ElfiePoo

My husband and I travel by car a lot and I just pack the same things I'd eat at home. My favorite is a chef's salad. I just carry little baggies of bacon, chopped hard boiled egg, ham, bibb lettuce and a container of my homemade blue cheese dressing. Tuna or chicken salad made with mayo and celery, served on some tomato slices. Ham and cheese rollups (with a pickle in the middle). Sugar free jello cups.

My calories are also at 1200, my fat is 70-80gm (about 60%) and 15-30gm carbs. At least for me, carbs count. When I increase my carbs to around 60, keeping my calories and fat the same, I don't lose...or worse, will gain over time. I'd dump the ketostix. They're expensive and aren't really a good measure of 'ketosis' anyway because if you drink a lot of Water, they may not change purple even if you're in ketosis. If you keep your carbs below 30, most likely you'll be in ketosis anyway. I can tell by the taste in my mouth. .

Cleo, Yes, my first step is getting a complete unfill tomorrow. I'm not betting on all of the pain going away since I've had this pain since the day of surgery, but who knows, maybe I'll get lucky. I'm not sure what benefit there is in keeping the band in though if I can never get it filled. It seems I'd be better of getting it out now while I have insurance that will cover it since it's kind of useless since you never know what the future holds.

I'm at my sweet spot where, on most days, I can eat my meal and go 4-5 hours before getting hungry. The band is a fickle creature, though, and will loosen and tighten on its own so on any given day I might have to white knuckle it through the hunger. .

After surgery, my doctor recommended Dulcolax, a stool softener. I had issues for a couple weeks after surgery, but they eventually cleared up. Now it's not even an issue because I get enough fat and Water in my diet. .

Phrenic nerve pain is caused by the band rubbing against the diaphragm. It sends a referred pain to the left shoulder. Some people get it when they eat too much. Some, like me, get it when we lie down or sit in a certain way. Some don't get it at all. Some get it and it goes away over time. You won't know which you'll be until after the fact. I didn't get to choose. My surgeon does the Realize and it has a low profile port. Mine is located about 3 fingers width down from the ribs and just right (my right) of center. I started a thread here. I never felt misled. I just don't think they really know as much as they should about how the band works. I read one medical report online that said until recently they had no idea the band actually curbed hunger. They thought it worked because it stopped people from eating. In the end, all you can do is research the best you can, ask questions, ask more questions and then decide what is best for you. I am most likely getting my band out in a couple weeks due to the constant pain for the last 16 months *BUT* I do not regret the experience. Over the last year I've learned a lot about my eating habits and learned to correct them. I have lost weight and best of all, I'm off my insulin as a result of correcting my food choices. In my book, that makes it the right choice even if I do have to have it taken out. .

Since surgery, I'm averaging out at about 1 lb or less per week. I was taking a long acting insulin the morning and one with each meal. As of December, I'm diet controlled. However, that's not just due to losing weight. It's because I eat less than 30gm of carb per day and it's all in the form of vegies. No wheat products, no gluten, no grains, no potatoes, etc. sleep apnea is gone, joint and muscle aches gone (attributed to the change in diet, not necessarily the weight). General overall health is improved. All lab work in normal ranges. .

It depends. I've gotten stuck on something that previously was no problem, in spite of chewing well and taking a small bite. In which case, I won't take a second bite but will eat something that goes down more easily. If I don't have any further problems, I don't worry about it. If I'm having a day where it seems like everything is giving me problems, I'll go to soft foods, figuring my band has temporarily tightened. I just kind of play it by ear from day to day. .

I've never understood what people mean when they say 'don't lose too fast'. You'll lose what your body will lose, assuming you're being reasonable about your nutrition. The more overweight someone is, the faster they'll initially lose weight. When I was 330 lb., I ate low carb diet and lost 70 pounds in 3 months ('too fast' by most experts standards) and I was eating about 2700 calories a day. Yet the only way to slow that weight loss down was to either eat more calories (really?!) or more carbs...and as a diabetic, the higher the carbs I eat, the more problems I have with blood sugar. You'll have to figure out what adequate nutrition is for you based on your activity level...and your body will lose as fast...or as slow...as it is going to. .

All of the above advice is good, but if you're still hungry, I would go get a fill *AND* if this person starts lecturing you again and threatening to not fill your band because you haven't lost any weight, I would ask to speak to her 'boss'. We are not given fills as a carrot/stick reward/punishment. We are given fills when we're hungry because that's what the band does when it's at the right fill level...it controls hunger. I would also tell her...and this is just me...that she can hold her lectures for her children. She's there to give you a fill...not berate you so that you won't come back for the followup care you need. If this is the doctor with the bad behavior, I'd find a new one. .

If you're hungry, it sounds like you need a fill. It may only take a tiny one to get you back to your non-hungry state. .

I am a diet controlled (as of Dec. 2010) diabetic and it's vital that I keep my blood sugar stable because swings (up or down) cause intense carb cravings that are almost impossible to control. I am up at 6 a.m. every morning and I start my day with a cup of hot decaf tea to help loosen the band. Breakfast is at 7 a.m., lunch at noon and dinner at 6 p.m. I spread my calories and carbs over the 3 meals because if I load on one meal, it causes an insulin reaction. I think we all need to find what works for us based on our bodies' needs. .

The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which then tell the stomach to quit producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Some people get enough pressure with just the band. Most need some type of fill and that varies with the individual. .

I only lose 1 lb per week and that's only when I follow a 1200 calorie, 30gm carb diet. Yes it's slow...but it's progress. .

How long ago did you have your fill? Have you had stuck episodes since your fill? Some people have an immediate reaction (swelling) after a fill. Every stuck episode will contribute to more swelling. If you can keep liquids down, then I would immediately go right back to liquids for a couple days, then try eating small bites/chewing well of softer foods. If you have no problem with those, advance to more solid foods. This will allow time for any swelling to go down to determine if you're too full...or if you just created a situation with your stuck (evidenced by sliming) episodes. According to my surgeon, I should be able to eat 3 oz of Protein and at least 1/2 cup of vegies...and I shouldn't get stuck, assuming I'm following all the rules. .

A few things jumped out at me from this thread... It is not *all about* will power and self control. If it was, none of us would have needed the band. The band seems to work most effectively (usual caveat that there are exceptions) and successfully for people who have been successful dieters in the past, but put the weight back on due to hunger. At the sweet spot they get a feeling of satiety after a meal...something they didn't get no matter how much they ate in the past. Unfortunately, there are quite a few people making the band control how much they eat and are getting their bands so tight they delay with daily episodes of getting stuck, sliming and throwing up the slime and stuck object. I'm with Cleo in that I think in years to come we're going to see far more medical issues related to the abuse of the esophagus that happens with these episodes. The reason those of us who have problems come here and relay our problems is because potential banders...and other banders having problems...can see that it's not all rosey. There are potential problems/complications. When I first came to this forum, few people talked about the problems they were having and when they did, there was an immediate barrage of "The band does not fail...the person fails the band." As a result, anyone having difficulties was afraid to say anything...and gave me (and I'm sure others) a very skewed view of life after being banded. To the OP...I hope the bypass works for you, but the reality is, the bypass and sleeve both have a honeymoon period where there is a greater loss initially than you get with the band. Ultimately, though, if you don't use self-control to choose the right foods and choose to put the fork down, you'll be one of the many who also fail at the bypass and not only put all their weight back on, but gain even more...but now you've made such drastic changes to your insides that you may have added a significant number of medical issues that will effect your quality of life. I hope that's not the case for you. I wish you well.

Gooood morning bandsters! I'm looking out the window at all of the yucky snow, but am hoping that the rain will just wash it away...while keeping a very close eye on the sump pump in my basement lest I end up with knee deep water again. We had a full bang thunder and lightning storm through the night. So odd at this time of year but c'mon spring! I'm feeling pretty good with the recent 6 pound WHOOSH! Only 10 more pounds to go and I have 10 weeks to do it! I'm very very hopeful! Lots of stuff to do today. My little Go-fer (youngest son) is on spring break this week and promised (because he's had almost exclusive use of my car) to help me do some stuff I couldn't do without an extra pair of hands. Have a good one!

Jackie: Sorry about your father. Good luck with your doctor's visit. Here's hoping the scale will surprise you! Denise: I hope your band loosens up just a tad so you don't have to leave the table during dinner on your cruise...but no more than that. Shammah: You go, girl! Maybe with all that exercise, despite TOM, the scale will be kind to you this morning! Deb: I'm in awe of the fish farm. I have a tough time keeping even a few tropical fish alive in one small tank. Then I have to deal with tremendous guilt when one of my little guys goes belly up...literally. .

^^THIS^^ I always give 2 weeks after a fill and if things don't resolve by then...I go in for a fill or unfill whatever is necessary. In the meantime, be kind to your band because every time you get stuck, you're increasing the chances of adding swelling to the mix. .

Something to consider if you do the self-pay route...there will be fills and most likely unfills...maybe a lot. Find out what the doctor will charge for that. You might find the vertical sleeve is a better choice if you're self-pay...even though it is a bit more invasive. .

Tyler, From all of your posts it is pretty apparent this man does not love you. It doesn't even sound as if he likes you very much. Why are you letting him do this to you? What are you getting out of the relationship that you're willing to let him treat you in such a contemptible fashion? Seriously...you want to marry this jerk? Marriage won't make it get better. Losing weight won't make it get better either. He sounds like an ass and you getting skinny won't change his personality. Sorry...I don't usually use tough love, but wake up and smell the coffee before you end up married and have several kids by this dingo. .

Shirley, I'm usually the last person to recommend getting a lawyer, but in your case, I'd seriously consider suing this doctor. If he blew your band, that's on him. If he won't fix it, that's on him. .

ok...*now* my ticker is right.

I've always wondered...when they find something like this has happened, why do they wait so long to correct it? .

I did the in-depth research on the various weight loss surgeries. I asked the questions. Did more research. Asked more questions. I lurked on this forum and other band forums for months. Despite that, I discovered some things post band that I wish I had known before surgery. Would it have made a difference in whether or not I had it...or whether I had chosen another method than band...I don't know. When I was lurking in the forums, trying to make up my mind, there were very few negative posts about the band. When someone did post that the band wasn't working for them or they were having difficulties, other posters told them 'the band didn't fail you. You failed the band." It left the impression that the band works for everyone who works the band...and that's just not true. I wish I had known... That the band would not restrict the quantity of food I can eat. I got the band because I thought it would make me feel full or make me stop eating...which is how it was advertised at the time and what people were saying it did on the forums. Perhaps it works that way for some but it has never worked that way for me. Even at my sweet spot I can eat as much as I could pre-band *if I choose*. That the band is not consistent, even at the sweet spot, at controlling hunger. Since the band tightens and loosens even a bit on its own, there are days where the hunger is intense and days where it's controlled. On the hungry days, all I can do is white knuckle it. Sometimes I'm successful, but sometimes it goes on for enough days that I lose it. That the band can cause phrenic nerve pain that may or may not go away and which may be persistent enough and painful enough to affect my sleep, whether I can sit in a car or plane long enough to go anywhere and my range of motion and general health related to trying to prevent that pain. That eating would become a daily challenge. Foods that were fine one day, would not be fine the next depending on whether my band tightened or loosened a fraction. That, despite taking small bites and chewing well, I might still find myself in a restaurant unable to eat the meal I had just paid for because my band had tightened. I'm not trying to convince people to not get the band, or to do vertical sleeve or bypass instead. I just think it's important, and wish the surgeons would be more up front about these problems, so we can make more informed decisions about something so important. For many people, these forums are where they get the information they need when trying to make that decision, so it's important that we be just as honest about the difficulties we've faced with the band. Not to scare them off but so they have *all* the information and not just one side of it. After 16 months I am in the process of getting my band removed due to the pain it is causing me. Bypass is not an option. There are worse things in life than being fat and, in my opinion, bypass is one of them. At this point in time, I can't bring myself to do the vertical sleeve either. It's just far more invasive than I'm prepared to go at this point. I've kept journals since I was a teenager. My husband suggested I pull the journals from the period when I lost 70 pounds without the band...and kept it off for almost a decade now. When I look back at my journals from that time, some days were good days...some were bad and I had to whiteknuckle it. Much like I do now except I didn't have to deal with the pain in my arm, stuck and sliming episodes or wondering whether I was going to have to excuse myself from the dinner table. So, I've pretty much decided to give it a go on my own. One thing the band has done for me is make me far more aware of my eating habits and create new ones that make me more successful at putting down that fork and choosing the right foods. As a result, I no longer take insulin and my diabetes is under control with diet alone. So it's not an experience I regret. It's just life. We make the best choices we can with the information available to us and, if it's not successful, we regroup and revise. Just my .02. .