momcof3

Tina - you are normal. I think we all get our moments where we think "what if" but we have to remember why we chose what we chose and work through it. I don't think struggling with this process is a sign of failure of the tool or the person - it is just part of working through what got us overweight to start with. Remember it is a tool and sometimes our minds are stronger. That is great Christine - keep up the good work - I agree we need to meet for lunch like we used to. Stay with us Reggie - you can make it. I don't know what is causing you to struggle, but if it is something that can be helped with counseling, give it a try. I see a psychologist at Kaiser every couple of months and it helps me keep on track emotionally. I am also going to a Worry/Anxiety group through Kaiser that meets once a week but you don't have to go every week. I know for me a lot of my wanting to eat stems from stress, worry and anxiety as a way to soothe my problems. But by talking to others and the psychologist who runs the group, it really helps me mentally.

Riley - we have an EAP, but I don't use it. I talked to someone last night at my anxiety/worry class and she gave me some advice on how to try to keep my mind focused on other things. Thanks.

I think Riley is considering getting her gallbladder out , not her band or? I have not done so well with my food this week. One of the women I work with has a 13 yr old daughter and her daughter hung herself last Thursday in her bedroom closet while her mom was at work. I have known her since her daughter was 8 -we talked alot about our kids as my son is the same age/grade as her daughter was. I talked to my kids about it and it has caused me and others at work alot of anxiety - I can't imagine what the mom is going through. I have been taking a tylenol pm so I will sleep better as I can't get the visual out of my mind.

I was camping and didn't have internet access which was kind of nice. I ate some things I shouldn't have, but hopefully all the climbing up the hill to our campsite from the pool area will help even it out. We didn't think we were going to make it up the hill the one time we came back on the road - it was hot and even my kids were whining. My legs were throbbing, but I just kept on walking - I told them to think of something else and keep on walking. hope everyone else had a fun weekend.

Wow Riley that doesn't sound fun. It may be better to just get your gallbladder removed if you could continue to have episodes - even one a year would be too many for me. I wouldn't worry about the 5 lbs - it could be due to inflammation. I eat 6 times a day with the program I am on - 1200 cal a day but spread out over three meals and three snacks.

Sorry to hear of all your stress Riley. Hopefully they will see that you are a good candidate for the trial as you are so motivated. When are they supposed to give you the answer?

I thought of you Chris when we drove through Berkeley today and saw the Kite Festival from the freeway. My kids and I went to San Francisco for the day - I had promised to take them to the Wax Museum before school started - we walked from Pier 39 down to Ghiradelli and then back so I got a nice walk in. We ate at In and Out for lunch - I had a hamburger protein style with pickle and tomato - so yummy and I was actually able to eat it all for the first time in over a year - I actually felt full in both of my stomachs for the first time in two years. Having half the fluid taken out of my band does have some advantages. I have to do fasting blood work tomorrow morning - it is my last with the program and also an EKG on Tuesday evening.

Stacey - maybe you should get a second opinion from one of the other surgeons - doesn't make sense for him to ask you to lose weight and come back if he is sure he won't operate on you. That's a long drive to just chat with him. Hope you feel better soon Sherri - doesn't sound fun. I can't really give you any advice since I am not sleeved and haven't had those symptoms. I'm jealous Riley - I want someone to make me dinner. I am also going back to journaling my food - I actually have to plan out the week ahead of time to show my group leader on Tuesday. We get to start eating one regular food meal a day starting Wednesday and it will consist of 4 oz protein and 1/2 c cooked vegetables. I'll be camping Thurs-Sat and I am planning on barbequing chicken breast and having canned green beans - bringing my new little food scale along. I came home with a headache - my division chief can be overbearing and demanding at times - somehow every afternoon this week he has wanted me to do something and wants it right now - but I have had trouble all week reaching the people I need to get the queries so I can analyze them. ugh. I broke down and ate a peanut butter cup this afternoon. Going to go on another bike ride tonight to work it off.

There is no way I can lose weight n 500 calories a day - I was never told a calorie amount to eat, but I know I can lose at 1200 cal a day as I lost 30 lbs on the pre op diet. The program I am in is not a diet at all - it is healthy eating at around 1200 calories and luckily I am doctor/nutritionist monitored. I sent Dr Im an e-mail asking him about the statistics he referred to in his other e-mail and asking him if they do band to sleeve revisions and this is what he said "Data is published in journals from surgeons around the world. This is not Kaiser data. We don't offer revisions due to the significant risks and possible complications." I wish you success with your sleeve Ash - didn't mean to imply otherwise. I just am concerned when someone says their surgery is basically foolproof - because none of them are. In his first e-mail Dr. Im said in most cases the hunger will come back eventually with the sleeve. Tina - even if I was hungry after my 1/3 cup - I know I could never had gotten another fill - I couldn't keep water down when I was at 7.5 and that is why I had the first unfill to 7. I don't expect to not be hungry at all - . Gotta head home. I worked on a spreadsheet all day and my eyes and wrist are throbbing.

Hi Heather - I was actually kind of cold on my bike ride with shorts on. Nice though. I heard back from Dr Im and this is what he said -"There is no discussion to "phase out" the lap band. Every procedure has their pros/cons. As more data becomes available, we realize that patients don't lose as much weight and the weight comes off much slower with the lap band. Generally, removing the portion of the stomach with the sleeve, you remove the area that produces one of the hunger hormones, but hunger can still return." So I guess the rumor that they were stopping lapband surgery wasn't accurate. I am curious if they publish their statistics anywhere we can see?

No I haven't heard back from Dr Im yet - maybe he isn't going to respond. I haven't tested my band to see what can go through and I don't plan to - I will be able to see if 4 oz protein and 1/2 c cooked vegetables will be okay next Tuesday. The reason I said 7 cc was too much for my band is that most the time even if I only at 1/3 cup dense protein it was painful. I have not tried to eat a cup of protein or salad or veggies at one meal - I tell myself that even if I could eat that much that I won't even if I am still hungry otherwise I am not working my band. I think maybe I wasn't getting enough calories each day to lose weight - too few calories will stall weight loss too. Gonna go take a bike ride with my daughter before it gets dark.

Maybe your band is as tight as it can be without problems Tina. Do you feel okay if you eat 1/3 - 1/2 c protein the three times a day and if you do, do you lose weight? From the information I read about the sleeve, the pouch can stretch just like the RNY pouch can. I also know people who have had RNY, lost 100 lbs and have gained most of it back within two years after surgery - one lady said she figured out from the beginning that she could eat a bite sized candy bar every hour. I felt bad for her because what option does she have now. I am not perfect in my eating by far as my mind is sometimes stronger than my willpower. I think I will eventually get my band tightened some more but maybe not back to 7 cc - that was too tight for me. I'm watching "Huge" right now - it is kind of scary how big some of these young adults are.

I agree with some of what you said Tina. When someone loses a lot of weight, other issues usually are uncovered - and the best thing is to then take care of those issues. And whether you lose the weight fast or over time the same issues will come up - either sooner or later. I have never been diagnosed as having a food addiction but I know I used food to cover up feelings and emotions. I have been working on that for the last year and a half and it is a work in progress. But in my personal opinion it wouldn't have mattered what surgery I had or how fast I lost the weight, the issues would still be there. It would be nice if there were bariatric psychologists at all of the Kaisers - I think they would see the long term success go up. I just hope that all of us realize that in the end we are still responsible for making the right choices for years to come - all of the surgeries prevent us from eating a lot at one time, but none of them prevent us from grazing through the day. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Becca - are you still getting banded? At least 4 of us in our group have lost over 50 lbs - Riley has lost at least 100, Nicole lost over 50, I have lost 80, Tina has lost over 50 and I believe Donna has too. So it can be done. It doesn't come off as fast as the other surgeries but that has its benefits too. You can cheat all three of the surgeries - so in the end it is up to the person to be dedicated and follow the plan. I found some great deals at the Lodi Penneys - and when we got home I found out the guy who checked us out didn't put the two packs of underwear in our bag - jeez - I called them and the first lady knew right away what I was calling about and said they would hold them for me - I said gas to drive from Elk Grove and back would almost be as much as I paid for the underwear - after I spoke with the manager she said she will mail the to me. If something like that is going to happen, it will happen to me. I'm still drying clothes and can't go to bed until this load is done. - wah I wan't to go to bed.

Tina - I think the term "lots of people" can be misleading - lots could be 20 people to them - compared to how many that have bariatric surgery? I was told that a success in bariatric surgery is if you lose 50% of the desired weight loss in the first year. If that is the case I know of lots of successful band patients - just in our little group - Riley, Nicole L., me, you, Donna - and I am sure there are tons more. I would expect at least 25% of people who have any type of bariatric surgery aren't successful - once you factor in the psychological aspects of weight loss and the reality of none of them being miracle cures - only tools. I have to make a return trip to Penny's today to exchange three things - darn it. I accidentally grabbed briefs instead of hipsters of my daughter's underwear. I am going to check out the Penney's in Lodi though as it is a stand alone store and the Arden area will not doubt be crowded with the Fair going on.

I sent an e-mail to Dr. Im earlier this evening asking him why they are pushing the sleeve and if they are phasing out the band. Interested to see what he says.

Heather - I don't feel any different with the unfill. I am still on my Optifast product until Aug 3. I will then be eating 4 oz protein and 1/2 cooked vegetables for dinner and I will be able to see if I feel any different.

I still get e-mails when a new message posts to the Richmond group - check your settings. It was great seeing a bunch of you at lunch today - Donna, John, Chrissy, Tina, Karen, Angel, and a couple of others - I was at one end of the table and couldn't see the other end of the table. Everyone seems like they are feeling good - lots of smiles.

Tina - Dr. Im didn't actually say anything about my weight loss since I last saw him - I saw him write down that I have lost 19 lbs in the last 14 weeks. He didn't say he would put the whole 3.5 cc back in at once if I want it back in - but he might - he doesn't do a bunch of little fills at the beginning - he only started doing them 1 cc at a time when I got to 5 cc. He didn't really elaborate on the fills for people with esophagus swelling - maybe because I don't have it?

Dr Im and I talked about fills and he said not losing doesn't necessarily mean you need a fill. When he said he wanted to take all my fluid out for awhile, I told him that I couldn't handle that psychologically and it would be too hard for me to get them to give me a fill. He said he doesn't have a problem giving someone a fill later - he said he only doesn't do it if someone's esophagus is prone to being irritated or if the person thinks a fill will solve all their problems. He doesn't want to cause permanent damage or slippage. This was really the first time we have had a long conversation. He was happy that I have followed most of the rules since surgery - no soda, no alcohol, no caffeine - I didn't tell him about my gum chewing, but it wasn't on the questionnaire either. :biggrin:

Tina - I ate some cornflakes when I got home at 3:30 - I forgot my two shakes at work when I left so I had only had two shakes in the morning - 320 calories. I haven't eaten anything yet that I would be able to tell. When I eat my bar tomorrow I will see if I start to slime at the end like I have been doing. Ash - where did the person you know who had a baby after her sleeve have her operation done? Glad to hear it shouldn't be a problem. It is really up to each person to decide which surgery is best for them - none of the surgeries are without possible complications and potential problems - and I don't honestly think one is better than the other - they can all be successful and they can all fail. I am like Donna in that I didn't really want to lose all my weight fast - I have lost 80 lbs in 2 yrs and I would like to lose about 30 more pounds this next year.

Sounds like you have done your research on the sleeve Ash. There is no malabsorption with the band either, but they take all the fluid out when you get pregnant to ensure you can eat a well rounded diet with enough calories for you and the baby. Do you know anyone who has gotten pregnant after being sleeved? If I were planning on having a baby I would try to talk to someone who had already been through it. I went to Vacaville and saw Dr. Im today - he flew through the waiting room when I was supposed to be seeing him. He later said there was traffic from Richmond - he had to cancel some of his other appts for some meetings. We talked about the Medical Weight Loss program I am in at the Elk Grove Kaiser and he was very understanding. He wasn't upset with me at all - he thought the program costs about $10k - I let him know it is $4300 including the food. He said he thought he should take all the fluid out of my band so I can fully comply with the other program. That freaked me out as I told him I was afraid he wouldn't put in any back if I wanted it and he said that if this doesn't end up working for me all I have to do is contact him and he will give me a fill. He ended up taking out about 3.5 cc - which leaves me with 3.5 cc in my band. He said you can't really take all of the fluid out - some stays in there naturally. He told me to keep in touch and let him know how I am doing with my program. I told him I realize none of the surgeries work on their own and he agreed - he said you can gain all the weight back with all three surgeries if you don't change your eating habits permanently. I told him I heard they weren't doing many band surgeries anymore and he said they are still doing them. He is really an excellent doctor - I actually felt like he cared about making the right decision for me and not just what I should be doing based on the band protocol. Boy the needle to numb I will be at lunch at Mimi's on Saturday - not sure if I will be at the meeting though. I am bringing my daughter with me.

Becca - I don't wish I did the sleeve instead of the band - even if we would have had that option. I don't want most of my stomach cut out and thrown away - it is a permanent thing. I can have my band taken out if medically necessary later in life and I will still have my whole stomach. If I need to be able to eat more for some reason - maybe illness or if you get pregnant - I can have all the fluid removed. But that is just my personal feeling. You need to decide what is best for you and you alone. Any other bandsters want to chime in?

I just got back from my weight loss group - I lost 1/2 lb this week which brings me to 19 1/2 lbs lost in the last 14 weeks. We learned more about figuring out the percentage of fat in food. I saw the doctor tonight and told her I was going to get a little bit removed from my band and she was pleased that I was having it done before we start transitioning to real food the week of Aug 3. Wish me luck with Dr. Im.

Yes Andrew it is a good idea to go ahead and lose the 10% before you see Dr Im - you will get your other appts fast then. Robin called me today and we had a nice chat - I told her about the program I am in and although I don't think she was pleased I think she understood where I am at. She said I should have called them when I started struggling and not losing weight. Not sure what she thought she could have done since I am as tight as I can get without being too tight. I will see Dr. Im on Thursday to get some fluid removed from my band - I currently have 7 cc in a 10 cc band and it is too tight to eat enough healthy food for me to lose weight.