Jack

After 7+ full years as a Bandster, with a lot of issues of 'PB' & unexplanable irritable bowel, I was surprised, along with my internist, to learn I had developed some kind of reaction to my Metformin...which replaced the insulin injections I'd been on for 15 years preOp. So I've been off Metformin now 3 weeks with not a single episode of miseries...e.xcept now my BG level rises and my A1c is climbing. We all have a delicate balance to maintain. Hope all goes will with ALL of us.

Understand the feeling of not achieving whatever you had anticipated. In my own struggles with 'depression' I found that when I had an active "action plan" and was proceeding towards some goal about which I felt I had some control and influence in accomplishing, then those feelings disolved....like the old 'always hungry' signals' that no longer plague me. Although after 7+ full years of the Band, I may have to consider other options myself. Cheers on your journey, as each step you make in the direction you choose, is a step away from depression, IMHO. The experience of the Band most likely has left you with at least SOME kind of beneficial information you can use in your new circumstance! It sounds like you made some major headway in weight reduction. Congratulations, and keep up the good work regardless of how you do it.

I used a nose hose for 10 long years preOp. Everything improved, and 10 months postOp for me, I was off CPAP!!! It was a little odd getting used to QUIET again, and no fighting with the mask issues.

I'm a geezerBandster....now in Year 7 PostOp. A few minor incidents of not recognizing being OVER filled. A few of esophageal irritation that settled down after a while. And I still can produce PGs and slime if I don't pay attention when I eat certain foods. Yes the Band still works for me. No, I'm still "35#" from goal. The REALLY good news, is my comorbidity factors have mostly gone away. I no longer take insulin injections after 15 long years on the needle. I no longer use the noseHose after 10 years on the CPAP. I haven't reached my goal of size 40 pants either....but life is otherwise far far better than preBand. I've got the old 4cc model. Would I do it again? In a heart beat....as for 40 years I had the old CouldaShouldaWouldaeatTooMuchBlues. And nothing I did made much headway. I maxed out at 373 preOp....Been shadowing 265 for four4FOUR years!!! Life is good.

re: "should I feel a little restriction and tightness in my chest to signal stop eating..." you should stop eating before you are 'full' ...there is a nice place we've never known before, it's the 'not hungry but still eating' mode .....learn to appreciate the nuances of 'satiety'. We have never learned the MYSTERY of why thin people stay that way. Here it is: They eat until they are NOT hungry; then they stop, regardless of what's left or who entices them to eat more. We of the TOTMOs [Tribe of the Morbidly Obese] eat until 'full' and then keep eating. For an astonishing variety of reasons, we do not stop eating regardless of hunger. Most of us eat until whatever it was is gone. We have to find a way to make our Brain overcome our Belly, and train it like any other semi-domesticated creature. We need to make our Brain direct our eating habits, not our Belly. Personally I failed for decades at the 'stop when full' nonsense was the theory. We have to learn new sensory cues about HUNGER not 'fullness' or 'tightness', IMHO. Sometimes a few bites is all you will want, and then consider....why keep eating? Over the long haul of 8-12 months, we need to find a way to reprogram our eating behavior...for me it is to not eat if I'm not hungry... In the beginning, I had to rely on the Band to get a sense of what 'too full' was. Sounds like you know that one. Do some reading on appetite, satiety and eating behavior, it may give you some ideas. cheers on your journey

We all get in a hurry and lose our sense of actual timing. When I look back at long I thought "it takes" vs how long it actually "took" it's hard to believe the same amount of time passed on the calendar. It helped me to focus on my goal, in part by seeing how my clothing and body shape were changing, even during periods the scale wasn't moving. Each day is a LOT easier to do one at a time. Being consistent and measuring what we eat, taking walks, getting our Water down, etc helps build a New Life. If *I* can do it, anybody can do it. Just keep moving in the direction you want to go, one bite at a time. You can do it.

"Eating disorder" is what most of us of the Tribe of the Morbidly Obese do suffer in one form or another. There is a ton of complications and complex 'what-if' kinds of issues our Group must find a way to manage somehow. I've never found the need to 'want' to throw up, or to 'make myself' do such, but I've never been diagnosed with 'bulimia'. Apply classic diagnostic terms help some identify a potential remedy. Regardless of our various diagnostic term, over eating chronically is an issue that must be resolved. Good luck to your friend. We all labor along the path to our goal.

Being an old fan of hand thrown pottery, I've shopped for various single-serving pieces that I have pre-measured, and can absolutely fill up (providing that visual cue) while still staying in my guidelines. And after using a measuring cup carefully the first few months I got a good idea of portion control. Every now & then I recheck just to make sure. Constancy and control is a learned habit. Whatever tools we find to make it easier to comply is a good idea. I've got a hand-thrown 'Soup dish' with a handle on it that takes 1 1/2 cups level to the top. Works for an astounding amount of meals. And the "size of my palm" for 3.5-4oz hard protein" does very handy guide line too. It helped me at first using a smaller spoon too. And 4-6 oz clay mugs, instead of my old 16oz++ monsters.

Merry Christmas and cheers on your journey

This is difficult to make guesses based on the limited information you have listed. It sounds like you were too tight for a while before they removed the last fill. And 'heartburn' or a sour flavor after going to bed is often a sign. My own local providers overfilled me several times before I was able to recognize the symptoms. It took several weeks to return to my 'normal'. And I had "first bite syndrome" where I just couldn't eat in the morning. If I didn't take extra care to chew thoroughly the first bite I would be on the verge of NPB-slime-eventually throwing it out of my gullet. Thee is a very delicate balance between too much food, too fast, too tight, too dry, etc, that we all have to learn how to manage. Being out in the bush as you seem to be, means you need to get in touch with resources to help tell the 'normal' phases we go thru. My own Band has survived all my own missteps and I'm still a Happy Bandster. Ask the forum and you should get some helpful ideas....but we are not all in the same phase, and we don't all respond exactly the same. Fills IMHO should be small and careful. Any changes I've tried to rush have proven to be a clumsy uncomfortable misstep.

Perhaps the protocol has changed, but I was unable to eat even a whole soda cracker at a time during the first 5-6 weeks. My first 'mushie' was a soft boiled egg at 3 weeks post op. I couldn't eat the whole thing. I consider the volume is unusual. I'd call my dr. office TODAY if it were me to at least discuss this with them on the phone. In fact, it took me until day 5 postOp to get to be able to drink a whole cup of tea before it cooled to room temp. But I've got an antique 4cc Band, and had probably considerably different instructions and postOp plan from my physician. Eating so much so soon is unusual.

When I became diabetic I was given the choice of continuing my slow dance with alcohol or keeping my kidneys and eyeballs. It was pretty close there for a while, as I was literally going blind due to diabetic retinopathy as a comorbidity of morbid obesity complicated by other mostly self inflicted over consumption errors. I quit all alcohol cold turkey 22 years ago. I am not a tee-totaller. Due to the Band, my thoughts on food & drink have been revised. Looking back, while I spent nearly 40 years in various enjoyments with beer, wine & spirits, I can't look back and actually identify where any of it did me any real benefit. In one course in nutrition, we were to recreate as closely as possible what our yearly intake of calories might have been. After considerable effort and following a model to make the process seem somewhat of a reliable indicator, we then extrapolated into a "10 year" intake frame. I was astounded to find that my beer/alcohol calories was virtually equal to my food calories for that period. I was also faced with the fact the exact amount I was overweight, equaled in calories that amount....I could have given up either the food or the alcohol portion of my intake, and NOT been carrying that extra fat around. Up til then I had attributed it to the pizza and burgers, etc. So, for me, I haven't had a drop of beer since 1989. Don't miss it. Now. That part took a few years. I do enjoy sparkling mineral water now, but couldn't tolerate the fizz for a couple years postOp. Speaking of which, TOMORROW 12/24 marks the beginning of my SEVEN years POSTOP!! Hooray the Band!!!

I'm starting my 7th year postOp in a few days. So far so good. Still "35# from goal". No more insulin shots after 15 years on the needle; no CPAP after 10 years. My co-morbidities are all but gone. Haven't made it to size 40 pants yet, but 42 & 44 instead of 56-58 day of surgery Don't forget, the Band is : adjustable; repairable; replaceable; removable. And mostly, pretty effective. Some have to revise to something else. Cheers on your journey.

Great question. For me it requires daily discipline and a renewed dedication to my own well being. I had to learn the difference between 'hungry' and 'fear of becoming hungry'. I had to learn to identify the difference between 'hunger' and 'NOT hunger'. I had to ask for help from a greater power. I had to choose between what was (literally) killing me a mouthful at a time, and how to train my Belly Beasts to take directions from my Brain. I had to choose between going blind due to diabetic retinopathy, or change my life style. I had failed at dieting for over 40 years, as everything I did produced a final weight of 373#. While I was able to trim down from that preOp, I remained on insulin injections twice daily. Try controlling your weight doing that. Banded in 2004, I remain "35# from my goal", but no insulin shots after 15 years on the needle and no CPAP after 10 on the nose hose. We all have choices, and have to learn how to walk our own path. Cheers on your journey.

Thanks for posting this sad information. Good luck and cheers on your recovery.

We have to find a way to retrain our 'eye-full' as our upper belly (pouch) isn't going to stand so much food. It pretty much was satisfied with 'appetizers' for most of the first year. Around month 7 postOp, I got a 2 piece fish & chips lunch.....and took home enough for the next 2 meals. Changing our perceptions of food volume takes close attention. I still use smaller dishes as they can be visually full without the old habit of trying to clean my plate and over eat.

It was going on 5th day postOp before I could drink a hot cup of tea entirely before it cooled down. And the first 3-4 days it took nearly all day to drink 12 oz of Water. I too was beginning to panic. Herbal teas helped, and read a bunch here. If each day isn't better and better, call your physician.

usually more liquids/more fiber helps bowel movements....within the immediate postOp period it is pretty typical to have decreased bowel motility. It took a couple weeks for my own to return....and with the decreased stimulus of large food bulk and trailing off the effect of heavy narcotics from surgery, the bowel may need a little extra help.

Appetite is like a small puppy that grows back into the savage Belly Beast that strives to control our Lives!!! It takes considerable effort and daily discipline to regain rational control of our brain over our bodily habits. Study the tricks it plays on you, and begin a dedicated written journal outlining the observations you make. For me the trick was (finally) coming to recognize the difference between "hungry" and "not hungry". Simple minded, but I had slipped into the habit of being fearful of not just being hungry, but alarmed by the process of 'becoming hungry'. Once I could rationally evaluate the process, I became thrilled at the many tools available to alter my own eating behavior.

No worry. Look up "Borigmus". You'll later have intestinal beasts whining and growling too....for a while. Normal sounds.

we all have a bit different restriction as well as sensation of 'satiety'. My own post-op first 6 months until my FIRST fill was a period of learning what 'not hungry' was, as much as 'how much can/should I eat'. Is there an actual 'hunger' that drives you to eat a certain amount, or is this about some kind of nutritional goal of "x-calories" etc? There's a balance between 'how little can I eat' vs 'if I eat TOO little I will be hungry too soon'. It helped me to use an on-line calculator. chicken remains one of my 'difficult' foods, even though I'm nearly 7 years post0p.

Not just the port, I call mine "my Little Angel of the Silicon Fist.....my Symbiant".... Does seem to have a life of its own at times.....although it never goes anywhere without me any more!!!! HAR!!!

Post op I noticed the changes in my own eating, after the 6-week intensive introduction to 'liquids'-mushies etc protocol, was that the sensation had changed....I became more interested in 'how little' I could eat before becoming not hungry. The sensation of being 'full' is a bad trail to follow IMHO. I had spent my life trying to eat until I was "full". I could never do it, as I was always 'hungry' and ready to eatEatEAT despite having just stuffed down another bag-o-burgers. I had to learn the subtle nuance between "hungry" and "not hungry". That was a tremendous boost in my own journey. And learning how to not feel guilty about "not eating it all" etc. I think we can invent our own work out routine if we learn a few basics. About day 4 post op I went thru that "What did I DO" [sound of Homer's One Hand smacking forehead].....but that only lasted a few days.

Things that really helped *ME*: 1) discover the crucial difference between "hungry" and "NOT hungry"; 2) discover the crucial difference between "eating" and "OVER eating"; 3) discover the crucial difference between "satiety" and "sport eating"; 4) discover the crucial difference between "wishing" and "DOING"; Evaluating each day each meal each bite, as to WHY I was moved to stuff my pie hole, led to considerable self-understanding. Yes, I had issues with food, with 'comfort' food, with all the reasons we of the Tribe of the Morbidly Obese, chronically stuff more in to mouths, than just physical hunger. Once I recognized a LOT of my own eating related to the fear of becoming hungry, rather than being hungry, it became progressively easier to change my own eating behavior. I had to abandon my closely held concepts that eating/grazing/stuffing myself in a day-long buffet had much to do with actually enjoying a meal. I had to define actual "meal" as a sit-down at-home activity, rather than something I stuffed in my mouth while doing something else. I came to not only recognize but enjoy the different phases of approaching 'hunger'. I came to delight in discovering the sensation of developing an appetite over time, letting it blossom into something other than an excuse to shovel down another bag-o-burgers. Nothing tastes better than non-Morbidly Obese. Each day, each meal, is opportunity to explore and expand understanding of ourselves. Rather than let the Belly Dragons rule our lives, we have the pristine opportunity to develop and train the Rational Mind part of our being. Exercise that and we WILL overcome our bad eating habits. Recognize our over eating habit is NOT 'who we are'. What we do, day in and day out, is what we become. Frustration and helplessness come from not acting on what we know is right. "Hunger" is a habit. We can learn to modify what we do and train 'hunger' to what Normos do: eat when hungry. Then stop. No more 'just another taste'. No more 'just finish this plateful. No more 'don't throw this out'. Yes. You. Can. Do. It. Slow down your eating. Chew everything. If you can't recognize whether you are 'hungry' or not....you AIN'T. Stop eating. Put it away. cheers on your journey

Reminder to Forum Members to please review the LBT Rules and conduct on line activities with care and attention. Disputes between members should be taken off-forum threads. Moderation is a last step for resolving disagreements. If there is a complaint, please do such clearly and concisely in the "report" section. Not everyone has the same experience with the Band. At times there may be considerable frustration and confusion regarding expectation and actual daily experience. We are all attempting to overcome previous struggles with Morbid Obesity. Mutual respect and support will augment our efforts.