Jachut

Its not likely you'll get to 10cc. The more you have in your band, the less it takes at each fill to restore good restriction or to increase it a tiny bit. I dont have a 10cc band, I have a 4cc, but just to give you something to think about, I had 0.1cc put in mine last week and its reduced what I can eat by a good 1/3. Its made a HUGE difference. Appetite is not raging anymore, can only eat less than a cup. You will probably find that as you get more in your band, very small fills make much more difference. I have only had a couple of top ups as I've been maintaining for about 18 months and Fluid does sort of disappear (probably by evaporation over time) so I've really only come back up to what I was about 2 years ago, and I stayed at that level of restriction for an entire year to get down to my goal weight. The time between fill stretches out the more you're filled too - a good level of restriction begins to last you longer and longer. Especially since weight loss does slow down a bit. So in short, dont panic. You've plenty of wiggle room in your band yet.

You know, I've always found the idea of that pouch test very "fad diet" and resisted it. But I've just read it and whilst I still dont think its necessary for everyone to do it unless the really want to, it highlights the one great downside of the band that most bandsters fall prey to at one time or another. Eating around the band! This does not necessarily mean eating bad, unhealthy foods, simple carbs, or high fat foods. Many extremely health foods are slider foods. When I struggle to stay on a healthy diet its AlWAYS due to eating slider foods. Yogurt for Breakfast because I've come to dislike the idea of wholegrain toast and an egg, due to the "discomfort" of a full pouch. I anticipate the slowness and care with which I will have to eat it, the multitude of little discomforts and minor stuck feelings, the "fullness" at the end. I dont know I'm doing this, all i know is my mind goes "nah, dont feel like toast, but those Rice Bubbles look good". I think about a healthy roll for lunch - wholegrain organic bread, spread with some avocado, some egg, salad vegies like tomato, cucumber, lettuce, beetroot and some salt and pepper". My mind anticipates slowness, extreme care and again a tight, satisfied pouch. So it makes my appetite think, nah, dont feel like that, perhaps some Soup instead. Now there's nothing wrong with soup, its healthy and its one of my main ways of getting down a variety of vegies. But if I eat a small bowl of soup for lunch, I do still feel satisfied and stop after much less than before I was banded. But what happens an hour later? The Cookies in the cupboard start calling - and those can and DO go down by the dozen. If my belly is still pleasantly full of a Protein, complex carb and vegie combo, which is trickling into my bloodstream at a nice even rate, I dont even think about the cookies. Everyone always stresses the importance of eating till satisfied rather than full on this board and I would never advocate eating to real, uncomfortable fullness. But I find that if I am to eat foods that I know will induce real fullness and if I eat soup for example, to accompany it with half a wholegrain roll and follow up with as much of an apple as I can, I will stick to much much fewer calories than if I allow myself to eat easy (if healthy) foods. Just food for thought so to speak. I really restarted my weight loss twice during my journey when I realised that I was living on slider foods and had let the fibrous, airy dense foods go - the wholegrains such as bread, brown rice and wholegrain Pasta. I know lots of bandsters wont eat these foods or cant eat these foods, but I'm sure you get my point.

For about 2 years I did correspond with a lady on another forum who had the lapband, she was here in Australia, from Adelaide. She had MS and was wheelchair bound, having lost one leg and being simply too obese and out of condition to cope with crutches when she was well and then being simply too ill when she had a flare up. She did quite well with her band, managing to get herself from super morbidly obese (BMI 50) down to a BMI of 35 or so and to the the point where during the times she was well, she was able to start exercising by walking on her crutches short distances. As I recall it however, she really did have to live on about 600 calories a day to achieve this. She had to have her band very tight and live on mushies and liquid foods (which wasnt so inappropriate for her as she had swallowing issues too) to lose weight and it came off slowly, every pound was hard won. But she did it, give or take a bit of regaining during her times of illness. Her main issue was that she'd get ill and bedridden and that she had swallowing issues to begin with, it made her weight journey extremely hard. If your health is stable then I guess you'd share more the extremely low calorie needs. Personally, I've never found the band has the ability to keep me to a calorie intake that low, but many do find they're down there at 800 or so a day. I'd say that its important to examine your own habits, issues etc and weigh it up, certainly when you're limited in how much you can burn, a bypass makes a lot of sense. But that doesnt mean the band CANT work. And perhaps research the vertical sleeve gastrectomy forum here too, I dont know enough about it to say much but there's certainly help and advice to be had over there.

I'm just speaking in generalities Beth. I hate when people get all puffed out in the chest and say "I have no problem with gay people, my best friend is gay" when really, they have HUGE issues with it and are so proud of themselves for being so broadminded and all, kwim? I think a lot people who support gay marriage/interracial marriage/...fill in your issue.... are really completely NOT at ease with the matter. They're so not at ease with it that they become very vocal trying to pretend that they are. I dont think that helps anyone really. Speaking of civil union, I agree Lulu. I totally disagree with Patty that the majority of our society is highly religious and that God created marriage, in fact I think that people who take that deeply religious a view are few and far between. Certainly in Australia they are. Nonetheless out of respect that people DO feel that way, I personally elected not to get married in church. Why would I? I dont really believe in God and I'm not keen on organised religion. I most definitely do NOT want my children having that stuff taught to them at school, they have not been christened, even though technically I was christened Anglican. I've never availed myself of any of those religious ceremonies. I totally agree that civil union is a good answer to it. Leave "marriage" for people who deeply believe in what it is "supposed" to be and let the rest of us enjoy the same legal and social rights with a different ceremony that is equally socially respectable but can take place between ANY sort of couple.

Dont you just love doctors? How irresponsible of him to simply assume it will be OK. I would never take the word of a non-lapband doctor that anti inflammatories are OK. Clear it with your surgeon and dont accept anyone else's word. And any responsible doctor would have advised you to speak to your own doctor or better yet, have liaised with your doctor himself. Having said that, my surgeon's view on it is that for short term use in times of real need, it is unlikely to do any harm, but I agree, you'll probably need some sort of antacid - I've taken Voltaren once and it was agony until it cleared the pouch, the burning and pain were really bad. Had to wash it down with a gallon of Mylanta. If you can get a liquid formulation or a coated one that wont dissolve till later, that would be loads better.

I often struggle to understand your health system and insurance issues, they seem so senseless. It is SO much cheaper and more efficient to pay for lapband surgery for people from quite moderate levels of obesity rather than to clean up the mess that their ill health creates further on down the track. Diabetes, heart disease, they're expensive public health issues. However it makes NO sense to me that an insurance company would fund lapband surgery for someone who does "qualify" (BMI 40+

Lol, that's definitely an NSV!! The finale to the Biggest Loser (Australian version) was on last night. Seeing all the contestants before and afters, it totally blew my mind that I've lost as much as most of them. So those INCREDIBLE transformations- I've made one too. I just dont see it everyday in the mirror. I am happy with what I see, for sure, but I'd love love love to really SEE myself like that - the way others see me.

I certainly dont want to sound like I cant understand that - I can honestly say that when I was researching and made my decision, I did understand that a slip or erosion could happen. But I was given NO information about how miserable life could be if such trouble did occur or that the band could simply inexplicably cause such issues. And personally, with the newness of bands in general use (and sleeves too for that matter) I think everyone needs to be careful about being too one eyed about their own choices since we all may be eating our words one day (if we can get them down that is!). You just never know, do you? I'd hate to think I'd given someone an undeserved mouthful about pulling their socks up only to find myself having my band removed some time later. The ones that deserve it though...... lol.

Oh - yes, I edited because I rethought even introducing that word, this forum is playing up so terribly today because as you'll see the word is no longer there. It just took about 10 minutes for my edit to process. But I certainly wasnt calling anyone a bigot!

Isnt that the same as what I said? That you should stick up for your beliefs and not be bullied into doing the PC thing if you dont believe in it? Everyone is entitled to opinions, whatever they may be. Really, it comes down to your definition of marriage I guess. What you just described is what I think of marriage as, except it comes with a nice social ceremony and a big party. I put my 2c in more because I just find the whole issue mildly amusing in that as a society we abuse the whole marriage concept terribly, divorce rates are high, we commit adultery, we physically abuse marriage partners, it all turns bitter and nasty for some as they fight over material assets and children, we have children out of wedlock, the whole works. We hardly honor it as a creation of God, societally speaking. But we somehow draw the line and become all pious when it involves homosexual couples? That's just, well, weird to me. But I'm not overly bothered that others think of it differently to me, especially since i guess I conform - I am married, I am in a heterosexual relationship, it is happy and committed and we have three children. So I dont have to wear any of the criticism. I would never disagree that people dont have the right to have a say via vote if they dont feel the same.

Oh, I was banded over 3 years ago, and in Australia, so I can only feel sympathy that I dont have this issue to worry about. Its a bit scary isnt it?

Well I guess if you dont believe that God instituted marriage but that it is a man conceived legal arrangement which affords both partners certain rights and is also a socially respected, very traditional way to publically declare love and commitment between two people then you wouldnt see a reason in the world why gay couples dont have the same rights to this as heterosexual couples. I really believe anyone who cant see that or wont accept that is splitting hairs over the marriage issue to hide the fact that they really dont believe a relationship between two people of the same sex can be as loving and committed as a relationship betwee two people of opposite sex. Your post was not really about Miss California, it was more a chance to make your statement on what you think about gay marriage (an opinion to which you are entitled of course), correct? So you want people's views on this and not on Ms California? Nevertheless, I believe she is courageous and has integrity for sticking by her belief however warped they may be. Good on her, the whole gay marriage cause does not need a bunch of homophobic hypocrite who do not really believe in the issue but want to say/do the socially acceptable thing.

Yep, I can feel it and see it - it sticks out.

I would be watching whatever credible source of information I could - probably best not to get too panicked by the media. If I went, it would be straight from surgery to airport, no sightseeing, no shopping and as little contact with the general public as I could manage. You should be OK inside a hospital. Wash your hands regularly too. But I would be poised to call it all off at a moment's notice too. What a dilemma, I really feel sorry for you.

Oh yes, you'll know when its time to say goodbye to some things for ever. For me, its weird, I can eat a slice of wholegrain bread, but not a donut. Donuts OUCH. Not that that's a problem. I can eat rice and pasta easily enough and do so. Forget about ice cream - painful spasm-y belly ache. Bananas - oh my goodness they are IMPOSSIBLE. Apple skin. Not that I ever liked apples with the skin on much. Stone fruit, no way, no how.

Well, I do eat rice and bread and I do not believe that they stop all people from losing weight. Many people can handle carbs fine. They are not poison for everyone. But you MAY do better on a lower carb diet. personally, i find my band works best when I make a conscious effort to avoid eating too many "easy" foods. Easy foods are not necessarily unhealthy foods, what I mean is that I naturally choose stuff like yogurt for Breakfast followed by Soup for lunch simply because they are easy, dont cause problems and over the years my appetite has developed a preference. However, if I eat this way, I will be picking between meals because these foods dont give satiety for very long. Now, if I eat an egg on a slice of wholegrain toast for breakfast and some grilled chicken in a tossed salad for lunch, I might think meh, cant be bothered, too hard, just dont feel like it but they are the things that fill me up and keep me satisfied. I really struggle with this, not due to lack of willpower but just because my appetite now tends to drive me towards softer easier foods and I do it unconsciously. I can guarantee even a few days of watching this habit results in pounds gone for me. I find I need bread, rice, Pasta and potato for the bulk that it provides, its what makes my band work really well. I always eat FAR less overall when I include these foods and they most definitely do not affect my weight loss. I probably burn them off as I run so much.

I was lucky - right away. Didnt have to do a pre op diet so the weight fell off me right from day 1.

I can eat popcorn without a problem.

And you know yourself Wasa about the people who come on and say they've eaten a steak 3 days out from surgery. Some people really DO screw up their bands, and you're usually amongst the first to say so. People often ask what have you done, did you do something wrong etc because sometimes too, band problems ARE fixable. Many people think they're eating small enough bites and chewing enough when they're not. Or they are simply too tight and dont realise it. Examining your habits is the first sensible action to take. I know it must be frustrating to have people assume that you did something wrong when you didnt, but the truth is in some cases, people or their doctors are doing something wrong and it can be rectified. The band doesnt totally fail in every person who has less than successful results, sometimes it IS behaviour issues causing the problem.

I think odds are you will be able to live a normal, if more moderate, lifestyle after the surgery. You're right that your 12 pack days are over though - my husband, though never a big drinker, will nurse a beer for about 2 hours now, it takes him that long as its filling becuase of the bubbles. The other thing with alcohol is that you have to be careful after you've had a few, you're attention to the way you eat lapses and its prime time for a huge vomiting episode if you shove something down your throat without chewing. Even though you've got a band, after four or five drinks a hot dog or kebab at 2 am still sounds mighty good. But you just cant do it. But I think at your age, you'll be able to fit in still wihilst being mature enough to know your limits.

OK, first I think you need to sort out which band you actually have. There isnt a band that is 10cc but only holds 5cc. You may mean a 10cm band that holds 5cc (although that should be 4cc)? You need to know this for starters. Then, I think your fills might be too big, so that you're ot able to sneak up on good restriction without incident. If you have a 4cc band, then this is definitely the case, my first fill was 1cc, then .5cc, and since then they have all been 0.2 or 0.1cc - and let me tell you, in this band 0.1cc makes a very big difference. Even with a larger capacity band, my husband has the 10cc band, he has fills of 0.2 cc and he's only up to about 4 in total. He had a 0.5cc fill and had to go back to be unfilled, now he has actually passed that fill level but has been able to do it due to having tiny fills. I think fluoro is a bit of a problem actually - just because you can see on a screen that you have not blocked off the band does NOT mean that you wont swell badly from it within hours and not be able to hold anything down. It most certainly does not ensure you reach optimal fill in one fell swoop as you can tell from about a gazillion posts on this forum. I tend to believe that fluoro encourages overly aggressive filling. Its a pity that fills cost you guys so much becuase that doesnt encourage conservative behaviour, but slow and steady pays off when it comes to reaching good restriction. Better to go back biweekly for six fills of .1cc than to have one fill of .6cc in many cases. But I think for many people it would solve the frustrating fill/unfill cycle. As to why they only pulled out .5cc, well are you sure they put the 2.75 INTO the port? It wouldnt be the first time a doctor has missed the target and injected into someone's flesh rather than into their band. A leak would show on the screen. The other thing is that at my surgery, they have found the whole pulling out the fill to check thing as a routine matter irritates some patients' stomachs to a large degree, causes more swelling etc, so there is a policy of not doing it unless there is a reason to.

PB's can be pretty violent! And if you're prone to nosebleeds, I would say that its easy to imagine you'd have one after a bad pb. What a pain though!

Warm is much easier for me. Cold yogurt straight from the fridge first thing in the morning - whoa, forget about it. Instant blockage. Dangerous at other times of the day too - which is what makes yogurt a good snack for me, I have to eat it slowly and carefully. Things that are REALLY cold like ice cream or a quickly gulped cold drink can set off agonising bellyaches for me. Its not blockage, its a colicky muscle spasm thing aches all the way up my esophagus and into the roof of my mouth, and its one of those horrible pains that you cant curl up into a ball to relieve, its just unrelenting. And if it happens, I really cant function, its obvious to all around that I'm in pain.

That is a hard fact to face! You never want to think that you'll be one of the unlucky ones. However, some people DO mismanage their bands terribly and some people's doctors dont seem to have a clue what they're doing either. That doesnt help! But yes, there's definitely a contingent of people who truly just dont tolerate a band for no fault of their own and it makes me mad that I dont recall this EVER being explained by my surgeon either in my consultations or at any information sessions. I've been to several as a speaker and its never ever mentioned. People think the worse that can happen is that you'll overeat and throw up.

There are a few threads on this. Some people have a slight unfill, however I found my weight loss just petered out and eventually stopped and I began to maintain instead. I didnt change my food intake or exercise habits, its just kind of evened out. Thankfully that happened at a reasonable weight and not at 20lb overweight still! I went way past my original goal of 79kg (about 180lb) but that didnt worry me, at 5ft 10, I was still pretty fat at that weight and knew I didnt want to stop there. I always wanted to be about 150lb and its pure coincidence that that's where I stopped.