HeatherO

My sister, who was in the neighborhood of 300 pounds pre-pregnancy, got pregnant and carried the healthy baby to term. Unfortunately, she not only gained a healthy baby . . . she also picked up a very bad case of diabetes that she still struggles with to this day (several shots a day and pills at night to control it while sleeping). She also had a very difficult pregnancy that was interspersed with several hospital stays at that time. This was about 9 years ago. Since that time she has miscarried twice. She had a set of beautiful twin girls last year, although one of which was not healthy and has had multiple surgeries for a variety of health problems . . . and more surgeries to come in the future as well. Before this pregnancy, she had no health issues other than being morbidly obese. Everyone is different and you never know what experience you will have . . . many women over 300 pounds give birth to healthy babies without serious consequence. However, statistics show that obesity leads to a more difficult pregnancy. I think it is healthier for you and the future baby to lose some weight through banding first. Even 50 pounds less can make a tremendous difference in your health and how you feel. Plus at 22 you have lots of time. Not to mention how cute you will look with a baby bump if you give it a little time :0). I lost my weight first even though I wanted a baby very much . . . now I am loving pregnancy at a healthy weight, everything is so much easier. One last thing about banding . . . as you lose the weight, hormones that have been stored over time in your fat cells are released. For me, the first few months with the greatest weight loss were like PMS all month because of me being super hormonal. My periods became worse as well. I also noticed my son and husband started "hiding out" when I got home from work, lol. Now everything is stable and happy-go-lucky since I have lost the weight. I think most women who are overweight and lose weight fast go through this stage. If hormone fluctations will make the bipolar issue worse, it might be worthwhile to do banding before baby. Having a first baby is hard on patience and emotions naturally, extra doses of hormones will make it even more trying. Motherhood is easier when you start out at your best.

I agree with everyone about going back to speak with your surgeons office and getting your fill adjusted as necessary. Sweets and slider foods are a risk for every one of us. It is easy to bypass the band. Some of us, like me, are also carb/sugar addicts. If I eat some, I need more and more because of the highs/lows in blood sugar. If you really want to get in control of your weight again, some good first steps would be: 1) Make an appointment with your doctor concerning band and fills. 2) Cut out the sweets - they are jeopardizing your health and causing weight gain. You can start with small goals as in, "I will only eat Proteins, vegetables and whole grain non-sugary carbs today," and worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. 3) Recommit to banding - you can always go back on your post-banding diet to get yourself back in the "banded state of mind." There is also a really good option called the 5 day pouch test (you can google it and it was created by Kaye Bailey). This is a diet plan that tests the capacity of your pouch and helps with rapid weight loss and getting you back in the right frame of mind over a very short time frame. This is excellent for R&Y or banders who need to get back on track and I highly recommend it. There is no cost involved and the diet plan is clearly detailed on the website. 4) Start charting what you eat every day. If you have 1 bite of cheesecake, document it. You can use fitday, the daily plate or a whole host of other resources. Even a pencil and paper can help if that is more your style. This will help you to analyze what you are really ingesting daily. This can also be something to share at your doctors appointment in step #1. 5) Get some support through posting on this or other support forums regularly, meeting other bandsters in your area, maybe even getting your family involved if possible. You can get back on track and we are all rooting for you. It is hard, but very possible. You found success before, you can find it again. Best of luck to you.

I have this problem too, but later I learned that my stomach was just irritated. If I pb on anything at all, I go back to clear, warm liquids for at least 24 to 48 hours depending on how bad the pb is. Otherwise, each additional pb further irritates my stomach and causes it to close more and more each time. Some of us just have sensitive stomachs. I also learned that sometimes it is not a matter of being too tight. Have you ever took a bite of something when you were talking to someone without paying attentiion and realize . . . oops, what did I just do and how many minutes before it comes back up???? If I skip the banding rules and just make a silly mistake (which happens occasionally when you have been banded for a long time and eating just becomes just something you do without occupying every thought), this can happen. Then I need to take the time to baby my stomach for a day or two because it is easily aggravated . . . but my fill level may still be perfect as it is. However, if you are following the rules and eating appropriate foods but still pb'ing regularly . . . you are too tight and should not wait for an unfill.

I am self pay too, but they have a 14 day grace period. If something is not working within 14 days of the last fill, there is no charge to come back. I have used this before when I was too tight. Really you can't tell easily with the Water and since I have a 4 hour drive to see my fill doctor, I have to make each visit count. My last fill left me immediately too tight where I couldn't move into the mushies stage again comfortably, but I could drink water just fine. I have a different process now (but my doctor doesn't require the 24-48 hour liquid diet post fills and is ok with it). I schedule my fill and then I go to either a local restaurant to get a cup of Soup (Max & Erma's is near and they have a chicken tortilla soup that I just love without the tortillas) or just bring some soup along and make sure Soups goes down. If it goes down slowly, I am fine, but it if makes me want to pb immeidately, then I know I have a problem. I also choose soup that is thick in consistency but not chunky. They will tweak my fill level again the same day without an issue.

I had some miniscule, non-specific aches and pains for the firt couple of months, but everything is fine now. Tightness in the mornings is there when I have good restriction and drinking something warm helps (drinking something cold has the opposite effect). If you still have a little stomach swelling from surgery or are reaching your sweet spot for restriction, this is not uncommon.

I forgot to mention, those 2 fills got me from the cusp of morbid obesity wth a BMI of 40 to within 3 pounds of a normal BMI of 25. Those 2 fills were enough, not only for the year, but to get me to goal as well.

I had restriction and reached my sweet spot after my second fill. Some people never need a fill . . . some need 10 or more . . . it all depends on your body and how aggressive your doctor is. Some doctors do very, very tiny fills and this will cause you to need quite a few to get anywhere. I did have an unfill-refill-unfill after my second fill but this was only due to pregnancy. I suspect that I would still have been losing well on my second fill had I not conceived. However, even without fills I still saw my doctor regularly to make sure I was losing and was on track.

Sometimes ingesting sugar substitutes causes you to crave more sugar . . . something to keep in mind. Also some of us crave sweets if we eat anything sweet . . . it fuels the desire for more. I try to avoid them and now I don't desire them at all. Exercise actually increases your energy level. If you do it for 30 minutes every other day for a week . . . . you will feel so much more energetic by the following week. It makes all the difference in the world.

Your body went through the shock of surgery, now it may be trying to hold on to a few pounds. It is normal, almost every one of us has a small stall or gain at this stage . . . it does move again in the right direction if you are following the banding rules, eating healthy and trying to get some exercise in. Don't worry :0).

I had left shoulder/neck pain lasting for 3-4 weeks . . . and it really hurt. It was like getting kicked by a horse in the shoulder. It gradually diminished and was gone after one month unless I have overeaten, then I might get an occasional twinge. After a lot of reading and discussions with my doctor on this particular topic, general consensus seems to be that a lot of people with hiatal hernia repairs (like me) have a nerve in the diagphram that gets irritated post surgery but the pain is felt in the left shoulder. Tylenol never helped, I didn't take the pain meds because I prefer not to unless the pain is so bad I can't stand it. The only think that helped (other than time which cured it completely) is neck massages by my husband . . . and even better was a very hot soak in the tub with my shoulder and neck submerged but my incisions were above the Water line. This too shall pass :0).

One more thing I want to add, the first time you don't lose after banding really is depressing . . . at least it was for me. I kept seeing the scale go down and down and down and then . . . omg, did it go up???? It is so easy to say now that I am almost at goal, "don't worry about it, no big deal." But I do remember how much I really hated it when it happened to me. Hang in there :0)

You may be expecting too much too fast. You are just starting to take in more regular foods and havent had a fill yet. Many stall out at this time. Also your body is still in shock, it may be trying to hold on to a little weight right now. We all go through this but it passes. I can also tell you that most of us who have been banded lose in fits and starts . . . occasional small gains offset by bigger losses. Plateaus happen from time to time. As long as the bigger picture shows a downward trend month after month, and you are exercising and eating healthy, there is nothing to worry about.

First fill is nothing for the majority of us . . . it is typically that way. I had good restriction by my second fill. I can tell you that when I had good restriction, there was no way I could eat a grilled cheese sandwich unless it was half of one over about 4 hours with something else to help it go down easier. You should just try to keep getting regular fills with as little time in between as the doctor will allow until you reach your sweet spot. How much of a fill did you get for your first fill, and how much and what kind of band do you have?

I agree that everyone is different. You never know if you will have a simple recovery and will feel like a million bucks in a few days or not. I felt good a few days out but was just generally exhausted. I slept a lot the first week but pain was not really an issue and I didn't take my pain meds. I think if you do plan on singing, it is good to have a back up plan just in case. Having a back up plan can help ease your stress . . . and if you feel great you can still proceed. If you don't want to share about the banding surgery, you can always chalk it up to a hernia repair or claim illness if necessary.

I have allergies, and sometimes they come out of nowhere where my hands are primarily affected and are red, itchy, sore and sometimes swollen. I never could determine the source - it was almost like a fluke and didnt matter if I was pregnant or not. It sounds like an allergy to me. If it is an allergy, is something like a lose dose of benadryl acceptable during pregnancy. Another option could be a clear calamine lotion to ease irritation. When I was pregnant with my first child, I also had a small rash on my chest and was told it was ringworm. I just about had a heart attack because it just sounds terrible at first. I remember I had a cream and it went away. Strange thing is, I have only had it once in my entire life and I happened to be pregnant at the time, 16 years ago. It was also on my chest - so how on earth did I contract it, noone else in my family had it. I can tell you my chest was not likely to have been exposed to the elements, lol. It seemed like an odd fluke at the time, but now you are experiencing the same.

I have also continued to lose post pregnancy, but at a snails pace. When I look back at where I was when I conceived on the chart, I have lost a little over 10 pounds which averages close to a pound a week. But I can tell you that most of that loss was in the first 2 months because it has probably only been 2 pounds total lost in the last month. I am definitely eating more but trying to keep it healthy. My doctor isn't worried yet because small weight changes in either direction are no big deal in the first trimester. She said I only need an extra 300 calories a day to support the baby and proteins/veggies/fruit/milk etc are the best choices (I think she was also saying indirectly that 300 of chips or ice cream are probably not doing the baby any special favors, lol). I think you are lucky to still be losing at 5 months out as long as you are maintaining the health of you and your baby by eating healthy. You are also still in the early days of banding and must have gotten pregnant in the first few months - continuing loss is not unusual. It becomes harder to lose once you are getting close to goal, I can personally attest to that. There comes a point where every pound loss becomes a battle, lol. Just think how easy it will be to continue losing once the baby comes :0). Thank goodness for banding and congrats on the new baby.

My hunger was also different post banding and I could feel "so hungry it hurts" but then a few bites later I am stuffed. Later I realized that part of it was that I never really "knew" hunger before banding because the moment hunger would start I would eat impulsively. Now I am more intune with my body and I realize that it is normal for me to feel this way. I would feel the occasional pinch a couple of months out . . . it went away with time. I could especially feel it after intense exercise on an occasional basis. The doctor told me it was normal and I don't think I ever felt after 3-4 months out. Now I am perfect.

100% loss is entirely possible. If you can stay committed, follow the banding rules, get moderate exercise, and eat a healthy diet then there is no limit. I don't mean kill yourself at the gym 2 hours everyday and live on celery and lettuce . . . I mean make reasonable attempts to live a healthy lifestyle. 50-60% is just an average - not all banded people are really trying or following bandster rules. At three years out, statistics show that being banded is similar to gastric bypass. However, there are a ton of health benefits to losing at a more reasonable rate. It is such a personal decision. Are you prone to eating sweets or ice-cream, do you graze alot throughout the day . . . then perhaps R&Y is better. Are you an overeater who just wants seconds or thirds or a heavy evening eater . . . then perhaps banding is better. R&Y scared me to death as well . . . but now that I am only a couple of pounds away from a normal BMI, I know that I made the right decision for me. I have lost a little over 95% of my excess weight in 10 months. . . will I make it to 100% . . . absolutely!!!!!

Some people never have a problem getting stuck. You are more likely to experience it when you have tighter restriction ... or if you are distracted and eat either too big a bite or not chewing enough without thinking (it happens to all of us at least once post banding because life goes on and banding doesn't fill every thought once you are a veteran). I never got stuck until my second fill.

If you overeat, feeling full can feel like the early stages of being stuck and isn't comfortable . . . but you really don't want to be so full you are uncomfortable. However, if you are really stuck . . . you will absolutely know it as you start sliming and it is much too uncomfortable to be anywhere but in the bathroom.

It doesn't hurt to let them fall off on their own either. I had one that came off on its own a little earlier than the rest. This incision did not heal as well as the others and the scar is a little worse, it also stayed pinker longer. If you really want to take them off but they don't come off easily, baby oil works wonders. It also helps to remove tape residue.

We all go through this stage and it is really awful. You feel so hungry you could eat anything . . . and banding isn't making one iota of a difference post surgery swelling and pre-first fill. As you said, you know what to do and what needs to be done . . . but doing it is easier said than done. None of us found ourselves obese without having some kind of food issue - and banding doesn't make it go away in the beginning. There is no way to make it through except to struggle through it. We made a life altering decision in getting the band . . . it is up to us to make it work. So the only choice is to find the strength within yourself to take it one day at a time . . . and do what needs to be done until you get your fill. I promise it does get a lot easier with time. You were just banded at the end of October, so you have been banded less than three weeks. At this stage almost all of us are still on mushies and haven't even moved on to solid foods. If you are eating large portions of "normal" foods, then you could be risking the health of your band before you ever got a good start. To allow the band to heal properly and set into your stomach, you need to minimize stomach movement by staying on soft foods and avoiding large portions. So please . . . for the health of your band, don't risk it by eating outside of your post-op diet . . . and if your post-op diet has you on solids already, you should try to limit the quantities or if you are too hungry to do that, keep it soft. This early stage of banding is the most vital for your future success. You can do this, it is tough . . . but what is a couple of weeks of hell compared to a lifetime of better health. You know what to do . . . now is the time to do it.

Reading all of the terrible threads about removal, although good for getting a full view of potential problems, is also a good way to scare yourself silly. Statistics show that you will lose a significant portion of your excess weight on average, and complication rates are very low (but if you look at threads only related to complications it is going to appear to be almost 100%). Are you willing to follow the bandster rules? Are you ready to make a change in your life? If so, success can be yours. Take it from someone who started at the cusp of morbid obesity who is now only a couple more pounds from a normal BMI in less than a year. The band can absolutely, positively reshape your life if you are ready to commit. I also had my doubts and never told anyone about the surgery other than my husband . . . out of fear that even surgery would not help. I love, love, love my band and it is the best think I have ever done for myself. I really hope you follow through and can help ease other peoples concerns about banding in the near future. Best of luck with your decision.

Baby food was too bland and boring for me. Applesauce, cottage cheese, potatoes, squash, soups were all great and I could add spice to them. I found that I absolutely loved low fat refried beans mixed with a little chicken broth sprinkled with cheese . . . yummmmmy.

I got lucky with this amazingly enough, I look perfectly normal. Even my "girls" look pretty good wthout a bra and my cup size hardly changed at all. I don't think I lost much fat in these areas because I didn't have much there to begin with. However, my derriere is a wrinkly/saggy and I have some excess skin on my thighs. I really think it is all a matter of where you carry your fat and how reslient your skin is. Your biggest problem areas do not always look their best post wls even if everything else shapes up well.