Tristessa

Wow, it's been a long time since there have been any updates in here. Maintaining between 180-185lbs but I'm 7 weeks pregnant so that will change. Hope everyone is doing well!

According to What to Expect When You're Expecting the reasoning behind waiting 12-18 months post-op is that those months are when you lose the most weight the quickest; you see the most drastic weight loss during that time and then have a stabilizing period and it being best to weight until your weight is stable until you conceive. I can't imagine with the band it being dangerous or even all that worrisome if you conceive prior to that though, with the ability to fill/defill as needed, so long as you seek care from your family physician, OB and lapband surgeon. I'll be working with all three throughout my pregnancy. It's still quite early for me (5 weeks) but I'm already feeling the morning sickness.

Yes, you should get anywhere from $1200-$1800 back from Alberta Health Care if you have surgery out of country. The out of country form is here:http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/AHCIP-form-AHC0934.pdf Out of province form for Physician services: http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/AHCIP-form-AHC0693.pdf Take the physician services form with you and have the clinic fill in the physician information. Then get a detailed, itemized receipt for all services, tests, etc. that were completed during your stay. You can submit that with the above forms to AHS.

I know back when I was banded there was a doctor at the Grande Prairie hospital that would do fills and bill them through AHC so you wouldn't have to pay, provided your doctor wrote a letter, but I don't know if this is still the case. I don't know what's available north of Calgary. I've met a few people at Dr. Mitchell's office from Edmonton, so I'm guessing options are limited. I had my surgery done by Dr. Ortiz with Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. Best of luck in your journey.

I am at 2.2cc in a 4cc band. I could probably stand to be a little tighter but this is the tightest I've ever had my band. I haven't had to have really aggressive fills to get tight restriction. I have however had significantly more fills than most do. I think I'm at 13 or 14 now? I've had to be filled and defilled quite a few times because of how sensitive my band/stomach seems to be. I can't say I have one set sweet spot, I've hit multiple sweet spots and as the weight came off, the band needed to be adjusted again. I am only ever filled .2cc at a time though so it has been a long process. My longest run at what was my sweet spot lasted about five months when I was at 2.2cc the first time. I then had to be defilled due to what was thought to be a slip (fortunately it was not) and was gradually increased back up to 2.2cc over the course of nine months. I honestly didn't really see the scale drop significantly until I started weight lifting and interval training. That coupled with the lapband diet was what really made the weight start falling off. Unfortunately due to multiple injuries I have had to stop and have been on an eight month plateau.

How are you doing for pain now? I hope you're recovering ok and getting some relief from the pain. Is bypass still an option you're considering?

You can tone up your lower body with just squats, lunges etc. but if you do them with weights you'll get killer definition a lot quicker. ChaLEAN Extreme might be something worth checking out. The weight lifting is three days a week, heavy weights, fewer reps and you really do get results and (from my experience) you feel fantastic when you start getting lots of definition. I LOVE the feeling of my shoulders, legs, etc. etc. getting hard and defined, and just love feeling strong in general. When I first started CE I was lifting a max. of 15lbs (per arm, 30lbs total) working my lower body and by the end I was lifting up to 35lbs (70lbs total) when doing lower body work (weighted lunges, squats etc.) and I didn't bulk up. I actually lost 40lbs and 41 inches overall doing my first round of CE. The CE program also comes with cardio and a schedule of when to do what. I sing its praises because it really does work but if weight lifting really isn't for you Turbo Fire is a good program if your fitness level (and coordination) are there. There are the work outs and then a breakdown of the routines so you aren't thrown right into it. It's a lot of fun and a hell of a work out too!

I haven't done the Slim in 6 series but hear it's good. When I'm well enough (been too sick to work out beyond just walking lately) I do Turbo Fire, ChaLEAN Extreme and P90X and love them all. Do you do weights at all? I've found that Turbo Fire on its own does more for my upper body than my lower whereas ChaLEAN Extreme is really good for overall body toning (and it's not really just toning - you will put on some serious lean muscle doing CE. And P90X for that matter, but if you don't weight train I'd recommend a round of CE first and then hit the P90X.) I like the hybrid of TF and CE myself.

Now that I don't have really heavy periods like I did when I was heavier I actually gain more during TOM. I used to not really gain anything at all and if I did it was 1-2lbs but now I've put on as much as 8lbs at TOM. And never without fail, I always seem to book my fills (and the documented weigh-ins) during TOM. Even if I plan it all out in advance and estimate when my period should be starting! The 6lbs might seem discouraging but it'll come off once TOM is over. I'm with liese too, my weight fluctuates so much throughout the day. I'm about ready to throw my damn scale out so I don't obsess over it. But then I'm sure I'll start obsessing about not knowing. Hehehe.

I did have endoscopy done in January and my band is fine, no erosion, and the stomach is ok. I was h. pylori positive and was treated for that but am still sick. The surgeon I see for follow up care thought it was odd the GI doc made a diagnosis of GP without sending me an emptying test (I thought it was a little strange too, but I guess he figured I had everything else under the sun done so this must be what it is) so I'm going for an emptying test on March 1st. I'll stay on the Motilium until then and just live on a modified diet. It's weird that some people have success with a sleeve with GP and others have success with bypass. Some yet have no success with any and have to go the feeding tube route. My band itself seems to be fine though, so if I can find a way to live with it and a modified diet I'll be happy so long as I don't start gaining weight. I've learned to adapt to the liquid/mushy diet without going overboard with the calories and am finally seeing the scale move down again after it going up six pounds when I started consuming a lot of liquid calories. I've gotten better about not eating foods that cause me to get really gassy, though it still does happen on occasion, but I would get to the point where I looked 5-6 months pregnant I'd bloat so bad and the pain would be crippling. Sorry to hear that your band has eroded. That's one of my biggest fears with this and was what I was afraid was happening last year as I wasn't having slip symptoms but something seemed wrong with my stomach. I would really like to keep in touch to know how you're doing and what route you decide to go with.

I've gotten pretty good over the past few months of figuring out what my stomach can tolerate and what it can't (broccoli and oranges are an absolute NO for me) meat in very small quantities every couple of days unless I have a really bad day, then it's 5-7 days of straight liquids. My frustration is that the medication isn't working. I was hoping it would stimulate stomach movement enough to go back to eating band-size meals. It's not like I eat a huge plateful of food but most "meat" days as I call them I can only tolerate about one ounce of meat. And of course since it's not hitting the stomach instantly, if I eat too much I don't realize it until it's too late and I end up on liquids for days because of the pain and nausea. I really need to find a good dietitian who is familiar with both lap bands and GP. I'm really hoping that if I need to have the band removed that I can be converted to a sleeve. I've read of some people who have had some success after being sleeved with their GP. Since it will be for treatment of an illness and not a weightloss surgery I'm hoping that our healthcare will pay for it. Looks like revision surgery to a sleeve can be pretty pricey. I've been wondering if maybe getting an unfill might lessen the pressure on the vagus nerve and offer some relief so I'm going to see my fill doc tomorrow to run that, and a million other questions, by him. Thanks for the replies! I look forward to talking to you Kscott12!

As you lose weight the fat pad between the band and your stomach gets smaller so you do lose restriction as a result. It's possible that you've been losing weight from other areas and had a smaller fat pad to begin with and are now losing more weight from that area specifically, so that's why you're feeling less restriction now. Have you had a barium swallow or scope done in the last 2 years at all the check band position and health? Good luck!

Well, not the gallbladder and no ulcers.. Turns out it's gastroparesis. I'll be starting on Motilium in the new year and we'll see how that goes. Hopefully I won't have to lose the band and I can find a way to start eating "properly" again. I know raw vegetables are out and a lot of meat, but eating a couple of solid meals and then having to go on liquids for days is starting to suck. Gastroparesis usually comes with rapid weight loss - the one symptom I don't have - I've actually GAINED six pounds and am back up to 165lbs. But living on liquids is TOUGH!!! I understand now why I didn't lose much during my post-op liquid diet. Those liquid calories really add up. It also doesn't help that I'm so bloated I look about 6 months pregnant. Grrr. I'm really hoping to find a way to balance this and still keep my band. I'd really like to be able to eat solid food without getting so sick I can't stand it. I'm hoping the Motilium works and I can start feeling human again. I gotta say, I really miss lifting weights. Something I never thought I'd say, hehehe! 2-Lose-Fluff: I'm 5'5" - how are you doing? Getting back on track with the eating? Hope you're doing well. Happy holidays everyone!

When I was in for a fill in September Dr. Mitchell had said he'll be starting to do bands in Vancouver starting today, Nov. 8. I wasn't banded in Calgary, I was banded by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana in 2008, but I've had all of my follow up care with Dr. Mitchell. There is a Yahoo group for Calgary bandsters however it hasn't been all that active this year.

Friday will be 2 years since surgery. It's crazy how life has changed. I've been sick for the better part of this year but am getting closer to an answer. The doctor I see for my follow up care here believes I might have biliary dyskinesia and possibly an ulcer in my stomach. I have a HIDA scan scheduled for this coming Thursday and will have a gastroscopy done at some point later this month. If it's the gallbladder he'll take it out and hopefully that will be the end of the constant sickness and pain. I'm recovering from my neck injury I recieved earlier this year but between that and being so sick I haven't worked out much at all this year. I've still managed to lose 40lbs this year but I've lost a LOT of the muscle I developed and toned last year which has bummed me out a little. I'll get it back though. Being banded was the best decision I have ever made. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had the choice to make again. It truly has given me a chance at a normal life and I shudder to think of where I might be had I not had the surgery done, or if I'd still be alive. I hope the rest of you are well and enjoying life. :hi: Current weight: 159lbs - One pound away from 150lbs lost, 5lbs away from half of me lost.