Littleroo27

I've been there. In fact, when I PB, that's usually what happens. No or very little stomach acid, because it's not from your lower stomach, but lots of food chunks / small pieces, etc. It's like once that stuck bit comes out, the rest has to follow it like a frickin lemming! It's not fun, and I try to avoid episodes, obviously, but it seems like whenever we have a family meal (rare), I get so focused on things other than what I'm putting in my mouth, that I either don't chew enough or eat too fast or both, and the next thing I know.... ewww.

Went to a new lap-band doctor today and got my first fill in over a year (multiple reasons for this delay, none of which are related to the band itself). I had very little restriction, though I still ate at a slower pace, and avoided grilled chicken like the plague. The total quantity is more than it used to be (oops) and I felt hungry more often than when I had a good restriction level before. So today I went to get a fill, FINALLY. They did it under x-ray, but NOT under fluero! He said there was no evidence that fleuro helped find the sweet spot faster, and it was more expensive. Okay, that makes sense, and he added .4ccs today and told me to come see him if it ended up being too much. Um, more please? Now I'm getting nervous. I have 7.4ccs in a 10cc band, and my restriction has barely increased. I know that as little as a few tenths of a cc can make the difference, and I'm sure it's smart not to add a whole lot at one time, but seriously, I ate a whole baked potato at lunch. I ate a whole baked potato at lunch yesterday too, except today I didn't eat the skin... that's not much difference!!! I'm just feeling the need to whine. I spent 2 hours in radiology and have almost nothing to show for it except for a bandaid. woooo hooooo...

Good gracious, all of these are just telling me how much I need my fill, lol! Have one scheduled for Friday. It's been over a YEAR so I'm really lose right now. You might be banded if... Your family, friends and co-workers know what the "look" is. You stupidly took a bite of the hot bread on the table at a restaurant and then stared at your dinner in misery, because now you can't eat it. Your order water when you go out to eat, and then put it as far from you as possible once the food arrives, lest you forget. You know that rotini goes down better than spagetti, and just don't even try to eat angel hair. You've had to re-heat your dinner / your food is stone cold when you're done eating. You locate the bathroom at any restaurant before you eat, JUST IN CASE.

"I just hope I can be back at work on Monday morning. Please tell me I can be back at work on Monday morning. I am a new employee so I only have something like 3.5 days of accumulated vacation days. Two days of which I am taking for this procedure (thursday/friday)." I know that there are people who go back to work after just a few days, so if you have a desk job, it's certainly probable you'll be able to go back to work. It's important to remember, though, that you will have been on a liquid diet for a week or more, and will continue to be on a liquid diet for some time after the surgery. Lack of calories will make you physically tired, and your body will be putting all of its energy into healing your body. Be careful to stand up slowly in case you get dizzy, and don't overexert yourself. I was lucky to be able to take time off when I had my surgery and found that for the first week, I barely had the energy to walk down the hall and back, but sitting in a chair was mostly okay. Maybe I'll see you down there on the 13th! Beth

Hi all! I doubt anyone remembers me anymore, as I haven't posted in nearly 2 years. I was going to have lap-band with Dr. Ortiz, but my insurance got changed and I was suddenly covered for surgery in San Diego (woo hoo!). I'm now 2 years out from my banding, and my MOM is getting banded with Dr. Ortiz on November 13th! I'm so excited for her, and glad that my research and ability to meet Dr. Ortiz and visit the clinic has made her comfortable enough to take this step forward. When I had my surgery, I was at least a size 30/32. My highest weight was 331 and my surgery weight was 307. My mom is only an 18/20, but she's yo-yo'd her entire life, and I think this will be a great tool for her to use. I still have a long way to go. Because I was laid off, I spent over a year without the ability to afford a fill, and my weight loss stagnated. Now I'm back in the game. I've moved, found a new job, and have good insurance coverage once again! Tomorrow morning I have a fill (finally!), and I'm taking my mom with me to see how it's done, so she's not so nervous when it's her turn. It's being done under X-ray because my port is at an angle, but that's okay - the fill is always more accurate that way! I hope you all are doing well in your personal journey towards wellness. Littleroo27 29 y/o

EEK, it's incredible that you were able to walk to long right after surgery, but probably was a bit much, yikes! I felt really weak after surgery, just walking down the hall and back at the hotel was a work in baby steps. I'm officially four weeks post-op and everything is going great. My arm is all better now, and, like you, my incisions are just pink lines! I totally understand the leaning forward thing - I still can't do it very well, cuz it feels like the port is digging into my muscles. I guess I'll learn better posture now, huh? My post-op weight loss has been... well, not nearly as much as I'd like, but I'm trying to ignore the scale and just let things happen as they happen. Right now I don't have much restriction and am waiting for my first fill on October 29th - just in time to avoid all that Halloween candy at the office!!! Honestly, the only reason it's bugging me so much is that I seem to be sitting right on 300 lbs right now, and I just want the stupid scale to start showing a 2 at the front!!! Like you, I have no regrets at all. I felt full for the very first time when I was eating pureed foods and had to force myself to stop before the food was gone. It's really an amazing experience to NOT clean one's plate! Beth

*Waves* Hi guys! I know I've been incommunicado for months, but I just wanted to let you know that I FINALLY got banded!!! Unfortunately, I didn't get to have it done by Dr. Ortiz, but fortunately, my office's new insurance covered the procedure! I had surgery last Friday in San Diego, CA (Scripps Green Hospital) with Dr. Takata. The surgery itself went wonderfully and I was in very little pain afterwards. Yes, I did experience the wonderful shoulder pain from the gas, but thanks to you guys, I already knew what it was! I do have one small complication, which is that the vein where my IV was is now infected (ew), so I have to take antibiotics every six hours. I've been bitching about it more than any of the incisions from surgery!!! My parents flew out the day before surgery and stayed with me for a while, which was really great. We reserved a two bedroom suite at this really old and pretty hotel close to my apartment so they could kind of watch over me. Mostly that included making sure I had enough water and dragging me outside to walk, lol. Oh, and driving. The hospital told me not to drive for at least a week, two would be better. I didn't even think about that pre-op, so it was great that they were around. My dad went home on Monday and my step-mom stayed until Thursday. We'd drive to a fabric store or craft store and I'd walk the store a few times, looking at things, then sit and wait for her to finish shopping. I was amazed at how much energy I did not have, but at the same time, amazed at how much pain I was NOT in. Like, I really wanted to be able to go to Sea World or the Zoo, but I just knew I wasn't ready for it yet. I think in another week I'll be ship-shape though. My bruises are about half gone already, and I barely pause when I stand up now, though I do still notice everything seems a bit "tight". I've had to ignore the whole "no sugar" rule, because I simply cannot ingest fake sugars, but I've been really good. I use Propel "to go" instead of Crystal Lite. It's only 10 calories and doesn't have the same effects on my body. And I'm using these great soy-based soups for my "creamy" phase. Okay, I admit that I blended up two turkey hot-dogs yesterday with two slices of soy cheese and nibbled on it, but it didn't seem to be a problem going down, and after that I went back to tomato soup. It just felt so good to CHEW something, even if it did look like baby food, lol. Anyway, I'm just so thrilled to finally be starting this journey and so thankful for all the things I learned before the surgery just by listening to you guys and hearing about your adventures! Starting Weight: 331 Pre-Op (09/11/07): 307 09/19/07: 302 5'4" / 27 years old

It can take up to three fills to get a decent restriction and, as some on this board can tell you, sometimes you go too far and then have to take it out again! It's kind of a guessing game to find the body's best fill level. Don't expect restriction before your first fill and also expect to LOSE restriction between your first and second fills. The band usually has some air left in it that comes out as you fill it with saline. This is normal and expected. A lot of people have success on the 2nd fill and use the third to fine tune things, but as my (eventually to be) surgeon said to us - it's about a 1/3 ratio. 1/3 need 1 fill, 1/3 need 2 fills and 1/3 need 3 or more fills to hit that sweet spot. Just don't get discouraged that you haven't seen it yet! Right now your body is all about healing from surgery and making sure you get plenty of protein so that you can heal that much faster. I'm hoping to get banded in August and I don't really expect to see any serious weight loss until after the new year. That way I won't get all stressed at myself if it takes a while.

WOW, that is so awesome!!!! It's been a lot of fun reading your posts over the past six months, though I'm very jealous that you're 6 months out and I still have 5 1/2 months to wait! Just imagine what a skinny minnie you'll be by the time I go under the knife!

I managed to find a low interest credit card that would give me the limit necessary to go with Dr. Ortiz... then my office changed insurance providers and now I'm back to square one with the red tape, but at least I won't have to pay off all that money! I do have to wait 6 months for the insurance to cover it, which is a big bummer . I wish you the best of luck!

Does anyone else remember Nestles Sweet Success??? I remember drinking in when I was in 8th grade / high school (around 94) and it was SO GOOD. I wish they still had it around for the pre-op phase .

I am still amazed that sinus issues cause such a huge problem with the band! Do you think it's cuz snot...er, drainage gets stuck overnight? I take Allegra-D 24 hour every night before bed because I'm extremely allergic to my cat (anyone want a free kitty?) and just about everything else on this planet that could fly up one's nose. At $40 a month, it's cheaper than taking OTC stuff every 4-6 hours, at least!

Wow, I've never heard of a mini-slip. Thanks so much for posting about it! I agree that you should do the barium swallow before having it removed. I mean, how much of a PITA would it be if you went through all of this and got it removed if there is a chance it can be fixed and work properly!

New update!!! War against weight takes battle into the gym

HAHAHA, you're probably right. Even the doctor thought that waiting 6 more months was just making everything worse. This is not a surgery for casual dieters, for goodness sakes! But, I guess that's how the insurance programs keep the premiums down. The doctor I saw yesterday said I should come see him once a month for the insurance, which I don't mind as long as I don't have to pay for it! LOL. Hopefully I will be banded by the end of August *sigh*

I got all excited when I saw that Slim Fast has come out with an easy to digest, lactose free, gluten free ready made drink!!! I bought it to try (I'm still trying to find a good one for the pre and post-op time)... Well, it may be easy to digest, but it's NOT easy to swallow! UGH! *gag* Two small sips and it went down to sink. Blech

If the reason the insurance did it was for those reasons, I might respect that. But I think people whose BMI is already into obese or morbidly obese, you can pretty much expect that they've lost and gained and lost some more and gained it back and at this point just need HELP! A friend of mine e-mailed me an article today that said two of the main insurance companies in Mass. are requiring one year of pre-op dieting. I am 300% sure that the reason for this is to get as many people as possible below the minimum BMI required for surgery. You make them diet then say they are now too thin for the surgery and you won't pay for it. Then within 3 years they've gained it back, but chances are really good that you will no longer be their insurance provider. It's all a game. Thankfully, no matter how much weight I lose in 6 months, it won't be enough to push me below that number. Jerks. But thanks for your thoughts. So far today is a better day. I actually have an appointment with the lap-band doctor today and, hopefully can either get started on that 6 month diet or at least make an appointment with the dietician to start it ASAP. Just knowing that I can leave work at 2 pm makes things a little brighter, LOL.

Hi Chase! I'm at work right now so I'm going to keep this one short I would really suggest that you order "Lap-Band for Life" by Dr. Areil Ortiz. No matter who you are considering going to for the lap-band, or even if you're just starting to consider it, this book will answer 95% of your questions and is a great tool to use to decide if this is the right choice for you. That's how I ended up here - it was listed as a resorce in the book! Good luck with your journey, Beth

As you may or may not remember, I suffer from a sleep disorder that causes me to get little or no REM sleep. REM sleep is the 5th stage of sleep and it's the one where you actually get rest in order to feel alert and rejuvenated the next day. The closest name for it is hypersomnia, which pretty much says it all - excessive sleepiness. I

Man, you've just had quite the trial with this thing! I'm so sorry . I guess it's never going to be a good end result for everyone, since everyone's body reacts differently to foreign invaders. Perhaps it's kind of like organ transplants - your body rejected the band. That just bites though! I wish you the best of luck in having the band removed and returning to heath as soon as possible. Please keep us advised!

Actually, I believe Dr. Ortiz does that. It's considered a higher risk surgery because of existing scar tissue from the gastric bypass and a lot of places will only due it for very specific reasons, but it is done.

You can take small amounts of liquid with you. You should call the airline and ask if they can arrange something for you - maybe heat up a can of broth in the microwave during the flight?

Teri, You are so sweet! I'm really glad everything seems to be going well for you with your third AND fourth fills!!! Sometimes I'm unable to respond to people's posts simply because I don't HAVE the band yet *stomps foot and pouts*, but I did read Dr. Ortiz's book and have done so much research on the thing that my head sometimes spins from it, so when I see people with questions or who are just frustrated, I want to help when I can. I'm sure when I get the band I'll be back here asking these same questions to everyone else, just because it's so much different going through it yourself. I was really hoping to get banded in March, but now that my insurance covers the banding I have to do that whole 6 month pre-op diet, etc etc, red tape how I loath you.

You said this is your third fill, so it may not really be the band "leaking". A lot of people lose air after their first fill, which reduces the total fill level (some liquid goes with it, usually). This is "priming" the band. The 2nd fill may have actually cause some swelling from irritation, which is why it seemed perfect at first, but now that your tummy has calmed down it wouldn't seem nearly as tight. The third fill may get you to the fill level that you need, or you may just need to keep sneaking up on it! Good luck

Don't worry about not losing any weight right after surgery. Your body is swollen and cranky and full of gas and it's not gonna give ANYTHING up without a fight right now!!!