Hi

My name is Vicki. I have been an absent member of this forum for a very very

long time.

I was banded in Feb. 2005.

Intially I lost about 30 pounds.

I had fills that first year, and then even a bit out. I think I have 1.75cc in a 4 cc band.

I have restriction.

About the end of the first year, I stopped losing and started gaining.

Like so many I pd'ed a lot. So I started eating softer and softer foods.

Also I had to go back on insulin for diabetes and the weight crept back up.

I also have not seen my surgeon in two years. I know bad bad bad.

I just have let all the weight creep back on. I eat very unhealthy due to

not wanting to throw up. Also I want to eat.

My real question is CAN I START OVER.

I am presently trying to get in with a doctor closer to my home. I went out of town to have my surgery by what I consider the best surgeon anywhere. But I have found that with the distance I am just not making the effort to followup with him.

SO I thought if I had a doc closer and some nurtritional counseling closer and support group closer I could maybe start over.

I do not have a lot of weight to lose compared to some. But the weight I have affects my health very badly.

I am 4'11 and weigh 176.

Looking for the wisdom of all of you on what and how I should go about all of this.

I DO NOT WANT MY BAND removed. I still believe in it. (NOW my family and friends don't believe in it at all and think I should just have it out) But I fought to hard and went through to much to even think of having it removed.

I know that so many people have not been as lucky as I have to have the band approved by insurance and have this opportunity. I believe, although I am not treating it as one, the band is a gift.

Solid advice and steps would be so appreciated. Has anyone "started over"

Vicki in Indy

Vickietoo you can start over in your mind minus the surgery. I believe that with all my heart.

This is the fourth time today I shared this article I read. I took a good long read at it this morning and it hit the spot.

I was just filled on Friday. I live in Florida and fly to Colorado for my surgery, and now my fills and followups.

I have to admit I was just in an odd place mentally and physically. I was SO GLAD I took the step to fly out to Denver. Sometimes doing the followup be it in our own hometowns or out of state or wherever, it looms at us larger if we are having difficulties.

Take the step. Make an appointment with your doctor and follow through. I felt so great after leaving my doctor's office...joyous, victorous, and a reward and pride in myself that I care for myself to know that I need more than what I myself can give.

So enjoy this read. Know you have many like you and much support here on Lapbandtalk.

Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN

By Nikki Johnson

Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress.

If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting.

The LAP-BAND Bad Word

Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking.

How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss.

Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121

Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding fluid to the band will only make matters worse.

Life in the "GREEN ZONE"

Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits.

Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance.

However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted.

Thinking Adjustment

Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health!

For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources.

Mindy

I have pb'd on pudding - not because i am too tight - but because i have eaten to fast - it's not always from being too tight, imho. This is the reason you aren't suppose to gulp your Water either - I forget about my band at time - espeically if i am starving - after shoveling in 2 or 3 bite - my band reminds me - as i get the golf ball -

I understand that , But what im talking about are the people who seem to know they are too tight and have chosen to continue to eat soft foods to eat around their bands and continue to PB. I understand forgetting the rules I PBd from drinking right after eating , we are all human , But keeping yourself tight and PBing so you can eat soft foods, THAT is dangerous

Mindy

I understand that , But what im talking about are the people who seem to know they are too tight and have chosen to continue to eat soft foods to eat around their bands and continue to PB. I understand forgetting the rules I PBd from drinking right after eating , we are all human , But keeping yourself tight and PBing so you can eat soft foods, THAT is dangerous

Mindy

I agree - some people become so obessed that they want to loose weight at any cost - they use their bands like bulimia ....

My doc makes you go on full liquid for a week - then mushies for a week - soft for a week then reg after a fill.

Lap Dancer - Great Article - We call it "sweet spot" but I like the green zone - but i think it is a little misleading imho - just cuz i am at my sweet spot doesn't stop my hunger - and yes sometime it is real hunger and some it's head hunger - but you know it takes a while to be able to distingush between the two- There are alot of people here who think the band will take away their hunger and then say "oh I'm so hungry" That's partly due to the fact that they don't know what satitiy is and all they know is that they ate a cup of something - ya they feel sort of full but heck that food tastes good and they want to keep eating cuz they are so use to eating 2 BIG bowls or plates of whatever. I think our heads are our worst enemies not our tummies - the person who discovers the band for your brain - will own the world...

I agree - some people become so obessed that they want to loose weight at any cost - they use their bands like bulimia ....

My doc makes you go on full liquid for a week - then mushies for a week - soft for a week then reg after a fill.

My post fill diet is similar . People say im CRAZY for having him as a doc but it works. I have 3 days of clears, 3 of liquids, 3 of mushies, 3 of semi solids. But its better safe than sorry .

Mindy

My post fill diet is similar . People say im CRAZY for having him as a doc but it works. I have 3 days of clears, 3 of liquids, 3 of mushies, 3 of semi solids. But its better safe than sorry .

Mindy

Well since I don't follow rules to the "T" I just do the week of Soups (full liquids) then move to more mushiee/soft foods. I eat fish 5 nites a week and it is very soft and zuchinee which is mushie... I think it's to help jump start the weight loss cuz I have always - (the whole 2 times) lost well after a fill..:bounce:

I think Longhorn had a good idea to just start all over from the beginning. Maybe starting from the beginning again will put your mind on the right track and get you back into the swing of things.