RestlessMonkey

Please understand then when I say this because I TRULY mean it kindly. We all have to learn! Maybe you should get a book or two on lap banding (half price books probably has some; I went on amazon.com and bought a couple that were highly rated) since your surgeon (no seminar? no education on how the band works?) has not helped you through this. It's a medical device that, for good or ill, is IN you until/unless you have it removed so a little research on your part will help fill in the gaps obvbiously left by your surgeon. When I said "hitting restriction" I'm referring to the action of tightening the band with saline via our ports. My band was placed with only some "primer" in it and my surgeon has slowly over the months added a little at a time until on May 7 that "fill" or adding of the saline brought my cumulative total to a point where I have restrictions on what and how much I can eat, and how long I stay full. Prior to that, although I ate LESS than preband, I could and did eat too much for sustained weight loss. Once my band was tight enough to sufficiently delay the emptying of food from my upper to my lower pouch (hitting "restriction" as I called it) my weight loss has skyrocketed, and my appetite has plummeted. I now eat a very small amount of food and am satisfied and not hungry for about 6 hours. Prior to hitting that "spot" I was hungry much earlier and ate more. THAT "hitting restriction" as I called it is also called "The sweet spot" by some. My doc's office has a poster that calls it "the green zone". If I may quote directly from that poster "Not hungry. Good weight loss. Portion Control. Patient satisfaction". I didn't have that prior to this last fill. I was still in the "yellow zone"..."hungry between meals, eating large portions, not losing weight". Since your doc won't educate you, while we will certainly help you here, you are safest to do some independent research (like going to the lap band web site if that is the type of band you have, and maybe reading some books...even a library should have some) so you'll be informed and able to use your tool (and watch for problems!) for years to come.

Scout I'm a little confused...because I'm sure you know what restriction is...it's what makes the band work. Is it just the way I phrased it that is confusing? I don't mind explaining myself but what I think you're asking (about restriction) is really basic band knowledge...so I want to make sure I'm answering what you are asking! :thumbdown:

Slider foods are things that aren't really slowed down by the band (unless you are SUPER tight)...things like yogurt, ice cream, cookies, candy, chips (although some have trouble with chips, for most they crunch up and go down VERY easy) Cheese enchiladas...things that rarely get stuck and go on through. Notice many of them are not necessarily good IF you are trying to lose weight! Mushies, soups, soft foods (from your post op diet) are all slider.

I don't know the doc you are referring to, but at 53, 5'5" and 405, I got the band and am doing fine so no, you aren't too large to get it! Good luck!

KartMan...would voodoo curse explain it? Because otherwise I'm at a loss. I too am a scalaholic and in fact can ALMOST judge how much weight I am peeing out (yes proud of that! LOL) Odd, Dude. Really odd.

Did your doc give you the green light to eat and drink at the same time? They are all different but that one is almost a constant. Honestly at my current restriction, when I eat steak, if I drink it HURTS. Really really hurts. If I eat slider food it doesn't matter. I've heard that drinking with meals is very bad for many reasons...easy to stretch your pouch, will wash food through more quickly and therefore negate the "prolonged full" feeling the band provides, etc. Bottom line on this is follow your doc's orders. As I say, if I'm making good choices I personally can not drink and eat. (and again remember I'm lucky...I haven't found anything, including white bread and fiberous veggies, that I can't eat). Sounds like you need to quiz your doc on some of this...get his take on things!

I don't know if it's true for everyone, but for me...the secret is WHAT I choose to eat. I have great restriction, I think. I can still eat anything. If I choose something fairly dense, like a steak...or part of a chick fil a (for example) then a very small amount, well chewed, fills me up very quickly and KEEPS me full for about 5-6 hours. If I choose foods less dense...green Beans, chicken thighs, baked fish (for example!) or things like bean burritos, cheese enchiladas, etc (sliders) then I can eat more and stay full for much less time. So for me it isn't JUST restriction. I guess I could get so tight that even things like baked fish lasted 6 hours but I don't WANT to be that tight. I want to occasionally have 1/3 of a chick fil a (About all i can eat now, if I chew it REALLY REALLY well!). It's easier for me to choose the more dense foods because I've found out something great. I don't ever eat thinking "I want to be hungry again in 2 hours" LOL So I seek out the more filling, long lasting foods, just without thinking about it. I'll think: Yeah, I could have some Soup and reduced fat cheezits for lunch, but then I'll just get HUNGRY before supper. Shocking but true. I was amazed to catch myself doing that. So experiment with WHAT you eat...see if that doesn't make a difference for you. Like I said I don't know if this is just me (we're all different) or if it will work for you too.

Call your doc. Seriously if you are vomiting bile (which, if you are bringing stuff up from your lower stomach, there will be bile/stomach acid) you need to call your doc pronto.

There's also a difference in interest, and in what we absorb. As MissBS said, some things slip through. Also, I know from my so far limited experience in Medicine that some people, like me, are the "Tell me every single detail" type, and some are the "Just fix it" type. Both are ok....neither is "wrong". We just all have different styles. I think some people are just focused on getting the band, "fixing" the weight, and don't actually pick up on all the rest. That's why I think regardless of which type you are, call your surgeon. IF you don't get good answers from your surgeon and/or his/her staff....GET ANOTHER DOC! They are the pros...regardless of what type "we" are, they are the ones who are supposed to have the correct answers. :thumbup: But yes it staggers me a little, some of the questions I see on here. NOT because I think the people asking are dumb, or don't care, or didn't listen, but because sometimes it seems basic data does not get handed down, and to me that's just scary.

Ask your insurance what they will accept as proof. It may be that you are out of luck, they may accept affidavits etc. Good luck.

Depends on what type of tricare you have, actually. I have Tricare Standard and did NOT need a PCP/PCM referral. I did, however, have to choose a surgeon working out of a "Center of Excellence". They have a staff member there who filed all the paperwork and I was approved in 2 days. You may want to call tricare and find out what requirements apply to you with your coverage.

When were you banded?

I'm glad you went! So, you'll probably lose a little better (if you want to) by eating things that fill you up with smaller quantities, like the chicken breast for example. I don't know why you threw up eggs but they supposedly give some people trouble. Just make sure you take small bites and chew well! And of course if you want to keep things like yogurt etc in your diet that's your prerogative and part of the beauty of the band. Personally they tend to just make me hungry but we're all different! I find 2 ounces or so of a good steak will hold me literally for 6 hours, whereas if I eat something softer like, say, a bean burrito? I'm starved in about 3. Since right now I really want to lose, I'm choosing the more dense meats and poultries, but again, that doesn't work for everyone. I'm sure you'll find the way that works best for you; you're trying and that's the most important part! :thumbup:

Actually I kind of think being hungry immediately after is what is more rare, although neither hungry or not is abnormal. As contemplating stated, "there is little that is normal amongst all of us bandsters". So true!

Mine isn't flipped but it's tilted slightly. According to my surgeon, it isn't that rare. And no I'd never have known it was tilted if he hadn't told me it was.

My surgeon and his staff are my source of much of my information (they are GREAT!) and I did read 2 books on lap band surgery (plus internet searches, plus quizzing to death a couple of people who've had it! LOL) but my surgeon was and is my "go to" source for information, and to clear up any mis-information.

Click on your ticker. Sign in, and click "edit/update weight data. Then scroll down and update your weight.

Well it would totally depend on how restricted one is. Before a fill, most can eat fairly quickly if they choose. And even if restricted, it depends on what the food is. Some things slide on through, others must be chewed to death! My doc says we should finish our meal (regardless of portion) in 30 minutes. Chew well, small bites, but if we're still at it 30 minutes in, STOP (because you can graze and overeat)

ahb08...I am a strong proponent of everyone following his or her doc's post op diet pretty rigidly. I believe in question authority but eating ahead of time post op can be a major cause of slips and other issues. You're hungry just as you thought...you have a loose band around your stomach and that may provide a little restriction but not enough, in most of us, to count for much. You sound like you are recovering well and quickly (Good for you!) and so are hungry. Just hang in there with your post op diet. When you get solids you'll find that you really can't eat as much as pre-band (because there is a LITTLE restriction) but stretching the pouch isn't that large a concern because most food goes on through the stoma to the lower part of the stomach. However as you are restricted it becomes more important to watch your portions and LISTEN to your body. No more scarfing while watching tv (one of my old favorites LOL) because you may overeat and cause a PB or, over time, stretch your pouch. Drinking while you're eating, once restricted, can also cause the pouch to stretch (or so I've heard on here). So you being hungry is, oddly enough, a good sign. I can't feel my band either, and I'm doing really well now that I'm at the sweeet spot. So hang in there; give yourself a chance to get used to your new band, let your body heal, follow the post op diet, and you'll be another happy healthy bandster! :bored:

Just let me reiterate that I don't KNOW...I'm just puzzling it out and applying what I've learned from here, from my doc, from my reading. And yes I would never go to a doc one time and trust his/her judgment that way. I'd want tests etc too, as you would. I know that what is described CAN happen, but I'd want proof it happened to me. I was only trying to answer general questions about pouch stretching etc, not defending the new doc's position or anything like that. I don't have enough info to even BEGIN to do that! :bored: So yes you are right...there's never anything wrong with a 2nd opinion! :thumbup:

This is an educated guess, ok? I know the stomach is VERY elastic. VERY stretchy. So if one has restriction (and no leak) and the doctor KNOWS a person has restriction, and the doctor KNOWS how large the pouch was that he created when he placed the band, then if a person can eat more than he/she should, odds are the stretchy stomach has done just that...stretched. If you think of how small it is (like on the model in the doc's office) and then think you can eat 1 cup of food...it has to stretch a little (does that w/bypass patients, too!) Other things could cause a person to be able to overeat but they are more rare. For example if you overeat and fill your pouch and have food still sitting in the esophagus, most of us have spasms and "burp" the food back up. The esophagus usually doesn't want food sitting there; it's built to move it along. So it's kind of like following the clues...no leak, good restriction, but able to eat too much of non-slider foods leaves what? Pouch is now too big. It's not solid of course, not "eye witness" but all indicators would point to that.

If the pouch is stretched, usually the band is unfilled so that it is almost as if you don't have it...the hope is that over time (and no overeating) it will resume it's normal "smaller" shape without requiring the band to be removed altogether. This is more successful the earlier it's caught (the shorter time the pouch has been stretched out)

Plain...you haven't been around. A girl's got needs you know......

Yes, I think a LOT of band problems (not all, but a lot) can be avoided if we would go to the doctors when things first are wrong, instead of trying to wait them out! Good for you going; you'll do well I'm sure, able to eat more lean poultry/proteins etc. And my name is Jeff...I am female, just have a male name! (long story there!) anyway I'm glad you called your doc.

I'd think no, because of the sticky factor. But to be sure, call your doc or nutritionist tomorrow and ask.