BandAid

Wow, it's been awhile since I've been here, so I suppose a re-intro is in order. I was banded in 2003 by the wonderful Dr. Spivak and although I've had my share of struggles, I'm still happy with my band. Here's a short update on my life, if anyone's interested. I was at approximately 260 when I was banded. I lost down to about 185 and was pretty content with that. In the fall of 2004, my dear Uncle passed away :cry and I, unfortunately, found comfort with food. At one point I had to have a complete unfill because I had pouch dilatation and I regained back up to 210. Needless to say, I felt like a failure at times and I'd longingly look at my size 14 button-fly jeans, hoping and praying to be able to wear them again. :embarassed: I finally got my act together, have good restriction again, and I'm motivated. I'm having to adjust to my recent adjustment, but I'm doing ok with that. Thank God I still have the band to help me! Well, there you have it. Life's about learning. It's about falling down and getting back up again. I'm on the lose and I feel hopeful again. ~Tonia Banded 2/2003 260/204/Goal???

Thanks for the replies and encouragement. I appreciate it! :biggrin1:

You might want to check on the East Texas Bandsters board. A few people on there have used Dr. Thomas. You can find that board here: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EastTexasBandsters/

They stand between your legs. No worries though..bet none of us remember it. LOL This site has drawings. If you are a worrisome kind of person, you might not want to look. http://www.obesitylapbandsurgery.com/tectec.html

Sue, You have hit on some of my biggest band pet peeves! Another one that I read was that Bandsters should avoid red meat for a year. Tonia

I believe the difference is in the width of the band. I don't believe any one is better or worse. There are only 3 levels of restriction, after all. Not enough, too much, and just right.

Cross posting this to the Spotlight board too.. Hi y'all, I've had a weird pain a couple of times in the past few days. It's a kind of sharp pain, right in the middle of my chest where I picture my band is located. This morning I had coffee, then was drinking Water. The water slowed down a great deal, which isn't that unusual as I am sometimes pretty tight in the mornings. However, as soon as it went down, I had an episode of reflux of the coffee and water which is something I have never experienced before. I called my doc's office immediately and they want me to have a barium swallow tomorrow. If the fluoro shows what the nurse suspects, which is pouch dilatation, they'll empty my band. I am absolutely scared to death right now. My true hope is that this is just a fluke. I'll settle for dilatation. I hope and pray it's not an erosion. I could use your thoughts and prayers and if you want to cross your fingers for me, that's fine, too. Thanks, Tonia

Good news! My band is fine!! No dilatation, no pouch formation, no nothing except a beautifully placed band that's working just as it's supposed to be. Dr. Spivak told me that an occasional occurrence of reflux is nothing to be concerned about. However, if it were to happen on a regular basis, especially when it wasn't a problem before, he'd want to check on things. I got a tiny adjustment while I was there and am now at 2.1cc. He's quite pleased with how I'm doing and complimented me on how healthy and happy I look. Thanks to everyone for your concern and support. Tonia PS The sharp pains could have been from tight jeans or gas. He didn't see anything alarming at all.

Kelly, Dilitation is where the gastric pouch stretches, causing part of the stomach to prolapse up through the band. (I believe this is an accurate description.) I've been banded since 2/17/03. One thing is certain no matter when the outcome of this situation. In the future, I will err on the side of not eating quite enough rather than possibly eating a little too much. I've never gorged myself or anything like that, but there have been times when I have eaten a little more food than might have been necessary because I was concerned that I wasn't eating enough. Tonia PS Thanks for the well wishes. I'll have an answer in a little over 24 hours. It's gonna be a long day!

Just wanted to say hello, Bright and welcome to the other side! Tonia

My husband says to tell him that he'll be happy in the long run. Hubby met my doctor and really felt a great deal of trust toward him. My husband also read a lot of the information that I found when I was researching the band and I believe that knowledge gave him the same peace of mind that it gave me. Best of luck to you!

Sue, I've never really been a breakfast person. I'd rather just have my coffee. I do sometimes eat a litttle something though. It might be a yogurt, it might be a small slice of cheese, or it might be a Protein shake. Even when I do eat, it's not usually when I first get up. It's usually about 2 hours later. Everything I've read says breakfast is very important, I just haven't developed a habit of eating it every day. In answer to your question, I have no answer. LOL Tonia

Here's a popular Plateau Busting plan: Dr. Fox's Plateau Busting Diet This is the plan that Dr. Fox gives to his RNY and AGB patients in order to get through a plateau in weight loss. #1 Do for 10 days to break plateau #2 Drink 2 quarts of Water a day #3 You must have 45 grams of Protein supplement and all your Vitamin & mineral supplements each day. #4 You may consume up to 3 oz. of the following high-protein foods, 5 times a day: a.. beef, b.. pork, c.. chicken, d.. turkey, e.. lamb, f.. fish, g.. eggs, h.. low-fat cheese, i.. cottage cheese, j.. plain yogurt (or artificially sweetened), k.. Peanut Butter, l.. beans/legumes. #5 You may also have: a.. sugar-free popsicles (avoid juice popsicles), b.. tea or coffee, c.. sugar-free sodas, d.. sugar-free Jello, e.. broths & bouillons, f.. Crystal Lite drinks. #6 IF IT IS NOT ON THE LIST YOU MAY NOT HAVE IT! #7 Keep a food diary and try to get 30 minutes of exercise daily.

Alexandra, One of the biggest surprises for me is how my focus has shifted. I just don't think about food like I did before. It's a very liberating feeling. Tonia

Leo, I've blamed the weather more than once, as well as hormones, stress, etc. LOL

I hate to say this, but I believe she should have been more aggressive about her own care. When she had the x-rays, endoscopy, etc. she should have insisted that the docs consult with Inamed or a band doctor. If they weren't willing to do that, then she should have taken it to the hospital administration. Actually, it sounds like she should have gone back to her surgeon MONTHS ago considering the fact that she was having trouble from the beginning. I believe it was incredibly irresponsible of her not to arrange for follow-up care and she ended up paying the ultimate price for not doing so. Thoughts and prayers to her family and friends. :cool:

Alexandra, I've said more than once that I'd like to give a big smooch to the inventor of the band. When I was first doing research, I would often tell my husband "this device almost makes too much sense." LOL Tonia

Linda, try smaller bites and waiting a little between bites. My theory is that sometimes food passes through the stoma so slowly, the body *thinks* it's stuck and starts forming the mucous stuff to try to get it unstuck. (And on the other hand, sometimes it really is stuck. LOL)

Be patient. Attaning proper restriction is a completely individual thing. You might need another small fill, or it might take a couple before you get to the "sweet spot." I think you'll be amazed when you get there though!

Avoid Slimfast. You'll be much better off with other protein shakes such as Atkins, EAS, or Carb Solutions. They all make ready to drink shakes.

Unfortunately, many bypassers have been fed untruths by their surgeons. They then feel the need to pass along the inaccuracies as if the words of their docs is the Gospel. There are thousands of success stories out there. However, you'll find that many people who are at goal and are maintaining their weight loss don't frequent the support boards as often.

Make sure you include how much money you'll be saving on food when you're doing the calculations about money. The general consensus is that once you reach goal, fills aren't needed very often at all. Tonia

I just wanted to give you pre-fills a word or two of encouragement. It gets better! I promise! My exact words to my doctor at my 5 week appointment were "I'm running on willpower and I don't know how much longer I can go!" He understood completely, congratulated me on doing well, and gave me an adjustment. It wasn't quite enough, so I had another small fill about 2 weeks later. *presto* It was just what I had been dreaming of. So, y'all hang in there, ok? Tonia

Shayne, Recovery time varies. I felt better after about a week, with my 3rd post-op day being the worst. It wasn't awful, I was just sore. My family has been incredibly supportive, even my mother-in-law. I was most concerned about telling her, but she was familiar with the band and quite pleased with my decision. In general, I find people to be very supportive. People who think we are weak or lazy are the ones who are uninformed about obesity and I toss their opinions into the "clueless" file, which is where they belong. Tonia

In my opinion, you should be able to eat at least some dense Proteins. If you're constantly having to rely on mushy foods, I believe it's possible that you have too much restriction. You might try even smaller bites and chew even more. If you still can't get something more solid down at that point, then you might need to consider a very slight unfill. Of course, your restriction could lossen up a bit as you lose weight, but that could take months. Why do I feel like this probably didn't help you at all? {sigh} Sorry! Tonia