Baba Wawa

I have an image to share with you!

Have you tried papaya enzyme?

Old woman here with hopefully some helpful advice; the band isn't capable of "tightening" on its own, it's our body responding to the irritation of the band that causes random tightness. I had a complete unfill 9 months ago, still get tight. It's spasms of the esophagus, stomach and intestines that cause the tightness. I take an antispasmodic for this. Another thing that helps and is safe is essential peppermint oil in tea. 10-15 drops in a cup of Zen tea relaxes the stomach and helps with digestion,

A marker...here's the website http://shininglord.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/ireland-photos/

Paying attention might be the greatest skill a Bandster could have, good job!

Call your doctor, NOW.

So true! Congrats on your loss!

First off, congratulations on really weighing your options! Here are some of the pros and cons of each. Both surgeries are done in the less invasive laparoscopic procedure. In both surgeries there is cutting of tissue. One implants a device, which can fail. In VSG, the fundus of the stomach is removed. Lap Band cons: long term complications are becoming more and more frequent, and per their own website for professionals, http://www.lapband.com/hcp/en/risk_information/ 25% of bands needed to be removed. More and more, motility disorders, auto-immune disorders and nerve damage are occurring. This is information that you won't find in a study, but all over other WLS sites and on FB pages dedicated to assisting and supporting Lapband pts with complications. VSG: true, the immediate post-op period is a bit riskier than with Lapband, but the re operation rate is so much less. The biggest risk is a leak on the staple line (1%). The recovery from VSG is longer. Bear in mind that most of the 25% of band pts who have their band removed, revise to VSG. Why not just get the VSG in the first place? There are some who will tell you that if you follow all the "rules" you won't have complications. It's simply not true, you can do everything right and still fail. There are too many variables with banding. Things like surgical skill, individual anatomy, post op diet protocol, pt compliance, and the skill with which fills are given are all factors all factor into how you'll do. You only control ONE aspect of your experience...compliance. Resources: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FailedBands/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/548645781829528/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/ResearchingLapBand/

Great post Terry! Those little voices are hard to ignore. We must, as we lose and succeed, replace them with positive affirmation.

Lmao!

If you only take half, then go back for the second half, only the first half counts!

So, how did the scope come out?

Chances are, you need a fill. If you're taking large bites and eating quickly, though, you may be setting yourself up for trouble. Practicing good band habits even without restriction reinforces the behavior changes that help ensure long term success. Measuring, cutting up your food and stopping when you've eaten your allotted amount consistently is important, whether you're in the green zone or not.

Sounds like it could be a motility issue. Try some tea with 10-15 drops of essential peppermint oil. It's a natural antispasmodic.

Maybe this will help: with my first child, back in the dark ages, I started at 141, lost down to 112 and ended up at 136 when I went into labor. When I was discharged I weighed 117. It's BABY that accounts for your bulk, not you. Relish this time and eat properly. Your baby will gain about a half pound per week the last 8 weeks...so should you. Congrats on your new baby and for your incredible weight loss!

It's amazing how our perspective on food changes within a few months of being banded! Congrats!!

I made this for my family last night; served it with costco rotisserie chicken. It was a big hit! 1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli mashed 1 1/2 cups cooked cauliflower mashed 3 cups cooked quinoa Mix veggies and quinoa together, place in 9x13 pan that is sprayed with nonstick coating. cheese sauce: 1/4 c butter (or olive oil) 1/2 onion chopped fine 1tsp ground garlic 3 tbs flour 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 3 cups milk (I use 1%) 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Melt butter in a heavy 3 qt saucepan over med heat. Sauté onions in butter until translucent. Add cayenne pepper and garlic. Add flour, stirring constantly, until it bubbles. Add milk, whisk into flour mixture. Stir often as it thickens, about 7-10 min. Turn off heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Add cheddar cheese. Pour sauce over the top of quinoa/veggie mixture slowly, allowing liquid to seep into it. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 350 about 30-40 min until cheese is golden brown and casserole is bubbling. Serves 12 Nutritional Info: 168 calories 7.3 gr fat 18 carb 9.5 Protein 183 mg sodium 3 gr Fiber

PPIs should be taken on an empty stomach at least 4 hours before bedtime. I have a reminder set on my iphone to take mine between 3 & 4pm so I'm not eating for at least 2 hours after taking it. Also if taking antacids, avoid Tums, Rolaids, etc. gaviscon is ok. I got this info from my band doctor and as soon as I started following this regimine, my nighttime reflux is very much improved.

I went 15 months without "complications". My history with the band is documented in my blog and visible to all. You can mess your band up by overeating, causing yourself to vomit, taking NSAIDs. You can fail to lose by eating around your band, eating slider foods, Cookies, chips crackers. BUT, and it's a very big BUT (no pun intended) you can do EVERYTHING right and still have complications and/or failure to lose. There are so many variables to the band equation (surgeons, PAs, individual anatomy, conditions, diseases, etc) that affect your ability to lose weight with the band and keep it off. ID like to also point out that while posting about complications is regarded as some as "negative", "complaining" or "bashing", those of us who have done so are either looking for others who've had similar issues to help resolve our problems or to make newbies aware that these things can happen and help others recognize them early on to avoid much bigger problems. In no way is sharing ones experience honestly, intended to be a negative, complaining, bashing post by most people. I want to add that the risk of complications is found at http://www.lapband.com/hcp/en/risk_information/ Patients can experience complications after surgery. Most complications are not serious but some may require hospitalization and/or re-operation. In the United States clinical study, with 3-year follow-up reported, 88% of the 299 patients had one or more adverse events, ranging from mild, moderate, to severe. Nausea and vomiting (51%), gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation) (34%), band slippage/pouch dilatation (24%) and stoma obstruction (stomach-band outlet blockage) (14%) were the most common post-operative complications. In the study, 25% of the patients had their band systems removed, two-thirds of which were following adverse events. Esophageal dilatation or dysmotility (poor esophageal function) occurred in 11% of patients, the long-term effects of which are currently unknown. Constipation, diarrhea and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) occurred in 9% of the patients. In 9% of the patients, a second surgery was needed to fix a problem with the band or initial surgery. In 9% of the patients, there was an additional procedure to fix a leaking or twisted access port. The access port design has been improved. Four out of 299 patients (1.3%) had their bands erode into their stomachs. These bands needed to be removed in a second operation. Surgical techniques have evolved to reduce slippage. Surgeons with more laparoscopic experience and more experience with these procedures report fewer complications.

I lost slowly but steadily the first year-15 months, but developed a motility disorder which caused maladaptive eating and stalled my weight loss. My band was unfilled last June and I've lost 20 lb since then. Things are improving with the motility issues and hopefully that will continue.

Restriction isn't determined by how you feel WHEN you eat, but how you don't feel AFTER you eat. The band won't stop you from eating too much, too often or too fast. That's up to you. You really need to just measure and weigh your food 1/2 to 1 cup of dense protein and healthy carbs, eat that amount taking 20-30 min to complete your meal and see if you're hungry (physically) in less than 4 hours. If you're not hungry less than 4 hours after your meal, your band is doing its job. No fill needed. My band was emptied almost 9 months ago and I still go 4-5 hours between meals and often forget to eat.

It really doesn't take a lot of work, just shopping for the right types of food. Easy Peasy!

I felt this way. I think because it's "elective" surgery, we think its not "necessary". I had a lot of pre op anxiety with my Lapband and I'm having it again as I consider removal/revision surgery.

Average of 1-2 lb per week is ideal. That means one week you lose 0, the following 4 weeks you lose 1, 2, 1.5, 3.5 = 8/5 = 1.6 per week or 83 lbs a year. When was the last time you did that?