John Picone

I use a goal size, not a goal weight.
My goal size is 38-inch slacks and a man's extra-large shirt.

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band.
The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band.
Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band.
Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.
The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:
1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to 4 weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to 4 weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.
2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band.
3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.
4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.
5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again.
6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.< /span>
7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.
Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater.
It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

i take my help me sleep when i need it pills in crushed form...i found it works faster....i do take reg tylenol pills and liquid (walgreens or Walmart brand)...so far no problems...i admit if i ever had to take a big pill . id ask the dr if i could half it or break it....but i think it just depends on the person. as i always say, do what your dr advises you and or what works for you.

I used to in the beginning because I was told to....but I take this large Omega 3 fish oil by Rx that cannot be crushed....after taking those whole - 4 of them daily....I realized I di not have to crush the others that were much smaller....so in the last 2 years, No....

I never have crushed pills and never had a problem taking them. I just make sure to pause a minute or two between pills and never take a pill right out of bed in the morning. If I have to early in the morning, I have some hot tea or Water first to loosen my band.
Btw, check with your pharmacist before crushing or cutting any pills. Some pills are time release and if you cut/crush them you risk an accidental overdose.
Best wishes.

I used to be able to take a handful of pills(vitamins) at once now I take gummie Vitamins and have to wait a few minutes between each pill to wait for it to go down. Also, I have to take my meds about 20 min. before bed otherwise it will just sit there dissolving above my band. I've had 1 fill so far.

3 years since surgery and never had to crush pills. I did change the x I took them. 8pm is my Vitamin,Biotin hour now.

What an inspiring post. I haven't had my LBS yet I'm about a month out. I am going to take some advice a girl gave me on here and start eating slower, taking small bites, and eating healthier. The last few months I have been not been watching what I eat and have gained even more weight. So I'd like to lose a few pounds before surgery and try to get a jump start. I am also going to start walking when I can. I think it will help me to recover after my surgery. How much weight have you lost?

Hello Everyone, Hope everyone had a great day . We are all in this thing together so let us stand behind each other and be supportive. Some of us are well on there way to doing this while others like myself are looking for the right answers to find our sweet spot on our bands. We all need some love on here to get ourselves in gear..LOL with the weather starting to warm up a little and are able to get outside we can now be able to walk a little, or some of us (Not Me Yet) are able to run a little. No matter what stages we are in let's start posting on here about how your day is going, or what you did for the day to help us lose the weight. You guys are great,and God bless you all. John

Hello Everyone, Hope everyone had a great day . We are all in this thing together so let us stand behind each other and be supportive. Some of us are well on there way to doing this while others like myself are looking for the right answers to find our sweet spot on our bands. We all need some love on here to get ourselves in gear..LOL with the weather starting to warm up a little and are able to get outside we can now be able to walk a little, or some of us (Not Me Yet) are able to run a little. No matter what stages we are in let's start posting on here about how your day is going, or what you did for the day to help us lose the weight. You guys are great,and God bless you all. John

After first being banded, I could take them whole, but after my third fill I now have to cut them up. I can take pills whole if they are as small as a baby aspirin.
Good thing, no longer on b/p medicine

Hello Everyone, Hope everyone had a great day . We are all in this thing together so let us stand behind each other and be supportive. Some of us are well on there way to doing this while others like myself are looking for the right answers to find our sweet spot on our bands. We all need some love on here to get ourselves in gear..LOL with the weather starting to warm up a little and are able to get outside we can now be able to walk a little, or some of us (Not Me Yet) are able to run a little. No matter what stages we are in let's start posting on here about how your day is going, or what you did for the day to help us lose the weight. You guys are great,and God bless you all. John

Hello Everyone, Hope everyone had a great day . We are all in this thing together so let us stand behind each other and be supportive. Some of us are well on there way to doing this while others like myself are looking for the right answers to find our sweet spot on our bands. We all need some love on here to get ourselves in gear..LOL with the weather starting to warm up a little and are able to get outside we can now be able to walk a little, or some of us (Not Me Yet) are able to run a little. No matter what stages we are in let's start posting on here about how your day is going, or what you did for the day to help us lose the weight. You guys are great,and God bless you all. John

It's rare but it is possible. The band is a foreign object so it is possible for your body to reject it.
When you say they checked your gallbladder for stones, how did they check? Did they do a CT scan with contrast?
Have you had blood work? Is your white blood cell count high? If you body is rejecting the band, the chances are good your white count would be elevated. Of course, this would also be true if you have any other infection.

Don't take this the wrong way as most people usually do? You've hijacked this thread. No problem, we all do it but for you to receive good advice and comments on your situation, you should start your own topic. That way more people see it and more people will respond. But, It sounds like you've never had to learn to eat like a bandster to me? 30 lbs since June is not a lot. It's not bad but not great either. Learning to eat small bites, chew them to mush and do it all very slowly is one of the most difficult challenges of the banded.
Try this? Eat some Soup. Something like a slider food? Maybe even a few crackers. Do they still cause you to throw up and hurt your stomach? If not, you're not eating properly.
tmf

I am convinced I do not have a sweet spot. What I have learned on my journey is I am better off a little looser then tighter. I measure my foods so I know when to stop. If I am hungry between meals I drink Water then if still hungry I eat a smart snack. Usually it only takes me a few bites to feel satisfied again.

I just want to say that all of us have an issue with food. We all love it but you have the tool you need to begin to have a new relationship with food. I lost very well for the first six months 70lbs then I quit smoking and no weight loss for a year. I have only 3 cc's in my band but the thing that has gotten me down the other 52lbs is Protein. I am a total sugar addict. If I eat one single crumb of sugar then I binge. You have to find out what it is that you binge most on and totally delete it from your diet. I know people say everything in moderation but some of us cant. I was not able to eat meat and ended up a vegan. I realized then that after months of being a vegan my whole relationship with food changed because I felt better. Even at only 3ccs that is my green zone. I love healthy food. Today I would take a vegetable or a piece of fruit over any pizza. I have learned to seaons my veggies good, I eat vegan burgers, black bean burgers, vegan meatballs and they are not bad plus I have learned to make my own vegan dishes. That doesnt mean this is what you have to do I am just telling you what I have done. My doctor put me on ideal protein for about 3 months. It was worth the money because it got rid of the sugar cravings in me. I dropped 52 pounds in 3 months. The problem with me is the band has never taken my hunger away but I eat less. I still get hungry but I eat every couple of hours. I will eat once in a while lunch meat because its about all my band will tolerate meat wise. I will take some lunch meat, grape tomatoes and banana peppers and put them all together and eat them and it is good. You really have to find out the foods that trigger your bad eating and totally get away from them. I wish you all the best of luck in your second time around and hope you do well.

Hi All,
I've had an account here for a while, but haven't ever really been active. I was banded in June of '08 and had a serious rollercoaster ride with my band, almost from the start. About six months after surgery, I started having problems finding the proverbial "sweet spot." I either had too little restriction and wouldn't lose weight, or I had too much, and would start upon a horrible cycle of sliming, throwing up, and eventually being so swollen that I couldn't eat or drink. I had difficulty eating meat, and most fruits and vegetables. salad was a total no-go. This was often the case even when I didn't seem to be too tight and had no problem eating other foods. I couldn't eat carrot sticks or chicken, but had no problem scarfing down ice cream or a bag of cheetos. In fact, at one point that's *all* I could get down, and I would eat them just to get SOMETHING in my system and get my blood sugar off the floor. (Oops... yeah, I'll own that I made some bad eating choices!)
I even had trouble sleeping. After three years, I'd lost almost 50 lbs, but I was so miserable that I couldn't take it anymore. My band was too tight, I had constant heartburn, and I could barely get liquids down. I didn't want to give up (especially after financing my surgery out of pocket.) but I just couldn't do it any longer. By the time I was unfilled, I couldn't get down broth, much less any of my daily medications. (Which in my case is BAD.) I had my band completely unfilled, and haven't been back to the clinic since. Every once in a while when I eat the wrong thing or eat too fast, I'll get a stab to the chest and remember that the old girl is still in there, but otherwise it's been pre-surgery eating as usual, with both good and bad choices, and everything in between.
Now, a year and a half of yo-yo-ing later, I've regained most of the weight I'd lost, and I've decided to try it again. I'm hoping for a better result, but I'm afraid I'll end up facing the same issues. I feel like I have to completely re-acquaint myself with proper band eating, and after my history I really don't know what to expect. I'm nervous and uncertain of what's ahead.
Has anybody else been in the same boat?

I have not but I wish you well and much success your second time around.

I understand. I had my band done in October of 2008. I lost some weight, gained it all back, lost again, gained again plus even more weight, and now I'm trying my hardest to lose...again. Sigh. Right now I'm at the exact same weight I was when I got the band in the first place (and I've recently lost 8 lbs).
I have only had 4.something ccs in my 10 cc band. I have had trouble going tighter than that, but have come to realize now that I haven't been doing the right thing by my band. Being able to take huge bites of english muffin isn't right. I'm supposed to be taking small bites and possibly not even be able eat bread. And, tonight I was thinking that I would like to have pizza for dinner. I've been thinking about pizza for three weeks. So, I was working out how much I could have and how many points it would be (just joined weight watchers) and I decided I could have two slices of thin crust veggie. And I was thinking, that isn't going to be enough food. I'm going to need a salad too. Then I was like, (parden the profanity) "Jesus! I shouldn't be able to eat a salad and two slices of pizza at all, much less in 20 minutes for dinner!" (I decided to go with a salad and a few baked coconut shrimp instead). And, I decided that after a year of hiding from my surgeon, it is time to go in for a fill. I'm asking myself, what was the point of getting the band in the first place if I'm not going to use it? I didn't pay $16,000 out of pocket for this surgery to not use the tool I've been given. And, FYI, I have really been on a roller coaster with my band. At first I was expecting magic and efforless weight loss. Then, when I realized it wasn't just going to be easy peasy with no effort from me, I got really pissed (again, sorry about the language) and hated the band for a few years. Fairly recently I decided I wanted the darned thing removed and to see if my insurance would pay for bypass or the sleeve. And, thanks to this website and some of the wonderful people here in the forums, have very recently decided that I can't just hate the band when I haven't really given it a chance. I mean, I am pretty non-compliant with the band.
So, I have joined weight watchers and am trying to do a daily 30-60 minute walk out in the desert (soft sand). I made an appointment for a fill today. My appointment is on the 27th. When I called the office, I was disappointed to learn that my long-time nurse I've been seeing doesn't work there anymore! :-( So, I now need to start over with someone new. I am a little disappointed, but maybe this is exactly what I need. A fresh beginning for me and with a fresh person to manage my care (same surgeon's office, just a new PA). I'm going to take a leap and get a moderate fill. I'm going to say I don't want a tiny one, but not a big one either. I want something that I will notice, but won't make me hate life i.e. slime and throw up all the time.

I could have written your post! I had my band done in 2009. I got discouraged early because I was not losing weight and I stopped going to the MD. I decided to give it another go and as of yesterday I had my 8th adjustment since April of 2012. I cannot find the sweet spot either. I am either too loose and can eat anything or too tight and choking on my gastric acid at night (I even aspirated and had pneumonia last year from being too tight). I have lost 12 lbs. since going back last April. That is not a success story in my book. I have lost about 35 lbs. overall but that was not from the band, that was from eating low carb the year before last. I feel like such a failure to have gone to the extreme of having weight loss surgery and STILL not be able to lose. I don't know what the answer is, but I just wanted you to know that you are not alone.

It's good to know I'm not alone at least.
Hillary, I TOTALLY feel you. I've been doing weight watchers on and off too... lost about 20 lbs last year with diet and excercise, and then gained it all back after an injury from overtaining at the gym. After pulling a muscle in my back a couple of weeks ago and ending up just about incapacitated, my doc gave me a course of steroids, muscle relaxers, and painkillers. Between the steroids, poor food choices, and inactivity while resting my back, I've put on almost ten pounds since then. Eek! Not okay. If you do WW online and feel like adding me there, my handle is TheCurvyMermaid.
Pjop, I used to wake up choking on acid too. It's pretty bad when you can't pass your own saliva through the band, isn't it. I've told people, you really have no idea how much Fluid your mouth produces on a constant basis, along with when you eat, until it stops going down. It's absolutely awful that you got pneumonia. I'd say that my biggest health complaint with the band comes from not being able to throw up. (Slight oversharing coming up, but I'm just keeping it real.)
Sometimes, your body needs to get rid of things. (Hello, hangover! I kid you not, there was one time I had a throwing up sick hangover from *one glass* of red wine. How lame is that?!?!) When your body is trying to get rid of something toxic and can't, it can be pretty miserable. I get Migraines about 4-5 times a year, and have had them for most of my life. The pattern they follow is that I get the Migraine, and the pain gets more and more severe over the course of about 3-6 hours until I finally get nauseaus and throw up. After that happens, I take my pain reliever of choice, and the pain recedes. Until I throw up, the headache WILL NOT go away, and I've found more often than not, my band makes my digestive system a one way street. My body *tries* to throw up, but it can't get back up past the band, so I can't get the reset I need. I'm really not looking forward to going back to that.
There's a part of me which wonders if I just really didn't try hard enough to do things by the book. The guidelines I was given by the clinic I went to were to eat a 4oz meal a day, 3x a day. No Snacks, and only calorie free beverages. It was so different from the guidelines that I heard from other people who went to other practices, and so counter to what I've always been told about nutrition and healthy eating that I totally ignored the "success formula" I was given and pretty much tossed it out the window. I thought I knew better, and maybe I really didn't.
I paid for my surgery out of pocket. I paid about $6,000 in cash up front and financed the other $12,000 through Care Credit. Huge financial mistake! With a 29% interest rate, I can only blame it on being young and stupid. Almost five years later, I still owe about $4,000, and make the equivalent of a car payment every month. My insurance considers the band elective, so nothing was covered, including any fills I get. The clinic charges $175 for adjustments, and that amount covers any adjustments for the following 3 month period. Paying that out of pocket is a pretty penny when you're on a budget.
I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull this off, and if things will be different this time around. I wonder, am I just throwing good money after bad? I'll totally own that I have a love/hate relationship with food. (I suppose that many of us do, or we wouldn't have ended up so large that we got WLS in the first place, right?) I eat too much. I eat when I'm bored. I eat the wrong things. I eat when I'm emotional, and I eat to make myself feel better. I stuff myself silly sometimes just because I can. I don't always do all of these things, but there's definitely an underlying pattern of behavior. I ask myself, did I continue the same behaviours and just find a way to eat around the band? Did I just not try hard enough to use this tool? I really don't know, but I try to be self aware enough to at least ask myself the question.
I really hope I'll be more successful this time around, but I have misgivings, and I hope that with those doubts, I'm not setting myself up for failure from the start.

Well I am 7 months from surgery and down 69.5 pounds with no preop diet. This band has been the biggest blessing. It has definitely made this process easier although it is still hard work. I think the difference is the hard work is actually paying off when it didn't with other methods.
I still struggle with seeing myself as small from time to time and I am still 35 pounds from goal but I feel so much better. I wonder if at times I have a harder time believing I was actually that big before surgery or that I am actually this size now lol

John, that's a story we sometimes see here but your honesty is so refreshing. Here's a quote I read on another forum and thought you might get something from it:
"In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

Hi Jim, Thanks for your interest. I had my surgery back in 1/2007 I was all pumped up to start my journey the hospital stay was quick( 1- 1/2 days) and painless. When I got home and by myself I started to think I would never be able to eat the food that made me happy ( and obese ) again. I did such a job making myself so depressed I just gave up. I thought I wood have to be on a liquid diet and eat soft foods like baby food the rest of my life. I never went on message boards when at home. I remember taking off 2 weeks vacation to have the surgery and to heal but all I did was stay in the house and felt so depressed saying to myself why did I do this to myself. So as the days went on I started to cheat and eat things like shredded cheese by the bags. I never threw my food up it was just that the band was to lose for me and never followed up to get it done the right way. Then after the 2 weeks beating myself up while home I went back to work thinking I have to eat baby food in front of my co-workers the heck with this so I jumped off the wagon. When I did go back to work I had lost like 20 pounds but I felt very depressed. Has the years went by I just but all the weight back on plus like 4 extra pounds. Just last month I started having problems climbing stares, and just moving around was getting way to hard. My legs and feet where blowing up like a balloon filled with Water. I started to say about 3 weeks ago I have to do something I am only 46 and I feel like I am 96 and if I keep going like this I will be dead or close to it in 5 years. So I picked up the phone and made a appointment to have my lap band adjusted. That's my story . Thanks for asking and God Bless You. John