Obesity in America
Obesity in America
Life After Lap Band Surgery – How Much Fluid Does My Lap Band Have?
Jul 29th
Do you have a lap band? Are you asked by other people who have lap bands how much fluid is in your band? Can you measure the exact amount of fill you need to lose weight with a lap band? Is there a right or wrong amount of fluid to have in your lap band? How do I know what the right amount of fill is? Is it important that my friend has more or less fluid in her band than I do? Would you like the answers to these questions to help you learn how to better use your band to achieve and maintain long term weight loss?
As a weight loss surgery patient who started out with a high BMI of 68.5 and some 250 pounds to lose I have been a member of the lap band community for over six years now. I think I have been asked every possible question, either at support group meetings or on line in forums or via email. One of the questions that I see popping up all over the place is “How much fluid do you have in your band?” I find myself answering that by saying that I really don’t know and I’m not sure I should really care. My main concern is knowing how well my tool is functioning, rather than the exact amount of fluid I have in my lap band.
I have learned that there is no point in comparing my lap band fluid levels with anyone else. I went my entire first year after surgery without having any fluid added to my band, while most others have their first fill at four to six weeks after surgery. Every one of us is different. As long as I felt like my band was working – letting me know with a “soft stop” that I had eaten enough, and keeping my hunger at bay between meals, I was happy. I have found it more productive to track what I eat rather than tracking exactly how much fluid is in my band.
There is much more power in this than comparing fluid levels as if each of us were an automobile engine. Even car engines take different amount of fluids depending on what make and model they are. The same is true for adjustable gastric bands. Even those of us with the same exact brand and model of band will require different fill levels to reach our “sweet spot”. The exact fill level that will provide you with the appropriate feeling of satiety varies person to person, and frequently has as much to do with the type of food eaten, the time of day, the stress level and other external factors as it does with exact fluid level.
However, I do want to understand approximately how much fluid I have in my band so that if I suddenly become hungry, and my doctor checks my fluid level and it has dropped significantly, we can investigate the possibility of some type of system failure.
When I first began investigating lap band surgery back in 2004 I went on line and tried to follow some of the conversations on the forums. Since laparoscopic gastric banding had only been FDA approved since 2001 there was not much information to be found. At that time I was frightened off the message boards by:
1. People concerned about not be able to eat and throwing up all the time;
2. People who wanted to know exactly how much fluid they should have in their bands so that “it worked right.”
These conversations left me confused and concerned and I decided that at this time the best way to pursue my investigation of the lap band was by speaking face to face with people who had the band and asking my prospective surgeon all of the questions. What I learned over and over again is that there is no magic fill level. The most successful patients seemed to be those who really listen to their bodies and those who really learn to work their tool. Unfortunately, it is not just as easy as a magic fill volume.
Now that I have six years experience (and 250 pounds gone forever) I know that if I am having problems keeping my food down it’s usually because I am taking bites that are too big, eating too fast, choosing the wrong foods (bread just NEVER will be a good food choice for me), consuming too much food, or I have irritated my band with one of the above and I am still trying to eat. As much as I would love to find the magic bullet, or magic fill that could make all of my decisions, I have learned that I am responsible for my choices and there really is no magic fill level. For me, there is a fill level that gives me a soft stop and keeps my hunger under control the majority of the time.
Obesity America: Obesity Reaches Epidemic Proportions
Feb 11th
Perhaps, the most worrying trend as far as obesity rates go is the fact that with so many more people and also children becoming obese, the problem has reached epidemic proportions not only in the US (which is most affected), but also throughout the world.
During a short span of the preceding fifteen years, the US saw more and more obese children and adults and their numbers have continued to rise, with experts now estimating that there would be as many as one fifth of all American children becoming obese in the near term.
American Children Are Becoming More Obese By The Day
With such alarming trends being observed in obesity rates in children today, there is a real reason to be very concerned with the situation and one of the main reasons why children as well as adults are becoming obese in greater numbers is the fact that they eat too much and do not exercise enough as well as lead generally sedentary lifestyles.
However, there is more that can be learnt from studying obesity rates and one other factor that helps determine whether someone will become obese is genetics which when coupled with social as well as cultural and even environmental factors can play a decisive role in making someone obese.
And, when one views the kinds of foods that our industry is churning out in huge quantities, it is easy to understand why the obesity rates continue to paint an alarming picture of the state of our health today.
What’s more, if we wish for the obesity rates to begin to decline, it is necessary to combat obesity on a war footing and to ensure that people as well as children learn to become active once more and at the same time regulate the type of foods they consume. It is recommended that obese persons (and others as well) need to exercise for at least thirty minutes daily though ninety minutes would be more optimal.
Another factor that can play an important role in bringing down obesity rates is to understand that preventing obesity must begin at home and it may warrant having to evaluate the situation at home and to also account for the environment as well as genetics and even addressing the metabolic concerns of our bodies so that the proper method to combat rising obesity can be taken.
In fact, to bring about a drastic curtailment in the obesity rates that have reached epidemic levels, it would even be necessary to take medical fixes and to also alter the course our society is taking, which though it may take time to sink in, will ultimately help us in bringing down obesity rates to manageable levels.
