MerryHearted

You can also look for a Fill Center USA and see if one is nearby. They are cheaper than $500 per fill. Bummer, though, because it's usually good to stick with your own doc for aftercare. I'd be switching too if I had to pay $500 for a fill! Yikes.

yep, loose t-shirts and loose pj pants or sweats were most comfortable for me. I don't think any of my incisions hit right at the waist of my pants.

If you can afford it, you'd probably get a lot out of having a weekly visit with a dietican for awhile. If you are feeling overwhelmed, she'd be able to walk you through some "daily menus" and help you figure out how to eat a balanced diet within a target calorie range. There's a thread here on the board in the food & Nutrition section where people post what they are eating that might give you some great ideas on a daily menu, too. Like Jack said, it's very important to eat solid Proteins once you are healed up, because they make you full for longer. That's probably why the doc wants to wait before seeing if you need a fill. You might find once you're on solid foods that you do stay full for 3-4 hrs.

I went through something similar. It was hard to face the doc after gaining 20 lbs. One thing that helped me do it was to up front, as we were weighing in, explain that I was embarrassed about my gain but knew exactly what I was doing wrong (eating junk!) and that I hoped she would help me get back on track. She was very nice about it, although not particularly sympathetic. Gave me a fill, told me to aim for 1000-1200 calories a day and monitor my intake, reviewed the "bandster rules" with me and suggested I work through "The Beck Diet Solution". All of which helped tremendously -- I've lost that 20 lbs + 6 more in the last couple months and am still on the losing track. So chin up, and make that appt. You'll feel a lot better afterwards, knowing you did what you needed to and it's over (facing the doc that is).

I agree -- you are not his mom but you also need to tell him the truth when he asks. YES, you've been on too long. NO, I don't want you to go play. Honestly, I got sucked into Everquest for awhile. DH and I both played. It affected my work, it affected everything. I gained weight, of course, eating crap while playing. I quit when we adopted our baby daughter. For me it's an all-or-nothing game. It's no fun if you only play once in awhile, for a short time. So I don't play. I read, quilt, hang out on boards like this, play a game or two of Scrabble online, or whatever. Now that I've been out of playing for a couple years, I am a bit horrified at how attached I was to that game. Oh well. Thankfully DH has great restraint. Yes, he's on most evenings for a couple hours, but only after the kids are in bed. He is a stay at home dad, but does not play during the day; his full attention is with the kids. We decided from day 1 of parenthood that every night was family night until the kids are in bed, except each of us would get ONE night per week as our "night off" from the family to go do whatever we want. My night was tonight, as a matter of fact, and I went out, like I usually do. He always raids on his night off. But this is a deal that sets expectations and limits: we eat together as a family, we play games, do art projects, or read to the kids until bedtime, in the summer we often go to the park or for a walk on a local trail with them -- evenings and weekends are family time, unless it's your night off. There is also the expectation that the last hour before bed is OUR time as a couple. Off the computer. Normally we snuggle on the couch and watch TV, and take a few minutes to chat about stuff we didn't talk about earlier in the evening while the kids were up. Sorry, that's kind of long. Just wanted to give you an idea of how we have set up some expectations & limits in our family in order to reclaim our family life and not lose DH to the game. Since he knows he can raid on his night off, he has something to look forward to and doesn't resent having to give it up entirely.

Why not potatoes? Is it a trigger food for you? It's not a bad food for your kids, when eaten in moderation. Vitamin C & potassium... Our most common side dishes: (and note I don't always partake in the side dish. I rarely have room to eat anything but my meat & veggie) 1) Brown rice (brown rice and wild rice are two different things: when you say you don't like wild rice, does that include brown?) 2) Whole wheat noodles, sometimes regular Pasta 3) Baked potatoes, or less often, mashed 4) Baked yam or squash 5) Roasted root veggies: parsnips, sweet potato, yukon gold, carrots -- sliced and laid out on a tray, brushed or sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and roasted in the oven. 6) A cooked veggie: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, frozen veggie mix, green peas, green Beans, brussel sprouts, spinach, swiss chard, corn on the cob, summer squash & zucchini, etc. 7) Black beans or fat-free refried beans from a can 8) Green salad 9) Raw veggie plate (cukes, radishes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, etc) 10) Corn bread, whole grain bread, or some type of crackers if we're having chili or other Soup for dinner. We used to have potato or macaroni salad with our summer bbq nights, but they are not all that healthy even when made with low-fat mayo, so we avoid them.

Many surgeons do not do the band surgery in a hospital, but rather in their own clinic. That might make your dad feel more comfortable, if hospitals make him nervous. I'm about to hit my -100 lb mark, and have had no complications thus far. Not everyone has great success with banding. It does take work: you have to make good food choices and get in some moderate exercise, but of course those are the cornerstones of any healthy weight loss program. I'd ask your dad: what is it that is causing the overeating? The band is an excellent tool for people who just never seem to feel satiated. You know, you eat a big dinner and then an hour later are munching on chips. Soon after, you're hungry for some ice cream, and then out comes the can of nuts... With the band, you feel satiated after a small amount of food. There are sensors in the upper part of your stomach that signal the brain you are satisfied/full. The band goes around the upper part of the stomach, so when you eat some solid food, it will sit there long enough to trigger those feelings that you've had enough. That feeling will last a few hours after eating, and food just doesn't call to you in the same way as before. That's not to say you don't have to work on "head hunger" issues, if you are someone who loves chocolate, say, or has a habit of munching while watching TV. Those sorts of things we have to work at overcoming, but it's definitely easier with the band than without. Counseling can sometimes help us change those other things. Also, the band doesn't help with drinking your calories. So if someone drinks a 6-pack a day of beer and is hesitant to give that up, the band might not be the best choice. liquids run right through.

Flinstones chewables have Iron but they taste AWFUL compared to the gummy-vites, which don't have iron. I take a multi without iron and use SlowFE as an iron supplement when I need it. I'd recommend doing that rather than taking a nasty-tasting multi. The SlowFE is a timed-release tablet so easier on your stomach and less likely to cause constipation. Buy Slow Fe Slow Release Iron, Tablets Online at drugstore.com

Much less might still not be enough less... best way to see is to track your food on TheDailyPlate.com or something similar for a couple weeks to see just how many calories you are taking in. Which means weighing & measuring what you eat so you can accurately record it. It can be a pain but it's sooo worth it to see the scale moving downward again. I get impatient at times too -- I want this weight OFF. But then I go through phases where it's not as important, which is when I stall. Don't worry, the pounds add up over time. I'm expecting to hit my -100 mark early next week. To lose 100 lbs just amazes me, even if it took 3 years and I have another 60 to go!

No worries, you're allowed to rant around here. :thumbup: Hope you hear good news tomorrow!

Hope some IV antibiotics will have you back on your feet soon!

I know where you're coming from... one big fear almost everyone has going into this is "will I fail to lose weight and keep it off YET AGAIN, even with something this drastic?" And we like to encourage everyone by saying "hey, it works! it'll work for you too!" I'm sorry that the banding hasn't worked for you... hopefully you can rally up some support from others who are in the same situation, and be able to move forward with a revision or whatever you need. I know why we resist these posts on the regular support board - we think "wait -- let's examine behavior and band fill levels before we assume band failure", because most of the time, the non-weight-loss is fixable with some adjustments. And that can come off as criticism, unfortunately. I'm assuming that you are talking about those of you who, despite following the bandster eating rules & exercising, just aren't losing. It does happen! There have been several people over the last few years on here who have had this problem. Like you pointed out, the medications you take might have an impact. Vinesqueen, it turned out, had Cushing's which prevented her from losing, and I'm sure there are others with medical issues that will face stumbling blocks. Best wishes on figuring this out. We all deserve to find a way out of this obesity trap, whether it's banding, the sleeve, RNY, DS, or something non-WLS related altogether.

Not sure I have anything to add... 1) Less invasive surgery - no cutting & re-routing of organs & therefore much safer 2) Adjustable as weight drops 3) Reversible if necessary 4) While the weight loss is slower, the end results 5 yrs out are similar. 5) No malabsorption issues, although I heard recently (on here?) that this is no longer the issue it used to be. Since I worried about my long term compliance with taking lifelong supplements. 6) Personally know people who have had life-threatening complications from RNY 7) Personally know people who have gained back their weight after successfully losing it with RNY My primary doc recently told me that every patient he has who has done the gastric bypass has ended up hospitalized with complications at some point. Whereas his patients with lapbands are doing great! (me included) Now he tells patients looking at WLS to do the band and avoid the RNY. Of course, I'm sure there are plenty of healthy, slender RNY patients out there or else they wouldn't still be offering the surgery. Still, I will freely admit that fear was definitely a part of my decision to go with banding. :thumbup:

Yep, take a break. I "work out" 3x a week right now and then the other days just try to get in incidental exercise like extra walking, taking the stairs, etc. You could also try alternating workouts -- cardio 3x a week, weights and some light walking 2x a week, if you want to do all 5 days.

Wow, I'm so sorry that you're having this. :cool2: To me it sounds like if you can't even tolerate .1cc of fill in your band without swelling shut, but have no restriction without fill, that there is a problem with band placement or you are slipped. And if you're having reflux with a completely unfilled band and it's not responding to any sort of medication, then you probably should have your band removed. Probably not what you want to hear, but at least part of why you did this was for your health, right? And it sounds like your health is worse off now, not better. If you had this done in Mexico, can we assume that you don't have insurance coverage for band removal? I wonder if you can talk to another Mexican doc to see if they will remove it for a decent price -- should be less than putting it in, since the cost of the band itself isn't included -- and/or convert you to another type of WLS if you still want to lose weight. If you prefer a US physician, I'm sure that there are some who work with patients banded in MX. From what I recall, Dr. Billy in CA removed DeLarla's band, and she had hers placed in MX. And just for the record, I'm :ohmy: that your primary doc thinks that this is the "lazy" way to lose weight. Ha! We have to choose to eat right & exercise just like everyone else. I'd be switching doctors. :thumbup: AND I'd be asking him, sweetly, to provide me with the names & phone numbers of his previously morbidly obese patients who are now slender & healthy from regular diet & exercise, because you'd like to talk to them about how they did it and permanently are keeping it off. :biggrin: (what's that you say, Dr.? You don't have any patients like that? Huh.) Hang in there.

My hospital stay was just a few hours. I arrived that morning, had surgery, and went home a few hours later. I took 1 week off work. I recall being tired when I went back to work - body still healing up a bit and my calorie intake was pretty low still. The port area was sore longest, but it didn't stop me from working or otherwise going about normal life. Good luck with your research! I'm really glad I did this.

Well, 1000-1200 is also my target range for calories. I also end up with a bit of constipation from not getting in enough fiber, and I usually deal with that by mixing a little bran Cereal into some yogurt. Right now I'm not really targeting a certain protein/fat/carb ratio. I always choose lowfat or nonfat foods & lean meats, so I let it take care of itself. Same with carbs -- most of my carbs come from fruits, veggies, Beans and dairy. When I do choose to eat a bit of bread or rice, it's whole grain. Prior to banding, I had a doc tell me I should be aiming for 40/30/30- 40% carbs, 30% Protein, 30% fat. That's essentially The Zone diet, I think, and there are proponents of that ratio all over the place. At 1200 cals, though, that puts us at 90g of protein a day, which is a tad high I think. US RDA is more like 50g, at least for my height and target weight. For your height & target weight, it's about 58 g. With those workouts you might find 1200 cals a day is even too low. I'm pretty close in height & weight to you and dropping 2 lbs a week eating between 1000-1200, and I only get in about a half an hour of moderate exercise about 4-5 times a week.

Well, here's hoping your EKG tomorrow comes out right. If the same student comes in to do it, can you ask him/her if a nurse or doctor can come in and observe, to put your mind at ease?

Yeah, I don't think that soda causes either slippage or erosion. For a lot of people, it just causes serious gas pain. I'm not sure why -- you'd think it'd just be burped out or farted out, but it gets trapped somehow and really hurts. For bandsters that it doesn't, I don't see how diet soda is any different than drinking something like Crystal Light. Both have artificial sweeteners and colors that aren't any good for you but at least it's low calorie liquid.

Congrats on your great results!! That's awesome!! Can I recommend The Beck Diet Solution as a great way to kickstart a new losing streak? It's really helped me (and still is). Not all is applicable to banding, but most of it is -- it's not a diet itself. For me, I think the most beneficial behavior -- one in which I only very reluctantly agreed to do originally -- was documenting everything that goes into my mouth. I use TheDailyPlate.com, which I'll recommend. FitDay.com works too, but it was hard to find foods I regularly eat, and I ended up entering too much stuff manually. With a 1000-1200 cals per day target, I've been doing really well lately.

Yep, soup is the answer. But if they don't have soup -- just order some hot tea and tell them "You know, my tummy's not feeling so hot right now. I'm just in the mood for some tea." Sounds like you'll be with your friends for a few hours if a movie is involved, so it might be good to make sure you've had a Protein shake before you go out. Otherwise you might get over-hungry, headachy and/or shaky...

Well, I can't answer the poll because you're missing a choice: 5) No, because it hurts like hell when I do. Really really really really hurts, for hours afterwards. :cursing:

Because you're human and we all do. Nothing we can do but just keep on going.

Well, I "hit bottom" at 299, a full 100 lbs sooner than you did. So I'm not surprised that some people find being even 75 lbs overweight intolerable. In fact, right now I'm itching to get this extra weight off -- it's really bothering me. And I "only" have 60-70 lbs to lose to be really where I should be. My guess is that most people who have the surgery with low BMI have already tried diet & exercise and that's what has gotten them to be as overweight as they are. They know they are on the path to true morbid obesity if they don't get it under control now. Especially if they have family members who area already further along that path. I'm guessing it's not so much that they are being banded at a lower BMI, but certain things that they say along the way that bother you most. Maybe you feel they don't really understand what it's like to be morbidly or super obese, but they talk as if they do? (kind of like when that skinny girl whines about being SO FAT because she has 5 lbs to lose). Or maybe you feel like they are self-righteous about hitting goal so soon, not understanding how long of a journey and struggle those with more weight have in front of them? Each of us has our own journey, and we all get to have our feelings about it. I doubt at 299 lbs I truly understood what it felt like to be 399 or 500 lbs. But trust me, I felt awful at that weight -- depressed, hopeless, ugly, rejected, chronically tired, and more. Who "deserves" to have the surgery is not up to us to decide, I think. But I understand where you are coming from.

I eat my kids' gummy bear vitamins sometimes with no problem. Don't know anything about whether Swedish Fish would go down or not though...