HeatherO

I have a relatively short torso, almost no belly fat but have a little skin, and am definitely showing now. The last 2 weeks have made a big difference. People can't tell by looking at me (unless I was wearing stretch pants or something similar which I would never do). My husband and I can definitely see a difference. This is my second child which they say makes all the difference in the world. With my first, you really couldn't see a difference until after 16 + weeks. The biggest thing I notice about my "bulge" is that it is relatively hard and is under the abdominal muscles . . . definitely not extra flab. I am starting to wonder if maybe there is a reason why I am showing so early. I don't think I am wrong on my dates but I definitely look a month or more further along than I should. I have my first ultrasound on Monday so I guess I will see what they say.

I agree with finding another doctor or talking more with your doctor and say "This is my decision and I really need your support." My doctor did not feel it was the best decision for me either but i had to explain that it was a personal decision that I needed to make for myself and I planned to move forward one way or another. He conceded eventually, I did all the testing, was awaiting my surgery date and my company switched to an insurance with a wls exclusion. After jumping through 9 months of hoops, I ended up a grouchy self-pay patient. Even so, although my wallet is a little light, so is my derriere, lol. I have lost almost 100% of my excess weight and am withing 2 pounds of a normal BMI when I started at a BMI of close to 40 in less than a year. It was all so very worth it, and definitely the best thing I have ever done for myself.

If a band slips, lack of restriction is not usually a sign. It is usually the opposite where you have difficulty eating and nothing goes down properly to the point where you may not even be able to ingest Water. I wouldn't worry about a slip. However, when you go for the appointment, have the doctor check the volume you currently have in your band to make sure there isn't a leak. It might not be a problem at all. Sometimes when you lose fat around your stomach, you are a lot looser. Perhaps if you just got a fill in the very recent past, it just loosened up with time. These things definitely happen. Best thing for now is not to stress and try to maintain a healthy diet. You will feel better once you see the doctor.

I have read multiple times that you can be filled over the limit if necessary, going over 9cc's is entirely possible. Did your doctor extract the saline currently in the band to get a measure of how much you have in the band? If not, I would ask him to do this next time to ensure that you really have that amount in the band. It would also help to diagnose a potential problem such as a leak.

I tried everything to get rid of night-time reflux. It was terrible but I never had a problem pre-banding. I took meds, stopped eating after a certain time, did everything possible and I could only take it from extremely bad to moderately bad at best. Then I had some fill removed and it dissappeared completely. I either have almost no hunger but can't sleep at night for the coughing and spitting up . . . or I have a little hunger and have to diet a little harder but sleep like a baby. Right now I am sleeping like a baby . . . :0)

Whenever there are so many differences of opinion on the risk, it makes me want to err on the side of avoiding the shot. I am going to ask my ob doc on Monday, but unless there is a definite . . . you really need this, I am going to forgoe the shot this year.

I have been going fish crazy lately as well. I had tuna for lunch, tilapia yesterday for dinner, salmon over the weekend. I don't even usually like fish that much but I am certainly craving it now. I have even had a hankering for sushi lately because I know that I can tolerate small amounts of rice which I couldn't have for the longest time. I have heard that pregnant people should never eat sushi . . . is that true? If it is something like smoked salmon with a little cream cheese and avocado, is that OK? However, I absolutely, positively can not tolerate fish oil burps . . . makes me nauseous and grouchy all day.

I have unfortunately had the experience of sliming while driving, yuckkkkk. It doesn't happen much anymore now that I am a veteran bandster, it is easier to avoid. I can eat steak but it helps if it is cooked medium and it is a really great cut, like filet mignon. I have replaced quantity with quality post banding, lol.

I have been on a bit of a plateau lately as well. Halloween has also been really tough because I keep snagging that occasional piece of chocolate . . . and snagging . . . and snagging . . . and wondering why I am not losing, lol, it is such a mystery to me :0) I need to get back to charting my intake. I am not trying to lose so much as maintain right now . . . but I really, truly do not want to gain either. I am OK maintaining by eating healthy nutritious food, I am not OK with maintaining by eating crap which I have been doing occasionally over the last little bit of time. I have a tendency to keep doing what I am doing . . . if I am doing great and staying on top of everything it is easy to continue . . . if I am slipping up I keep making excuses and it is easy to continue. I wish it were just easier to change my mindset when necessary. Is anyone else like this?

I am sorry to hear that. The sooner you get it replaced the better. Not having restriction is a diet . . . and that really sucks. Do you know why the leak may have happened? How soon can you get the port replaced?

I think it is easy to get back into old habits once the band has been in place for a while. Sometimes I have to go back to one day at a time and start charting again. That seems to help me get back on track.

I tried everything to get rid of my acid reflux, but only one thing helped and it fixed it completely . . . an unfill. I think some of us are just ultra sensitive to getting acid reflux post banding.

Every doctor is different but this seems a little strange to me. When I felt too tight, my doctor definitely removed some Fluid. They say that if you are having to have solely liquids for breakfast and very soft mushies for lunch . . . it is in some ways defeating the purpose of the band. My doctor told me to no longer have Protein shakes for breakfast because it doesn't produce the normal satiety that is needed. Solid Proteins should be the start of each meal. Also some people have trouble losing weight when they are too tight. liquid calories are very easy to ingest. If most healthy foods are a struggle to ingest, it is only natural to turn towards things that go down a little less painfully. You may find that 1/2 cc of fluid taken out is a fairly large increment. Sometimes 1/10 cc of fluid makes a big impact when you are close to your sweet spot.

It is great to see a couple of new people from the Cleveland area. This thread isn't very active but I would love to get to know more people around the area. I haven't pretty much reached my goal since my last post on this thread from May. I am currently only 2 pounds away from a normal BMI at 142 pounds. I am not really looking to lose anymore right now and am mostly focusing on maintaining through my pregnancy. I knew before I got banded that I would lose weight . . . but the stats say typical loss is 50-60% of the excess. I really never even dreamed that I would be almost at 100% so quickly. I love my band . . . it has changed my life and is absolutely the best thing I ever did for myself. Congratulations on being newly banded scanlon21 . . . . you are definitely still in recovery and keep in mind that it only gets better from here. I am happy you will be joining us soon on the melting side of life, a_thinner_me. You will have to let us know when you get your final date.

A lot of it is in what a person is eating. They say eat the Protein first . . . when I don't do this, other items slip thorugh my band easier. The protein almost works as a stopper to slow the flow of the rest of the food. I never eat those things first which will slide right through the band. Also, are you following the no drinking rule? Drinking, even small sips, causes the food to flush through your pouch. You may need another slight fill as well.

I agree with Jachut, it all depends on where you carry it. You lose fat uniformly from your fat cells, but all of us have different accumulations of fat cells in different areas. I had a high percentage in my but and thighs, so I was looking thin and perfect up top, but downstairs was a different thing. I will always be heavier in those areas than others. It really surprises me that there are so many creams or exercise equipment that are supposed to make you lose in a specific spot. You can certainly firm up, but there is nothing you can do to shift where the fat cells are physically located (barring liposuction or a tuck). If you lose all over, than the desired areas are also going to be smaller.

I had it also and still occasionally lose a few strands, but I found that it was relatively short lived and resolved itself. I always took Vitamins regularly and Protein has always been a primary staple of my diet. I was doing everything right but still had a loss (however, I think if I wasnt doing everything right it might have been a much more significant loss). Also, it is important not to forget that we have given our bodies quite a shock. Our bodies deal with this shock in different ways and hairloss is one of those ways. People also experience hair loss during pregnancies, times of extreme stress or prolonged sicknesses. After reading many, many, many threads on hair loss, one thing I noticed is that for most people who had the hair loss start months in the past and were banded for most of or more than a year, hairloss stopped either on its own or with a little dietary/vitamin help. It seems to be an issue typically resolved over a few months . . . . as long as you are getting appropriate nutrition.

Since you are going to do it under flouro, I wouldn't worry too much about it because you can easily see what is or is not working. I found that after I had an unfill, my previous fill level was too much when I went to get filled again. The doctor explained to me that when you go through an unfill, sometimes the band settles slightly differently around your stomach and your sweet spot can move up or down. It is not unusual to find it has changed even to a lower fill level. this was a surprise to me.

Popcorn is too easy to eat, even when you are tightly restricted. It is also empty calories since there is not much of nutritional value and it can be very high in calories and sodium if you are eating it with butter. I use 0 calorie butter. Even with tight restriction, I can eat an unlimited supply of popcorn. Do you know how many calories are in the popcorn at the movies with their "topping?" You may be exceeding your daily calories just at the movies with this one snack if you are not careful. Soda, or any carbonated beverages, are also not healthy for bandsters, it is well known to stretch the pouch and almost every doctor bans it completely. For the health of your band, it should be avoided. I do like popcorn on occasion, but I only make it at home so I can control the calories. It is a great snack in moderation.

There is definitely a lot more superficial attention, that is for certain. However, that is flattering but not much more than that. There is so much more to finding the right person. Confidence increases when you lose the weight for almost all of us . . . and that is a definite bonus as well. However, I know a lot of heavy people that are great in the relationship department and have no problems meeting people. I also know plenty of thin people that just kind find someone that meets their needs. Normal weight helps but it is only a small piece of the pie. More and more people are finding success by meeting people via the internet because you can so easily pre-screen and those things that are most important (beyond looks) become apparent over time. I met my husband online in 2005, we were married in 2007. He loved me heavy, he loves me thin, he loves me period and we are very, very happy together. I would highly suggest it for anyone who is having difficulty meeting the "right" person . . . but please be careful because there are some not so great people on line as well.

I agree with you completely. After losing almost 100% of my excess weight to bring me to a normal BMI, I couldn't be more thrilled. I love, love, love my band.

My urge to binge went away almost completely . . . I just wasnt hungry. It would occasionally pop-up on a rare occasion but usually on a baby scale since I had no capacity. However, I later discovered that the binge monster only goes into hiding. After an emergency unfill . . . I was HUNGRYYYY and food again became an obsession where it was barely a secondary thought before. I have discovered that binging for me is both psychological and physical. I would say that the band when I am restricted definitely cures it by 95%.

I am almost 11 months out and could not be more happy with the results. I have lost darn near 100% of my weight bringing me to a normal BMI. I went from 18/20 XL to 6/8 Mediums. I did have an issue with sudden tightening of the band leading to an emergency unfill. Later discovered that it was caused by pregnancy, lol. I love my band. Thank you, thank you, thank you my wonderful band.

I frequently travel to NYC so it would be a good location for me personally. I also agree that NJ is close and cheaper while still allowing people to see the big apple with minimal fuss.

It is definitely a combination. Sometimes my band does the work . . . but that only lasts for so long. When I hit a plateau I have to reassess what I am eating, whether I am tracking it, how my exercise is going, etc. To keep losing it is all give and take. When it is working without effort everything is great, but when it stops working I have to take the initiative to make it start moving again.