I"m really curious as to what kind of things, experiences, information, mis-information or surprises that we learned after being banded. Here are a few of mine.

1. Use of NSAIDS - I didn't know that banded people were highly discouraged from use of NSAIDS. This is definatley a huge problem with arthritis sufferers.

2. PB's and slimming are 2 separate things. I think so anyway.

3. Recovery from LB surgery is not a piece of cake for all!!! Some of us suffer a bit more.

4. For those of us with Insurance coverage, insurance can change from year to year. Contracts are negotiated on a yearly basis and you may end up without fill and follow up coverage in the future

5. Contrary to some posts a port can flip and in my case the port detached. A second surgery was required.

6. Each person is so different with their band.

7. A cc band is different from a cm band. cm bands were the first bands.

8. The inital bands have a higher rate of complications and failures.

9. Getting banded is not an easy way out as we are sometimes accused of.

10. An exercise program is critical to succesful weight loss.

It is disappointing to have less that sterling response to a device that generates such high hopes initially.

On the other hand, I studied at length the accumulated statistics relating to the hazards of ME remaining Morbidly Obese. Given all the anxiety and all the potential grief I had read about prior to my own surgery, for once in my life I actually choose *with* the odds instead of putting my hopes on the green 00 at the roulette wheel.

Even on my worst postOp day I'm ahead of the best preOp day in the decade preceding that surgery. In my first 18 months or so postOp I too had difficulty getting hard Protein down. Fortunately I was able to devise a process that did work. I don't know what I would have done had that failed.

Even today 6+ years postOp, and as a STILL Happy Bandster, there is unpredictable fickleness regarding PB episodes. I can make them worse, and can predictably cause a series of such events, by making certain eating errors repeatedly over a few days. If those were random events it would be reason to consider other options, as dealing with them can be aggravating. Each though, can be directly linked to a fundamental error I make in one of the basics. Most often that error has something to do with eating too fast or not chewing enough.

The other day I had a small piece of pizza. I was so hungry without being able to stop myself, I swallowed too big a piece of cheese. As it went down, I knew what was to follow. I slowly ate 2 or 3 more bites, chewed well but had to leave the restaurant. Yes, it took a couple hours of unpleasant gagging, PBing and upchucking what seemed like far more than I had eaten.

Yes it did pass. Yes it was a PIA. It also pointed out to me I was treading into the semi-forbidden zone, as pizza really isn't on my A list of most beneficial food choices. I think the notion of hard Bandster LAWS chiseled into stone is inaccurate.

There are general guidelines that serves most Bandster pretty well. Beyond that, individual variations require we remain alert and seek what works best for each of us, IMHO.

Frankly, without the Band I believe at this very moment I'd be dead or blind due to my multiple co-morbidity factors preOp. A little PBing now & then are pretty trivial in my life. YMMV.

# 1 Many people suffer from hairloss with the band.

#2 and this is just my personal experience.........This is much easier than I thought it would be. I know many bandsters have to *work* at it, but I really don't. I never really thought I would ever get to a normal BMI.

LUCKY YOU.MINE IS A MILE STONE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Definitely the constant burping! I was not prepared for that.

That bandsters quickly wanting to get filled up is a set up for failure because once you are full what do you have left to work with.

That platues can last for months on end and then some.

That it takes a while after a fill (for me) to be able to eat real food because my stomach is sensitive and stays swollen for almost three weeks.

That Protein products will be part of me for the rest of my life because I can not eat Breakfast anymore I am too tight in the morning.

Junk food is not worth the calories and promotes old bad habits.

That cheating for me is disasterous completely and I can not do it ever.

That I want pizza sometimes and cant eat it.

That I really dont miss carbs so much

How good I feel now that I am small enough to excersise after being a couch potato for so long

There are probably a million I could add but these are the biggest for me.

Here's another surprise that I recently discovered.

Seasonal Allergies (hayfever) affects the band for me. I get drainage from my sinuses to my stomach and have problems with sliming and foaming and nausea and sometimes getting meals down. Doc says that I cannot take allergy medications with decongestants in them, and there is a small list of allergy meds that do not have decongestants in them and of course do not work well for me. Along with Chlorotrimetron, I must do nasal irrigations to help the situation.

Why do I keep adding to this list? I want to help educate future bandsters so that they are not caught by surprise later on, however, not all lapband journeys are the same, so this may not apply to all.

Whoops! Pardon my repeat. I just realized that I had addressed the allergy issue already. I haven't been on for awhile and thought that there wouldn't be anymore input, but, I looked today and was surprised to see more posts. Thank you all for sharing. Thus far, every single post makes every bit of sense. As I read through them, I'm thinking yes, yes that's right, absolutely, wow that is me, isn't that the truth, etc. etc. Thanks for continuous input. I wish that I would have seen something like this before I had the surgery. I would have still gone through with it, however, I would have asked many, many more questions pre-surgery. The post that has affected me the most is by Mamajava (Krista) who said;

"This band stuff is a complete and total gamble. Period."

She is so correct on this. How do we know if we are good candidates for the band without taking such a high chance/risk of success? I'm lucky, that thus far, it is working for me, but, I feel bad for those that it has not worked as well for. Yes, it is a gamble! The medical field must research common ground for those that are successful with the band giving the future bandster a fair chance of success and with their decision to go forth or with another weight loss surgery. Could it be the shape/size/?? of the stomach? Why do some people require such high volume in cc's to get restriction, while others are on the lower spectrum? ETC. ETC.

re: "Could it be the shape/size/?? of the stomach? Why do some people require such high volume in cc's to get restriction, while others are on the lower spectrum? ETC. ETC. "

good question..... I haven't seen anything that supports that idea regarding the physical footprint of the stomach. What I have read focuses on the actual pouch/resulting opening size....which is directly related to size of the Band.

The Band comes in a variety of models with different volume capacities. My own Band is from 2004 and is the then-common 4cc total volume size.

Newer models are 10-14 cc volume. That difference accounts for some of the difference we see people reporting.

There are nuances resulting from that as well. In my Band, as little as .1cc fill makes a tremendous difference in how constricted my pouch is, while the larger Bands may require 2cc or more for similar results. With smaller variation possible, there is smaller 'window of control' and more crucial attention to signs of 'too full'/'not full enough'.

An unexplained observation I've had, is the fact there IS periodic fluctuation of 'fickleness' in what the Band tolerates. I have been unable to tie it to anything including phase of the moon. Sometimes I am subjectively tighter and sometimes looser. I've learned to adapt to that accordingly.

1. Don't underestimate the shoulder pain! It was by far the worst pain I had after surgery (including the bruise the size of Christmas on my lower abdomen from the blood thinners). Walking and deep breathing can help.

2. I suffered from some post op depression. I was very weepy for a few weeks after, wondering what I had just done to myself. My attachment to food ran deeper than I could have ever anticipated.

3. Menstrual cycle wackiness after the surgery scared me at first, but my GYN said it's totally normal.

4. No NSAIDs!

5. The weight doesn't fly off in the beginning. I'm trying to be patient and just focus on healing but I have to start wedding dress shopping soon!

6. SILS, at least for me, did not consist of a single incision. I had three.

7. There is a definite social aspect to eating that I feel deprived of now. I know it will get better, I just didn't expect it.

8. 64 oz of Water per day is nowhere near enough for me. I wake up every morning feeling dehydrated.

9. I'm still not sure how "full" feels after surgery. I eat the portions recommended by my nutritionist and my stomach stops growling for a while. I guess that's it.

10. pineapple juice/papaya extract is good to have around in case you get stuck. I learned that here!

11. There is almost always gas coming out of one or both ends.

12. My port is fun to poke!

1. I was banded in May, 2010 and while I lost a lot of weight initially, I started falling back into old habit. I was filled once in August (3 cc's) and have been in the sweet spot ever since! I wish I had known that I could have ASKED for a fill sooner.

2. The weather severely affects my band. When we have high pressure fronts move in, I'm incredibly loose. When we have a low pressure front, I can't eat anything at all. Protein shakes are it.

3. I don't even try to eat breakfast anymore. It's not going to happen. I use this time to supplement my protein. For awhile I neglected my protein shakes and my hair started falling out. When I upped my protein again, everything was back to normal.

4. I'M ALWAYS COLD! This is the one thing that honestly may have changed my mind about the band.

I'm down 79 pounds and even with the cold issues, I would have to say that I would do this all over again!

Dawn

I didn't know I wouldn't be able to eat any bread. I didn't know crispy foods go down easily. I didn't know that chicken would be hard to eat. I didn't know fills take time. I didn't know I would have such a good internal tool to help me so much with food. I didn't know I would feel so much more capable helping myself not overeat. I didn't know I would be grateful for the band. I didn't know that the high I used to feel with food would be removed.

.............................

10. pineapple juice/papaya extract is good to have around in case you get stuck. I learned that here!

11. There is almost always gas coming out of one or both ends.

12. My port is fun to poke!

Darn it Jen1214, now you've got me poking at my port. LOL

Well, I did it! As of this weekend, I reached my 100 pound weight loss goal after months of gym, pool, bike trail, step aerobics, walking, a little bit of running and of course, the band. I'm down to a 36" pant size (was 46) and a large shirt (was a 3x). I feel like a brand new person! In addition to the medications I'm already off of, I discovered that I don't need my cpap machine anymore. Wife says that I don't snore anymore or have episodes of holding my breath while asleep (apneas). I've really pushed myself in exercising and it has been tough, but, I keep thinking to myself, that I've been carrying a 100 lb. sack of potatoes. No wonder I couldn't walk without the agonizing pain. I'm so thankful for a second chance in life.

Sorry, I got a little side tracked with my last post. It should go under another forum. Anyhow, I did learn that it is fun to poke at my port.

Also learned that a bandster's digestive system works differently and some experience more problems with constipation after banding. The use of Metamucil is discouraged by bariatric doctors and the non-bulking Fiber stuff, like miralax or benefiber gives me lots of gas. To remedy this, I must drink more than the recommended 64oz. of liquids per day and I also add flax seed to my diet. This seems to help.

I have been reading all of these interesting posts. But I am new and don't know what PB is. Anyone?

B=productive burping..ie, not vomit, but spitting up with lots of mucus stuff, too! Hard to explain unless you experience it!

I have learned that I enjoy rubbing my port, too! How weird is that? It sticks out especially in the pool! I guess once you meet goal, it is more prominent. Karen

I learned after surgery...

1. I have to drink atleast 64oz of Water a day or I get really bad headaches, super dry skin, and constipation

2. I cannot eat steak at all no matter how small I cut it or sauce I try to put on it.

3. The cravings and mental thoughts about eating bad foods are still there.

4. Making subtle changes to my routine help me get past the cravings and thoughts of eating bad food

a. I take a different route home from work than I used to so I can avoid fast food chains

b. I sit in a different spot when watching tv to combat the need for Snacks

c. When I am not hungry and get the mental thoughts of bad foods I drink a glass of cold water and go outside for a walk.

5. Going for a walk everyday helps me clear my mind and think positively about my choice for lab band surgery.

6. I can never have pizza again!