GoingforGoal

After I hit green (around 5 months) I had no need to go back. 3 years later went to a fill center (because I relocated) and I go to those as needed. I take some measures like annual panels to make sure my chemistry is in normal range. But if you feel you have a good handle on things and you are not getting new information/support, use your discretion. However, if you find yourself getting off track the first place I'd go is back to the docs to refresh.

I think she means you can remove the band if there were any severe complications. That was certainly one of my reasons for getting the band. It's not permanent like bypass or the sleeve, rather it's a foreign object that you want to keep but if it fails a new one can be placed or it can be removed permanently

#1 I know your meals sound just fine and cals presumably low, but I would love to see the caloric breakdown. #2 You admitted you were less active. Remember, wl= calories in - calories burned. If your calories in is constant and you decreased cals burned than expect less wl or even a gain. #3 Being back to work as an RN can be taxing. Fatigue unto itself burns calories. Don't overlook the possibility you may indeed be more active than you realize and require more calories. Again, back to #1 what are you currently intaking? With the above info we can better discern which correction is more likely necessary. However, I do want to iterate that losing more than 2 lbs per week is not the goal. I always tell people that setting sensible expectations makes this journey more rewarding. Setting yourself up with insensible goals that cannot be maintained will only reinforce feelings of failure. SLOW and steady!

Why is this news? Welcome to socialized medicine. You are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Next thing is doctors leaving the profession, importing foreigner doctors to fill the slots, wait lines longer than your highway, and everything deemed 'elective'. Case in point, I currently live in Canada (socialist). I go in with severe lower back pain with a history of disc protrusion. My pain level 10/10 barely able to stand straight. Had to make an appointment for a referral because going directly to a specialist does not exist. Had to wait 2 weeks for a specialist to call my doctor to schedule an appointment which was another 2 weeks out (if you are counting..I'm a month out now). I go to the specialist and he states I can have an MRI in a year. A YEAR!!!! So I go back to the doctor for pain management. This one is worse, he gives me a 6 month supply of percocet and tells me I can adjust my own dose. Never once stipulating the min or max dosages. This is a NARCOTIC that may people overdose on or become addicted to. So I call my doc in the states, tell him I need an MRI. He books one 1 week out. I fly to the states, get it done and learn I have 3 herniated discs, one so severe it was occluding my spinal nerves. At the same time I developed bursitis and was the largest one docs have seen. So now I'm due for spinal and hip joint injections to treat the pain. I do this in Canada. Well because they have a call center who does appointments opposed to someone who is familiar w/ the procedures, I get booked for the wrong room because they need to use u/s not xray for the bursitis. They tell me I can come back in 3 weeks (their next available appointment) despite it being their error. Did I mention 10/10 pain??? can't stand straight??? OK. And standards we pride ourselves here in the Good Ol US are obsolete there. Confidentiality is standing in a supply room with a cloth curtain pulled to discuss your personal information whilst a whole waiting room of people are lurking inches away. Yeah, real confidential and professional ey? People think..well at least everyone has health care. Do they? Meds are not covered, elective procedures are never funded, things like physical rehab are self pay. I see insurance commericals all the time filling the gaps that the Alberta HealthCare system does not cover. You are seeing step one of the obamacare phase. It's a living process and will be further widdled and modified and you will be the next Canadian standing in line with a number around your head..because your name is indifferent. Sadly this was all predictable. Noone ever listens to the possibilities. They just wrap their heads around idealism like free everything for everyone. Sheer Ignorance.

Sounds like you are too tight, time to unfill even partially

We need to know how many calories you are consuming before making a judgement call

Liq Lortab

Not to be funny, but if the numbed site is over your port you may forego lidocaine prior to fills yeah... always think + lol

The feeling may or may not come back. I had a c/s and have been permanently numb under the incision. Neural recovery is one of longest recoveries that exist so be patient.

Throwing up from nausea or from getting stuck? There's lots of talk about being afraid to transition foods due to fear of getting stuck so I just want to clarify. If thus far you have not had any complications with your Clear Liquids (nausea, excessive restriction where it doesn't feel like the Water is going down etc) than it's time to transition. Go slow and test each sip. Going slow will reduce nausea but will also let you gauge if the thicker liquid is problematic. If it is, extend your clears another day and try again. If not, slowly add volume with each 'meal' and eat progressively thicker liquids once the thinner liquids pass with no problem. Although docs give us timelines, we are all unique and sometimes we need to extend the period we are on (liquids, mushies etc). It's an experiment to say the least. Listen to your band and your body. Trust when you feel uncomfortable to stop or even take a step back. But also trust that when there's no issue, there's no issue and you can resume transitioning. Easy does it. But please don't be 'scared' simply be slow

During stress your body creates cortisol the very culprit that increase insulin resulting in excessive storage of fat. To decrease cortisol destressing is necessary. Some do yoga, some take a break, some just breeeeeeathe.. Now that you have seen stress first hand and how it effects wl I hope you can keep at away. Congrats on the new baby and welcome to parenthood (oh... I guess the last comment is no longer valid SNICKER)

Minimal intake for women should be 2.2 liters. A decrease in urine output is the result of negative intake. I know it's hard..but drink more Try sipping throughout the day continously. Drink protein shakes for added fluid intake etc.

It's excess skin. Basically your fat is no longer filling your abdominal cavity to feel firm and skin tight. As the fat cells shrink, there's nothing to replace the fat volume. So skin becomes lax. I call it cottage cheese stomach...That's why I'm going for cosmetic surgery next month lol.

Ready, Please share more information about yourself. How many days postop are you for instance? You should never eat more than 1 cup per serving (8oz), however, most newly banded patients cannot consume this much at one sitting so they sip intermittently throughout the day. Things like weight loss, calories consumed etc are not as much of a priority as healing for the first 4-6 weeks postop. Typically with the transitional diets we start at very low calories (500 cals sometimes) and gradually increase our intake as inflammation allows us. A typical average for a well established bandster on solids is 800-1200 (women) and 1000-1500 (men) depending on activity level. I only share this so that you don't over consume and if you find yourself eating near 2000 cals than you have certainly overshot the caloric range optimal for wl.

Spartan, I understand your anxiety, it's natural and to be expected. Risks should never be weighed lightly, however, the typical outcomes should be a sense of comfort. As a nurse I consider 3 factors for the prognosis of a surgery: 1) The type of surgery. Is it an open surgery, is it laproscopic? Is it a short surgery or will it last for 3, 6, or 8+ hrs? How invasive is the surgery (ie incising organs, accessing vessles etc or are we superficial to organs/tissues)? 2) What is the health of the patient? Have they had negative surgical experiences/outcomes in the past? 3) What is the experience of the surgeon and the facility performing the surgery? This surgery is performed laproscopically typically drastically reducing healing time and risk for infection. It is typically performed under 1 hr and is noninvasive in regards to accessing vital organs and vessels that could pose risk of infection, internal bleeding etc. Since the procedure is so short, the adverse effects of anesthesia are seldom seen and can easily be reversed with other medications. If you are having your procedure done by a bariatric surgeon, take assurance that he/she is well versed in the procedure and the routine of the surgery. His/Her support staff is also well experienced and will know how to assist any diversions that may occur. It's a well oiled machine designed for the very best outcomes. Yes, there are some risks and we dwell on that statistic but these risks are as prevelant as walking across a street or driving at night. A healthier view is to compare the potential risks of surgery with the very real risks of being obese. Which is more likely? Deep breaths, you'll be fine

Hi Billie, Unfortunately there are a thousand scenarios someone can get denied and it has nothing to do with whether you 'prequalified' or not. Examples include: a) a person who far exceeds the minimum requirements, but suddenly gets diagnosed with a condition they were unaware of whilst undergoing diagnostics in prep for surgery. Example may be cancer. This requires the patient to get this addressed first before proceeding w/ the band. a person who is borderline and cannot demonstrate any comorbidities, or fails to meet sufficient proof qualifying them for approval. For instance, you are BMI 35, no comorbidities and have only been overweight for a year. (again, this is specific to the individual insurance co's and their requirements) c) arbitrary denial. This is my story. Husband and I went in together. Did all our tests together. Submitted the pw, he gets approved and I get denied. When the doc informed them we were a married couple and we mutually met the requirements, the insurance company approved me. Yes! It's a game, and Yes! it can be played not in your favor. But keep trying. Most people coast through. If you already meet the minimum requirements there should be no problem. We are talking small percentages of people who pop up with conditions and/or the person who is trying to see if they can get qualified and were not confident they would be approved or not. Just go through the motions. There is nothing you can do until you get word from the insurance co.

lol Mis where do you get those pics ahhaha Cat, congrats hon. I am coming up on my 4yr anniversary as well. ^5

ok without being in the conversation the only thing I can deduct from this conversation is that the surgeon may have intended to say: If you eat like normal without any regard for volume and/or bite sizes etc and you feel absolutely no restriction or pushback, than you may have stretched, slipped, eroded etc your band. No, its not meant to be painful when you eat. However, it can be painful when you eat a large bite, a food that typically does not pass well through your stoma or if you eat fast and overeat. Again without being there I cant say precisely what he was inferring but its my best guess

skb, I'm happy you are feeling the sensation of what we describe as green. It's great when you feel this early on so that you can gauge if you are in the green for the rest of the future. However, to truly know if your fill put you in green, wait a month. Fills effect everyone differently but some of the common experiences are: 1) inflammation immediately after a fill resulting in maximum restriction. Hence the reason many are on liquids and transition to mushies as to not further agitate the inflammed area 2) After the inflammation has subsided and you resume normal eating, the band gets 'used'. So it relaxes further. 3) Although I did not notice this in the earlier fills, I certainly do now but sometimes I get tighter a couple weeks after the fill. 4) Around the 4 week mark is when you can assess you band for what it should do for you long term and determine if you nee a fill immediately 4-6 wks apart or if you are content and can hold off. Also keep in mind as you lose weight, as time elapses etc that maintenance fills are required usually even if you previously were at green. But like I said, at least you konw what you are aiming for and that's the biggest accomplishment

Couple thoughts...one, definitely remember that worked with the last fill needs to be 'retested' after the next fill. The slightest additional restriction can make a yes food a no food real quick lol. But also remember, give yourself a few weeks after the fill to truly test the band. By than the inflammation has subsided and the band has been well used giving you an idea of how lose/tight that band will be at that particular fill. Lastly, band restriction fluctuates from day to night, day to day.. If you notice your band is slightly more open than normal, take advantage and eat a tuna patty Although I have foods I hesitate to eat because they consistently cause issues, I still keep them on the list for 'open days'

I am a sweet & low fan, drink it all the time (hot tea, coffee name it) and I drink CL as my back up drink as well to switch things up. The only response you are going to get is "sugar is better" "artificial sugars are bad bad bad" lol etc (quoting a previous topic posted) but these are personal preferences and not band related

Hi 3mommy... Just going to throw some feedback out there instead of giving you a true #. 1. Most bandsters are typically around 800-1200 cals (female) and maybe 1000-1500 (male). The lower end of the spectrum is for less active and the higher end for the most active. 2. When newly banded some bandsters can't even get 500 cals in but should actively work towards increasing their caloric intake as inflammation subsides. 3. Fat burning= calories in - calories burned. If you find at your current intake your weight loss has stopped, than either eat less or workout more. 4.900-1200 cals is a huge range even though it's a mesely 300 cals. An example, at 900 cals you may lose and at 1200 you may gain. You MAY benefit from staying consistent to test your bodies sensitivity to a particular calorie. However, if you are still losing that is all you need to concern yourself with. Everyone is different because our metabolic rates, activity levels etc are different. THis is just to keep in mind if you come to a standstill in the future when Metab rates may slow down or if your body has adjusted to the calories and needs a change to continue losing more.

Depending on what stage you are in, I would certainly try taking a whole capsule. I have taken horse pill antibiotics while banded with no problem. That is at GREEN and certainly restrictive enough to not allow some foods like dry meat to pass etc. I would experiment as it would save you the ordeal of crushing and tolerating the bad taste. Other points- if you are newly banded and not on solids, I would suffer the crushed med phase until you are better established on the band as to not create inflammation. And make certain your meds are crushable, I am assuming this was already done Here's a list of meds that should NOT BE CRUSHED: http://www.ismp.org/tools/donotcrush.pdf

lol Hi and yes you watch too much Grey's Anatomy lol. I'm an RN and just wanted you to know that you have a dedicated anesthesiologist at the head of the table monitoring your vitals and YOU during the entire operation. Sedatives are given per body weight recommended doses but there is alot of wiggle room to add more if the patient is not properly sedated. There are many subtle signs to alert an anest. well before you wake up. The second thing is that the lapband procedure is a relatively short procedure as well and even further reduces any chances of you awakening Not to undermine the risks of ANY surgery, but this as routine as it gets. And although it is completely normal to have anxiety (especially if you are young or if this is your first surgery etc) but be reassured that you are going to do just fine. Just reinforcing the positive thoughts you are telling yourself and how much your life is going to change for the better in T-9hrs

Hey Blue, Most people start struggling in week 3-4 if they haven't already been suffering band hell. It's normal and it's definitely a challenge because we start to fixate on food. I know you'll make it through Congrats on the wl, that's fantastic. Hugs