Rachelle

Jen, It helped that my doc told me that my port area was a wound, and would take time to heal as a wound would. My port pain went away after about 3 mos, but I had port tenderness for about 8 mos. Now I have no port pain or tenderness at all. Rachelle

I did my LB surgery mostlly to stop the weight gain. It has worked perfectly for that, plus I've lost weight and have kept if off (except for when I had to be unfilled once). I still occationally complain, though, about having spent $15,000 and I still don't look like Cindy Crawford. I have to remind myself how much better my quality of life is since the LB. Before the LB, I would hide-out because I was so embarrassed about my weight fluctuations. I'd be rich if I had a nickle for every time someone asked me if I was pregnant. Now, my life doesn't revolve around food and weight. I don't make decisions based on what clothes I'm able to fit into. I'm not spending all my time sneaking around and getting people out of my life so I can close the blinds and binge-eat. My life feels a lot more "normal" since the LB. I still do some sneak-eating with chocolate, but it doesn't rule my life, and I don't have to isolate over it. I'm one of those that tried everything before the LB. I've been in two treatment centers for eating disorders. What I wish is that I had the LB before the treatment centers, because "lock-down" therapy is perfect for an addict, and it definitely works. But, in time, the effects started wearing off, and I returned to old eating behaviors. If I had had the LB, then returning to old eating behaviors would not have been an option. I would have been force to stay on track. I still attend Overeaters Anonymous meetings since they address recovery on all three levels (1) physical (2) mental (3) spiritual. I still have LOTS of room for improvement. But, when I think it through, I know that the LB was the best money I ever spent on myself. Rachelle

I've been taking my dog for a 30-min walk every day for the last two weeks. The fresh morning air is g-r-e-a-t! Now my dog is on an internal schedule for his daily walk, and if I'm running late, he will come and remind me that it's time for HIS walk! LaDonna

UPDATE: I emailed my nurse about my eye twitching, and she suggested that I was low on potassium. She said that muscle spasms and twitches can often be cured with a banana. I started putting a banana in my morning protein shake and my eye has stopped twitching! What a relief since my eye had been twitching for five months! I was simply low on potassium. Rachelle

Zees, Good for you to be willing to go to any lengths to live a healthier life. When I woke up from surgery I got afraid because of the effects of the anesthesia. I was very sleepy, but when I would drift off, I would forget to breath so I would wake up gasping for air. This went on for about five hours, and was very frightening to me because I was not expecting this. The nurses mentioned that it was probably the effects of the anesthesia, but they weren't as reassuring as I needed them to be. As soon as I got past that, the rest of my recovery was relatively easy. No worries. Blessings to you on your surgery. Since you are from Australia, where are you having your surgery? LaDonna

Krisi Ann, I haven't had gallstones yet, but thanks for the headsup. I can say "yes" to seven of the nine risk factors! Rachelle

NoWorry, Great tip! I knew about the Cranberry or tart-flavored juice trick, but I'll have to try the "shot of tequila" technique! Thanks for sharing! Rachelle

Judy, Don't mean to be a downer, but one of my doctor's patients got a piece of salad stuck and had to be unfilled because of it. I don't know if this patient's "food-stuck" experience was like mine. I got a piece of shrimp shell stuck and threw-up violently for four hours until it finally passed on it's own. I didn't have to have an unfill because of it, but after my experience, if there is even a remote chance that a certain food could get stuck, I avoid it at all costs! There are too many "safe" foods to choose from to risk it. Besides, salads don't pack the nutritional punch that Bandsters needs since we're taking in so little food. Popcorn is another "it's-not-worth-it" food. It has the potential to get stuck, and it doesn't have the nutrients Bandsters need. It's a miracle that my band didn't slip when I got food stuck. I will NEVER risk going there again! Rachelle

Judy, I understand your "freak-out." When I was going through my weight gain I was freaking-out, too! Mostly because I was not prepare. I didn't know anything about unfills. That's why I'm glad you're educating yourself early on. I kept wishing I had qualified for the gastric-bypass surgery, but then I read where some of those patients gain all their weight back and end up getting the LapBand on top of their gastric-bypass! Yikes! Even though the LapBand is not the "perfect" solution, I have come to believe it's the best WLS out there. Just don't give away all your fat clothes. Keep a few of them in a box somewhere. My doctor told me it takes five or six years for a patient to permantently change their eating habits so that they are able to stay thin with or without the LapBand. Any number of reasons could cause you to have to be unfilled been that time. Rachelle

Becky, In my case, I was at a "perfect" fill level, then all the sudden, after 3 mos, I was too tight, and found myself choking on my own saliva at night. They unfilled me from 2.75cc down to 2.00cc, and left me there for a couple of weeks to let the swelling go down. Then they gradually filled me back up to 2.70cc, which feels like a better fit for me. The nurse told me that it is a mystery why some patients will be at the "perfect" fill level, and then what seems to be out of the blue, they will become too tight. The first thing the doctor wants to accomplish is to reverse the swelling, which is what is causing the band to be too tight. The most common unfill I've heard in cases like this is 1.00cc (this can feel like a complete unfill where you have little to no restriction at all). The worst part of an unfill is the corresponding weight gain. I had the unfill right after I gave away all my fat clothes. With no restriction, I got fat again almost over night. I went to Goodwill to buy more fat clothes until I could lose the weight again. The whole experience did a number on my emotions. It was the most discouraging experience in my LapBand journey. Be for-warned. Rachelle

Roger, "LoriBecky" is the administor for this site and she is very helpful and knowledgable. She would probably know the answer if you want to look her up. Another good site to find all kinds of LapBand info is www.LapBandTalk.com. Of course you could always email or call your doctor's office, too. Please post your findings. Congratulations on your weight loss! Rachelle

Becky, Good for you to get your questions answered BEFORE surgery. The need for fills and unfills vary for each person. Fills are required if you're not losing weight. Unfills are required if your band is too tight and you are unable to swallow liquids easily. No two people are alike, so this is a very individual process, which can cause it to be frustrating at times. Keep reading all the posts you can on this website to get educated on what you're about to experience. It will make things go much smoother for you. I also recommend checking out LapBandTalk.com. It's a similar website. Blessings to you! LaDonna

Thanks for the tip about Wellesse. I will try it. I would like to try something for my joints, too. Of the three you listed - Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM - which is for joints? Rachelle

RogerF, There are different sized ports. As you lose weight, your port will become more pronounced. If you get too disatisfied with the bump on your tummy, your doctor can always replace it with a smaller port. Has your port always been a bump on your tummy, or only after you lost a lot of weight? Have you lost more weight than your wife? Rachelle

Tip: The Flinstones chewable vitamins taste better than Centrum chewables. Rachelle

I can relate to sensitivity around the port access, but mine is getting better. I have a NordicTrac Cross Country exercise machine at home that requires you to lean your belly against a cushion for balance. I thought I was going to have to give that machine away because it hurt by belly even though it didn't touch the port directly. Just a few weeks ago, though, I tried it and it didn't hurt for the first time. My doctor told me where the port is put in creates a wound that takes a while to heal completely. Rachelle

You're hillarious!

About four months after I got the LapBand I noticed my eyes started twitching. In the beginning, I thought it was maybe the change in my diet, but now I'm beginning to think it's the LapBand itself that's causing my eyes to twitch. Has anyone ever heard of this? I've never mentioned it to my doctor because it seems like such a remote chance of it being related to my LapBand. But then I have read a number of reports of how some patients with breast implants start having random aches and pains nowhere near their breasts. The doctors label them hypchondriacs, but when they have their breast implants removed, the random aches and pains go away. A medical mystery. Rachelle

Cheryl, Luckily I had heard about liquid Centrum tasting so bad before I bought some; otherwise, I would be suffering through the whole bottle like you because I can't stand to waste anything either. I totally relate with your delima! The gal at the health food store recommended mixing with cranberry juice because the tartness does the best job to camouflage bad flavors. I buy Nature's Plus "Source of Life" which actually tastes pretty good. I still hold my nose when I swallow it because liquid medicines, of any kind, gross me out; however, I like liquids better than chewables because the grossness is over faster. One of the cheapest places I have found to buy vitamins is Vitacost.com. Rachelle

Donna, Thanks for your feedback about burping and spitting, especially as glamorous as you look. I consider myself somewhat glamorous, and, since the LapBand, I burp like a man, too (and spit and hiccup)! It was HUGELY embarrassing at first, but I've come to terms with it. Now I can even laugh about it. I finally got peace about it when I decided that I would trade the embarrassment of blubber for the embarrassment of burping any 'ole day! Rachelle

This is the first time I have seen chewing and spitting discussed, and I'm glad that we're talking about it. I did it when my band was too tight. I haven't had the urge since I got unfilled from 2.75cc to 2.70cc. What a difference .05 cc's can make! I was scared when I was chewing and spitting because I knew it was an eating-disorder behavior that could get out of hand. I wondered if any other bandsters were doing it. There is a show on A&E called "Intervention" where the camera crew literally follows an addict (of any kind) around. The addict thinks he/she has agreed to be a part of a documentary on addiction. Unbeknownst to the addict, he/she faces an intervention at the end of the show. Well, one of the shows was about this gal with an eating disorder that chewed and spit. She was so obsessed with chewing and spitting that she rarely swallowed any food at all, and she was dangerously thin. She would wait until her husband went to bed and then she would chew and spit all night long while watching T.V. The girl lived a totally isolated life that revolved around secret eating (that is, secret chewing and spitting). She was HOOKED. I'm sure that she never thought it would get that out of control when she first started doing it. So I would caution anyone that does it to stop altogether. After seeing that show, it's not worth the possibility of getting HOOKED. You might be trading isolating because you're too fat, to isolating to chew and spit in secret. Just my opinion. Rachelle

I think that was a perfect response, Pammie. I think you went easy on her! I agree that others, especially other women who have failed at weight loss, are jealous. I admit that, well, I don't know if jealousy is the right word, more like self-loathing I would feel if I saw my girlfriends succeeding at weight loss, and I was gaining, gaining, gaining. The bottom line is, do I stay stuck in self-loathing, jealousy, and criticism, or do I get off my fat ass and go to any lengths to get better instead of bitter? I want to get better, always. And no matter how much better I have become with the help of the LapBand, I ALWAYS have room for improvement! Rachelle

Dito!! Nicely put. Thanks for your candidness, FurEllie.

My fill is at 2.70 and cheese goes down great. Chicken is okay as long as it's very moist and I chew to goo. Pancakes I cannot eat. You might be able to eat pancakes if you make them soggy enough with syrup. Breads have become too uncomfortable for me to eat. I have no desire to even try them anymore. It took a lot of failed attempts at eating bread for me to finally decide it's not worth it. After I eat any form of bread, my mouth get's full of saliva until I have to stand over a toilet just to let the saliva spill out of my mouth. It's as if my body is preparing to vomit, but it never does. Then I burp and hiccup a few time and it's over. Pretty disgusting. It definitely can put a kink in social eating. Not a good idea. Rachelle