coltonwade

Fills take time to kick in , sometimes it takes more than one fill to get restriction , The band is not a magic band , it takes going to take some patients and will power on your part until the restriction kicks in . This is what they call Bandster Hell . You probably can not eat as much as you actually can , But it feels that way because of the amount that you know your suppose to eat once you have restriciton . Post op i could eat about 1/2 of what i could before surgery after restriction i could eat about half of that amount . So try to be patient. It will come , then let the band work . Mindy

I FOUND IT , That was quick for me LOL Here is the other thread , you might want to PM here and speak to her about it , Even if she had the EXACT same experience I still cant stress enough to speak to your doc . http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f78/stuck-blacking-out-51755/ Mindy

There was someone else on the boards that was doing the same thing If i remember right she was passing out when she was eating too. Ill see if i can find the post . It could be a coincidence that your passing out when your eating it could not be . Its something that is defienetly not "normal" and you need to get it checked out for sure.

There is a cook book i have called " The Sneaky Chef" they have recipes in it for "normal" kid friendly foods like brownies, pancakes, cake, donuts, chicken fingers, I could go on and on . But you add fruits and veggies to them #1 for the kids to get the friuts and Veggies (Cause my kids HATE Veggies ) and they are more healthy for you as well. Most of the recipes are smaller portions as well. Like instead of cakes most of the recipes are cup cakes so smaller portions for us to have around the house. My kids LOVE the food and have NO IDEA their are things like Sweet Potaotes in the Mac and cheese or cauliflower , blue berries and spinach in the brownies. My kids for the most part eat healthier , But there are some things that hubby and the kids just dont like so i'll fix them what they like. Once a week we have Pizza night, I dont eat it but i let them have it. We have done that since I was a kid . The one thing that is an absolute NO NO for EVERYONE . IS NO SODA"S no one is allowed Sodas anymore. There is just no reason for them . We have an ozarka Water dispenser in our house. Mindy

PS A PB is PB: Productive Burp -- what happens when something eaten can't go down due to restriction has to come back up Its basically throwing up what does not go down . Mindy

You are passing out it sounds like to me . Also , just FYI cold cuts and cheese dont go well for me. I cant eat deli meats with out getting stuck . I would make sure you tell the doc about this for SURE ! this is not normal is you are indeed passing out . Espically if its happening while your eating . Be careful and let us know what happens Mindy

Im the same way with working out . I KNOW I need to do it , I know what I have to do , I have all the stuff I need to do it . But actually getting up and doing it , its like something is broke inside me that gets me up and going. Before surgery i use to watch shows when people would watch something and they said they had a "lightbulb " moment that made them get up and move to start them losing weight .. I kept waiting for my moment and it never came. Again i wondered if something was broke . I am much more ACTIVE than before, i just got done cleaning my house for 2 hours no stop . NEVER would have happened before. I am always doing something now, Would not have happened before surgery . Im still trying to get moving w/ the working out . Like you said its a constant struggle. Mindy

I understand that and i belive that same thing. I have treats for my kids they are healthier treats , like sugar free Cookies , granola bars ect so they dont know they are "better" and IF I eat some its not as much of a guilt thing for me. Certain things are not allowed like donuts ect. I do make cakes ect but they are healthier versions , things from the sneaky chef cook book that have Veggies in the cake ( that's right veggies in the cake and you cant taste them LOL ) But like i said I think you did not do horrible with your "binge" i would not consider it a binge. Look at it this way .. WHAT would you have done pre band ? The whole bag or the oreo's A whole row ? Half the bag of PB cups ? What i consider a binge now is a bag of M&M's the takes me all day to eat. So dont beat yourself up , I think your doing fine. Maybe do an extra 10 mintues on the tread mill to "compensate " For it . Your fine ! Would I do it every week ? No but i think personally it is OK to have a treat every now and then , otherwise like you said you feel deprived and want more and more. Mindy

First of all congrats !! Congrats on the rest of your life !! As for "giving in " Or "giving up " Look at it this way .... Would you consider a person getting a heart transplant , or a heart valve replacement giving up because they are getting an operation to save their life ? I dont think so ? This is NO DIFFERENT . Your getting something put into your body to help you live longer. I could not lose weight on my own for nearly 10 yrs . As you can see by my ticker i have no problems with the band ! Nerves are normal . You will be just fine ! Congrats to you .. HTH Mindy

Alex, Your very courageous for writing that . I was just talking to a friend of mine about the "Battles" we face as bandsters yesterday . First let me ask you this . And dont take it the wrong way ... Why do you have those things in your house if you know you cant control yourself around them ? Personally I dont have those things in my house because I would do the same thing. So I just dont buy them . NOW dont get me wrong , I do not think what you did was that horrible and I dont think I personally would consider it a binge . You can move on from this . But if you know there are things you just cant be around and control yourself over i would suggest you just dont bring them in your house. PB cups , oreo's , cakes, those things I would not do well with in my house. I tell my husband IF YOU Want those things, fine, get them and eat them BEFORE You come home. Again I dont think your "Binge" was off the deep end by any means. I think its ok to have "treats" For ourselves every now and then if we know we can stop . Personally i tend to eat those treats in front of other people becasue im more likely to stop myself at just one with "witness' " LOL I dont know we will do this for the rest of our lives ? Maybe we will ? My friend and I were talking about counseling for these things that maybe that is what we need ? Im not sure if I helped but i certainly can listen Mindy

Yeah i was thinking the same thing before I posted this . Mindy

My fills usually take 4 to 7 days to " kick " in , Some people it takes more than one fill for them to feel restriction . So its "Normal" i guess is what your asking . Some people even WITH restrictin can still eat just about anything. My friend who has been banded for 2 yrs can eat anything, breads , pasta ect. She's never been stuck or PBed either. My doc recommends that i stop BEFORE Im full that i stop when im satisfied. Also the Sodas are not about having a "Problem" as much when you drink them immediately , the issue with Sodas ( according to my doc ) is that the carbonation in the sodas can eventually stretch out your pouch. Sodas are a HUGE no no for me personally its something that has NOT touched my lips since surgery nor will it ever again that I can assure you ! Some things you dont need or have to have "Issues" with to not eat. Soda's are one of them for me that i wont touch . HTH Mindy

No I dont think you should give up on the band yet . I think you have come too far to give up on it, I understand it can be very frustrating . But dont give up yet. Hang in there. Mindy

In the sense that a person has to take control of their lives yes of course its a control issue , we all have done that by being banded. So i think if the doc is not listening and she cant get him to listen she should move on of course. I believe i said that before. I just think the first option should not be to move on from the doc unless he's just not listening at all. And i totally agree with you docs can be very closed minded. I worked for them for 10 yrs and they can be SO very stuck in their ways. I just think in this particular situation she should try to get the doc to listen and if not then move on . No one deserves to suffer , im not saying that and im sorry that you have. Everyone deserves to have a great life. If anyone feels they cant trust their doc or cant regain their trust then its time to move on .. I could not go to a doc I cant trust. Mindy

Not trying to disagree with you . I dont think it has to be a control issue. I think that medical care needs to be collaborative, you need to communicate and there has to be trust . It does not sound like there is any of that in this situation . I do think that if it is not there it CAN Be regained BUT if it is not then the patient needs to move on . If a patient does not feel like the doctor is listening to then AND Vice Versa then they need to part ways. I have worked for doctors where they have felt the patient is not listening to THEM and they have had to refer them else where . Make sense ? Mindy

I have to tell you from a "Newbie' that was very well put . Sometimes people tend to keep their bands too tight and live on liquids to lose weight faster and its not healthy . That's no way to live. PBing and throwing up are NOT safe and NOT "just how it is " I know someone who has been banded for almost 2 yrs and NEVER PBed and NEVER been stuck . Hunter is right , its not just about the weight its about your body and about your health . We hire our docs they work for us. If you cant get the doc to listen shop around to find one that will !!

you said you keep throwing up ? what happens after you throw up ? do you go back to regular food ? you maybe in a cycle where your band is irritated and swollen and it has not been allowed to heal ( to now fault of your own ) have you tried liquids for as long as a week then slowly bulid back up to solids after that ? Like do a week of liquids then 3 days of mushies then 3 days of semi solids ? Im going through something similar myself but it started about a month ago . I just went to my doc on Tuesday . I throw up VERY Easily due to So many yrs of Migraines. So when most people get stuck I throw up . I dont get stuck for hours like some do i just throw up . My doc thinks due to this i cant tell on my own when im full . So he suggested I eat a little bit wait a little bit and try eating a little more. Also he said that I need to measure my food when i eat because although im not over eating , im sort of blindly eating what is on my plate. I agree with the others that your doc needs to check your band , Mine checked mine under flouro to make sure it was ok and it was. If you feel like your doc is not doing what you feel is right try another doc . HTH Mindy

LMAO Well You know the stuff im going through right now his name is George too !!! SO KICK THE CRAP OUT OF George for me , and i'll do the same !!!! Mindy

Fran im glad that your insurance ended up paying. As for the drugs well I Have had more than i care to deal with when it comes to that. Everyone in my husbands family is Addicted to something or another. My BIL was very heavliy into drugs, He's around 30ish, We disowned him basically , my husband said it was easier to do that than to hear some day he was dead. He finally got better when my FIL decided to cut him off. he was actually hurting him more than anything by helping him. Not that your doing that. My Brother in law new he could always have dad to go to and when that was no longer there he finally said " CRAP " I have to get better or NO One will help me. My BIL is now a father and married and doing pretty well. I think he's been sober for 3 yrs now . Anyway . Hang in there, it can be done. Just be careful and protect yourself as well ! Love Mindy

Im not a patient person. I was talking to my mom last night and she's not the most positive supportive person . Well she IS but she just does not come off that way , if that makes sense. im afraid if she does not check into this and keep up with it for my dad he will let it go. I think if he finds out insurance will pay for it he'll do it . Im terribly afraid he's going to die from his weight , he's really starting to think about this and if she's not going to support him or keep putting road blocks in his way the way she is he wont do it . I know him. Mindy

You might want to hold off on jello ,,, did the surgeon say jello was ok ? I could not have jello until All liquid stage. If its giving you issues i would hold off on it anyway . As for when to start proteins that's up to your doc and i would ask him that , each doc is different . My personal advice ANY questions you have on advancement of diets need to be addressed to your doc !! Good luck and congrats !!! Mindy

I understand all that . But as I said Im impatient and was curious if anyone here worked for Intel so I could find out myself ! Its not for me its for my dad! I have already had the surgery They will possibly find out on their own . But i wanted to find out on my own as well. My mom is going to try to find out as well. As i stated I am impatient and wanted to see if anyone on here worked for Intel and had UHC and could tell me ! :redface: Thanks for your input MIndy

My mom works for Intel and has united Health care. My dad is looking into having WLS . He is undecided between LB and RNY . I obviously would rather him have the band. But they are unsure if their united health care pays for the band or RNY ? Im too impatient to wait . Does anyone know ? All i know is they have PPO but I know someone else that has UHC PPO and it did NOT pay for the band . Thanks Mindy

What your doc said is basically what mine said with a little more "firmness" LOL He said silicone does feel and look more natural . He does do saline as well. He said that ( and I tend to agree with this ) that the FDA took the Silicone off the market for political reasons . I tend to agree, he said sure there were some people who had health issues , but not the HUGE amount that was reported. He also said the FDA does NOT put things BACK on the market if they are not safe! again i agree. Also he said ALL Implants WILL need to be replaced. he did not beat around the bush on that. He said " go into implant surgery expecting 2 surgeries. That silicone or saline they WILL rupture and you WILL need to have them replaced. they will last 15-20 yrs . this doc is board certified and highly trained . He also said putting it behind the muscle is better. Im was a little surprised how many people were getting silicone now . I thought at least 50 % of people got saline. So i was curious. I def, think its a personal choice and you have to do what ever you think your comfortable with for sure. thanks for your help Mindy

Hi welcome. First take a deep breathe ! I would check into the insurance a bit more , do they have it as an exclusion ? Ask your doctors office about it, they would know and can check into it . As for going into debt ? Thats a personal choice, no one can tell you yes or no . But i can tell you for me it was worth it . We filed chapter 7 3 yrs ago due to medical bills racked up from my son's eye surgeries. So it was a tough one for me to put us back inot debt . BUT my wonderful husband said DO IT AND DO IT NOW !!! He would not let ME Say no . Is it fair to ask family ? Again a personal choice, I financed a loan from medicredit for $8000 and borrowed $4k from my parents. ALL doctors are self pay because most insurance will not pay for it . To stay in the US OR not again personal choice. I live in Austin TX and really could have gone to Mexico or somewhere else. I chose San Antonio . It was cheaper than Austin , but a bit more expensive than Mexico . Feel free to email me if you would like to talk more. Mindy