Alexandra

Virginia, you can look at the Running Totals thread in the General Discussion area to get an idea of how LBT members have fared with their banding journeys. (Yeah, I know, it needs updating. I'll get to it, I promise!) It's a sticky thread, so if you go to the section you'll see it on the top of the thread list.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Garlandmom. It can indeed happen to anyone, without predictors or indications as to why. But thanks be that you were able to have the band removed and with luck your symptoms will resolve. You're a new person now, with 85 lbs less of you to worry about. I'm sure that with care and mindfulness you will be able to maintain the weight loss. Please do continue to post and read, and know that you have helped some people today. :hug:

My heart goes out to you, wonderkidsmom. Divorce is never easy. But sometimes it can be the best thing that ever happens to us. He sounds a lot like my ex-DH who also came from a big Irish family, but who never valued me as a person. I was his "designated wife" and when I didn't hop to the way he expected me to, put-downs were all I heard. I'm totally familiar with that kind of vibe, and it's no way to live. Good luck with your transition!

Carlene and BJean, I love you both. :confused: What a wonderful, moving discussion. Thank you both for taking the time to be so thoughtful, honest, yet circumspect in your posts!

Wheetsin, that's beautiful! Wonderful post. :biggrin1:

I kind of think that theory about a body's set point is true. There's certainly a level most of us get to--it may be lower than we've ever been before, or higher--where it's very hard to get beyond. I've certainly experienced this at prior times in my life, at different weights (280, 310, 340) where I'd be "stuck" for months or years on the way up or down even if my behavior didn't really change. But that's not to say it's insurmountable if you really want to do something about it. Personally I'm at a point where I'm only halfway dedicated to taking the steps I'd need to take to lose another 10 lbs. When I'm completely dedicated I know it will happen.

Hunter this is a not-uncommon sensation when people are getting used to a new fill. You really have to eat more slowly, chew until the bites are absolutely pulverized (like PASTE in your mouth), and wait a good 20-30 seconds between bites. It's like learning to eat all over again. A warm drink before your meal might help, but I think you're just learning the bandster way of eating. Practice will make perfect!

Hi Gummiebear, I don't know what to say about the panic attacks (except that I hope your meds work!), but it's true that some of us have a hard time recognizing the new "full" sensation the band gives us. I know for me it took some serious work to accept that when the band says I'm done, and I know that one more bite will be too much, THIS feeling is what "full" now feels like. It's different, indeed, than the old full-belly satisfaction of old times, but it's no less real for that. It means I'm no longer hungry. Next time you're done with a meal of reasonable bandster proportions, push away from the table and close your eyes. Really try to feel what's going on in your stomach. If you still think you're hungry, give it ten minutes and try again. If you've had enough to eat there should be no sensations of "hunger" emanating from your stomach. Sure, you may WANT to eat more, but that's the head hunger we all have to deal with. The band helps with PHYSICAL hunger, but we have to let it work and recognize what it's telling us. We really only need a small amount of food to satisfy our bodies' needs. That's what full feels like now.

Jess, thanks for the update! You are indeed quite fortunate to be where this is considered routine medical care. Good luck with everything and I hope you're back to tell us that it all went swimmingly!! :hug:

Lyndseyjill, I'm so sorry you're going through this! Here's hoping you find a doctor who will help you get through this infection and heal up completely. Good luck, and please keep us posted! :hug: It's been said before but always bears repeating: If you're going to Mexico or elsewhere for surgery, before you go be sure you have a followup doctor here at home!! Banding surgery isn't one-stop shopping; followup and maintenance are crucial. Even small problems can turn into big ones if we don't have doctors who know what they're doing taking good and careful care of us.

I just want to applaud all of you taking part in this conversation. It's enlightening, inspiring, and all-around wonderful to see civil and educated discourse on this board! :clap2: Now, is everyone getting ready for November 3? Don't forget to vote!!

Hi Sherrilyn, Congratulations on taking that first big step! It starts to seem a reality now, doesn't it? Good luck with everything!!

Havfaith, the very first thing you should do is call your PCP and schedule a physical. Get the diagnosis of morbid obesity in your file, get a diet plan from your doctor (they will have one copied and ready to hand you), and have followup appointments at least once a month for the next six months. If you're already seeing specialists you can get supporting letters from them when it's time for surgery, but you need that all-important PCP physical and diagnosis. You're going to need that at some point anyway, so why not kill both birds with one stone? You don't need to also join Jenny Craig unless you want to. It may or may not be considered a qualifying program anyway, so definitely don't do it until you know for sure if it will count. Six months of visits with your PCP will serve the same purpose, as long as it's clear that you're going because you're following a diet plan and are being medically supervised.

Hi Helen, It's not true that scheduling appointments means your doctor is confident of payment by your carrier. Not at all. You should investigate on your own whether your care will be covered, and if there are problems with payment down the line you will have to explain why you believe the claims should be paid. Are your providers in-network? Is the condition being treated a covered condition (i.e., morbid obesity)? Do you need referrals from a PCP and if so, do you have them in place before seeing your specialists? No carrier or doctor's office will ever promise you that a claim will be paid beforehand; insurers will always say they have to see the actual claim before a determination can be made. But you can certainly get a sense of your rights and responsibilities beforehand, and if you're acting in accordance with the terms of your contract you should have a reasonable expectation of payment.

Has an American doctor agreed to operate on you with so little weight to lose? What is your BMI? In the U.S., the band is not indicated for use in people with a BMI under 35, and I'd be surprised if a doctor would agree to do it unless you had really significant co-morbidities.

One month post-banding you would KNOW if you are eating too much. It's only after a couple of years of being banded that, according to my theory, the sensations dull and we are not as likely to know as soon as we've taken that one bite too many. People, don't anticipate problems if you're not having any. Before you reach a good level of restriction, it is ENTIRELY possible to eat more than you "think" you should. food is moving down through the stoma relatively quickly and there's room for more before you know it. AFTER you have a good level of restriction--may be a couple of fills down the line--you will KNOW when you have eaten too much or too quickly. That's when you'll urp up what there's no room for. It's only after months or years of this situation that the pouch could possibly be distended.

What's a hemmi op?

I've been assured that the journals will be returning. The owner upgraded the forum software and is still working out some issues that caused. They should be back shortly. Thanks for your patience!!

I debated putting this in "Complications" but I decided not to; it's not a complication, just a reality of my progression on the banding road. To recap, I was completely unfilled for several months earlier this year. About a month ago I tried to have a little fill, getting .8 ccs of saline replaced. All was fine for a couple of weeks, until the weather changed. Then I started back in with the reflux, heartburn, inability to eat, inability to sleep. I tried medicating it away but after several days it just was getting worse. So yesterday I went in for an unfill and all the saline was taken out. Last night I slept in bed all night, waking up at 5:00 with just a little coughing and reflux in my throat. But it was a BLESSING to sleep in bed again! I feel so much better and know without a doubt that even the tiny amount of Fluid that was removed from my band made all the difference. So it looks like this is the end of my band being adjustable. Lord knows I don't need any more fill, EVER, if I'm going to suffer afterwards. Having restriction is nice, but being too tight is just miserable. And Dr. A agrees that it's likely my allergies that sets it off--allergies cause swelling, and it seems to hit me internally--so I'm going to go on Claritin full-time to keep the episodes away. I joked that if I ever need to feel greater restriction, I'll just go off the allergy meds! I'm fine with this, he's fine with this, I'm healthy and weigh 130 lbs less than I did when I started. My band is still there, still keeping me from pigging out. It's really a better result than I had ever imagined ... now I have my life back. That's what it was all about in the first place. I'm just a normal person now, which I never could have imagined myself being.

Goannabanda's post is excellent. I'd just add that rapid weight loss, from any program, can add to a patient's risk of developing gall stones. So whether someone has gallbladder problems prior to surgery or not, the chance is always there that weight loss will result in gallstones. But the slower loss offered by banding minimizes that risk; it's much higher for RNY patients.

Molliegirl, it is extremely common for people who have had fill removed to only be able to tolerate a smaller amount when the fill is replaced. Sometimes MUCH smaller. You're not alone. It's great that even with that tiny fill you still feel restriction.

My hubby has what his doctor has called an umbilical hernia. He's had it all his life. It basically means his navel is a little odd-looking, with a bulge on one side. It's not big and he doesn't feel it at all. Though this obviously wasn't his problem, I imagine pregnancy is one of the primary causes of this situation. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about!

After my first unfill my doctor would have been ready in 8 weeks or so. I had to wait longer for insurance reasons, but that's the amount of time he'd figured we'd give my system to return to normal.

Sophie, it sounds like you and I are in the same boat, fill-wise. The first time I had an unfill the doctor was only able to pull out about 1 cc, and the second time I know there was only .8 in there. I don't think I've ever had more than 1.25 or so. My personal theory (and we know what's that's worth!) is that as time goes by we lose sensation in our lower esophagus, even if we're not losing function (which some do). We take one or two or three more bites because we can't feel that it's too much, and even though we're not eating a LOT more than we were, that little bit more is just enough to fill it up too much. Over time we might start to have reflux, and when that happens the irritation is enough to tighten things up considerably. All of these things happening at once is a recipe for misery. So, an unfill is called for. This last time my surgeon said that if my symptoms don't clear up (which they have, already) he'll want another endoscopy and possibly more testing. But I'm feeling 100% better and know the ball is in MY court as far as not gaining any weight goes. Now that I'm a whole new person -- a NORMAL person -- I'm confident I can control it using the lessons the band has taught me.

Hi Dana, I hope you don't mind, I edited out the extraneous code in your post that was making it impossible to read. Congratulations on your banding and on losing 22 lbs! That's a lot to lose in the first two weeks, but on a liquid diet it's certainly possible. Just be prepared that when you go back on solid food this weight loss will STOP, and you might even put back on a few pounds. IT'S NORMAL, and your loss will start up again--albeit at a MUCH slower pace--as your body adjusts. I don't know about the difficulty swallowing. The feeling may pass, but as with anything unusual if it doesn't go away, talk to your doctor. Welcome to LBT!!