Hey there Band World - it has been so long since I posted on here. Things are going great - I finally lost all the weight I had gained during the un-fill for the gallbladder surgery. Took FOREVER, but I am back to my lowest weight. To tell you the truth - I am pretty darn happy! I still want to lose about 20lbs more - which is not nearly what the Dr.s would like me to lose - but I want to be in the 100s and that will get me there with enough room to spare for ups and downs. I still love my band - it doesn't work like everyone elses - I can't eat foods for breakfast ever - only liquids - for lunch sometimes real food - sometime liquids and supper is a free for all - I can eat anything in any amount. But you know what - it helps me keep from eating horrible all the time like I used to. But I can really still eat anything I want. Hope all is going well and I will post more updates soon!

Wow someone I can relate too. I thought I was crazy. I have a really hard time eating breakfast and most of the time lunch but generally I feel no restrictions at dinner. I thought I was crazy or something. I am still disapointed in my band cause I am not losing anything I really thought that I would have better luck with this but at least I know someone elses band is "weird" like mine.

Well, Well, Well. Same here.... Liquid to real late in the afternoon, dinner is still small, but wow I thought this was weird, but it's nnot..

Chooky

I am also hoping to get to the 100's. I dont expect to ever be considered "skinny"...besided my husband would probable be unhappy if i lost to much weight.

Are you working out? what is your calorie intake?

im asking cuz i have been feeling hungrier in the last 10 days... and i know i am eating way to much..specially in the latr afternoon. I have my 1st fill coming up this week i hope it will help.Weight is coming off very slowly.

Good luck

Oh my! You guys are scaring me. I think I'm probably older than the rest of you. The pics I'm looking at are pretty young woman. I've been fighting being over 100 lbs over goal for over 30 yrs. I feel like this is my last ditch effort to be able to see all of my grandkids grow up. So, I'm finally taking the plunge. Due to insurance my surgery isn't til April 2010! But, I'm worried now. What if it doesn't work for me? Keep your chin up girls. Hopefully the weight will start dropping off and you can give me some good news! Good luck to all of you. Be happy.

thanks for sharing your struggles and success. I'm newly banded and happy to find people who are willing to talk and share.

Micky - I am not worried - I am happy where I am - each journey is different - and I am happy with mine. If you are concerned - you had better do more research for yourself.

Hello everyone: I'm going through the nutrition part of my journey and am hoping for a early May surgery date. I have researched and researched and know the pros and cons but nothing is better than someone telling me what the surgery was like; do you feel the band, do you feel the port. How do you actually chew 30 times before swallowing. How do you feel after surgery, etc. etc. I would truly appreciate someone telling me the true reality of the before and after of lapbanding. I hope I hear from someone :-)

ezzie5

I feel my port with my hand by pressing on my tummy - but not normally - I also feel a tightness or stretching feeling when I stretch or move a certain way - The band I can't "feel" - but it reminds me its there - somedays - I can eat almost like a normal person - then bam, I can barely get anything down. Very fickle. At first I counted every chew - then you learn what consistency things need to be to go down and not cause problems. ZThe surgery was a breeze - I didn't even take pain meds while in the Hospital. Walk walk, walk, walk, walk. Life after the band is not "fun" you are sacrificing one of your favorite things in the world - food. I LOVE food and now I struggle with the wanting all the time. The band doesn't help with that. Also - I NEVER feel "Full" - you know that mmm, I just ate a wonderful dinner, feeling - thats gone - its more of - I have eaten what my band will allow me. It isn't a "bad" feeling - but it isn't the wonderful feeling that it used to be. You will eat too fast, eat too much, not chew enough and have to make trips to the bathroom - no matter how careful you are - it is going to happen - so be prepared and prepare your family. Mine doesn't happen often - but when it does my parents are like - are you okay? did you get sick? I hate that. Also - my tummy is a bit different than most - it is VERY small at the top - so my band has to be almost at capacity for it to work - right now -I can drink breakfast, eat a few bites for lunch and most days supper is a free for all - I have to be very careful at night - because my band allows me to eat a LOT - but the morning and lunch it keeps me in check. If I have any of the fill taken out so that I can eat more balanced for lunch/breakfast - I have ZERO restriction after about 4PM. If I add anymore fill I can't even drink till lunch - and can only eat a few bites for supper. So as some - have a great sweet spot that keeps them in check all day - I have one that "helps" for breakfast and lunch. I have learned to deal with it. I still love my band - but it is NOT what I thought it would be. Hope this helps - and hope you accept the honesty!

I had similar situation when i had the band in - very restricted in the morning, lunch and late, late evening. But could eat more at dinner. But then everything went bad and i could barely eat and was throwing up acid, not food, but pure acid. I had a hard time getting water down in the mornings and at night. I would wake up in the middle of the night choking on my own acid - scary. I am not telling you this to scare you from getting the surgery but i just want to make sure you are aware of all the risks. The doctors told me my band had probably slipped, which is a lot more common then your doctor probably wants to tell you. They said they could try to fix it but it wasn't a guarantee and if they did fix it i had a higher chance of it slipping again. I decided to have the band removed and the acid reflux dissappeared immediately. However, when i went back for my post op they discovered they left a piece of the band behind, which is still somewhere inside of me and no one can explain. The part that is inside of me is the piece that locks the device in place so they are not sure how this happened. One explanation was that it was a faulty band or it was not locked into place when they did the initial surgery. It's been a mess and a very stressful situation as their are known possible complications if i go back in to have this piece removed. But the other scary part in the unknown - if i leave this piece inside of me no one really knows what could happen since they have never heard of this happening before. I know mine is a rare case but make sure you look at all your options and you research your doctor and the facility that is doing it. Ask them every question you can think of, how many procedure have they done, how many have gone wrong, etc...

Wow these stories are so helpful. I just got my first fill and I'm very sick. It seems like I am either too restricted or have no restriction at all. I haven't lost but maybe 5lbs. since my surgery. I don't know what to do.

I don't really lose weight with the band, rather I lose weight with weight watchers or something else and the band helps me keep it off. I can tell - you after a fill go on liquids for a full week - on day 3 start thicker liquids, but that will help your tummy go back to normal without having to have an unfill. Take it really slow after a fill. Once you can feel SOME restriction STOP and diet for a while and see if you start losing weight. I did (Im a lifetime dieter). The band keeps me from gaining it back (which I did over and over and over before). But the band is VERY different for everyone. Good luck and go to a support group - they really do help!

thanks thats what i feel now i have to diet also cause the band wont do it alone

it will be a yr. sicne i had my done at 63 yr. yes it not what i thought eihter i was thinking about going to hypnois for eating sweets which is something i crave and stays done. But might just stick to liquids for breakfast and luch food for dinner