don't forget to check in and let us know how you're doing! :eek: