Alexandra

You've all reassured me, though I already knew I was doing the right thing. It will be a pure-T pleasure to sleep flat again! Michelle, you said exactly what I needed to hear--about not being in a hurry. My original "goal" too was 230, the low point I'd reached after Opti-fast back in 1990. So my test will be maintaining this weight, which I'm sure I can do even with less restriction. I'm thrilled to have made it this far and want to be really careful about the future. I'm ready for my unfill, doctor!

Leatha, it's well known that there was a design problem with the band for a while and ports were breaking fairly easily. Unfortunately if the first port was replaced with the same type, the same thing could happen again. As for a hernia not being fixed at the initial surgery, it's possible that it wasn't there at that time. Now the band defect that led to broken ports has been fixed; they've been using the new design since at least early 2003. So anyone who's been banded more recently than that is not going to have the same problem.

Oh, Frank, I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my father suddenly and it's so, so hard. It's not surprising you're under stress, and yes, you're discovering what a lot of people have--stress can affect your restriction. If it's not a hassle I'd agree a small unfill could make all the difference in the world. Constant pbing is no good for you, and the foods that are easy are not healthy. Please take care of yourself (and your band) because you definitely don't want to have any problems further on. Peace to you and your family.

No problem, Lisa. I can just change the title. Voila!

LOL, thanks, Lisa. That's a lot better. OK wth you if I change the thread title? Or can you? It still shows up as WARS on the topic listing.

Well, I've come to the conclusion that I really am too tight and need an unfill. I've had reflux on and off for a couple of weeks now, and can't really operate with such spotty sleep. The good news is that my doctor's office can do unfills in the office so it won't involve fluoroscopy or all the hoo-ha. I'm going to try to set this up for Wednesday. Of course since this last fill I've now lost almost 20 lbs and I'd hate to see that slow down, but I have to be realistic. I don't want any esophageal damage and as I've said a million times, I don't want there to be ANY problems with my band so I'm going to be as cautious as I can. OK, I've said it. Now I just have to make the phone call.

I have two little children who keep me moving pretty well when we're home. After surgery, I didn't start any regular exercise program until about 6 months out, when I joined the Y. That has been my saving grace! I love the Y, from the fitness classes to the pool to the free weights to the personal trainer to the cardio machines and on and on. I plan to be a member for life (though I pay a hell of a lot more than $13/mo).

Lisa, I totally defend your right to start a thread about whatever you want, and the content of your post is valuable. But I don't think it's fair to characterize what's been going on as "WARS," do you? Every single online community I've ever been a part of has gone through growing pains and this type of flareup. Vent away. I'm just pointing out for whomever may be reading this that there really aren't any wars going on.

Hi Patty! Welcome to LBT! It probably won't come as a surprise to you that I'd vote for taking the band out and replacing it with a newer model whenever you feel ready. A lot has changed since August of 2001 and band design and surgical technique are much improved now. Aside from your hernia your insides are much the way they were when you started. You're healthy and have already experienced the way the band helps you eat less and feel full longer. Converting to bypass opens an entirely new can of worms, putting you at the bottom of a new learning curve, and also exposing you to all sorts of new risks. Good luck with your decision. And I'm really glad you came here to share your story.

Hi Nykee, Congratulations on being banded! Post-surgical pain can manifest in lots of different ways, and it's very likely that's all that's going on. But if it's getting worse instead of better a call to your doctor is probably in order. Keep a very close eye on it for signs of infection, but don't put off calling the doc if it truly isn't going away. Take care!

Ice cream.

Hi Gwen, Congratulations on your banding and welcome to LBT!! It's great to have you here. For a long time I was able to take regular pills with no problem, although I did break larger Vitamins in half. It all depends on your restriction. Up until this very last fill two months ago I'd never had any worries with pills, but now I have a chewable Vitamin because even broken in half vitamin pills were uncomfortable to take. The other pills I take are very small and don't cause any problem. As with everything you should see what works for you. A good rule of thumb seems to be that if a pill is any larger than a #2 pencil eraser it might be tricky to take.

I agree with Megan. This is a very instructive and thought-provoking thread and I thank everyone who has posted and who will post on it. I've been stealing glances when I have a few minutes but all in all haven't had time to really formulate any thoughts about my own condition/disease/experience. Suffice it to say you've got me thinking, which is MILES ahead of where I've been. Thanks!!

Wow. I can just see the look on his face; I'll bet he felt about two inches tall. And you know what? I'll bet he remembers this too. Good job, lady.

Thankfully I didn't get called much to my face. Two that I overheard while in high school were Man Mountain Mike (charming, huh?) and the ever-popular Thunder Thighs. And one event sticks with me even today. I started a new school in 9th grade, which became the worst year of my life. I had, literally, one friend in school and lived my social life completely after hours. The summer after 9th grade I guess I grew taller or something (because I sure didn't lose much weight) and as a result looked slimmer. Well, in 10th grade I was suddenly noticed and made a bunch of friends. One of these people literally had no idea that I had even attended the school the year before! He had been cruel to me the prior year and when I tried to remind him of the episode (which just had something to do with stealing my hat) he in all honesty thought that had been some different person. Now, this was a VERY small school with a total of about 50 people in the entire grade. I don't know why, but 25 years later I'm still stung by the blatant ignoring and dismissal by people who later profess to embrace us. It may not even be weight-related, but this is still one of the most hurtful experiences of my youth and since Lisa asked, I thought I'd share. (Fun, huh?)

Sharon, Sharon, Sharon, RELAX!! I can certainly relate to your nerves, but it pays to remember that you are in charge here. You're doing this for your health, and this is just the first step. Be clear with the medical people you talk with that you have had it with being obese and you are ready to do something serious about it. All our lives we've trained ourselves to pretend that being fat doesn't hinder us. Well now it's time to change all that. If you're hoping to be approved for surgery by your insurance carrier, you have to make a compelling medical case for it. So be honest and don't hide any symptoms or difficulties you may have related to your weight. Talk about whatever issues may be plaguing you, even if it's just sore knees. Good luck, and I'm sure when you come back you'll be wondering what you were so nervous about. Let us know how it goes!!

I think you should expect to gain back a little pre-fill. Prepare yourself for that possibility, because even if you watch every calorie religiously your body will probably gain a few bounce-back pounds no matter what. Losing 25 lbs in a few weeks is simply not natural, and now that you're back on solid food it would be surprising if your weight loss didn't stop and even reverse itself a little. DON'T WORRY!!! You're not in a race and the whole idea here is to learn new eating habits you can live with for a lifetime. Can you survive the rest of your life never eating chocolate chip Cookies? I know I couldn't. You hit the nail on the head when you said you can't eat as much as you could pre-surgery. That's the key, and as long as you continue to eat less than you did before, you're doing great and you'll see results. Don't watch the scale daily if it's going to upset you!

I don't count calories, but every so often I will log the food I eat into Fitday to see where it's coming from. Usually I'm between 1400 and 1700 calories a day, without consciously trying. What I'm concerned about it nutrition, and lately I've been trying harder to get less fat in and more Fiber. Fitday is invaluable for tracking that sort of thing. Conventional wisdom is that anywhere between 1200 - 1600 calories a day is a good range for weight loss. Obviously your personal body type, metabolism, activity level and so on will inform that number for you specifically.

I'm going to lock this thread before it starts. Thanks for the information!

Hi Ladiebird, Everything you say sounds perfectly normal indeed. When I had my last fill I was surprised to discover I couldn't chug Water the way I'd always been able to, either. Small swallows is the way to go. As for food, anything at all is fine but remember to take it slow and chew, chew, chew!! It will take a while for you to get used to this. If you're really too tight you'll know it because you won't be able to keep anything down. Whether your fill will lessen or not only time will tell--for me it only does so after a loss of 20 or so pounds. Good luck!!

I'd suggest you call your doctor. I know there's medication for this sort of thing. You're still on liquids, right?

Betty, I hear you. Just hang on though and this too shall pass. Actually, it's the first negativity I've seen at all and I've been here since the very beginning. That must be some kind of record!!

Hi Daisey Mae, In my case a fill typically "lasts" as long as it takes me to lose 20 or so pounds. As you say, everyone is different, but so far I've been very aware of lessening restriction as I lose weight. This last fill, though, was 17 pounds ago and has shown no signs yet of lessening. Sounds like you're doing great! Do you still feel the same level of restriction as you did shortly after your fill? How hungry do you get and how hard is it to stay satiated after eating? And has your weight plateaued for more than a month or so? You probably don't need a fill unless you're having trouble with these issues. It certainly might happen before August, but you may be one of the lucky ones who does great on very little fill.

I'm totally amazed that Dr. Kwon would fill your band more than halfway at surgery. That goes against everything I've ever heard about Inamed's recommendations. Many people with the 4cc band don't reach 2.5 ccs until after two or three fills, and that is often a good amount for significant restriction! That's why I'm so surprised. But the truth remains--whatever the facts are with regard to the size of your band and its fill--that once you're healed from surgery hunger does return. And since you're still in the healing stages you don't want to make your stomach work hard to move or digest food. Stick to liquids and then mushies next week, and don't worry about calories. You ask if it's possible to gain weight during this period? Well, of course it is, if you take in more than you expend. In my experience I lost weight pretty quickly in the weeks after surgery, and once I got back on solid food the loss stopped and I gained a few pounds back. Then I had a fill and the loss started again, along with many adventures in learning how to eat like a bandster. But I don't know what to say about what your experience will be, if you're truly filled to 2.5 ccs right out of surgery with the 4cc band. (That is not the Vanguard band, btw. The Vanguard band has a capacity of 10cc or so.)

Jasper, who was your doctor who filled the 4cc band with 2.5cc during surgery?!?!?!