B-52

I'd do it again...only sooner in life if I could turn back time...what kind? My only experience is with the lap band, and I know what that was like....100% success and easy! I don't know what the others are like so I could not say.....I only know the band and I could not be more pleased.

I told no one....took a weeks vacation time and had the surgery...at first everyone had many compliments and wanted to know my secret...I simply said I eat less, eat healthy, with plenty of daily protein and water, gave up a lot of foods, and get plenty of exercise. I would use my medical history as the motivating factor. (loose weight or die) Now, everyone has forgotten about my weight loss...it is old news...and have become used to me being this way and take it for granted.... and new people I meet never knew me when I was fat, so I don't have to explain anything.... Some people, when I tell them I was once upon a time 100+ lbs heavier, they simply cannot believe me....

I never understood this...I had to undergo a 6 month pre-surgery, medically supervised diet program. When I inquired why, it was explained to me this way.... In order to qualify for surgery, I have to prove I have made every attempt at loosing eight the traditional way, and that all those methods did not work for me...which was the case. But me saying so was not good enough. It had to be documented by someone with some credentials....thus the 6 month program, run by a medical professional where progress notes, charts, statistics where accurately kept. Then this can be submitted to insurance proving, on record, that I did indeed attempt weight loss, and failed. I did the program, and sure enough like every other program I have been on, I did great for the first 3 months or so...then I started to cheat, and then eventually the whole thing collapsed....and by month 5 It all started to come back again.... The people at the weight loss center were upset at me, but the people at the surgical center simply said it is not about the outcome, it is just something on record for the insurance co. to look at.And what had happened in that 6 month program is a good example, a snapshot, at my life of dieting and failing...proving surgery was indeed the only viable solution and the last resort. If I was any good at dieting and weight loss, I would not need surgery.... Not telling other people what to do, just saying how it was for me, my insurance, and it was 5 years ago so things may be looked at differently today. I also had to do the liver shrinking pre-surgery diet, which I started 2 weeks prior to my surgery, but that was something else...

I'm in the group where I am never hungry, have no appetite, and very little interest in food..... It is not physical, as many report of that "Full" feeling they desire, ...it is a mental thing, the band telling my brain I am full, satisfied, 24/7, whether I have eaten or not. I have to remind myself I need to eat, and then it is usually because I'm telling myself I need to get my daily protein.... I have gone, not intentional, 24+ hrs without eating without realizing it because I was occupied with other things...like traveling....

I hear this all the time....but in my case things like flying, travel, stress, grief, weather..you name it, my band seems to remain constant..... I fly all the time and feel no difference...will even order a meal on the longer flights...never a problem or recognizable difference. It does get looser and tighter (a misnomer IMO) but I know it is for other reasons,

This was the primary reason for me to have WLS....I could not stop eating, could eat enough to feed 5 people. Every Friday I could and would eat a large pizza with all the toppings all by myself...and then continue to snack right up till bedtime. Going out to dinner, whatever other family members could not finish, I would! Diets, been on dozens over the past 35 years, never worked. I failed at every single one. Could not control my eating, my hunger, and my insatiable appetite. When my health finally started to seriously suffer, my PCP referred me for WLS. Since then, I have returned to a normal weight, I am never hungry, no cravings, my tastes have changed, and frankly have no interest on food or desire to eat. I have to remind myself to, and then it is because I know I need my daily Protein requirement. Not all cases are the same as me....I know many who do have it the same way as I do, and I always thought and expected that that was the way it was supposed to be, from the very beginning........but reading the posts on this forum I realize not everyone does. Don't know why exactly, but it's true. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to over eat, even if I wanted to...which I do not or care to. Personally, for me, I cannot comprehend how I could ever "fall off the wagon" as it is....other people do, so there is something different going on from patient to patient I guess. I have my theories, but that's all they are. Theories and opinions.....So I keep them to myself.

My first few months were very slow also, actually gained weight within that period....it took about 4 months to get the band properly adjusted..for me, and my Dr. was aggressive.......then another few months to figure it all out and find "My Groove"... It can be very confusing, and sometimes reading these posts make it all the more confusing because so many people have so many different experiences. I'm old school, don't try to over think it...it has always been about calories in, and calories burned... Before banding, I ate entirely too much...enough to feed 5 people in a single day, and it showed.....the band took care of that for me,(Hunger and consumption) and I made sure to get active to burn calories (and fat) to be in a negative situation every day..burning more ( a lot more) than I consume.

Not to add more to your worries, but the anesthesiologist has to say Ok before surgery, and they are very skittish about these things.....I know from first hand experience having a cardiac history... Be sure to bring that up with your surgeon after you get past the stress test. Don't let it go to the day of surgery for the Anesthesiologist to earn about it at the little Q&A he does just before they wheel you in....he could nix it all right there....

I did real well loosing weight before surgery...dozens of times over the years.

Excellent story...thanks for sharing. All too often (everyday) there are countless # of people just starting out, and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Having constant anxiety about weight gain loss within the first 30-60 days....It is IRRELEVANT! I hope all newly banded people read your story and understand this is not an overnight weight loss gimmick, but see what can happen within one year if they just be patient, follow their Dr.'s treatment plan for them, and give it some time.... Thanks Again.

Your current lifestyle is very similar to mine....I do not eat breakfast, just a high Protein smoothie and of course my coffee.... I'm never hungry either. lunch I so busy I may only grab a cup Soup from the cafeteria....should say when I say cup, I mean a large Styrofoam cup... Then I have dinner when I get home. Because both my wife and I work, we usually pick something up or go out. I don't count calories, and I kept right on loosing until all body fat was gone...well down to 15% approx. My Dr.. knows all this, said the only thing to be extra careful about is your daily protein intake, Water and Vitamins. Since I eat so little, I need to make the best of what I do eat.... I have more energy now than I ever have, and never been healthier and active in a long, long time.

Very common from the ET Tube...they are supposed to recommend to you throat lozenges/spray before surgery, to be taken immediately afterwards. I'm sure you are now with no voice.....however 5 days later you should call your Dr.'s office. can be your PCP.

Sounds perfectly normal to me.... I don't eat bread or similar products anymore, and I lost my taste for salads....but I would dip the chicken strips into the chili... For ME, this is not another diet....it is a lifestyle change.....it's not about what I eat everyday, (well a little) but is is more about how much I eat everyday....and that is a 1/10th of what I used to eat.... I was fat because I ate enough to feed an entire family, and was a coach potato.....I am now skinny and fit because I eat what a normal person should eat, and I exercise regularly.... This surgery will change your life...

Many people felt it was not the way to go....all I heard was "Diet and Exercise".... The reason my PCP referred me was because I was "Dieting and Exercising" for over 35 years, and NOTHING worked...maybe for a short while, maybe 6 months, but then it all came back, and then some...a complete failure every time. The best was from my cardiologist..(I have had a heart attack, angioplasty and stents).....anyway he was looking down writing notes when he asked..."Why do you need this clearance? What is the surgery?" When I told him he looked up in shock, and said "YOU? Why not Diet and exercise?" I could not go through with the explanation the 100th time, but he did clear me. NOW, almost 4 years later....He cannot stop complimenting me...calls me phenomenal...a machine. Calls me HIS best success story for someone turning their life around after a cardiac episode(s) I pass the annual stress tests like 1/2 the workout I do at the gym.....everyday.. I wonder if he realizes I'm the one who had THAT surgery? I had the Lap Band...I don't care if it was the easy way out...it's all about me and I could not be happier...so what should I care about others thinking....You have to care of yourself...these critics aren't going to do it for you...if they can even do it for themselves....(Funny how the fat ones are the most critical...?) It Saved My Life!!!

I took on a new job last spring that totally wrecked my routine in regards to going to the gym, etc.....and I was getting down about it. Also fearing I would loose everything I had accomplished in terms of fitness, stamina, etc. Fortunately, with this and other circumstances, I have found that the band does not change. It remains a constant regardless of what I am going through....so regardless of motivation, stress, illness, vacations-travel, parties...anything. The band is the band is the band. I may change and have ups and downs, but the band does not. So I have no fear of failure or ever going backwards....just want to stay in top physical condition, or at least continue working at it....

I would think that treating the bacterium would be my #1 concern...being unfilled for 1 month is not so bad... Have they started treatment? Are you even allowed to put "every bit of food in your mouth?" BTW, how much were you filled and how much did they take out? Not that it matters, just curious

My surgery was a Monday Morning, had my final office visit with final pre-op weigh in on the friday before......Friday night was my "last Meal" and I went all out, knowing I would never be able to do that again.... Saturday and Sunday I went back to the liquid diet...Monday all went well.

People talk about stalls all the time.... I can't say I ever suffered from a stall, at least not the way it is foretold on this forum.... I do have my own theory why it may happen, and the reason I never really fell victim to one for any length of time. I believe that when ever one goes through a change, the body eventually catches up and acclimates to it... Take a mountain climber for instance...the higher you go, the air gets thinner....so you stop every now and then and let the body adjust. Then continue on. Same in reverse...scuba diver....a deep diver must stop at set depths to let the body adjust...same coming up as going down... There are many examples out there. Some medications need the dosage administered slowly over time untill the desired dosage is reached, and the body is used to it...same with getting off those meds. So my theory is, you change your diet, calories intake, and your physical activity....you loose weight. Possibly Fast! But eventually your body catches up, adjusts to this new different lifestyle, and settles out...and you stop loosing. When that happens, like the climber or diver, it's time to move on....OR you can sit and stay there... I say I never had a serious stall, and I believe it is because I am an exercise junkie...as I lost weight, I was also increasing my physical activity as I got better at it....5 days a week...so there was always a constant change taking place, never sitting still in one place for very long. Weight going down...down...down, and at the same time exercise going up...up...and up... Throw on top of that the fact I was always learning to eat differently, healthier, and and of course less as the fills progressed. That's MY THEORY about stalls....and I know it probably sounds like a lot of physco-babble perhaps. (BTW, I have been at a stall for well over 2-1/2 years now, but that's another story for another time.)

I've been there....including Cardiac Surgery....which means I get a stress test every year now......blood work very 4 months..... Know what? I actually look forward to my stress test now....they have to crank it up to the max to get me to their target range....to me it's just another day at the gym..... They tell me my heart actually branched out (grew) new arteries...... Thank you Lap Band !!!!

Yes, my tastes changed dramatically, and this eventually went hand in hand with my lack of interest in food and eating........which means no hunger or cravings

It certainly does, and I have happily been there for almost 3 years now without a single problem. Getting there was the most frustrating, but once I was, and I learned how to cope with it, everything has been clear simple sailing.

I'm not sure I'm understanding you...when you get your fills, injections, the needle is inserted near your arm pit? Not saying you don't, this is just new information to me....also the port getting into someones stomach. But to answer your question, my port is midway between my sternum and navel, a little to my right....it is fastened to the abdominal muscle, just below the layers of skin and fat. As I lost my belly fat, it is right below the skin and has become very prominent and can be seen through t-shirts etc.