marjon9

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Sarah, If it is true that a different sized band would solve your problem it seems to me that it is worth doing even if it causes you to "waste" your first band and pay again. In the overall scheme of things the money can't be a reason to live a life of misery and damage your health. It's easy for me to spend your money and I don't know your financial situation, but your situation sounds serious enough so that you should not let money be a reason to stay stuck. Another thing I'd like to say is that it might be worth going out and aggressively seeking additional medical opinions. It's true that the band works better for some than for others, but I don't think that this explanation is enough. I don't think you can just resign yourself to a life of misery and damage to your health on the theory that "oh, well, the band works better for some than for others." Your situation is essentially ruining your life. I think a lot more medical analysis and investigation is called for. There may very well be a solution out there for you.

It's different depending on the doctor, and it's also different depending on whether it is paid for by insurance or by your self. If insurance pays you need to jump through the hoops they set up (in the order they want). If you are self-pay you can usually skip the steps you don't want to take (but some doctors have their own hoops even if you are self-pay).

I called my surgeon. He said that I tried to go beyond liquids too soon, and I should go back to liquids for a while until the swelling goes down. (I guess that means I need to cut way back on the Cracker Jacks, at least for now.) He said he expected that the swelling would go down and that this was probably not going to be a serious thing, but that I should keep him informed. I also want to mention that he said I should get something like Pepcid or Zantac and crush that up and take the recommended dose. He said that sometimes it is stomach acid that inflames the swelling and that this type of antacid might help. Just thought I'd pass that along in case anyone else would like to try that. I will now return to my "projectile PB" target practice (which is not easy with these hiccups).

Thanks for the comments Wheetsin. "Not local" means 2000 miles in my case, so I would have to find a local doctor. But I can call my surgeon, and I will. It's my understanding that I had no fill at surgery time, so I don't think there is anything to unfill.

Thanks everyone for your responses. That gives me some good information. One thing I can say is that I am not sad at all to go back to liquids right now. That feels like just what I need. At the moment I don't miss all the things I used to love to eat. That may change, but it is interesting to feel that way even for a few weeks.

Congrats on being banded and joining this forum. January Bandsters is just an ongoing thread of people who were banded in January. Run the term "January" in the search function and you'll find it. I think you will like it since it is full of people who were banded in January dealing with issues that are probably similar to the ones you have. I was banded 1/17, and I find that thread to be quite helpful and interesting.

I've followed your story a bit over the last weeks. Congratulations on taking the action you needed to get this problem on the mend. That's great news.

Hi folks, I'd appreciate some feedback. I'm about two weeks post op. I have started trying to eat some mushies like soft fish, cottage cheese. Things went well for a day but then the band just sort of closed up. I couldn't even drink a sip of Water. I tried to eat a little and I PB'd a couple times. It wasn't violent like actual vomiting. The slime and food just came up and I spit it out. Today I am better and I am able to drink water and other liquids. I need to sip, but it is going down and I feel OK. I'm not planning on trying mushies again for a few days. My doctor said that it is really important that I avoid vomiting for the first 30 days after surgery. I'm sure many of us have had the same advice. So my question is, when the doctor says "vomiting," do you think the doctor includes "PBing"? Should I be worried that the PB experience I had is potentially serious since it is just two weeks post-surgery? I know I should call the doctor, and I will, but my doctor is not local so I can't really go in for a check up. I suppose I could try to find a local doctor, but do you think this is necessary based on what I described? I am feeling better today, and able to drink again. Thanks for any information.

That's why I think people often don't say something at first even if they notice. I almost never comment when I see that someone has lost weight because it is like an acknowledgement that they needed to lose weight. I know that we would like to have people notice, but I can understand why people don't say a lot, especially at first.

Good luck on your journey. I'm sure it will all go smoothly. In a couple days you'll have this behind you and begin your life on the Light Side. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks, Audree, that is really helpful. I guess it is pretty hard to say soy is bad when you look at how much they use it in Japan and the overall good cardio health and lack of obesity of most of the Japanese. It's still confusing to see the other posts that quote from other nutrition sources that say soy is bad. I guess that's just the way it is in health matters. Different experts have different opinions. I think what I will do is use both soy and whey. I like the taste of soy a little better but I can live with both. Then I'll see how I feel when I eat them and go with that. Thanks again Audree. I really appreciate your assistance.

Not to change the subject but congrats on the amazing results there, Heather. Also, it's great to see someone five years into the program and still maintaining weight loss and feeling good about the band. Yeah!

The petho position is essentially chest to the ground, butt in the air. I think of it as a new form of lap-band yoga that allows a person to release the bonds of flatulence and become one with the digestive tract.

I had it for a few days, but I took a couple heavy shots of Pepto Bismol and it went away. I'm still on liquids and purees and I no longer have diarrhea, so, whatever causes it, it seems to me it may not be directly related to eating a liquid diet. Also, since we are undertaking a careful review of diarrhea, I want to mention one other issue related to this captivating topic. After taking Pepto Bismol and recovering from diarrhea, my stool at first was tarry and black. This was quite a concern to me because on WebMD and other medical web sites it says that this is an indication of internal bleeding that can be quite serious should probably trigger a visit to the emergency room. Reading a bit more, however, I discovered that Pepto Bismol and and Bismuth products in general can also make stool tarry and black. So, I waited a couple days and things returned to normal. I just thought I'd mention this because, apparently, tarry and black stool in general can be an indication of quite a serious condition, especially after surgery. I'd also like to announce that I have now fully exhausted the extent of my knowledge about diarrhea, and I further announce that I will very likely limit my future contributions on the topic until such time as I have gained addition insight that I feel compelled to share. :straight

Thanks Audree. You are always so helpful. Everyone appreciates it very much.

Below is a quote from a thread from March 2006. It seems to make sense. Yet many bandsters discuss soy Protein preferences and use soy protein supplements and drinks all the time. So, I'm "corn"-fused. Is soy protein good for you? If anyone has any information or opinions on this topic I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks ================================================= Soy Proteins are vegetable proteins. The body only absorbs about 30% of the ingested amount. whey proteins are animal proteins and the body absorbs about 80-90% of them. Quoting the following article on isolates: http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/he...n-powder-1.htm "Due to the nature of the ion exchange process, the most valuable and health-promoting components are selectively depeleted. Though the protein content is increased, many of the most important subractions are lost or greatly reduced." So, you can see why soy isolates would have even fewer benefits. You are basically paying a lot for a whole lot of nothing.. except gas pains. This is an excerpt from a NESTA certified training manual for personal trainer certification: "Although considered complete proteins, the human body does not possess the necessary enzymes to break down vegetable proteins and most of it ends up in the colon where bacteria gain access to it. Research has shown that most of the gas once thought to come from the Fiber found in vegetarian sources of protein such as Beans, is now known to be caused by the undigested vegetable protein instead." If you are interested in reading more on this subject, check out my post on this thread: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14199 =========================================== __________________ Mark Banded 1/17/07 Dr. Kirshenbaum http://www.lapbandrockies.com/ 340/330/190

Congratulations on getting banded! It's normal to have all those fears and questions. All you can do is try to get through it until you are done with the surgery and on the mend. It's probably best to keep yourself busy as you are doing, but other than that you just have to go through it. After the surgery, even though there may be some pain for a few days, there is also a great feeling of relief that all those bad things you were worried about never happened. I remember a really strong feeling of relief right after surgery. The truth is, the surgery is very low risk and it is very, very likely that everything will be fine. Whatever they do to you, call it poking around like a turkey or whatever, you'll be totally out and will not know it is happening. And you should not worry at all about waking up on the operating table. The anesthesiologist is there for the operation for the single purpose of making sure that does not happen. They know what they are doing and I would not worry about that particular point at all. It will all be over soon.

Randi, what you are describing is a very serious situation. The state of affairs with your band as it exists right now is damaging to your physical health, mental health, and your family relationships. Something needs to be done about it. Don't accept it for another day. In your situation the band is clearly not working as it is supposed to. I'm no doctor and I don't know the reason why. It may be that your body is just not accepting the band. In that case, have the damn thing removed. Being overweight is better than what you are describing. But on the other hand, your body is probably not simply rejecting the band. From reading this forum it sounds to me like you are dangerously overfilled. It sounds to me like you need a complete unfill and then a substantial period of recuperation before you even think of weight loss. But again, I'm not a doctor and the explanation for your woes could be something else. If you are not getting the answers you need from you current doctor, find another one. If the band simply does not work for you, have it removed. The main point here is, you need to get much more aggressive about fixing this problem. Forgive me for saying this, but I think you need to get off your ass and quit feeling sorry for yourself and do something to fix this situation. This is not happening because you are a "failure." This is happening because the band is improperly adjusted, or otherwise not working for you. The band is just a tool. If you use it improperly it's not going to work. If you put deisel gasoline in your car and the car takes unleaded, the car is not going to work. This is not because the car or anyone else is a "failure." It's because the car is a tool that is being improperly used. It's not that I don't sympathize. What you are describing would be enough to make anyone angry, depressed, and disappointed. But you can't just sit there and accept it. You can do something about this, and you must.

I decided that I would handle it this way: When I lose weight and people start to notice and ask about it, I'll be honest and say exactly what it is. I would not feel comfortable hiding things at that point and having to worry about people finding out about it in other ways and wondering why I lied. But I'm telling the fewest people possible until then. I told only family before the surgery. And I had a lot of resistance even from them which was not helpful at all. People mean well but it is just not helpful to hear everyone tell you about the latest diet you should try before getting surgery, etc. So, that's my plan. Everyone's different. But I agree that it is something to think about in advance, while you still have the option to decide who you tell, and to make your own decision by choice instead of by default.

Hi Mattie, I'm 53, banded 10 days ago. You are not too old. Click on this link to another thread on this forum, I think you will get some good information: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/weight-loss-people-t21117.html

Congratulations on your progress! I do have a question for you. Many people say that they have trouble losing weight before they start to get fills because, once they heal from the surgery, they are hungry again and have no significant restriction. Did you find that you did have restriction before the first fill? Or, if you had no restriction, were you able to lose weight just by "dieting"? Any info on this would be appreciated. Thanks

Below is a quote from a thread from March 2006. It seems to make sense. Yet many bandsters discuss soy Protein preferences and use it all the time. So, I'm "corn"-fused. Are people using soy protein because they don't know the true facts and would switch to whey if only they became Enlightened? Or: Are people using soy protein because they know the true facts and disagree that soy protein is bad? Or: Some other reason? If anyone has any definitive information or informed opinions on this topic I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks ================================================= Soy Proteins are vegetable proteins. The body only absorbs about 30% of the ingested amount. Whey proteins are animal proteins and the body absorbs about 80-90% of them. Quoting the following article on isolates: http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/he...n-powder-1.htm "Due to the nature of the ion exchange process, the most valuable and health-promoting components are selectively depeleted. Though the protein content is increased, many of the most important subractions are lost or greatly reduced." So, you can see why soy isolates would have even fewer benefits. You are basically paying a lot for a whole lot of nothing.. except gas pains. This is an excerpt from a NESTA certified training manual for personal trainer certification: "Although considered complete proteins, the human body does not possess the necessary enzymes to break down vegetable proteins and most of it ends up in the colon where bacteria gain access to it. Research has shown that most of the gas once thought to come from the Fiber found in vegetarian sources of protein such as Beans, is now known to be caused by the undigested vegetable protein instead." If you are interested in reading more on this subject, check out my post on this thread: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14199 ===========================================

The main thing is that you are taking responsibility for your own health and not just relying on the opinion of the doctor. I think you are correct to trust your own instinct that the answer provided so far by your doctor is not the best/final solution.

Grammar is the mother of either of your parents