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Know that I'm saying this from a kind place even if it sounds mean, because I don't know if you need to hear it: knock it off! Don't eat seconds, don't snack, don't graze, just DON'T. Yes I know how hard that is because I am almost 5 weeks post op, no fill yet, hungry a lot. BUT. You need to train your brain to accept a smaller portion as "enough". You need to eat small portions and stop when you're done, and when you've done it for a while your brain will start to see a small plate of food as normal and a large plate of food as excess, a gross amount of food even. You're not doing yourself any favors by still eating larger portions and snacking a lot. Remember, the band will help you feel satisfied sooner, but it WON'T stop you from overeating. If you don't get used to the smaller portions now, you'll regret it once you get to a good fill spot because you still won't be getting the results you want.

Banded 4/13/11 never vomit, no fill. Issue is I aways feel like something is stuck in my throat. I have read about stricture, dysphagia, and gerd, I am confused. It started when I went to mushies. Two weeks ago, doc said it would go away, it hasn't. Dr said I was eating to fast, I timed myself and took tiny bites. This is frustrating and scary. Any suggestions? Anybody else gone through this. Oh did a barium in front of an xray no slip. Thanks guys

Hi all, First post, but I have read the forums here from time to time. It's been a long road, but I was banded two days ago. 5-10-11 by Dr John Groves in Albertville Al, I'm still a little sore and have some upper chest/shoulder gas pain, but I'm feeling great all things considered. My main motivation for being banded was my diabetes. I've been Type 2 for almost 15 years. I am at max dosages on 4 different oral diabetes meds plus a Byetta injection. They were no longer doing the job and my blood sugar numbers were close to out of control. The next step was insulin and due to my job, I REALLY didn't need to be on insulin. Happy to report that after 2 weeks low carb Pre-Op diet and just a couple of days post-op my blood sugar is showing a marked improvement. Went from 200+ to 120 so far. My younger brother was banded 3 years ago and lost about 100 lbs and it has stayed off. He was also off all his diabetic and severe high blood pressure meds at 4 months and 40 lbs in. I started my journey last August with a visit to one of their seminars. Then I spent the next 7 1/2 months jumping through all the hoops for Highmark BCBS. Last Dr supervised diet visit was visit 3-6-11. I got approved 4-1-11 and got the letter 4-10-11. I got my date a few days afterward. The surgery went great. No problems getting put to sleep (my biggest fear due a prior surgery years ago). Arrived at the hospital at 6am, was in surgey by 7:30, recovery and waking up at 8:45,in my room at 9:30, swallow test at 11:15 and on the way home by 12:30. All went great. As of now,I'm not feeling hungry. I only have a few cravings, but no hunger pains. Look forward to my first fill! I hope to become a part of this community. I think all of us have a lot in common. Thanks, Dave_C

You need to look for another Doctor. The whole purpose of the lap band is to feel a restriction when eating. If he does not want to do a fill, then you need to find another Doctor. Tell him that he needs to go back to training about the lap band since he does not know what he is doing.

The thing you ahve to remember is that if you're going to have excess skin - you ALREADY have it. That skin is already stretched out, those collagen bonds are already broken, you cant undo it with exercise, creams, slower weight loss, nothing. Its just down to genetics and luck. a good clue is stretch marks, if you have them, that skin isnt really going to snap back. If you're stretch mark free like I was, then you have some hope, but at 43, although I dont have an excess skin "problem", my body would look better and tighter if I'd never become overweight. But I'll take it, it sure beats still being obese. Try not to stress about it, none of us have perfect bodies and I think the key to happiness is learning to love what you have. Exercise WILL give your body a better shape and create nice muscle that will fill out the skin a bit better though, we've all seen those crash diet after pictures where people have lost 500lb in 4 weeks and look like they've walked out of a concentration camp. That's the look you get when you lose the wrong sort of weight - too much muscle, proper diet and exercise, plenty of Protein, enough carbs for energy, some cardio and some strength training will preserve your muscle as much as possible (its unavoidable to lose some muscle with weight loss) and keep you shapely rather than scrawny.

I am so ready! I can hardly stand being in my own skin anymore, but nothing else fits!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, Congrats on losing 35 lbs. Those 35 lbs are gone and never coming back. Great job! I havent lost 150 lbs, ive lost 61 lbs and need to lose 40 more. We both have the same goal though, and that is to lose weight! You have taken the first step and that is getting the band. You will do great. Keep a positive mind, and make sure to take before pictures! I weigh myself constantly... and times where the scale is not moving i will take recent pix and compare them to my post op pictures... and i have a non-scale victory! Its amazing how your body will transform. I was banded about a year ago, so if you have any questions feel free to ask/private message me.

Hello..it only been 2 weeks and I still have sticthes in..as soon as they r gone i will be working out for sure. My Husband is in the USMC so I got the band in NC but now we r stationed in VA. I have been driving back and forth to NC for care. I was hoping for help from my doctor but I am only his 2nd patient that had to have thier band removed, so he dose not have anything in place as far as a team for people like me. The band cause a very bad infection in my liver and kidneys. I was in the hospital for 5 days, with a tube up my nose down into my tummy, so healing has been real slow. I just feel so bad now i dont have the band. I have lost 150 pounds and the idea of being fat again scare me so. I was hopeing that someone has been thought this so they can give me some ideas. I called my doctor today and i am hopeing to get into a support group.

I am sorry that your experience was a bad one. I was banded by Dr. Felts May 2008 and he also called me from his cell phone the day after surgery and also the next week although he was out of town on vacation. Dr. Felts is no longer with True Results which would be the reason why they turned you away, and like the other poster said most surgeons will not just "assume" or take over another surgeon's client, especially when the original surgeon is still local and still practicing. I was very educated not only by Dr. Felts' staff but by him as well during each one of my fill visits that were all done by him personally. If I had any questions, he would answer and not just some nurse. He would never rush through any appointments and was always prompt. I haven't had a fill in over a year but to date I have lost 130lbs. I was featured on his website after 1.5 years for a success story so I know these stories are real: http://drfrankfelts.com/patient-results-weight-loss-surgery-dallas-texas/lamonica-lap-band-results.html Maybe if you visit him in his new office you can get some of your issues resolved. Also nobody I know personally or researched had any complications. Thanks,