Melissannde

Keep an eye on it. It can be normal and it can signify some ominous changes. I was having almost continuous bleeding when they found I had endometrial cancer. I don't mean to scare you, but just don't want you to ignore it like I did for years.

If your doc is pushing them, the office should give out free samples. My doctor does.. not large amts, but enough to taste. But he's not pushing the BA Protein. They recommend the Syntrax and will give out samples. Contact BA through their website and ask about samples. unjury is good and so are the Syntrax Nectar brand of Protein Drinks. When you settle on what you want to use, check netrition.com for prices. They generally beat most others and have flat rate shipping of 4.95

Better call your doc's office. Mine doesn't like to give fills closer than a week before travel.

I take Centrum chewables. If you're post menopausal, you might not need extra iron. Call the doc's office and ask them what you should be taking.

Mattie (and others who are struggling with this), try drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee right before you have your meal. Sometimes a warm drink will loosen the band enough so that you can eat. I had too much fill about this time last year and hot tea got me through until I could get in to the Doc. I had a .2 unfill and that fixed me.

My first fill was 1cc. ALL of the rest have been .5, or .2 and I think I've done pretty well. Small fills work.. it's a lot easier to creep up on the right amount than to go over and have to have it removed.. as you learned.

I would have a conversation with the doctor. If all else fails, you could find another doctor. There are some who don't require any pre-op weight loss. Mine didn't and I did fine and am doing very well so far with weight loss.

Try sipping on something warm before your meals.. tea, coffee, warm Water with lemon. See if that will loosen you up enough to eat a normal amount. I don't go by the "feeling full" idea. I go by if I can eat 3oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies and be satisfied for 3 or more hours. If I'm consistently (over several days ) hungry sooner than 3 hours, I need a fill. If I can't get 3oz and 1/2 cup of veggies in consistently.. over several days.. or if it hurts to eat.. I'm too tight. I'm no longer cycling, so I can't help you with the hormonal issues. But likely that is what is going on.

I came out of surgery with 3cc's in my band. Never went through severe "bandster hell" because of that. Each fill would put me in the green zone for a while, then as I lost weight, I'd move back to the yellow zone and need a little tweak or bump up of Fluid. The green zone is dynamic.. changes as your body changes. As you get closer to goal, you'll need less adjustments. My last one was in December and I'm trying to decide if I need another one now.. when I get hungry sooner than 3 hours, I think yes, I need more. And then again when I'm eating slowly and my band feels tight.. I'm thinking no, not yet. It's difficult to know.

Did the doctor request that you lose the weight or did they require that you lose that much before surgery. Bit of a difference. If they require it, they should have a nutritionist or dietician available to help you. Call and ask for assistance.

My diet? Clear liquids the day before surgery, NPO after midnight. That's IT!! Don't worry about not having to do a pre-op diet. Count your blessings.

I was a little queasy for a day after the surgery, but never any nausea/vomiting. Spitting up or getting stuck with the band isn't anything like n/v with an illness. I don't have acid reflux, but I know someone who is banded who said that the band fixed that for them.

I don't understand the "food sitting on top of the band" statement. food isn't supposed to stay in the upper stomach all that long. What eating is supposed to do is to stretch the upper portion just enough to stimulate a nerve that conveys to the brain that we're no longer hungry. This might be helpful to you: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html I wonder if maybe your band is a tad too tight? Best of luck to you.

While no one WANTS another surgery, I don't really understand the worry about how long the band will last. Other prosthetics wear out or have problems and have to be revised or replaced.. hip joints, knees, pacemakers, shunts and no one seems to be overly upset about that fact. I don't expect my band to last forever, but I'm going to "ride it till the wheels fall off" while it's working for me.

Warm tea (ginger tea is also good), warm Water with lemon (sounds awful, but it's actually pretty good) are both soothing to the band. In the future, you might want to avoid Pasta.. Not only is it a food that many bandsters have problems with (getting stuck, etc.) it's also one of the "white carbs" that just isn't very conducive to weight loss. These foods tend to spike our blood sugar, which makes us feel good for a little while, but then when our blood sugar drops, we get hungry again sooner. Do call your doc on Monday. If you get to the point where you can't keep any liquids down, don't wait till Monday. Call immediately. They will have someone on call.

Ask for a prescription for a topical anesthetic that you apply an hour before the fill. I think it's called EMLA, but I might be mistaken on the spelling. If your surgeon won't cooperate, your PCP might help you with the script. You put it over the site that's going to be injected and cover it with plastic wrap (I hear the press n seal type is better than what comes with the cream). The doctor doesn' t have to do anything.. so there's no waiting time for him/her. Sorry your doctor isn't very gentle. If this continues to be a problem, you might consider interviewing a different bariatric surgeon.

Google chair exercises. I believe sparkpeople.com has some information on these or your local library may have some DVD's that would be helpful. Hang in there.. you've had a run of bad luck, it's your turn for good things to happen now.

oatmeal, cream of wheat, tuna salad, chicken salad. Some people actually say crackers are ok, because they are a processed food and dissolve in the mouth. Ask your doc's office about those. I lived on Soups that were blended.. as I moved towards regular food, we blended them less. Scrambled eggs, poached eggs. Most anything that you can mash with a fork should be OK. I don't think I would try lettuce, but if you really want some, call Monday and ask. Your bariatric group might ok it. You should never feel pain or nausea after eating. Also, don't look for a feeling of "fullness", what we're really aiming for is "no longer hungry". Stick to your measured portions, whatever you've been told is appropriate. You might not get the "not hungries" for a while unless your doc put some Fluid in your band at the time of surgery. best of luck to you. Isn't it great to move out of liquids?

I've always been able to swallow capsules. pills.. I don't like and try to avoid. I use chewable Centrum multi's and my surgeon is fine with those. He doesn't like us taking flintstones, says they aren't enough for adults. I'm not going to get into a Vitamin war, just stating my surgeon's opinion (and my pcp's opinion too aamof). YMMV with your surgeon/pcp. I DO find it helpful to take my morning doses with hot tea or coffee. Afternoon and evening go down fine with Water. Again, ymmv.

This is what a nurse who works in bariatrics, has to say about this study: "an old study with different bands inserted by a different technique. Only about half of the patients were in the follow-up group. It's likely that people with problems are more likely to return to the surgeon so that inflates the complication rate. Because it's so difficult to get FDA approval many devices are tested in other countries before people in the US get them. They good thing about this is many of the bugs are worked out by the time we see the product. But not always. There's a failure rate and a complication rate with EVERY surgery and EVERY medical device."

You should be consulting with your doctor about what you can have at this stage. All doctors are different on what they allow their patients.

I know a few who have had theirs 10 or 11 years, original band. Still working fine.

Some other online support options: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HoustonareaBandsters http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DFWBandsters Support is really one of the mainstays of banding. If you don't feel like your doctor is supportive enough, you could change. There's lots of choices in the Houston area. I met two doctors from Houston when I attended the TABS conference in January of this year in Dallas. I don't know how they are on a doctor/patient relationship, but I enjoyed talking to them one on one. One was Dr. Davis and the other was Dr. Vuong. Dr. Vuong was really interesting.. he's very big on support. Requires that his patients attend support group or he will not do fills. And he has Saturday meetings too. I don't go to my doctor's support group every month, because of various reasons. One is that the leader of the group rubs me the wrong way at times and another is that they are held at night and I live an hours drive away and I don't like driving after dark. I do most of mine online at the yahoo groups. Make a list of questions before your appt on 4/15 and take it with you. You are entitled to know what kind of band you have, how much Fluid is in it from the time of surgery (if any) and how much they put in during any fills. You are also entitled to a copy of your surgical report if you want one. Best of luck to you.

You might also find this helpful (or at least interesting). It's a book written by Dr. Simpson about losing the last 30 lbs in pdf form. I think I need to print it out myself. http://azlapband.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Last30_book_print2.pdf

Ok.. I'd trust the polar monitor a bit more than other ways of calculating what you burned. I use one too and while my burn is lower than my friends who also use one, I think it's more accurate than other devices. Someday I want to get a fitbit or a bodymedia and compare them to the polar. As regards food intake, I too try to stay around 1200 a day, but break mine into several small meals. If you're only getting 2 meals a day, are you skipping Breakfast? Everyone I talk to says we need to eat within one or two hours of waking up to get our metabolism going. It doesn't have to be much. Most mornings I'm too busy to do anything other than a cup of yogurt or a RTD Muscle Milk light. Then when I get home from the gym, I drink a Syntrax Protein drink (you could use another brand if you like). I like syntrax cause they're fruit flavored, relatively low calorie (90 to 100) and 0 carb. 23 grams of protein. I've started doing this on the recommend of trainers who say taking in protein after working out helps rebuild the muscles we just tore down by working out. Then an hour or two after that, I have lunch. 4 hours later is dinner, but if I get hungry between lunch & dinner, I'll have a cheese stick or something.. so in effect, I really am eating about every 2 hours. I didn't realize this until I sat down and wrote it out for someone else. My weight loss is slow, but steady, if I stay on plan. Recently have had a few "not so good" choices.. but that's my fault. I might be ready for another small fill. Hope your doctor can shed some light on your dilemma for you.