B-52

Just about everyone I know who has lap band surgery has said how they were good at dieting, lost as much as 75lbs, as you say, only to gain it all back and then some...myself included... WLS is different....it is something that is altered surgically to permanently keep the weight off, for life.....if we let the band do it.... Loosing too much weight too fast..... I get 2 different views on this.....other people who are NOT over weight, they are fit and in good to excellent health, are the ones who tell me all the time how great I look......including my Dr,'s and people at the gym..... People who are the opposite, overweight, (obese) and unable to loose and keep the weight off, etc., THEY are the ones who comment that I do not look healthy, sickly.....I've had some ask me if I was terminally ill.....

Your journey is just beginning....there will be many things yet to learn....and yet many people do and have been 110% successful.....so yes, this thing does work...and IMO, the biggest obstacle is ourselves getting in the way...... Hang in there, and good luck....if you want it bad enough, then you will not let anything get in your way and you will achieve it......

It was never a question about time..... Each visit, my Dr. would look at my weight loss (or gain) since last visit, ask a few basic questions about hunger, cravings, etc, would refer to the "Yellow-Green-Red" chart he has hanging on the wall and discuss where I was at.... THEN he would determine whether or not I needed a fill, and how much..... It's all about loosing weight, steadily.....and if you are, be it from the band or from good old discipline and dieting, then there is no need to get a fill..... But, if we were that disciplined and good at dieting, then there was no need to have weight loss surgery.....because we would not be fat.... So it depends upon you and your progress.....

I'm the opposite....because of the band.... When I am busy, on my feet no stop go go go....the last thing on my mind is food. I forget to eat anything at all.... As I read your post, you never referred to the band and what, if anything it is doing for you at all..... Your post read like someone following, and struggling staying on a "Weight Watcher's" or "Jenny Craig" or any other diet regime out there..... But no mention of the band....

You're right...you messed up...you missed your chance.......NOT!...... You were just banded....what do you think is going to be different today than what is was before March 29th ? The early phase of this is VERY hard...as though there is no band at all....that's why it is adjustable. Over the next few months it will get better as the band is adjusted..... In my case it took a good 4 months of "White Knuckling" it, then another 2 months getting it figured out..... Go EASY on yourself....we have ALL been there...if anyone says they were not, then they did not need Weight Loss Surgery.....

You're only 5 weeks out, so you have to deal with this more strictly than some people because you need to get this band thing working for you...and that can take months...so learn and follow the rules till you know them inside-out...you will need them later.... I'm at a point now, being 2 1/2 years out and finished loosing weight for over a year now, will eat whatever I want when I go out....but what I now want is much different from what it was in another time in my life.....I now just make wise, healthy nutritious food choices, and something that will not disagree with my band....

It's not a will power thing for me.... Today: Had my usual morning smoothie....was very busy at work, saw patients right thru lunch...did not bother me at all....no hunger...and I did not have a thing to eat all day.... The drive home from work, stopped at Starbuck's for coffee, but did not even think of a snack.... For dinner, still was not hungry, and not really interested in eating.....but I knew I should eat... I had a piece of roasted chicken, leg and thigh, along with a little potato salad and some veggies...barley made it through the chicken, and just tasted the sides..and the band sets my portion sizes anyway...(I never measure) but I'm satisfied.... I will have another smoothie later just to be sure I get my Protein.... Today was one of those days I did not eat too much...it happens, but bottom line is I was not hungry all day, and still not....and when I did eat, my portion sizes were set by the band.... That is what being in the green zone is like for me....have to remind myself to eat, and if I am busy, I can easily forget and not even think about it.... As far as head hunger, that goes away by itself after a while I guess...have no other explanation other than it does not bother me like it used to. Sure, I'll crave ice cream for example, so I will have some if I want it....I look at that as normal....everyone goes through that, and who doesn't like ice cream? ...including people who have never been overweight a day in their life...difference is I will not eat enough for 10 people like I used to...just a normal helping....

Many people here talk about following the "Rules" as a path to loose weight.... A month after being banded, I told my Dr. I did not need surgery to follow another set of rules like I did, and failed at in the past... He advised me, to "practice and learn" the rules, because when restriction comes and you want to be in the Green Zone, it will be the ONLY way I will be ale to live day to day wit the band....the band will only work if I adhere to the basic principals..... Needless to say, I went along not adhering the rules well, but when I hit tha Green Zone....BAM! Suddenly it all made sense.....and what I should have been practicing all along I had to make second nature, or else.....I learned many lessons, the hard way...but learn I did, and now it is all very natural and I don't even need to think about it all that much.

I cannot eat meats, or at least have trouble...Dr. Says typical and expected...I stopped eating red meat for over 2 years now..... I don't eat Breakfast...cannot eat anything solid first thing in the morning, so I rarely eat eggs...and when I do it is usually egg white omelettes with goat cheese. There is a balancing act between being too tight and eating differently than we are accustomed to....the way I eat now, I could not have imagined it would have been possible....small portions, very healthy foods..... I compare my self with my friends and peers who have never been fat a day in their life...and I do not eat any less than they do....and I find it interesting that the foods they choose to avoid are almost identical to the foods I now avoid.....theirs by smart choice, mine due to the band....but now a new normal.... So I feel very comfortable, satisfied and above all happy with where I am now because of the band. BTW, when I had my last fill, hit the green zone, I could get stuck as much as 3 times a day, let alone 3 times a week......but then I learned to adjust my lifestyle and stay within the green....I have not been stuck in well over a year now.....

It's 4 am, having my coffee before heading off to the gym...checking all my e-mails, weather, news headlines, etc, which I also do each morning.... Then I come here, check all the "New Content" since last logging in.....WOW...seems just about every post is about someone needing help...someone struggling....not happy, having a tough time...totally confused...falling off the wagon .looking to get back on track.....and the people who are having issues are prone to attack other people! (misery likes company?) and on and on it goes.... I'm glad I do not come here for inspiration and motivation....because there are days it just isn't visible! Not a good way for some to start their day......

I put 1/2 banana in my smoothie from time to time.... It is not very band friendly for me to eat one "as is"...too risky, so like other foods I stay away..... (I don't count calories)

I think it was my last fill... The Dr. always starts by extracting ALL the Fluid to measure, check for clarity, etc.... This one time, he was unable to pull the syringe back, My tube had a kink in it, just like a kink in a garden hose...pulling back on the syringe only made the kink tighter.... Fortunately, my pot is right under my skin (no belly fat) on top of the muscle, and you can see the port AND the tubing...you can see the kink.... So, between the both of us, one pulled gently on the syringe and the other massage the tubing to straighten it out. Never had a problem since and that was 2 years ago.... But the tubing can kink....

In 2 1/2 years, I have never felt full....many people here say they have that "Full" feeling..... What I do have.....by the mere presence of the band, where it is and adjusted, ..is the band telling my brain I am full....in other words, it would be as though I was full, and my brain says I do not need to eat because I am full,..but physically I don't feel full...it's a mental thing....and it took me a while to "listen" and understand the signals..... I have no desire to continue eating, and most times I did not feel like eating in the first place but I know I need to.....so when I do I make wise food choices knowing my portions will be limited... no counting calories..... Rarely am I ever hungry....not just between meals like some people experience, but 24/7....

I was cleared after one week, by my Surgeon.... I sit in the Whirlpool for 20 minutes BEFORE my workout to loosen up the muscles and these old aching joints..... then after my workout, which includes a 5 mile run, sit in the sauna 30 minutes, 5 days a week.... I hope you understand that saunas are NOT for loosing weight, but do have many other beneficial purposes....I believe it is part of the reason that I do not have any excess skin after loosing all my weight.....

Depends upon the individual and whether or not you are concerned about calories..... Yesterday, watching basketball, I had 2 CARBONATED Beers....did not feel anything different.....but like anything, you have to get to know your band, learn to "listen" to it with everything you swallow....

I used to in the beginning because I was told to....but I take this large Omega 3 fish oil by Rx that cannot be crushed....after taking those whole - 4 of them daily....I realized I di not have to crush the others that were much smaller....so in the last 2 years, No....

Look at it this way...they see dozens upon dozens of people like you and with your insurance policy....feel encouraged that they feel confident about your approval. In my office, we see claims we just know should not, and are not going to be a problem so we get a head start instead of waiting...... and if not, they re-schedule....no big deal. (other than you taking time off and arranging your schedule) so be confident that they are confident....

I know a few who have, 2 in particular, that have and are happy they did..... One woman, her Surgeon would only do 1/2 cc fill each month...nothing more...not explain anything as to what his treatment plan and expectations were....and she was paying out of pocket for each visit....everyone else in our group was moving right along, hitting our Green Zone and approaching our goals within that first year.... She felt her Dr. was dragging her along not for her sake, but to milk the process and guarantee a steady cash flow.... She changed Dr.'s to one that was a little more aggressive and concerned about her progress and welfare...things did significantly turn around fer her....and within a relatively short time after that, she met her first goal, and recently had some cosmetic surgery done.... Dr.'s are people....having a good repoire and communication, trust, is 1/2 the battle...they do not get insulted when you seek second opinions. As a matter of fact it is expected. Not everybody is compatible with everybody....We're not sheep.

I am one who did very little research...... Medically, I had one footin the gave....was told I should think about the "arrangements" As a LAST RESORT my PCP said do this, or else....make the appointment and speak with them..... Sure, I learned about the risks, but was was the alternative? What was my back-up plan? Dieting? Been there, done that.....and with that I was a COMPLETE FAILURE....but with this I am a COMPLETE SUCESS! This thing WORKS....it performed exactly the way it is designed to do....all I had to realize was I could be the biggest problem.... Changed and SAVED my life....with no problems at all other than the first few months as someone else said the majority of posters here are in that same boat....

Is this going to be done in the Dr.'s office with a local? Or under full anesthesia.... Removing just the port means you will have no fluid in your band.....

Talk to your Dr.... Also, you did not say how much each fill was...total saline in the band...I know Dr.'s who only give 1/2 cc per fill....so times 8 that would be 4cc? I do know people from a different group who have the 14cc band - the largest...and it takes more Fluid than others to achieve the same results.... Curious...when were you banded that you got the 14cc band?

Is the hernia new? Or something postponed until you lost weight....

When you have to care for people in ill health, it only makes you value yourself and want to take care of yourself even more .... Keep up the good Karma...what goes around comes around....nothing is ever lost in the universe...

Twice a day...out of habit.....first thing in the morning, and later at the gym.....I don't know why...I can predict what it would be...guess I'm more afraid it will change significantly... But for 2 years it has been holding steady with the same 5 lb fluctuation up and down....

Speaking for myself and my own experiences....part of the new life with the band is that it will change our lives....in order for me to co-exist with the band, I have changed in ways I could not have imagined I was capable of before the surgery, or even within the first few months to a year.....and now people look at me and say is that all you're going to eat? Or. aren't you going to eat at all?? There is a very gray area between the band being too tight, between us not changing our eating habits/techniques, and even the choice of foods we eat........ No one here can possible know what you are going through (*although your symptoms sound familiar)......but I do personally know patients who refuse to give up their old ways when it comes to food and eating....then turn around and say the band is not working, and they feel like a failure.....it is very sad, but there is nothing anybody can do...they have to make their own decisions....but it is still sad to see them self destruct when they wanted this so much.... Lets face it...we are/have been fat because our eating sucks! years upon years of practicing the wrong things....heck...mine started when I was 5...my mother set a fine example.... For me. it became a battle between myself, and the band...went on for months.......I could have gotten an unfil and declared victory....but that would mean holding onto my old habits...fortunately the band is now the boss....and now I have not gotten stuck, slimed, or whatever in over a year....and I am done loosing weight....nothing left to loose... Again, I'm not saying this applies to you...only way anyone could tell is to spend a day together.....but this is what I have found to be true for me and other patients I know...face to face... Some people find other avenues to get to the same place.....I hope you find yours.....