elcee

I would have thought that your MRSA would need to be brought under control prior to the op otherwise the risks would be huge.

I have tried:- stretching the chicken dance arm movement thing papaya tabs downward dog NONE of these work for ME. The only way I can get relief is to bring the offending item back up. I find it far easier to cough/spit the offending item back up than to try and wait for it to go down. The times I have waited it has been really uncomfortable and it can be an hour or more later with no sign of relief. In the meantime there is all that excess saliva which has to go somewhere............ So for me waiting it out is not an option.

What you are describing (cakegirl) sounds like what are commonly called saddle bags.They are very common.

This does not sound like a band related issue. If anything the band tends to slow the digestive process down not speed it up. I would be going to the Dr and getting them to do some thourough testing and not let them BLAME THE BAND.

Always better to be safe than sorry. Especially as healthcare in the USA is so expensive. As far as I am aware it only costs an additional $60 for them to cover the band - at least that is what I was quoted earlier this year.

What is intergestion?

I don't want to put a dampener on things but just be aware this may not happen.There are lots of causes of high BP not only being overweight. Quite often high BP is unexplained. I have been at normal BMI for more than 2 years now and I still have to take mine. At one point I stopped taking them as my BP dropped too low and I ended up in hospital but it didn't take long for it to start creeping back up again.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. I know how you feel because it is hard to go against a Dr's orders if you decide that something is not right for you. I sometimes think maybe I should take the statins and then I read a bit more and decide no way. I was reading into this a bit more yesterday as I found the script for Crestor that my Dr gave me and thought well maybe I am just being stupid. In fact it was on Crestor's official website that I found the info that statins can raise blood sugar and that wasn't something I knew previously. Some of the info that made me happy to stick with my decision included things such as the fact that statins do not increase your life span they just change what you die from! I think everyone has to decide what are acceptable and non acceptable risks for themselves.And this decision should be based on as much info as possible. Info that gives both sides of the argument. Yes Dr's do know more than us but we have to remember that a lot of their knowledge and education comes from drug companies, companies that have a huge vested interest in getting as many people as possible to buy their product. Scarily these companies have huge power and are able to influence the decisions made by the FDA and other bodies. Their power is so great that they even manage to get the recommended levels change so that larger and larger numbers of the population suddenly become people that need their drugs. Makes you think...........

I am glad that you are OK. Good luck with the Crestor. Something interesting I discovered today that I didn't know before - statins often cause an increase in blood sugar.................. To me some of the disadvantages to these drugs seem to outweigh the so called benefits!

If you choose to use slimfast or other drinks in place of food your band cannot do what it is supposed to do. Slimfast is a liquid , it will pass straight through and you will feel as hungry as when you tried to do a similar diet preband. I'm not surprised you are hungry. In order to get the most benefit from the band you need to eat foods that will keep you satisfied and that will pass slowly through the band. Foods such as solid Protein, low GI carbs and vegetables. Try changing what you are eating and it should make a huge difference.

That is why we get banded - because we have issues with food. It's quite amazing, often you read stories on here from people who say their band isn't doing anything , that they are doing all the work, yet I am sure most of them would realise it's not true if they had to get unfilled. I think we get so used to the band being there that we don't realise how much it is doing and forget what life was like preband. Sorry to hear about your sad losses. Hopefully you will one day have the baby you long for. All the best.

This is the part that really makes me wonder............... If that is so then what is the point of taking it????????

Have you been checked for diabetes. Excessive thirst is one of the signs?

Just read some info and apparently this one is not a statin - not sure if that makes any difference. http://www.drugs.com/zetia.html In rare cases, cholesterol-lowering medication can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This condition can lead to kidney failure. Call your doctor at once if you have unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, fever or flu symptoms, and dark colored urine. Cheri - I think you should stop taking them and call your Dr.

My Drs have been trying to get me to take statins for years and I stubbornly refuse. I don't buy into the whole cholesterol /heart disease thing. I think the main reason so many people are on statins is due to the power and greed of the drug companies.I am not saying that others should also refuse to take them but people should be aware that there are numerous side effects to statins such as liver problems, joint pain, memory loss etc.There are also studies that show that lowered levels of cholesterol can actually cause an increase in certain types of cancer etc. Cheri what you are experiencing sounds horrible. I would go back to your Dr ASAP. Also check the package insert - are these things listed as normal side effects or are they listed as the ones that say "if you start experiencing ......... stop taking the meds and contact your Dr immediately". You may be having a rare but serious reaction.

After banding you don't normally feel in your stomach. The feeling is normally higher up in the chest. If you overeat it can be really painful whereas previously you would have just felt "stuffed" Yes you will feel satisfied but you don't get that OMG I can't believe I have eaten so much I can't move kind of feeling.

I think everyone is different. Although I never felt that I was in the "green zone" I lost weight constantly with very little effort., so it depends on what you believe restriction to be. Do you eat less than before, are those smaller amounts keeping you satisfied for 3 - 4 hours? If so then you have restriction. (My idea of the green zone was some kind of mythical place where I would never be hungry and never think about food except at mealtimes and honestly I don't think that place exists. I think that for most of us we do think about food even when we are not hungry and that is something that we have to learn to control. With the band it is so much easier).

You are right. They pump the body full of gas to distend it and make it easier to see & work. After surgery they try to pump as much out as possible but some often remains trapped. This puts pressure on various nerves and is often felt in the shoulder. Remedies for gas don't work as the gas is not in the digestive system. The pain killers that you were prescribed for after surgery should help though.

You are supposed to go back and see your Dr at least once a year. You may need just a tiny top up fill. A small amount of fluid does get lost from your band over time. I also think that it is normal for the effects of the band to start wearing off over time. The further out from surgery you are the easier it becomes to eat foods that previously may have been difficult. The first period after WLS(any type) is often referred to as the honeymoon period. Your tool is at it's most effective and your motivation is at it's highest. After a while you get used to each other and become more comfortable, you let down your guard a bit, you don't make as much effort etc. That is why people should aim to lose as much of their excess weight as possible and to learn good habits during this initial period so that it is not so difficult to maintain after the honeymoon period is over.

It doesn't really matter which are right and which are wrong, so long as they are consistent. If they both show the losses correctly then that is all that really matters.

The reason they are telling you a Former Fat Person to be on liquids is so that your stomach can heal from the major surgery that you have had. If you don't stick to the post op diet you may do damage which could lead to your band slipping, not now but at some point in the future. Yes it's hard, we all know that, we've been there too but the diet is there for a reason. If you are struggling drink more often, drink thicker liquids. I made lots of homemade Soup with things like vegies and chickpeas, lentils or Beans for extra Protein and blended them to the right consistency. They were very satisfying. Remember the 2 weeks are only a very short time they will soon be over. You can do this. At this point your motivation should be really high which should also help to get you through.(if you can't follow your Dr's instructions now then you might not end up being a Former Fat Person).

Glad you've been to see your Dr and hopefully things will now get better. Did you get told where the blood was coming from? Keep us updated.

I would love to know the answer to that too. SM you obviously have some agenda. Instead of hiding behind negative posts come out with it. If you have had a bad lapband experience tell us what it is. Or are you just trying to promote another type of WLS? If so fine but then tell us which one and why so that we can make our own decisions. Or maybe you are working for a surgeon and trying to promote him/her? Whatever please be transparent. If you are against the band that is your prerogative but making veiled comments that don't really tell us anything weaken rather than strengthen your argument.

Usually if mucus is brown it is because it is blood stained - old or partially digested blood is brown rather than red. Whatever it is if I was you I would be going to see my Dr urgently, you may have a slipped or eroded band or something similar. Hopefully not but better to be safe than sorry.

I've just read your story. The thing to learn from this is that a lapband is not a quick fix solution. It is something that requires ongoing work. Remember it is just a tool, - you still have to make the correct food choices. And that is true regardless of which type of surgery you have had. What you have to decide is whether you want to be slim and healthy more than you want to eat "bad" foods. ( There is no such thing as a bad food but there are lots of foods that should be regarded as sometimes foods not always or everyday foods). If you want to be slim and healthy you need to recommit and realise that the power is in your hands. Restriction will not stop you eating chocolate, Cookies, icecream, candy etc etc. In fact too much restriction will make eating these foods easier than the kind of foods you should be eating. Go back to your Dr. Check that you are at an appropriate level and then start doing what you did in the beginning. Making healthy choices and exercising. If you have a food related issue that you think you cannot overcome on your own then go and see a food psychologist. Your band is still there, you can start utilising it any time you want to.Try to make your new eating plan as close to a normal balanced plan as possible. Sometimes extreme plans such as low carb are hard as they are difficult to stick to long term. We tend to think of them as a diet and that once we have finished losing weight we can stop eating that way and go back to our old habits. And of course that just leads to regaining what we have lost. An eating plan needs to be for life. Something that is easy to sustain, something that can fit in with daily life and all the types of events that we encounter. So long as you do the right thing 90% of the time you should still lose. So cut right back (as opposed to cut out) on those bad foods and get back on track. Banning foods completely often has the opposite effect to the one we want - as they are forbidden we want them more - if we know they are allowed in moderation they do not have the same power over us. I think I have rambled on a bit here but hopefully what I am trying to say is getting across! Well done on looking for help and all the best with your new found motivation.