parisshel

There's a new restaurant down the street from me called BJ's Brewhouse. I went there the other day just to see who they are, what they have, etc. I checked all the things that looked tasty as a method of narrowing down what I wanted to eat... the lowest calorie count item in virtually the whole menu was the Bison Burger... which believe it or not was not filling enough (I didn't eat the bun) so I ordered the Tomato bisque Soup thinking it would be fairly straightforward and healthy. The burger was 580 and then the Soup came in at 633 and I was like... thank god I went for an hour and not just a half hour of laps in the pool today. their salads were all over 1k calories.

I ate several times at BJs Brewhouse when in California recently. I chose either the shrimp lettuce wraps (a starter) or a lite flatbread pizza. Either of those was under 500 calories. BJs does a lite menu...you just have to look deeply into their huge book of a menu to find it.

@BABY-LYN. I'm glad you've had the problem resolved and are feeling better. But I'm missing something. Did you have the band removed and then another replaced? You mention having surgery (which I assume was to remove the band) but then you say you are going in for a fill.

I love this post; what you have expressed touches me deeply. It sounds like you had an excellent bariatric practice who looked at the whole person before even considering slicing into them. They got you ready to be ready.

It is a shame that your partner did not go the course with you, but you clearly get that staying the way you were just to stay in the relationship was an unacceptable price to pay. So much resentment, turned inwards, in those paradigms.

Doors are opening in front of you now, my friend. I know you will walk through them with great fierceness and joy.

Thank you for your ever-present support on this platform.

Represent, Alex, represent!

I have a card that came with the actual lapband, with the serial number and a photo of its placement. It's a good idea to ask your surgeon for this card for many reasons, but mainly in the event of a recall! Although if you band's lot is recalled, it's likely your surgeon's office will contact you.

I've never had to explain my band, or the metal hardware I have in my ankle. But if I did have to explain, just showing the scars is usually sufficient with the TSA.

Thank you all for your feedback. I was asking this question for a friend of mine. She too has a band and became very ill. She wound up going to the ER and having her 6.25 ccs of Fluid completely removed. She is working her way back up but she is now feeling satiety at 5.5 instead of having to go back up the full 6.25. I was just wondering was she probably too tight or could she possibly be experiencing satiety at a lower level now days.

This was my experience after an unfill and refill, and it is more the norm than the exception. As it was explained to me, when your band is unfilled, the stomach relaxes and takes up more space in that banded area. It would be extremely uncomfortable if they refilled you back to the previous fill level in one fell swoop since your stoma area is now larger. They should always refill progressively...just like post op patients.

I have good restriction at 5.0 post unfill, whereas my previous fill level was 6.0 and I could've gone higher..but ended up with an emergency unfill so that didn't happen.

I've been at 5.0 for a few months and I'm fine here for now.

Loved your phrase "my whole body sighed in relief." I had the same thing happen with a much-needed unfill. All the stuff sitting in my stoma just went "WHOOSH"...what a great feeling that was. Suddenly I could drink Water without unhooking my bra, hunching my shoulders forward and willing it to filter through my stoma.

Sounds like something is going on. Please call your bariatric team, and let us know.

Never ever passed gas prior to being banded. Now? Every.single.second of the day I could pass gas. I speculate it is the food fermenting, since it just sits longer in our pouch/stomach and becomes it's own methane production lab.

I finally had to get over the shame of it and now just release at will when at home. "It's medically necessary," I tell my family.

Let me interject a slightly different point of view?

I went with the band for many of the same reasons you prefer the band. But I know myself, I know I'm in control and I understand how this all works. Maybe your physician has some insight into your own personality and feels you may not be true to the band? The band will require much more attention than the other WLS techniques. No grazing, no bingeing, following the eating very slow and chewing chewing chewing is a must. Follow up and aftercare is so important with the band. Can't tell you how many posts we've seen from people who are 8 years out and haven't been back to see their doctor for 6 years, mostly due to loss of insurance and lack of funds.

There are some patients who should not be Lap Band patients. The Lap Band was the marquee WLS 4-10 years ago, but many surgeons didn't understand how much follow up would be required and many surgeons suck at communication and follow up. Many patients were given maintenance instructions that were counter intuitive to what the best surgeons communicate today.

So, are you a good candidate? Get a 2nd opinion and be very honest with your surgeon so they can recommend the best surgery for you.

tmf

Very good and important points, tmf. It could be that the surgeon has done a psych workup on the patient and found that the results suggested that a WLS that would be a better match with the patient's psychological make up.

I am very grateful that my surgeon does preop in a team, including a psychiatrist specialized in this sector, and a NUT. This multi-discipline approach gives a complete picture of the patient, and from there the surgeon can make a recommendation for the best type of surgery.

To to OP, you really need to examine all options, and ask yourself if you have what it takes to be successful with the options out there. The band lifestyle is not easy--certainly when compared with the other options which are really "plug and play", so you need to be mindful of this.

Good responses on this thread. Let me just add that I started at your weight, and the first surgeon I saw said a similar thing...he was seeing more lapbands come out than go in, and he recommended a sleeve for me. I wasn't comfortable with that option (although if I ever lose my band and cannot reband, I might consider a sleeve) so I went and found a highly-competent bariatric surgeon who DOES do bands and was fine with my choice.

Personally I am thrilled my band. While my loss so far is not as impressive as some others, I know without a doubt I could not have lost this much and maintained this loss without my band.

As others have said, the form of WLS you choose should be your choice, and it's best to do your surgery under the care of a surgeon who supports your choice.

@Kitt3000. When I have a head cold, I take a band-approved decongestant which helps with the mucus/stoma issue, and/or a mucus fluidifier. With allergies, I take an antihistimine.

I must say, however, that I've been known to take advantage of this "free" restriction and just hop on the losing wagon for as long as it lasts. This, of course, after I realized the tightening was only temporary and would self-resolve.

With the stress--which really tightens my band significantly, I've once had to take a Valium to relax the stoma, as things were so tight I was having esophogal spasms which are very very painful and can do damage to the body if they are left to continue. One 5mg of mommy's little helper and problem solved!

This happens to me now, at my optimal fill level. When I'm underfilled, I never noticed it, of course.

I just ride it through, take advantage of the restriction and baby my band at these moments.

I can tell it is tighter without even eating or drinking anything; it's just a feeling I get. I think I really know my band now, and can sense my level of restriction without testing it. Does that makes sense?

My band-tighteners include: stress, heat, illness with post-nasal drip (that stuff clogs up my band), allergies.

My band is not affected by flying or altitude or cold.

Like the moon, it waxes and wanes. It doesn't bother me now but it was freaky at the beginning of my banded life.

A no-go for me. Even this far out, I can't tolerate rice. Every time I try...even just a little bit, I am uncomfortable. Not PB-uncomfortable, but it just stops my meal right then and there.

Tempura, however....now that's another story!

Oh yeah. Now my poop is chicken mcnuggets.

I use benefiber or a stool softener when things get really uncomfortable.

I can't eat enough volume of fiberous foods without band discomfort (too full, or the gas presses up into my band and causes discomfort) so even with their low calorie content, it's a volume issue for me and my pouch.

I just had to give up the 1 poop a day mindset when I got banded, because it really doesn't work that way with these smaller volumes of protein-heavy foods.

Thanks. I go off line for all but work crises during the summer. But I'm back and feeling great, except for this separation anxiety

@@terrydumont46 I've been off this forum during my summer travels so I didn't see your original posts about the complications. I'm sorry you had to go through this but glad you've been given the green light to re-boot your band. I understand and empathize with your situation having gone through a similar experience earlier this year. The esophagal spasms are very scary (I, too, thought I was experiencing a heart attack) and painful.

The positive thing I learned from my 3-month unfill was how much my band does for me. Sometimes I can get into a mindset of "I'm doing this all by myself!" and feeling a sort of hubris over my weight loss. The unfill took me right back to the dieter's mindset and the feelings of cravings, food obsession, lack of control. It really proved to me how vital my band is to my success and how it is the key player in this new life. I will never take it for granted.

10 pounds in two months is not a catastrophe and easily turned around, especially with the re-boot which puts you back in the driver's seat.

Sending you good thoughts.

Accompany your firstborn to her/his university, and then say goodbye. My heart goes out to all the parents going through these separations at this back to school time of year. Whether you are watching them walk into kindergarten or dropping them off at their dorm...it is just one more step of theirs towards independence. Which is, of course, a great thing.

Anyway, suddenly my band is newborn, with a level of restriction such as I've never known. And this reminds me how our bands are so reactive! Heat, stress, cold, colds, some mention flying (that's not one of mine), our bands inhale and exhale along with us. It's something you can't know until you are banded (and something I wasn't educated on by my surgeon, but that's ok).

I was just about to go get another fill but I think I'll just take advantage of this "free" restriction before facing the needle again.

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying fall (if in the northern hemisphere) or spring (if below).

Agree with @egilb00f. You are now in a cycle which won't resolve itself if you don't get in to see your bariatric specialist (not the ER people who often aren't trained in lapbands). Don't put your stomach or band at risk...I would not be comfortable leaving for vacation with an issue such as this going on. What if you get to a point where you can't hydrate yourself? This is a possible scenario from what you describe.

Please let us know how you are after you've been seen.

Sorry to read you were struggling and glad to read you are back to optimal fill level.

I fly often and never ever have a problem with my restriction. I fly long haul flights and never feel the band tighten due to air travel. (It can tighten due to other factors, but air travel has never been one of them for me.)

I'd opt for your plan if I were in your position. (Liquids, Protein Drinks, etc.) You'll know if you are too tight, since you've already experienced that feeling, and you can continue with liquids, or just go back to your band eating if you sense the flying did not affect your band's fill level.

I have never had one regret over having decided to have WLS. Even when I had some complications, I still love my band. I have sagging skin but I would have had this anyway at my age (and after having kids). I don't hide my arms or my stomach...I feel so much better about my body than I did pre-WLS. I even wore a two-piece this summer, despite the little bee-sting scars from my surgery...I loved wearing that suit so much that it overrode any embarassment I might have had about the lapro scars.

Gosh, what a question. I think all of us went into WLS with so much thoughfulness...I can't imagine any of us regretting being thinner.

What a great idea! I wish my partner had the mindset of a WLS person. It sure would be nice to be with someone whose eating and exercise habits were more in line with my own.

Very good advice, indeed. I travel a lot, usually to 1st world countries and I always look up and print out the bariatric practices near to where I'll be. Fortunately for my trip next week, I'll be in southern California where there are loads of these places . For me, this is more about band slips (my big fear, more than getting stuck) but yes, good info all around.

Wishing you a good, fresh start. I loved your "feeling shivery inside" description. Fills don't bother me physically, but the idea of someone messing around with something inside me makes me "feel shivery" too!

Good for you for dedicating yourself to making your band work for you.

Wow, I can imagine that you are looking forward to being painfree. Good luck!