Alexandra

Brava!! I see this as an EXTREMELY healthy attitude. It's hard enough to take this step in our inner selves, why add to the burden? Thinking about other things is crucial to staying sane on this journey, IMO.

Congratulations on your decision, Bob, and best wishes for a smooth and uneventful trip. Welcome to the forum!!

Hi Texasbelle! Congratulations and welcome to the other side. It really is hard for people who are used to being healthy to adjust when it's time to rest and heal, but our bodies let us know when too much is just too much. Listen to your body and REST! Your energy will return, especially after you've gotten back on solid foods. In the meantime push the Protein and get plenty of sleep. Nice to meet you!

I can SO relate to this! I only told a select few, but no matter how much those people swear they understand I can still sense them wondering why I'm not thinner already. It's hard not to mind, but I have to remember that I understand this process way better than they ever could. I mean, if any of those people lost 45 lbs they'd be hard-pressed to stand up straight! But on me, it's barely noticeable. Even though I'm wearing clothes that are several sizes smaller, I can't see any difference in photos (which is why I haven't posted any). So I guess it's not surprising that friends can't see much of a difference, either. But then I remember that this is truly the way I wanted it! I hate being the center of attention and would have DESPISED constant comments on how wonderful I look, how much weight I'm losing, etc. This is SUPPOSED to be a process that doesn't result in shocking changes. That's what I keep reminding my friends who have the gall to say anything to me about it.

Funny you should say this, and ask about my fill...I have been rehearsing a post I was thinking about making. My fill seems to have slacked off a LOT recently, and I have been able to eat way more than I was only last week. I also can eat faster, which is my particular bugaboo. My weight bounces around a lot, and the number I post below is only put there after I've reached it twice at least. I got down to 271 early this week, and was waiting to hit that again before changing my sig. But the last two days I've been eating much more, and this morning I was at 277!! Blech. I'm not panicking or anything...yet. Today I am thinking about drinking a lot and not snacking, which is getting hard since my restriction dropped. But it may very well reappear so I'm going to give it a week or so before thinking about another fill. My next opportunity won't be until mid-May at the earliest, no matter what. Thanks for asking--you made me come out of the closet!

GOOD JOB, LADIES!!!!

Hi Sultana, A total of 1.3 ccs in your band doesn't actually sound like a lot of fill to me. Many people get up to 3 or so before they feel significant restriction. Is there some reason your doctor is giving you so little at a time? So yes, my feeling about your question is that it is indeed normal. When I am tight right after a fill I can't really chug Water (though I don't need to sip it, either), so if you tell your doc that you can she might see that as an indication that you are not restricted enough. You wouldn't know if you have a leak, but a slip would probably create some symptoms of reflux or heartburn. I take it your doctor does not use fluoroscopy for fills? If you're worried, you might want to see if you can get your next fill that way, which would both help you get the proper fill and set your mind at ease about the positioning.

Just wanted to add my best wishes to the soon-to-be-banded crowd. It's scary and exciting, indeed! Try not to worry too much, though I know that's hard. We'll be rooting for you!! :D

Hi David! I knew from your subject title that you must be male. Men seem to drop large amounts of weight pretty quickly, so I'd wager you're not alone. But it should be slowing down about now. If it doesn't, you might want to think about delaying that fill--why mess with a good situation? Although what you describe isn't really a good situation. You shouldn't be in pain all the time, or feeling like you're blocked, ESPECIALLY if you have no fill. What does your doctor say about your symptoms? Can he give you something to alleviate the heartburn? Does he think you need a fill? Most doctors seem to feel that heartburn/reflux is a sign of being too tight, so be sure to tell your doctor about it. You don't want to tempt fate!

Hi Bubbles, What's going on? If you truly don't know why you're fatigued, you probably do want to discuss it with your doctor. Hypoactive thyroid is just one thing that can cause fatigue, there are many others. One thing I know happens to me when I lose weight is that I get more sensitive to sugar. Sugar makes me sleepy and fatigued, and for some reason the effect is more pronounced as I lose weight. So I've been noticing it much more recently. I'm very prone to fatigue, just as a fact of life, I think. Sugar is just one of the things that makes it worse. Not drinking Water and not moving around at all also make it worse. Boredom at work is a killer, too. There are days when it is all I can do to haul myself out of bed in the morning--and THAT is much worse this week after the time change. So I don't have any answers for you, except to say perhaps you could start trying to notice if there are "fatigue triggers" that affect you. I think that if you do nothing else, drinking more water will help both with the fatigue and the weight. Good luck!

Wow, Marsali, what a list. It really brings home the point we all know so intimately well--being morbidly obese REALLY changes your life. Thanks for posting this. It's great inspiration and I'm sure your family is very proud of you. Welcome!!

I've been on thyroid meds since October of 2002, and retested several times since then. Losing a total of 70 lbs since that time has had no effect on my thyroid function. I never had any symptoms that I noticed at the time, but in retrospect realized that my persistent fatigue was probably attributable to that. I'd been having a realliy hard time bouncing back from the birth of my second child, and after weaning from breastfeeding I was still an exhausted wreck. Anyway, all of this is to say that it's a good idea to treat a hypoactive thyroid no matter what your weight situation is. The meds are easy to take and have no side effects.

Wow, Quakergirl, what an achievement!! It's so wonderful to read success stories like yours, and to learn that even if you're not freaking out about carb or calorie counting it's still possible for the band to work for us. You go, girl!! :D

Hey there, bandsister! You're doing GREAT, especially for a "lightweight." Imagine that you're now able to say you're 35 lbs away from your goal! :banana Go Kelly, Go Kelly, Go Kelly!! :D

Wow, Jennye, you just blew the bell curve for everyone!! Keep it up, girl!!

Chris has a very good suggestion. If I were choosing a doctor now I'd be interested in what the doctor's POV is on this procedure and, especially, the followup. But if you're already in with this doctor and don't want to change, for whatever reason, then you should ask for WRITTEN instructions on eating in the postop period. Ask for a rundown of danger signs--as well as what is NOT a sign of something being wrong. (For instance, lots of people think the post-op gas pain is the band slipping, or pulling a stitch, or a heart attack, or whatever.) And ask him how you and he will decide when a fill is indicated. It just kills me when doctors put pressure on their patients to lose weight before or without a fill--as though the band itself should be enough to help. The doctor should always be willing to discuss a fill if you think it's needed (after the first six weeks, that is), and not be married to some sort of predetermined schedule. Good luck!

Hey Seanmama, nice to see you. Your weight loss is going gangbusters...you're doing amazingly well! My thinking on your experience is that you are verging on being too tight. If you can live with this, then you might try having something warm to drink right before eating. Many people, including me, find that it sort of "primes" the tubes and lets things move along a little more easily. On a day when you're having the tightening problem, give that a try and see what happens. Good luck!

Jennye, no lectures from me, I promise. But when you quit smoking you will be AMAZED at the difference in your health. It's a more abrupt difference than weight loss, and so cool. Things you didn't even know you were missing will come back, like your senses of taste and smell. I think it would make being banded easier, not harder, since you can enjoy the food you do eat all the more. Let us know when you are ready to quit, and we'll be cheering you on all the way!!

I'm so happy for all of you quitters! :D Honestly, in a few months you'll wonder how on earth you ever smoked. Congratulations!!! :banana

You go girl!! You should be SO PROUD of yourself for ditching the death sticks. :D No matter what your future holds, this is an amazing step toward better health. And it's just the beginning!

Thanks, Denise! That's my older daughter in the pictire with me. My younger one had enough face time, I decided. I haven't had surgery since being banded last summer. Perhaps you have me mixed up with someone else? Or maybe that's the surgery I was talking about?

Congratulations, Kathy! That is a lot to drop in a week, you're right, and when your body notices I guarantee the rapid loss will stop. You might even gain back a pound or two, but it's all relative. This is a time that you shouldn't be worrying about weight or calories, and trying not to agonize over every ounce. Weight loss during this time is a wonderful bonus! When your hunger returns, and it will, don't starve yourself. What you want to avoid, as you start with solid foods, is getting too hungry which might lead to eating too fast. Take it easy, and be good to yourself! :D

Hi Denise, You describe an odd situation, indeed! I can't answer about reflux, since I didn't have any trouble before being banded and have had none since. But I wonder about your husband not being able to tolerate liquids?!? It sounds like something he might want to call the doctor about. Especially if the two things came on at about the same time, the reflux and the inability to handle liquids...I'd be worried that something was amiss with the band. Good luck and please let us know how it's going!

You will have to learn to eat even more slowly. Take big pauses between bites and chew each one very thoroughly. As you learn these habits you will find that more and more the sensation you're having is fullness, not stuck-ness. It takes some time and practice, indeed, but when it works it's fantastic!!

Kelly's answer makes sense to me, because otherwise I think there'd be less discomfort when I eat too much. That said, the stomach itself is of course elastic. It can be permanently stretched out of shape but I doubt one would be physically ABLE to abuse the pouch formed by the band in that way. Your esophagus would go first, it seems to me.