coolcrystal

I have a leak not sure yet if it is in the band or the port. I am self pay and I think I will have to pay out of my own pocket to have it fixed. I will not be able to have the leak fixed if this is the case. I cannot afford anymore payments. I have payed a lot of money to have this done to have a malfunction and it not be covered under some kind of warranty. Is there anyone who has any advise for me?:thumbup:

Thank you!

I have heard of other people having this problem, and if I'm not mistaking, isn't there a thicker material they can inject into your band that is not saline. I forget the name of it, but it is a thick solution that barely leaks out. Dang, I wish I remembered the name of it.. I'll do some research on here and get back to you.

I'll tell you why you feel like crap, because the pre-op liquid diet is a stupid sham of a diet that doctors shouldn't even be using anymore!!

you feel this way because it isn't normal to survive on liquids for two or three weeks.. your body is starving itself and it causes severe headaches, you can't think straight and you feel naceous..

I just want to slap the doctors that make their patients do this. It's not needed. You can be on a phase one southbeach diet, which will shrink your liver and you will lose 10-13 pounds in the first 10-14 days. And you can eat grilled chicken, blackeyed peas, peanuts, low fat string cheese and stuff like this.. you learn to eat right and your body isn't starving itself.. no headaches..

Don't be surprised if you want to run out and eat a pizza or cheeseburger here in a few days. If that happens, eat a can of tuna or a piece of grilled chicken..

I rant about this all the time, and I will continue to rant about it, cuz it's old school BS...

PS: those nasty Protein shakes are another joke. If you are at a proper fill level, you won't need to survive on shakes. In the beginning right after being banded you will have to do liquids because you are swelled and I can understand that, but after all that swelling goes down and you are back to eating normal foods again, there wont' be any need for nasty shakes. You should be able to get your Protein in just fine if you do this band right and not get too tight.

I think I know what you mean.. about an hour ago a guy at the Water cooler area said "my god you are wasting away".. What does that mean? wasting away i wondered.. and I said "oh you mean the weightloss?" and he said, "yeah, you are melting away".. and I think it's because the pants I'm wearing are about 2 sizes too big and hanging off my butt, but I'm not gonna spend hundreds of bucks on new clothes right now when I still have a lot more to go.. I told him I still had like 90 lbs to go and he looked at me funny. How can somebody be wasting away and still be in their 240's??? lol........ as far as lieing about how much you've lost, I do that too around my bigger friends because I dont' want to hurt their feelings if somebody asks in front of them. I just feel funny about it. I don't ever want it to seem like I'm bragging or whatnot.

I drink wine on occassion.. and margaritas every now and again.. and pretty much any fluffy drink.. i stay away from sodas and beer (but I never drank beer anyway).

I believe it goes by how big your liver is... but, from what I have seen with my friends and some folks on here, if you are over 300 lbs they tend to use the largest band of 14cc, but some doctors have put this band on people 220 lbs as well... but it takes them more fills to reach perfect restriction because the band is so loose. Of course, I was nearly 300 lbs, but he put a 10cc band on me and primed it with 3cc's of saline. In the end, it just depends on what your doctor prefers to use and how big your liver is. There is also the Realize band and I believe that is a 9cc band, but I could be wrong. My doctor prefers not to use that band.

Kristi, I think that's a great goal! I think you look really good already and at goal! But I think 150 is perfect!!

Ready, you remind me of me.. I take pictures of myself all the time. I dont' know why.. Just at lunch I took about 10 pictures of myself, just for fun.. I just like trying different expressions and all that. I'm a dork!!

Brandy, somebody earlier mentioned that they probably caused the slip when they were changing out your port and I bet she's right! It makes sense.. they probably yanked it a little too hard and did this. I hope they aren't going to make you pay extra for having the unfill and all that. I'd be so pissed off. I bet it is so weird when they take the fill out and you're suddenly hungry. lol. You'll be fine though. even if you do gain a few pounds, it will come back off once you get the fill. Well, we've discussed what I would eat if I had four weeks with no fill.. LOL... See, I'm naughty!!!!!!!!!!!! ok ok, hopefully I wouldn't be too bad, but I think I'd totally go have an egg mcmuffin and maybe one chicken sandwhich.. OMG.. I'm so hungry now.. don't kill me after you read this.. :-)

It depends on your size of band too.. I know people who get the small 4cc bands only usually need 1-2 fills ever... I've already had 5 fills in less than 6 months. I had to get 1 unfill and about to get another fill next week. It really is hard to gauge. Everybody is so different. If you are getting the 10cc or bigger band plan to at least get 4 fills the first year. But probably closer to like 6 or 8. This is just my guesstimation. If I didn't have this last problem where I swelled up due to stress, I still would be at my perfect restriction and wouldn't have needed this next fill.

Crystal, I needed to read your post. I have to admit that I am a bit frustrated that I'm not losing faster and it seems everyone else who got banded in July is losing WAY more than me. I guess I hoped the band would be magic. It is helping me with Portion Control so I know when I start to exercise more I'll be able to lose more.

Exactly, not to mention, you were barely over 200 pounds.. I believe that's what your ticker shows, so its probably normal for yours to be a tinge slower, simply because you don't have as much to lose as somebody 300 lbs.. but honestly, you just got banded.. and you are still healing and you probably haven't even reached your proper fill level... it can take up to 3-4 months for this to happen.. I bet you will do really well with your band and you will be to goal fairly quickly... Good luck!

You know what helped me five days out.. I ate some refried Beans with sourcream and mixed it all up.. totally filled me up and it was pretty liquidy. I got mine from Taco Bueno, but they might not have that place where you live. A little chili sauce added made them semi-runny. Protein and filling..

This morning Brandy had to go back to the hospital. She hasn't been able to get any food or Water down and is spitting up stomach acid/vile and choking on it. I asked her if they even did a barium swallow yesterday after surgery, and she said no, they didn't. Which is odd, since I figured most doctors did this after any type of surgery having to do with the band. Usually when this happens it's a slip of some sort.. as I hear more, I'll keep you all informed. Please say prayers for Brandy to get through this well and that there aren't too many complications..

And you might want to ask people who've been banded for more than just a month or two. Ask people who have gotten to restriction, who are experienced with it. Somebody in the beginning can't give a very good opinion of it when they haven't even experienced it fully restricted, unless they had a major rare complication ...

I drink right before I eat. I take a few sips with my meal if my mouth is too hot. And then I drink right after I eat. It also depends on how open I am. My band is pretty loose right now so I have no restriction and I drink more Water during my meals like this. When I have good restriction I usually just sip a little. Before I use to guzzle at least 3-4 glasses of tea down during my meal alone..

Is there an option of: I'm scared to say because I don't want to jinx myself because I love it, but I'm supersticious as well? lol. So, I put that I love it, BUT, I'm putting here that anything could happen later on as nothing is guaranteed.

I think everyone would be happier with their band if they didn't place so many expectations on it. I think some expected it to be magical or be like the bypass, and it's not. You do have to work at it... Getting to a perfect fill level... eat better.. etc..

Also, people need to quit looking at others numbers. You are you. Everybody loses at different levels AND if you are averaging 4 lbs a month, that's awesome. One pound a week. Don't let others discourage you.

Well, the sad thing about the liquid diet is, most people end up cheating on it and go ballistic eating pizza and burgers... because they need Protein or substance basically. So, if that does happen to you on the liquid diet, just eat a piece of grilled chicken or can of tuna and you'll be fine it won't hurt you.

It's sad because the liquid diet doesn't even teach you how to eat properly... that's why my doc did the south beach diet.. it taught me how to eat better and I didn't have to starve and I lost weight and shrunk my liver.. He said the liquid diet is an old way of thinking that a lot of doctors were taught, but that he gets better results with the SB diet because people don't cheat like they do on the liquid diet.

Another problem is, that when you recover and you start to eat regular foods again, a lot of folks gain weight because they are eating solid foods finally and their bodies react differently.. lack of food also causes you to get all emotional and stuff.. I see it all the time.. Dang, I feel so bad for ya'll..

Amen sista!! I wish people would GET THIS.. I hate it when people are excited when they can't eat, but miserable. If you are doing this lapband thing right, it means you can eat a small healthy meal and not throw it up, and get all that gurgling hiccuppy belchy stuff going on.. My doctor told me once "don't ever let yourself get too tight, YOU WILL BE MISERABLE" and boy was he right. I got my unfill and now I'm super happy. My swelling wasn't brought on by a fill, but by stress that swelled me up really bad. Now that the swelling is down I can get some more put in.. but, a lot of bandsters just don't get this way of thinking.

Awe, thanks for sharing your story.. I teared up.. especially reading the part about your grandfather.. you know, he probably giggled when you drove away.. kids pout, it's what they do when they have to do something they don't want to do and he probably thought it was cute that you were getting upset that you had to leave. In his eyes that meant you wanted to stay with him and it was a compliment. When my nephew goes home and gets upset that he has to leave, it makes me feel kind of good because it means he wants to stay with me.. So, dont' remember your scowl, remember his Olive juice (my DH and I say this to each other too.. lol).

And congrats on the weightloss!!!!!!!!! it changes everything..

So, in less than two months you've lost 18 lbs and you're not happy? that's over 9 lbs a month.. You didn't get the bypass you got the band. This is remarkable.

And yes, it's perfectly normal to go up and down every now and again. Usually when this happens you need to up your calories or eat something naughty like some nacho's or something to smack your system back into shape. Have a day where you eat 1200 calories instead of 900. That's really not much and your body sounds like it's going into starvation mode so you are gonna gain a few..

When that happens to me I drink a shake from Chic Fil A or eat some nacho's and bam, I'll drop a few.

You are also still healing up.. and getting use to things. This is normal, don't panick.

On a side note: If you ever watched Biggest Loser there was an episode where the trainers said once a week they had their contestants have a naughty day, usually on Sunday, where they ate a meal that was "bad" so to speak and that's what helped their bodies not go into starvation mode. And one time the contestants barely consumed 500-600 calories and they didn't lose anything and one even gained a pound but couldn't understand since they barely ate they said.. well, this is what our bodies do to protect us.

You'll be able to eat mostly what you do now, only healthier.. I rarely eat bread products.. i haven't had a burger since before being banded.. I don't even miss them really. I don't crave all that bread like I use to eat. The only thing I really have problems getting down are scrambled eggs. But my other banded friends have no problems with them. I thought I would have problems with sushi, but I don't, whereas others might because of the rice. I eat salad a lot.. it's an easy food for me to get down but I see others on here who have problems getting it down. Its one of those things you just have to wait and see about. I don't miss the eggs at all and I can still have deviled eggs every now and again at BBQ's and such.

I feel sorry for anybody who has to do those stupid liquid diets.. it's total BS.. and I've ranted about them way too many times on this forum, so I won't go into it now.. but I do feel very sorry that your doctor follows that plan when he doesn't need to.. :thumbup:

Gratsssssssss!! plateaus aren't always a bad thing either.. sometimes they are nice because its your body saying "yes, I accept this new weight". I haven't really lost much in the last two weeks.. like maybe a pound.. lol... but for the first time in my life I'm not super bummed about it, cuz I feel like it's not over. if that makes sense.. I'm so happy for you!

Oh yeah.. a while back my band suddenly got tight and then I got second degree burns on my legs to where they swelled up like elephant legs and I could barely walk.. the pain was so bad and then I stopped working out cuz of it. I got some fill out and even though I didn't gain any weight, I haven't really lost much either this past month.. but I started back on my work out regime yesterday.. and it feels good.

I need to go get my fill back next week now that all the swelling is down. I'm hungry all the time, but I make better decisions, like eating spring salads with 1 calorie spray instead of chips... or sugar free 50 calorie fudgsicles instead of candy ... stuff like that. So, it helps.

I'm sure we all stray away due to stuff like this every now and again, but as long as we find our way back and it doesn't cause too much damage, aka, weight gain, I think it's fine. Welcome to the group!

You two are looking awesome! isn't it amazing how much younger everybody looks after they lose weight.. amazing jobs ladies!

Hi All! I know I can ask my doc about this and I will, but I wanted a concensus....

I'm doing a fairly long pre-op "atkinsesque" diet to shrink my fatty liver, consisting of 2-3 low carb shakes, lots of Water, and "palm sized" lean Protein (only fish turkey or chicken) and some low carb veggies.

What I was wondering is...I'm going NUTS! Do you think I could chew some sugar free gum, just to get rid of the ick taste in my mouth? Plus it gives me something to gnaw on besides my chair arm. I don't want to

blow it; and I CAN tough it out if I have to. Had I followed his rules properly at first I'd have been banded 8/11, so I don't want to cheat. Just wondering if, pre-op, sugar free gum is ok. What do you think?

I did something similiar, called the South Beach, only we were allowed nuts, almonds, peanuts, etc and low fat string cheese. I had sugar free popsicles too, but only a few. I lost like 12 pounds in 10 days. pretty awesome diet..

Crystal - girl, I could have written your post. Although I was never 120 (maybe when I was 10 - lol). I had curves at an early age and had more of a Marilyn figure in high school (at 150 pounds). I received too much male attention. It made me really nervous. I should have been flattered, but I felt so insecure and self-conscious.

I had more male friends than female friends growing up too. I can honestly say I still only have a handful of female friends today. Females can be so backstabbing and petty. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and the women on here. We're just so much more complicated. Men are simple creatures.

I know that is one of the reasons for years I didn't even try to lose weight. My fat suit was my comfort blanket. It's weird now to start getting that attention again. It's not the level it was when I was 20 - thank goodness. I think I'm prepared for it now. Bring it on! Of course, I may be in counceling a year from now when I'm at goal dealing with all of the emotional issues...only time will tell.

Yep, I'm glad somebody knows how I feel. I'm scared to death that I'm going to lose my female friends.. my bigger ones. I went to a bridal shower yesterday and the two girls that are the rest of the wedding party are both over 300 and one of them didn't want to stand next to me because I made her "look fat" and another said I was getting too skinny.. Umm, I'm still in my 240's!! But to them, that is skinny my husband said. I dunno. It's already starting though. I have other banded friends who have lost a lot of their friends too. Hopefully they care enough about me to not care in the end what size I become. And I'm so scared about the men.. I remember when I was 200 lbs this guy at work said all this sexual stuff to me.. and I went into a room and cried.. it was then that I decided to pack on more and more weight because it was safe. I can't get into that mindset now. I'm happily married and hopefully this time around I can handle everything. It helps that I can talk to him about my feelings. And if friends are gonna dump me.. to hell with them.

I just talked to Brandy (Boo Boo Kitty) and she is pretty upset. She sat in the waiting room for 6 hours at the hospital and they hooked her up to IV and everything and then told her they didn't order her new port and it wasn't in. She got very upset and yanked the IV out of her arm and left. It is now rescheduled for Wednesday at 7am and they will have her equipment this time (fingers crossed). It was a 2 hour drive there and she's driving now 2 hours back and wanted me to post this for everybody. She handled it better than I. Boy, would I have been TICKED off and ranted and raved for quite a bit. lol..