Band Hate

[AmberStarrC]

So...I was banded October 6th 2009. Now, all I think about is getting this thing removed and having a gastric bypass done. At decision time I weighed 217 lbs. At surgery time, I was 212 lbs after the pre-op diet. After surgery I went down to 198lbs. Then came solids and I started to gain slowly. I was hungry from the minute I woke up from surgery...literally starving, stomach gurgling and I was soooo hungry. At my first fill, (Nov 11)I weighed 200 lbs. I had no restriction what so ever after the first fill so I gained another 4 lbs. when I went in for my second fill on December 16th. They pretty much bitched me out and weren't going to fill me. But the nurse said she was going to "go ahead and give me 1 cc." She kept bitching at me because I couldn't tell her how many carbs I was eating a day. They said I had to stay under 50 carbs a day and since I was out of control with my carbs I was sabotaging myself. I kept trying to explain that I had NOOOO restriction, but no one was listening. They gave me a "Weight Loss Report Card" and obviously I got an F. So finally she fills me and then does fluoro and says "Oh you ARE wide open, even after that last cc." NO shit Sherlock. So she gives me another .5 cc and sends me on my way telling me to eat 50 or less carbs per day and RANCH DRESSING. I DON'T EAT RANCH DRESSING...EVEN BEFORE SURGERY I NEVER EAT RANCH DRESSING, MIGHT AS WELL EAT A STICK OF BUTTER. But they believe because it's low carb, it's better. So now, I can't eat anything without pb'ing or straight out vomiting. It's not a matter of portions...one bite of the wrong thing and I am in pain or throwing up. The only thing that goes down easy is dry cereal (tons of carbs) and crackers...and of course anything that doesn't need to be chewed. For instance ICE CREAM AND PEANUT BUTTER. I am miserable, I hate my life right now, I'm at 210 lbs again, and I'm throwing up constantly. I've started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist and am on several medications for depression and anxiety. My therapist is trying to help me get this thing out through my insurance and get a gastric bypass, but I don't see it happening. This tool is not helping me at all. I have been drinking EAS carb control protein shakes (1g net carbs) for breakfast and lunch and dry cereal for dinner. and still gaining weight. This was not the right choice for me and I wish I had known $7,000 ago.

[RevyD]

Did you have your surgery at the OCC and if so have you talked to Dr Ortiz about this?

[tootsie_lou]

Hey Amber!

I hear you about the frustration that the tightness brings. It gets upsetting, which only seems to make it worse. Obviously your body needs nutrition right now. Vomiting constantly is not only dangerous for your band, but it messes up your electrolytes, etc. For the hunger pangs, try the chewable benefiber tablets. They don't taste as good a chocolate chip cookie, but it does give your stomach something to do besides gurgle (With added fiber make sure you up your water/fluid intake, or you will have other "problems", if you know what I mean) If you are trying to work with liquids, could I suggest another protein option? I use the B-Syntha6 whey protein powder. I also get the brand of milk called Hood Smart Milk, the 1%-tastes-like-whole-milk (Chris Everett advertises it). I take a large glass (16 oz plastic glass that I got from a trip to Moe's Southwest grill) fill it one third with ice, add 8 oz of milk to the ice, and a heaping scoop of the protein powder (love the strawberry--found that using the chocolate made me have what seems like dangerous amounts of gas ) then I mix it all with a Cuisinart stick blender. OMGosh, it is like an ice cream milkshake. The B-Syntha 6 has fiber in it also. This is very satisfying, takes me a little while to drink, and provides a lot of the nutrition I need in a form that I don't have to stress out about getting "stuck". The calorie count adds up this way: milk= 120 cal, 14 carb, 10g protein, 2.5 g fat; Protein powder=200 cal, 13 carbs (5 are fiber), 6g fat, 23 g protein. I hope the band ends up working for you. Unfortunately, the beginning of your relationship reads as pretty rocky. Sound off on this forum as much as you want to.

[ValleyGirl]

I know it's morbid but I've spent the past hour reading the memorial page on Obesity Help.com. Do you know how dangerous the bypass surgery is? Please work with your band longer before making such a big decision. It is a pesky little thing (not loving mine much right now either) but it is ADJUSTABLE and also reversable- death isn't. I was thinking maybe I should switch to a sleeve since I have such a finicky band, but after reading those posts, there is no way I would risk it.

Sabrina:)

[DisasterWalking73]

Hi, AmberStarr - I am sorry to hear about your problems with your band - that is a very frustrating place to be. I wanted to address the issue of your Doc's office advising you to eat low carb - I can think of two reasons for this, and hopefully it will make a little bit more sense to you.

First, most overweight folks are insulin resistant, to some degree. Insulin resistant folks have problems processing and using sugar and, on them, it immediately turns to fat. For example, while I was on liquids-only, I actually gained some weight on Gatorade and chicken broth - because the Gatorade had sugar. Hard to believe, but true. Now, what causes weight loss in insulin resistant folks? Eating low carb? In fact, the more fat you take in at a meal, the lower the glycemic index (usually) - so this way of eating is really great if you are insulin resistant. I am insulin resistant, I eat this way (limited carbs, but I do not limit fat AT ALL - I eat real butter, ranch dressing, etc...) and I've had good results. See before and after photos under "Hi, Girls" thread - I'm 3 1/2 months banded.

Secondly, some of the low carb foods go down much easier for us than high carb (ie - bread, rice, pasta). Slow-cooked meats, cheeses, most veggies - never a problem for me. So, you might want to give it an honest try and see if it makes you feel better, and see if it gets you some results. Even if this doesn't work for you, I really hope you find a solution! - Deena

[MyNewLife]

Amber,

Im sorry that you are having so many issues and I think you have came to the right place for some little encouragement and advise. I agree, if you were banded by Dr. Ortiz, please give them a call. Second, If you can, find another fill Doctor. Everyone is different and you know your body and the Doctor should listen to what you are saying.

Please dont get discouraged and I know it is very easy to do. I am running a pretty tight band right now myself. I would suggest you start back to the basic and stop worrying about carbs for right now. I am far from an expert but I would love for you to try a couple of things. It will give you protien and maybe will will help you from getting sick. r

Right now I am eating the following options: Trying to stay away from snacks. If I do I try to snack on almonds or fruit. I drink water as my snacks...water is VERY important. I measure out my food as well. I cant eat over a cup of food at a time now....More like 1/2 cup right now....A couple of food that I can not eat is ..Bread, tortilla, Brocoli, I dont eat breaded or fried foods....I watch my cheese intake as well (very high in fat)...Maybe this will help...EVERYONE is SO differnt and you might not do some of these things...

Breakfast ( I am very tight in am)

Protien Shake (I use Max protien from GNC) very high protien and very little sugar....

Drinkable yogurt

About 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Oatmeal thinned out with skim fat free milk..

S-Water I try for 20 ozs

Lunch ( I cant reheat leftover, will get stuck everytime, I think it dries my food out)

I can eat salad without any trouble, alot of people cant....Light Italian has under 3 grams sugar

Refried Beans (low sodium) 1/2 cup

Fruit. I LOVE fruit

Yogurts

I try not to eat meat, if I do I have to eat lunch meat,salmon patties (with ketchup) or ground turkey, CAN'T do anyother meat for lunch..

Dinner

Im usually a little looser at night, Im ok to eat kinda whatever....

Again like I said I am far from knowing the right things to eat but I try my best to stay on track......We all slip, we are human......

I wish you ALL the best and I hope that this helps you.......PLEASE PLEASE keep us posted!!!!!

Carrie

[funmama707]

Where did you get your band? I'm sorry you are feeling so down. I'd totally call the doctor.

[Smiley]

I don't think the band is your problem, I think the place you get your fills is your problem. Let us know where you live and maybe someone can suggest a reputable fill doctor.

I live in KC and a patient who wasn't getting anywhere with her fill doctor in Detroit came to my doctor here and within 2 visits he had her up and working perfectly. I think she had spent 5 or 6 months getting no where with the people in Detroit.

Don't give up on the band until you are 100% sure it is the band and not your medical care.

[Littleroo27]

While it's true that not everyone does well on the band (some people have unexpected swelling that closes of their stomach, etc), I would strongly advise you to go somewhere else (run, as fast as you can!) and have them look at your band first. Maybe something is wrong that can be corrected without removal of the band. Maybe you're too tight, causing your pouch to enlarge. Maybe you're just too tight. maybe your band slipped. Maybe you have allergies or athsma or something else that caused your organs to swell and cut off the opening into your stomach.

At the very least, even if you decide to have the band removed, it's important to make sure that nothing is really wrong that could physically hurt you while waiting to have the reversal surgery.

I hope things get better for you soon (hugs). Please keep us up to date about what happens.

Beth

[Lindsay]

I don't think the band is your problem, I think the place you get your fills is your problem. Let us know where you live and maybe someone can suggest a reputable fill doctor.

I live in KC and a patient who wasn't getting anywhere with her fill doctor in Detroit came to my doctor here and within 2 visits he had her up and working perfectly. I think she had spent 5 or 6 months getting no where with the people in Detroit.

Don't give up on the band until you are 100% sure it is the band and not your medical care.

i completely agree with this.

[magkai1]

I agree with previous posters that you should get a second opinion before you spend more energy on hating the band.

Good luck with everything and keep us updated!

[jhawkchick75]

Pretty much agree w/ what everyone has said here. A. I'd have a new fill doctor quick! Anyone treated me that way i'd be gone! I think you still have a good chance to make this work and I wonder if they would even do GB on you at that low of a weight? Not sure what the requirements are but at 212 I wonder if they would even consider you. I'd try to make the most of what you have and the first step to that would be finding a new and more supportive place to get fills.

Good luck!

[Lindsay]

I'm a bit confused ... you posted in October, saying you had severe restriction, and was related to eating french (white) bread.

You've had this issue since October?

And unfortunately, you still have to make healthy food choices with the band.

A calorie is still a calorie.

[dawns]

Have you thought about calling the OCC and talking to Dr. So or Dr. Acosta? Since you were banded there they could certainly be very helpful as to what may be going on.

[celticbanded]

Amber, like everyone else her I am so sorry to hear you are having this experience. I agree with many that you need to change where you are getting your fills. They are not listening and to me actually assuming. I got a little bit of that at Fill Center of America this last time, but she was able to see that it was in fact just flowing right through. Please don’t give up, just change fill places to one that you feel more comfortable with.

[stormy]

Where ever you are getting your fills, please go somewhere else. That is crazy. Let me tell you what has happened with my fill dr. I went to see her today. It has been since June and I was worried that she was going to really come down on me. I explained to her that I could eat whatever I wanted and I was concerned that I had gained. She did not yell at me, she didnt come down on me. She talked to me about my choices, how I felt about my band and what my goal was. She agreed that it was obvious that I would gain weight since I did not have my tool assisting me, since I was so loose. I agreed that making decisions about when to get my fills and what I was eating was very important. I have this tool. I need to use it and ignoring my ability to eat like I was, was affecting my chances of real success. I felt very positive when I left her office. I feel like I am back on track and that she is very supportive of me making changes. If a fill dr makes you fill like crap about your progress and then gets you too tight, only to make you hate your band. That is not the dr I would want to see. I hope you dont go for the bypass, my friend got it and she is misrible and is sick alot because she dont get the vitamins she needs. I see her eating baby food to get her vitamins. Yuck. I dont know how long you have had your band but I would get a new dr and try to work with it more. We are here to support you through this, dont give up just yet.

[AngieB]

So...I was banded October 6th 2009. Now, all I think about is getting this thing removed and having a gastric bypass done. At decision time I weighed 217 lbs. At surgery time, I was 212 lbs after the pre-op diet. After surgery I went down to 198lbs. Then came solids and I started to gain slowly. I was hungry from the minute I woke up from surgery...literally starving, stomach gurgling and I was soooo hungry. At my first fill, (Nov 11)I weighed 200 lbs. I had no restriction what so ever after the first fill so I gained another 4 lbs. when I went in for my second fill on December 16th. They pretty much bitched me out and weren't going to fill me. But the nurse said she was going to "go ahead and give me 1 cc." She kept bitching at me because I couldn't tell her how many carbs I was eating a day. They said I had to stay under 50 carbs a day and since I was out of control with my carbs I was sabotaging myself. I kept trying to explain that I had NOOOO restriction, but no one was listening. They gave me a "Weight Loss Report Card" and obviously I got an F. So finally she fills me and then does fluoro and says "Oh you ARE wide open, even after that last cc." NO shit Sherlock. So she gives me another .5 cc and sends me on my way telling me to eat 50 or less carbs per day and RANCH DRESSING. I DON'T EAT RANCH DRESSING...EVEN BEFORE SURGERY I NEVER EAT RANCH DRESSING, MIGHT AS WELL EAT A STICK OF BUTTER. But they believe because it's low carb, it's better. So now, I can't eat anything without pb'ing or straight out vomiting. It's not a matter of portions...one bite of the wrong thing and I am in pain or throwing up. The only thing that goes down easy is dry cereal (tons of carbs) and crackers...and of course anything that doesn't need to be chewed. For instance ICE CREAM AND PEANUT BUTTER. I am miserable, I hate my life right now, I'm at 210 lbs again, and I'm throwing up constantly. I've started seeing a psychiatrist and therapist and am on several medications for depression and anxiety. My therapist is trying to help me get this thing out through my insurance and get a gastric bypass, but I don't see it happening. This tool is not helping me at all. I have been drinking EAS carb control protein shakes (1g net carbs) for breakfast and lunch and dry cereal for dinner. and still gaining weight. This was not the right choice for me and I wish I had known $7,000 ago.

Wow, I am sorry your aftercare provider sucks, BUT....you are in the drivers seat of your health care. If it were me, I would go back in and be assertive, not agressive but I would talk to them about what is happening. I would stop them DEAD in there tracks if the started to treat me or talk to me like I was sub-human. You do not pay them or deserve it. HOWEVER they may be trying to teach and steer you in the right direction. There methods stink if what you are saying is how they deal with there patients. That being said, it is all about comminication. You have to do your part too. Fills are not easy. If you are to tight and getting sick all the time do something to help yourself. Go in and ask for a tiny unfill. Even as much as .1cc being drawn out could very well get you relief and put you on the road to success. Bottom line is this, you paid a good amount of pocket money to get this band and you have to work with it. I am not trying to sound harsh here...really I feel terrible about how you have been treated and where you are at mentally. If changing Dr.'s is not the option you have them work with what you got.

Being new and being over filled would freak anyone out and give them all sorts of issues. You got some good replies in this thread, now go take care of yourself. You can do this and we are all here...virtually to support you.

Let us know what is happening with you. Remember communication is key here! I wish you well.

[MyNewLife]

Amber,

I just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing? I hope everything is well and if we can be of any help, please let us know!

Carrie

[AmberStarrC]

I love the "A calorie is still a calorie" comment!!!!! That was super and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Now, I'm right on track and doing great!

Seriously though...I saw my fill doctor on this past Saturday. They postponed my fill by a week we've had a batch of bad weather here. Now I'm about to say something that EVERYONE is going to say something about, but I felt like it was my only option. Before my appt. I fasted for 3 days to lose 1 freakin pound that put me under (along with the nurse this time letting me remove my snow boots and sweater coat) my last weight by one pound. SOOOOOO, I didn't get bitched at, in fact the doctor came in said how often are you vomiting? "4-7 times a week"

then "can you tolerate any meats?" none. Ok, he says hop up on the table we're unfilling you. I start crying (guess the cocktail of anti-depressants and other meds didn't prevent that) and he pops the needle in takes my fluid out. Says you should start losing 2-4 lbs a month now. Wellll, now I can eat as much as I want again. Thanks doc. I went to my primary doc. She sent me to general surgery. They are going to take a look at it and see if it's ok. I've had several x-rays, but with the last couple months of tightness I don't know. And yeah, I don't meet the requirements for a gastric bypass. Not here anyway, and I can't afford any more surgeries. I'm gaining again. I'm drinking two protein shakes a day (EAS 17g protein, 1 net carb, 110 calories, 3g fat) and eating dinner like grilled chicken pieces with veggies. No sugars or anything like that. But of course I'm sure I'm doing something wrong as usual. Good news is the nurse felt so bad for me since I was in tears leaving the office, that she didn't charge me for the appt.