VTAP3711

All I can say is that Dr. Cywes is an excellent, professional Doctor who I believe cares about my health. I was banded in 2011 and have received nothing but the best care from him and his staff prior to and since then. There must be some issue causing Dr. Cywes to relocate and I wish him the best of luck. My advice to all is to avoid Dr. Pinnar at all cost. He was with (my) Dr. Cywes for a short time and I found him to be unprofessional and inept. He was unable to find my port for a fill and spent 10 minutes poking me in the stomach with a needle. Dr. Cywes came in and found the port in 30 seconds. I would not trust Pinnar to remove a splinter.

You and I are at the same stage right now. I had surgery on 03/07/2011, lost weight at first...but now I'm at a stand still and may have even gained a pound or too. At this point I can pretty much eat as normal (which is not a good thing in my case). Surgeon's office support staff says the reason I am stalled is - what I lost prior to and just after surgery was mostly water weight, which is now being replenished (yippee

That is so awesome! My goal at this point is to fit into "regular girl" sized clothes....ya know....no more plus sizes. Keep up the good work!!

MOMIOF3CV, I hope all went well with your surgery and that you are recovering quickly.

I was banded 03/07/2011. Doctor put me on liquids for 10 days after surgery. Amazingly, I was not physically hungry at all. However, at around day 8 I began to have physchological hunger, even though I was not physically hungry. Recovery has been really smooth so far, thankfully. I did have one mishap when I tried to eat a piece of chicken breast during the mooshie phase. It was SO painful, but after a couple days of liquids I felt fine again. Looking forward to my first fill. Good luck to all the "Marchies" and everyone.

On the morning of my surgery (03/07/2011) I was still not sold on the idea of having a lap band (is that crazy or what?). I was sitting with my kids before school watching them eat breakfast and thinking...I can't believe I am going to do this. However, I am almost 4 weeks post-op now and KNOW that I made the right decision. I yo-yo dieted for so many years. I know how to LOSE weight, I just can't keep it off. I feel like I now have a control in place (the band) to help me when I fall off the wagon and decide to eat everything in sight. I know my apprehension was from being afraid of the unknown -- how will the surgery / recovery be...what will I feel like afterward / etc. Just remember you are doing this for yourself and it will benefit your family and friends too. If you have co-morbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. you will be prolonging your life and improving your quality of life by losing the weight. You can do it!!

Hi Stevenjoec, Here are some ideas on things that I am eating in the MOOSHIE stage...... maybe some will appeal to you and help you get through to "real food". (Please note that the philosophy of my Physician's office is low carb, low carb, low carb.....so NO bread Pasta or rice. This may or may not be something you espouse to, but I'll make suggestions any way. Hope you find them helpful). -meatballs (i use Farm Rich frozen) with red sauce in slow cooker - mash up, add ricotta cheese and mozzarella -scrambled eggs with cheese and jarred red bell peppers - i make them in the microwave at work for lunch -sugar free popsicles - they're more delicious than you remember -chicken salad with mayonnaise and a hint of barbeque sauce - use the food processor to grind the chicken -smoothies - i use my Protein powder to make them - drink slowly cuz they can be really thick Good luck to you!

Did you have a hiatal hernia repaired? My understanding is that many people who get banded do (I did). That may be contributing to the pain. Laying flat on my back and staying very still helped me when I first came home from surgery. However, it's important to get up and move around periodically to help release the gas they used to inflate your belly. Hang in there...things will improve rapidly. You are going to be ok.

I was banded 03/07/11. Right after surgery I had pain for several days in the area you are describing. Laying flat on my back seemed to help me. Sitting in a recliner or laying on my side made the pain worse. You mentioned that you are now eating soft foods. One thing my surgeon's office suggests is that I use a "baby fork and spoon" to eat with. That way I don't take too big of a bite. It is still soon after surgery and I think there's still a lot of swelling and it's easy to irritate the esophagus. I really hope you start feeling better soon.

I am really thankful for this post. I was banded 03/07/2011 and weight loss has stalled. I'm going to see my Weight Loss Counselor today and will let you know what she says. I'm thinking maybe my metabolism has slowed to a crawl due to lack of food intake?

First of all let me say.....Don't give up! You are going to be ok. Need to recommit like ElfiePoo said and get back on the wagon. I'm wondering why you are throwing up. Do you feel any pain? Is there a chance you have something stuck? My suggestion is to take yourself through a carb withdrawal to get those chips, etc out of your system. Just liquids for a couple of days (broth, Water, crystal light, etc). This will significantly curb your cravings for carbs and help you refocus. Then move back onto full liquids (Protein shakes) and finally to soft foods (chicken salad, eggs, etc). You CAN do it! Most importantly, contact your Doctor for advice and to see if you need to have an adjustment. You will get this back under control! Best of luck to you!!

A couple of suggestions on making small portion size consumption less obvious. -Ask the waitress to bring you a take-home box as soon as your meal comes. Put half of the food into the take-home box and leave half on your plate. By the end of the meal, people will forget how little you started with on your plate. -Move your food around your plate and make lots of conversation. -Order off the appetizer menu only, to begin with a smaller portion. -If anyone questions you, tell them your stomach is not feeling just right today. -Just say outright that you've made a conscious decision to change the way you eat. I am of the same mindset right now. Banded on 03/07/2011 and not planning to tell anyone about it. Although my Weight Loss Counselor says that once I lose a large amount of weight I may not feel the same way. For now, I'm keeping it to myself. Don't like people to know my business, because then I have to field all kinds of questions...."can you eat that?".....etc. Good luck to you!

Marcy, I was banded on Monday, March 7th. Doing well. Doctor was able to place the port in my belly button, so there are limited entry points and, therefore, less scars. I'm glad about that. Not feeling physically hungry at all. I am still taking pain meds for discomfort, but nothing unbearable. Good luck to you! VTAP3711

To all the March 2011 Bandsters ~ how is everyone doing? I had my surgery on Monday, March 7th. So far, so good. I'm on clear liquids until tomorrow, March 10th. It is amazing because even though I have not chewed any food in 4 days, I am not physically hungry at all. Hope everyone is doing well. Go Marchies!!

Well...my surgery date is March 7th. I'm nervous, excited, scared and relieved. Have my pre-op appointment on 2/23. I think that's when the Doc will give me details about what I can / can't eat. Good luck to everyone!