Alexandra

I don't think that's what was meant by the comments you copied here, Photo. Honestly, I think the intention was more "they day may come when you're not so HAPPY about the food restrictions" not "you won't be successful" when the pink cloud passes. The honeymoon phase is a phase of attitude more than anything else. And it passes. But that does not mean at all that one's success will be compromised, just that it becomes less of a WOW thing and more of a day-to-day life change thing. And some people--not all, by any means--have a bit of trouble coming to grips with the permanence of the changes. I know I went through that, and that's the day I went to MY McDonald's. (Which in my case is Dairy Queen.)

Brilliantly said, Kathy! :clap2: I totally and completely agree with you and Sarah. Let's not assume that anyone is trying to be discouraging, trying to send a message that the band will not work. It's just a fact that it's a journey, we're all in different places and we all have different perspectives that we can learn from. It's about sharing OUR experiences, not deciding those of other people. I don't think the phrase "honeymoon phase" says anything negative; it's just one stage of the journey.

Carla, it makes me sad too, I have to admit. What I think is most likely the culprit, in MANY cases, is a lack of patience. Sure it's true that we have to work with our bands and not against them, but we also have to give it time to work. That's the big unknown and unknowable factor: how our bodies will react to limited food in the short term. In the LONG term it's absolutely true that limiting calories will result in weight loss. But not necessarily over the weekend. It seems that when I see posts from people worried that their band is failing them, it's based on a "plateau" of a couple of weeks (or even days!), and this is a complete fallacy. ANY weight loss regimen is going to go in fits and starts, and everyone loses weight differently. That's why I hate hearing "1-2 lbs a week" as a standard, because that implies a steady loss at that rate. I know for me was indeed like 1-2 lbs a week over time, but ONLY when looking backward over great periods, like six months or a year. Rather than watching the scale closely we should look continuously at the micro issues: how do we physically live with the band? Is it causing pain? Can we eat a meal comfortably? Have we learned how to be satisfied on a small amount of food? Are we dealing with cravings sensibly? Are we getting enough Fluid? Are we getting some activity in on a daily basis? If all of these issues are addressed successfully, the weight loss will follow. Maybe not at a consistent pace of 1-2 lbs a week, but over time it will, most likely, average out to something in that neighborhood. Patience. Consistency. Realistic expectations. An understanding that restriction changes with adjustments and over time. These are the keys to a happy bandster journey.

Congratulations, girlie! :hug:

Wheetsin, can you smell the envy radiating off me? :second: Seriously, congratulations on everything and I admire your attitude. I am the same way--and was appalled when it was the DOCTOR who seemed most corrupt during my personal-injury experience several years ago. He kept trying to make my injury appear worse than it was, and that I shouldn't worry because my lawyer was really good at this stuff (wink-wink, nudge-nudge). YUCK! Enjoy your new wheels!!

Wolfing was/is my BIGGEST bad habit. Banding cured me of it pretty quickly. All it takes is a few episodes of negative reinforcement to change your tune. It's not something I ever could have gotten a grip on myself, though. It took banding and forced change to make it happen.

MelAnne, I'm glad things are looking up! I've been wondering how you were doing. As far as your fill goes, please don't pin a million hopes on this one. You may not feel any difference right afterwards. If your appt is early in the day you might stick to liquids beforehand, and you'll be on liquids for the rest of the day too. I'm glad you are trying to up your calories. If you're avoiding eating, a fill will probably add to that. Try to get in at least two Protein shakes a day in addition to whatever else you're eating; that will ensure you're getting sufficient calories in a nutrient-rich way. And don't worry about ice cream! Protein and calcium are very important. :second:

I once saw a throwaway reference to "hoarseness" being a side-effect of banding in an article that was very low on detail. At the time I was suffering from reflux and definitely thought I knew what they meant. And a couple of years ago, a non-banded friend who was suffering from chronic reflux lost her voice completely for a while. So it definitely can be related. I'm sorry you're going through this, and hope a remedy can be found. Reflux is a bad thing for all kinds of reasons. Good luck!!

Tess, oh my goodness! What was the problem? Was your band out of position? Glad to hear you're recovering and still have a band. Take it easy and help quickly!

Oh, my, this is exactly why I never bothered to weigh my food. It's not worth obsessing over! If you're eating slowly, and stopping when you are full, you will eat less than you did pre-banding and you will lose weight. That's all there is to it.

Boooooorrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggggggggg. I'm an LOTR geek, too, Yoda and Poodles! I use my Quenya name as an e-mail address.

Eating close to bedtime can cause various problems for bandsters, including reflux in the night and irritation/tightness the next morning. As a rule it's a good idea to not eat for at least a couple of hours before going to bed.

I've heard my surgeon say that in general, people who are less aggressive with their fills tend to do better. My guess is that this is because they really are better able to control their eating on their own than other people, which of course would tend to lead to better weight loss and maintenance down the line. But that's not to say this approach is right for everyone. If you need a fill, get one! But be aware that it's not fills alone that will do the job. I think that's what the message is they're trying to get across.

Hi Pauline, You don't say whether you feel restriction or if you think you need a fill. Where are you with your restriction? It's very easy to "drift" into old habits if you don't feel the effects of the band; you're just dieting at that point. Call your doctor and schedule a fill if you need one! That all by itself is usually a great remotivator. When you get your fill you'll have the restriction you need that will make you full on less food and make it much easier to regulate your habits. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!!

Locking this; spam is not welcome here.

I think there are a couple of factors at play. I know when I attend the new-patient seminars that my surgeon holds, most of the audience is usually female. Just guesstimating, it's probably 75/25 in favor of women; maybe even 80/20. So it would seem that most bariatric surgery patients, in general, are female. Maybe that's because men don't seek medical treatment as readily, women feel under more pressure to lose weight, or perhaps the medical community assumes men won't be interested so they don't suggest surgery to their male MO patients. I'd also guess that in general, there are more women than men suffering from morbid obesity. This might be because men don't gain weight as easily and lose it more quickly, or because they just die of the disease earlier (from heart attacks, for example). In addition, I'd venture to guess that more women than men are likely to seek out information and support on the internet. So the makeup of this site, like others, is likely to be even more dramatically tilted toward women, closer to 90%. Whatever the reasons, it's definitely true that more women than men undertake weight-loss surgery. The proportions for RNY vs. banding are probably similar, though; I'd imagine it's the bariatric-surgery patient base in general that skews largely female, not just bandsters.

Relax!! This is no more than an injection with local anaesthesia. Nothing to worry about!! No, you will NOT need to take any time off from work; I always went straight to the office from my fills. There's just a bandaid on the injection site, no residual pain or anything. Stick to liquids for the rest of the day and then take it easy with food the next day. There is no need to fast beforehand, but it's probably a good idea not to eat a couple of hours before the fill. (Mine were always first thing in the morning, so I would just not eat Breakfast.) This is not a big deal, I promise!

I agree, it's a completely personal decision and no matter what one thinks about PS in general, the real fact is you won't know until you get there. I personally have never wanted plastic surgery, and as things stand now I'm OK with the way I look. But if I lose another 30-40 lbs (which I "should"), I'd be surprised if my attitude didn't change a bit. The loose skin I have now is not too bad, but if I lose more weight I think I'd have serious batwings and tummy skin that could cause problems. Of course, another big consideration is money. Unless there are medical problems caused by loose skin, insurance won't cover plastic surgery. So just "wanting" it isn't enough--I'd have to be able to afford it. And that's a whole 'nother story.

Congratulations!! Best of luck as you move on to your next adventure! :whoo:

Do you mean your band has eroded the stomach tissue? If that's the case, band removal is the next step. If your band has just moved out of position so that, for example, there's more stomach above the band than is correct, it's possible that the unfill will help. I had a similar experience a couple of months ago, and an unfill completely fixed my symptoms and I'm doing great. Stay on liquids and take it really easy. Good luck and please let us know how you're doing!!

Fingers crossed for quick and complete healing this time, Robyn!!! :hug:

Hi Solitaire, From what I understand, even untreated erosion is not a life-threatening complication. The stomach is self-healing and as the band works its way through stomach tissue (which is what is happening in an erosion), it's healing behind. If there are no symptoms, it means this process is going smoothly and eventually the band might end up inside the stomach completely. At that point, there'd be a loss of restriction. Long before anything really dangerous were to occur, there would be an infection with symptoms. No matter what, the important thing is to pay attention to our bodies and in the case of any unusual symptoms CALL A DOCTOR. Infection is probably the most common complication and if left untreated it can get serious. But who would ignore a bad infection? Death during or after surgery is a HIGHLY UNUSUAL circumstance, and would require complete denial of symptoms on the part of the patients.

I've been online since 2002 in banding communities, and I've heard of one instance where a band surgery was followed closely by death. And from what I understand, the patient ignored significant symptoms that were, in any case, the result of a surgical error (she had a leak, somehow). Under normal circumstances, banding surgery is among the safest that there is. The patient's health pre-surgery is most important, especially as it relates to the risk of general anaesthesia, but the surgery itself is no big deal at all. They're mixing up bypass and banding. No question.

Unfortunately, going out of network leaves you unprotected against "balance billing." That's the primary reason to stay in network if you can, all the time. The big unspoken loophole is those "covered charges" which never come close to the actual charges billed by out-of-network doctors. In-network docs are bound by contract to accept whaveter the carriers have negotiated to pay, and forbidden to bill the patients the balance. It's VERY IMPORTANT to understand our insurance plans clearly before seeking trreatment. I've heard many, many stories of people getting into big trouble going out of network.

Centerfolds, in my experience Oxford does NOT require the 6-month supervised diet. If they did, they would have told you that. If you are medically qualified for bariatric surgery, Oxford approves quickly. Good luck with whatever you decide!! (Oh, and just for the record, I'm not the owner of LBT, just a moderator.)