Come join us. We are bandsters without a local support group, and we're going to meet, say hi, and chat about possibly starting our own group.

We are meeting this Wednesday December 13 at 6:30 PM at Humble City Cafe near the SE corner of the intersection of 1960 and 59, on Main Street.

Let me know if you're coming and I'll make a reservation in the name of Bandsters.

Barbara-I want to congratulate you. I know the challenges you've had with fills, etc. And yet overall, you're averaging 1.3 pounds lost per week. You're right on target, my dear.

I am with you Besty, I would like to reach my goal. We will just have to work harder to prove them all wrong.

Can we do it, Yes We Can.

Never Say Never.

What do they know,They are only doctors. I wonder how many of them has had the band?

I'm really quite happy with my progress. Although I want to lose more, I am happy with where I am. I've lost slow, or average, but I've lost. I've had a few setbacks, but nothing really major. I just can't get fills or feel restriction.

My problem now is that my will power is nil. I've suceeded this far on it, but as with any long term dieting, it just goes over time. I'm now trying very hard to stay positive and get fills. I'm going to call on Monday for my next one in a few weeks. Maybe I can sneek up to it. So far so good.

Bikergrammy, PM me directions to your house. I'll pick you up around 5 if that is OK. That will give us plenty of time to get there and get a seat on Tuesday. The meeting starts at 6:30.

Betsy, Isn't it the truth. The more you hear the more you learn, then filter down to what works for you. Do you feel up to the Tuesday Spivak meeting? Even though the last one got sort of thrown together because the speaker didn't show--I must admit I got a lot from it. Maybe we'll find out at the next one that it's best that the speaker doesn't show:) I'm so with you on the snacking and emotional/bored eating. We need to keep a list to remind us of other things to do--fun things, good things. Most times I just don't think--eating is just so easy and such a engrained habit. One time when I was dieting and making good progress, I had a list at my desk that I would quickly look at and remember what to do--that sounds so dumb--but it worked. I really think our conversation coming and going to the meeting was the best for me--even if I needed your help getting out of my own neighborhood:)

Barbara-I think you're doing well to be focusing on incorprating exercise at the moment!

Lana-I need to leave for my trip in a few days, and I'm nowhere near ready. Or rather I could be ready but I'm getting a 90 year old woman ready too! I'll have to miss the next one, but I'd like to go after next week.....

No problem Betsy. Maybe I'll be brave and go it alone. YIKES! Next time will be fine.

LIVE AND LEARN---A STRETCHED POUCH

5 days ago, all of a sudden I felt like I could eat anything. i even tried a few bites of bread...and no problem. Odd, since until then I had felt like I was at a perfect fill. so I hiked on over to get a fill. She put in .2cc and we watched the barium just sit there....I was totally closed! So she took out the .2cc and I looked just perfect.

So I couldn't figure out why I could eat more stuff. She looked at the fluoro and told me I have stretched my pouch!!!! Oh No!!! The ultimate diaster. Everything I have heard says that a stretched pouch negates the surgery!!! I was ready to cry! She looked at me like I was nuts. I felt nuts.

I couldn't figure out what I did....except that about a week ago, I said goodbye to my protein shakes because I felt like I wanted to only get my calories from solid food...period. I must have compensated for the missing shake by eating more and stretched it out, and then when I went back to eating correctly, I just never felt full.

So she calmly said to go on liquids for 2-3 days so the pouch would retrun to normal size. And I did. And it did! I am totally back on track!

Live and learn. Next time I think I need a fill, I'm going to go on liquids for a day and see if that takes care of it. And I'm going to work hard to nurture my little pouch better!

__________________

I noticed a thing on the wall that said....I don't remember the words, but in my words, it said that sliders (my word) and mushies are like liquid calories...a no no. So the other thing I've been doing is using sliders to get my food down. Maybe that did it. I'm not sure. But that was something what was a change for me so maybe that's it. I guess I'm going back to a shake in the morning, a salad at noon, and a meat a nd vege at night.... I think I must be fighting the stark reality that I need to struggle with each bite of solid dry food, no liquify it. I'm not sure. I'm just thinking out loud.

Wow Betsy! how amazing. That is something I never thought of happening. I'm sure glad to know it's not as serious as you thought and it has a cure. Glad you shared that experience.

I went to get the surgicenter phone number on Spivak's site, and it's gone. interesting. I called and had no problem getting an appt for a fill at the surgicenter, and they just told me to come in anytime, so I think they're feeling the loss of fill patients. Anyway I asked around about what Speigel and Spivak were doing, and they said that Speigel has this theory now that most people should lose their weight within the first year instead of 2 years, so he's wanting to do the fills himslef and be, I guess, more aggressive.... Didn't get any spivak info..... Who knows.

This is only my 2 cents:

A stretched pouch happens for various reasons - NOT always your fault. First of all there is pouch packing. That is when you consistently eat and eat and eat and fill the pouch up. The restriction is still there so it takes longer for the pouch to empty. If you put too much in then it stretches. This just doesn't happen with one meal, it happens over time.

Sliders help the food to go down the esphogus and then it takes the same amount of time to through the opening. The slider would go through first, just like liquids do. Sliders, in and of themselves, are not necessarily bad.

Liquids like Soups, Protein drinks, milk, etc are not necessarily bad. You just have to count them. They are going through the pouch faster than solids because its easier for them to get through the opening. Thus, if you have a couple milk shakes a day you could be having well above 3,000 calories a day. That's why they say no liquids/mushies.

Eating protein, hard protein, stays in the pouch longer. This makes you feel fuller longer as long as you don't wash it down with liquids.

I would think you would have to be eating well above 8 ozs a meal, then snacking, for it to be your fault.

Technically we don't have a pouch because we didn't have gastric bypass. We all call it a pouch, but its still the upper stomach that has a band around part of it.

Now having said all this, I would be more concerned that your band is slipping. When this happens, most doctors do a complete unfill and have the patient go on liquids/mushies for several weeks, even months. The band sometimes goes back in place and fills can begin again. Some have to have them surgically repaired, and some have to have them removed.

There are too many variables here, but I would a. watch it closely, b. measure all food, liquids, mushies, solids, and c. make sure spivak looks at the x-ray.

I'm sorry this happened, but some things are just not making sense. How could it instantly go back to shape after they took out the .2? We can't be talking many days in between since we just saw you. I'm just not convinced that a stretched pouch is what happening.

Heaven knows if that is really what it is, I must have the same thing. I've been really hungry since my fill and already scheduled my next for just after Easter. Spiegel is going to be out of town for a week so I didn't want to get into trouble and have to have a complete unfill at the surgicenter.

Keep us posted to your progress.

I appreciate your comments Barbara. You've been at this longer, and I need info.

The pouch didn't instantly go back. It went back because I went to liquids so it had time to return to normal size.

I think I must have been using sliders for the wrong reason then. I never had a problem sliding things down my esophagus. In retrospect, I think I was using them so I didn't have to chew as much. I think I need to stay "pure" for awhile so I can get the habit ingrained better. I'm just guessing, because I didn't think I was overeating, but I did do some changes of diet so something in there might be the culprit, and sliders was a change for me. I figure even if they turn out not to have been the problem, I probably don't need calories sliding on through, so I'm going to mostly skip them. The only other change I can think of is that maybe I missed the calories of my Protein shake, so I overate at meals and didn't realize it? I'm going to weigh everything for awhile.

My only other guess is that I might have had too much of a fill, and that can cause stretching, waiting for food to go down. I didn't see any difference in the placement of the band itself, but I don't have a trained eye. I'll ask Spivak to look at the x-ray. Thanks for the idea.

Just FYI...

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about pouch dilation. Looks like the most common cause is a band that is too tight so the food backs up in the pouch before going through. I am going to ask for a little less fill. I think this "perfect" restriction I love may be a tad too much.....

It also looks like the most common cure is to go on liquids for awhile. And it looks like dilation is a bigger problem to deal with if it goes on for a long time, causing chronic irritations or contributing to slippage over time. There are also 2 kinds..."pouch" dilation and esophageal dilation. I had the former.

I'm encouraged reading about so many other people who were fixed by going on liquids. I would love to find a way to determine that it's starting and fade to liquids.....but my only symptom is that I wasn't as full and thought I might need a little fill.

I think when I get back from KC, I'm going to ask for a slight unfill.

Betsy,

Have you talked to Spivaks office or him about this issue? Just wondering if they could be of help. If I go to the meeting tonight (not wanting to make that drive alone--but still might) I could ask if there is any experience with pouch dilation. When do you get back from KC? Will miss you--hope you will have your computer:) so you'll still be posting. I would like to know if I've lost according to their scale--mine says 4.5 pounds down!

Woo hoo! 4.5!!!!!! conghrats! any words of wisdom?

I contacted Spivak's for him to look at the xray. I'll let you know what he has to say. I think I'd rather talk with him about it that the 3 superstars who lost their weight on 600 calories a day and few fills. I know...that was tacky. I'm really tickled for them....and for you! Great loss!