Jim1967

Yea I got it to but it looks like she's been removed already. Got to love spam...

I'm no medical professional but that does not look good to me especially when you were banded in May. Are these pics from May or today? I would think the redness and swelling would have gone down at this point. Is there another Doctor you can seek for a second opinion?

Even the smallest amount of fill can make a difference. I have 9.5 in a 11cc band.

"Your face is soooo skinny" - Thanks I am glad I could shrink my beach ball head down for you. I know it was not meant to be insulting at all but it amazing how people speak without thinking.

That does not sound pleasant at all. Hopefully the Doc will have some good advice. I know I have issues in the morning where I am too tight to eat but have never had an issue with a protein shake other than the fact I will feel bloated after having it. Generally as the day goes on I loosen up a bit. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

I had one as well and I was told it was to help clear the anesthesia from my system

Be up front and honest with your doctor. He can only help you if he knows the whole story and all the facts. You should never be so tight that you cannot eat or drink...ever! Band is not for that. You should tell him/her everything so you are sure to get proper attention. Perhaps its not a matter of an overly tight band? Maybe something else perhaps a slip? I am not trying to make you worry or start doubting but if you are not honest and up front with the Doc he could simply give you the un-fill without even looking at the possibility of other complications. Wish you the best of luck. Let me know how it goes.

So fellow vets do you ever catch yourself analyzing your stomach gurgles? Out of no where my stomach will gurgle and I start to think about when was the last time I ate and then I start asking myself if it is a sign of hunger or just typical band noise.

Awesome NSVs!! Congratulations. I actually use my belt along with my scale to measure my progress. I have one of those navy belts that are adjustable. I use the eye loop in my pants and shorts as a guide on my inches lost. My belt barely fit me before and now it is almost to my back.

What an awesome story thank you for sharing it with us. I especially liked this quote: "The only reason this worked is because I realized no one could fix it but me." My bike has been sitting in my parents garage for the last 8 years. I think I know what I am going to be doing this weekend. Tune up anyone?

You are doing so awesome Virginia!! We started this journey pretty much together and we have made such huge strides both physically and mentally. I can see just based on your postings and pictures how more happier and confident you are with your life. You are a beautiful, strong woman and don't you ever forget or lose sight of that!! Thank you for being there for me. Since you are a fan of metal I leave you with this lyric: 'So close no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever trust in who we are And nothing else matters' Peace always...

I agree completely. When I got my first big fill it was 5cc and my Surgeon explained that he wanted to give me a good start without being overly aggressive but yet without making it a year before I saw some form of 'restriction'. He told me that day that if I do need more it will be much less in one shot and he wouldn't do it any less than 5 to 6 weeks apart. Key is not to be too tight to a point where you cannot eat or drink at all. I have heard some uneducated people say "just put the band on and tighten that thing all the way up". Those folks are heading down the path of failure. I am really happy with the way things went even though it took a good 5 months. I knew it going in it could be a half year before I really got it going with momentum. Slow and steady and safe. BUT....it wouldn't surprise me if there are Docs out there looking to make money off of people. I was lucky and found a good Practice and also insurance covered everything for me. My Doc bills insurance $130 for my fills and I pay nothing out of pocket.

Good to know. Thanks

Guy,, Just curious have you had discussions with your Doc about exceeding the band capacity and what steps would be next for you if in fact you needed another fill? I am at 9.5 and I worry I will eventually max mine out.

It took me 9cc in my 11cc band to finally get into the green zone and it took about 5 months. I did get .5cc 4 months later and I am now holding steady. It appears some Docs are more aggressive than others. My first fill was 5cc in an empty band. They do not prime during surgery. 11cc Realize Band: 1st fill 5/29/12 5cc 2nd fill 6/12/12 1cc 3rd fill 7/02/12 1cc 4th fill 8/14/12 1cc 5th fill 9/4/12 1cc 6th fill 1/29/13 .5

Hard work pays off. Congratulations!!

Dr Atkins dying from his own diet plan is an old internet hoax. Dr Atkins died by slipping on some ice while walking in NYC and suffered major head trauma. As a former Atkins follower I can tell you Atkins done correctly can be healthy if you can adapt your lifestyle to that plan. Most cannot do it long term which is why most gain the weight back. I guess its the same with any diet. I just found the low carb easier than the low fat. I am happy to say I do neither and I am successful. There is so much talk about high cholesterol doing Atkins. Well if your eating high cholesterol foods then what would you expect? My own Cholesterol climbed up while doing Atkins and I had to take a step back and look at what I was eating. I was a 3rd shifter at the time so I was going home every morning and having 4 sausage links and 4 scrambled eggs. I switched to turkey sausage and egg beaters and my cholesterol came right back down to better than normal. Again is all about the choices. I cannot live my life long term on the low amount of carbs that I took in during the 18 months of success I had with Atkins. So I got banded and now I am just doing strictly portion control with no deprivation and it is obviously working. Whatever works for anyone an individual is great as long as you can: A. lose weight healthy and B. Keep is off To the original poster: Congrats on your success and I truly mean that. I loved the Atkins diet for a long and found it to be the easiest diet I ever tried. It was a no brainer to me that I cut out high carbs and the weight fell off. My problem was when I hit that happy place with my goals I started eating carbs again and lost sight of what I was doing and gained all the weight back. I hope you do better. For me I think what I am doing now is something I will live with for the rest of my life but it will remain seen as to whether I can keep it off and maintain and not fall back into that hole of hitting goal and being happy just to gain it all back again. Sorry....long winded

I did Atkins once for about 18 months and I lost 174lbs. I gained it all back plus an additional 90lbs because Atkins for me was not a lifestyle solution. So sure Atkins works if your in it for the long haul but if you're doing it just lose weight and do not plan to adopt that lifestyle for good then you could be doing more bad then good in the long run. Everyone is different and everyone has different disciplines. I considered at one time to do Atkins along with my band with hopes it would bring me to goal faster. After a long thought I decided it was not the best route for me. I needed to really change my life and Atkins is not a feasible life long option....for me. I am losing weight just fine with the band and it works quite well and I have lost the same amount of weight in less time with my band versus my 18 month low carb life. No deprivation just portion control.

I get the sniffles and if I ignore them I get the hiccups which is moments away from a stuck episode sometimes.

thank you so much. I appreciate everyone's support and love. :-)

I had/have a high BMI so I cannot speak from experience with that point of view. I will say it did get easier for me as time went on and now it is just a way of life. Remember 'deprivation is like dieting'. This is not a diet but more a lifestyle change. Some of us succeed with dieting short term but usually long term it gets us into trouble. Need to learn to adapt our needs into our necessary life changes in order for this to be successful.