mini_me

i was taking 100mg of zoloft when i had surgery. it was never an issue. i would press the issue with the doc and find out what his concern is with the medication. i tended to REALLY overeat when i was not taking the medication. i am not a doc, but i know a lot about the medication, and i cannot think of a single ounce of reasoning for stopping the zoloft just for surgery. there must be some other factor. i know that sometimes these decisions can be due to malpractice insurance.

DITTO THAT FOR ME! i am 5'1" with a start weight of 218...bmi 39.9. the only thing i want to tell you is that i was banded 2 1/2 years ago, and in my experience and the experiences of my banded friends, those of us with low bmi's tend to lose slower. we may reach our final goals at about the same time as the higher bmi'ers, but it seems we lose less pounds per week/month/year than the higher bmi'ers. i have had only one low bmi friend with the band who met her goal within a year (i think it was 8 months she went from 230 or so to 135). after 2 1/2 years, i have lost from 218 to 155, with 20 lbs left to reach my goal. ((i only lost 17 lbs the entire first year...and that came off immediately after surgery. so i went nearly a year without seeing the scales move at all. then, quite suddenly, the weight starting dropping off significantly. i don't know why it happens that way, but MANY of my low bmi friends have had this same type of experience)) all that said NOT to dampen or disappoint, just so you can adjust your expectations to prepare for the possibility of very slow results. expect slow results, then if you are a turtle, you won't have to deal with disappointment...and if you are a rabbit, then all the better. best of luck to you.

snacking and grazing? looks like part of the explanation you are looking for. aside from that...be patient. i know it is hard to do, but give it some time. i only lost 17 pounds the first year, and that was all lost the first few weeks. i had to suffer the rest of the first year with NOTHING lost and periodically regaining and losing the same 10 of the 17 lbs. i was miserable too. when i finally gave up on trying to be as tight as possible, and unfilled a little. eased up on my strict diet, and resumed my normal pre-band foods, just in SERIOUS moderation, the pounds started melting off. i have now lost all but 20 of my excess pounds. talk to the doc about a little bit of an unfill. keep up your exercise regimen. reconsider your diet. YOU HAVE TO FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. best of luck to you. i know it is hard sometimes, but make a long term goal...where do you want to be two years from now? i bet you come a lot closer to making that goal than you think you will. i would have never guessed i would be 20 lbs from my goal right now. i have been banded for 2 1/2 years now...the first 3 weeks, lost 17, by the end of 17 months, i was still at 17 lbs lost. over the next five months, i lost 25 lbs. and did not even realize it because i had given up on dieting and weighing. my friends pointed out how big my clothes were, and i went to buy more. i found that i had gone from a size 16 to a size 8!! i dont even know how i was managing to keep those big clothes on. i stepped on the scales and learned something about myself. try to relax a little...maybe thinking about other things will help you overcome this.

your feelings are VERY normal!! if i had a dime for every time that i read the words..."have i made a mistake" or "what have I done?" I have read of some who regret getting their band, but the majority of members on this forum love their band. you are still too early on to make a determination as to whether this is working for you. give it some time to work. i lost only 17 lbs the first year, but now, at 2 1/2 years, i have lost 63 lbs, and only have 20 more to go. that first year, i really questioned my decision, but now, i know that this is a long term solution to a long term problem! best of luck to you

i will be praying for you. this has to be very scary. just hang in there! i wish you the best.

I cannot eat two bites of tuna. it is not the amount, it is the texture. i just can't do tuna at all. many people can do it fine. the band is different for everyone. i have NEVER heard of a band coming with some/any liquid in it. i have been reading here since january/february 2006 and i have never read that! that seems a little dangerous! add the fill to the normal swelling and you risk a very dangerous situation! i would not think that a single PB (throwing up) episode would damage your band. repeated episodes can be very risky. i would still mention it to the surgeon. he/she is always best for answering questions on this matter. best of luck to you.

Good luck to you.

are your fills done under flouro? it could be a leak of course, but it sounds like dilatation to me. those were my EXACT symptoms, and that is what my problem was. a quick unfill for a few weeks resolved my issues. good luck.

do a little research on this forum, and all of your questions will be answered. you probably do not have a fill. i was on liquids for two weeks, then mushies for a couple of days, then released to solids as long as i promised to chew chew chew! listen to your band with each bite you take. as time goes by, you will feel all the little clues that the band gives you. i get the clammy feeling when i fail to properly chew. i don't really PB, but when i swallow without chewing well, as my body pushes the food through, i get the cold, sweaty, clammy feeling...the one that i imagine you get right before you DIE!! be super careful pushing the limits of your band this soon (i understand you probably did not do this on purpose, just be extra careful)...your band needs time to settle in its place and heal with some scar tissue. throwing up or PBing moves your stomach around, risking undoing the work that your body has done to try to anchor the band in place. i have no advice on the nutrition aspect. i gave up on that a long time ago. i eat what i want, chew well, and stop when my band says i am full. no exceptions. never over eat, and never eat when not hungry. after 2 years, i have lost 63 of the 80 pounds that i plan to lose. gas pains are real for many, and last from days to weeks for some. you should likely have a pretty sore area where the port is...mine was stitched into my stomach wall, there was no doubt where it was located. plus, i had those wonderful HELLO pains for months after surgery. everyone has their own experience with the band. everyone has their own method of living with the band. this is the guidance i can offer. it is not right for everyone, but it is right for me. you will have to do the research and find what is right for you. best of luck to you! and congrats on the new baby!

measuring went away for me. once you learn how to listen to your band, it will do the measuring for you!!

WOW!! finally, someone on here that thinks like i do. i dieted my first year with the band and only lost 17 lbs. i was miserable. i was still having to measure food and count calories, and i had spent all of this money but was losing NO weight. so i visited my regular doc, who suggested that i eat what my body wanted me to eat, just listen to my band and let it be the tool for moderation that it is intended for. when i did this, the pounds started melting off. now, i dont count calories, or grams of Protein, etc. if i want an ice cream, i eat one, but nowadays, instead of getting a large blizzard and finishing it then wanting more, i eat about half of it and i am sick of it. i never thought i would know that sensation. i never understood those ppl who paid $4 for an icecream, then threw half of it out. my band has helped me get to that point. i am currently 20 lbs away from my goal weight, and it has taken 2 1/2 years. not exactly the rapid results that many of us expect and hope to see, but nevertheless, i am currently smaller than i EVER thought i would be 3 years ago. but anyway, back to topic...did not mean to hijack the thread...your complaint is a common one that you will see over and over on this board. once the swelling from surgery goes down, your stomach is wide open. the doc does not want you eating solids or big portions because he wants your band to heal in its place...with your stomach and stitches forming scar tissue around the band to help secure it in its place. this process does NOTHING for hunger, so you are probably still hungry. and as far as your calorie count...your body is probably trying to hold on to its old metabolism. it has probably noticed the decrease in calories and has accordingly adjusted your metabolism to maintain the status quo...which is heavy. just keep the faith and know that if you sit on that plateau for a year, eventually, your body will respond. exercise is a must. the band did not help me in that area...it was just me and my will power to get my butt to the gym. good luck...hang in there. it will get better!

WARNING...i am a SUPER slow loser, so my advice is not always the best. if i crave something, i eat it. i have learned moderation with the help of my band. you have to be careful with cereal though because it is so high in sugar. it has been two years since i was banded, and since i have gone all this time with the small portions, i cannot even eat a half of a bowl of cereal. i start to get that sick feeling that we have at thanksgiving when we have stuffed ourselves. i started out trying to stick with the 'diet' program and my band, but i quickly realized that if i could diet, i would have done it without the band. i met with my general practicioner who advised me to eat my normal diet, just let the band guide me. i eat most all of the foods i always ate, just in SIGNIFICANTLY smaller portions. i have surpassed my first goal of 40 lbs loss, surpassed my second goal of 60 pounds loss, and i am slowly trucking my way to 80 lbs loss. if you want to lose all of your weight in 18 months, don't listen to me, but if you have the rest of your life to get lighter, then hear me. i have been happy with my 'diet' and i am super please with my results. so...the moral of my story is this...if your band has helped you gain control of your ability to stop eating, then have your bowl of cereal. if not, stay away from it, the sugar is addicting. if you are new to bandland, then take tiny, tiny test bites. some cereals for me are out of the question because they seem to 'scratch' as they pass my band, no matter how mushy they get in milk. pain is a sign of BAD. test a serving of the cereal in milk for a little while in the bowl to see how big it gets. you don't want to overfill your lower stomach, that can be just as critical as overfilling your pouch. good luck to you and tony!!! have a GRRRRRRREAT day!

i sent you a private message...do you get a big chunk of change at income tax time? that could be a solution to the credit problem.

This sounds like my experience. Just get all the liquids in that you can and get plenty of rest. You are only 48 or so hours out. Your body needs time. I was told to drink at least an ounce every ten minutes, but i was not limited to that amount. if you can drink more in ten minutes, it is prolly ok. listen to your body. if it is not ok with your band, the band will let you know right quick. take it easy and try to not worry. if you are still concerned in the morning, give the good ole doc a buzz.

Wow! 48lbs?!! Great job! Congrats!

The recommendation for having a BMI of 40 or above is just that...a recommendation. The insurance is pretty strict with the requiremement from what I understand, but I have not heard doctors being that strict on the requirement. I was a 38 (maybe even a 37, i cant remember). The doc encouraged me to try without the band, and we discussed my past dieting failures. I told him I really wanted to do this, and he agreed, stating that if we did not do it now, I would definitely be at a bmi of 40 within a year. It was only ten pounds away. Good Luck to you. Keep in mind that (at least in my experience) most of the lower BMI-ers lose slower than the higher BMI-ers. I only lost 20 the first year, another 25 the second year, and about 15 in the six months after that. That first year was absolutely agonizing. I wanted to see results, but I was seeing nothing...eating very little, but not losing weight. But eventually, me and my band prevailed.

i deducted my expenses when i had the surgery. there are requirements though. when i did it, i think that the medical expenses had to be greater than 7.5% of your total income (or something like that).

i am a low bmi'r. i started at 218, 208 on surgery day, and i am 5'1".

i think it is too early to say that you have hit a plateau. If you can say you have lost 5 lbs since may 23, then you are losing, right? and if you have not lost anything since may 23, then chew on this...i went for almost a full year with out seeing the scales budge. THAT, my friend, is a plateau. so, i tell you this to say...dont get discouraged so quickly. i was banded 2 years ago in march, and i am now 20 lbs from goal (met my first goal, made a new one). this can be a slow process. hang in there and dont lose your faith!!! best of luck to you.

Best of luck to you. I hope you are able to find a way to fix your band and make this work. For the record...(for those researching)...i love my band and have had no complications, no problems, no malfuntions, no regrets, none at all!!!

ummm...that is more than i lost my first year, and i had 8 or 10 fills the first year. you are doing fine. we use tools when we need them to make our life easier. i don't think you are a flunkie for your progress and use of the tool you have. i admire you for the 30lb loss!

I feel for you. That must be terribly frustrating. Good Luck in your journey...I hope things get better!

first, i want to tell all of you that you are doing a great job! with that out of the way...i must tell you not to lose the faith! i lost 17 or so lbs pretty fast after surgery in march 2006. i maintained that loss for over a year...no additional loss/no gain. i was really beginning to doubt whether i had made the right decision. i stopped counting calories and grams of this and grams of that. i started eating a very normal diet of the foods that i typically enjoyed...only in a much much smaller quantity. that is when my weight loss took off. to this day, i will not count calories, etc. i eat what i want, in moderation with the help of my band. i listen to every peep my band makes. when it is time to stop eating, i stop, when i am hungry, i eat. if i crave ice cream, i eat a single serving...and guess what, now that my body has a new expectation for serving sizes, if i am inclined to eat a double serving of icecream, it makes me ill...literally...i get sick to my stomach when i eat too much. the band has truly modified my behavior. good luck to everyone. i know, firsthand, how frustrating it can be to live life as a turtle, especially when all of the rabbits are speeding by, but rest assured...slow losers are not alone in this battle. you guys will do great!! keep doing what you know is right!

try not to let yourself get frustrated during the week and a half lull...sometimes the loss kinda comes and goes. i lost 17 lbs real fast, then stalled out for over a year...then went on to lose a total of 60 lbs. i am 10-20 lbs away from goal, depending on which goal i decide to achieve (it was first 138, then 148, so whatever). it has taken me over two years to get this far. keep working and using your band as a tool to help you, but dont get too caught up in the whole movement that says you must lose 100 lbs in a year!! ((some people do, and you may, but just concentrate on working hard and keep the faith during those 'lulls'.)) losing for good is always better than gaining, even in a lull. best of luck to you!!

oh, hey paige. you will find a lot of people with great things to say about Mexico, and a lot with great things to say about Dr. Spivak. i adore Dr. Spivak. he is really great, and he is attentive to my needs.