mini_me

My issue turned out to be gallbladder related. All is well now, thank goodness!

Thanks for the info Karen. I actually had some pain today that reminded me of the pain at the height of the gallbladder attack. I still suspect I may have had some pancreatitis going on. I need to ask the doc if they checked the blood levels. My skin returned to its normal color, and is still normal. If I get that little tan thing going on again (with the pain), I am going to the ER.

Turned out to be gallbladder...which was curious to all since my pain was on the left side. Doc said this is rare, but happens. Gallbladder is now gone!

I have searched and I am not having luck. Can pancreatitis be diagnosed with endoscopy?

I searched this because I think I may have pancreatitis and was concerned that it may be related to the band. Through the little spat I was able to get a few facts about pancreatitis.

More importantly I want to say that I read this very unassumingly. When I read the post that read, "If your husband drinks...", well, I certainly did not read it as though an assumption had been made. In fact, when I asked my doc about this matter, his immediate response was, "If you drink...stop." He was referring to any drinking at all. He wants to halt all alcohol until we rule out pancreatitis. So, I believe the statement about whether your husband drank was actually sound advice given by an individual who has identifiied him/herself as a medical professional. I don't know, not trying to rehash anything...I was just a little taken back by how feelings were worn on shoulders. We should all remember that soooo much can be lost in the typewritten word. I TRULY don't believe that any insult was intended by the statement.

And Soexcited, I understand how stressful things can be when there is uncertainty regarding a medical condition. There is a lot of stress there. I really hope that you all have your answers. In addition, I hope you post anything new that you have learned. I am still trying to educate myself on this matter. I am terrified that my condition could be pancreatitis...and worse, I am scared to death that cancer is causing it. ((You know how us crazy people are...))

The whole community is reeling over this death. It is a true tragedy.

I am not sure how this could have been missed, especially since she was a physician herself. There is surely a lesson to be learned here.

I am very sympathetic to her family and friends.

If anyone learns who the doctor was, please IM me.

Does anyone know who her doctor was? ((not making any assumptions, i am already banded. just curious))

This was a very popular doctor in our area.

Report: Doctor died from infection > Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town > Conroe Courier > News

ummm...it has taken me 2 1/2 years to lose 60 pounds. you are not moving at a tortoise pace...you are sprinting at a rabbits pace.

slap yourself and snap out of it. you are doing great job...be proud of it and stop having unrealistic expectations!

I'm so encouraged by each of you. I've been 1yr 5mo post band and didn't get on any thread to learn any of these inside struggles. I've felt like a failure all this time only losing less than 30 lbs. but now know that is progress of others also. I still haven't found the sweet spot in adjustments (had 3 so far), but am close. I think I'll stay on this site more frequently to stay on track. Thanks!

WOW! 30 lbs is awesome for a starting weight of 179!!!! congrats! that is success in my view! WTG!

Mini--There had to be something that you started doing that made it come off again. More exercise? Slim Fast? I know you said the Chili/Frosty but I don't think so! However, that would be great! Anyhow, I have been sitting at 180-185 for 3/4 months now and could use any pointers that you may have. What was your Breakfast and dinner like? exercise routine?

Any help would be appricated!

CONGRATULATIONS WOMAN!

Truly? I did nothing different. I stopped worrying about it, and stopped comparing myself to others. I think you body just has to find its way back to a normal metabolism. Your body wants to hang on to that extra weight as long as it can because it thinks it is going to starve to death.

I did go back to school at the same time the weight loss picked up, but i was only taking one class and i only walked 100 yards to so to get from the parking lot to the school. my body just decided it was ok to let go of some of the weight.

thanks everyone for your kind words.

i created this thread to reassure the slow losers out there that there is always hope for a lighter future.

thanks girl... and tell your son.....Wazzup....((winks))

Before...After...

this is always fun...

My old A$$ could eat my new A$$!!

Before...after...

Before...after...

Before... and After

Ok, so I guess this is my first before and after that I am really proud of! I love the idea of before and after pants pics! I kept ONE pair of my big girl pants just to remind me of how far I had come...I don't know why I never thought to take a pic!

Before @ 210ish on surgery day:

After today at 155ish:

Before...

After...

Pants!!!! My old A$$ could eat my new one! ((I just realized...these are the same pants as above in the before pics!!!!))

i am 5'2" and currently 155 or so. I have the junk in the trunk curse, so i have a smaller waist and big hips.

i wear 6 or 8 pants depending on the brand, medium shirts, and mostly size 8 dresses.

i think predicting what size you will be is impossible. when i weighed 155 before i gained to my heaviest weight, i wore a size 10. I am a much healthier and fit 155 this time around though.

Oh, I am so glad for that update. I worried about you all day!

No, this is not normal.. you should not be in this condition. call the good doc ASAP! try to to take sips of Water until u get the doc on the phone.

i was at 39 when banded.

it seems like most of us with a lower bmi lose at a much slower rate in the beginning. in my experience and observations, most of us are as close to our goal as the higher bmi'ers after two years.

i have only known ONE low bmi'er to lose to goal within a year.

over and over, i read of low bmi'ers being REALLY discouraged with their low numbers of loss the first year. don't expect immediate results. set a long term goal for weight loss and look forward to that.

i lost 17 lbs the first two weeks after surgery. it was over a year before the scales moved again. it has been 2 1/2 years since surgery for me, and i have lost 63 lbs and i am 20 away from my goal of 135.

well, when i am in need of a fill, i can eat a cup of food very quickly. when properly filled, it takes me 20 minutes to eat it. a cup of food won't fit in my pouch when i am properly filled. i HAVE to let my stomach pass some food through my pouch before i can eat a reasonable amount of food. now, typically, by the time i get to the last of my 'cup' of food, i am really tired of eating. however, there are times when i am weak and find myself consuming a food for more than 20 minutes/1cup (usually a food that i have a weekness for). that has nothing to do with restriction.

my doc asks about how long it takes me to eat a cup of food. if i can eat it fast, he wants to take a look at my band under flouro to see if i am dilatated and we also make adjustments to the band...mostly fills, but once an unfill due to dilatation.

BEEEEE CAREFUL! you should always follow doctors orders.

even if you chew really well, your lower stomach still has to do a lot of churning and contracting to digest it. you want your stomach to remain as still as possible so that your band can heal in its place. this time allows the stitches used to affix the band to its proper place on your stomach to heal and allows scar tissue to grow and firmly root the band in its place. by eating solid foods so soon, you may be jeopardizing your body's ability to heal the band in its place. that could potentially lead to lots of problems in the future, from slipping to erosion.

Just be careful. you should really commit yourself to following doctors orders. at least give it a few more weeks before your cheat.

so glad I could help. just keep the faith...i kept telling myself that if i kept feeding my body this small amount of foods that eventually the weight would HAVE to come off....and it did!!

also...when i was counting calories and grams of this and that...i lost nothing. my pcp advised that i go back to my normal diet, which was not unbalanced, it was just in EXCESSIVE amounts. i eat WHATEVER i want now, and i listen to my band so that i stop at a reasonable amount. when i adopted this practice, i just so happened to start losing weight again. the pcp says that my body was shocked by the diet change and shut down the metabolism. most people can trick their bodies over time to adopt the new diet and return the metabolism to normal, but not EVERYONE. my pcp says that i gave my body the foods that it was accustomed to and the foods my body wanted, and my body returned the favor by not freaking my metabolism out. my body did not think i was trying to starve it anymore and returned my metabolism to a normal state...and the pounds went away.

he explains it better, but i hope that made sense.

good luck to you.

on the ticker...Graphical Tickers and Trackers: Weight Loss, Trying To Conceive, Pregnancy... is what i use. copy the entire Bb code and paste it where you want it. make sure you are getting the entire code. usually when it fails it is because we are missing a tiny part of the end of the code.

ummmm...i dont think that 20 lbs in 8 months is bad at all. I lost only 17 lbs the first year and a half. i started out at 218. i just kept reminding myself that if i keep following the rules of the band, i will eventually see the results. Finally, after all those long, long months, the scales started moving. I lost 25 lbs the next year, and today, i have lost 63 lbs, and I have 20 to goal.

I think it is wayyyy too early to call yourself a failure. You need to give yourself and your body more time to work.

Just a note...my weight loss has stalled at all of the same points where my weight GAIN stalled as i was getting bigger. My first weight jump was in my late teens/early 20's when i went from 115-145, my second was in my mid 20's when i went to 160's, then in my late thirties, i went to 200, then after i turned 30, 210's.

I have plateau'd at 200, then i suddenly lost rapidly to 160's. i have stalled at 155. i am betting when i suddenly start losing again, i will plateau at 140-145, then i will lose to goal.

did that make sense?

did you spend a lot of time at your current weight at some time in your life?

I, too, had headaches after surgery. I never read of anyone else with this issue following surgery, and I never spoke up about it. I always suspected it was somehow related to my new apparatus. The headaches lasted about a year or so. Quite suddenly, they stopped. I tried to analyze differences in my diet, but I found nothing. I can't provide an explanation nor a solution, but I can tell you of my experience and maybe give a little validation that others have possibly experienced this also.

Best of luck to you. My headaches went away...i pray that yours will too!!