parisshel

Isn't it great to welcome back one's lap? P.S. Before I started my WLS research, I actually thought "Lapband surgery" meant a band that would bring back your lap.

Just got a slight (.5cc) unfill and am SO glad. I waffled back and forth on whether or not I should get a bit taken out. But the fear of a dialated pouch or band erosion, coupled with the constant tightness in my chest...whether I was eating or not...made me go back and get some Fluid removed. Awwww....instant relief. What a difference .5 makes. I know I'm eating better, too...no more slider foods/bowls of soup, etc, which weren't filling me up.

You look great and your hard work shows. Thanks for checking in!

Yes; you've described very well something I've noticed too. I can be both hungry and full at the same time. And it's real hunger. This is particularly noticable after a fill, when I'm not yet back on solids. My pouch has fullness but my lower stomach doesn't. I'm glad to see someone else experiences this. Makes me feel more normal

I was back at the radiologist's practice this morning. I'm seeing him all too often. Two weeks ago I was on his table, getting fill number three injected into my lapband. I sensed immediate restriction but figured the tightness would settle down over time. It didn't. Not only did it not loosen up enough for me to eat comfortably, last weekend, while I was riding my bike all alone in the woods, possibly kilometer 13-14 or so, I started having these intense spasms/pain in the middle of my breastbone. I had experienced this type of pain after my initial surgery and immediately went to my doctor to rule out a cardiac incident, since the pain mimics one symptom of a heart attack. At that time my surgeon suggested it was due to a loose band kind of bobbing up and down, creating irritation to my lower esophogeus, and assured me once I had some fill that the spasms would go away. He also put me on Nexium. I stopped spasming, but always doubted his diagnosis. Turns out I was correct to doubt Mr. 150-euros-a-visit-and-don't-bother-to-ta ke-your-coat-off because I had identical spasms with an overfilled band. Esophegal spasms are a sign that one's band is too tight. Some bandsters seek a too-tight band, thinking it will help them lose weight quickly since they are limited to liquids. But that thinking may backfire because Bandsters Cannot Live On Liquids Forever. What happens when your band is too tight? You get Soft Calorie Syndrome. To avoid the pain which happens when you try to eat solid foods, you rely on foods that will slide through a too-tight band, just 'cause you are hungry. But Soft Calorie Syndrome and the foods that compose it will never provoke satiety. So you end up eating way too much, and perhaps even gaining weight. Ice cream, milkshakes, even soup and yogurts---all soft calories which don't promote a feeling of fullness. I knew my band was not settling well after this last fill when a small fingernail-sized of biscotte (a type of breakfast toast like Melba toast) got stuck in my band and made me feel like I had swallowed a huge golf ball. Pain that lasted at least an hour. Also, I was unable to eat any solid food until dinnertime, when my band would open up and allow me to eat some fish or chicken. And still, even with small bites of that type of food, I was taking one hour to eat a couple of ounces of protein. This was no fun, and no way to live! I was in a very bad mood, and coming to the table started being scary. I wasn't sure which food was going to set off my band/pain cycle. So this morning I went back and got to drink some more barium and have more xrays and needles and injections of saline. The radiologist took out .5cc so I'm now at 6cc in a 10cc band. I immediately felt the pressure that had been in my chest for two weeks dissipate. Oh sweet Lord...it feels so much better. I'm at the point in my band restriction where it is now more art than science. I'm extremely tuned into my band and know how to eat and at what pace. I also know myself and know that I would not be happy with overrestriction. Even with the nice drop in weight it creates, that honeymoon period would not have lasted long with me. My goal with my band is to eat like a at-goal weight person, and selective anorexia is not part of my plan.

My surgeon + staff are thin, but that is unsurprising as I live in a city where there are few overweight people. (I think they hide them or something.) I have to add that I know some cardiac surgeons who are smokers, and that really blows my mind. That said, I would be uncomfortable consulting someone in the field of obesity and obesity research who is obese. I recall a time when I was in my twenties and I wanted to consult a therapist to see if I could find out WHY I had this weight problem. So I go to this woman who was highly recommended, but when I had my first appointment and saw she was 300 pounds, I knew I would not take anything she said seriously. Physician, help thyself!

All abdominal and lower body surgeries will have blood thinners as part of post-op procedure. It's not a big deal, unless you are needle-phobic. In any case, the needle is quite fine and for me pretty painless. When I had ankle surgery several years ago, with a cast for six weeks post-op, I had 90 days of blood thinner shots. By the end you couldn't find a place on my belly or thighs that didn't bear the mark. But I'd rather endure that than blood clots, which are among the risks post-op for lapband surgery.

9 months post-op and still got it. At this point, I just tell my kids and BF "It's medically necessary" everytime they shout "Ewwwww....gross!"

NaNa, this is precisely what was happening to me. I had hunger pangs like never before! My stomach was empty empty empty--I could not give it what it needed. It was clearly telling me I needed some fill taken out.

Love this story! I love how you remember the old you and do not take the new you for granted. That makes your hard work and success all the sweeter! Thank you for being such a strong and sane support system on this forum.

Thanks for posting! I'm very interested to read the experience of young bandsters and am following the research on this in the USA. Congratulations for your success, and I applaud your bravery for being a participant in one of the clinical trials. IMHO you've done yourself a great service, because you've avoided a lifetime of weight cycling and gone straight to the gold standard of WLS. It is unproductive to have regrets, but my biggest regret in my life is that I spent so many years cycling between fat and less fat. As you touch upon in your post, the ridicule from my peers, and all the normal things I didn't get to experience as a teen, greatly shaped my personality. (I was in high school in the 70s at a time where there were few overweight teens--unlike today where it is more common--so I really stood out.) You made a courageous choice and look at all that you've been able to participate in because of it!!!! Homecoming queen, a normal happy healthy college life, and more awaits you. I hope you are patting yourself on the back, because the choice you made shows determination and bravery. I have a niece who is morbidly obese and has been since she was a young child. Now she is 16 and I see her being put on the sidelines and not having a chance to experience all those normal teenage events: a group of supportive friends, boyfriends, going to parties, being looked upon as a winner by her teachers..It is so sad. I hope one day she will come round to the idea of WLS, and not keep viewing herself as a failure or lacking in self-control. Remember why you chose the band in the first place and it may help you to recommit to the bandster lifestyle. Take it hour by hour, day by day...and your will find again your motivation to keep reaping the benefits of this amazing tool. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful life, freed from the prejudices of obesity.

You sound motivated and determined. These two factors are imho crucial for success. Wishing you a smooth and uneventful pre and post op process, and let us know how you are doing.

I liked the page but I will not be responding on it. If a Facebook page is public, your comment is picked up and indexed on Google immediately when you post. If your own FB page is under your real name, which mine is, anytime anyone googles your name, your posts on ANY public FB page will show up. (I learned this the hard way after posting a criticism of an author's new book on a FB book group page.) Also, when you like a page, the like will show up on all your friends' feed. So if you want to remain private about your WLS on Facebook, you may not wish to "like" any WLS-related pages.

Perhaps a slip with the band now pressing on a nerve? In any case, make your appointment and get seen now. This clearly needs to be checked out. Feel better soon.

On December 11, 2012 I had my first appointment with the bariatric surgeon who would, four months later on March 20, 2013, install a lapband around my stomach. This decision and surgical action was major and dramatic, but I was sad and desperate as well as exhausted, defeated and no longer willing to buy into the fallacy that I could do this without surgical intervention. So I lay down my previous weapon: the cycle of "traditional" dieting which I had been believing in and paying into since I was 14 years old. Traditional dieting was so clearly not working for me; I had lost and regained weight my entire life and I no longer had the energy to do one more round at Weight Watchers, filling up on salads and bulky foods to keep my hunger at bay, gaming the points program so I could work in a dessert each day, hanging on by my fingernails from one meal to the next, and fearing vacations, birthdays, holidays, as I knew these would either see me feeling frustrated and deprived, or overeating because "hey, I've already gone over my points. Might was well start back on Monday." I had done hours of research and had a good idea of what lay ahead. I had a few fears as a pre-op, notably the fear that I would no longer be able to "eat as much as I wanted" when I wanted. I also feared the surgery itself (I try and stay out of hospitals as much as possible) but I was willing to override these anxieties to become one of those people that I see here, on this forum: a success story, transforming myself inside and out. I had made a list of why I was doing this and I brought that to the hospital where, the night prior to the intervention, I read and re-read my hopes for this surgery. I was ready, peaceful and in a mindset of self-care when they wheeled me to the OR the next morning. I am now 8.5 months post-op, almost 50 pounds lighter than I was on the day of surgery. It goes without saying that I am happy to have back a more aesthetically-pleasing exterior, renewed energy and mobility, and a load of self-confidence. My original fears about surgery were unfounded: the lapband gives me a physical restraint to overeating, certainly, but it also has an effect on my brain and how I view food now. ( I call it the nicotine patch for the stomach as it dims the appetite much like the patch works for smokers.) I should not have worried about missing the ability to stuff myself, as that is of no interest to me today. (Just the thought of that makes my band tighten!) I am free from the dieting mindset that I must seek bulky, filling foods or I'll cave and break my "diet" because my lapband clicks in and gives me satiety when I eat my small portions of lapband-compliant foods. I don't have to log points or calories, and restaurant dinners, parties, vacations or holidays are not viewed as opportunities for white-knuckling deprivation or, alternately, opportunities to go off my eating plan and eat all the cake, Cookies and candy that I can, "until Monday." I have experienced so many unexpected benefits as the result of my decision and the most striking is this wonderful sense of fierceness that I now have. I feel so strong, capable and confident! This fierceness has manifested itself in many ways. Physically: alongside my daily dedicated exercise, I now do aquagym and ride my bike each weekend when I'm out in the countryside--26 km logged last weekend through the fields of Normandy! Mentally: I travel out of my comfort zone--last month I went to Morocco, a place I'd always dreamed of going to. Professionally: I seek opportunities to speak publically and am involved in more professional conferences, meeting others in my field which has the effect of re-energizing my own committment to my job. I am so grateful that I did not try and convince myself to give Weight Watchers (or another diet program) "just one more try" last year. I know as surely as my heart is beating that I would weigh more today than I did last year at this time had I not had surgery. Instead, I am looking towards this Christmas season in deep gratitude for my self-care, not fearing the supermarket aisles filled with chocolates, buttercream buche de noel (that was a real binge food for me pre-surgery), and special holiday foods. I know that I will eat peacefully, enjoying my small portions of delicious food, and I won't be waking up on January 1st feeling fat and guilty, and embarking on another futile attempt to diet and "do it for good this time."

The statistics I read said those who have to have the band unfilled/removed gain their weight back + 10%. I think the statistics for those who stop non-surgical dieting are similar. Count me among those who hopes never to have complications with my lapband, because I know on which side of the statistics I would fall should I ever have to have my band removed.

Happy Bandiversary, Terry, and thank you for all the support you show us on this site. My surgeon says it takes an average of nine months to understand one's band, so you are spot on there! Well done on your loss, and (more importantly), your attitude.

My sense is the post-fill protocol is to protect the stoma from the trauma (for lack of a better word) of the fill. The fill will induce a natural swelling as the stoma reacts to the tightening of the band, so you need to baby it by returning to the post-op protocol. My team has me do an abbreviated version of the post-op protocol (liquids, mushies, then on to small bites). I know my band pretty well and know when it is safe to move from one stage to the next. My last fill was about 10 days ago and I'm still not back to raw fruit and veggies yet...I can tell my fill hasn't settled in yet.

I gave up all carbonation on the day of my lapband surgery. I knew I'd miss fizzy Water, so I had loads of it up until my surgery date. (Not that that was helpful---like sleep and expectant parents, you can't "stock up" on stuff you are about to give up.) I don't miss it unless I see it. For example, going out to a meal and someone at my table orders a Diet Coke...then I miss that association of Diet Coke + my lunch.

The fact she did not allow herself to be photographed full body makes me doubt her "I'm totally happy with my weight" statement. Fat-acceptance subscribers are usually women still in their youthful years who have not yet felt the perfect storm of what obesity can do, and are not yet showing the markers of carrying all that extra weight: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, bad knees and ankles, aching back, PCOS, etc. It's easy to say "I love being fat" when your weight has not yet showed you what it can do to you. I can't blame them for stopping the diet/binge cycle. Traditional dieting is doomed to failure, except in rare instances, and it is a dreary and depressing task to always be battling hunger and deprivation. Thankfully I chose the lapband to help me do what I couldn't do by myself. Am I happier at a lower weight today than I was last year at this time? HELL YES. No question about it. Happier, more mobile, certifiably healthier, wearing clothes I only dreamed I could wear a year ago, seeking ways to incorporate movement into each day, brave, fierce, self-confident and just all around in a good mood all the time. I would not change places with that writer for a million bucks.

Welcome to this supportive site, from another March 2013 bandster. Use your band to help you kick those old eating ways. Unlike a traditional diet, where you had to do it all by gritting your teeth, having a lapband is a great aid. Make sure you are adjusted to your optimal green zone, otherwise you are still just dieting. (I learned to really listen to my band and when my feeling of fullness after meals was no longer apparent, I knew it was time for a fill. This is normal as you lose your weight.) It sounds like you are committing to working with your band to reach the goals you set for yourself prior to your surgery. Grab that motivation and don't let this fantastic tool go to waste. It really will help you do what you couldn't do on your own. You do need to do your part, as you recognize, but doing that will be a lot easier with a properly-adjusted lapband.

I weigh myself every morning. It keeps me on track. I don't see it as anything odd or abnormal---the scale reflects me efforts over time and I like seeing the number go down. If the number is up (or stays the same for a significant amount of time), I know what I need to do. It's just another way I stay accountable to myself, along with my clothing and my photographs.

Our bands feel tighter in the morning because the stomach tissues retain Water while we are sleeping--like many organs. So the stomach swells a bit with this edema, and we sense a tighter band. Once we are vertical and active, gravity works to reduce the swelling (this Fluid moves downwards hence the cankle effect) and our band feels looser.

You look great and your hard work shows. I don't have problems adjusting to the new me, but I do have on standby a psychiatrist (the one who did my preop evaluations) just in case things get difficult. She told me that many WLS patients do need to have a bit of help with owning their new body. I know I would not hesitate if I sensed any discomfort with my changing shape.

Checking in: December first I was at 217; my goal was to lose five pounds by today. This morning I weighed in at 211 so I hit my weight goal and went over it by one pound! Exercise goal was completely unmet due to a stress fracture brought on by too much exercise. So I'm currently on crutches Happy New Year everybody! May 2014 cover you with good health, boundless energy and new goals to meet and exceed.