CALF

Hi fellow lapbanders! I had my lapband inserted one year ago exactly and hit my target weight last month. Total lost: 85 pounds. I plan on keeping the band and the fills exactly as they are since they help to keep me honest! lol I go to the gym four times/week, walk daily and ride my bike three or four times/week. I'm big on protein & veggies and low on bad carbs. It's all working and I'm so thrilled to feel fit and healthy again. Bottom line..if I can do it..anyone can. I was (and probably still am) a food-a-holic. The lapband gave me the tools to turn my life around. ^o^

Thanks to you all for your support and information! When the 'event' is happening and you find yourself without a local, willing and qualified physician, it's a very scary and stressful situation.

Good to know ladies...I see from reading your signature that you have much experience on this topic as regards to fills and unfills..Wow..whoever thought it would/could get so complicated!! The situation here on the island where I live is that there are only three doctors within an 8 hour "local" area that have the expertise to deal with either a fill or unfill...and the only one that reluctantly conceeded (on a one time trial basis) to deal with a 'Mexican' band doesn't use a fluoroscope. None of the three are willing to provide aftercare on a patient that had the band inserted in Mexico. Nice thing to find out after the fact!! Thanks again for your advice and support. It certainly has become quite the learning curve!

Hi..I just posted my experience regarding too much restriction. Please read : "When fills go bad". You don't want to end up in the emergency room like I did!!!

well..it's been 48 hours since I had my 3rd fill (not at OCC) and it's been an experience that I hope NO ONE ever has to endure. Long story short...I had a blind fill here in my hometown by a very reputable bariatric surgeon who does not use a fluoroscope. This was a decision made by myself and I have only myself to blame. My first two fills were done by Dr. So at OCC and both times they went smoothly without any complications. I don't seem to handle large fills very well and both my fills at OCC have been in the range of 2.6 - 2.4cc's. At the time of my 3rd fill I was at 5cc's in an 11 cc band I had been feeling a lack of restriction over the past month and I decided to contact the local bariatric specialist to see if his office would provide a fill to a 'Mexican' lapband. After much consultation the local doctor agreed to provide me with a 2cc fill. I received the fill at 4:00 on March 31. Now I had a total of 7cc's in my 11cc band. I went out to his waiting room after the fill and drank a medium sized cup of water as advised. I experienced no problems getting it down. I went grocery shopping after leaving the office...walked the dogs and upon arriving home had a medium glass of water with my Benefibre. Approx. 10 minutes later I started hiccupping..and then the P.B started followed by pain spasms & more hiccupping. I called the doctors office but by now it was 6:40 p.m and the office was closed with a message advising that patients go to the hospital if it was an emergency. By 7:30 I was feeling better so I decided to tough it out and see how I felt in the morning. I had a few sips of water but the burbing and P.B's prevented me from keeping it down. That night was the worst of my life. I was P.B'ing my own saliva..the pain in my chest was so bad I couldn't lay down. I finally dozed off sometime around 5:00 a.m When I awakened around 8:00 I felt somewhat better and tried a spoonful of warm water. It went down so I had a few more over the course of the next hour. I decided to wait before calling the doctor to see if this thing had finally resolved. I continued to sip warm water for the next few hours...and by noon I decided to try a small cup of chicken broth. The P.B came on before I had gotten half a dozen of small sips down. The spasm was so intense in my chest I thought that maybe I was going into cardiac arrest. I called the Dr.s office only to find that they had gone home at noon in preparation for the long Easter weekend. For the next few hours I periodically P.B'd on my own saliva..that finally stopped around 5:00 p.m. (I later found out why it ceased...I was so dehydrated at this point I no longer had enough saliva to bring the spasms forward) My husband came home at 5:30..took one look at me and packed us off to the emergency room. While waiting at emergency I received 2 litre's of electrolytes and saline, had extensive blood work done and an EKG. At 1:45 a.m they advised us that they could not locate a Huber needle nor was a specialist on the premises to remove my restrictive fill. We were advised to return at 11:00 that morning and they would have a bariatric specialist on the premises to remove the fill. We went home..got 4 hours of sleep..and back to the emergency room I went. After a 2.5 hour wait I did get to see the bariatric doctor who skillfully removed the 2cc's of offending saline. It was 45.5 hours of hell! My personal belief is that I should have had the fill done by fluoroscope. If this had been the case the fill doctor would have seen that 2cc's was too much restriction. This might be a good time to add that I had done my preparaton for receiving this fill to the "T". I had been consuming plenty of water days previously..had a light dinner the night before 'fill-day' and for breakfast on the day of the fill I only had a yogurt with a large cup of Crystal Light, several more glasses of water during the morning and early afternoon and fasted for lunch. From this day forward I will only have my fills done at OCC. And as a further bit of insurance I will schedule my return flight home to leave as late as possible on the following day just in case an un-fill is necessary. So that's my story..and I hope none of you have to experience it for yourselves. Phew..I'm getting too old for this kind of drama!!!!

Great article..thanks for posting it! The sensation of being stuck is my deterrent...as soon as I feel that dreaded pressure I spit out whatever is im my mouth and give a word of thanks to the goddess of self control! lol... Unlike the rats and their electoded (is that a word??? lol) toes..I will quit immediately if I feel 'the stuck' coming on...and that's more of a motivating source (for me) than the sensation of feeling full or satisfied, I just wish that Macdonald' s fries didn't smell and taste so...yummy!! lol I can go two months without thinking or craving them..then out of the blue..wham...I Need a fry! So I've learned to compromise.. I will go and get a Happy Meal..toss the buns and eat the cheeseburger...snack on half the fries and later sip the orange juice. I've done this perhaps three times since I got banded last October and it seems to keep my craving for junkfood at a tolerable level. Hopefully in the coming year I willl outgrow that little deviant behavior. If not... my husband's grandchild will continue to receive from me the Avatar-Chipmonks-Transformer toy of the month!! lol Every journey starts with one foot in front of the other.

The broth, juice and essentially everything you eat at the Lucerna will be covered by OCC. The last time (this past January) I was there for a fill and OCC covered my soup & salad (yummy !) And the orange juice is fresh & hand squeezed!! Double yum!! If you request extra water they are very accommodating. Just ask at the front desk. Just as an extra note...I always tip everyone.. the van driver , doorman, waiters & the housekeepers. Their economy is pretty sparse at the moment!

Good for you!! You're not only making informed decisions and taking control of your own life and actions..you are doing it in the face of adversity and that takes HUGE COURAGE!! And you are SO right with regards to this being a turning point in your life towards better and improved health benefits! It really will affect almost every aspect of your life in a positive way!! You will find many friends on this site..folks like yourself that had a less-than- enthusiastic 'support' team. I am fortunate in that I have a general paractioner that applauded my decision and a husband who is my biggest cheerleader. Several of my friends do know that I had the surgery and are thrilled for me. There are others..including most of my family ...that I could never tell. I accept the fact that there are some folks who will not accept something they don't/can't understand. Anyway...have a great time in Mexico..are you going with a friend? If so & you are feeling up to it, you might want to check out Revolution Ave...There are some fun little shops there to pick up some touristy stuff and the storekeepers are friendly and quite the entertainers! One of them had an aquarium that had the most amazing little Asian turtle that I would have loved to have adopted it and taken him home! (the turtle, not the storekeeper...lol) Please keep us updated on your experience and always know that your fellow lapbanders are here to help share the journey !

...consequence of operator error. So true !!! LOL

Hi jojobeans.. Dr. So advised me that the sensation of "getting stuck" is an indication that either you didn't chew your food enough..or you took too big a bite and attempted to swallow too large an amount of food. He also stated that certain foods will become stuck..such as white doughy breads, pastries, bagels, flour tortilla's, white pasta. They aren't good for us anyway..so it's actually a Good thing that they are on the "no-no" list! lol If certain meats don't seem to work for you..take a break from them for several days..then try again with itsy bitsy pieces. You do need your protein and iron..and yes you can get them from pills..but the eating of 'real foods' is part of the process. Sometimes it is a good thing to start the day off with a warm cup of tea...it seems to relax the plastic in the lapband fill-channel and allows solid foods to pass through easier. "Stuck" is the term used when the sphincter at the base of your esophagus goes into an "esophageal spasm" when stimulated by the lump of food that you just swallowed. This spasm usually results in the proverbial P.B and or sliming..which is essentially the same thing. (A Productive Burp). Good restriction is the sensation of feeling full after having eaten a Small portion of solid foods and this sensation of feeling full will last for 3-4 hours. Poor restriction means it takes more food to feel full and that you feel hungry sooner after eating. Your 'Sweet Spot" is that lovely balanced place where we all want to be...the place where small portions will last us without hunger and our energy is bright and our weightloss/weight management is optimal.. Dr. So advised that the portion lapbanders should be eating is 1/3 of what we would have eaten pre-band. Dr. Martinez advised me to keep my portion the size of the palm of my hand. So that's what I was told and having several friends who have been lapbanders for years..they also concur that this advice from OCC is accurate for them as well. Hope this helps!

Good thinking on planning your fill with your holiday plans in mind. What you feel now regarding hunger, fullness, etc, is bound to change as the days go by. It seems as though it takes between one and three weeks post-fill for the saline & lapband to settle. My restriction from the first fill took amost three weeks to stabilize..after my second fill it was quicker..it was like closer to a week. I've hit a plateau so I'm going for a third fill this week..not to OCC unfortunately but to a local doctor that does not use fluoro.. I'm only having 1.5 cc added so I'm sure we'll be fine. Have a great holiday..and enjoy your new restriction!!

Hahahaah..its SO true Lindsay. Cobby dogs..cobby owners!!! I'm the organizer of a dog club here in Victoria ( www.pug.meetup.com/687 ) and most of the dogs are fit and trim and so are their owners.....but there are a few (especially the pugs & their people) who err on the side of chub. Until recently I was one of the misfits...2 slender, athletic little Boston Terrorists coupled with an overweight middle aged Mom...No More!!!

Just wondered if anyone else here on the forum had (or has) the sleep disorder called sleep apnea? My Mom suffered from it (all 100 pounds of her!) my slender brother had (has) it and I was blessed (NOT!!!) with it. It got SO much worse when I gained weight 5 years ago that I ended up on a CPAP machine at night to help me breath correctly. Now that I've lost 63 pounds the apnea seems to have disappeared..but I still keep the machine on my bedside table just in case my husband nudges me awake to tell me I'm not breathing!!! Anyone else out there in lapband land that has a story to share???

The Galloping Goose trail is an old railway line that starts in Victoria, B.C and follows the path of the old rail tracks that end in a gold mining town called Leechfield. The total length of the line runs close to 130 Kilometers and is partly paved and partially gravel. It runs thru developed areas, thru parks and eventually along salmon bearing rivers and streams. There are wooden trestles bridges that span white water with rapids and bear encounters in the bush country isn't uncommon! My husband and I did the city ride this weekend with plans to head the other direction and into the "wilds" in two weeks with another couple. I've found for myself I have to incorporate exercise into my 'real life' not just my 'gym life' I'm lucky in that I enjoy exercising ( I had been an athelete in my younger life) so the diversity of exercise routines is very satisfying. Plus it helps me get a good night's sleep!! Prior to losing these 63 pounds I suffered from sleep apnea and had to use a CPAP machine in order to sleep deeply and safely thru the night. With this weight loss my sleep apnea has all but dissapeared!! yahoo..The CPAP was necesssary..but hard to deal with.

Hi fellow lapbanders.. Here's my normal weekly work out: Two 45 minute walks every day (with my dogs) rain or shine. Monday/Wed/Fri: 20 min cardio on the recumbent bike and 40-50 minutes of weights and strength training at my womens-only fitness centre. Tue & Thur: 1 hr deep water aerobics at the rec centre followed by 20 swim laps. Saturday: 2 hour trail hike (Thetis Lake) with husband and dogs. Sunday: three or more hour bike ride on the local Galloping Goose trail The stronger and leaner I get, the easier and more fun it all is!!!

Hi Debbie..email me and I'll give you the name of my tax preparer...she has her own home based business up in Shawnigan Lake and she is also a tax preparer for H&R Block. She'll make house calls to pick up your paper work if you need that service as well!!! My husband and I biked into Victoria today (we live near Goldstream Park) ..had soup in Chinatown and biked home..a total of 50K.....it felt great!! You and I should connect and have some good outdoor time and chat about our lapband experiences. ..Cheryl

The following info is for B.C residents: In addition to the surgery fees, fill costs and transportation costs, you can also deduct up to $51 dollars per day while out of the country during the course of the medical proceedure. The $51 is the maximum deduction allowed to cover cost of food and accommodations. As always..consult with your tax preparation firm to determine the correct course of action for your individual situation.

I live in B.C and my tax preparer advises that it does qualify..even the transportation back and forth for fills qualifies.