lisacaron

You know I think we can have issues like any other surgery where we not only stretch out that pouch but also lose sensitivity to the nerves that the band sits on and initially tells us that we are not hungry. Some people have nerves so sensitive that just having the band is enough for them and they never need a fill. Then there are those who are like me, and need the max fill to know I have the band in there for it to work. There are some Dr.'s who just don't/can't understand how it feels if they are not banded. I understand though why they are conservative with their fills, it's for our own safety. I have had my band get too tight and it was not fun. Basically irritation to the stomach from medication caused the stoma to swell and nearly close. When I had all the Fluid removed I was on a liquid diet for 3 weeks, which was not easy..but I'd been through it before and I was happy not to lose the band and need more surgery. If your not happy with your Dr. you are allowed to visit another one, but you may find talking with your doctor a step to take first so your happy with your decision. My surgeon retired and I was forced to find another and I can see how different each place is and each Dr. is as well. Do some research to other doctors, maybe a consult or just a call to inquire as to their practice of fills etc. Let us know how it goes!!

@@JustWatchMe Thank you for sharing your story with us!! You are 100% right, making changes to our selves is never EVER easy or simple. Truth and honesty seem like such wonderful words don't they? Such great concepts...but you know those simple words are tantamount to untold feats of strength courage and conviction! Not many people can cope with being honest and truthful especially not to themselves. Most would rather live the lie then face the truth which can be very painful and yeah it can leave you raw. I will say this for truth and honesty when you start to live your life authentically you realize that there will never be any other way for you to be. I have oodles of compassion, empathy and admiration for you my friends. Life is not easy, but it's worth the effort and I thank you for sharing your journey with me!

@@gowalking Two steps forward one step back, step to the side cross one foot in front of the other and spin. Honey you are dancing!!! That's what life is all about my friend! Dancing with yourself, dancing around yourself and hearing that song in your heart and your head. food and body fat kept us from dancing, and making music. Now I toot so much more then I did before! Oh wait off topic. Liz you have got the Samba down, and your making many of us look like we have two left feet. Your doing great, and what's more your taking the time and perfecting your steps. Just don't forget to hum that happy tune every now again as you count the steps and soon you will hear nothing but the tune and your feet/body will just move in time.

@@gowalking Hey tuckster! you look great! No questions about it!! @@dylanmiles23 hope everything goes well for you!!! I have appointment with the trainer tonight at the gym...after the hour Saturday and Monday...not sure what body parts there are left to "work on" that don't already hurt!! Maybe my nose...one eye push ups? Cause that's about what I have open

@@Alex Brecher here are a couple of ideas: It would be cool to have a sample box kind of like the way birchbox operates if you were going to do an "autoship" type of thing. It might also be nice to be able to order supplies/supplements based on your surgery type. Not everyone needs everything or wants it and vs versa. Another way to group or select items might be by phase or stage of surgery. Pre-Op; Post- Op; Weight Loss; Maintenance I would include all kinds of things, not only "foods" but blender bottles, recipe books, other books, fitness gear things geared toward healthy living. scales, spoons, bento box lunch packs, freezer bags, portion control items. I personally use Melaluca products .http://www.melaleuca.com/ I love their Protein powders, sports nutrition products.

@@JustWatchMe I don't think we are trying to say he does/doesn't work his tail off. Just agreeing with him, and sharing our experience in stride. I wish I could make my band fully control and erase my emotional head hunger. @@Jim1967 you know my husband and I have the same exact experience! I struggle with making poor choices when stressed and emotional so much more often then hubby does! Of course when he points that out though I don't always like it much...even though he is right!

That's the ticket!! Try to portion out your meals I find that helps me to stay on point.

@@Julie norton Just love that photo!!! @@gowalking I'm sure you are looking spiffy as always!!! I'm gonna need a few inches added to my torso to be able to tuck things in and not look like my back swallowed my ass!!

@@twztdzsgrl I hope you are feeling OK, and I'm sorry to read about the added trouble you have going on. I am not expert, but let me first say the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a deep breath and keep on doing it any time the need arises. A good place to start might be to go back to those very band basics. Go back to some liquid nutrition. Schedule out the times you are going to eat and what you are going to eat. Stick to that rigid schedule for as long as you can and keep your nutrients high. Talk to your Dr. and see what they advise, maybe they could help you out with a medically supervised diet during this phase so you can get to the next phase for surgery. My best wishes and hope for a speedy recovery!! Please let us all know how you are doing!! We are here to help and support you!

@@B-52 I think you do have a point here. When you reach that green zone, or sweet spot or what have you with the band your right it does take the "thinking" out of it and gives you that sense of control and you eat only when hungry and you find that it's not as often or urgent as before. @@Jersrose43 and @@amponder also make good points and that is that the band itself won't stop you from eating things like ice cream, chocolate or chips. That is something we have to control the choices of what we put in our mouths. For some that's not always the easiest thing to do. I know for me it's not, I wish the band could go around my head sometimes because I have to consciously stop myself from sabotage when things get sideways around me.

@@SuperKen I can only echo all the comments above! You are doing amazing and of course I can relate to your feelings. I used to think I would have a heart attack walking from my office to my car at the end of the day. Then one day after a trip to the Dr. and new medication (which I took while at work) I had a major reaction that mimicked that feared heart attack!! I drove all the way home and then called an ambulance. Thank goodness it was just a reaction to the medication but it really was an eye opener and from that day I started looking at life in a new way and decided to make some much needed changes but it would still take me another 3 years to have WLS.

@@Band Aid mom so this is just me...I try to set a goal for myself every day that does not just involve the numbers on the scale. I try to make sure I make good choices, get in enough Water (this is a challenge for me always was even before surgery) make sure I move enough and exercise at least 3x a week and don't sit for more then 15 min at a time while at work. For weight goals I know that if I reach these daily weekly then my success is going to be reflected on the scale at the end of the week. For each 10 pounds I lose I reward myself with something that is non food related. I might buy a charm for my bracelet or go to a movie, or get a massage things like that. When I drop a size I will go get myself some new clothes maybe just one thing, maybe even something NOT size related like a scarf or gloves. Just keeping it positive daily is a BIG help, and when the end of the week comes if I have not been successful and just maintained I don't look at that as a failure. I look at is as a lesson learned and keep trying to improve upon my habits daily. To be an ultimate success for a life time that's what it's going to take for me. That total life style change one day at a time.

@@toothfairy86 take it easy till then so your not in any pain OK? Let me know how your doing after you see the doc on Monday!! I'm convinced carbs are the devil no matter what's going on with us they are always the easiest things to eat! I remember when I was little Mom would give me crackers and toast and stuff like that when I was sick. I'm sure it's because they stayed down when other foods just would not including chicken Soup.

you are right on track there!! Maybe you can get in to see the doctor sooner??? Sounds like your really uncomfortable every 2 hours of acid re-flux I am feeling for you friend!!

I would worry that you might be tight. Coughing at night, not sleeping, acid re flux and vomiting are not par for the course with the band. They are red flags. The fact that you are vomiting and have acid re flux can be worrisome for lots of reasons, so definitely see your Dr. as soon as you can you have 1/13 as your follow up but I assume that's a typo since today is the 15th?? In the mean time I would go back to basics liquids, & mushy foods. Try not to eat 3 hours before bed time to help reduce the night cough and reflex. If you have trouble with Water then you need to see the Dr. ASAP to take some fluid out. I waited out a fill, and had some other issues with medication irritation that cause a minor dilation of my pouch which resulted in having all the fluid removed from my band. I'm glad they did it in retrospect because I would hate to lose my band but it's been a rough road and a tough road back to the green. Good luck and let us know how you are doing!!

Ditto that!

@@JustWatchMe Hope all goes well friend!! Stay strong your almost to the end of the day!!

@@igotthis98 Way to go!!! Just keep that enthusiasm high, I love that your best friend is going with you just don't make it a competition or comparison contest OK? It can happen too easily and then it goes from motivating to defeating. Keep each other honest, and on task but each do what you can for YOU and don't worry that she can lift more your can run faster etc. For many many years when I was young I used to work out all the time. I was a dancer and practiced ballet nearly 4 hours a day every day with dance teachers and competition coaches. When I stopped I really stopped and there are days now when my motivation to get my butt to the gym and push myself into that familiar soreness that I remember all too well is not only lacking but it's just down right resistance!!! I feel 100 times better when I get there and I get it done, but I fight it every step of the way. I have a trainer and I have been working with him since July and I told him DON"T let me cancel on you!! Some days I have to pull the plug because I am ill or hurt, but I can all too easily get into a pattern and just stop. He's pretty good at keeping me accountable to myself and getting my there and getting it moving once I get there without shaming me or making me feel guilty when I need to take a break. This is most definitely a wonderful NSV got get 'em girl!!!

@@catfish87 I agree with you on both accounts. It's nice to know the Dr.'s are supporting the site by obtaining premium memberships but it's also nice to have a frame of reference...though I suppose you could always google the Dr. and find that information as well.

@@catfish87 your right I tried to search your Dr. and I got that message as well, and it looks like under the message the profile is there but you can't get past the error to view it. Perhaps the Dr. needs to update his profile with site and it's blocked for that reason?

@@Band Aid mom if you are having the Lapband the most you need to worry about for Vitamins is your daily multivitamin. The reasons people choose to supplement are numerous. If you are a WLS patient with a different modality there tends to be some malabsorptive component to those surgeries and they will lose some of the vital nutrients from foods they eat so for them it is vital to their health and well being that they supplement. When you are a banded patient, none of your digestive system is re-routed and your stomach will function just as it always did, though they have found that there is a mild loss of calcium in some banded patients but that is easily compensated for with a supplement as well and most of our milks and juices today are calcium fortified. Check with your Dr. on the need for extra calcium. There are also others who are deficient for one reason or another in a certain Vitamin and/or mineral. You can find these out through blood work. For example even prior to banding I am Vitamin D deficient. There are several co-morbidity's associated with vitamin deficiency such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. The best thing to do is to check with your Dr. have blood work done before and after surgery to see what your levels are and if needed then worry about supplements. As a banded patient we are lucky enough to be able to obtain most of our nutrients from our food, but that doesn't mean that you will especially if there are other factors to consider. Hope this helps!!

@@☠carolinagirl☠ I read your blog my friend (I have them e-mailed to me) and I have to tell you that I am proud of you!! When you felt you needed support you reached out and your band was there for you! That is the BEST understanding of our surgery. It's there not to do the work for us, but to help us get the work done I know your going to do great, your so good about following the rules and taking care of you and your band. Hubs and I also went for a fill yesterday, we really needed to get the focus back on "us" and what we are trying to accomplish for ourselves. We get mighty tied up with our kids, home and work lives we often forget what our own personal goals are. This weekend was a great way to refocus all of that, and I think we are in a good place again and working on moving closer to our goals. I have to thank you all because it's this site and all our posts and sharing that help me to stay and get focused when I lose track.

Well I know my surgeon is no longer operating, he's retired and I am now seeing another group. So you wouldn't be able to find him on the list.

@@gowalking You are just the best lady!!! I love your post!!

Thanks everyone. Feeling much better today. I had to forgo the gym the other day I just wasn't able to handle it. Sometimes I think we need to give ourselves a break. I stress myself out about not eating right and not working out enough...truth is that sometimes I just need a REST from all the stress. So even though it's pretty darn cold here in NY I'm planning to meet the trainer tonight and get that work out in!! I had a fill yesterday at the Dr. and I am feeling a bit more in control of my food intake and choices and that's very helpful. We had a BP meeting on Sunday in NYC and I have to tell you that it was really just what I needed to kick my butt back into gear again. Both me and the hubby. The holidays and the kids and the weather work and all those things were really starting to stress us out so much we really let ourselves get lost in it and it was great to pull our heads out of that and refocus!! It's just what we both needed. Hope everyone here is doing well and staying warm!!!