KarenElaine

I've been sort of lurking in the background of this conversation trying to get the courage up to say that I think most of you are being way too hard on yourselves. The AMA declared obesity a disease last year. Much evidence points to the fact that our BMI is genetically determined. To me, losing weight and trying to keep it off was like trying to change the color of my eyes - it just wasn't going to happen without surgery. Try as I could to eat healthy, exercise and avoid stress and emotional eating, I couldn't change my genetic make up. I'm done with blaming myself or others around me for my obesity. It is what it is and I've take the action I need to move on.

Sure hoping you are feeling better.

I'm sorry you're having so much discomfort. I had diarrhea as well, but not to that extent. My gas pain was in my neck area. I hope things turn around for you soon.

I have always been overweight and at 63 years old I knew I had to do something. I've had 2 knee replacements and knew that those "new" knees wouldn't last under this 248 pounds. I started inquiring about the lap band procedure in September 2013. It took 5 months to get through the paperwork and appointments and on Valentine's Day 2014 I had surgery. It's been a little over 3 months and I'm 45 pounds down. I'm working really had to do what I'm supposed to do. I had an adjustment the 1st and 2nd month. This month I didn't need the adjustment. I haven't had to throw up any food but I have had an incident of really bad pain because I ate too big a bites and didn't chew enough (egg). I've had some hiccups over the past few months but my doc told me it's because I'm eating too fast. I just need to learn to slow down a bit.
I belong to Spark People and that helps me track my carbs. I'm on 30 carbs a day - most days I stay within the limit but on occasion I go over. Eating out is a challenge - I can always find something on the menu but there are a lot of foods I really wish I could eat. I don't order them or take a chance because I want to succeed.
I would like to hear from others who have had the surgery or are anticipating the surgery and have questions,

I didn't get rid of my CPAP until just recently.
I did go for a sleep study to make sure that I could go off of it.
I was told that I do better sleeping on my side then when I sleep on my back.
So good getting off the machine.
My suggestion is have another sleep,study to make sure.
Good luck!

my surgeon said that at every 30 lbs lost that the fit of the mask and the volume needed has changed. I just went by my husband who says I don't snore anymore and I sleep through the night . but when I stopped using the cpap I am now getting acid reflux. I am wearing the cpap tonight to see if it will make a difference. I don't mind wearing it. I just don't like to anymore because the mask doesn't fit right and it drives me nuts hearing the air escape. my apnea doctor has retired so I would have to go to a brand new doctor and go over my massive medical history. oh brother.

This got me to think, I would say my root cause to my obesity is both genetic and that I am addicted to food. Ever since I was little I have been the big kid. I come from a family who was obese. My grandpa was 500 pound man, my mom was overweight, and multiple other family members as well. Also addiction runs in my family, so the whole addiction part is what gets me today. I love food like an alcoholic loves liquor. It has always been that way up till now. Addiction runs in my family as well with many different vices. My vice and my downfall is food. It is a comfort in all of its glory. I saw my grandpa with the same addiction tragically lost his battle back when I was a sophomore in high school because of his obesity. I thought I was ready to change my life outa high school and had the lap band put in place. Then life happened and that addiction came back stronger than ever. It took me five years of soul searching to finally tell myself "hey, its time" and get healthy. I fight this addiction and the obesity factor everyday. What keeps me going on this path of my new healthy self is knowing that in the future when I have kids I will be around for them, I will be able to live longer than my grandfather, also I am finally happier than I was 100 pounds ago.

I used food as a reward and a comfort. So...if I was happy, I ate. If I was sad or angry or depressed, I ate. Plus...I felt entitled for some reason so I ate to excess. Add all those things together and you get someone morbidly obese.
I've learned a big lesson over this last 15 months. You can still enjoy food. I love love love good food. I just remind myself that eating more of it than I should, does me no favors. I gain weight, I feel bad for losing control, and like my dad said...not realizing how profound it was....'Why overeat? It's just more of the same'.
EXACTLY!! That is how a thin person thinks. I love this observation. Yes...the food is wonderful, but why eat more of it than you need? That is my mindset these days and I don't mourn what I don't eat, I just enjoy what I do eat.
I hope that makes sense. It does to me.

i became super morbid obese because i sat on the couch and ate and ate and drank more calories than i could possibly burn off.......and the bigger i got, the more i ate and drank and the more depressed i got....it was ME who did that to myself and it is ME who is fixing it..

I used food to shield me from all kinds of emotions and obstacles. In my generation it didnt seem like anyone was talking about nutrition cleaning your plate. I didn't really know much about why i was obese until it was too late. I am also convinced that genetics loaded then gun too. My daughter studied nutrition and said that and the other half of the problem is environment. My son was starting down the path as an adolescent and took control of it and looks great. It was his transformation that prompted him to take me to a consultation (really an intervention because i was stuck and scared) and he brought his sister . So i gave birth to him and he helped save my life. I hope that more young people get this under control early. However it is worth many discussions and reflections....

Hey lapbander,
I forgot to say that I log my calories as of 1/1/2014 on myfitnesspal. I eat organic now and only fish as of 1/2014 and no processed foods. I eat every meal from my cookin and kitchen...........LOL. I preplan my meals on Sunday night. I put in plastic one cup portion size. I drink no bubbles of anykind and no refined "carbs". I exercise 60 min per day-usually 5 days a week. I do Swim-Bike-Run and I am a TRIATHLETE at 53 I just finished my first race in May. I NEVER would have thought I could do a race-ever-but I trained an crossed the finish line-"not a jet-set time" but I got a medal for 3rd in my age group.
I have not been a fast loser on this journey about a half a pound a week. I exercise quite a bit to get the last fat off my body which is my legs and rear end. My top half of my body is all gone-normal-and my breast have deflated to nothing. I now use "shoulder" pads in my bra which makes nice "fake boobies"............LOL
Overall, I feel good and my legs no longer hurt and my back does not pain me after work. I have lost about 1" so now I am 5 2" not 5 3" perhaps due to age and bone loss. food choices is the key and amount with the lapband. I never eat over 3 ounces of food- to overeat means trouble! I hate my lapband at times due to that I cannot eat my foods that I ate before-but then again if I ate those foods I would be back to obesity. I never want to return to my former self again;overweight and unhappy with myself. I keep saying that it took me how long to get myself into this "80lbs gain" so I cannot do it overnight. I have learned that I am a emotional eater with I "never" knew and I eat out of "comfort" like people who use drugs or other things to cover the pain or emotional stressor. I have did some deep thoughts about "why I eat" and how to avoid the mindless eating due to just being "just sad" This is a mental journey so your going to change in every way. Remember, on this WL journey , relationships will change and so will you.

I have lost 60 pounds and my goal is 80 pounds. I feel great and in a size 8 and small tops. The lapband is only a tool of about 20% and I must do the other with food choices and exercise. I hope to get to goal at my 2 year mark.

When I went for my psych evaluate Tues that there is a support meeting held monthly at the Valdosta Bariatric office. Good to know, cause I hadn't been informed of that yet.

I think I would have just Kicked his ass and fired that rat bastard.
Doctors forget they work for me. I pay his salary and if they are rude to me, there are plenty other doctors out there.

why on earth feel down my pet?
some people just have no clue nor raised with manners it seems...
that being said......you LOST weight since your last visit to the doctor
did you not?? you didnt not gain, is that right?
then i see no problem.....you keep losing at YOUR rate
it is not written down that you MUST lose 5 pounds a day or your head
will be chopped off.....everyone is different....you lose like you and not anyone else...so dry them baby tears....you lost 45 pounds (that is 9 bags of five pounds bag of sugar).......and that is just SWEET

Everyone on FB knows that if you say something stupid like that in my newsfeed, you're going to get my opinion on the matter, and you may not like it anymore than I liked yours. But if that's not you, I agree you should unfriend at the very least.
I am not shy about telling people that I relate to being an addict. food was my addiction. Except where heroin addicts get treatment and abstain to remain clean, I had to seek out my drug of choice 3 times a day, and I was supposed to be strong enough to stop at just 3 bites (like I do with the lapband?). How about 'get bent'?
Having the willpower to stop at 3 bites when hungry 3 times a day for the rest of your life is something I sure as hell didn't have. Let's see a show of hands as to who actually has that sort of willpower, coz bully for you, you're a better person than me!
I just needed that help to curb the hunger, and I lost weight. I'm proof that if you control hunger, you can control the addiction. How more logical and easy to understand could it be yet for some it seems so hard to figure out.

my surgeon said its a new (type wls) and the studies are just now coming in
so far so good with me
i (like chez and kahl) couldnt be more pleased
you still gotta eat smart and the allotted amount.
to help it and the band work

I was told that the plication will indeed give better results and I have it myself. My doctor said that sometimes the stitches will erode and the stomach will return to its normal shape. You may never know it happened. The thought is that by that time, if it ever comes, you will have changed you lifestyle and eating habits. I know that I have. Remember all the things are just tools. You make the final decision on what and how much you eat!

Thanks everyone for your input, it's greatly appreciated. I'm going to get a second opinion as to what is going on with the band.

Plication (called further curvature gastric plication) is where they fold in on itself, the greater curve of the stomach, and suture it with two rows of non-dissolving stitches. This reduces stomach capacity to about 25-30% of normal; size and shape similar to the sleeve...WITHOUT cutting, stapling or removing a huge portion of a major organ.
I had it done at the same time as my band, and I'm glad I did. Though I do not have a reference point as to what the band would feel like without plication, there have been times when I knew that the limited stomach capacity, was my insurance policy in limiting what I could ingest.
As Carolinegirl above said, we need to work with ALL of these procedures, and control our portions, while making healthy food choices. There IS self control involved with all of this, and the surgeries are only a tool for us to work with.

having it filled so tight is not good and dangerous..
and having it sooo tight, you can only i am guessing, sip/drink high cal drinks or manage sliders.....that being said, eating more calories than you burn off will make you gain weight.....i agree with the two posters, def get a 2nd option or revisit the doctor about checking out if the band has slipped, it may not have..it maybe something as easy as you getting back to eating your allotted amounts and watching you calorie intake vs outake.
i have plication but my dr stressed that if i didnt change my eating, no WLS would help me...i happen to believe that and agree with that statement...anyhow, def get a xray under fluro done to check the status of your band....i wish you all the luck.

It worries me that your Doctor dismissed the idea of a potential problem with band placement without any investigation , I would see if there are issues with the band first before you get a plication done , if all is well then plication might give you what you need IMHO

it has worked well for me. my dr advised me that even though i have this extra (tool to help aid the band) it was still up to me to eat good food and to exercise) or no WLS would help. my own personal opinion is that it does help me feel fuller quicker and does not allow me to overeat. i am working it the best i can. ..it has literally saved my life.

Plication working great for me. Surgery 11/6/12 down from 215 to 139. Never have I even felt like I needed a fill! Good luck!

All I can say is that Dr. Cywes is an excellent, professional Doctor who I believe cares about my health. I was banded in 2011 and have received nothing but the best care from him and his staff prior to and since then. There must be some issue causing Dr. Cywes to relocate and I wish him the best of luck. My advice to all is to avoid Dr. Pinnar at all cost. He was with (my) Dr. Cywes for a short time and I found him to be unprofessional and inept. He was unable to find my port for a fill and spent 10 minutes poking me in the stomach with a needle. Dr. Cywes came in and found the port in 30 seconds. I would not trust Pinnar to remove a splinter.