DawnH

Good for you Jin! My dr. said the same thing to me, you have to live your life but for the most part make smart choices. Every once in awhile you have to indulge because you have to be normal (whatever normal is) . Obviously, the band will help you out so you can't eat a lot of it, that is the point. Congrats on the weight loss!

I am only 7 weeks out so far but I don't feel like there is any foreign object in my body except the port. It just feels weird but like the above posters said it is a reminder of what you are working towards. I have lost 32 lbs and I don't look wrinkly at all so I am hoping my skin holds up with the 59 lbs I have left to lose. I just keep exercising because that is about all I can do for my skin. I think the vitamins are totally helping my skin too. Good luck!

Congrats on the grand baby! That must be so exciting! On the fill topic next time I will make sure to eat something that day. I had to do liquids after the fill and the next day and I was hungry when I went in there. I will def. not go to the next fill hungry. Other than that it wasn't bad. Good luck!

Sorry you are feeling bad! I do have to tell you though we still have to deal with the head hunger and it stinks, lol. I still at night can sit and try to think of what to snack on while I am watching tv even if I am not hungry. I have to go take a hot bath or something or I could sabotage myself for sure! You just have to find something else to do to keep busy. Good luck!

Isopure isn't bad at all as long as you steer clear of the Alpine Punch, lol. No really though, they taste like uncarbonated soda. I would at least try them before. It is nice to get 40 grams of protein in one protein drink.

A nurse practitioner does mine in my surgeons office.

Ditto what Corrigan said. I wouldn't worry but just watch it. Mine got little rashy bumps by it while healing. They were nothing so I think it can go through a lot of different things during the healing process. Good luck!

Don't be disgusted with yourself! Just get back to the basics of the way to eat. I just had my first fill and only notice a little difference so I know I can eat more than I should but if you want this to work you have to stay strong until you get to the right fill level. Did the dr. give you a fill since he doesn't think the band was tight enough? The other night I know I could have eaten more than I should have so I had to put the food down and go get in the bath to just not focus on the food I wanted to put in my mouth but knew I didn't need to put in my mouth. I was just telling my nutritionist how much of a head game this all is. You have to retrain your brain to not want food but only when you need it. Just start over and take one day at a time. Good luck!

Maybe you can find a support group or something you can take him to with you. My mom (we are also very religious) was super skeptical and worried too but her fears were put to rest when I took her with me to the support group. She asked the post-op people questions and came out knowing this was the thing that would help me. Once she had researched it she has been comfortable with it ever since. Of course it is a surgery so there are always things that can happen but for me my mom knows this was the best decision I have made. Good luck!

Tan_ya- Sorry you had such a bad experience! It took the NP 5 pokes to get mine but I was numb. I can't imagine how you felt. She said mine was more 'mobile' than most so it was just hard to stabilize. It is weird because I can totally feel mine and I would have thought it would have been easy to access. Will they numb you next time if you request them to? That seems a little inhumane to not use a little lidocaine. So sorry! Hopefully you get to the green zone fast so you have fewer and fewer fills

You sound like me, post gallbladder removal there is no constipation and I can't eat greasy food either!

Good luck! I had my first one yesterday and it was weird! That is the only way I can describe it. They used lidocaine so it didn't hurt at all, just the lidocaine shot was a little pinch. She said my port moved around more than some so it took her 5 pokes to get the port. I was freaking out that maybe it had flipped or something but she said she could tell it was attached but just moved more than others. When she did get it it was just so weird. She expected the dr. to have put in 1 cc just to 'prime' it but I had 2 ccs in it so she only added 2 ccs. I have a 14 cc band so she said they usually put in a little more. Anyways, I have done fine with the liquids and have a little bruising but no pain. I am anxious to try soft foods tomorrow and then on to 'regular' food after a couple days of soft. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

Yes mine told me no raw veggies or lettuce for SIX months!!!! Crazy long, huh?

The fill was fine. She said my port moved quite a bit and it did take 5 pokes but she numbed it with lidocaine so I couldn't feel it at all. I had 2 ccs in it so she only added 2 more. Now I am on liquids today and tomorrow, then soft foods for a couple days and then normal diet so I am anxious to see what I can handle and what I can't. Good luck!

I am so excited, I have my first fill today I am anxious to get on the scale there. Yesterday am my scale said 191. I went to the nutritionist yesterday (in the same office as my surgeon) and their scale said 184. My scale at home is brand new and I asked them if they were sure because 7 pounds off is a big difference. She asked one of the nurses to get on it to see if it is right and she said it was (of course, that is probably the scale she uses all the time, lol) . Okay so I think mine is broken. I checked on my other scale and it says the same thing as my new one and my hubby checked on his at work and it was the same as our new one. So I guess it is safe to assume my drs. scale is broken. I am just hoping that when I go back today it doesn't say I gained 7 pounds, haha. We shall see! Tan_ya- My period has been way weird. I started the day before surgery (Sept. 11th) and it was about 4 days long which is normal. I haven't had it sense so I am a little over 2 weeks late! I am def. NOT pregnant, my tubes have been tied and my husband had a vasectomy so NO pregnancy (having a set of twins after 2 single babies we are all good I am really bloated and have cramps so we'll see....

I just usually eat greek yogurt, protein shake, or cottage cheese. I am not a breakfast person so I eat it just because I know I should, lol.

I was banded on Sept. 12th and have my first fill Tuesday and I am so ready for it. Hang in there it is all part of the process. If you want a few of us started a 'September 2011 bandsters' thread. We are all going through the same stages and it seems like we are all having the same struggles. Good luck!

That's awesome! Congrats to being on the other side

The 'liquid diet mouth' was HORRIBLE. I saw you recommend the lemon candies on another thread and those were a life saver. That was so weird, no one tells you you will have the nastiest taste in your mouth while on liquids! Thanks for the tip

Honestly my most favorite thing that has helped me a lot is using myfitnesspal.com to log in all my food and exercise. It helps keep track of everything for me and there is an app for my phone too so I can use it when I am out too. Love it. Good luck!

Sorry that happened to you! I know it is probably inevitable but I hope it never does happen to me, lol. Isn't it amazing how much better you feel with some of the weight gone. I have lost 29 lbs and still have 61 to go but when I was thinking how much better my knees feel it is awesome. It is pretty much the equilivant of carrying around 6 5lb bags of potatoes and that is a lot of weight not hitching a ride on my body

The size of the band you get is determined by the amount of fat you have around your stomach. I was reading my operating room report and the dr said he had to use the 14 cc band on me because of the 'fat pad' that was around my stomach. I asked him about it and he just said that the more fat you have around your stomach itself (not how fat your stomach looks from the outside) determines if you get the 10 cc versus the 14cc band (with the Lap Band AP system). I don't know what sizes the Realize bands come in.

It seems like a lot of us are in the same 'no restriction yet' boat. My first fill isn't until Tues. so we will see if it helps at all. I have noticed I am just staying full for about 2-3 hours now. I had weird 'stitch' type pains for a little while. I had surgery Sept 12th and just within the last 10 days I have gotten to the point where I feel totally normal.

That is so true about feeling like you are pigging out when you get to 800 calories. I think twice I have gotten to 1100 calories and I felt like I had totally pigged out. I have noticed I am getting hungrier but protein is what curbs it for sure. Carbs do nothing for hunger. I do eat cream of wheat for the grains and mashed sweet potatoes for the vitamins and they both have some protein in them too but for the most part carbs don't do a thing. It is so exciting to start living a 'normal' life. I went to a craft thing with my mom last night that had a dinner of salad and about 7 different soups to choose from. It was nice to feel like I could choose from any of them but limit my portions. It felt much less like a diet than weight watchers would have trying to guess how many points this had or that. I had already gotten in all my protein for the day so I had one ladle full of a cheesy potato soup with a sprinkle of cheese on it and a dollap of sour cream and ate it super slow and felt full. It was so nice and they brought out the desserts and I didn't even care to try one of everything they brought out like I would have pre-band life . I did REALLY want to try the cinnamon sugared walnuts they brought out that were just made. That was a rough thing to turn down but I did.

Good luck! I was freaking out the night before my surgery too!