RestlessMonkey

You won't find any doc to promise no hospital stay and if you do...RUN from that physician! My doc keeps everyone overnight but didn't keep me. Why? Because I recovered quickly, felt great, kept adequate liquids down easily, urinated, walked, etc etc. We had agreed in advance that subject to his good judgment I could go home if I was doing well. I also, during the preop phase, acted in a way that he would know I'd go to the ER etc if I needed to. So I suggest finding a surgeon who is on your insurance and with whom you feel comfortable, and discuss your concerns with him. Just like one should never PROMISE to send you home, you don't have to find one who is knee-jerk about how you MUST STAY regardless. My surgeon knew I had good care at home, etc. I reasssured him and was doing great, he was happy to accommodate me. I'm sure he's not the only one out there who feels that way.

privatedancer7 what caused your damage? were you filled too much? did the band slip? it's not common; what caused your problems? Thanks! :juggle:

I don't know you or your friends/family and really don't know a thing about you...age/height/weight/weight history etc. So I'll say this: If the people who love you really love you, then listen to their advice. Think it over. Weigh it in the mix with everything else. Then decide what is best for you. Don't discount negativity as just "jealousy" or "doesn't understand" or whatever....find out WHY they feel the way they do. Are they afraid for you? ARE they jealous? Do they have valid concerns? And then decide. If they don't really love you and care about you, who gives a damn what they think? As for your DOC, ask her why she's reluctant, why she thinks ANOTHER diet would help when your 100% committment in the past didn't do the trick. Listen to her concerns, weigh things out, then decide for yourself what you think your best course will be.

I started at 405 and a BMI of 67 something. Since 5/7 when I finally hit my sweet spot I've lost about 47 pounds. All told I've lost just under 75. I'm really on a roll now that I have restriction. I think people who think the band is just for "smaller" obese people are not informed.

Check with your surgeon (or your primary) before you do something like this.

I just take the 6-pack multi complex I always did. I don't and have never had an issue swallowing pills. :juggle:

We are learning a new way to eat, most of us. This takes some time. Think of how long it takes babies to master the process? We've got the part about holding the utensils down pat (most of us LOL) and no flinging food at your brother...but how well we chew, no drinking, size of bites, it's ALL different once you have restriction. I suggest carefully carefully following the band rules. Chew well (for me that's 40 times...it varies by person) smallish bites (I can take a bite about 1/2 to 2/3 my normal "old" size but not everyone is that way; you may need smaller bites). Eat SLOWLY. Put your fork down between bites. I find if I am talking to my husband or have company I eat faster and run into trouble so be aware of the mechanics of eating. Pay attention. Don't drink during or soon after a meal (follow your surgeon's directions) IF none of this helps you (and it should help immediately) then go see your surgeon pronto. AND...hydration is VITAL. My surgeon told me that getting at least 64 oz of Water in each day largely removes that "can't eat in the morning" syndrome lots of people have. The band tightens up as we dry up. I start my day with 16 oz of water before Breakfast, coffee, anything....and don't have a psycho band. I could have 3 oz of steak for breakfast just as easily as I have it for dinner. So make sure you get WATER in. Again...that should help you immediately. If it doesn't, call your doc. Don't just suffer and graze; that's not the point or use of the band.

Go see your surgeon. You may have a hernia that needs repair; you may just need drugs, you may need an unfill...but whatever it is, the earlier you catch and stop it the better off you'll be and the less severe the intervention! :juggle: It's not uncommon...just call your doc tomorrow and go see him ASAP!

Too tight is very personal, unless you are so tight you can't get liquids and "food" down. I can eat about a cup at a sitting (I don't usually measure but have done it a time or two just for info) depending on the food. Softer things I can eat more of course. If you are losing 1-2 pounds a week you're probably good.

You may want to post this on the "lap band complications" thread too, OK? You'll get more "play" there. However, may I suggest you go to your regular doc to rule out allergies or infection or some other pulmonic issue? It may be your band, or it may not. How long have you had these issues? (You just say "recently") Have your regular doc rule out your lungs etc.

Confused. Are you getting an unfill just so you can indulge? Or are the "tight band" and the "olive garden" two separate things? But to answer your question...I'd get whatever I wanted. I'd have them box 1/2 of it up before they brought it to me, then I'd probably eat about 1/2 of what was left and have a wonderful time. :biggrin: I'd pass on the good breadsticks though...I can eat bread, but now they'll fill me up and I'd rather have FOOD!

tym2findme I hope it works for you! Just remember you're supposed to be able to eat a variety of food, not just yogurt and soup. When something happens that you can't, check your basics. If you are still following "the rules" and can't eat, you need to see your doc! AND hydration really helps keep the band "even"...64 oz of water each day! Hope it keeps working for you!

I'm glad I encouraged some of you...but hate to make you cry! :thumbup: You'll all love your bands, I'm sure of it!

Ok hope I can remember all your questions. I honestly haven't had anything I'd consider downs. It took a long time for me to get restriction but I expected that after a long talk with my surgeon. I love my band. I think something VERY important that isn't always stressed is to follow a preop diet if you're given one (in the few weeks to days before surgery) and FOLLOW the post op diet. If you're like a lot of us "cheating" occasionally on a diet is almost a way of life. The pre- and post-op diets with lap band, though...don't cheat. Tough them out. Preop is usually to shrink your liver (all don't need that) and post op is to allow your band to heal. Cheating on your post op diet can really set you up for problems. I'm pretty optimistic and have really had a great band experience, don't have any cons, negatives or "wish I would've" (except maybe not doing my "own" preop diet the first time through and not getting the band 1st surgery as a consequence) but that's all on me.

My sister is here and we're about to play Rock band LOL but I will post later...odds are someone else will post though and help you out! good luck!

May I say...take a deep breath! It's a process. They probably won't band you during that first appointment! (although you may wish they would!) You'll have time to ask more questions, figure it all out. It is a BIG step ... a big change, and even the most brilliant of us wouldn't/couldn't absorb it all at once!

get a cut? Woman you are going in with me!

Welcome and good luck! If the band is right for you I think you'll find it a marvelous tool! :biggrin:

Welcome! I hope you find the band to be marvelous; I love mine. Truly. (can one love silicone?) As to unsupportive family...my husband (long term RN who confused this with gastric and after years in a GI lab was imbued with horror of all WLS) went with me to the seminar, asked a LOT of questions, and came away on board. Surgery is scary but so is obesity. Education can help them calm their fears, if they are worred about you. Anyway Nice to meet you RHepting!

I haven't yet but I'm going to! We may have to rob a bank but i'm getting things tightened and skin removed all over! (do they do an ear lobe tuck? LOL)

I eat a variety but have always felt physically energetic on low carb (and realize lots of foods have carbs...peas have carbs. Apples and watermelon has carbs. There are simple and compound carbs and they impact us differently) ANYWAY I do low carb and feel great but some feel faint, nauseated, etc. I think that's why your surgeon said to do what works for you. In the vast scheme probably a balanced moderate diet is best. I do have 1/2 a baked potato or a small serving of pasta occasionally because I don't diet any more. I just live. Seems to be working for me so far! :biggrin:

This post is true to a point and I'm sure resonates with many. It's a good thing! BUT for years I felt disfranchised because I had a happy childhood, when angry I spoke up (still do) had healthy self esteem, and still was hugely fat. I'm the fattest person I know and so when I turned to message boards and read "you are stuffing your emotions" or "food can't be your best friend" (food's never been my best friend; her name is Julie and we've been BFF's since we were 6) I felt lost. I did go to a therapist for about a year before I got the band, on my own. I thought I might have repressed how terrible my life had been, or how truly emotionally empty I was, to not even realize that I had issues. Well, come to find out, I didn't have those same issues. Mind you I HAD issues...I was a reward eater, I am self indulgent, I have my problems and don't meant that I got to 405 overnight as a fluke. BUT We aren't one supersize fits all. If you read this and think "no, it's not the answer for me" like I used to, it doesn't mean there isn't an answer (or at least some help) in therapy for you. It just means you may have a different reason or reasons for overeating than the ones listed. You don't need to have to think of food as your friend to benefit from therapy, in other words. Again let me be clear....for those of you with whom this post resonates I say BRAVO! Good you face it, and hope you lick it! I know it takes courage. But for those like me who feel differently, I say...BRAVO! Good you face it, and I hope you lick it. Your emotional baggage may be different. It may be lighter. It may be one little suitcase. :biggrin: The point is we all have to find our own way through this and unfortunately medicine doesn't have the whole answer. The band doesn't have the whole answer. But we can find the right answers for us if we work at it.

I agree with HH! Besides, who willingly tortures him/her self? Those liver shrink diets are harsh! :biggrin: Ask your surgeon if you're worried, as I said...but you are kind of in his/her hands during the preop and postop phase. You need to communicate with him, follow his rules. You'll make it through and heal well that way!

50 oz of water/crystal light probably isn't enough, honestly. (especially for those of us who are larger). That's only about 75-78% of what you should be getting...too low! Your body needs it! Especially as you lose! You have stuff your kidneys need to flush! :biggrin: besides the intestines needing their portion! And...did your doc say it was ok to substitute crystal light for Water? (mine won't allow it, some do) It evens out if you do what you need to...hydrate, fiber, etc. If you don't, you'll have the problem again (as would a person without the band who doesn't get enough fiber and water in his/her diet!) SO get 64 ounces of liquid. If you are too tight to consume it, get an unfill. If you just forget, figure out a way to get it down. And check with your surgeon about seeing whether crystal light is an ok substitute or not. Your internal structure is a little different, your diet is very different, so you just need to make a few adjustments and all will be "smooth" again! :thumbup:

Funny how great the band is. My surgeon, for example, is adamant about NO SNACKS OR THE BAND WILL FAIL!!! This is patently NOT TRUE because many bandsters who are very successful have healthy snacks But I used to graze at night (never during the day, not at work, not on road trips, etc but get me home and let the sun go down and it was a free for all. Again I think probably related to insulin resistance) He even asks at our montly or 6-weekly check ups if we've snacked! I hate to lie, I hate to squirm, and I realize that I only had an issue with it at night, so I don't snack. If I want a treat like chips or candy I honestly either have it with my meal, or I don't have it! But that isn't the only way people have to use the band. Just what I've found works for me so far. :thumbup: