Cocoabean

Preplanning and visualization. Sounds silly, but really...picture yourself with a small plate of band friendly stuff. Picture yourself taking small bites and chewing well. Picture yourself being successful! It's amazing what that can do for you. Remember, it's about family and friends, not the food!

In the US the FDA just recently approved the use of the band down to a BMI of 30 with a co-morbidity. That doesn't mean that insurance companies are paying for it for BMIs that low. Also, doctors could band someone with a lower BMI before FDA approval as an "off label" use of the band, if the patient is willing to pay. But each surgeon decides what is right for the individual patient.

The sleeve shows excellent results so far, but it is a fairly new procedure as a stand alone. It is the first part of a duodenal switch procedure that is done most commonly for very high BMI patients. Sometimes the first part of the procedure is done, then after the patient has lost some weight, they go back and do the switch. They found that many patients did well with just the sleeve portion, and chose not to do the switch. So it has grown into just the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure as a stand alone. That is my understanding, anyway. There are quite a few risks involved, you will want to research those and speak to your surgeon about them. Such as staple line leaks. That risk is early on, and once you heal is then of no concern. You can also get strictures of the sleeve, where part of it gets tighter like if you put a rubber band around a banana. I have no idea what the rate of this happening is. The surgeon must decide how large to make the sleeve, if he makes it too large, you can eat too much, too small and you cannot eat enough. There is no adjusting it, nor is there adjusting with bypass. In the sleeve procedure they cut away about 80% of your stomach and actually remove it from your body. There is absolutely no going back. With band and bypass, they can both be reversed. Band easier than bypass, and many will say bypass cannot be reversed, but it can. It is just rarely done, and it isn't easy to do. My surgeon has reversed 7 bypasses. With the sleeve, as the removed stomach is in the trash...reversal isn't going to happen. As previously stated, there is a verticalsleevetalk.com site now. Be aware there are many there who were previously banded with bad experiences, and have not much good to say about bands. Do keep that in mind if you head over there. But they would have the most info about sleeves.

Do you have sinus issues? Kind of out of left field, but there have been many people on here who've had unexplained tightening of their bands who finally correlated it to post-nasal drip. Just a thought. One finally had her band removed. If my band failed to work for me, I'd not hesitate to revise to which ever procedure my surgeon advised. But then, I love my surgeon and trust his opinion. I hope you find some answers, or peace, or a good decision.

There is a big learning curve, that is for sure. And for me, after every fill, there is more learning to do! After my first 3 fills I could sip with meals (my doctor was ok with it), but then it became an issue. To be honest, one way I get unstuck is to chug a few ounces of water. It will immediately start the launch sequence and bring up the water and the item that is stuck with no retching. I don't recommend it for everyone, as vomiting is never a good idea with a band. But to the OP, if you were having soup before you drank the water, that is a liquid, so adding water on top of that should not cause any problems other than draining slowly if your band is tight. A bit of discomfort, yes, but no permanent damage.

Can the infirmary at work give you some IV saline?

Call your surgeon's office. There should be a service on that can get ahold of him. Explain about the ER. He might meet you there for an unfill or at least speak with ER docs. He might even meet you at his office for an unfill. You cannot go all weekend without fluids.

That tightness is the first sign of being stuck for me...do NOT eat more when you feel that. Yes, it gets frustrating when you can't finish what you think you could eat. But get used to it. I've had times where I get stuck on the first bite and the rest goes in the trash. Very frustrating when eating out and I cannot take it home. Be aware, many bandsters cannot eat eggs. I can, but they are a common item to get stuck.

I just tell people thank you for your concern, my doctors and I will decide where I should stop based on my health. My primary care doc wants me to lose another 10 lbs, but is not unhappy with where I am compared with where I was. I've been at the same weight for 2 years now...and people still ask me when am I going to stop losing..uh about 2 years ago.

Lap Band literature says 1-2 lbs per week. I lost an average of 0.75 a week. Very slow. But I was OK with that. I started at a lower BMI, and was not an exercise fiend. It took me 2 years to lose my excess weight, and I've kept it off for a little over 2 more.

Give your doc's office a call if it isn't in your post-op instructions. Every doctor has different post-op instructions. I would think the receptionist could answer that question, the surgeon is probably pretty consistent throughout his practice.

Remember, bands don't generally have any fill upon installation, or if they do it is a small amount. You are starting over like when you got your first band. The first 4-6 weeks are for healing, not losing. You need to go through the whole process of getting to your green zone again. You are doing very well! I lost 4 lbs the first week post-op, then nothing until my second fill. If you think you might be truly depressed, seek professional help.

Just get 'er done. You should only see a healing up line where the port is. You might have a lump underneath, sort of like ... well, took me a while to come up with something...(thanks to my DH!!) it's sort of like that little bottom rib, but generally has a bit more fat over it. Now that I've lost my weight, my port is barely visible when I stand up. When I was losing, it could not be seen at all. I could always feel it if I pressed on it. If you have true bandages on, take them off, you want to be sure you are healing ok underneath. If they are steri-strips, they will come off as you shower and wash over them.

If your current insurance covers lap band, then they should cover fills. When I request a fill, I have to have prior approval to see my surgeon. First...check your insurance coverage Second...either ask your primary care doctor for a referral or call a surgeon directly

My thoughts would be the same, as the sleeve is restrictive only like a band. Of course it would depend on how many calories you can consume after the immediate post-op phase.

Is it red or hot to the touch? If so, call your surgeon ASAP. It can be a sign of erosion. If it feels different than it has, call anyway. Even if just to speak with your surgeon about it. I get slight pain from time-to-time around my port. Often if I have eaten too much. I can't explain why. I talked about with my surgeon's nurse practitioner, she suggested switching to a low profile port. My port is right along waistbands of many pants, it can be uncomfortable. But a revision to a low profile port is just not in my budget.

Day three was about the worst for me, then it got better. Hang in there. Stay on top of it with pain meds, don't wait for it to get too bad. Take the meds when you get to level 3 of 10. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

The two bands thing I don't understand either. As far as the one bite...perhaps that was the straw that broke the camels back, as it were? We may one day find her as a case study such as the one I located, especially if there were indeed two bands. On the other Shirley post, I posted where this can affect the lungs, also. I am starting to believe this is what happened to her, at least in part. As someone else theorized, perhaps an infection spread and caused the seizures and cardiac arrest.

Thanks for the update. I hope the next few weeks are uneventful for you and you have a speedy recovery!

If you really really can't get them down, call your surgeon and ask what you can do instead. He may have some suggestions that we don't. I think after 3 or 4 days of only Protein shakes, I'd be ready to vomit them out my nose. All doctors are different on what they allow. Mine was not worried about my calorie intake during my immediate post-op phase. That part was not about losing weight or calorie control. It was about healing up and getting ready for fills. I think I didn't have to do shakes because I wasn't on liquids long enough to need the added protein they provide.

In my opinion they all suck. Were you told to use them by your doctor or nutritionist? I was not. My surgeon moved me to a full liquid diet at 3-days and then to solids at 1 week. He says NO shakes. Period. I am to eat my calories. No liquid calories at all. I bought tons of the stuff pre-op assuming I'd need them only to be told I was not to. I was to be on Clear liquids and then move on to real foods fairly quickly. Over the years, I have broken that rule when I've had a bad stuck episode, or I just get bored and want to boost my Protein without needing to eat (yes, I just really said that!) When I am in a hurry, I'll do Carnation Instant Breakfast, it doesn't have as much protein as shakes, but with milk, it has about 14g. In the shake arena, I like Isagenix, you can order online, it is the only one that I have found I like. But shakes are purely a personal preference thing.

If you cannot get liquids down, call your doctor! Dehydration is nothing to mess with. If going down slow, sip, sip, sip. Get some gatorade and get as much liquid down as you can. Getting hydrated will help loosen the band as well.

Losing any weight before you get to your green zone is awesome! The dietician can shove it. My surgeon said he didn't care if I gained weight during the first couple of months. If I could lose weight without a band, I'd have done it. As far as he was concerned without proper fill, I didn't have a band. Lap Band's website says we can expect 1-2 pounds per week loss. It does not stipulate male vs. female rates of loss. You are doing just right. This is your journey, not hers. You do not need to starve to lose what she says you should be losing. This is a life-time event. You WILL get there. Enjoy the journey, be proud that you didn't let her send you into a binge, that is awesome!!

Mine is on the left side of my abdomen. I am a left side sleeper. It doesn't bother me at all. I can easily feel my port with my fingers, and due to a recent blood infection I have lost 7 lbs (only good thing to come out of it) so now my port can be seen just a bit. I was down 9.5 lbs at my most sick, it was quite evident then. The Lap-Band brand makes a low profile port, many people switch to that after they've lost their weight.

You might give your surgeon a call about the night cough. That can be a sign of a too tight band. A very slight unfill can do wonders. Are you vomiting at night? In your sleep? If so, please call your doctor. Did you get majorly stuck on anything after the fill? As in could you have some swelling going on? I know for me, after a fill I have a huge learning curve. I am more likely to get stuck, and when I do I have significant swelling. I'll do liquids for a day or two to let that go down then slowly introduce solids again.