DETERMINED*DG

So I've survived ONE entire week banded!!! After 7 long days of GAS and recovery, I'm feeling GREAT!!! Thank the stars above!!! I'm still adapting to the shakes/broths/fluid thing. Didn't know that a Multivitamin right away! Duh! I read a bit ago that someone was taking calcium! Am I supposed to be taking that too? With the gas gone, I am able to feel a. Lil hungry here and there. I've added bananas to my shakes and have been eating some soup. (so far so good, when eaten at a moderate pace!) I've failed to pay attention recently to the lifting of my child and I'm paying for it! OUCH!! (the largest of the incisions s feeling kinda achy) I have to admit I've purchased my first SCALE!!! lol and amazingly I'm down 15 lbs from my surgery date!!! This is picking up and becoming so much more positive!! Maybe even fun!! Lol thank you to all of the support and shared information!!

I WAS BANDED AUG 31, 2011 AND IM DOWN 33 LBS! IVE HAD 2 FILLS SO FAR. IM PRETTY MUCH STUCK AT 33 LBS. WE SHALL SEE IF THE 3RD FILL MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE.

WOW, THIS WAS AN AMAZING AND MUCH NEEDED POST! I KNOW I FEEL A TAD BETTER WHEN I READ THESE CAUSE I COME TO REALIZE IM NOT ALONE! I WAS BANDED AUG 31 2011 AND IM DOWN 29 LBS AND STUCK HERE! IVE HAD 2, YES, 2 FILLS AND HAVENT LOSS ANYMORE WEIGHT! I HAVE TO ADMIT, I DO FEEL A LOT MORE RESTRICTION FROM THE SECOND FILL. IM NOTICING IT IN A FEW CLOTHING ITEMS, BUT SHEESH...WHY ARENT I LOSING ANYMORE WEIGHT? I KNOW THE BAND CANT DO IT ON ITS OWN AND I NEED TO APPLY MYSELF IN THE EXERCISE DEPARTMENT. SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, IM GOING TO TAKE THE ADVISE OF ALL THE KIND PEOPLE THAT REPLIED AND TRY NOT TO BE DISCOURAGED! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS POST AND I HOPE WE ALL GET THROUGH THIS ROUGH SPOT IN OUR BANDED JOURNEY/LIVES! THANKS AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK. DG

LET ME JUST START OUT BY SAYING THAT I WAS BANDED AUGUST 31, 2011!! SO FAR SO GOOD. GOT THROUGH THE HORRIBLE FIRST MONTH AND NOW IM COMING UP ON MONTH TWO. WHEN THEY SAY THE BAND IS A "TOOL" THEY WERE NOT LYING! I AM STILL LEARNING AND I KNOW ITS GOING TO BE A LONG JOURNEY OF CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING OF HOW TO USE AND MANAGE THIS "TOOL". I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT IT WILL ALL COME TOGETHER AND MAKE MORE SENSE BUT RECENTLY I CANT HELP BUT FEEL A TAD FRUSTRATED! IM BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN LOSING 3 LBS, GAINING THE 3 LBS. I GET ON MYSELF CAUSE I FEEL I COULD BE EXERCISING MORE TO SEE MORE RESULTS. IM TRYING TO EAT RIGHT AND STAY POSITIVE, BUT I CANT HELP BUT WONDER WHY IM NOT LOSING ANY MORE WEIGHT! DONT GET ME WRONG, IM THRILLED TO BE DOWN THE 29 LBS SINCE MY PRE SURGERY DATE BUT IM FEELING KINDA "BLAH!' BESIDES THAT, TRYING NOT TO FOCUS TO MUCH ON THE NUMBERS ON THE scale, I FEEL SOME PROGRESS IN MY CLOTHING. A FEW PEOPLE HAVE NOTICED, BUT IM STARTING STILL DETERMINED TO GET OUT OF THESE CLOTHES!!! IVE READ ON THIS FORUM THAT MAYBE AT MONTH 4 PEOPLE START TO FEEL AND NOTICE THE WEIGHT LOSS, IM JUST HOPING MONTHS 3 & 4 HAS ME FEELING BETTER THAN IM FEELING RIGHT NOW. IM GETTING MY SECOND FILL THIS WEEK AND HOPE THAT HELPS TOO. (BEEN FEELING HUNGRY AND EATING MORE RECENTLY) I SOMETIMES EVEN FORGET THAT IVE EVEN HAD THE BAND DONE! SHEESH, THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG JOURNEY!

Thanks so much for the input!!

WELL, ADD ME TO THE LIST! (I BARELY MADE THE MONTH) MY NAME IS DANETTE, 36 YRS OLD, NOT MARRIED, ONE SON, 17 MONTHS! I WAS BANDED AUG 31ST 2011!! PRE SURGERY WEIGHT WAS 287, PRE SURGERY WEIGHT WAS 279, CURRENT WEIGHT IS 258!! IVE BEEN WEARING A 20 FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BUT CAN FINALLY SAY I FIT IN AN 18. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING 7 WEEKS AND LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THIS JOURNEY WITH ALL OF YOU!! DG! <3

CONGRATS TO YOU!!

WOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT 5 DAY INFORMATION! ILL GIVE IT A TRY! WOULDNT HURT! PLUS YOU GAVE ME SO MANY food IDEAS! THANKS AGAIN!

CONGRATS!! GOOD JOB!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!

IVE WONDERED THE SAME THING! I HAVE BEEN EATING A LIL MORE BUT HAVE ALSO FELT SOME RESTRICTION. HAVE YOU HAD A FILL?

Hello to all! I was banded on Wed the 31st and don't know how much more of this GAS PAIN I could take!! The lil incision burning I could hand, but this GAS.......it's kill in me! Besides that, I'm feelin a lil hungry and don't even know what to eat!!! I've been sippin on liquids but I'm feelin pretty crappy right now! Called my Dr and he thinks besides the gas pain that MAYBE some tube s rubbing along my abdominal wall. REALLY? just my luck! He advised me to move around blah blah blah, can't stand this! It's been TWO ays and I'm hoping I didn't make a huge mistake!! Tell me I'm not alone here! Tell me food on the Tv s just my imagination!! Tell me this is gonna get better!

I WAS BANDED ON AUGUST 31ST AND HAD MY FIRST FILL ON THURSDAY SEPT 22ND! WOW, WAS THAT AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE! BESIDES, THE UNEXPECTED STICK OF THE NEEDLE, THE INSTANT FULLNESS THAT I FELT WAS AMAZING! THE DR HAD ME DRINK SOME WATER RIGHT AFTER AND I WAS FREAKED OUT HOW MUCH SLOWER THE WATER WENT DOWN! I WAS ON LIQUIDS FOR 2 DAYS AFTER AND IM FEELING PRETTY GOOD. HAD SOME SOUP FOR DINNER LASTNIGHT AND HAVE TO ADMIT, I HAVE TO EAT SLOWER AND REALLY PAY ATTENTION DURING THE MEAL. IVE REALIZED THAT I NEVER REALLY PAYED ATTENTION TO HOW MUCH FOOD AND DRINK I WAS GULPING BEFORE SURGERY! IM STILL GETTING USED TO NOT DRINKING WHILE EATING (WHICH IS HARD FOR ME) BUT IM ADAPTING. IM DOWN 16 LBS SINCE MY SURGERY DATE AND KNOW THAT WITH MORE EXERCISE I CAN LOSE MORE! I DONT FEEL THAT IM EATING RIGHT. NOW THAT IM ON THE SOFTER/MUSH FOODS, IM TRYIN TO EAT MORE AND HEALTHIER. THIS LEARNING PHASE IS HARD BUT GETTING BETTER. STAYING FOCUSED IS A BIG DEAL NOW AND I KNOW ITS THE ONLY WAY I WILL SEE THE RESULTS I WANT. TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS IS 22 LBS SINCE MY PRE SURGERY APT AND I DONT FEEL IT YET. THIS FIRST MONTH WAS INTERESTING AND I CAN ONLY HOPE THE NEXT MONTHS ARE EASIER, BETTER AND SHOW SOME KIND OF RESULTS!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REPLIES AND SUPPORT! I LOVE TO SHARE WHATS GOING ON WITH PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND OR THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH ANY OF THIS! FIRTS OFF, ILL HAVE TO ADD THAT I HAVE SHARED A "STUCK" MOMENT! DOES THAT MAKE ME OFFICIAL!!! LOL WOW THAT SUCKED AND SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME. (ON A MORE TMI POINT, IT CAME RIGHT BACK UP!) I GUESS I ATE WAY TO FAST AND IT WAS "STUCK" FOR A LIL BIT, AS I BEGAN TO PANIC AND SIP Water, IT MADE ITS WAY OUT! LITERALLY! UGH, WHAT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE THAT WAS! YES, IVE LEARNED TO SLOW DOWN AND CHEW!!! AS FOR THAT FIRST FILL, I WAS AMAZED HOW QUICK THE PROCESS WAS! LITERALY LAYED BACK, INJECTED THE SALIN, HAD ME SIT UP, SIP ON SOME WATER (TO MAKE SURE I COULD SWALLOW IT) AND TOLD ME HAVE A NICE DAY. TOOK ME LONGER TO GET OUT THERE THAN THE FILL! I DO FEEL A LIL MORE RESTRICTION FROM RIGHT BEFORE THE FILL. I DO GET HUNGRY FEELINGS A LIL MORE THAN BEFORE BUT DO NOTICE I DONT EAT MUCH. FROM WHAT IVE READ, IT MAY GET A LIL MORE RESTRICTED WITH TIME, SO I SHALL SEE. IM HAVING A HARD TIME TAKING THE Vitamins AND CALCIUM! (IM TERRIBLE AT REMEMBERING!) I PUT THEM IN MY BAG NOW AND CARRY THEM WITH ME SO I HAVE THEM WITH ME WHEN IVE REALIZED IVE FORGOTTEN TO TAKE THEM! DEFINITLY WORKING ON THIS! MY DIET AND EXERCISE...I KNOW ID SEE MORE RESULTS IF ID EXERCISE MORE! IM TAKING WALKS/HIKES AND FEEL SO MUCH BETTER AFTERWARDS! IM GETTING INTO THE HABBIT TO DOING IT DAILY. I SEE THE NUMBERS GOING DOWN ON THE scale BUT LIKE OTHERS THAT IVE READ ABOUT, I DONT SEE OF FEEL IT TO MUCH ON MY BODY OR CLOTHES! IM WORKING ON EATING BETTER, IM READING LABLES AND SO HAVE BECOME AWARE OF MY BAD EATING BEHAVIOR FROM BEFORE. READING ALL THESE POSTS HAS INSPIRED ME TO GET THROUGH THIS. TO WANT TO SEE GOOD RESULTS AND TO WANT TO FEEL HEALTHY!! IM 4 DAYS SHORT OF ONE MONTH POST OP AND CAN ONLY HOPE, THIS ALL GETS EASIER AND BETTER FOR ALL OF US.

Good job!! Congrats to you!! I can only hope to be able to someday post such a fab post!!!

This post is exactly where my brain has been the past few days!! I'm at the start of my third week and feeling just like num1diva!!! After dropping 19 lb. since my pre-op date, I'm dreading to see the scale go up instead f down! I have my first fill scheduled for the 22nd and I'm hoping it will help with the current "hunger pains"! Thank you so much for the valuable information! I have noticed the weight loss has stopped! Hopefully, it picks up again?

I thought the same thing!! I was banded the 31st f August and I'm now at that phase where I'm not losing (in fact gained 2 lbs already!) should I worry/panic just yet? I'm exercising, watching my calorie intake and have a feeling this is gonna be a really long journey!!!

I too was banded Aug 31st and I'm counting the ays till I can TRY to eat normal foods! All of the pains mentioned (on the left side and all) I've had and still get! I have tried to continue the liquids the best that I can, but I have had some soups at SMALL servings!! I am having a hard time adjusting to no beverages while eating!! Long story short, I've come to realize THIS IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE!!! for all of us! Is going to take time and work! I'm happy to be feeling better, adjusting to my new lifestyle and NOT hearing ANY negative feedback no matter who it may be from. It's up to you as an individual to make this TOOL work! If we want good results, we need to apply ourselves to the best that we can! Good luck!

Thank you MiaMia! Can I ask you if a multivitamin and calcium should be taken? I was given brochures but never explained in depth! I started a multivitamin, but what else should I be taking? I don't go back to my dr tlll the 22nd! Thanks

MzNelly!!! Girl, I never thought I could get passed it!!! But Im on day 9 and I'm feeling GREAT!! I have to admit, stretching does the trick for me! I lean up against a a high counter and stretch and you have no idea how good the burp feels! Lol the heating pad also worked wonders! Once I feel that tummy ache coming along, I get up, walk and stretch till I burp! I promise you all, IT GETS BETTER!

HEY ALL, JUST A LIL NEED TO VENT FOR A SEC! IM 5 DAYS POST OP, AND DOING ALL THAT I CAN TO DEAL WITH THE HORRIFIC UNEASE IM FEELING! BESIDES THE GAS (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ADIVCE IVE READ) IM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF I DID THE RIGHT THING! I KNOW FROM READING A FEW POSTS ON HERE THAT THE FIRST FEW WEEKS ARE CRAPPY, BUT MY GOD, AM I GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH IT ALL? I DON T HAVE MY FOLLOW UP TILL THE 21ST IF SEPT SO FROM MY SURGERY DATE TILL THEN, I FEEL LIKE A LOST CAUSE! I DONT KNOW IF IM GETTING ENOUGH WATER, ENOUGH PROTEIN SHAKE, ENOUGH BROTH, CAUSE I HAVE A CONSTANT PRESSURE/FEELING IN MY STOMACH! I FEEL LIKE IM NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THE RUMBLING IN MY STOMACH IS. IS IT HUNGER OR JUST THE DAMN GAS? AM I SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING VITAMINS? AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL THIS FULL FROM SIPPING ON 16 OZ BOTTLE OF WATER ALL DAY? I DONT WANT TO BE A NAGGING PANIC, BUT I FEEL LIKE THATS IS EXACTLY WHATS COMING ON! IM DEALING WITH THE FOOD COMMERCIALS AND THOUGHTS OF DELICIOUS FOOD BUT I JUST HOPE AND PRAY THAT THEY WAY IM FEELING IS GONNA GET BETTER! I CANT HELP BUT WONDER, IS THIS HEALTHY FOR ME? IM NOT PUTING MUCH INTO MY SYSTEM? I GUESS, ILL JUST CONTINUE TO KEEP POSITIVE THOUGHTS GOING AND HOPE FOR GOOD RESULTS? IM JUST FILLED WITH A CONFUSED FEELING AND DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT! ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP AND MY APPOLIGIES IF IM NAGGING ABOUT PETTY THINGS IM JUST SCARED AND CONCERNED! THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!

All of you are AMAZING! thanks for replying! It makes me feel even better knowing I'm not completely alone on this journey!!!