Dibley Dawn

So, my port flipped over the weekend for no apparent reason. I am going in on Monday morning and he's going in through my old incision to flip it back over and restitch it. It sounds like no big deal but my question is.... a. how is the recovery from this thing? I mean, I'm planning on going back to work the next day and just don't know if I will be in too much pain or not. b. is it painful under general anesthesia? he's not putting me under, just doing a local I guess, so I'll be awake during the procedure c. anything else I should know? I hate needles and just getting the IV for the CAT scan to figure out what had happened was stupidly painful. they can never find a vein, so they poke me 10 times before they decide they have to go in through my wrist or my hand...meanwhile, my arm is full of holes. anyway, i'm just a little bit nervous as my DH has to work that day so I'll be on my own at the hospital and taking a cab home. will this be doable? or should i ask him to take the day off to be with me.

That's weird that I have started the first topic under this heading, but here goes....my surgery date has been set for May 4th. I am both excited and scared out of my wits. I have a ton of weight to lose and right now it just seems impossible. I am still going back and forth in my head, wrestling with questions of am i really going to do this? With the exception of being fat, I have zero co-morbidities, so i'm worried that I am having myself kinda sliced and diced for no real reason, OTHER than the fact that I cannot lose this weight on my own. I will have to wrap my head around it soon as my liquid diet begins 1 week from today, April 20th. anyway, enough about MY fears and worries...... Are there any other May 2011 bandsters here? who's with me?

i just read through most of the thread on 'what BMI is too large to be banded" and I have to say, while there were some encouraging posts in there, I only saw posts from people who had like a BMI of 55 or so. I have a BMI of more than 60. My handy BMI wheel they gave me doesn't go past 60.....anyway, RNY and the sleeve are NOT an option for me. I mentally just can't cut something up. The band seems more my style. I like the idea of it being reversible if weight loss doesn't happen...but I am afraid that I am too large and it's not going to work for me at all. I haven't yet had my consult, that isn't happening until mid-April, but I was hoping that there were other people out there who not only had more than just 200 pounds to lose but were successful at keeping some of it off. I am not looking to get skinny. i would be the happiest person on the earth if i weighted 250-275 pounds. right now, that seems like a far off dream.... also, i am not interested in losing weight really super fast, i know this is a slow and steady wins the race kinda thing, so i am mentally prepared. I am more curious if i could feel restriction at my size at all. anyway, just thought i would ask. thanks in advance for your calming words of wisdom

I don't know what made me lose weight with no fills..it has just worked for me. I feel satisfied and I don't think about food all day. if i stop feeling satisfied or start obsessing over food, i will have a fill. My port revision was covered by my insurance, so I don't know what would happen for self payers, but that is a question I would ask my doctor, just so you have all the info you need for whatever might happen. as far as the support group. I had not had the surgery before I went to the meeting. you can really just show up. the support group leader doesn't know you haven't had the surgery and he won't kick you out. you can just tell him you are considering it and you are there to have some questions answered before you decide. The doctors are not present at the support groups.

I just have the band and my revision was just to flip the port back over and stitch it back in place...and recovery was much more painful for me than the original surgery. i don't ever want to go through that again.

First of all, congrats on what you have done so far. 35 pounds is great and is more than zero. Secondly, we do all lose at different rates. If you were smaller (say, under 250 pounds when you started) then you are going to lose more slowly than someone who is around 300 pounds. The heavier you are, the more weight you tend to lose in the beginning. I don't kow what your starting weight was, but the majority of people here seem to start somewhere between 250ish to 315ish. 35lbs at around 6 months out for a relatively low BMI seems right to me.

I am not a person who loves to work out. I am active though, working out in my gym at least twice a week and swimming at least twice a week. In the summer, my love is volleyball and I play at least once a week in addition to working out and swimming. I've been doing all of these things for the past 3 years, even before I considered trying to diet or getting the lap band. Even being active, I didn't lose any weight. I was still eating everything in sight, so I'm sure that is why. Now that I have had the lap band and have lost a significant amount of weight, I have discovered that I have pretty much boundless energy. I'm serious, I have so much energy that sometimes I feel as if I am about to jump out of my skin.....so what did I do? Well, I decided to take it to the next level and signed up with a running coach. For a total of 12 weeks, I am working with her. Yesterday marked 1 week for me. The 1st week, I ain't gonna lie, was the hardest week of my life. I was so sore, every muscle ached, even muscles that I didn't know I had. I hurt everywhere. My coach said that I had to push through and find another time to run without her during the week, so I found the time and went without her. I should also point out that my runs were more like hobbles and walks than actual runs, but i managed to jog a big chunk of the 1.7 mile loop around Central park. Last night, I met with her for the 2nd time and we did 400 meter sprints.....4 of them. That would be 1200 meters which is a mile. I ran a total of 1 mile last night. I ran 1/2 a mile to get to the location where we sprinted, and then I ran 800 meters...I walked 800 meters and then walked the 1/2 mile out of the park. I am kinda amazed that I accomplished this. Each run is a little easier than the last (I say that with only 3 runs under my belt). I'm excited that I can actually run and I'm so proud of myself for even trying. I am still considered obese, so I definitely look like a fat girl out there running around, but I'm doing it, ignoring the stares and comments from others around me, I'm pushing myself. and I know that this is something that I can be proud of, no matter how far I run.

Oh yes, I am good at ignoring them at this point. I have a great pair of headphones that cancel out any outside noise. I can just cruise along to my tunes and ignore the world. Thanks for the encouragement.

They did mine under a local anesthesia. I was awake, but I felt nothing. I had a nice conversation with one of the doctors while the procedure was happening and it took about 10 or 15 minutes max once I was on the table. It was over so quickly, I never even knew they cut.. the recovery was a different story. wow, it was much more difficult than the initial surgery. I have no idea why. I just know that I don't ever want to go through that again.

This is officially my first blog. I don't really know what to say, so I'll just recap my journey so far. I had my surgery May 4,2011. Since then, I have lost 100 pounds, dropped from size 28/ 30 to a size 16/18 in most things, I can wear L and XL t-shirts instead of XXXL and XXXXL t-shirts. I still have a long way to go in my journey, but everyday is new and exciting. Now that I've lost a substantial amount of weight, I'm ready to step up my exercise game. I recently started working with a running coach. I have had 2 runs (well, honestly more of a walk/jog/crawl than an actual run) and I have my 3rd tomorrow. The first time I ran this past Tuesday, I almost cried because for a split second I thought I could almost fly. It felt soooo amazing. Of course, the soreness took over for the next two days and I kinda wanted to die , but all in all, I'm feeling so much more energetic and ready to take on more and more. I'm so happy with my decision up to this point, and even with a minor set back a few weeks ago of having to have a revision done due to a flipped port, I am back on track. I hope to lose another 100 pounds when this is all said and done, but I'm in no rush to get there. I am so happy where I am, and where I am is a place I thought a year ago that I could never be again (if that makes sense), so it's all good. I'm just going to keep on taking this one day at a time, enjoying life to the fullest, and enjoying each non scale victory as it comes my way.

.....i did NOT chug right after surgery. you won't want to, it will be a struggle to get any fluids down for a few days at least. right after surgery, i filled the lid to my water bottle up and took teeny tiny sips. once you start feeling more hunger, you will start adding a little bit more water. don't try to chug or drink quickly right after surgery. give yourself time to heal.

This was a big worry to me before being banded, and I have to tell you, Water goes down very easily. i chug with no problems at all. I drink a lot of water, at minimum 64 oz. per day..that's bare minimum though. I also drink through a straw and have no problems with that either. The only rule I follow is no drinking for 20 minutes after I eat a meal. other than that, I drink, drink, drink. gotta get all that water in!

Summer is the perfect time to get back on track! Start walking more, ride a bike, go for a run, do yoga in the park, etc....there are so many outdoor activities that can be done. Or, join a gym and start taking classes there. There is no reason to just stick to one person who can train you. If you have netflix, you can even rent workout DVDs to mix it up a bit. I suggest trying anything with Gilad. His workouts are great and he'll get you going in no time, plus it's a DVD so he won't flirt with you or try to date you in front of your hubby. :wub:

I have a 10cc band and no fills

You shouldn't go by what people on the board do or say because we are all different and have different experiences. If you are getting hungry between meals, find yourself looking for food or eating non-stop then you probably do need a fill. I wouldn't just get a fill because you think it's time for one. I am just over a year out of surgery, just over 100 pounds lost and I have yet to have a fill. I just haven't needed one. i have been in the green zone (or what I consider to be the green zone) since i healed from surgery. I'm not saying I'll never need a fill, maybe one day I will, but for now, I am right on track. My doctor has said that if I haven't had a fill in a year, then chances are I won't ever need one, but only time will tell. You should only get a fill when you think you need one and not because 6 weeks have gone by or because everyone else is getting them.

Yes, I love Vicar of Dibley and I really love Dawn French too! I'm just over a year out from my surgery and down just over 100lbs. Dr. Fielding did my surgery. Their staff is great so I know you will be in good hands if you choose to go with them.

I see you are having Dr. Ren do your surgery. You should definitely attend the meetings that happen (I think) on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. those are very helpful. Also, Dr. Ren's husband Dr. Fielding has events where he eats out with patients and shows them in a group setting how to get through a meal in a restaurant. I have never done one, but his office offers it. You should absolutely look into going to a group meeting though. ***edited to add**** meetings are on the 3rd wed. of the month. details below: 1-12 Months After Surgery Third Wednesday of every month, 6-8 p.m.. Location: 550 First Avenue, Skirball Conference Room. Take the "D" elevators to the 2nd Floor. (you can attend even if you are considering the surgery)

I chose the band because I didn't want to deal with staples and seepage and any kind of cutting or modifying my body. Sure the band will leave an indentation should i ever need to have it removed, but over time, it will probably heal...not really so with the bypass or the sleeve. Plus, with the band, I like the fact that it forces you to really re-learn how to eat. Of all the people I know who had the bypass, all of them gained it back with the exception of 1, and she died about 4 months after the surgery. I didn't want a quick fix or to lose weight so rapidly that I didn't learn how to change my eating habits. The band has helped me retrain my brain, so I'm glad I went with the band. If for some reason I ever need to reverse it, then I'm done. i won't be revising to sleeve or bypass or plication...they are just to drastic for me.

I don't know exactly when my port flipped, but i do know that i woke up one day with pain, it felt a little bit like a pulled or very sore muscle might feel...then it just got worse and worse. i didn't do anything to cause it, the doctor just said it happens sometimes. they can tell pretty quickly if it has flipped or not. if they try to give you a fill and can't get the needle to go in, then it has probably flipped. you should have it checked out if nothing else than to just put your mind at ease.

I only told my husband and 1 other friend who lives in another state and never sees me. it's nobody else's business but my own. I didn't want any extra scrutiny or people watching what I put in my mouth or saying things like "should you be eating that???? hmmm????" so far, i haven't had to explain anything to anyone as to why i've lost weight. either no one has noticed or no one has cared enough to ask. either way, i'm happy with my decision. I would never tell another fat person to do this or suggest they have this surgery. this is a decision i had to come to on my own, and if someone had the surgery based on something i said to them, and for whatever reason it didn't work out for them or if they didn't have similar results, i couldn't live with it....so that's why i won't be a preacher for lap band to others who might need it. they can look into it for themselves, weigh the pros and cons and come to the decision on their own.

I really didn't do anything special. I did a lot of walking (hiking on some excursions), tried to take the stairs instead of elevators, swam a lot and stayed hydrated. I drank probably twice the amount of Water each day than I do at home since i tend to retain water when i eat foods that are heavy in salt (which cruise line food is heavy in). i didn't actively try to lose weight on my vacation...i just relaxed and figured i'd get back to working on it when i got back on land. i have another cruise coming up in September and i'm going to be enjoying myself again. i will eat normally, but i will also be very active and have a good time without worrying about having too many calories. life is for living, and i'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

I went on a cruise this past January (after 6 months of being banded) and had a fantastic time, ate like I was on vacation and managed to lose 10 pounds that week. anything in moderation is ok. i wouldn't take a cruise or vacation every week, but once in a while it's ok...

Even before surgery I knew that I was in this for the long haul and I wanted to have fills as gradually as I could. I didn't want to be so aggressive and filled at the beginning and then have this "not work" and wonder, "ok, i'm filled to capacity and it's not working, where to I go from here". that might be flawed thinking, but that's where i was mentally. so, after my first follow up visit, i had lost enough weight and we decided that i didn't NEED a fill, so i didn't get one. It's been over a year, I've still had no fills and I've lost just over 100 pounds without one. I had a follow up visit about a month ago due to my port flipping and asked about the need to have a fill and the doctor said if i haven't had a fill in over a year, chances are I would never need one. as long as i'm still losing and not gaining or looking for food, the band is doing it's job as far as i'm concerned. I eat much less than pre-banding, even with no restriction, i've had 1 stuck episode featuring the devil food called Peanut Butter ....(i love peanut butter but now i'm more careful with it before swallowing), i eat foods that i love and i can eat ANY kind of food, just much less of it. it has really worked for me. i'm not saying i will never need a fill, anything can happen, but right now i'm happy where i am and i feel the band is doing it's job perfectly.