BetsyB

I had my banding done by Brian Lahmann at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet 10 months ago. I'm down just over 90 pounds, and couldn't be happier with the decision, or my band.

If your insurance does not require your PCP's input, why not head straight to a surgeon, and let him/her oversee your preop stuff? I'm kind of appalled that your GP would observe as you jumped through all the necessary (and not-inexpensive) hoops, only to say, "Nope, another 6 months." The problem with waiting 6 months is that the surgeon may well require repeats of many of the tests you've already had, if sufficient time elapses. Yes, surgeons do like it if PCPs are on board. But they often don't check :rolleyes2: I mentioned banding to my (then very lukewarm) PCP, and he sort of told me, "Good luck with that." Now he recommends banding to a lot of his patients. Wellbutrin is sometimes prescribed because of its appetite suppressant properties. It usually does not effect a large loss, however. (If I recall correctly, the average loss is 6 pounds.)

Yes. I can't lose effectively unless I really limit my carb intake. Fortunately, once you get restriction, it's way easier to do that! I know not everyone is carb sensitive, but I am. Another thing to keep in mind is that carbohydrate is hydrophilic. This means that it draws Water to its molecules. If your body does not customarily get "fed" much in the way of carb, you can definitely see an immediate water-weight response if you have a bolus of carb. It's temporary :rolleyes2:

It does happen. It's not as common as it is post-bypass, and the mechanism by which it occurs is a bit different, but it does happen, for sure. I am completely sugar-intolerant now.

I drink water very freely; the band does not impede my ability to do so one iota, and never has. I've never had to sip gingerly---I just drink. And I do have good restriction.

Yes, you really are in a fake it 'til you make it phase---it's frustrating, but it is short-lived. You're still recovering from surgery. Your body has been through a lot, and is still reeling. Make sure you're doing the things that support weight loss: eating properly, exercising. It will fall into place. As you approach and achieve restriction, it's a zillion times easier to approach things positively. For now, if you can accept that this is just part of the process, and that you're closer to where you want to be, you'll be in good shape.

I love this guy---he's fascinating to follow. But he admits that calories in/calories out is not the whole story. For me, it's not just blood chemistry (cholesterol, etc) that is affected by the "wrong" foods. I simply do not lose or feel well when I eat improperly. I fully realize that "improperly" is highly individualized.

It's true that a bolus of carbohydrate can bump up blood sugar and temporarily increase alertness and energy. HOWEVER, this comes at a cost: blood sugar then plummets, and there is rebound fatigue. It's more effective to steadily fuel your body with Protein, and more particularly, a decent balance of protein, heart-healthy-fat, and slow-burn carbohydrate (such as those found in veggies and legumes). Instead of fruit, then, you might have something like 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with a scoop of unflavored protein (PURE from bariatriceating.com is great) stirred in, with a tablespoon of sugar-free jam and a sprinkle of almonds. This will sustain you far better than the fruit alone.

Whether or not you have excess skin relies on lots of things---but rate of loss is not one of them. (People who have gastric bypass may seem to more dramatically develop the issue, but that is simply because their loss is more rapid. The rapid loss does not CAUSE the problem; the loss causes the problem--which means that yes, it can indeed occur after banding.) The things that influence the degree to which you are affected include age, genetics, smoking history, sun exposure history, how much excess weight you carried, how long you were overweight, how many pregnancies you have had, how many times you had large fluctuations in weight, and so on. Losing fast, losing slow---it doesn't really matter. Think of a balloon. If you blow it up to capacity, then let the air out, it looks pretty much the same. If you do this many times, it starts to change. It gets less elastic, striations appear in the latex. Your skin is pretty similar. If it's stretched and stretched, then the tension is released (again, fast or slow, doesn't matter), then elasticity is lost, especially if there is yo-yoing. There isn't much one can do about this other than hope for good luck and good genetics. Meeting your nutritional needs can give skin what it needs, too---that for sure is important. (Get enough Protein and Fluid, get adequate heart-healthy fat, take a good-quality bariatric Multivitamin.) Exercise to build a good "scaffold" for your skin to drape on. Know that exercise will not tighten skin, but will improve your health and appearance anyway. I'm almost 49, am almost 90 down from banding almost 10 months ago (and over 100 down from my highest), and have been very, very pleased with how many of my body parts have rebounded. OTOH, I have had 3 pregnancies, breastfed, and am no spring chicken; I have a plastic surgery consult scheduled for May, when I'll be in the surgeon's city for my daughter's graduation. I am nearing goal. I look pretty darn good in clothes. I look a HELL of a lot better naked than I did before losing weight. If I decide to proceed with surgery, it will really just be icing on the cake, something to do for MYSELF, to complete the journey. But the laxity of the skin is not something that torments me----really, it is weirdly symbolic of the positive changes I've made. ETA: To answer your other questions: I am aiming for the lower end of the normal BMI scale because my frame is small. Since yours is large, I'd go for a bit higher on the BMI scale. "Normal" BMI is defined as 18.9-24.9. At your height, you'd hit the high end at 159 pounds. I've had great success! I'm 0.4 pounds away from 90 pounds down, and have not yet hit the 10-month mark. The band has really addressed my particular weight issues, and I've found it quite easy to work with. I was taken aback by the hair loss that occurred beginning around 4 months postop. This is a result of an interruption in the hair growth cycle caused by the trauma of surgery and anesthesia. While it's important to make sure you get the right nutrients (protein, fluid, Biotin, zinc), and it can be helpful to use growth-promoting shampoos/conditioners such as Nioxin, really---it's just a matter of time. Just when I thought it would really become noticeable to others, my normal hair growth resumed---no harm, no foul. Otherwise, it's been pretty smooth sailing for me. I accepted the lifestyle changes (permanent eating changes, a lifelong need for daily exercise) pretty happily---so I have no real complaints.

Scrambled eggs are my single biggest nemesis. I have no idea why, but they sit like lead, and make me feel miserable. For me, the only solution is to avoid them. Thankfully, there are a bazillion other things to eat; losing out on scrambled eggs isn't a tragedy

How long has it been since the fill? My inclination is always to baby the band for a good while after a fill; swelling can really affect the way it feels, and if I advance things too rapidly, I can send my progress backwards. So, as long as I can keep fluids down, I take things very slowly----usually, that does the trick; within a week or so, things are a-okay. (Liquid Benadryl helps with the inflammation.) If liquids are difficult, that is a completely different story; for that, medical attention is needed right away.

It's quite possible to have stuck incidents well before reaching appropriate restriction. It's a "user error" sort of thing :eek:

The right time to exercise is a time that works for you, that you can commit to. There's nothing, really, more to it than that.

Yes, I have known people for whom surgery is begun---and terminated because the liver does not show evidence of compliance with the preop diet.

I am really puzzled by your response. You got a number of helpful, non-judgmental, and informative, responses, and it seems as though you're offended by them. Is there a reason?

Congratulations! Being rid of Snooki is a darn good thing!

Read your policy carefully. In mine, "weight loss programs" means stuff like Weight Watchers, for which there is NO reimbursement. However, banding is a surgery, and the policy spells out the criteria that must be met in order to qualify. It will all be there, in black and white--no need to panic yet. Just get a copy of the policy. Reps sometimes really don't know about specific things; they're the Big Picture people.

May I make a suggestion? My surgeon recommends CoQ-10 (in Vitamin aisle) perioperatively, and likes when his patients stay on indefinitely. He sees a real difference in energy level in those of us who do. I've taken it consistently since a few months before banding, and it really has helped. It's antioxidant, and research shows it has a ton of cardiac benefits, as well. (Many cardiologists recommend it to their patients.) It's well worth a try. As is Vitamin D. My PCP now routinely checks for vitamin D deficiency, and recommends supplementation even to patients within normal limits. He also recommends daily sun exposure---during months when the sun is strong enough here, he likes me to spend 1/4 the length of time it takes me to burn (without sunscreen) in the sun daily. So when I take my morning walk, I do it with bare legs and arms. (I do wear sunscreen on my face.) The rest of the year, I bump up my D supplementation. My husband requires prescription-strength D on a weekly basis.

I think the unsticking sensation (the gurgling like a clogged drain had been unclogged, followed by relief) was purely coincidental to emptying your bowels. There just isn't a physical connection between the pouch/stoma and your large intestine/rectum. They're in the same body system, but it's not like the action of having a bowel movement creates "room" for food to move from the pouch at the top of your stomach to the stomach below; feces are miles down the tract :frown:

Erin, you only recently started getting fills you desperately needed. Why not treat yourself as though you're a new bandster, and give yourself the compassion you'd give someone else in your shoes? That said, you DO have the tool you need, and now it's working--but you're not. Instead, you're creating really lofty goals, getting frustrated, but bypassing opportunities to work toward them. My first question is whether there is counseling available to you on campus. That would help a lot, I think. Secondly, if your classes start at 11:45, you have ample time to get your day started, and set it in motion the RIGHT way. Eat breakfast. Pack or plan a good lunch. And get some exercise under your belt. You won't even have to get up all that early to do these things. YOU JUST HAVE TO DO THEM. You know by now that the band alone doesn't do it. For months and months and months, you were hanging your hopes on the elusive fill you couldn't have. All the while, you had us telling you that there were things 100 PERCENT IN YOUR CONTROL you could work to manage while you waited---and you didn't. Now you've got the tool working. And you're still not doing what you need to do. Why? What is really holding you back? It's not time. You've got the time. WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM ALLOWING YOURSELF TO SUCCEED, ERIN?? A counselor can help you identify what is really going on.

There is absolutely no basis in science for the recommendations made by this gimmicky diet. Will it work? Sure, almost anything that restricts what you eat will. With a band, though, I don't quite see the point. Your eating is already restricted, kwim? Make sure that most of the foods you eat offer your body nutrients it needs, and you'll be a-okay.

My doctor doesn't base decisions regarding whether I need fill only on my loss. It's only one part of the equation. Why? Because if I eat the way he recommends, I will lose whether I have restriction or not. He takes into account how I feel, as well. It really is important to consider hunger in addition to loss. hair loss really isn't due to rapid weight loss. It's due to an interruption of the hair growth cycle by trauma. In this case, the trauma is anesthesia and surgery. They interrupt the growth cycle, and the evidence becomes apparent a few months later. It happens for most of us, regardless of how much we lose, whether we eat enough Protein, and so on. As "insurance," it's not a bad idea to ensure that you do get adequate protein and Fluid, as well as Biotin and zinc. Using a shampoo/condition system like Nioxin can help, too. But mostly, these things just let us reassure ourselves we're doing what we need to do to prevent undue loss; our bodies still go through the changes, and ultimately recover, and hair growth resumes as normal. ETA: My loss is slowing now, but I consistently lost 10 pounds a month for the first 8 months I was banded. Now I lose that in 6-8 weeks or so. Because my doctor gives banding patients the same dietary guidelines as his bypass patients, this does not surprise him at all--it's what he likes to see. (Banding rates are slower because we don't have the malabsorption that bypass patients do, but your loss doesn't strike me as outrageously fast.) Your loss is not what one would expect at the year mark for bypass. It makes me wonder how much experience the practitioner who does your fills has with either procedure.

I can't imagine how knee pain could be related to the band, unless you're very, very fresh postop. In that case, operating table positioning could be a factor. Also, if you're freshly postop and guarding your abdominal muscles due to pain, this can affect posture and gait, thereby requiring you to use your legs/knees differently. This, too, can result in pain issues. For my knee pain, ice is tremendously helpful. (Heat feels better, but ice works better.) I can't take NSAIDs (not just because of the band, but because of allergy), so the only pain meds available to me are actually not terribly effective. The best "medicine," by far, has been losing weight and consistently exercising. For the latter, it would be a good idea to get a physical therapy referral (after a good assessment of the knees by an orthopedist to rule out any issues that might preclude PT, or guide the prescription), so that you can learn exercises that target the area. The recommendation for glucosamine/condroitin is a good one. Be aware, though, that glucosamine can skew blood sugar. For diabetics, this can be a real problem. For nondiabetics, it can trigger hunger as blood sugar rises then plummets. Just something to be aware of. The cherries previously mentioned do have antiinflammatory properties. They need to be dark tart cherries. I avoid dried because their sugars are so much more concentrated. But Dole's frozen dark cherries do the trick for me. Just ten cherries makes a difference. Two other good additions for inflammation: flax seed and fish oil. For flax seed, do NOT buy the oil or already-ground seeds. The oils oxidizes very rapidly, and loses its Omega benefits. You're left with a perfectly nice oil (or nice seed meal), but the most important properties for inflammation will have dissipated before you even get home. Instead, buy whole seeds, and crack or grind them right before using. (I use a coffee grinder.) A tablespoon a day in your yogurt or sprinkled on a salad can really help with inflammation issues. Fish oil does the same thing. A combined EPA+DHA level of 1,200-1,500 mg is a good starting place; you can work up to around 6,000-8,000 mg/day.

I'm sorry you're in pain! You're in good company, though. Gall bladder disease affects a significant portion of people, especially women, as they lose significant weight. I hope you get things resolved quickly--it's a miserable pain.

I do see changes I haven't seen, in past efforts, when I haven't been religious about exercising. I haven't really decided, though, whether what I am perceiving really is largely due to the physical effects of exercise, or to the emotional effects of exercise. I mean, sure--exercise is great for the body, and there are definitely physical changes. But for me, I think that the main benefit of exercise has been to get me really in touch with my body for the first time---and make me more accepting of it. I am really happy with the changes in my body, but they don't come without some inelastic skin that isn't rebounding, and stubborn bulges, etc. Exercising daily has made me appreciate other aspects of the experience. I'm much, much more forgiving of the "flaws" and much more appreciative of what my body can do. As someone who's sort of cursed her flaws all her life--even when young, thin, and relatively unflawed--this is really huge for me. Doesn't quite mean that I'm eager to wear sleeveless shirts all the time (though I now will when exercising). It doesn't mean that I don't have a consult with a plastic surgeon set up (though I'm not yet committed to having surgery). It does mean that I'm very, very happy with what my body is doing for me. And I think that, for me, it has as much to do with the fact that exercise has forced me to stay in daily, intimate contact with the body I avoided in the mirror for so long as it is with the changes I see in the mirror. Just a slightly different perspective :frown: