fool4dance

Maybe you can drop the attitude and understand, that even doing things right, this thing can and does fail. When a person has subjected themselfes to a surgicial procedure, and like myself self paid, just to not lose is a HUGE Frickin dissappointment.

Stop judging.

Prior to surgery I ate roughly 1,600-2,200 calories a day. I ran, lifted, yogaed, biked, and just moved myself continuusly and lost every week. I added the band to learn what it's like to be full, I personally saw it as the missing link to finish the process.

Today I am LUCKY if I can get in 800 calories. Yea, I'm never hungry, and that's a good thing, since I also often can't get anything down. The really fun, awesome, great thing is that I fluctuate between wide open and too tight daily. I'm not kidding when I say that I have days when I can't get down a yogurt or cottage cheese, other days you could slide a whole damn elephant down...

Don't assume that others aren't doing what they are supposed to. I've lost crap since I started this thing. I hiked 8 hours on Saturday 9.2 miles round trip with an elevation gain of just under 3,000 feet. I don't just sit on my ass. Sadly I almost didn't finish because I got so light headed from over exercusion, less calories that I wasn't fairing so well.

Mean people. Even the former fatties. SUCK!

Funny thing is I lost 100 pounds to get the band. I was a work out maniac. I don't even have the energy to do the simplest of workouts anymore. I stall because I can't get in enough calories. Just this morning I hit the wall on my greek yogurt and had to toss it all back up. Tonight I'll be able to swallow chicken without chewing. If only I didn't need calories till 6 every evening this might work.

I've called to schedule an appoinment. My surgeons office tried to talk me out of it. I've made up my mind, I'm ready to go back to WW and finish what I started there. At least then I feel healthy and less stupid for all the embarrasing moments of running to the bathroom.

I'm with the above who is too tight, or nothing. I am 9 months in and lost 55 pounds. I have been stuck at the exact same number now for 13 weeks. Doesn't matter if I eat more or less, I neither gain nor lose. I've even started drinking wine on occasion and that doesn't do anything.

I've done a lot a lot of reseach. Funny but I'm finding out things I somehow never heard going into this. What I find is that I am the norm. The band is only good porportionatly. Many people will lose 40 - 60 pounds and the band then becomes a holder for which they can't get below. I'm really sad that I self funded this but learning to live with the decision and how I have to alter my life because of it. For me I still deal with hunger and cravings. Those never go away. I'm tighter in the morning and can only ever eat yogurt, as the day progresses I losen up and any and everything passes. I'm so tired of cottage cheese and yogurt. I think a mental portion of this is learning to live with the limitations.

Careful with putting back in. A nano adjustment for me can mean not even passing water, literally. It stinks!

Wow. Kelly and I have almost identical stories except that I am 10 months out and have only lost 58 pounds. I still have 100 to go and working out doesn't help. Since working out I haven't lost a single stationary ounce actually.

Kelly you in Colorado by chance? Your pre and post op sound like it was for me and everyone else has extreme pre and post op programs.

I am like Kelly. My band has a mind of it's own. Somedays I can eat mostly normally. THis morning I got stuck on my yogurt and before somebody says take smaller bites, it was 1/2 a baby spoon!

Personally I'm tired of this life as well. I don't lose and I don't eat either. I've gotten to where I don't want to eat with anyone ever, never know how it will go.

I'm never hungry and I haven't lost in 9 weeks. Stuck for 9 solid weeks at exactly the same weight. No up and no down.

Had I know that at 7 years out that more than 60% of people have to have it removed because of slippage, corrioson or damage I would NEVER have done this to my body.

If removal were free I'd do it in a heart beat, no reservation. Being self pay though, man I've spent enough!

I was home within hours of surgery. I think total from start of surgery till release was 4 hours. They say we heal better in our own homes.

I will third the FIND A NEW DOCTOR ASAP.

I get too tight with the slightest fill. I'm a nano micro dot between good and oh crap. I also know that I have to do my part to make this work right. I had a tough over fill that had me slimming daily. My doctors office took my fluids out so that everything had time to heal and settle down. As it was explained to me... repeated slimming (throwing up) causes inflammation of the tissue above the band, adding more fluid will only increase the sensitivity to food.

FInd a doctor who listens to you. I hate the band too sometimes. I hate that I'm sitting here today struggling to get my salmon down (too dry now that I microwaved it a few seconds, absolutely delightful for supper last night). But don't let it beat you.

Keep coming here for support. It's probably the only reason I didn't have the durn thing removed myself.

That is a strong opinion expressed by Yvette. Myself, I've had lots of complications that I can't control. If I had to choose to do this to myself again, after what I've been through, no way in HELL would I do this.

Let's see. I have no sweet spot. I'm open or I'm too tight. It currently takes me an hour to eat softs like yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, ff refried beans. BUT if we take out even the slightest I lose all restriction. Yes my surgeon has flouroscopied my theory and test showed me to be speaking the truth. I've also had a stricture and now face replacing either a leaking port or leaking band, I don't hold fluid.

Eating should not be painful. I always have a heavy chest that fills like heartburn when I eat ANYTHING, this includes liquids and softs.It happens even when we open up my band and release the restriction. Never had this until surgery.

This surgery isn't perfect and some people have better outcomes with it. To think that you do this perfectly, while others are just FAILING is really harsh.

Sad.... Just really sad!

I am just like you. I either have not restriction and hunger or can't get a thing down. It's been this way the whole time. If they add even a micro cc I'm so tight that I'll slime on yogurt. If I don't add that micro cc I am exactly as I was prior to banding.

I have had no luck. I'm down 48 pounds 6 months out and I truly believe I've done it completely on my own work. The band haunts me!

Thanks everybody.

I do follow the rules of the tool. My doctors offices rules are really different than others it appears, but I follow theirs to the T. It isn't immediately after the fill that I have problems, it's a gradual thing. I was about a week out when it started to pose a problem. As the days went after that it became worse. Part of the problem is swelling. After you slime enough times everything is swollen.

They decided to unfill me completely yesterday to let the swelling go down. Now I have nothing again and have to start the fill process over. Why can't I be one of the people that this just clicks for?

Yesterday I was completely ready to give up. Today I am ready again to fight for a different life.

Thanks for the support!

~Helena

Hi Beth,

I share your "crisis". I'm a clothes hoarder but these days wear my 4 pairs of work pants week after week.

Would it be cost effective to have your unworn suit altered? Sounds like a great suit could really be showcased now.

Can I suggest one life altering change... Drop the idea that you are a failure. Negative ideas are self sabotaging and self fulfilling prophecies. You have, in the past, made poor decisions. You did not fail. You can learn to make positive decisions and change how you feel by starting with empowering yourself. Your worth it, but you have to believe it to make it true. Start every day with the same idea that today is a new day, I start now!

Good luck. Love yourself and let lifes positive come in.

More likely it's gas pain. How far out from surgery are you? During surgery they fill you with air so that they can see and access you well. The excess air takes a bit of time to completely pass. The air presses against you gall bladder (I think) and that's what send the pain into the shoulder. The more you walk, the better it get's. Try walking when you experience the pain.

I had it terrible at about day 4 post surgery till about 5 - 6 weeks out. I still get it from time to time but now it happens, when like Crystal said, I overeat.

Talk to a nutritionist.

If your only consuming 600 calories a day, and you've stopped losing, your body is in starvation mode. When our calories go too low the body responds by hoarding what it has. I've been there.

Good weight loss happens when you hit about 1,200 calories a day. Less than a 1,000 routinely will slow things down.

I'm not a dietician or nutrionist but have experienced this for myself.

Hope this helps.

Hi Beth,

I wanted to say thank you. I've been having a bit of a pity party about my own slow loss. Readig your blogs though has reminded me, putting it really into perspective, I am my own saboteur. You have been so successful because of your hardwork, determination, attitude and ability to share the experience.

I haven't quite committed fully to my own success. Today though I am committing to this journey, for the first time. That includes facing the dreaded gym and getting things moving. I can't let the RA continue to beat me. I even think that committing to moving more will, at least in time, help the joints feel better.

So thank you for being a positive voice in my head. Your words are appreciated and inspiring to me.

Ryan, just so you know... I LOVE YOUR NAME especially for a girl. I also loved my 16 weeks spend in Savannah, what a beautifully rich culture to call home.

Like you at 6 I was a skinny active "normal" youth size 6 slim. By the age of 8 I was 50 pounds over weight. By ten I was almost 200 pounds. I stayed that way all my life with massive 100-150 pounds fluctuations every 4-5 years. Hoping this is the last time I have to go down, and this time I can figure out how to stay there.

Welcome to the start of your journey!!!!

You also have to be mentally prepared to do battle. Remember that the band is only a tool. It will only help in your battle, it won't win the battle for you. It may take you 2,3, 4, 5 fills to get you the restriction that you are looking for. Even filled you can over eat, or simply eat all the wrong foods.

For me I had no restriction till fill 3. Fill 4 got me comfortable for about 4 weeks. I am now pretty open again. I can eat anything and larger portions. I still follow the plan. Some days I'm hungry and I remind myself that nobody has ever starved to death eating smart.

Your asked to follow the diet closely at first to allow your body to heal fully. Only you and your surgeon really know if this has occured. I suspect going backwards no is mostly unneccesary. Just try to make better food choices and measure your servings.

All that said remember nobody does this perfectly. I know that I don't! Every time you make a food selection ask your self is the food for pleasure or fuel? Is this what I need or want? Keep in mind your goals and how you feel when you make better choices. For me, when I make better choices I lose better, have better energy and feel better about my overall well being. That translates to looking better.

Be kind to yourself. This is all a learning process.

I can eat everything. I was banded the 20th of July and have had 5 fills. I do struggle with chicken that is microwaved. I am fine with freshly cooked chicken, or cold chicken. If I microwave the leftovers it's when I stick. I find this to be true with any meat that gets even slightly dry from rewarming it.

I do tend to toast my 1/2 bagel thin. Haven't tried any other breads since I started my fills.

I'm am a non burper. I stuggle to burp ever. I had 2 sips of flat rootbeer 2 months out and wanted to curl up in pain. Not worth it to me.

Erosion is a concern. Soda also contributes to ulcers, which nobody wants. Increase of the pouch size. And some people simply don't tolerate carbonation. Caffeine is also a stimulant that increases appetite.

It's the diet coke. Carbonation is killer for most people. I can't have any since surgery. The pain is unbearable.

Sorry your night was so horrible though.

Bonus for you is, even if the boys are tall and thin and in no worry of their weight, their hearts and health can be a totally different matter.

Keep in mind this isn't just a body image we are working towards but better overall health. Your boys are benefiting so much more than you think!

Slime or slimming. Happens when you over eat or something gets stuck. My experience (which has occured 5 times since surgery) has been that something is stuck. I get a heavy feeling in my chest and then I can feel my esphogas working to rid the object. It's kind of like puking but, for me, comes out in what can only be described as a luggie. A ball of slime surronds the object and then it comes back up. When you finally do "throw up" the object it's coated fully in slime. Thus sliming. Hope this helps and more importantly you never do it.

It hurts. It's a heavy feeling in my throat and chest. You know that it's just sitting there. It was followed by the immediate salivation that preceeds throwing up. Or in the case of a stuck bander, slimming. I can feel my espophagus working to process the blockage.

I did postpone my fill for the time being.

Fear of the unknown is common. You'll do fine though you will have bouts of doubt and fear. Just know that most of us here did! I know I did!

Should be able to. It is likely that your surgeon will require an Endoscopy to see if an ulcer is present. I have had a long history of reflux and was required an Endoscopy as part of my pre-op process.

It is better to know before going in if an ulcer is present. They can treat the ulcer and still band. If they don't treat it serious complications are going to mean a removal or worse.