jennifer1

i have heard the same comment and why dont you just stop eating and use some self control! WELL WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT instead of risking my life having major surgery, taking off work, being in pain, not eating "normal food" for almost 2 months! People can be soooo insensitive and retarded at times. I wish I hadnt told some of the people I did. Who can live on drinking liquids only, are they serious! Still to this site and you'll get plenty of support, some will even give you a verbal cyber hand slap when needed! LOL! this site helped me get thru my first few months. feel free to check out my blog(although i havent been good at keeping it up lately) or inbox me with any questions. Best wishes hun! jennifer

I just looked and realized i haven't blogged since july i think. wow and i have nothing really exciting to say now. i did make my size 16 for my bday in august and that's where i still am today almost 3 months later. i have had 4 fills and 2 unfills. let me tell you being too tight is a nightmare. i was too tight for 2 weeks(long story about getting into the doctor) and lost 9 pounds, great, but once i got unfilled those 9 pounds came back so fast it made my head spin. now my band is so loose i feel like i dont even have one. i cant get back into my doctor until dec 5th for a fill. i think i know now i need to be between 7.5ccs and 8cc for my green zone. after those 9 pounds i have just been gaining and loosing the same 2-3 pounds like i was before my 4th fill. my goal was to be in a 14 by thanksgiving, but that's obvioiusly not happening. my only saving grace is that i still go to the gym 4 days a week if not for that i think i would gain all my weight back. am i not eating 100% right now and i know i'm not. i've fallen right back into almost all of my bad eating habits. i just want dec 5th to hurry and get here so i can get back on track. i have friends that say well since you dont have the right filll right now is when you have to exercise self control. WELL WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT INSTEAD OF PAYING $12K FOR A SURGERY I DIDNT NEED WHEN I CAN JUST USE SELF CONTROL!!!!!! ugh! i regret telling some people I have the band now. i am so afraid of going thru thanksgiving with my band like this. i am going to take my appetite suppresants with me cuz i cant trust myself and force myself to drink plenty of water! Sorry for this cry baby post, but i needed to get it out my system. Thanks for reading whomever decides to read this. jennifer

sorry for the late response everyone, i hadnt been on in a while. THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE AND ENCOURGEMENT! i made it thru thanksgiving without eating out of control and didnt gain weight. well that dec 5th appointment was cancelled by the doc and rescheduled for the 12. so 2 more days!!!! surprizingly i have lost 5 pounds during this 6 week nightmare of no restriction and i do believe i owe that to working out. and melinda..yeah i didnt wanna hear the self control part, but i needed to and thanks for saying that! i did post a whole new entry in my blog recently, but it disappeared! ugh! so i thought i'd just update here. THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! Lady T it's almost here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok i know this may sound corny, but one of my goals is to be able to jog on Lake Michigans lake front while listening to my ipod. i want to be able to do this by the summer. so my latest NSV is that i can jog on the treadmill for 10 minutes, walk fast for 2 minutes and jog another 10 minutes! YEAH ME!!!!

Just my 2 cents...in the first month I tried alcohol and it made me sick...but now 7 months out I can drink..I'm not a big drinker so maybe one cocktail a month and I'm fine.

ditto what alex said heavydutyQ-Tee...i got a several packets from my doctor's office after my first follow up one week after surgery, but i'm not sure if you can go to the allegren website and get it though. check with your doctors office. alex..have you ever used your card?

AMEN!!! to what the others said. me and the scale are arch enemies. i've only lost about 22 pounds since May, but clothing went from a 20 to 16. so inches are definelty coming off faster than the scale. plus i train with a trainer and we lift weight as well as cardio so i know i'm gaining some muscle mass to, dont wanna be flabby! LOL

i think the band has only been approved in the US for 10 years so no one here has had it longer than at least 10 years.

i had the same experiece once! yeah not fun at all!

every patient is different, so how can a doc follow such a routine, without looking at each case individually?

i agree, no need for a fill if you dont need one i have had 4 fills in the first 6 months and 2 unfills. yeah not rushing to be overfilled every again!

I would suggest you give yourself some more time before getting another surgery. it's only been 4 months. i'm 7 months out and i'm not where i thought i would be either, but i also have had 4 fills 2 unfills, just havent found my green zone. are you following up with your appointments and getting fills? are you in the green zone, working out? not trying to badger you, just want you to give it more time. just my 2 cents jennifer

Long story short I dont have good..well any restriction right now and because of mine and my doctors schedule i wont be able to get another fill till after the holiday. i go to my mom's house in the south for thanksgiving. i have no idea how to control myself around my mom's good ole southern cooking. right now i've not had restriction for over a week and my weight is just stagnate, which i'm ok with, but i just dont wanna gain any. i am still in the gym 4 times a week, but as far as eating, i can eat as much as i did before the band. ugh! i started appetitie supressants, but i'm so bad with remembering to take pills that i never remember them. any suggestions to get me through the holidays without gaiing 10 pounds!

I have had the misery of being too toght for two weeks and it's no picnic..wow only the first three fills were included..I was self pay and my first year is covered..I would ask them if they could some his save that last adjustment for another time...it's ridiculous to think someone would use three fills in 90 days..ugh sorry u have to deal with that..but if they won't let u save it I would not get it...cuz being too tight can lead to other complications..just my two cents

i still am trying to get to my green zone after 4 fills and 2 unfills. i do know that it is different for everyone. at 7.5 cc's i was good, then i needed a fill 9cc's and 8cc where too tight, so he took me back down to 6cc's, which is not enough. this part of the band is very frustrating, i've heard it takes some people 5-6 fills to hit the green zone, so i'm praying my next one does it for me.<br>jennifer<br>

same here....sooooooo freustrated

i am crying reading this post. thank you so much for posting. i am almost 6 months out and feel like a failure. yes i have gone from a size 20 to 16, but the scale is a different story, plus i've have 4 fills and 2 unfills, now awaiting my 5th fill, which i cant get until dec 5th, which means i have to go through the holiday with a wide open band!!!!ugh! i have thyroid issues too, yeah i would get so pissed at people that were like yeah i lost 60 pounds in the first 6 months. i was so angry saying why couldnt that be me! i was happy for them but pissed it wasnt me. thanks for the post, it made me feel better. jennifer

I am almost 6 months post op and still trying to find my green zone..I have had 4 Fills and 2 unfills..grrrrr! My problem is being able to get in a nd see my doc as he only does fills on Monday and Friday..and every time I look up he's out of town...ugh..I didn't wanna go through thanksgiving with my band so loose but I don't have a choice...I was self pay so all my fills the first year are paid for ..I can't afford to just go to another doctor..but if u can I'd say go for it and really explain to them what the problem is..best wishes.

thanks for all your replys guys. i have decided to just go with the appetite suppresants and make sure i stay in the gym..so far they are working quite well..with no side effects. i wont be able to get back for a fill till the first week of dec. which i guess i'm ok with. i dont have the money to just up and go to another doctor...all of ones i've looked at in this area cost over $200. so i'll just have to wait. i think i have figured out i need between 7.5 cc's and 8 to get a good fill. i can only hope he listens to me. thanks again everyone.

I am sooooooo frustrated right now. Long story short I was banded almost 6 months ago. Everything was fine until my 4th fill. which ended up being too much. had to go the the ER for an unfill..2 days later back to the doctor for more unfill. well he took out too much now and i dont even feel like i have my band anymore. my doctors office is such garbage as it is soo hard to get an appointment. he is in downtown chicago and my job has been moved to indiana. i lost 9 pounds in the 2 weeks that my band was too tight and have gained back every pound of that in a week! my appetite is out of control. i have people telling me this is when you exercise self control. GUESS WHAT IF I HAD SELF CONTROL I WOULDNT NEED THE DAMN BAND!!!!!!!1 My doctor only does fills on mon and fri. i called tues and he was out of the office on friday, this monday he is booked up, next friday he's only working till 11 am and then going out of town until the 21st!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAGGGGGHHH! I was self pay so my first year of fills is covered, but what good does it do if i cant get in to see the damn doctor,. this weekend i resorted to buying some appetite suppresants until i can get into to see him. i am sooo aggrevated. whew! i just needed to vent. thanks for listening guys. has anyone taken appetite suppresants when they didnt have the green zone? jennifer

welcome cathy! best wishes on your journey