KristyT

I'm 9 days post op and still feel drained. They kept me in for 4 days. Seen Dr yesterday, she says my fibromyalgia is probably making it hard for me to have much energy. I also think because I am not getting much Protein... I felt like I needed a wheelchair

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you are very welcome, questions are the only way to learn things and I try to answer any questions i can. as far as pcos with lap band it is a good thing that i am not gaining weight but the weight loss is very very slow

What is PCOS?

pcos is poly cystic ovarian sydrome. it is a meatabolic and hormone disorder in females that have cysts on their ovaries, it usually makes you insulin resistance and metabolic disorder of diabetes, it causes delay in periods, it gets your hormones out of sync and it causes you to hold excess Water. it makes some women not be able to have babies, it makes some women grow hair on their bodies where there should not be hair and it also makes some women balding of their hair on the head. it is a very disturbing disorder that is hard to control and very hard to lose weight with this syndrome.

birdy,

i am right there with you, i have pcos and i was banded in august of 2011 and i have lost a total of 50 lbs, but 25 of that was prior to surgery, since the band itself my weight loss is 25 lbs. i started recording my weekly weights and the effects of my menstrual cycle, due to the pcos i seem to only be able to lose weight 2 weeks out of the month, the 2 weeks that i am affected by my menstrual cycle and the pcos along with the insulin resistance and diabetes, i tend to gain anywhere from 4-10 lbs during the 2 weeks then back down, lose for 2 weeks then back up. i discussed this with my surgeon and he states that pcos has nothing to do with losing weight but i know better, my primary dr told me it is going to be very hard no matter what i do, the key is exercise, i noticed that when i started exercising the weight came off a little more but still very very slow. i am also meeting with the nutritionsist next week and i also purchased a book about losing weight with pcos. it is very difficult and very frustrating, i wish you the best of luck

Thanks for posting this. It was very enlightening!

you are welcome, i am constantly looking for any and all help i can get, i have an addiction to food and it has caused me to be obese, i chose to do something about it last year but the fat girl always wants to poke her head out... lol i am still learning and trying to adjust to this new way of eating and lifestyle, it is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. good luck to everyone

i also am in the same boat as you, no port correction and you have lost more weight than myself. what i did was go to my surgeon and was honest with him that i was falling off the wagon and needed his help. he has me write down all my food intake for a week and come back yesterday for a fleuroscopy of my band and he gave me an adjustment with barium. i was able to see the band and the liquid going down which helped me better understand the band. i guess i always thought i should be able to eat 2 bites and the band will make the hunger go away. after i saw how it actually works, i see that the food moves through slowly and the idea is to eat food and when it fills up that pouch it hits those receptors and gives you that feeling of no longer being hungry, it doesnt stop you from eating more, you can wait until it empties and shovel more food in and more and more and more, the idea is to fill that pouch up and then stop so the hunger pain goes away. now that is the hard part. i seen it under feuroscopy that the band is doing its job, it is me that is not doing the rest of the work. i plan on getting back on track and researching more about how the band works and what my role is in making it do its job in the best possible way. good luck to you and pls talk to your surgeon and ask for suggestions, i am also going to see the nutritionist next week. god bless

No, only sharing my opinion, just like you...and they are not the same opinion. So?

If you could "hear" my message, then you were not reading it!

Really, enough already. The "horse" is dead...

ok mrs highness

you are correct the horse is dead and it has been dead but I feel the need to clarify something. for starters, I know how to spell interpret, my daughter was interuppting me when I typed the first message and I was trying to say to you to begin without being just down right blunt is that your posts seems very rude, insulting and down right nasty. did you even read your post, you were making suggestions and accusations that just were not true. and yes, I am probably just as bad for responding to you in this way but your tone in your post was insulting to me as I am sure it was to others and most specifically helen. all i was trying to say is that you are correct in posting your own opinion but maybe you should read your post and attempt to not insult people when you convey them

and again your highness, i apologize in advance for any "typos" or mispelled words I may have typed not to your liking, I am a nurse and I type very fast and use alot of short hand. and as far as I can remember this is a forum post for lapband not english 101. as to clarify your first message please feel free to read below.

oh and BTW it still "sounds to me like you like to argue" wink wink

That's quite a leap and reckless to write about this... inuslting I believe it is not advisable to challenge the instructions most every one of us have received from our individual doctors about NOT eating and drinking at the same time. she never challenged any physicians instructions, simply stated her opinion and her research

I would challenge your statements and say that it would take many more studies on this same topic to statistically validate the accuracy of the information you shared. Anyone who has a background in statistical evaluation knows that ALL studies are flawed in one aspect or another. ONE study which publishes their findings is not the "gold card determiner" of the accuracy of the rules as we know them to be. this statement is true, but again she is not stating that she is challenging any other reserach,, she simply states there is "new" research

Please validate your writings with citing additional sources and studies prior to telling ALL if us to change the rules. she never told anyone to change any rules ..BTW, when and from what university have you earned your MD degree????? insulting maybe just a little bit??????????????????

I will also continue to follow the instructions given to me by my surgeon; that is fabulous, she never told you to do otherwise he seems to be quite knowledgeable on the topic, again, insulting? implying that she is not knowledgable and most importantly, we get good results with weight loss if we adhere to those instructions

I still contend that via your published writing that informing people it's alright to modify the rules they live by with their band without first consulting with their physician is NOT sound judgement. If you are in a medical or allied profession there are considerations about publishing information which, in my professional opinion, goes beyond the scope of the author's professional practice. I also wrote that if she has the research, she should have cited the research studies if she wanted to publish what she did. That was my message; as you seem to have missed it.

I think people should take the time to read things and interrupt them for what they are stating not for what they think they are stating...to quote you...

I am all about self determination and being one's own best advocate...and I do read posts and have an opinion about them, as you do. I tend to want to "interpret" what I read, while according to your writing you seem to "interrupt" it instead.

We all are going to have an opinion, and I, just as you are entitled to have an opinion. All participants on this forum have the same rights. The First Amendment...no argument intended, but a discussion. There was no scientific data cited or published with the article. I have been trained to accept nothing at face value scientifically unless and until I can read the journal it came from, and read the actual research data. Is there something the matter with that? You seem to believe there is...another difference of opinion...

If you took the time to review my post content (not just this thread) you would read many posts which are both supportive and informative, which is the essence of a supportive community and wanting to help others as others have helped me.

I hope that you are more calm now if you read this; and you did the correct thing to write about your feelings. That's very therapeutic, and it also helps with the accuracy of communication.

Your mileage may vary...and best of luck to you!

sounds to me like you just like to argue, good luck to you

That's quite a leap and reckless to write about this...I believe it is not advisable to challenge the instructions most every one of us have received from our individual doctors about NOT eating and drinking at the same time.

I would challenge your statements and say that it would take many more studies on this same topic to statistically validate the accuracy of the information you shared. Anyone who has a background in statistical evaluation knows that ALL studies are flawed in one aspect or another. ONE study which publishes their findings is not the "gold card determiner" of the accuracy of the rules as we know them to be.

Please validate your writings with citing additional sources and studies prior to telling ALL if us to change the rules...BTW, when and from what university have you earned your MD degree?????

I will also continue to follow the instructions given to me by my surgeon; he seems to be quite knowledgeable on the topic, and most importantly, we get good results with weight loss if we adhere to those instructions!

I just read all the posts regarding this eat with the lap band and I feel that helen was not telling ANYONE to drink and eat together, she simply stated that the research she has states that YOU can, not that YOU should. I think people should take the time to read things and interrupt them for what they are stating not for what they think they are stating. I dont feel that any comments on this forum should matter if you have a master degree, bachelors of MD, it is a forum that is for posting to help each other, not argue with each other. what you choose to do as an individual is your choice but I never read anywhere that Helen was stating to drink and not listen to your surgeon. the reserach is interesting and its nice to read that there may possibly be a different way of succeeding with the lap band but by all means do what is best for you and consult with your surgeon first. good luck to everyone

if you are uncomfortable and pb'ing, throwing up and cant eat certain foods, then you are either A too tight or B eating too fast. the band should not restrict what foods you eat, it should help restrict how much food you eat. the band is no about restriction, it is a tool to help control the amount of intake you need to be satisfied.

i can eat bread, rice , Pasta but it depends on when and how I eat it. in the morning I am too tight to eat much of anything so I opt for soft foods like oatmeal or scrambled egg. in the afternoon and night i can eat breads but small bites and chew well, if i eat fast and dont chew i get stuck. that is not the bands fault, it is my own for eating too big a bite too fast.

my surgeon says no foods are off limits, he says not to count calories, fat grams or any other part of the food, he says eat until you are full 3 times a day and stop. he says no liquids for meals, no liquids as meals and do not drink for 30 minutes after a meal. if i follow these rules i lose very slowly about half a pound a week, i started exercising the past 3 weeks and I have lost about 6 lbs but have no changed my eating habits. I think we all have to experiment and find what works for us, but I dont want to count calories and fat and all that, too much like a diet. I want to eat what I want but less portions and so what if I lose weight slower, Im still losing. if you are losing weight you should be proud of yourself and not focus on how much you have not lost yet, just focus on what you have lost and how much better your life is now. good luck to you all

also if you have any questions, pls feel free to message me, good luck

RN here also in Louisville KY, banded in aug. 31st 2011, congrats on your decision, best choice i have ever made for myself other than my job and family. good luck to you on your new journey

a fill will help with the hunger, also maybe modifying what you are eating, Proteins help keep you full longer verses carbs or other foods. if you are eating solid foods and plenty of Protein and are hunger before 4 to 5 hours then you need a fill. good luck and congrats on your weight loss.

way to go ladies , keep up the good work, im still like the turtle that loses 1 a week and sometimes none, but the turtle will win the race just at a slower pace -wink- good job everyone

you have to mix your exercise up, doing the same thing everyday allows your muscles to adapt and then the weight loss slows, what i have found that is good for me because I am not able to run or jog yet is, i do strength training every other day with tony little and then the days that i dont do strength training I walk for 30 minutes or do zumba fitness. exercise all depends on you and what you can handle. good luck to you

i got a fill at 4 wks of 3 cc, didnt really feel much from that, then i got second fill about 8 weeks out of 1 cc and still didnt feel much but i was losing like a pound a week so he told me to come back in 2 months which was through the holidays and i ended up gaining some so in jan which was 5months post op he gave me another 1.5 cc fill which was a total of 5.5 cc and now i have good restriction. so to answer your question it took about 5 months to get me in the green zone. good luck to you

i too often make bad choices, you just have to learn to say NO. what i did was make myself get everything out of the house that could sabotage me. no more chips, no more sweets, no more ice cream, everything healthy and all good choices in my house for food. once you say NO to that stuff, you start to continue to say no and then you stop craving it. I call those "trigger" foods, if i eat one chip, one icecream cone, one sweet cookie, its all over, i continue to eat that stuff all day and all week. get it out of your house, ask the people you live with or hang out with to respect you and not eat that stuff in front of you and you will see that after you rid your body of those foods you will stop craving them. carry smart food choices with you in your car for Snacks like Protein Bars, cheese and crackers, veggies and dip and when you fill the need to get an icecream, eat a healthy snack and drive past that dairy queen. you can do it. good luck to you

i ate like a pig after 2 weeks out, they dont fill the band during surgery and after it heals you will go right back to eating like you did before. you wont feel any effects of the band until they start to fill it up with saline. it took me 3 fills to get some restriction. i have a 10 cc band and i have 5.5 cc in my band and I am at good restriction. the first 4-6 months is slow process until you get the band in the green zone. good luck to you

restriction is different for everyone but the lap band is not just about restriction. you could be in the green zone and still eat a box of cheeze its or an entire xl portion of a vegetable depending on how you eat it. if you chew chew chew and take your time then you can eat just about anything you want. and cheeze its and cooked vegetables always go down easier than meat or bread. you have to learn to utilize your restriction through proper eating and the techniques you were taught. you should not chew chew chew tiny tiny bites because this just allows you to eat more. you should not eat for more than 20 - 30 minutes, my surgeon says 20 minutes. if you are taking longer than 20 minutes to eat, you are out eating your band. you should choose foods that are more satisfying and stick with you longer like lean meats and things that will fill up your pouch. cheeze its and chips, ice creams and soggy foods go right down and restriction is no longer a tool when eating that stuff. i have great restriction but sometimes I dont use it the way i should. I know that i can eat an entire salad with dressing on it because it slides down but i also know that a half of piece of chicken will fill me up and my pouch will restrict the portion size unless i eat slider foods with it. i also know that if i drink when i eat i can eat more which again takes away from what my restriction is suppose to do. if i dont wait 30 minutes after i eat to drink liquids or drink with my meals im hungry way sooner than i would be if i dont drink. so get your rules out and follow them to see if you have true restriction. good luck to you.

I feel your pain, but to me you are doing great, I would love to see 30 lb weight loss in 3 months, I was seen in december of 2010 and was 272, I had to go to my primary dr for 6 months with supervised diet which I did and got down to 254 in august of 2011, I did preop diet for one week and lost 5 lbs putting me at 249 day of my surgery which was aug. 31 2011, thats 6 1/2 months ago and I am down to 229. I cant seem to budge, I eat so much less than i did before but nothing seems to happen. one week i weigh 229, then i weigh 233 then back down to 230 then to 229 its like a yo yo. I have had 4 fills with a total of 6 cc in my band and i have restriction. I dont pb much and I dont eat much but something is not working for me. it is hard to read these post and blogs sometimes and see the ones that have lost 80 lbs in 4 months, I know we are not suppose to compare ourselves but it makes me sad sometimes. guess we should be happy with the weight loss we have and not worry about what we havent lost yet. good luck

what alot of people dont understand is there is a difference between a laxative and a stool softener. laxative will make you go to the bathroom, thus thinning your stool out and causing bloating, gas and the diarrhea you mentioned, stool softener will help soften the stool to keep you from straing, thus bleeding like you mentioned. another big thing with Constipation is figuring out what is making you constipated. myself, I know i cannot eat cheese or dairy products, everytime I eat cheese, I am in the bathroom straining as you mentioned. keep a log of your foods and recall what you eat the days you are most constipated. increase your Fluid intake, Water helps with constipation, check what medications you are taking as narcotics and other meds will slow your peristalsis down and constipate you, fiber is your best choice, daily increase in fiber and water should help regulate you, if you get gas, take gas x, it helps. if this doesnt subside, you should consult with a GI dr. to get to the root of the problem, DO NOT become dependent on laxatives, those are more for if you are impacted, try to increase fiber in your diet, water in your diet, add benefiber and check your side effects on your medication labels, log your food and check for which ones make you constipated. if no help, see a gastrointestinal specialist. good luck

i dont pb very much and when i do it is my fault, i dont think we acutally pb enough to take off anyway LOL I track all my points, Im allowed 33 points a day and I usually stick to around that amount of points, usually 30, sometimes I use my extra weekly points for a treat but not usually. congrats on all your weight losses and Im glad you feel better after your unfill, you might actually see a kick off with weight loss when you switch to solid foods, sometimes changing things up with our bodies trigger a weight loss. good luck

hiccups is another way to tell that your pouch is full.

you should know your pouch is full based on how much it is meant to hold which is about 6-8 ounces. the way i tell is by listening to myself for clues, like a runny nose, a burp, a sigh, a hard lump in the back of my throat, pressure between my breast bone. this usually means I have had enough, even though at that point i can usually cram a few more bites in but I try to stop at those signs to prevent myself from p'bing. if you eat slider foods or chew chew chew, you can always get more down than you need to but if you eat normally and stick to around 6-8 ounces of food your pouch will be full if you have the right amount of restriction. good luck

At 6 maths I had only lost like 20 lbs. I didn't even have retricition till I was 5 maths in. Now over 2 yrs, I've lost 104 lbs and about 9 lbs from goal. I lost it alot slower than most but that's ok. I've also noticed that im able to eat alot more recently and thank God I haven't gained.

But that first 6 maths was rough

Marci

marci,

thank you for posting this, I was reading and reading those posts and I was thinking "good gawd, Im a failure" because im 6 months in and I have only lost 20 lbs since surgery, I did lose 25 lbs before surgery but not that much since surgery and I was also like you, I didnt have much restriction until about a month ago, my dr does things very very slowly. I was so glad to read your post and find some comforting in what you posted, I think its great that you have lost what you did and Im glad to know im not the only one to lose so slowly in first 6 months. kinda wish people would focus on losing and being more healthy rather than how much did you lose. even though I havent lost that much, I am thankful for what I have lost and how much healthier I do feel. god bless and thanks for your post