2muchfun

If you're only 30 BMI your weight loss will not be as dramatic as someone who is 50 BMI or even 40 BMI. But, even if you can use the band(tool) to get down to 25 or less, it may be worth it. Just be aware that you're not going to have the support of a local surgeon unless you've found some one who is willing to assume the liability of a Mexican surgeon? Support in the form of a local doctor is easily worth 50% or more of the journey. Who will be filling you?

Depends on what kind of band you have? Most likely about 2.75 in circumference or 7 mm. That's about the circumference of your thumb or a normal hot dog. Once it's filled properly it's closer to the circumference of your pinky or a pencil.

I agree with Cheryl and I'd add that until your band is adjusted properly it may not be telling you anything. It took me 3 fills before I heard anything from Ms Band. The nutrition guidelines are primarily for patients who are beyond the healing phase. Until you're cleared to eat normal solid foods I wouldn't be overly concerned with getting in every gram of Protein and Fluid recommended by your nutritionist. You can only do what your body allows you. Forcing too much in the way of Water or Proteins beyond what your body tells you it can tolerate wouldn't be advisable. jmo

For me, it could mean one of several things? 1. I don't need to eat anymore, I'm no longer hungry. 2. I'm eating too fast and food is backing up into my esophagus. 3. I'm eating too big and/or not chewing enough and food is impacted in my pouch causing food to back up into my esophagus. 4. My band is behaving badly or is finicky this morning and no matter what I eat or how I eat, Ms Band isn't having any of it. 5. I may have eaten too much sodium previously, or my body and/or stomach lining is swollen from a bug or a stuck episode. When this happens, I do like B-52 suggested. I pause a few minutes, I'll even have a sip of Water to make sure there's no food stuck in my pouch. Then, I'll have another small bite to see what Ms Band wants and then decide to continue or call it quits till the next meal.

Some psych evals are a joke. Mine was, she didn't believe in WLS, spent the entire time talking about how fat she got from a divorce and then how she lost 50 lbs with some extreme weight/exercise program. She was so over the top it was frightening to think this woman was a professional? She signed me up for 3 sessions a week with her at $200 a session for the next 6 months. Ka-ching anyone? Enrolled me in an extreme exercise program that my body could never have withstood. I called her back an hour later and cancelled everything. She angrily said, "so, all you really wanted was my permission to have WLS"? Yup I said. My opinion of shrinks declines with every one I meet. That's just me though. tmf

One more thing? I eliminated the sleeve and RNY early on due to having most of my stomach removed was not appealing to me. My wife works in healthcare and she saw too many people in SNF units who were still obese and were struggling with med intake due to malabsorption issues. I wasn't a binger, I just ate a few too many calories/day. I needed just a little help to keep from eating too much. Candy, sweets, pop, were not my weapon of choice, so all I needed was something to slow me down just a little. The band does that. It won't stop you from eating slider foods like milk shakes, ice cream, chocolate, chips/dips, Cookies, mac and cheese. If you're a big sweets consumer and you feel like you can't give up your M&M habit, think twice about this option. If you don't want the hassle of going to the doc a few times a year for fills, this may not work for you? If you feel like you can't eat small and chew chew chew, this may not work for you.

I wanted to lose 75 lbs to get down to 150. The first year I lost 50 lbs and hit a wall with 25 to go. Many people seem to hit this wall but I'm still hitting it. Kind of hard to lose over the winter for some of us who rely on losing via exercise. Most of my weight loss came from the extra calories I burned off through cycling. I'm thinking 150 may be too low now. It would be fine if I was in my 30s but I'll be content to get down to 160-165 this summer. I'd recommend the band but I'd look hard at the sleeve too. The band fit my lifestyle and has allowed me to lose enough to be happy. The band does require a complete refitting of how you eat and what you eat. Good luck.

If you have a PC, go to the top of this page and click on surgeons. Add your zip code, state and city to find Surgeons in your area.

I've never tracked how many CCs in my band. Took 6 fills to get to the green zone.

I see these posts occasionally where the doctor is way too conservative. I know it may be hard to demand the doctor give you more CCs but you need it. You're paying for it. The best type of fill is a fill with fluoroscopy. It's basically an X-ray taken as you do a barium swallow. I'll provide a link to Catfish's flouro below. If the doctor won't do this for you, look into other doctors who may be more aggressive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwKuqgJgbD0#t=161

Wow, very impressive. No offense, but from some of your pre and post op struggles, I thought you might not make it but I'm so glad I was wrong. You're fantastic.

Sounds like you're swollen from the fill. This is why they ask us to go on liquids and creamy Soups for 24-72 hours. I'd recommend no solid stuff for a few days. If you're swollen, some say hot/warm fluids and some say cold. I've always leaned more towards chewing on ice chips as the cold Water helps to reduce the inflammation. But, follow it up with warm liquids as they create more blood flow. Alternating is a good way to get that swelling down for many people. If you're still swollen and tight by tomorrow, call your doctor, but give it a little time to settle in. tmf

Stay down? Do you mean a sip or two comes back up or can you consume 4-8 ozs before it comes up? Can you drink Water?

Many of the old-timers left when this new site went up in November. There were some glitches that angered some, then, due to no wall between the WLS techniques, some other WLS forum members wandered here and posted some nasty threads. It was enough to drive some very well informed and seasoned banders to leave. The glitches and wall have all been fixed and hopefully many of the seasoned banders may come back but it's still a little too soon. tmf

A fill can irritate the lining of your stomach causing the tissue to swell. If the tissue swells, it can make your stoma so small that you experience a stuck episode. That's why you drink liquids. Most docs only require it for 24-48 hours though.

You should always check with your doctor for these type of questions? Cream soups may or may not be on his list? Egg drop soup is basically broth with an egg blended into it. It's band friendly but it doesn't sound like your doctor would approve? Wonton soup is just broth so that should be fine as long as there are no wontons in the broth?

I couldn't find any crow so I settled for cheesecake. Cheesecake really does sooth my emotions I find.

Your pouch is very small and it's probably swollen so there's little room for a burp. Swallowing air is a cause of burping and I doubt you can swallow a lot of air just yet.

Most surgeons don't put much saline in the band at surgery time. You'll most likely need several fills before you feel any restriction or satiety. Some people feel it immediately but only maybe 1 in 20? tmf

Here's an article to demonstrate why you're experiencing this. http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UqP7uBLn-Uk

I checked her prior posts and she was sleeved a little over a year ago and lost about 80 lbs? Obviously she's lost but no matter what kind of WLS she had I suppose we all suffer from the same calamity?

You know, I can relate to your situation somewhat. Over the holidays, my wife bought all kinds of junk to make Cookies with the kids. We ended up having 5 sacks of white chocolate, butterscotch and heathbar chips left over. I couldn't stay out of them. A handful every night and a sneak grab here and there. They're all gone but one sack of white chocolate. Every time I enter the pantry I hear them calling me. I've been chip free for a week now and I suppose the best thing to do is to throw the last sack away but that would be blasphemous? I can do this? My advice, don't buy it and don't have it around. I know if it's not here, I don't seek it out.

This is why most of us rely on fills. You won't feel restriction or satiety till your band is adjusted properly. That may be 1 or 6 fills. Good luck and till you get that one fill that allows your band to work it's magic, it's just another diet. tmf

Only a doctor could be sure if it's a slip. But it doesn't sound like a slip. Slips usually don't occur instantaneously. They occur over time and sometimes over years. Typical symptoms would be dysphagia(trouble swallowing), vomiting, regurgitation(immediate) and intolerances to certain foods. Reflux is also a symptom. Your stomach is not attached to any muscles that aid in bending or lifting so picking up a child should not affect the band at all. Your band is located deep beneath the sternum area and you can't really effect it by pushing on your chest or stomach and shouldn't feel it either. These are all my own personal semi educated opinion and only your doctor can know for sure. A fluoroscopy could tell you if your band has slipped but if you're only experiencing pain, most likely it's a pulled ribcage muscle. tmf

I think the barometric pressure is more responsible for slight band tightness and loosenings than the actual temperature. Flying is a good example. Pressurized cabins can cause many folks to tighten up. I live in Colorado and I've also heard of people going to higher altitudes where the air is thinner and this seems to wreak havoc with some bands? I don't think there are any scientific studies to back up my assertions but anecdotally, it's accurate. And it does seem like here in the States, I read about more people complaining of tightness when they go outside during the summer on very hot summer days and experience extra tightness. So, higher temps seem to also be a culprit. The fact is, eating too much salt or illnesses like colds, flu or low grade infections can cause the body to retain fluids which also causes tightness. tmf