Mom2Sassy

Update- I went to see the dr yesterday and after 2 weeks of straight liquids my pouch is back to the size it is suppose to be AND I lost 6 pounds:thumbup:

Yes, the same thing happened to me. I knew I was eating more than I thought I should be able to, but I thought I just didn't have good restriction. But when I went in for a fill, they told me I had a stretched pouch. Showed me the picture on Fluero and it was obviously much bigger than it was suppose to be. So, they unfilled my band completely and put me on complete liquids (no lumps at all) for 2 full weeks. I go back in on this Thursday to see if the pouch has gone back to the original size, if not, I have to go 2 more weeks on full liquids....they said if after that it is still not back to the original size I will have to go see the surgeon to see what he recommends...which may mean another surgery to reposition the band or something else (which they didn't specify and I was afraid to ask because if they tell me they are taking the band out I will be devistated).

Ok, we have a trend, my name is Jeannie too.... Anyway, I get the fluttering in my chest on occassions, went to the doctor my first tests were fine, then they had me wear a monitor for a day and it just turned out to be an occassional extra heart beat and nothing to worry about. Also, sometimes when I eat and it doesn't go down easy I can feel my heart beat harder in my chest....odd...

I only scheduled my surgery about 3 or 4 weeks in advance in Mexico. I don't think there is a wait at all, it's a matter of fitting it in to your schedule. I could have had it done sooner but wanted to get good airfare. I paid $8500 for the surgery, included hotel. Airfare was on my own, but only about $200. If you have any other questions, let me kno.

I got up this morning, realized I am close to the weight I was when I got married 5+ years ago. I had gained almost 50 pounds before being banded. So.........I dug to the back of the closet, pulled out my wedding dress, put it on and ZIPPED IT UP! Then proceeded to call anyone who would listen and tell them. I am so excited. I am only 2 lbs from being 1/2 way to goal! YIPPEE:whoo::clap2:

I went to Mexico because my insurance didn't cover the surgery. It would have cost me $15K to $20K to have it done here in the US, I paid $8K for it in Mexico. Also Dr. Ortiz (my surgeon) trained the doctors that I was considering using in the US, he has a TON of experience and a very low complication rate.

I was scared too, and I thought maybe I was being selfish to take the risks involved with surgery to lose weight and feel better about myself. Also I paid out of pocket for the surgery, so it was a huge financial investment too. I have a 10 year old daughter, a 16 stepdaughter and an 18 year old step son. But, I looked at the risks I was taking by being obese. Diabetes runs in my family, heart disease too. I decided that getting the band would allow me to be here for my children, and someday their children too. I have lost 40lbs so far, and I am a much more active and involved mother. I have more energy, I get fewer headaches and have fewer digestive/stomach problems. My youngest has noticed the difference in me too. The other day I suggested the family go for hike (something I would have never done in the past) to some water falls near our house. We climbed down a big hill off the path to get to the water and then back up the hill to get back to the car. I pointed out to my daughter that I wouldn't have been able to do that 40lbs ago, and she said, "Yeah, you probably would have been home with a headache." Only you can decide if this is for you. Yes, there are risks involved. But you take a risk everytime you get in a car, walk down the street, or just get out of bed. Life is unpredictable, only God knows what is in store for us. You have to decide if the risk is worth the benefit. I am almost 1/2 way to goal, it's been a struggle getting use to this new lifestyle, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. We are going to Maui in December, and it is so nice to know that I will be able to put on a swimsuit and snorkle with my family without feeling like I am embarassing them or myself. I wish you the best on your journey.

Don't lose hope. Take a look, youare 1/3 of the way to your goal of losing 90 lbs. Without the band, where would you be? I know I would be gaining more weight. But, the band won't work if you aren't at the right restriction. Does your doctor use fluero? If not, find one that does, try fillcentersusa.com they will do fills for people who had their bands placed by other doctors. Fills are expensive, but without restriction you might as well not have the band. Don't give up on yourself or your band. It will work, but you have to make the sacrifices (including money) to have it do it's job. You can do this. You have a great start, keep going. Your health is too important to put on the back burner. Pick up the phone, call your doctor....today! Take care, don't be afraid to post....we are here to support you.

Just finished workout #1 of 15. Whohoo! glad that is over with:)

hello, looks like I found this tread just in time. I am going to commit to level 2/moderate. Which means I will have to get in my workout every day for the rest of the month. It is a good time for me to start as my youngest DD is traveling with my parents and my 16 yo DD is working at camp, so no great excuses about not having time to workout. I am 2 lbs from Onederland and I have been here for about 3 weeks, I know what I need to do, and I am happy I found a thread to report my progress on. So far, I am down from a size 18/20 in woman's to a size 16 in the misses departments. It is so nice to be able to shop in the normal size stores again. My primary focus right now is to get under 200, then it is to fit in my wedding gown atleast get it zipped through the waist (the bust won't ever fit, because I have gotten implants since the wedding) We were married 5 years ago, and I had gained 50 pounds....ouch. Anyway, hope you all don't mind me joining in the middle of the month!

Good Job! what a huge accomplishment. I hope you are VERY proud of yourself. I am hoping I will be joining you soon. Only 2 1/2 pounds to go. I can't wait. Exercise it what makes the difference for me. Keep up the good work!:clap2:

I was walking around SeaWorld on Friday and got my band on Wednesday. I flew home to Oregon from Mexico on Sunday and went to work on Tuesday. The pain in my shoulder from the gas was the worst and lasted about 2-3 weeks. There was also discomfort from the port. Sitting for a long time was uncomfortable for about a month. After that things were fine. Everyone is different, but for IMO I think you will be fine. You could always take a mild pain killer before the flight if you crush it up.....

I tell everyone I can. I was going to just tell my family and close friends, but then I decided it wasn't anything I needed to hide. I made this choice to be healthier and live longer. I hope that if I share my experience with this, maybe I can help somebody else. One of my friends is scheduled to get the band next month. She is a very private person and probably won't tell very many people, but I am glad she knows that I have it because she can talk to me about the struggles that go along with it. Another friend of the family is having by-pass next month, I keep hoping she will ask me about the band, but she hasn't yet. I know she knows I have it, and I don't want to push it on her, but I wish she would consider the band instead. Anyway, I think if you want to shout it from the top of a mountain you should! You are making a huge choice to be healthier and you are right to be excited about it! Good Luck!

Hi everyone, I have posted on a couple of threads here and there, but I am pretty new to this. I am going to be banded on 2/15 in Mexico by Dr. Ortiz. Obviouosly I am self pay. I am doing the Atkins diet for a pre-op diet. Probably sounds great to those on liquid diets, but trust me, it's a drag too. If I see another piece of bacon I am going to barf....but I have lost 5lbs since Saturday. I have a BMI of 37. My goal is to lose 88lbs. The doctor's office called today to confirm I was doing a pre-op diet. I guess it was that call that made it real. I am so excited I wish it was tomorrow. At first I was concerned about being "put under" and then I realized the risk of walking around almost 100lbs overweight. I am thrilled to start this chapter in my life. I can't wait to be able to play baseball again. At this point, running is just too uncomfortable. My husband is super supportive, he is going to Mexico with me. He turns 40 next week and I had suggested we take a trip to Hawaii for his birthday. He has know I have wanted to do the lapband for a long time, so his response was that the best gift I could give him would be to invest this money in the lapband....he wants me to healthier, happier and more self confident....isn't he the best Anyway, I am rambling on and on. If anybody else is going to be at Dr. Ortiz's around the same time I am, I would love to know. Or if you are considering Dr. Ortiz and want some feedback, I would be happy to give it when I return.

Sounds like eczema. My husband gets it and it always starts on his hands too. Very itchy little blisters, that dry up. You may want to consider some research on it.

Went to the doctor yesterday to see about an unfill. They had me drink the barium and watched it go through, they said is actually looked more like I needed a fill than an unfill, after much discussion, we decided to take .1 cc out of my band. But they did remind me of a few things....which I already knew, but maybe I was being diligent enough.... 1. small bites, this means SMALL, not just smaller than before the band 2. Chew, chew, chew. Not small bite, swallow, small bite, swallow 3. No drinking. So, today has been successful so far, nothing has stuck. I am looking forward to seeing how I do at dinner. Not sure what I am making yet, but I know it will be cut up very small and I will chew the heck out of it.

I was banded on 2/14, I have had 2 fills and now I am at 2.6. The first time I went in the filled it to 2.0 and I went back a couple of weeks later because I could eat just about anything, and they filled me to 2.6 That was almost 2 months ago, I am very restricted and with a few exceptions, most days all I can eat is Soup and chips....which I don't understand at all. Why can I eat chips, but any meat or veggie or cracker or fish or potatoes all get stuck? That doesn't make any sense to me....I understand the soup, but why do the crunchy things work too? I can't even eat yogurt until the evenings... Anyway, I finally called my doctor and made an appointment for a slight unfill on Monday, I was thinking of just having them take out .1 cc's.....? I have lost weight since the last fill, but now I am at a plataue and I think it is because I am eating mostly soup, and it doesn't stay with me very long, so I am eating more often than I should be....does that make sense? Anybody else have a similar experience?

Thanks for all the feedback. My doctor does do all his fills under fluero. I think the real problem is that the 2nd time I went in, they read the chart wrong and thought that my first fill was to 2.6 instead of 2.0, 0 and 6 can really look alot alike in hand writing. So they thought that some of the fluid wasn't there from the first fill and wanted to get it atleast to the same point I was after that. So even though 2.6 looked really tight under the fluero, they figured it would be fine after a couple days of liquids. I should have said something then, but I made the mistake of thinking it would be better to be too tight than not tight enough, and I didn't want to question them. Anyway, I go in Monday at 1:30 for the adjustment. It will be nice to eat "normal" food again. Soup is getting really old.

My band "talks" to me all the time. I swear it's like walking around with chewbacca....(spelling?)

I drank 4-6 cans of diet soda a day before I got the band. I haven't had one in 3 months, I can tell you that once in a great while I have the urge to grab a soda and chug the entire can down, but I don't....I paid out of pocket for this and I need it to work. Plus, I don't know what it is, but my skin is in much better condition, much less dry, and I think it has to do with not having the soda.... As for sugar and alcohol, I have had some of both, but I do it in moderation. The sugar thing is the hardest, because so many sweet things are still very easy to eat....chocolate, ice cream, caramel.....the band doesn't really restrict those things, so I do my best to stay away from because they just slow down the progress. Good luck!

I can eat meats and veggies, if they are small bites and chewed really well, and I usually need a sauce of some type with meat. But, I can't do potatoes. Not baked, mashed or french fries.

I am so excited. I have lost 25% of the weight I want to lose. I now weight less than I did when I started dating my husband. My next goal is to get under the weight that I was at our wedding. We have been married 5 years, and 50lbs..... I also decided to run a 1/2 marathon in October of this year, so I started training for that, and I hate to have to admit that exercise is making a difference. That's all for now, just needed to share my excitement!:clap2:

Jack, you rock. I'd add my two cents to this debate, but you seem to have it covered!:clap2:

my mom takes byetta, she has lost 30lbs on it. In fact, when I told her I was getting the band she wanted me to try taking the byetta instead, But, I am not diabetic, and I don't do well with needles (you can imagine how much I dread going for a fill). Anyway, she says it makes her nauseous, but she is willing to deal with that for the weight loss. She eats much smaller portions, and can't hardly stand chocolate any more. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks for the support, you all are wonderful. I went out for a walk/jog again this evening. I can't believe the difference that 22 pounds makes. I already feel better and healthier. I love this band! It is so amazing to me to eat less than 1/2 of what I use to and be satisfied. I "feel" like I have eaten so much more than I actually have, if I didn't have the "leftovers" for proof, sometimes I'd swear I'd eaten the whole meal. I am so excited, this is the first time in my life when I've lost weight and not been in constant fear that I was going to gain it all back. When I took fen-phen and lost 35 lbs, I kept dreaming that I would wake up and I would have gained it all back over night. It's so nice not to feel like that. It's coming off a little slower this time, but I am ok with that, I love knowing that I am going to do it this time and I have a tool to help me keep it off, so this is the last time I will have to lose it.....! Yeah....me!!!