HELP- Alone in Alaska! no. DR and no info... be my lifeline!!!

nicklepickle · March 6, 2007

Hi all, I am new here, But VERY thankful to find you... I am on and Island in Alaska in a very SMALL community. No one knows what a lap band is and getting a DR to even look at me is a challenge. I have giving into the fact that I need to fly to Seattle for fills every 6 months. I am 1 year and half POST OP. But I have only had 2 fills due to my location. I have some general questions since I am on my own here..

I have trouble eating in the AM- is this normal?

At times I can eat lots- usually at night-normal?

I tend to lean towrds soft foods which end up being high calorie- and defeating the whole purpose- I end up frustrated durning the day with tolerance keeping anything but Soup down- it seems to need to be stretched out slowly to eat- nrrmal?

I have no problem with diet soda-it that ok?

I have lost 70lbs in 1 12 years..not much but considering that I do not get regular fills am I on track?

I have plateau-d... will I continue to lose?

thanks for the help I am SO alone out here. nicole

marjon9 · March 6, 2007

Hi all, I am new here, But VERY thankful to find you... I am on and Island in Alaska in a very SMALL community. No one knows what a lap band is and getting a DR to even look at me is a challenge. I have giving into the fact that I need to fly to Seattle for fills every 6 months. I am 1 year and half POST OP. But I have only had 2 fills due to my location. I have some general questions since I am on my own here..
Nicole, having the band in an isolated place can be a bit dangerous. Some issues can come up that should be handled immediately. To have access to a doctor every six months is taking a risk. One thing I can say is, from the sound of things you do not need another fill. If anything, you probably need a partial unfill. Some of what you are describing are symptoms of overristriction.

I have trouble eating in the AM- is this normal? [Many people have extra restriction in the morning, or evening, or it could change every day, or from week to week, etc.]

At times I can eat lots- usually at night-normal? [It is normal to have restriction be different at different times. It is normal to have times of day when you can eat a lot if you want to. For me it is usually lunch time.]

I tend to lean towrds soft foods which end up being high calorie- and defeating the whole purpose- I end up frustrated durning the day with tolerance keeping anything but Soup down- it seems to need to be stretched out slowly to eat- nrrmal? [It is "normal" in the sense that everyone struggles with this, but you are right it will defeat the purpose of the band. If anything it sounds like you are a bit overfilled. For the band to work you need to be able to eat solid foods. The band restricts the size of your stomach so you feel full on solid, healthy foods for longer and lose weight without suffering because you are full for longer on smaller portions. That is all the band does. If you are not using it that way then you are not using the band. If you eat high calorie soft foods you can gain weight and suffer other health problems from not get proper nutrition. It sounds to me like you need an unfill. You may even have some problems with stomach inflamation. In short, you should get to a doctor.]

I have no problem with diet soda-it that ok? [There are several threads on this forum where this topic is discussed at length. Run a search for "soda" or "carbonation" and you should find plenty of information. The short answer is, it is probably OK to have a soda once in a while, if you are drinking them a lot, especially with your possible overrestriction, it could be a problem]

I have lost 70lbs in 1 12 years..not much but considering that I do not get regular fills am I on track? [Being "on track" with the band is highly individual. 70 pounds in a year and a half is not too bad depending on how much you needed to lose. More important for you is looking forward. If you continue to be unable to eat solid foods, and compensate with soft, high calorie substitutes, you are not likely to lose much more. The probably here is not that you get fills irregularly. In fact, another fill right now would probably probably be a big mistake, from the sound of things]

I have plateau-d... will I continue to lose? [Probably you will not continue to lose if you continue with your present situation of overrestriction, possible inflamation, and compensation with soft, high calorie foods]

thanks for the help I am SO alone out here. nicole

Nicole, people here will be willing to be your life line. But it would also help a lot if you would be your own lifeline. To be honest, you are asking questions that have been asked and answered countless times on this forum. That is OK, especially if a person is new. But after a year and a half, you need to help yourself also by doing some research. You could help yourself a lot if you spend some time running searches on this forum and reading information.

And I have to tell you, your situation of having the band, struggling with it, and being isolated from medical help is dangerous. It could be seriously dangerous. I would at least try to contact your original surgeon to ask some questions about what is going on. If that is not possible I would get to a doctor in Seattle as soon as you can. Don't worry too much about losing a lot of additional weight right now. I would focus on doing what you need to do to make sure you are in good shape with your health.

So, please keep posting here, asking questions and staying in contact. Let us know how it is going. That is what we are here for. But also do some work on your own to help get some answers. Keep in touch!

kebsa · March 6, 2007

I would encourage you to try to contact your surgeon by phone or email if possible in the first instance- can you access a nutrionist locally for some support and guidance too- if not, see if your surgeon can suggest one that may be prepared to support you via email etc.

I am not able to tolerate solids in the morning then gradually losen over the day- some people find a warm drink just before trying to eat losens them up a bit too

You are rght that eating the soft foods can lead to higher calorie choices, I think it is important for your surgeon to ascertain whether you are too tight or not. In the meantime, just because you eat soft foods, does not mean they have to be high calorie choices- ground chicken, turkey, or flaked fish with vegetables that are cooked til soft and moistened with low fat sauce and gravy are softish and not high calorie. Sweet stuff can be pureed fruit like applesauce without sugar etc, low fat yoghurt etc.

I have swallowing issues from ms that developed after being banded, and i have to eat soft foods- and I did gain weight. Now I calorie count and journal everything, weigh and measure everything and I have lost 67 pounds since last nov and I am wheelchair dependant( that is after 5yrs of not only not losing, but gaining weight!)

So that brings me to your last question- can you lose weight after this lenght of time- my oath you can! I call nov 06 my born again bandeversary. THe first thing you nned to do is to get back incontact with you surgeon and nutrionist for an assessment. You are in a difficult situation but that does not make it impossible. It may take more effort on your part but believe me it makes the success all the better when you get it.

lastly get as much support from the boards as you can, this definately works better when you have support but it needs to be professional support as well as peer support. In this day an age you should still be able to have electronic support from a surgeon supplemented by the occasional office visit- Good luck

Sissy907 · March 6, 2007

Hello, I am From Alaska, unfortunatly not living there right now. My mother is in Anchorage and doing research on the doctors available there.

There ARE doctors available in Anchorage.... You do not need to fly to sSeattle if you dont want to.

Which Island are you on? Kodiak? It's not much to fly into Anchorage if you had to often... At least its much cheaper than Seattle.

Anyway It's not hard to find information on the docs in Alaska. I just started helping my mother look into it recently and have had a fair amount of success. Just by searching the net...

You can always pm me if you want more info. I would be happy to help where I can.

marjon9 · March 6, 2007

Hello, I am From Alaska, unfortunatly not living there right now. .

That's the spirit. I've only been there once, for about a month, from Kenai to Denali with a couple stops in Anchorage. What a place. Nothing like it. I'm not sure I could handle the winter, mostly for the darkness. But the summer is a blaze of glory. Hope to get back there sometime soon.

WASaBubbleButt · March 6, 2007

No clue if these folks are anywhere near you but I'll give it a shot:

<TABLE class=datatable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Dr. Leland </TD><TD>Jones</TD><TD> </TD><TD>907-279-8486</TD><TD>Medical Park Family Care 2211 E. Northern Lts. Blvd. # 101 Anchorage</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>Call for current price</TD><TD>does not use flouro</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Dr. Loretta</TD><TD>Woods </TD><TD> </TD><TD>907-373-5940</TD><TD>West Valley Medical Campus, Wasilla, AK</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>$250 </TD><TD>Does not use fluoro</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=selected>ALASKA Radiology Associates</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD><TD>Must be referred by a Doctor - they must make the appt. for you.</TD><TD>Fairbanks Memorial Hospital</TD><TD>Alaska</TD><TD>$250 Yes, they do use fluoro. Also it helps if you can bring your own Huber non coring needle (they won't have a huber long enough.)</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

redfox · May 31, 2007

Nichole,Im new here too.Saw your post from back in March.Im in ak.also,live in Nome might as well be an island.There arnt many people up here (out here ) that can tell you much first hand info.I hope you are doing O.K!I thought the fills were pretty important ,where is your Doc?,have you called them ,kept in touch?Where are you in Ak?...toni

niki · May 31, 2007

Hey Nicole,

Don't worry about spending six months or more without seeing a band doctor (many doctors, like mine, don't like to do aggressive fills and they rather wait 5, 6 or more months between fills). That's one of the big advantages of the band, as long has everything is going well (you'll surely know when something is wrong with your band, can't miss it) the worse that can happen is that you're not loosing as much as you would expect and that could mean you need another fill. But no harm will come to you or your band if you don't visit your doc or get a fill on a regular basis (you'll just feel the need to eat a bigger portion and that means you'll have to restrain yourself from eating all you want to). If you're feeling some restriction, and from what you say it looks that you do, things should be fine.

Yes, it is normal to feel more restricted in the am period. Most bandsters are exactly the same. With me, morning and lunch are fine, but at night all hell breaks loose and seems that everything goes down soooo well.

You should avoid eating only soft food. Your stomach needs solid food, but remember to take your time and chew, chew, and chew some more before swallowing it. Don't drink when you're eating.

I think that every now and then it's ok to have some soda (there's a whole big discussion whether it's OK or not, and that applies to all carbonated drinks). I take a bit of diet coke every now and then, but generally, I try to avoid it. Water, tea, herbal tea, natural juices, those are perfectly ok.

Take some time in doing some research here at LBT. You'll find some great advices from other more experienced bandsters.

Jack is right! You're a lucky girl with all that wonderful fish you have in Alaska! try to make the most of it.

lots of luck,

niki

Daisalana · May 31, 2007

Looks like everyone else had some good advice for you.. I just wanted to say 70lbs is a great loss! Congrats

marcyinak · June 1, 2007

There's also Dr. Searles and Dr. Todd in Anchorage who will do fills (about $200, no fluoro). I get the impression that they don't like Mex. patients, but will do care on a patient-by-patient basis....staff is good to talk to on phone though. In my research for aftercare (I live in Nome) I found that Dr. Woods in Wasilla doesn't do fills (she had a collegue in her office do them) and they recently stopped doing them. Dr. Jones' office has been the MOST helpful; he will also not charge for fill "tweaking" within the week of the fill. (Something I find a benefit because of the traveling necessary for fills).

Also, I think 70lbs in 1 1/2 years is quite good...healthy and steady. You may be ready for a fill.

Another thing...you need to set up some primary care where you are...find a provider that you're comfortable with, get your surgery/fill records and make sure your provider is familiar with your case. This will help even if you have OTHER issues not related to the band. That's just being a good patient though! This will be a good learning experience for the provider - it's an easy "sell" for some of our new PA's and docs. who come to the remote places...they need to know what is going on in modern medicine too! You never know, I could end up on your island (which one are you on?) some day and it would be nice to have a provider who is familiar with WLS.