RestlessMonkey

The high protein diet and/or rapid weight loss can cause us to really produce uric acid. Just as an example I don't have gout...but my uric acid levels right now are almost double the "norm" because of my diet and loss. SO they have me taking allopurinol to prevent gout. Are you on a medication? If not, can you be? Some do a more "balanced" diet but this is something you should discuss with a surgeon and/or nutritionist so they can for sure give you good info. The pills do it for me and I assume eventually I won't need them.

OK LULUC don't assume you know my mindset. I believe EVERYONE should question. That means that if Wasa quotes stats and can't back them up they should be questioned. That means if I say "people all post here with problems" and I'm wrong, I SHOULD BE questioned...as you did, and as I apologized for and agreed with you about. But don't assume you know my "mindset" from my posts. What is personal opinion, anecdotal evidence, etc is NOT scientific inquiry. I know that and I think we ALL know that. Personally I don't want the sleeve or bypass. Many do! And I truly wish that you'd ended up happy with what you got. And I hope the OP finds his/her way to whatever solution works. But don't counter one statistic with another unless you have the source. Otherwise it's just who shouts the loudest and that's not really good debate. I think if the OP isn't happy she shouldn't get the band and think I was pretty clear about that without being anal enough to go back and reread. She's (or he's?) going to do what s/he thinks is best anyway, not something someone posts here (I HOPE not anyway. None of us are that wise)

Ok I remember. Respectfully, until I see em I will be a doubter and even IF I read them I'll have to check them out ... I'm sure you understand that. And believe me I know myself pretty darned well after all these years. We're all different, remember...and I have mulled, researched, studied, read, agonized, prayed, meditated and still don't want bypass. nor the sleeve. I think it is wonderful it's there for some people. But I don't want it. I believe in never say never but lets put the odds at slim to none for this fat chick getting bypass. I'm not saying it from a knee jerk position, understand. I do my research too, I'm not your average "noob".

Ok my friend. But trust me I don't want my stomach removed. I'm 1 year out, kind of "medical" and personally I'm not giving it up. (unless god forbid i get stomach cancer or something) Fat is a demon I know. Anyway I still want your source for your stats and while I am sure you are bona fide about them i need to read and mull them myself (and consider their source) before I buy in.

Don't don't DONT cheat on the postop diet. Many of us think of cheating on a diet as a kind of lifestyle but this one should be called a "Prescription for good recovery" and not a diet. When we eat food (any food we chew) our stomachs churn to aid in digestion. (and trust me, one bite, one mouthful, is too much. That won't be enough to help you, but one mouthful may be the mouthful that causes a slip) That churning can tear loose the sutures that are holding your band in place while it heals. If it helps, MANY of us are hungry post op. My BMI was higher than yours and I have 20 years on you. I stuck it out. It's hard but very important. Some cheat and get away with it but what if, when you play that game of russian roulette, what if you aren't the lucky one? So stick to your post op diet. You'll be glad you did. If you are just starving to weakness call your surgeon on Monday and tell him.

I HOPE it does the trick for you. At least it can't hurt! Good luck!

you're probably totally correct...once again caught using myself as a ruler (god knows I TRY not to do that!) I don't go to the areas where there are people who've been on here a long time and all know each other and chat..etc...or threads that have MANY pages. so shame on me. The area I frequent on here...people post with problems. how's that? And the bottom line is we all have to research and find the path for us. For some that may NOT include ANY WLS. I still believe you should check the SOURCE of any statistics you "hear". Don't trust me, or Luluc, or Wasabubblebutt...or even your surgeon, unless we can back up what we say! I can tell you that I love my band but am only 11 months out. I can tell you that I would not EVER have had my stomach cut up or removed and I can say that if I have a band complication now or in the future I'm not sure I'd agree to the sleeve. I still wouldn't get bypass. I've "read" the pros on here. I still wouldn't. Uh uh. That's just ME though. Not you, not the next person. In other words, I can't really help you decide this, none of us really can. I can tell you though that you are right to question, you are right to postpone or cancel if you aren't sure, you are right to hold off until and unless you find the solution that is right for you. I think we'd probably all agree with that one. Just remember that the odds of diet/exercise alone working are really slim. Don't let your life slip by while you mull it over.

Ok I ask because my surgeon said effectively that the dryer you are, the tighter your band. I'd try getting 64 oz in today and tomorrow and see if that helps. I've offered this "solution" before and for a good chunk it makes a world of difference. That may not be your issue but it can't hurt to try!

I totally like and respect Wasabubblebutt! she knows that and I want you to know it too. I think she does good research. Having said that, I want to see the studies that back up her statistics. What I found, like the link below , lists MUCH lower repairs/revisions/replacement. The only other person I know besides me who has the lap band has had it since 2003 and loves it still, no issues. That is an admittedly SMALL sample, of 1. LAP-BAND: Statistics subframe and another, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63973.php Again I say ask your surgeon for stats and get the sources of those stats, review, decide. Wasa may be right and I know she thinks she is or she wouldn't post that but until I can see those figures and consider the source myself, I have to kindly say ... well, maybe, or maybe not.

I don't even want to tell you guys what happens if you wait too long and get too constipated. Lets just say it was one of the true "horrors" of nursing school and involves gloved hands and people's posteriors...and I'm not talking about suppositories or enemas. so don't let it go too long!

Check with your surgeon to be sure. DId you get the fill? Sorry but from your post I can't exactly tell. I know you got a fill and then an unfill but the last "slight fill" did it happen? And are you gettinhg 64 oz of Water each day?

Your body is HEALING. Give the poor thing a chance! Seriously...this isn't a time for loss. You know that! Quit weighing.

Sorry, no idea. You'll need to ask her! All any of us could do is just guess, and you can do that!

I agree it's a little early in the game for you to have a port that is so visible! Mine is still buried under an ample fat pad. Check with your surgeon; it doesn't sound right.

I take about 20 pills a day (most of them vitamins/supplements) and I have absolutely no problem, nor have I ever since the day after surgery when I took the ones that didn't require they be taken with food. Not all are as lucky but go over your meds (take them in if they are especially large) with your surgeon and he can guide you. (take them to the seminar if necessary! A good doc will go over them with you) My potassium pills are HUGE. They go down fine.And I'm at my sweet spot.

Modern anesthesia is a miraculous thing. I never once felt groggy. We are all different...but I'll share some things that helped me. Initially they put you "out' and it's like you're On and then Off. There's no slow descent (like sleep) You're awake and alert and then you are in recovery. You don't have a sense of time passing. So immediately in recovery before I do anything I find a clock and see what time it is. That helps orient me. THEN...you'll probably have a mask on. That is to help clear the anesthesia/gas from your lungs. Take long slow breaths. Breathe deeply (you may be a little sore or stiff but DO it!) and exhale completely. This will help you immensely! I felt a little like going back "to sleep" and personally fought it. I looked around...at the nurse, at the recovery room, whatever I could see. Within about 5 seconds the "go back under" feeling passed. I could hear someone saying "Oh my GOD is she already awake? That's incredible" and the "she" was me. The one nice thing about my surgery was I had sciatica and have never had it since. Those muscle relaxants really worked. Do talk to the anesthesiologist! That's a great idea. But realize they are real pros, they have great new modern drugs that knock you out quick, but they have a short half life and you can "wake back up" quick, too. I fortunately wasn't nauseated, and my pain was manageable. I stopped the nurse before she could give me any morphine because I told her I'd rather be alert and in a little pain than go back out again. You do what works for you...pain is very individual. But the surgery itself is in many ways the easiest part of this whole experience. Your fears are normal, but you'll probably find the whole thing a non-event.

Yes. Full feels different. Right now you are post op and probably still swollen from surgery so what happens now isn't what's going to be. However, that "stuffed from Thanksgiving meal" full feeling...you won't feel, nor want that with the band. You'll just kind of go from hungry to not hungry. It's subtle but you'll learn the signal. for now though just follow the post op diet your doc gave you and wait it out.

Constipation post op is usually caused by the opioid pain meds. You aren't taking that many so you don't have the problem! Diarrhea IS common if you don't take the pain meds. I had it; it wasn't milk, it was just aftereffects of the surgery. It passed (oh ha ha) ok went away within about a week. I agree, the sore throat is most likely from being intubated. And no I never once second-guessed my band, but I was 53 and think I tried every diet known to man at least twice. I even tried hypnotism and therapy (not concurrently). The band was it for me; I never looked back.

Hate to tell you this but you are always in the woods where death is concerned! (as a friend told me, the death rate is holding steady at 100%) LOL The surgery itself is the biggest danger for this type of surgery. So you're probably gonna make it.

These are things you should ask your surgeon. However you need to realize that it is the nature of a "support" board to have a preponderance of people who need support...for problems. People who are satisfied don't often post on boards like these. (yeah I'm a weirdo) What are the odds that you'll have problems from obesity? Look at it that way. The band has only been approved for surgery in the USA since 2003. Your surgeon should have access to the current numbers and should be able to provide you with sources, however, for success v failure rates etc. I don't have the sources you want. My "evidence" is inferred and anecdotal, plus what my surgeon told me. My bottom line thinking was this (and while ins did cover mine, I didn't know that until after I'd made the decision to be banded; in other words I'd planned to be self pay) I know that being fat is very unhealthy. I know that I do not want any procedure (they also carry their cons) that cuts up my stomach and/or reroutes my intestines. While those procedures are very successful for some (and not so successful for others) they were not for me. I know that the band can usually be removed if necessary and the stomach/digestive tract (as well as your weight) return to preband status. USUALLY. That did it for me. Slips...erosion...etc...people must take some culpability for this. Not everyone who has a slip "earns it" but many do. Eating ahead of the post op diet is a major cause. Ignoring issues like heart burn causes problems. Being TOO TIGHT too long causes problems. This tells me that as a bandster I have an obligation to monitor myself and maintain my health. I have to follow the rules. If I can't do that, don't get the band. So you need to look at the big picture...WHY did those people have slips etc? If 1/2 of them caused it by neglect, poor education (unintentional neglect) or blantant disregard for following protocol...could you do better? would you? would that improve your outlook? You will need to work through this. Good luck.

I am at my sweet spot and NEVER feel the food going through the band. In other words, maybe your stomach is uncommonly sensitive? I don't think feeling the food pass means too much in relation to how tight you are. PBs are almost always (not always, just almost always) caused by an operator malfunction...we eat too fast, don't chew well enough, take too large a bite. Therefore if you are diligent and pay attention as you eat, then theoretically you should be able to have good restriction and never PB. I don't like vomiting and never have but I'm not "deathly" afraid of it. I think that reluctance to even chance such a thing would be as much a hindrace to successful banding as the flip...PBing as a way of life. Have you discussed this with your surgeon? S/he should be able to help you sort it out.

I think the "STAY AWAY" caveat works during the early days when you are healing and working on your sweet spot. AND...it may be true for many even AFTER the sweet spot. For some of us though, that scale keeps us real. I do weigh daily; it's like, um, taking my pulse or blood pressue. I need the info. HOWEVER I don't fret if it goes up and I've been working the band....quick gains like that are Water. I look at what I was last week...so each day I compare to a week ago. It's more important to not obsess. This is a lifestyle...and for life

Honestly I stay hydrated per my doc's instructions (start the day with 16 ounces of water from the refrigerator) and I can eat normally from the start. I asked my surgeon and he said a general rule of thumb with the band is dehydrated=tight. Makes sense since as the day progresses most people consume liquids and the band loosens. You may try that if your situation becomes problematic!

If you are given an opioid pain reliever (like lortab, vicodin, hydrocodone) you run a big risk of constipation...even the liquid stuff backs up. Yes by day 3 you should've gone SOMETHING. Even if it was liquid. Since I didn't take but 2 doses (on day 2) of my opioid drug (darvocet) I had the other problem, mild diarrhea. But rather that than the other extreme! So yes you should be going and if you haven't by Monday at the latest call your surgeon or take the recommended stool softener!

WHOA! I think perhaps she misspoke; what happens is the diaphragm is irritated and in turn irritates the phrenic nerve which agitates your left shoulder. It's not "migrating gas". The gas pumped in during surgery can play a part in the irritation of the diaphragm but it's not just the gas that causes the pain. (and fyi post op really good surgeons remove most of that gas!) Not that it matters, I guess...because either way it hurts! But that's misinformation! I was pretty well ready for post op so there was nothing I discovered that I wish I'd known in advance. I was HUNGRY from the start, but that's nothing new! Good luck!