NaNa

I've never heard protein shakes cause slippage...maybe you got it mixed up with, the band being too tight to only allow liquids to go down. I love Unjury chocolate protein powder in my soy milk...it's a very easy breakfast when I am on the go.

sure you can lose over 100 pounds with the band. However it takes motivation, diligence, follow up with your surgeon for fills, exercise and counting your calories. YOU do all the work, the band just helps with appetite suppression. Most "light weights" lose slower than someone who starts over 300 pounds, but you can do it.

Do NOT keep this fill. Most people have some swelling after a fill, but not to the point of not keeping liquids down. Even if the swelling subside, you will still be too tight. If I were you, I'd go right back and get about .1 to .25 cc removed this way you can keep the rest of your saline. If you wait, it will cause MORE irritation and vomiting to the the point where you will not be able to eat anything or drink and when you finally go back after being too tight too long your surgeon will have to remove MOST of the saline from your band and you don't want that. Also you will prevent damage done to your band if you go back NOW. Good luck

Here is another thing to ponder while getting a fill when you do not need one: If just "removing" saline after being too tight was "simple" there would not be that many complications. Here is the problem with this: 1. Getting back into the "green zone" safely AFTER being too tight, may not work, many have complained and reported after removing saline from being too tight, NEVER puts them back into the green zone, they create a unfill/refill game and it becomes HARD to find the "sweet spot" again. 2. Every time you unfill and refill the band can sometimes create scar tissue (if saline is not removed immediately after learning you are too tight), and it makes it very difficult to get back into the green zone again. 3. If just removing saline AFTER being too tight for a while was simple and easy, then everybody who's band has slipped could just remove saline and then be OK, and not have to have the band removed or replaced. 4. The biggest problem what many do not understand is that "damage" is being done while the band is too tight, and this is why MANY report that UNFILLING the band AFTER being too tight never works for them to stop the reflux and they still complain of problems because once damage is done, the band is ruined and have to either removed or replaced. You need to think of this possibility if you plan on moving forward with tightening your band even though you are already in the green zone. Good luck

I am going on 9 years post op...my advice is to start and KEEP active with the lap band...it will KEEP the weight off even when your band is not working optimal...there will be times in your journey where you may not have optimal restriction and having that backup plan of working out and exercising will help keep the weight off long term. Have a plan of walking daily, of at least 30 minutes, incorporate it in your schedule like brushing your teeth...it will keep your slim.

Ok, CoffeeGrin, Before you make comments on how BAD the lap band is, please make sure that you KNOW how your Sleeve works long term... I could post MANY cited articles on the Sleeve and how it DOES NOT WORK for everyone even when removing most of stomach but why would I start up unnecessary arguments. Also I have MANY friends with the Sleeve, who are NOT at goal, never made goal and MANY have regained their weight. I also have a sister with a "sleeved liked stomach" she has a partial gastrectomy and old stomach stapling and has regained all of her weight and have many health problems...so don't be so quick to bash the band when you've NOT had your Sleeve surgery - yet, and don't really know what you are getting into. Once you get your Sleeve, you will realize it is ONLY a tool just like the Lap Band, RNY and ANY other weight loss surgery. Good luck.

Hello... Here is where the lap band gets tricky and get MOST people in trouble. Remember the band IS A TOOL. Remember those 3 words and repeat them to yourself as long as you have your band. We get a bit spoiled once we see the scale moving and we also get "addicted" to saline. You are RIGHT NOW in the green zone, but you are not using it properly, if you don't pay attention to your GREEN ZONE SIGNS you will miss them and go right into RED and start having issues. You MUST pay attention to your band right now, it is SCREAMING AT YOU...you also most slow down when eating....listen to subtle signs, like hiccups, burps, runny nose, even a sigh, to stop eating, measure out your food, only eat dense foods, slowly and stop at about 1 cup of food, remember the band does not start to control our appetite until about 2 hours after EACH meal, remember the band is about appetite suppression instead of restriction and vomiting. You can choose to use your band however you want, the restriction and vomiting approach does not work long term, only cause complications and band removal. Here are the signs that YOUR BAND IS WORKING: 1. You wake up NOT hungry -- this IS your tool to NOT eat and lose weight. 2. You say that you don't get hungry for 4 hours between meals - Your band IS doing its job right now. The lap band is designed to ONLY DIM your appetite for about 4 hours between meals, NOT stop you from eating. Remember, those who get the band so tight to restrict them to only liquids -- well they don't keep a lap band very long. 3. If you are struggling and not losing weight, it could be head hunger, remember the tighter the band, the LESS healthy foods you can eat, unless you learn how to puree, and live on Protein shakes, and this approach can still backfire, with a slipped band, it's not easy live with a very tight lap band with all the misery it comes along with. 4. If you are slimming and throwing up frequently -- YOU SHOULD NOT GET more saline added to your band -- the misery will get worse and even create reflux, you need to REALLY learn how to live with your band BEFORE getting more saline. If you are throwing up because you are eating too fast, always eat in a tiny bowl, take pea size bites, allow your food to go down before taking another bite, make sure most of your food is moist and band friendly, if you are still throwing up, you need saline removed instead of adding more. 5. Everyone that I've KNOWN to heavily depend on the band to stop them from eating and they could only get down liquids no longer have a lap band. 6. If your weight has stopped, you need to figure out why, are you being honest with yourself? Remember it's a 50/50 deal, are you truly doing your part? Are you exercising? Are you eating mostly Proteins? Are you counting your calories? No one said it's not easy, losing weight and KEEPING it off with ANY weight loss surgery requires work, and diligence. Wishing you good luck and I hope you can find an easy safe middle ground to your journey.

Hi Sally, As you get more saline added to your band, you have to re-adjust your eating and slow way down. Take teeny bites, (pea size) and wait until that food goes down before taking another bite. When the band is tightly restricted, if you eat too fast and start slimming, this can cause some additional swelling, (and swelling can sometimes make the band a bit tighter) and you may experience some discomfort around the band (the band is located in your chest area, upper stomach). It takes newbies a little while to get used to restriction and slowing down, what you are experiencing is normal and getting used to your band. What is NOT normal after a recent adjustment is frequent vomiting, and not able to eat any solids without vomiting. Good luck

Keep up with your monthly fill adjustments, WALK every single day at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour. Don't go over 1000 calories while you are losing and you should make your goal. Keep your meals plant based and lean Proteins like chicken and fish most of the time. With the lap band you have to work it to see the scale move weekly. Get your Water in daily -- 8 glasses to flush out fat... Good luck you can do it!

Beautiful!! You are getting skinny and you are only a few months post op! I love the way the dress fits you too, I see curves.

Everyone will have different experiences, it all depends on how your body reacts to the band, and how well your surgeon installs it. That being said, MOST people do have some discomfort days after surgery, the most complaints are port pain and feeling like you've been run over by a truck since trauma has been done to your stomach. Most NORMAL discomfort will subside within a few days or by 4-6 weeks post op. Most people have gas-x to help with abdominal pain, and pain meds, and walking helps to relieve pain post op. Anything out of the ordinary would be frequent vomiting, or redness at the port site and extreme pain. Can you feel the band inside your body? No, however many people can feel their ports, some ports are more visible than others, I have a low profile port and I can't see it or hardly feel it, I've had two bands, with my first band, I could easily see my big port and easily feel it.... I am so happy I have a new low profile port. Good luck!

Pretty, you are really working your band, I am so proud of you! And you are so positive and so inspiring, glad I logged on here for a few minutes.

I agree banded life for ME, is like eating Thanksgiving every single day! I often refer to my sweet spot like eating a Thanksgiving meal, I eat WHAT I want, in very small quantities and get satisfied, or sometimes extremely full...can't eat another bite. . So as you say, bring on the dressing, turkey, mac_cheese, sweet pototae pie, ...because I will be eating tiny bites of it all...and it will feel as thought I've eaten an entire meal .. I love my band! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

BIG congtrats!!!

I truly believe genetics play a role in obesity, also LIFESTYLE plays a huge role as well. Take for instance an Obese family -- They may never exercise, eat very high calorie foods daily, burger, fries, cakes, donuts, pizza, Pasta, fried foods, etc. -- I believe THIS type of obesity comes from eating the wrong foods and not exercising. Some people ARE TRULY naturally thin -- have high metabolisms, some people have medical conditions that make them naturally thin, I've known a few Type 1 diabetics, to be naturally thin, some people with chron's disease and have to frequent the bathroom, are thinner because more is leaving the body than staying in....so SOME people have illness that MAKE them thin....such as some people have illness that can cause weight gain. Some people will say some thin people eat what they want and never gain weight, but if you REALLY watch those thin people they do NOT eat that often, I have a niece that has always been thin and she eats junk all the time, HOWEVER, she barely eats food if you watch her carefully. She may eat a GOOD meal once or twice a week. But if you track most OBESE people and what they eat they are CONSTANTLY EATING, regardless if it is healthy food or junk. So I believe genetics has some play into obesity, but CALORIES IN AND CALORIES OUT, and what we eat -- and exercise plays a huge roles in obesity...

Yea, that's the old chicken wing flap, like we old timers use to use, these other techniques works as well, raising both hands and just jumping up and down. What works like a charm for me is to stand still somewhere in private and take deep breaths, and message the middle of my chest (sternum) where the band is located and it pushes the food down, this actually works quicker and better than the chicken dance for me. -- this technique also stops (Pbing) vomiting for me. Also chewing your food well, and slowing down, and taking about 1 minute between bites will prevent most stuck episodes, the less stuck episodes the less trauma done to your band.

Butter, If you are going to post on the Lap band forum, please come in peace WITH accurate information. Can you please share a study of how YOUR Sleeve was performed WITHOUT staples? SAGES, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, which MOST TOP credible US surgeons are a member, of including this link below of demonstrating system review of staple line reinforcement of the Sleeve, if the Sleeve did not have staples, why would many surgeons have issues with staple line breaks? http://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/a-systematic-review-of-staple-line-reinforcement-during-laparoscopic-sleeve-gastrectomy/

I am not posting misinformation, if someone IS interested in the Sleeve they can just go to any seminar or ask their surgeon if they have staples or not, it's just that simple.

I've never heard of a "sutured" Gastric Sleeve, I can't find any cited studies to back up this claim. I've asked MANY TOP Bariatric surgeons on how the Sleeve is performed and ALL says they used staples. If he has a "sutured" Gastric Sleeve, can he post the study and technique on this? I am curious.

I don't have staples in my stomach so I don't know, I am not sure what type of staples that my sister has in her stomach, but I am sure the Titanium staples are probably better and improved than the old stomach staples. If you don't have problems hopefully you will never have problems, I hope everyone stay "problem free" from all these surgeries. I was just reporting the problems my sister has had over the years, and what I've seen her go through personally and what my Sleeved friends report, backed up by studies. I report studies on lap band complications too, so I am not biased with any surgical type. I report any and all negative side effects of the lap band too.

I never said my sister had a Gastric Sleeve, I said she has a "Sleeved Like" stomach, she had part of her stomach removed, and she also has staples in her stomach. ALL Gastric Sleeves has staples in the stomach, so does Bypass patients, anyone can ask their Bariatric surgeon this question if they are not sure of what is done to them.

Hello... I am confused by your post...why should I lie about my sisters aliments? Anyone can just do a google search on the long term health issues with stomach stapling procedures and issues. I hope you have a very successful and uneventful journey, and never experience the horrible side effects that my sister has. My sister has no idea of what was done to her stomach, all she knows is that part of her stomach was removed due to the ulcers caused by the staples in her stomach over the years. Has technique improved with the "newer" stomach stapling procedures? Sure, but again staples are still in the stomach regardless of how well the techniques has improved, so these same issues probably can occur regardless in the Old stomach stapling or the newer techniques with the Sleeve. What I mean by my sister can't eat very much, I've rarely seen her eat a Big Burger and fries or a huge plate of food after 30 years, however, she CAN eat too much for her to lose weight with the HELP of her surgery. What I mean by she "eats" around her surgery is that she will eat sweets and carbs because they are easier for her to digest, she can't eat most meats, they don't digest well with her stomach, I guess the reason why she's gained all her weight back. Can she eat more than the palm of her hand in one sitting? Sure she can, in fact she can eat way more than I can when my lap band is properly restricted, however she can't eat as much as most obese people, so YES, her stomach as stretched back out to the point where it no longer HELPS with weight loss unless she diet and exercise and she CAN eat unlimited amounts of carbs and sweets, chips, etc.. My post was not about Bashing the Sleeve or Bashing her stomach stapling, it was about telling how she lives with this surgery and problems she has experienced, I only speak the truth and being honest about her experience over 30 years. My sister is not bulimic, she has some serious stomach issues caused by those staples in her stomach, and they cause her pain too. Sure, anyone can develop hypoglycemia without any weight loss surgery, those who are diabetic have the same issue. Here are reasons why Gastric Bypass and Gastric Sleeve patients suffer from dumping syndrome, because of rapid emptying of the stomach due to the small stapled stomach, however Gastric Sleeve patients don't have true dumping syndrome because their pyloric valve is still intact. But BOTH procedures can have dumping syndrome. http://www.nationalbariatriclink.org/bariatric-blog/tag/gastric-dumping-syndrome/ Here are other links and studies on Sleeve and Bypass Hypoglycemia issues long term.. Hypoglycemia in Gastric Sleeve and Bypass patient clinical trial study http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01581801 Sleeve Dumping syndrome and hypoglycemia http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22773085 Hope this helps you.

Hello, I am not mixing up Bariatric procedures I am well versed on all of them. My sister had the old stomach stapling procedure also called (VBG) which was used in the late 70's to early 90's, however she also had a partial gastrectomy, (part of her stomach removed) due to ulcers, so she DOES have a Sleeved like stomach WITH staples in her stomach. Surgeons in the US no longer perform the older stomach stapling procedure, because of the horrible long term complications, of bile reflux, (constant vomiting) and other health issues. Keep in MIND just because a Bariatric surgery is POPULAR TODAY, does not mean they will be POPULAR tomorrow, patients are usually guinea pigs with "newer" surgical types, since surgeons don't really don't know the long term consequences or issues with them, they only find out by patients long term complications, aliments and issues. Also, FYI, All Sleeved stomachs ARE stapled, sure some surgeon may use additional sutures, but surgeons use staples to staple the stomach. Late complications from Bypass and Sleeved stomachs can be staple line breaks and other issues, I can post these studies too if you need me too. The Lap Band and the Banded Plications are the ONLY surgical procedures that do NOT staple the stomach they use sutures and the Plication procedure folds the stomach. These Bariatric procedures uses Staples in the stomach: 1. Gastric Bypass (RNY) 2. Vertical Banded Gastrectomy 3. Sleeve Gastrectomy 4. DS (Duodenum Switch) Here is a video of Dr. Alvarez demonstrating how the Sleeved stomach is stapled with Titanium Staples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRWaAlaJF8

Parrisel, You mentioned: And the real tragedy is that she will find a doctor or NP who will consent to the fill, putting into place a trajectory that could very well lead to erosion or slippage. And she risks becoming another "band complication" statistic, all through her own faulty logic, with the complicity of the specialist allowing her to get restriction far too tight for the original intent of a lapband. Here is the thing that many people don't realize, patients ARE NOT TRUTHFUL on their intentions to their fill giver. MOST surgeons DO NOT know how tight our bands are. Some patients will not be truthful, and say, they DO NOT VOMIT and can eat solids. This is another big frustration to surgeons and why many surgeons are moving away from the band because of DIS HONEST patients. When a patient gets a fill, the surgeon WILL ASK THEM, how do you feel? The patient drinks the Water, the surgeon does not know if the water is sitting in the patients chest, and drizzle through, it is UP TO THE PATIENT to be honest as far as how much they can eat and whether or not they can eat solids without vomiting. Most surgeons tell patients to come back immediately or within 2-5 days if they can't eat solids, many patients do not go back if their bands are too tight. Lap band fill adjustments are not an exact science you have to tweak the fill to get it just right and sometimes it takes going back and forth to get to the sweet spot. Even fills done under Fluoroscopic does not tell the whole story because fills can also tighten up even further and sometimes it takes 2-3 weeks before a fill settles in and the patient really feels it. So the patient is the driver in how tight their band stays, not the doctor. or fill giver.

Hi Essence, Overall my sister is doing ok, the issues that she's had over the years has been, one hospitalization for ulcers, when the had to remove part of her stomach due to the staples, so she has a "Sleeved like stomach WITH staples. She had a revision surgery about 8 years ago, and she had many complications with that, but she healed and recovered, but she did not lose any weight. When she first had the surgery, she lost all of her weight and was skinny like Most Sleeved people, but eventually gained it all back. The weird thing is she still can't eat that much food after 30 years, but she learned to EAT AROUND her surgery and ate sweets, and her stomach stretched back out too big to help with weight loss, if she wants to lose weight now she has to do it the old fashion way with diet and exercise. The only negative things I've seen her do for MANY years is that when she eats, she will vomit her food, it's not like a Lap bander getting food stuck and just upchuck slime undigested food, it's REAL vomit (gross) and she gets SICK ALL THE TIME, and she says it because of the staples in her stomach, I have to be honest -- SHE VOMIT EVERY SINGLE DAY...I am not sure if this is healthy or not, but she's had to have her teeth capped twice. I DO NOT VOMIT AT ALL with my Lap band because I don't keep it too tight and I chew well, so her vomiting seems to be uncontrollable due to the staples in her stomach. Another negative, she will get sick with Hypoglycemia (dumping like syndrome) this is SOMETHING THAT MANY SLEEVERS get too, and this is disrupting her life, if we go out to a restaurant and eat, she can't eat certain things, and she has these attacks now every day, her symptoms, are weakness, shakiness, and feeling faint, she CANNOT work due to all this. When she gets an attack, she has to sit down and hold her head down, and drink cold Water, I asked some Bypass people what can she do to help her, she's been to specialist and they told her to modify her diet, but that is still not working, so now when she gets an hypoglycemia attack she drinks or eat some juice or Peanut Butter crackers. Also Hypoglycemia can get dangerous and life threatening if it chronic and if you have frequent fainting. Many people do not tell you the negative side effects of these surgeries, I am being honest. so it is your choice whether you would like to get the Sleeve or Lap Band, however, the Lap band requires MUCH MORE maintenance than a Sleeve, and if you are self pay for lap band you must be AWARE of the cost of complications IF they happen, fill cost, Upper Gi costs if needed. I do not recommend the band to people unless they have a good income or insurance for upkeep, and willing to change their lifestyle. This is a difficult decision to make, the Sleeve seems easier if you don't have complications, once the surgery is done, the only thing you need to do is keep up on your Vitamin supplements. However, if you get the Band, you will need to see your surgeon every 4-6 week for at least a year for optimal weight loss, and after you get to your green zone, then you really don't need to see your surgeon unless you have issues, but again the lap band after care is crucial for success. I hope this helps you make a decision Good luck and stay in touch regardless if you go Sleeve or Lap band, I am wishing you the best in whichever decision you make.