HeatherO

I am very sorry you are going through this. Is there a chance that the pain may not be resolved by removing the band or is the doctor sure it is caused by being banded?

I think there is not any reason to have it removed afterwards. You can always have it unfilled which leaves you open to eat normally for the most part . . . then it is there to help you if you start gaining. If you remove it altogether, you are most likely to regain according to the statistics . . . . so why go through surgery at all just to go back to where you were to begin with. I myself plan to have a slight unfill once I reach goal.

I had my surgery during the same month and am almost at goal as well. I have been having problems with complacency as well, however, I found I can combat it with tracking what I am eating. I know that may not be your style, and it isnt mine either, but by doing that for just a couple of days when I can see what that occasional piece of whatever is doing to my calorie intake, it gets my head back into the groove of losing and I can continue.

Stick to liquids for the first day. Move up to mushies and then solids as you tolerate them. However, if for any reason you pb after the fill, go back to liquids for a day or you will continue pb'ing.

An unfill could be just what you need at this point to get losing again. If you can't get good proteins down, then you are missing the primary help that the lapband can give you. As long as you eat carefully and healthy after the unfill, it can kick your weightloss back into gear. I would suggest tracking calories and protein for a while as well.

I always gain during TOM but lose it quickly thereafter, specially if I am drinking plenty of Water. When I slack off on the water it doesn't come off as quickly. You should not be holding on to that weight for weeks however. I would do the fill if you have a couple of days to go in after if you need an unfill. However, if it is just fill and then he is completely unavailable for two weeks I would wait. Perhaps it is also good to check with the doctor to see if someone else will pick up any emergency unfills in his absence if it is needed . . . then you might have appropriate coverage. It is very, very rare to need an unfill after your first fill because they usually don't give you very much.

For insurance coverage, at 210 and 66 inches or 5'6 you would have a BMI of 33.9. At this weight you would need to have comorbidities (serious health issues) to be a candidate at BMI's of 35-39.9. Over a BMI of 40 you would qualify. You would have to weigh a minimum of 248 to have a BMI of this level. If you are a self pay, you could probably find a doctor to do it if you are over a BMI of 35.

I became comfortable doing it for an extended period at 16. but upper sizes could still cross for short periods. Now in a size 10 they are more comfortable crossed than not. :0)

They look great, and the price is right. I didn't realize they could look so natural in.

I don't have depo but have been on the pill for years. I would have a very light 2 day period like clockwork before banding. After banding from months 2-6 (when I was losing a lot of weight) my periods became 10 times worse and lasted at least a week. The rapid weightloss did a number on my cycle. Even though I am not on depo, steady birth control puts us in the same general category. It has finally evened out and life has become semi normal once again.

I understand what you mean. I was in denial, now that I am banded I had to not only accept how big I was, but accept who I am every day. It takes a little getting used to.

When motivation wanes and weight loss becomes less and less a driving factor in your life it is easy to feel a little blue. Exercise does absolutely wonders for improving mood. I highly recommend it.

That is awesome news . . . you are doing great!!!

I would wait until tomorrow morning. First thing in the morning, drink something hot and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well, call the doctor early and see if you can get in.

I wouldn't try it from a mattress on the floor. It is hard enough getting up when the bed is standard height. You don't want to hurt yourself or be in a lot of pain.

I am finding that since being banded and losing almost all of my excess weight, my tail bone really aches. I notice it even more when I am sitting on the floor, or in the bathtub, or doing floor exercises. It is almost as if it had been cushioned for years by my genorous, pillowy tushy which has all but dissappeared. Has anyone else experienced this??? Could it be that banding has become a big pain in my arse or do you think it is completely unrelated???

There are successes and failures with everything, however the successes seem to outweigh the failures. I do see some common themes with people who are not finding success as follows: * Failure to think of the band as a tool that must be worked with eating healthy, appropriate bandster foods coupled with moderate exercise. The band helps to prevent overeating and helps keep hunger levels in check, the rest is up to you. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. This needs to be understood and accepted before banding. * Failure to deal with emotional eating issues that caused overeating to begin with. We all have reasons why we ended up obese, these reasons don't dissapear with banding, sometimes they come to light more visably then ever before because the food crutch is taken away. * People that have a tendency to graze throughout the day rather than overeating during meal times have more difficulty with this option. * Sometimes people start "cheating" by not following their post-banding diets and doctors orders from the beginning. If you can not follow through in the very beginning stages, you can set yourself up for failure later or damage the band. Banding should be taken seriously from day one. * Ice cream . . . chips . . . slider foods, etc. will go right through the band. If you can not change your diet to focus on healthy Proteins and veggies and find that these other items are a staple of your diet, you will not be successful. These things should be avoided because sometimes eating is difficult post banding, but not with these items. It is too easy to sabotage yourself with these items, so you must go in with both eyes wide open to the risks. These are all difficult things to deal with, but definitely can be overcome with understanding and personal work taken to overcome them.

I am 7 months + out and my scars are so small and insignificant they are unnoticeable. Even my port scar is not really that bad. You can see it but you have to be looking for it. The color also matches my skin as well. I did not use anything for scars and it turned out well.

When I get my fills, they usually say there are three important questions to ask yourself in order to determine if you need a fill: 1) Are you eating the right foods, avoiding slider foods and eating healthy Proteins, veggies, etc? 2) Are you getting hungry between meals? 3) Are you losing less than 1 pound a week? If you can answer yes to these three questions, you almost definitely need a fill. It sounds to me like you need one.

Did any of you start to take a folic acid supplement before becoming pregnant? Would you suggest doing this? What is the primary difference between prenatal Vitamins and standard vitamins?

I dont understand how you can not get anything down but you also have no restriction. Can you explain a little more? Also, what kinds of things are you eating in general? What kinds of food are going down OK and which things are not going down?

Well, three days down with fasting and I was able to follow-through perfectly without feeling too bad. However, today I needed to break my fast. :0( Last night I had dinner. I started with 1 cup of Water, 1 date (traditional food to break the fast), red lentil Soup (which is my favorite post banding food by the way) which took me about 40 minutes to finish a small bowl of soup. Then I took a break and decided to eat a little of the main course. I made eggplant mussakka which is band friendly in that it contains eggplant, groundbeef, onions, peppers, garlic in a tomato based sauce which is soft and easy to eat. This is easy and filling banding food for me . . . usually . . . but not last night. I ate about 1/4th cup and then pb'd everything back up, including some of the soup that still had not gone down from more than an hour before. So a while later I had a cup of milk, which I have if I know I am not getting enough in. I later went to bed. I had a couple of coughing fits in the night, with a little reflux. Around 3:30 in the morning, I sat bolt upright and ran to the bathroom where I vomitted (not pb'd). It was one of those instantaneous things where if I had to go 5 steps further, I never would have made it in time. I went back to bed, got up at 4:15 to prepare Breakfast for my family which we ate at about 4:45. I had a cup of tea and a thin Protein shake . . . which I pb'd about 5 minutes after I got it down (trying to will myself not to pb if you know what I mean). What was more concerning is that there was more to that pb then just tea and shake, so obviously I had a blockage and not everything was going down. I could not even get water down in the morning which gave me about 1 cup for all of yesterday. Also I have gone up 1 pound, which makes me crazy since I can not ingest hardly anything for days and the scale seems to be mocking my efforts at trying to get in some nutrients and hydration. So, I am very sad but I know that today is a loss. I can not fast today because I could not get in much yesterday. Today I am getting in plenty of liquid nutrition to offset a none-to-enjoyable evening. I also do not know if I can keep fasting in coming days, but I will try. Fasting is a very important part of my life and something to look forward to, but I think I need to accept that my body is changed after surgery. I think my lesson learned is that I need to consider an unfill once a year for about a month. I am not sure why I got so sick. I am also noticing that each night is getting a little more difficult to ingest anything. Could it be the date I ate??? Is my band just a lot tighter from having not used it throughout the day??? Could reduced hydration affect my stomach???

I would go in right away as well. There is no reason to risk your health and stay in agony. I would also try again to get ahold of your doctor and see if there is an answering service that can patch you through in case of emergency.

I liked the Isopure drinks as well (or shall we say I didn't dislike them greatly). You won't need to do much shopping ahead of time so it is OK to do it closer to surgery once you have your doctors list. One thing I would do is see if you can start getting samples of different kinds of Protein shakes so you can see what tastes tolerable for you. Another thing to keep in mind is quantity. I bought too much and I still have Protein shake leftovers six months later. Buy smaller amounts to make sure you like them and can use them.

I have always heard 1/2 to 1 hour after, my doctor says an hour. Just keep in mind that it is very true that once you start drinking, everything moves through the pouch quickly and you may get hungry quicker.