my_friend_amber

I had my first baby 3 months ago and I never got an unfill and things were totally fine. The OCC recommends you remove your fill while trying to conceive because if you have morning sickness really badly you may have issues with the band and vomiting, but if I had removed my fill while trying to conceive, I never would have had a band at all because we were trying for years and it just took enough weight loss to get my body to ovulate again. Luckily, I had zero issues with morning sickness and only gained about 15 lbs the entire pregnancy. I am now about 10 lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy and am fully breast feeding and have had zero problems with milk supply. I think it all depends on your body and your fill level. Good luck and congratulations!

I actually am down about 10 lbs from where I was before I got pregnant, so I have had a great experience with it so far! I hope I can continue to lose after the baby (and I'm sure I will - that's the beauty of the band!) because I still have a good little ways to go.

I know that, several months back when I first realized I was pregnant, I had a really hard time finding information out there on pregnancy after being banded. Since I'm now someone in the middle of the exact situation I had questions about, I just thoguht I'd post a little information on myself and how the pregnancy has gone so far and how the band has/hasn't affected me: Just as basic background information, I was banded in May of 2008 and had lost about 85 - 90 lbs when I became pregnant in March of 2010. My husband (of 9 years) and I had been trying to get pregnant for many, many years (in fact, my lack of ovulation was a main motivating factor in being banded in the first place!) and were thrilled/surprised/amazed to find out we were expecting. I was on no medications (fertility or otherwise) and had simply gotten to a place where my body was at a healthy enough weight for my height to begin to ovulate and generally act right on its own. I am happy to report that I have had basically zero band-related issues so far in the pregnancy. I am now 23 weeks along with a due date of December 1st and, typical tiredness and pregnancy hormones aside, and we are having a boy (no name picked out yet) who seems to be strong and healthy in every way. I did not have any fill removed from my band and, as I have had no morning sickness (lucky, I know!!) that has not been an issue at all. Also, I have had no pain or issues from my port site and my tummy expanding and I have actually continued to lose some weight during the pregnancy - which my doctor is not at all concerned with. I just wanted to share my positive experience(s) and will try to remember to update my OCC friends as things progress.

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and the advice. It's really hard to find information about being pregnant AND banded, so I appreciate you guys! CindyLou - we'll have to stay in touch since we're both going through this at the same time! Best wishes,

That is good info, Canadian. Thank you! Anyone else out there have a pregnancy experience after being banded?

Greetings fellow bandsters! After several years of being overweight and trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, my husband and I decided a few years back that it was time for a drastic measure - Lap-Band surgery at the OCC! It was a wonderful experience and now, a couple years and nearly 100lbs later, I am thrilled to announce that I am just over 6 weeks pregnant! I do have several questions out there that I would specifically like to have women (or the men in their lives!) answer about pregnancy after the band: 1. Did you get an un-fill? If so, was it a total un-fill or just partial? At what point did you refill the band? 2. Did you feel that your band in any way hindered you ability to eat enough foods or to breastfeed, to push during labor, etc. (especially if you did NOT have all your fill removed) 3. Did you port give you problems as your belly got bigger with the baby? Did it become something that was visable or uncomfortable as more of your insides were filled up with the baby? 4. Were you able to find an OBGYN who had experience with an expecting mother who had had the band or did you feel you had to do the educating of your doctor(s)? That's all I can think of for now. I appreciate any/all responses!! Many thanks, Amber

Thinking of you on your big day today!!!

I'm a year out and still cannot do this. It's all worth it, though!

One of the deciding factors for me in getting banded was finding out that I was "pre-diabetic" which is to say that my sugar levels were in that dangerous zone that, if I had continued the way I was going, would have resulted in Type II Diabetes. I am happy to say that about 2 weeks ago I had a whole new work-up done and my lab results came back that my blood suger levels are in the completely normal range. I chalk it ALL up to the band and the weight that I have lost and the changes I have made in lifestyle due to it. Please pass this on to your co-worker and tell her that I have personally experienced the difference and that it's achievable for her as well!

Waaaaay better to be safe than sorry. I go with the liquids.

This forum is actually the forum for the band patients of the OCC - Obesity Control Center. Most of us have been banded there by Dr. Ortiz. That is not at all to say that it is exclusively for OCC patients, because it is certainly not, but that is the host of this forum. Amber

I had a very similar experience with my husband also, but now - 1 year and almost 70 lbs later - we are both very glad I had the procedure. I had the flu this fall and vomited several times and am fine. The band is stitched to the stomach and then scar tissue forms to further hold it in place, so it's actually quite hard to move unless you have repeated episodes of overeating and getting stuck (and I do mean repeated!) and I've heard of someone being super sick for a long time and vomiting a ton and it slipping, but it's quite rare. Invite your husband to get on this website and even create his own account so he can read everyone's questions and answers and even ask his own!! Best to you, Amber

Great perspective!

Great attitude!! You've inspired me!

Hi dearie - so sorry you are having these problems! It doesn't sound to me like you've done anything to stretch your band...but I am certainly no doctor. I have 3.2cc's in my 4.0 band and I am at pretty much perfect restriction, but I took my time with fills and got there slowly and I feel great with this amount - every body is different and everybody is different. One thing to consider is that going back to the OCC IS expensive, but if, in the future, you will save all the $ from those $150 and $250 visits you will have the money to go back so they could do it under flouro with their fill doctors (who are, in my opinion, just the best). Just something to think about. It seems to me that the people who do save up to go to the OCC for fills have far fewer because they are pros and get it right in just one or two fills. Wishing you all the best!! ~Amber

My response was mostly for mail mom who originally asked the question, but I did take information given from others (yourself included) into my response. I am genuinely sorry if anything I said was taken to be offensive it was never my intention to offend, but to point out areas that people (myself included!) sometimes fall down on. I assume that when people come here and post questions, they expect 100% honest answers and sometimes, like I said, truth can be hard to hear and make us feel defensive. It seems that you are, in fact, a medical anomoly, which is what I wanted to point out to the original poster (mail mom) to watch out for. Some people aren't lucky enough to have been diagnosed with thyroid problems (or whatever else the problem may be) and therefore can't understand when weight loss hasn't happened. You know the problems you are having and if that is the reason you can only eat so few calories a day, then that is what is working for you and that's great. My point was that unless there is something that is "wrong" with you (as in a thyroid) then 600 calories a day is not what our nutritionalist (Dr. Miranda) has/would recommend. Again, I am sorry that you believed all my comments to be pointed toward you when in fact they were mostly in response to the original question and intended for bandsters in general. I think I was clear about the fact that I myself have had times when I wasn't doing what I should and had thoughts that the band wasn't working, but then I had to get real with myself and realize that I was the one who wasn't working the band. If you will re-read this entire post you will see that I responded to many things posted by many people and that this isn't just about your post. I honestly think you jumped the gun to believe it was all about you and that I was personally trying to attack you. I hope this clarifies some things and I hope that you know that I honestly hope the very best for yourself and all of the bandsters out there. I am a blunt person and things can seem "flat" in type only and without the benefit of facial expression and tone of voice. Best wishes, Amber

I had a hard time when I first started working out after surgery because it was the first time I'd tried to work out since my days as a high school athlete. The problem was that I only learned how to work out like an athlete and had no idea how to work out like a fat person. I would just murder myself in the gym for 2 days then be a useless pile of noodely arms and legs for a week and a half and then do it all over again. Finally, about 2 months ago I decided I had to quit that crap because it wasn't getting me anywhere. I now have committed to working out for a minimum of 30 minutes a day for six days a week (Sundays are just for rest, God, and family to me - I need the break!). I will do elliptical machines on Monday, Wednesdays, and Friday, typically on variable resistance for 30 minutes, then I usually do at least 10 minutes of light weight, high repitition weight lifting (very important in helping skin to bounce back and giving the body lean muscle to burn those calories!) On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I do what I call "my walk/jog." When I first started it was all I could do to get in 30 straight minutes of walking, but I now will walk for 3 minutes 45 seconds and jog for 1 minute 15 seconds. I keep moving up the jogging time in that ratio (I started wiht 4:30 walk and :30 jog) and eventually hope to be able to run for 30 solid minutes again. Also, on Saturdays I will go at a lot harder intensity because I know I have a whole day of rest the next day to recuperate on. Another thing I like to do is, if I have any energy left over, I like to literally go "play" with my husband - last Saturday we went to these cliffs and climbed up and down them for as long as I could stand it, which only amounted to about 30 minutes, but that is some great and fun exercise! Finally, for me, it's super important to stretch every time I work out - my leg muscles especially will get big build ups of lactic acid and I will be sore for 2 days if I don't spend 5 minutes stretching out my major muscle groups. I hope this helps at all! Happy working out, friends!!

Walk, baby, walk. Walking it out will either let you burp (because you swallow a lot more air than you realize and getting some of it out of the way can help the food go down) or will show your body that it doesn't want to go down and you will have a PB (Productive Burp) and that "overfill" will come back up. Chew, chew, chew!! I have a hard time remembering this one, too BellCurve! I have to tell myself that mantra all the time. Best wishes!

I know some of this sounds harsh, but sometimes truth is hard to hear. If you honestly, literally are eating only 600 calories a day and cannot lose weight, you are a medical anomoly and in all seriousness, you need to find expert medical assistance as soon as you can because something is very, very wrong with your body. If you are eating 1200 calories a day and not losing - asking yourself brutally honestly "what do those calories consist of?" is what you need to do - 1200 calories worth of Ben & Jerrys will not do the same for you as 1200 calories worth of proper, nutritious, band-friendly foods. I feel for you and with you because there have been periods over my last year of being banded when I wasn't losing and thought, "Damn...this thing itsn't working." But then every time when I've gotten honest with myself I am not working out either at all or like I should - and yes, even if we hate it we have to do it...it's part of being an adult to do things we know we don't alwasy like but doing them anyway - and I wasn't eating like I should. Hopefully what you'll get from all this is not the thought that everyone's being hard and cruel, but that these people care enough about you to give you the cold hard truth and to invite you to do the work that needs to be done - check with your band doctor, get more fills (4 is not many for a lot of people!) and make yourself eat right and exercise. We all wish you the best and hope there will be people around to kick us in the derrierre when we are making excuses and letting ourselves feel badly instead of doing what needs to be done. Warmly, Amber

So, like many of you, I'm sure, I am quite tight every morning - I'm talking can-only-sip-liquids-down tight. Usually, after noon I can eat a bit, but I typically don't eat my first solid food until 1 or 2pm each day. And as the night wears on I get looser and looser until late at night (like 8 - 10pm) I can eat pretty much whatever I want. I've heard this happens because our bodies retain water overnight which makes us feel tight in the mornings (for those of us who do, anyway) and as that water leaves our bodies our bands feel looser, and if that's the case, there's really nothing I can do about the fluctuation of tightness in my band. My questions are A) Is this the true cause of band fluctuation? Is there anything I can do about the fluctuation? C) Should I be forcing myself to eat some kind of breakfast anyway? and D) How can I "stop myself" at night when I know I can eat (almost) whatever I want to? Hope everyone's doing great! Thanks ahead of time for the gread advice/thoughts I know you guys will give me!! ~Amber

One year ago today I made the great decision to be banded at the OCC by Dr. Ortiz. Today, I am 66 lbs lighter than my pre-surgery weight and while I know I still have a long way to go, I am so thankful for my band! Here are a few things I would say I have done well over this past year, as well as some things I have not done so well and wish I had done differently. Maybe they can be useful to some of my fellow bandsters out there! - Remain active on these boards! A few months after being banded I felt I had things "down pat" and stopped checking in with my lapbandforum community very often and doing so kind of put me in a place where I didn't have any interactions with others who understood my band and eating restrictions, etc...and it made it easier for me to lose that accountability! Even if you don't "need" the forum every single day any more, keep somewhat active on it and remember that if nothing else, others need you (and you probably need them more than you're aware of!) - Log, log, log! Keep some kind of journal going - log your lbs lost, your inches lost, your NSV's (non-scale victories - things like getting into old jeans, etc.) and take regular pictures of yourself. I'm so glad that I took a "the night before" picture of myself in sports bra and undies only. I've taken the same picture in the same basic "outfit" several times over the past year and it's a great way to be able to scrutinize the exact places on your body where you've lost. Sometimes it seems like we can't see any progress, but pull out those old pictures and you'll find the differences! - Never forget the food rules! This sounds as simple as saying "look both ways before crossing the street" because it is such common sense, but just as daring to cross a street without being cautious of oncoming traffic has heavy potential ramifications, so does allowing yourself to forget the little things that Dr. Miranda told us to do. Stop drinking at least 20 minutes before meals, do not drink ANYTHING for at least an hour after meals. Eat protiens first, don't allow yourself to cheat the band (and thus yourself) with things like ice creams and whole fat dairy products. We have all heard the rules 100 times before, but do whatever it takes- copy them and put them on your refridgerator, tell your friends and family the rules so that you're held accountable, etc. - to remember to follow them. - Work the heck out! Cardio - DO IT...even if you just do 30 mintues a day 5 times a week. Don't feel like you have to train for a marathon because you'll work out like a fiend for 3 days, then quit as you fall into a quivering heap of sore muscles. Be sure to lift some weights, as well. Muscle mass is so important to our bodies - the more we have the more calories we burn even during our sleep. Plus, studies show that even when octogenerians (80-89 year olds) begin a light weight lifting regimen, they gain some degree of bone density! -Get fills when you need them, don't get them when you don't! If you are walking around with a band with no fill, or with substantially less of a fill than you actually need, go stand in front of a mirror, tell yourself you've been naughty, slap yourself on the forehead (hard so you won't soon forget this bad behavior) and then walk immediately to the phone to call a fill doctor. If you are scheduled for a fill soon but you know that you're sucking down ice cream and milkshakes and buttermilk - stop yourself. Getting a fill when you are already tight and not eating right can stretch your pouch and do permanent - FOREVER - damage to your stomach and your band. Don't play around with it. I hope this helps some of you (and me - I need to remember these things all the time, too!) out! All my best to all my band buddies, and a very special happy Bandiversary to Anita and Natalie!

I was banded nearly 1 year ago (May 15, 2008) and have used these boards very little over the past 9 months because after a while you kind of get things down and learn on your own and need the boards and the advice of others less and less, like Lori said. I have lost over 60 lbs in this first year and I'm certainly not done yet, but I have got a great start going and I feel like I'll certainly get there as long as I use my "talbe saw" well. (I agree - great analogy Mark!) Also, regarding the remark about how desparate Dr. Ortiz' patients must have been to go out of country, that statement is one of ignorance. (keep in mind - the definition of ignorance is about having a "lack of knowledge" - this is not an insult!) If you had been to the OCC and visited with the doctors there and seen the amazing facilities, you'd know that going to Mexico for suregery was just the most logical choice. Dr. Ortiz is certified by the American Bariatric Society, which is all I need to know about the surgeon himself. But add to that the amazing, state-of-the art facilities, the wonderful after-care, and the amazing price and I felt like I'd have been silly to go elsewhere.

for me, that happens when I'm full. And...strange as it may sound, sometimes that pouch can get "full" on air and cause the hiccup, too!

Is there a way to get a receipt for all flights from the airlines that anyone knows of?