Jean McMillan

Jackie, sorry your experience wasn't what you expected. I stay out of the threads where there is neg info given and the poster is called out as a troll...I just don't want any part of that stuff.

If I had complications, I wouldn't feel okay posting it on this site. There is def a group of ppl who can't handle the possibility that they could be there someday. Live and let live.

I know that the longer I have my band the more I risk complications. Once I reach goal, I'm going to gradually unfill and then prolly have it removed once I maintain for 6 months or so. It's a tool...it's going back in the box once I'm done using it. Better safe than sorry....

You might want to rethink putting your band back in the box after you've lost weight. People who lose weight and have their band removed (for whatever reason) are very likely to regain all that weight. That's mostly because obesity is a chronic,. incurable disease.

Well, Jackie, I was fascinated to see in your profile that you are now 98 years old. That has to make you the oldest troll in the history of the Internet. I can see why you're so proud of yourself. If your parents were still alive, I'll bet they'd be mighty proud of you too.

I can understand what a surprise it was to hear that your surgeon no longer does band surgery. I wouldn't just swallow his explanation (too many complications) for that, though. I'm not saying he was lying, but that there may be more to his decision than meets the eye. As a surgeon, he may have become fascinated with the sleeve procedure, and almost certainly can charge more for it. Also, poor patient outcomes can't all be blamed on the band itself, because other surgeons do nothing but band surgery and have plenty of happy, successful patients. The factors affecting good versus poor outcomes include the surgeon's technical skill, fill philosphy (aggressive vs. conservative), a strong patient education (before and after surgery), and a complete support and aftercare program (including dietitian consults, nutrition classes, support groups, psych services).

Your surgeon contradicted himself when in one visit he blamed the band for patient complications and revisions yet also told you not to worry because your band looks good. That alone would make me want to ask him for a lengthier explanation. For example, in the year 2012, what percent of his practice was band surgery, what percent of his band patients experienced complications, and what percent of those patients opted for revision surgery?

I sure wouldn't have my band removed just because your surgeon bad-mouthed the band. I might consider finding myself a new surgeon who can get behind the band and offer his/her patients the care and support they need. I know it's hard to contradict an authority figure like a doctor, teacher, boss, etc., but as adults we need to be proactive about our healthcare and not swallow everything doctors tell us without even cursory inspection of it.

Here's a non-medical explanation of the authority figure fallacy. My ex-husband was considered slow in grade school and had to do 3rd grade twice. Finally someone thought to test his sight, found that he was extremely myopic and also color blind. His new eyeglasses improved his grades, but in high school his guidance counselor strongly advised Joe to go to trade school to become a mechanic (or the like). But since Joe's "smarter" older brother was in college, Joe wanted to attend college too, and guess what? He did very well, graduated in 4 years with a B.S. in geology, got a high-paying job at Texaco, later got a M.S. in environmental engineering and even better job at a power plant, and advanced quickly to one of the top positions in the power company's entire region, despite having been "slow" in school and (as it turned out) legally blind. Meanwhile, his "smarter" older brother flunked out of school and went to work as...wait for it...a mechanic.

OK, Miss Jean's Story Hour is over now. You may all resume whatever you were doing before I jumped in.

Edited to Add: I forgot to mention that I had to revise from the band to the sleeve last year. I loved my band and I do NOT love my sleeve. There is no such thing as a perfect, risk-free, one-size-fits-all WLS procedure. The sleeve is the flavor of the day. Wait another year and your surgeon may have become a brain surgeon. Or a mechanic.

You are doing yourself a big disservice by not talking about everything with your surgeon. it's his job to help you lose weight and he can't do that if you're not honest with him.

As someone who has suffered major depression for over 40 years, I just want to give you a cyber-hug, tell you not to give up on yourself, and strongly advise you to talk to your PCP about getting an RX for an antidepressant (or changing the med and/or the dose if you're already on one).

You're doing awesome, Jim. I love that John Maxwell quote. I think attitude is half the battle.

I'm sorry, but the only food choices in your list of what you ate that sound like good ones for weight loss are the mango, strawberries, and water.

You might want to try using an online food tracker (sparkpeople.com, myfitnesspal.com, livestrong.com, etc.) to get a more accurate idea of how many calories you're consuming and whether any of them are providing good nutrition. It helps me, anyway. I'm expert at rationalizing bad food choices. That's one of the ways I got fat in the first place.

If "the boys" really NEED potato chips, could they not eat those necessary potato chips somewhere besides your home? If I keep stuff like that in the house, it's way too easy to eat it. But if it's truly essential to have potato chips in the house, go ahead and eat them...but do it this way:

1. Read the nutrition stats on the package. If one serving is 13 chips, count out 13 chips, put them on a small plate or bowl. Then close the bag and put it away where you can't see it.

2. Take the plate or bowl of chips to the dining table.

3. Sit down at the table, all by yourself with the chips. No computer, no TV, no magazine, no radio, no distractions.

4. Eat the chips one at a time, concentrating on their texture and flavor, so you get the maximum enjoyment out of them.

5. When the chips are gone, put the empty plate in the sink or dishwasher.

6. Go back to doing whatever you were doing before the potato chip attack hit you.

The point of all that is to put you in control of the food, instead of the food in control of you.

I have a very strong hunch about why your weight loss has stalled. It's the poor quality of your food intake.I'm going to assume you ate the following quantities of the foods you mentioned in your post.

Protein shake (8 oz) - 250mg sodium

Turkey hotdog (1) - 300mg

Turkey bologna (1 thin slice) - 302mg

Potato chips (4 oz) - 674mg

Fiber One bar (1) - 150mg

That's a total of 1676mg of sodium, or 276mg over the daily recommended maximum intake for adult women. And if you also decided to munch a few more Chicken McNuggets, just 3 of them would give you 300mg, or 21% of the recommended maximum sodium intake.

Aside from the irritating aspect of making you retain fluid (thereby slowing or stopping weight loss), excessive sodium intake does a number on your blood pressure. Keep it up, and you're on your way to a stroke.

Now, before you conclude that I'm being mean to you, consider that I have high blood pressure, I struggle to keep my sodium intake down, and I'm terrified of having a stroke and TIA's like my mom did. So what I'm giving you isn't harrassment, it's a dose of genuine Jean Tuff Luv™. In my opinion, a mommy of 4 needs to do whatever she can to improve her health so she can watch those 4 kids grow up.

Welcome to the brave new world of bandsterhood! I'm going to add my responses in blue text below.

Had my first fill yesterday and now I am back on liquids. The liquid diet doesn’t really bother me because I know that it will help me achieve my goal. The Dr. put me on a 3 day liquid diet, then soft, then regular. I have read people going on a 1 day and even 2 day liquid diet, but not a 3 day after a fill. Is my Dr. exaggerating this diet by extending it another day or two? Or is this the regular post fill diet? A regular post fill diet is whatever your doctor says it is. They all have their own protocol and it's useless trying to figure out why.

Also, at this time, I am not hungry and have been satisfied with my liquids. My concern is…. Will I be hungry on liquids for 3 days? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. Although I am not hungry, I don’t feel full. Is that normal? I think it's normal. My pre-op idea of "full" was Thanksgiving Dinner full. As a post-op it took me a while to figure out that full should be "just enough food, nothing more, nothing less." My last question is…. How can I tell if I am over filled or under filled? Underfilled = frequent physical hunger (say, less than 3 hours after a meal). Overfilled = unable to eat or drink without discomfort or regurgitation. It's actually more complicated than that, but you don't need complication right now. Right now you need things simple. Right now, everything feels a bit “normal”, but I have to assume that it is because I am only drinking liquids, but I can still drink at least a 16oz cup of water within 45 mins. Am I able to drink too much? It's extremely unlikely that you would ever drink too much water, and you should always be able to drink plenty of water, though maybe not guzzle it. One sign of a fill that's too tight is being unable to drink water.

The last, last, last question: Am I over thinking this too much? Yes you are, but it's better than not thinking about it at all!

UGH… I feel so confused

Sorry, but my advice for this kind of situation is along the lines of suck it up, etc. I feel kind of like the sorority & fraternity members who used to enjoy razing new pledges because after enduring their own razing, it felt only fair to inflict it on others. So my bratty inner bandster is saying, "Heck, if I survived Bandster Hell, so can NettaRue."

Regarding the discomfort under your left rib cage - did you by any chance have a hiatal hernia repaired when your band was placed? Because I have an untreated hiatal hernia, and when it bothers me, I feel the discomfort right under my left rib cage.