RestlessMonkey

Welcome! Not where you are exactly...but wanted to tell you hello. WW is a good diet; when will your 6 months be up? I like WW a lot but wore out on counting and weighing and writing everything. However it is very healthy and works for lots of people! I'm glad, though that my ins didn't require me to do a 6-month diet; I've done SO MANY! LOL

Andrea, be sure and let me know how it goes, ok? People like you are my role models (not to make you nervous or anything LOL just being honest) so I'll be interested to see how you handle it. I think you are really working the band and it is working for you! :teeth_smile:

DONT EAT! LOL Your stomach, to aid in digestion, churns like a little washing machine. We don't feel it but it does it, just another miracle in our bodies. Until the band is well seated and healed, eating solids (even mush) will trigger that churning and can rip your band loose, causing slippage and/or erosion. So hang in there and follow the schedule set by your doctor! You'll be glad you did! And I too have absolutely no restriction. That isn't uncommon. Until they start tightening the band, things are wide open. Think of the difference in wearing a loose dress, or a tight belt that cinches you in. You're in the loose dress phase. The fills will start closing the "stoma" and will form the pouch that will hold your food. Until then, you are almost as wide open as you once were. That 2ccs doesn't mean much, depending on the size of your band! So hang in there, no ham salad yet, (smart of you to ask first! LOL) and you'll get restriction after several fills! (My doc said it may take 4 or more for me to feel full for 4-5 hours on 1/2 cup of food, just fyi)

Yeah, I'm a "teller", too. It amazes me how nice and truly interested many people are....and too if I tell it will help keep me straight! :teeth_smile: Sounds like you are beyond ready!

That's great! Good luck! I too have found many enthusiastic people, and my husband was on board from the start. Bless him, he's even followed the preop and post op diets with me (above and beyond, I think!) Be sure and let us know when you are approved!

I'm 53 and banded 8/29. Although I don't have kids, at 405 and 5'5" I was almost home bound. I have a LOT of living I still want to do and being a beached whale just didn't factor in to the equation for me. I have done every diet known to man, and even went through 11 months of behavioral therapy (on my own, not an insurance requirement). That therapy was very useful in that I learned WHY I overeat and with the band, feel I'll be successful in finally controlling it. (we aren't all emotional overeaters; I wasn't) The biggest change for me, so far, is true HOPE. Sure I've lost 40+ pounds before but then would get bored or tired of the regimen or get sick or whatever (life would happen) and I'd gain it all back plus another 20-30. Got me to where I was on 7/3! Now I know, with the band, I can be satisfied with less food. Satisfied. not hungry. Wow. I can deal with any "head hunger"...but now I don't have to "journal" every bite. I don't have to count every calorie until the day I die. I have to make good choices, chew well, avoid carbonation and don't drink liquid with meals, and BAM I'm good. Wow. (did I say Wow?) LOL I have hope again. And this time, I'm losing more than 45 pounds, and I'm keeping it off. This time next year I'll be smaller than I am this year. Miraculous! For me, the band will save my life, in many ways.

I have bad news for you...you would probably need to quit smoking, too, to get the band. I think more research is in order for you. I don't now how overweight you are (not really any of my business!) but just because your "brother" thinks you need the lap band doesn't mean you do. If you are intrigued, go to a seminar, buy a book or two (amazon has some good ones) and educate yourself. Actually RNY surgery (bypass) is touted as a diabetes "cure". Not lap band. But lap band can stave it off, or cause it to remit if you eat properly and exercise. As I said, if you are really happy with yourself and your life, then good for you and tell your brother you're happy for him but you don't want the band too thank you very much. If you want to be thinner and/or healthier, more active, etc, look into the band. Either way, please yourself, you can't do it for someone else no matter how loved he or she may be.

I was petrified that I'd be a "burp monster" and I just find burping too too rude. BUT It is getting better day by day. So I have to agree; it improves. Hang in there! :teeth_smile:

We really are all different! Honestly if I were losing 2-3 pounds a week and eating like you describe, then as long as I wasn't ravenous between meals (and you don't say you are) that sounds like heaven to me....a perfect mix of restraint and indulgence! I hope to be able to eat anything, just smaller portions than before. I plan to make healthy choices, but if I can eat more than 2 green Beans and 1 bite of baked chicken, well, GO me! :teeth_smile: Only you know what works best for you, though, not your doc or we other bandsters. You've gotten some good tips so if you want a fill, you should be able to convince your surgeon to do it for you. He just doesn't want you to be so restricted the only things you can eat are "slider" foods (I guess...actually don't have a clue what he wants but that sounds logical LOL) Good luck. You're doing great already, to my thinking, so I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right thing for you!

Welcome and good luck! When are you supposed to hear, do you know?

Katzrule you need education on diabetes, not the band. There are many types of diabetes. DM II is the type that responds to a change in diet, exercise (very crucial) and weight loss. Too much for me to go into here but google it. Not all smokers have lung cancer or emphysema, eithern but the correlation is rock solid. Same with obesity and DM II. I'm 53 and weighed 405 and DID NOT have DM II YET....but over the years my blood sugar and triglycerides crept up as I aged, became more sedentary, and put on weight.

Yes AliNSanDiego spitting out something that is bad, or will choke you, or whatever is VERY different from the essence and point of this thread. If I take a bite of something that tastes rancid, say, and spit it out, that's not the same as my standing at a trash can, chewing up and then spitting out a half pizza or some such. It is dysfunctional, per the article I found, and if one has an urge to do it, instead of being judgmental (and I apologize...just never heard of it) I think people should be urged to seek some therapy ASAP before the problem grows and becomes more pervasive.

I would suggest going to a seminar and getting a good "start" on your education. But it sounds to me like you are right; the band won't do much for you. Until and unless you want to lose weight and will work at it, the band will just sit in there doing nothing. Not all overweight people want to lose. Not all who want to, can. We're all different! If you are happy like you are, then good for you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart! :teeth_smile: I like food, too. I just like living more. Personally at 405 pounds I couldn't get around and "do" like I wanted to. For me, being able to travel, to work, to LIVE (and I have a husband but no kids) was more important than being able to have a milkshake every day. Furthermore I'm a nursing student and DM II is almost an epidemic here where I live. I have seen TOO many people, younger than I, who have lost a limb (or 2) or are facing dialysis because of their disease. When my primary doc told me that within 3 months I'd need diabetic meds you can bet your bippy I was totally on board with losing weight. There is no sweet treat on earth, no plate of nachos, no food worth losing a leg or finger or kidney over. NONE. But, that's just my opinion. If you don't want to lose, or aren't ready to change how you eat (and why), then you are 100% right. The band will be a waste, at the least.

I'm so glad you were ok! And you know what, kudos for "fessing up" and admitting it was wrong. I know you will really Kick "A" with the band! Thanks for sharing, both the "good" and the "bad" :teeth_smile:

SHe should discuss this with her doctor and get a colonoscopy. Pronto! :teeth_smile: Most people with the band, if they are going to have an issue, are constipated because of eating protein and less fiber, veggies etc. Your daughter needs professional input.

DebbiePerez your story was funny but one caveat....you shouldn't have lied about urinating! They don't ask that cuz it's fun for them LOL you could've damaged your kidneys etc. Just wanted other people to realize that lying about stuff to your nurses may be human but it isn't always the best course; trust me, they have good medical reasons for wanting certain things to happen. I've known people who have real trouble post op because they can't urinate and go on home and are back for a longer stay several days later w/impaired kidneys etc. So I'm glad things all went well for you and your story was cute and I laughed along "with" you....but don't lie to your nurses! LOL

You're luck that PT jobs even offer insurance; down here they usually don't! Good luck!

Yes, what they said! :teeth_smile: Regular burping is normal! And if you get TOO tight nothing will go down....

If you don't get any posts, you might try entering your doc's last name in the search bar at the top right of the page. You'll get a list of posts....click on those and then his name will be in RED in the body of any post that references him. I found several so it might be worth it for you if no one sees this! Good luck!

Good luck! that's close to when I get my 1st fill (Oct 9)

PB stands for productive burp and according to my surgeon, only happens when you don't chew properly or take too large a bite, or both. Some bandsters would disagree but for the most part, that's when it happens. If you get in a rush to eat, forget about the band etc, a bite of food gets stuck and if it can't go down, it must come back up. Never done it (no restriction yet) and hope I never do. Some don't ever! So don't borrow trouble as my mom would say; just remember once you are getting "fills" to chew chew chew tiny bites and proceed with caution if trying a "new" food.

Sorry I can't really help you except to say I think you're right to check with your cardiologist; in fact he and your surgeon should probably have a talk. From what I know of coumadin, it might be dicey to keep taking it with the band; is your cardiologist aware of and on board with your surgery? A-Fib is nothing to play around with; do they think losing weight will make it resolve? You're right to be cautious but if you don't discountinue the drug as early as your surgeon asked, be sure you tell him. He needs to know what he's facing when he operates on you! GOod luck!

Sounds like you need a good GI doc and an endoscopy. You may need a different drug, or more of it...Please get that checked. If you know its reflux and not a lung issue, you're getting worse and need help pronto. You can't function without sleep! Your surgeon should be able to refer you, or your PCM. Good luck; please don't put it off! Life's too short!

You need to call your surgeon Monday and ask. You were doing everything right but sometimes things can still go wrong. Your port may have flipped, or it may be nothing! best to be sure! Don't suffer in silence...that's never smart and if it IS something "wrong" better to get it fixed right away!

LOL Sorry I'll admit I didn't look...I'm 53 and they had to have "urine" to give me a pregnancy test before my lap band surgery. LOL What a hoot!