catfish87

Coming from the worlds slowest loser... Bandista, Welcome to your bandster hell, my friend...you have arrived just about as scheduled. You have been on here cheering/encouraging folks since day one. Always supportive with your "yippies"!, etc. Now its your turn to give yourself that same encouragement and support. And you know from reading, bandster hell is REAL for lots of us. Some of us are in it for a long time....too long IMO. For me, that desire and willpower of dieting, following some portion size requirements, only eating when you're truly hungry, etc, only last for so long. ( Hence we needed this surgery in the first place ) At some point, the band has to do something different for us....AND IT WILL. Until then, avoid the discouragment at all costs. Don't skip even one Dr. appt. ( I didn't go for almost a year ) Don't allow yourself to even consider "the band won't work" and you'll be stuck here forever. It will work, you just gotta get there. Unfortunately, I speak from experience when I say....NEVER, EVER give up. I almost did. This little attachment shows the reason. Copied and pasted from my surgeons notes.

TMF, I'm guessing this is the band with plication. It's called iLap in some situations.... http://drsimpson.net/Gastric-Plication-weight-loss-surgery/iLap-surgery/iLap-surgery-new-hope/iLap-surgery-new-hope.html

You aren't alone... I still wanna eat because it's dinner time, because everyone else around is eating, because i'm sitting down watching tv, because, because, because. Even if I know i'm not really hungry. Its more of a social thing I think for me. At least now, it's a lot less volume....a LOT less.

I wouldn't say it's exactly normal...but certainly not unheard of. Lots of posts have discussed it over the years.

Fantastic news!!!! So glad everything went well for you. Another great testimony as to what fluoro can SHOW. Congrats!

Congrats GoWalking! And a very good point about the long term view of this. Much continued success to you, and Happy New Year!

Looking at what you wrote, I say no worries! Your surgeon has quite a bit of experience, several members on here she has done. You say you don't have any symptoms of problems.....don't get worked up over it. LOTS of people on here you'll read or hear about their doctors didn't know which band they were gonna use until they acutally got in there and looked things over. Not that uncommon at all. Should the surgical notes have been better......YES. But the notes aren't whats gonna make you successful with this. As a question...what is a "tilted" band actually? Did you see it on the fluoroscopy? My band is at an angle....as are almost every one I've ever seen....and I don't have any problems either. 4+ years post op. Heres what mine looks like. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/168149-heres-what-my-restriction-level-looks-like/

I don't drink soda's, but carbonation isn't an issue for me. I'm 4+ years post op. I never understood how tiny little carbon dioxide bubbles could cause so much difference of opinion in the lapband expert ( I'm talking expert SURGEONS ) community. But it certainly does! Talk with your surgeon about it, if thats the reason you aren't drinking your cokes. A lot of the "rules" are ever changing and they may not chastise you for it nowadays... As far as what I drink, Powerade Zero, G2, Lemonade, Unsweetened iced tea, coffee, beer, wine, etc.

Heres some food for thought....I copied and pasted from an earlier post. YMMV..... DO THE MATH 164 Studies, 161,756 Patients Over Nearly 10 Years: What Does This Add Up To? BARIATRIC AND METABOLIC SURGERY IS EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED AND GETTING SAFER! A new meta-analysis of studies carried out between 2003 and 2012 shows higher remission rates of diabetes and high blood pressure and a lower mortality rate than previously reported. The study, published online in JAMA Surgery, is an update to a meta-analysis of studies conducted between 1990 and 2003 and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, Buchwald et. al.) back in October 2004. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reviewed outcomes from nearly 162,000 patients in 164 studies (37 randomized clinical trials and 127 observational studies), over almost 10 years. They discovered 92 percent of patients in randomized clinical trials experienced diabetes remission after surgery, slightly higher than the 86 percent remission rate found in observational studies, but significantly higher than the 76.8 percent remission rate found in the 2004 JAMA study. Remission rates for hypertension were about 75 percent in both the randomized clinical trials and observational studies, while the remission rate in 2004 was 61.7 percent. Body Mass Index (BMI) loss five years after surgery ranged from 12 to 17 in the new study. Before surgery, patients had an average BMI of 45.62. "With the 2004 study, we now have 22 years worth of data from over 180,000 patients and 300 studies," said study co-author J. Esteban Varela, MD, MPH, MBA, Fellow of the ASMBS. "The data continues to prove bariatric surgery is not only safe and effective in providing significant and sustainable weight loss, but is the most effective treatment today for diabetes, hypertension and an array of other diseases and conditions in people with obesity." In the new study, 30-day mortality rate was 0.08 percent, down from the 0.3 percent reported in 2004. Complication rates ranged from 10 to 17 percent and the reoperation rate was about 7 percent. Complication and reoperation rates were not reported in the previous meta-analysis. By procedure, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy resulted in the greatest weight loss, but had a higher rate of complications and mortality than adjustable gastric banding. Gastric banding had the highest reoperation rate (12% in randomized trials), while gastric bypass had the lowest at 3 percent, followed by sleeve gastrectomy, which had a reoperation rate of 9 percent. The new meta-analysis included sleeve gastrectomy, which was not available in the 1990s. Of note, sleeve gastrectomy had comparable weight loss to that of gastric bypass at 5 years. "This is but the latest study to validate the high degree of safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery," said Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery at UC Irvine School of Medicine. "Today we are performing operations that are as safe or safer than gallbladder and hernia repair surgery." According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 78 million adults were obese in 2011–2012.1 The ASMBS estimates about 24 million people have severe or morbid obesity. Individuals with a BMI greater than 30 have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death compared to healthy weight individuals as well as an increased risk of developing more than 40 obesity-related diseases and conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.2,3

Congrats!! I'll warn you though.....its HIGHLY addictive!! And as a bonus.....you'll probably never need to buy another t-shirt.

Getting giftcards to a running store as a Christmas present.....instead of Applebees, Red Lobster, cookies, etc.

Another reason not to compare your loss to everyone else's is that there is such a wide range of pre-op diets. Some, such as mine, was Clear liquids ( no calories ) for 7 days. Others you'll hear having some sort of shakes, some one MEAL, some just low calorie. Some range from a couple of days....to a few weeks. You say you have not cheated....so you followed your instructions. What else could you possibly do? It'll be fine!

2013 was one of the best ever! Probably most importantly, I finally realized how to allow my band work, for ME. Got it adjusted properly towards the end of 2012 and couldn't be happier with what IT does now. But thats not the only reason for such a great year.... I reached the 100 lb loss club back in March. I rode my first 100 mile bike ride in June. Started running....RUNNING!!!!!!!!! in July. Did my first organized 5K run in Sept. 7th. Did my first sprint level Triathalon on Oct 23rd. Completed my first 10 mile run on Nov 8th.. Logged over 3000 miles on the bike this year. Tracked over 158,000 calories burned on my Garmin since I got it in March. SEVERAL of you will hopefully smile when you read that.....because there are several of you who have encourage/motivated me to accomplish these. From the info on the HRM, to the cycling tips, to the running inspiration, to the Tri suggestions....ALL from friends on here. How can I ever thank you all enough! Its been a great year...and I wish everyone a fantastic 2014! On my list of to do's for 2014. Complete my first Half marathon in on March 23rd. Spend a week riding from Chicago to St. Louis...just because. Spend a week riding with the "Ride 2 Recovery" organization. Complete my first Olympic level Triathalon. Continue to come here and do what I can to help others, because I've been so blessed by the support I have received here. Enjoy this new life to the fullest!!

Great story Jim. Congrats and well wishes on yours and your wife's continued success.

I started at 324 and am at 188. So, 136 lbs lost... I still have one pair of my 46" waist jeans as a reminder....Thursday I bought some new 33" waist jeans...could have used a 32", but they didn't have that size! They were snazzy, $150 jeans too.....I think I must have had lapse in judgement to spend so much on a pair of jeans! But, acutally, I had just left my surgeons office....he said everything was "Perfect"...that'll give you a boost for sure. It's not just the scale though.....its the new life!!

Thanks for posing this TMF!! I did not see it earlier. Isn't it nice to know, the sky isn't falling, we're not all doomed, etc? This is a longterm, many patient, analysis showing....THIS THING WORKS!! Merry Christmas to you! And thanks for spreading the Christmas cheer!!

I was hungry from about day 6....or so. Then I actually did ok after I started on mushies for several days...I think it was the mental idea that I was getting to EAT finally after 3 weeks. (One week clear liquids preop, and the two weeks of liquids postop.) I wouldn't suggest you expect it to be like a magical switch they're gonna flip when you get your first adjustment either.....just sayin'. Some surgeons are VERY conservative with adjustments. Each has their own way, and timeline, to get you to what you'll hear referred to the "green zone". This is where you want to be!! Thats the magic spot. Some use a VERY useful tool, in my opinion, its called Fluoroscopy. They can actually SEE what your restriction level is. And some just add a certain amount per adjustment....I call that old school, blind fills. Its just an educated guess at best....providing everything is correct on the inside.....but thats a different story. PS...heres a link to the thread showing what MY restriction looks like....this IS MY green zone. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/168149-heres-what-my-restriction-level-looks-like/

Congrats on being off to a great start! As far as what to expect for the upcoming fill... This was my experience. I was on Clear liquids for a week post op, then a week of full liquids, then a week of mushies, then progress to some solids as ok'd by my surgical team. For the first week, I wasn't hungry AT ALL. Just lots of sipping of the clear liquids, etc. About the middle of the second week, HUNGER set in...I thought I was starving! Obviously, I didn't starve to death and die, lol. I thought, man this is BS....did I even get a band installed....something must be wrong. Then week three.....MUSHIES! I still remember like it was yesterday, the first bite of mashed potatoes I had. About 1 tablespoon and I was sure something was different....felt them and that sensation of "pressure" I call it. Ok....so I really did have a band! Whew! As the days went by, trying a few of the other mushies that were ok'd for me to have, that hunger monster started coming back. I thought I must call my doctors office and get a fill! I couldn't possibly go until they told me to like this....Hungry. But they just told me....NOPE...theres a reason we don't fill early, to allow everything to heal properly. So I just did the best I could with limiting my portions until that magical date of my first fill..... Here's how mine went back then. Get to the office, weigh, talk with the surgeon, lay down on a table, surgeon located the port, inserted a needle, and added some saline. A VERY, VERY painless and simple procedure...took about two minutes! Stood up, and they gave me a litle cup of Water to sip to make sure I could drink it with no problems....and there were none. Off to home with instructions of liquids for 24 hours, then progress back to regular food as tolerated. PB, FOR ME, means when I eat something too fast or don't chew properly, the food kinda get lodged ABOVE my band. It may cause a sliming episode, which evidently is the body's natural reaction according to what I've heard. It helps the food go one way or the other....either it passes on through the band....or back up it comes! It seemed strange/uncomfortable the first time for sure. But that was my reminder to slow down, chew better. You'll learn....just like most who eventually will expericene it. Some of us are slower learners....like me! I've been banded for 4+ years now....and have NEVER vomited once since being banded. That would be a bad thing...such as stomach virus or something. Best of luck on your new life! Trust your surgical team....and Trust your band. Never, ever give up.

Congrats!!! Enjoy your new life! You've earned it

Congratulations Gowalking...and thanks for your post! Such a great topic title for the season and for your accomplishments. I wish you much continued success.

I've never been part of an online forum/chat group until this one, so this was a new experience for me....starting almost 5 years ago now. When I joined, I'd get on here and just listen....LISTEN closely to what the successful folks had to say. I wanted to be like them!! And I'd also pay attention to the ones who were struggling, and try to find out why.....to avoid those same issues. There is a wealth of information that can be had from this site. Personal experiences that can never be replaced by someone who hasn't "been there, done that". One thing I do sometimes, is go back and read veterans posts/questions from when they were starting out. It can be eye opening....we had lots of the same questions and concerns that are asked here every day. Now for my little rant... I was ready to leave about a month ago...Disgusted...not because of anything anyone said, but because I felt a sense of censorship coming from what I percieved to be "the site". Locking threads that are a hot topic, just because of differences of opinion? If someone violates a rule, is disrespectful or hateful, tell that person, and then ban them if they dont stop! (Which is what ended up happening in the instance I'm referring to....KUDDOS to the moderating team or whomever is responsible for how it was handled in the end.) I despise the shotgun approach to dealing with problems. We don't have to agree with someones OPINION, politics, views on issues. MOVE ON! Don't read the damn thing if it offends you....certainly don't try and limit someones OPINION just because you don't agree with it.

I can assure you...it's not only possible....IT HAPPENED to ME. Does your doctor use Fluoro for adjustments and to check your restriction level?