Alexandra

This isn't something that everyone has to do, or that will even need to be done all along. As Marimaru said, some people might want to think about trying it IF they are having reflux at night or are having lots of trouble eating early in the morning and want to change that. food that is still in the pouch when you go to bed might indeed stay in there overnight. Gravity helps with regard to moving food along its path, and lying down counteracts the action of gravity. So IF you are having reflux at night it might mean that there is still food/fluid in the pouch which, as your sleep and your esophagus relaxes, is refluxing back up. Making sure the pouch is completely empty is one tactic to try if that's a problem: don't eat for several hours before bed and have a cup of hot tea or something to help clear it out. Flushing doesn't mean to drink a gallon of Water or anything; just try to make sure the last thing you eat or drink in the evening has gone all they way through and your pouch is empty before lying down.

Diva, thank goodness it's nothing more serious! So now you know, and now you can treat it. Good job!!

MelAnne, I'd also suggest staying away from those RNY support groups. They really have nothing to offer bandsters. There is no reason for you to be avoiding sugar or carbs at this point, and you shouldn't have to hear again and again that you can't eat them. You've seen that eating only Protein doesn't give you the calories you need, so don't worry about adding some yummy carbs and even a little sugar. The goal is to be HEALTHY, not how to deal with losing 50 lbs in two months. And that's not what RNYers are talking about at their support groups.

Hi Diva! You know, I absolutely have thought about that, and actually did write to a couple of past presidents letting them know that I was applying and that I might need to tap them as "references." They laughed and were totally enthusiastic. But it's a double-edged sword; I don't want the current board or search committee to think I'm going behind their backs or anything. For now I just have to wait and see what they say. (For what it's worth, I was encouraged to apply in the first place by the current treasurer, who said "what would it take to get you back?" :Banane13: )

Thanks, peeps! This is exactly the sort of thing I needed to hear. You guys are da bomb!! I'm not really worried about the time frame; the person I'd be replacing isn't leaving until September so they probably don't feel any pressure to act on this too quickly. (Though if I were their executive director, I'd be pressing them to move before summer--that's why I was good at this!) I know it will be a couple of weeks minimum before they get back to me--you know how committees work. But in the meantime I'm seeking my zen place. :Banane13:

I'm a little superstitious about this sort of thing, but figure just this once it can't hurt. I've applied for a new (old) job and am SO stressed out waiting for news about it! :frusty: It's my old job, as executive director of a nonprofit trade association, that I left 7 years ago because I couldn't hack the commute or time suck with a new baby. I changed careers into something closer to home that pays the bills, but as the years go by the thought of staying in my new career just makes me ill. Now my old "real" job is open again, and I've sent in my application. I was in the role for 15 years and innovated every procedure they still use. We parted sadly and they tried to talk me into staying at the time. It's an understatement to say I'm qualified for the position. :Banane13: (I have to say it was really strange to tweak my resume and write a letter of interest describing my qualifications for a job I basically invented. Has anyone else done that? Imagine writing your resume and running it by your boss for critique! :Banane11:) Anyway, as often happens with organizations run by boards, there are all new faces at the helm now. If, for whatever reason, they have determined that a new direction is needed, I may represent the old direction and so suffer from their prejudice. So far I have no reason to think that's the case, but this period with my application on their desks and days of silence passing by, I can imagine all sorts of things. It's torture!!! And if they DO decide they want me, then we have to talk about what I need to make it work out--salary and part-time telecommuting, for example. As the former executive director (and current bookkeeper) I know exactly what they can afford and how telecommuting could easily work, but nonprofit boards can be stubborn. So I'm putting my superstition aside and asking for good thoughts and crossed fingers. If this works out I will be reborn; it will feel like putting on natural fibers again after years of wearing polyester!! I just have to manage to breathe somehow for the next several weeks. AARRRGGGHHH!!!

I agree!! I was just saying at a support group last night that if I were to get in this situation I'd go liquids for a WEEK to let things settle down. Allowing this cycle to continue could lead to real problems over time. Take it GENTLY and realize you have to heal before you can move forward.

MelAnne, I just want to echo what everyone else has said, and reassure you that you what you're thinking is something almost all of us go through as new bandsters, at least temporarily. Banding is a big step and it IS frustrating if we expect to see changes overnight. That's why it's SO IMPORTANT to understand how it works and have realistic expectations. Let's make a deal. Come back in 6 months and read this thread and let us know how you're feeling then. I'm willing to bet that you will look back and marvel, because all of these feelings will have passed by the wayside. The worst part of banding is the pre-fill stage, that's a common refrain. You're just confirming that once again. Please, please, please be good to yourself and do what you can to not get too hungry. It really does make a difference!!

Hi David, congratulations and welcome to LBT!! What you're feeling is very common immediately post-surgery. You're probably still on a liquid diet, for one thing, and for another you don't have any Fluid in your band and so are feeling no restriction. This is NORMAL. After your 6-week healing period your doctor will adjust your band by adding saline, and this will start to create the restriction you hear everyone talking about. Some people lose weight on the liquid diet, some don't, but that's unpredictable and NOT what banding is all about. It's about eating less in the LONG TERM, and the band can't really start helping you with that until after you've had at least one adjustment and feel restriction. Don't worry, you're going to lose weight with the band. It's pretty hard not to. It just doesn't happen overnight. Stick around, you'll get all your questions answered. Welcome to bandland!!

I yelled at Chuck Norris because I'm a ninja!!!

Glad to hear you're OK!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Good luck with everything, NewSho! Try to get your mind around the goal of better health, that's really all that matters in the long run. Your belly will be there (or not) next year and you can take whatever steps you need/want to in the future. This is more important. (IMO, though, don't rule out having kids because of your weight! My lifelong weight problem had me worried big-time about children, but I had two totally normal pregnancies and now have two healthy, slender children. Statistics mean nothing.)

Vines, wow. Big hugs and strong healing thoughts to you!! I hope you get everything addressed quickly and cleanly. As for your mom, I had a very complicated relationship with my mother in the years before she died, and we just ignored mother's day. It doesn't matter in the end; what matters is that you are honest with yourself and her. Good luck and much peace to you and your family. :hug:

Oh Leener, keep us posted! I hope you're back and feeling 100% better by now. :hug:

Julie, wow, what a story! Thanks so much for sharing. You've articulated a lot of my fears about surgery; stories like this are one reason I am not at all leaning toward plastic surgery no matter how saggy my skin is. Big hugs and strong vibes for complete and total healing!! :hug:

You know, I've never heard of an employer having a restriction like that. Why would your employer want to decide which surgery you have? I'll bet that's a mistake, somewhere along the line. It may even be discriminatory or illegal. It's one thing for an insurer to have preferred treatments; presumably those decisions have been made by the doctors on the carrier's medical review board. But assuming your employer doesn't have a medical review board, it shouldn't be making those decisions. This just sounds wrong all the way around to me. Talk to your HR department, counselor, advisor, whatever. Make noises like you think this is a discriminatory rule and ask if you can appeal it. Let them know you might be seeking legal advice. That should get their attention.

I'm an addict, and happy to be one! I usually do go for the sugar-free kind, though, and fat-free if I can get it. Frozen yogurt is another good bet. And after so many months of this sort of strategy, the regular kind of ice cream now tastes too rich. Don't give it up, work it in is my strategy. I have it almost every day. If I have a frozen yogurt after work, though, I don't have any after dinner. If I don't go by TCBY, I'll have it for dessert. Like with any habit you want to break, though, it might be easier to go cold turkey at first. JUST SAY NO!

You don't even need to explain what it's for. This is YOUR money, and the only problem is that if you are taking it out of your retirement plan early there will be taxes and penalties to pay. If you're prepared to take that hit, it's no one's business what you plan to do with the the money you take out.

Hi Vic, Welcome to LBT! You've asked a lot of questions and you'll easily find answers to most of them just by poking around and reading a little here on the site. But I will answer your question about adjustments and whether that means more surgery. The answer is NO: adjustments are done by a surgeon or technician adding or removing Fluid in the band via the port, which is imbedded under the abdominal skin. It's accessed by a syringe, and only local anaesthetic is used (sometimes not even that). Painless and quick!!

I'm with Megan, it's very important to have realistic goals. I've been fat all my life and the smallest size I ever wore as an adult was an 18, for about three minutes after losing 75 lbs on Optifast. Well, now I've been wearing 14/16 for almost a year, so I'd say YES!! I've met and exceeded my weight loss goals, and this time I have no worries that these results are going to be temporary. But my weight loss goals may not be yours, so take this for what it's worth. Just having less than 50 lbs between me and my "ideal" weight has always been an impossible dream. Now it's a reality, and I often hear people say that I look "normal." HUH? That was never even one of my goals, because I couldn't imagine such a thing!!

Very common, Tidge, during the liquid diet. At this point your body is still processing the anaesthesia, and you have no solids in your system either. It's not at all uncommon to have diarrhea during this time. It will pass, probably as soon as you start on mushy foods if not sooner. Congratulations on your banding and welcome to LBT!!

Linda, congtratulations on your banding! You really can't "overeat" with liquids, so don't worry that you're taking in too much at one time. Fluids flow right through the band, and if your swelling is resolved it's very unlikely that you're going to feel any discomfort. The fact that you're satisfied is GREAT, so enjoy that feeling for as long as it lasts. Then move to mushies, and just remember to take it slow. There are no absolutes in how this feels. It's going to feel the way it feels, and you just have to be attentive to it and take it slow. Then you can't go wrong. Welcome to bandland!!

Pepsi, I can relate totally to eating out of boredom. That is my most intense eating cue, has always been. The band DEFINITELY helped with that, no question. It FORCES you to think about what you're eating, and makes it much easier to stop when you've had enough. It's not a magic cureall for boredom, though, and the challenge is to find something else to fill the time. Now, perhaps finding something else to fill the time would help with overeating even without the surgery, but for me it took the physical brakes the band puts on me to get control over the mindless munching.

East Coast tastes may be different, I guess. I've seen it at A & P, Shop Rite, Pathmark, any of the big ones around here carry it.

Roger, I agree, that is a VERY odd thing to have been told. Does the nurse practitioner even know what he or she is doing? It's utterly absurd to say no fills for the first year. Yes, it's true that rushing to get fills too early is not good, and in fact my surgeon's office is saying now that delaying fills may work out better in the long run for most people, but when they say "delay" they're talking about three months, not 12 months. What you were told is just odd, and is counter to the way the band is designed to be used. I'd ask for clarification from the surgeon. That makes no sense. And I can't imagine what their motivation for saying something like that would be, anyway. They'd lose all their patients as they went seeking followup elsewhere! (Maybe that's the idea?)