Recent Posts
Topic: RE: Problems w/ nutrition, adrenals, thyroid, kidneys, fatigue. Is WLS to blame?
I am just reading your posts for the first time. I am glad that you are seeing a good Endocrinologist. I will tell you that I wear the Duragesic patch and have for years and it has never affected me. I am hypothyroid, hypopituitary but I had these before I went on the patch. Many years ago I had trouble with my adrenals and they thought I had Addisons but out of the blue, then my cortisol went high and then it normalized and has been normal since. I still get it checked every 6 months to make sure it is okay.
Keeping our thyroid levels maintained post op is a very tough thing to do. You need to get your levels checked every 3 months - TSH, T3 and T4 levels. Has your Endocrinologist checked you for Hypopituitary? You would need to have your growth hormone, IGF-1, prolactin, FSH, LH and a couple of other hormones that I can't remember right now. If you are in fact hypopituitary, it makes monitoring and treating your thyroid that much more difficult since someone with hypopituitary has difficulty making TSH, so your levels will be much lower than the average person - this isn't the case with T3 or T4, so these numbers are very important to checked too. It is okay for your TSH to be on the low side in this case but you don't want it even close to the top of the range,
Being on the steroids all that time did in fact help your adrenals for that period when you needed it - when your cortisol was so low and the cortrosyn stimulation test was positive. This could also be the reason for the kidney problems. Thankfully that has improved but I have to say, I have never heard of duragesic patches causes that.
Keeping our thyroid levels maintained post op is a very tough thing to do. You need to get your levels checked every 3 months - TSH, T3 and T4 levels. Has your Endocrinologist checked you for Hypopituitary? You would need to have your growth hormone, IGF-1, prolactin, FSH, LH and a couple of other hormones that I can't remember right now. If you are in fact hypopituitary, it makes monitoring and treating your thyroid that much more difficult since someone with hypopituitary has difficulty making TSH, so your levels will be much lower than the average person - this isn't the case with T3 or T4, so these numbers are very important to checked too. It is okay for your TSH to be on the low side in this case but you don't want it even close to the top of the range,
Being on the steroids all that time did in fact help your adrenals for that period when you needed it - when your cortisol was so low and the cortrosyn stimulation test was positive. This could also be the reason for the kidney problems. Thankfully that has improved but I have to say, I have never heard of duragesic patches causes that.
Topic: RE: Realize band failure
I had the origional Lap-Band in 2006, I lost about 100 pounds, then Poof! It ended. I had NO restriction at all after about 18 months. I also began to have pain, such pain that I needed a Percocet for it to stop. I went to the Dr and was told that I had an ulcer and was given meds to fix it. Then I gained about 75 of my pounds back and went to the Dr for a fill (as I said, I had no restriction) I hadn't gone earlier because the more I gained the more I was worried about the Dr, thinking I was a failure. Before I knew it, I was almost at my start weight. I went to a new Dr who told me I had a band slip. Now, 5 years after my first surgery, I am planning the band removal then I will have the bypass.
I totally feel your pain!
I totally feel your pain!
m53 r
on 3/2/11 1:06 am
on 3/2/11 1:06 am
Topic: RE: Lap-Band or RNY?
i only know to folks personally who have done the band and both had zero success, though I'm sure there are success stories out there. I'm 10 years out and maintained 248 lost pounds. i had the open RNY.
Topic: RE: Realize band failure
Join the club! You wouldn't believe how many people are in your same spot. The only time I've ever felt any restriction was when I was too tight then I'd slime and PB all the time. I lost more on my pre-op diet than with the band. I think they should be taken off the market because more times than not they don't work and certainly don't work they way they are presented to us pre-op! I wish I'd had any surgery other than the band, now my current ins. doesn't cover any bariatric surgery. So don't feel bad you aren't alone by any means!
Topic: RE: Realize band failure
Im trying to get a revision to Gastic bypass,but GHI doesn't make it easy.I really need the surgery.I reseached this so much before I had it.I felt it was worth a try but I know see its a waste of money.Who knew a revision was going to be such a challenge.Best of luck
Topic: RE: Realize band failure
It makes me regret ever getting the surgery, it now just seems like a waste of a lot of money! I'm sorry you have the same issue as me. I wish I would have researched it more before I had the surgery, because now I realize that there are a lot of people with this problem. I personally wish I would have chose to do gastric bypass looking back, it seems more effective.
Topic: RE: Realize band failure
In all honesty I hate my band.It never worked for me as I too never had restriction no matter how many fills I had.You are not a failure the band is just not what it promises
Topic: Realize band failure
Hey, I am going to be completely honest. I am hoping to find someone who has had or is having the same issue as me. I had surgery in june of 2010, I have had 5 fills, my band is 9cc;s out of 11cc's full. My frustration is I feel no resistance AT ALL. I can eat bread, chicken, steak, lobster. I still have no restrictions at all. After the numerous amount of fills I had I expected to be able to feel full like they said I would but I still do not. My doctor says it's my fault I havn't lost weight and I need to go on a diet. I obviously I had surgery to help keep my portions down, and I feel like it has not done this at all, and If I knew my doctor was going to tell me to "go on a diet" I would have never had the surgery! I have been able to loose 15 pounds and keep it off, but thats because I have change the way I eat, and try to work out as much as I can. Please tell me someone knows what I'm going through,
Topic: RE: Why we overeat...
I believe are issues are as individual as we are. My parents loved me and I am still overweight. I was trained to use food as a soother. I was not trained to do something creative with my emotions or to take a walk when I was upset, or how to deal with conflict in a productive way.
As a kid, I don't know why I could not stop eating fruit after I had eaten my share. I just could not stop until it was all gone. I cope with food, but there is more to it than that. It has to do with something beyond my behavior. I have lost weight and been 17% body fat. Slim! I had to fight to stay that way. It was a daily battle which I enevidibly lost.
My surgeon began his medical career as an internist---a diagnostician, then became fastinated with the disease of obesity. He talked with me about the production of Ghrelin and obesity. People whose body weight is greater than 50% fat produce 3x the amount of the hunger hormone (ghrelin) than do non-obease people. This is a medical fact. This is why those suffering from obesity lose and gain and lose and gain. Our bodies are hungery more often and we process our food differently than do naturally lean people or height/weight proportional people. This why WLS is covered by insurance. Obesity is a disease.
Sometimes a person needs to have medications to get them in a place where therapy can do them the most good. I see WLS as helping me get to a place where I can get physical control of hunger, so that I can get the most benefit from my therapy and the therapy will help me deal with the head hunger which will help me lose weight. I see WLS and therapy as partners in a successful journey towards a healthy life, both physically and mentally.
Peace.
As a kid, I don't know why I could not stop eating fruit after I had eaten my share. I just could not stop until it was all gone. I cope with food, but there is more to it than that. It has to do with something beyond my behavior. I have lost weight and been 17% body fat. Slim! I had to fight to stay that way. It was a daily battle which I enevidibly lost.
My surgeon began his medical career as an internist---a diagnostician, then became fastinated with the disease of obesity. He talked with me about the production of Ghrelin and obesity. People whose body weight is greater than 50% fat produce 3x the amount of the hunger hormone (ghrelin) than do non-obease people. This is a medical fact. This is why those suffering from obesity lose and gain and lose and gain. Our bodies are hungery more often and we process our food differently than do naturally lean people or height/weight proportional people. This why WLS is covered by insurance. Obesity is a disease.
Sometimes a person needs to have medications to get them in a place where therapy can do them the most good. I see WLS as helping me get to a place where I can get physical control of hunger, so that I can get the most benefit from my therapy and the therapy will help me deal with the head hunger which will help me lose weight. I see WLS and therapy as partners in a successful journey towards a healthy life, both physically and mentally.
Peace.
Heather in San Diego
HW-255, GW-140 CW-141
HW-255, GW-140 CW-141
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