GoingforGoal

It's a combination of things 1) are you losing weight (no, fill might be the key) 2) do you feel satiated between meals for at least 3 hr (if not, fill make be necessary) 3) are you eating large volumes (ideally no more than 1 cup) (if yes, there may be inadequate restriction - fill time) 4) are you having symptoms (frequent regurgitation, acid reflux etc) if so fill is not warranted Your doc takes all this into account and will advise you on what is appropriate. Also, even if a fill is warranted how much volume is also up for debate.

woohoo, congrats and welcome to bandland

Name, real or screen~ Hazelsbliss Goal weight for August 31st~ 150 Weight on August 1st~ 154 Age~ 35 City/State~ Calgary, Canada (Formerly Larkspur, CO) Dietary goal for August~ Stop drinking w/ meals (grrrr) Exercise goal for August~ Start 20-30 min cardio daily Personal goal for August~ Grow 2" j/k, get settled in after move and start horseback riding lessons Date banded~ 11/3/09 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 99lb Favorite End of Summer Activity~ last bbq's, final trips to amusement park and getting kids ready for school

Hello, 1) I don't have a complete picture of what your caloric intake/exercise output is so I'm not sure how much of a factor that is 2) Does your doc remove all the Fluid before administering more to ensure there is not a leak. 3) Some people require very large fills before they reach green, whilst other's need little (even none) so this just may you needing more fluid. I also don't know how aggressive your dr is with his fills, but 7cc in about 7 months seems appropriate. Give us a typical day's menu so we can compare it to ourselves and give you some honest feedback

Just get back on track. Don't self sabotage by thinking about the wrongdoings. Put on that 'go get em' attitude. We'll see you on the other side friend

Buy the smallest portion you can. Probably a kiddie (baby) portion at the creamery. You'll be surprised how satiated you'll be even after the smallest portion. Ditch it as soon as you are content and feel obliged to eat all of it if you don't need to. Balancing our diets is an essential component to succeeding with the band. Let this be a + experience by learning that small servings on occassion will not hurt you and that you can control your weight through thoughtful decisions.

Mis is correct. Not a result of losing weight. Actually people who have had their bands a long time and have lost alot of weight usually need fills to compensate for the weight loss just to maintain. I don't want to suggest a slip, but it is possible. Not sure how long you have been experiencing this but extreme stress, hormonal shifts (think woman's time of month) or dehydration are culprits for increased restriction. Not sure if any of this applies to you but do tell your doctor about any personal changes in your life as well in case it's not a slip. Good luck hon and keep us posted

Sounds more like your accessory or primary muscles during extension during walking. Basically your ab muscles are stretching as they should, however, now you have a port going for the ride. Remember, ports are sutured into the abdominal wall and doctors want to ensure these guys don't flip or migrate. It is possible your port was secured tightly and you are sensitive to the port/muscle interaction. Should settle in and stretch accordingly to accommodate your natural movement in time. However, consult w/ doc just to be on safe side. That's interesting that your port is down there..I know people who have had them in their lower right quadrant, but not left. Good to know

HI Melinda. Thank you for sharing your blog. I can relate to your worries and hesitations. But just know, that in the end, it will be a decision you will be proud of. Different things motivate us as individuals to strive for and achieve success. I see you have a little one...so when you are able to do things you couldn't before it'll propel you to lose more. And when he grows up seeing mommy as the perfect role model when it comes to health and nutrition, you will be convinced you did yourself and him proud. Don't stress too much, don't put obstacles up that don't necessarily need to be there. Take one day at a time, rejoice in the NSVs and give yourself permission to be happy and feel what success is all about. Good luck on the surgery, here's to a speedy recovery

Can you be more specific where on the left side. Most patient's ports are on the right side, however, there are different locations to place a port. Have you had a fill or can you palpate your port enough to know exactly where it was positioned. Left side pain can be anything from your accessory muscles, to your stomach/pancreas/spleen..if lower kidneys and colon. Here's a quick anatomy pic

Congrats and welcome to band land

Good luck and welcome to band land

Due to some medical issues I do not exercise. So considering my lifestyle sedentary (minus raising kids and a farm lol) I deliberately eat less calories to compensate. I am in the 800-950 calorie bracket. This was after I did some serious food logging to track calories and my body's response to it. At 1100-1200 lbs I gain. You may just be at your sweet maintenance spot. The equation is simple fat lost= calorie intake - energy output. The trick though is to fix one variable (calories or exercise) than determine how much of the other variable is needed to sustain if for the results (weight loss) you seek

Yep, you have to remember you just went probably 8 hrs without food/drink. Cells are dehydrated causing slightly tighter restriction. Need food/drink to make it all lax again. Hot drinks help, and maybe delay your actual breakfast.

dlc, it's combination of inflammation as well as being loaded up on IV fluids. It'll take about 3-5 days to be rid of the excess fluid and up to 2-3 weeks for inflammation to completely subside (as it is very individualized). Best thing to do is get mobile to expedite the process.

Just wanted to add (if you are not already aware) these foods can increase reflux episodes: Meats. Ground beef, marbled sirloin, chicken nugget-style, and chicken/buffalo wings. Fats, Oils & Sweets. Chocolate, regular corn and potato chips, high-fat butter cookies, brownies, doughnuts, creamy and oily salad dressings, fried or fatty food in general. Fruits, Vegetables & Juice. Orange juice, lemon, lemonade, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato, mashed potatoes, French fries, raw onion, potato salad. Other Beverages. Liquor, wine, coffee, and tea. Grains. Macaroni and cheese, spaghetti with marinara sauce. Dairy. Sour cream, milk shake, ice cream, regular cottage cheese.

Couple things come to mind.. 1. Did you sleep on the port? This could cause just enough irritation to start inflammation 2. Infection- Just look out for other more tell tale signs like redness at site, hot to touch, any discharge, malaise etc 3. Decreased inflammation- perhaps the surrounding area's inflammation has decreased and you are just appreciating the swelling from the port area which will take longer to subside. Not only has the area been manipulated like the surrounding tissues, but it has also been stitched into your abdominal wall. 4. Port- Sometimes in the beginning we cannot palpate the port due to all the inflammation. When inflammation subsides we can palpate a lump and some don't realize they are feeling their port for their first time. Just suggestions, no idea which one is true lol

Nice! Congrats

Need a little more info such as what your first fill volume was. What did you feel differently from the first fill to the 2nd fill. Without knowing this I will comment that when we all start our diets that our body readily dumps it. If you are minimizing volume, calories etc the weight loss can be significant and can be lost quickly. However, that will dissipate in time as your metabolism levels out. Again, without knowing all the details (to include your food intake and exercise output) perhaps you are leveling out and will have to wait until you reach 'green' resistance. Side note: It is not realistic to want or expect to lose 1-2 lbs per day. Regardless of other's loss, your previous (or starting) trend, it simply is setting the bar too high and ultimately will lead you to disappointment/failure. You need larger setpoints (like weekly losses for instance). This takes away daily fluctuations (water, one bad meal etc) and gives you a more realistic glance at your trend. If you put 10 ppl on the same diet with the same factors (height, gender, weight etc) they will all lose differently. Just saying

FYI Signs of dehydration: Symptoms By Mayo Clinic staff Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause: Dry, sticky mouth Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual Thirst Decreased urine output — no wet diapers for three hours for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens Few or no tears when crying Dry skin Headache Constipation Dizziness or lightheadedness Severe dehydration, a medical emergency, can cause: Extreme thirst Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes Lack of sweating Little or no urination — any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber Sunken eyes Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn't "bounce back" when pinched into a fold In infants, sunken fontanels — the soft spots on the top of a baby's head Low blood pressure Rapid heartbeat Rapid breathing No tears when crying Fever In the most serious cases, delirium or unconsciousness

You are not limited to any one group. Post in one or all, or simply here. There is also a chat room option for live talk. Hope to hear from you soon.

It's a better q for the doc. However, 6 weeks is typical for full recovery. However, you have zero margin for any setbacks so take extreme care during your recovery to eat well, drink lots, relax and heal.

Hi James and welcome. Yes, the good ol internet has a profound way of giving us sometimes extreme and wrong information that can sway us away from healthy decisions. For every action you can find an example of why it is harmful, wrong etc. The best thing to do is get educated to make an informed decision. Everyone here is supportive, and more importantly, honest and matter factly. You will find a spectrum here as well from those who are noncompliant/unsuccessful to those who have been successful for over 10 years. Please find someone whom you relate to who you feel can provide you excellent information to assist you in making this decision for yourself.

Hello all. It's your body's natural reaction to stress. Biotin (hair/nail vit) may help with growing strong/longer hair but it does not prevent hair loss. Think of it as a building compound for future follicles. So once your body is ready to regrow hair, hopefully, biotin can expedite the process. I am not familiar w/ studies that can give us an idea of how long stress induced hair loss lasts for and when we can anticipate regrowth (or of any compounds that can help with preventing hair loss although I don't think it exists). If anyone has anything to add to that topic, please advise.

You can alternate your meds. So instead of taking both meds at the same time every four hours..take one med and than two hours later take the other (so basically you are taking a med every 2 hrs just separately). Swelling will subside with time which will make it easier to swallow. Whatever you do, don't stop taking the meds because will only increase your symptoms and prolong healing