dert

Sounds like what happened to me! Some of the clamps holding down one side of my port came loose. It wasn't noticeable when I had more weight to lose, but man did it become noticeable after a while! http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_4888.jpg Here's some posts on my blog about different options for putting the port back on... http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/248 http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/1942 http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/archives/248 Hope that helps a little bit! If you have any questions, just holler.

Anume -- You can survive anything for 10 days! It'll be challenging, but at least there's an end date in sight. The surgery is so worth it in the end! Every time it becomes a challenge, just remember all the reasons why you want to go through with this. Write those reasons down and carry with them in your pocket if you need a reminder.

What was your original instructions from your doctor? I was only allowed to do the Medifast shakes -- no solid foods at all. I think some people combine shakes + 1 small meal a day. Are you overeating? Consuming too many calories, too big of portions? Are you drinking more shakes than you were prescribed?

I know my doctor had different prices for self-pay patients, so I KNOW that they would talk to you when it comes to payment options. However, your BMI is pretty low...they required me to have a BMI of 40. Still, it wouldn't hurt to have a consultation. It'll be a 2 hour drive for you to come to Schenectady. Talk to Ellis Bariatric Hospital: http://www.ellishospital.org/bariatrics/our-bariatric-surgeons.aspx

Yes! I was successful after a bad start! I didn't lose a single pound for about 6 months following surgery. It turns out my dumbassed Physician's Assistant wasn't actually injecting the saline into my band, so I wasn't getting restriction. For those 6 months I felt like the biggest failure, like I made the biggest mistake in the world! I then demanded to see my surgeon (I received my fills directly from him afterwards) and then started to see results slowly. It took me a total of 2 years to lose the weight after surgery, but I made it to my goal weight eventually! Hang in there and be patient! If you get frustrated, be honest and talk to your doctor about it.

I think your doctor can also give you a novacaine (localized anesthetic) shot in the stomach before going at you with the big needle. I had that done once, but found the novacaine needle was more painful than the big needle, but perhaps you'd feel differently.

I agree with what the others said -- it depends on your doctor. I have a friend that got her band done in Mexico. She got a HUGE fill pretty soon after her surgery, and she only had to get it tweaked once after that. I suppose that works out well because Mexico is a long way to go for a fill from New York. (This was when the surgery was new and there weren't many doctors doing them in the USA.) On the other hand, I went in for a bajillion little fills during my journey. I can't imagine my surgeon ever agreeing to giving a BIG fill if he has the option. So yeah...I think it just depends on your surgeon and circumstances and whatnot. Talk to your doctor about it -- the worst thing that can happen is he'll tell you "no."

The adderall could be causing the band to feel tighter if the adderall causes you to retain water. The gastric band is absorptive and can actually absorb water--causing it to feel tighter. That's why a lot of people find that the band is tighter in the morning or when you have PMS. So when you're taking adderall, be sure to drink some extra water to flush any "bloat" out of your system. And make sure you're not eating salty foods. If the tightness continues, you should ask your doctor about it.

Don't worry! Your doctor will be able to find it. In the begginning stages of the band, it'll be a little bit more guess-work for your doctor to find it. He'll have the general location in mind, but he'll need to "jab" around a little bit with the needle to find the exact center of the port. (I remember my doctor jabbing around, which was uncomfortable but didn't actually hurt unless he jabbed my abs. THAT hurt. The rest of the time it was just weird.) As you lose weight, the port will become easier to feel, easier to find, and perhaps eventually able to be seen through the skin. (You can see my skin bulge ever so slightly where my port is.)

http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/gastric_banding_incisions.jpg You can't even see the scars on me, really, without really looking: http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Port2.jpg You can see the largest of the scars here: http://www.phoenixrevolution.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_5098.jpg

My blog reader Kris was able to link me to an article explaining why our gastric bands feel tighter when we are stressed (or PMSing). How very interesting! The article can be found here. The answer is that the gastric band is a semi-permeable membrane that actually can absorb fluids in the body! Often times patients will come in because their Lap-band feels too tight. They find more difficulty with some foods, and are uncomfortable. They ask me “does stress cause the band to tighten?” The answer is, yes, it does. The biology of stress is this: when you have stress, be it physical stress (like an illness) or mental stress (like your mother-in-law coming by for a short two week visit)…the body reacts by retaining fluid. You may notice that wedding rings are tighter, and there is more swelling in the legs at night. The balloon of the adjustable Lap-band is a semi-permeable membrane, meaning it is osmotically active. In plain English: the more water you retain, some is transmitted to the band, so it swells. If a patient has 5.5 cc in their band (we measure it) and they come in and it feels tighter, we find they have 6 cc in the band. Where did the ½ cc come from? That is from the extra water the body is carrying. Since the balloon on the band is semi-permeable it will retain more water also. This is the same reason that most people find the Lap-band to be tighter in the morning. In the evening you may notice you have some swelling of your ankles – by gravity your body water has gone down to the legs. In the morning that swelling is gone, and the water has gone back to the central compartment of the body where the band is. If we measure the band in the morning it can have 0.25 to 0.5 cc more in it (which can make a difference). This is also why we don’t like bands being too tight. People need room for stress – of all kinds. Leaving room in the band to allow for this, means that patients will have fewer difficulties. Upon further web searching, I see that there are several scientific studies that have been performed that have verified this claim, such as this one here. This knowledge makes me realize two things: (1) When your band is too tight or too loose, don’t go running to your doctor to get it fixed right away. Give it a little time to see if the saline levels balance themselves back out. Also, (2) If you experience a “looser” band, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your band is leaking or is broken. First try increasing your fluid consumption and see if that fixes the problem. If there is a noticeable decrease in “restrictive feeling,” then go see your doctor.

I don't think that the band has any correlation to hemmeroids or kidney pain (I know that I haven't experienced that), but that's definitely a question for your doctor! Get that checked out! And as for tightness in the morning...yes! That's a common thing. The reason is because gastric band is a semi-permeable membrane that actually can absorb fluids in the body! There's an interesting article about it here: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-surgery-support-science/notes-from-Dr-Terry-Simpson/Lap-band-Stress/Lap-band-Stress.html

For me...soup of all kinds! (Except soup with Pasta in it.) Tomato soup especially! Beans of all kinds has been invaluable. Baked beans, bean soup, bean dip, hummus, etc. cheese has been a great help. So has almonds! (Portion control is key with both foods though.) And yogurt!

If you are in the capital district (Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga) area, then start by attending an introductory seminar that the Ellis Bariatric Center puts on. It gives and overview of the surgery, the pros and cons of it, etc. It will be a good place to get started. http://www.ellismedicine.org/Specialties/WeightLoss.aspx

I'm not 100% sure, Ginny, but you certainly have the right to ask your doctor for the statistics about side-effects and port problems for the Lap-Band. You can also contact the Lap-Band manufacturer directly to ask them for statistics. This is just my own personal opinion...but this port detachment is annoying mostly. I would completely go through the surgery again--INCLUDING the port problems--for all the benefit it has given me in my life. It has been completely and utterly worth it. Of course, everyone has their own opinion and tolerance with side-effects and potential problems. You should certainly educate yourself to know what the potential problems and side-effects are so you are not going into the surgery "blind" so to speak, and so you can make an educated opinion whether they are worth the risk or not. For me...it totally was worth everything.

I'm having a port re-attachment surgery in 2 weeks (I'm so glad that they are getting me in faster than I would have thought). After discussing a LOT of different options we've decided we're just going to put it back where it was originally, in the same spot. I hope that it stays attached this time!!!

I completely lost my sex drive about 1 year after my surgery, and I haven't found it yet. On the other hand, with me losing weight and looking better, my husband wants sex more often. It's not a good mix. :-( I get the feeling that my experience isn't really normal though.

It depends. Can you actually feel the hard, plastic bump? Or is it just tummy swelling? It is normal for the port to be sore a week after surgery. After all, they stitched it to your abdomen muscles, and that takes time to heal! So that's totally normal and eventually the hurt will go away. There are high-profile ports that stick out quite a bit (I think Lap-Band's port is high-profile) and there are low-profile ports that are flatter (Realize has lower profile ports). When you have a lot of fat on your abdomen, it should be very difficult to see the plastic bump of your port. If you can see it even though you have a lot of abdomen, then it could be an indication that your port is not attached properly and is displaced. The more weight you lose and the closer you get to your goal weight, the more apt you are to see and feel your port. This is normal. I'm going to assume that if you just had surgery a week ago that you are not at that point though. Ask your doc about the port the next time you see him and express your concern.

No no no! You don't need to drink that awful barium (white chalky crap) drink that you did for your pre-admission testing. No, during you fill they just ask you to take a sip of bottled Water. When I have my fills, I am lying down on the exam table, but I have heard of doctors asking other patients to stand. I think that's rare though.

A typical eating day for me would be like this: 8 a.m.: 1 egg with some diced veggie in it, scrambled with a small glass skim milk 10 a.m.: 10 almonds Noon: Vegetable Soup 2 pm: Small can of tuna fish with spicy brown mustard 4 pm: 1 Protein shake. Or, perhaps some hummus on pita chips 6 pm: Green salad with steak or chicken in it. Lots of greens, not so much dressing. 8 pm: Glass of skim milk and a small piece of chocolate Sample exercise routine: Monday: Rollerblading at lunch; Arm + back weights after work at the gym Tuesday: Cardio day (jogging, cycling, P90X, etc) Wednesday: Walking or rollerblading at lunch; Legs weights and abs at the gym Thursday: Cardio day Friday: Day off Saturday: Fun exercise day. Canoeing, hiking, skiing, swimming, volleyball with friends, etc. Sunday: Yard work or other strenuous housework (enough to get you sweating)

Foods with high protein: Protein shakes eggs Any kind of meat Fish << super good for you Dairy products (skim milk, cheese, yogurt) Beans of any kind Nuts and seeds It totally depends on what kind of calories you are looking to consume, but try to eat a small meal every 2 hours throughout the day, and that small meal should include some kind of protein. A typical eating day for me would be like this: 8 a.m.: 1 egg with some diced veggie in it, scrambled with a small glass skim milk 10 a.m.: 10 almonds Noon: Vegetable Soup 2 pm: Small can of tuna fish with spicy brown mustard 4 pm: 1 Protein shake. Or, perhaps some hummus on pita chips 6 pm: Green salad with steak or chicken in it. Lots of greens, not so much dressing. 8 pm: Glass of skim milk and a small piece of chocolate Hope that helps a little? :-)

Yes it's totally normal and goes away with time. For me, my gas issues went away after about 3 months, and my pooping issues went away a little quicker than that. However, it turned into constipation problems so I had to play with my diet a bit to find foods that helped make me "regular" without interfering with the band.

It doesn't matter what you do so long as you're moving and exercise! Go to the gym, ride a bike, take dance lessons, do P90X, to lunges in your kitchen while cooking....whatever! It doesn't matter in the long run. What DOES matter is that you have FUN with your workouts so you continue to do them on a regular basis. If you're bored with the gym, then find something more enjoyable to do. Try P90X. When you get bored with that, sign up for spinning lessons. Or yoga. Or a bootcamp. Whatever...just MOVE! But as to your question "does it work," yes it does (or, rather, yes it should0. P90X combines high-intensity interval training for a highly effective cardio workout, plus strength training, which is really the best of both worlds when it comes to working out. It'll blast calories + build your muscle so you get toned and lean.

Okay, I'm not a dietician or personal trainer or anything, just a regular schmo, so take any advice from me with a grain of salt... But I am a HUGE advocate of finding your OWN calorie setpoint. Don't go by P90X. Don't go by the United States food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and the dumb food pyramid. Don't go by a dumb chart on your doctor's wall. Not a single one of those charts knows YOU, your medical history, your genetic pre-dispositions, your metabolic rate, and so on. Instead, find your calorie setpoint based on your own individual body. You're going to have to play with it a little bit to truly learn what works for you. I personally recommend playing around with 150 calorie increments. For example: So if you're currently eating 1400 calories a day, plus exercising, and not losing weight, try lowering your calories to 1250 calories per day for a week and see how that goes. If you are still not losing weight, try raising your calories to 1650 per day, for a week, and see how that goes. If that still doesn't work, try lowering your calories to 1100 calories. And so forth. You get the point. By the way, don't be afraid of going lower. Medical studies have shown that people who have restricted their calorie intake much below national averages typically get sick less, live longer, sleep better, have less risk of cancer, have healthier lives, etc. (Google the CRON movement sometime if you're interested in reading more.) The idea that you have to consume massive amounts of calories every day is based on the USDA trying to create perfect "ideals" for the average human (which is really just dumb) and is influenced by heavy lobbying by all kinds of agricultural departments (bread, dairy, meat, processed food, corn syrup industries, for example). So take those calorie recommendations with a HUGE grain of salt. Instead, find what works for your own body.

I think your doctor did the right thing by taking a little bit out. Really, 0.5 cc out of the 4.0ccs she put in is a very small amount that she took out. When you go back in a few weeks, ask for another 0.5 ccs and see how that feels. I think it's normal to feel a little pressure in the chest when you eat, so long as you can actually swallow and keep food down.