depressed_bandster

My docs have an office in Apple Valley. As I stated, they are awesome...the best! I will message you my phn #, so you can call/text me with any questions.

I have noticed several things that make me tighter than usual....stress, being sick, change in weather (heat, usually humid heat). Try sipping a HOT drink, as hot as you Can handle...small sips.

I too am in So Cal & my docs are the BEST...surgery & follow up, even 2-1/2 years later is GREAT!! I know you were looking for advice several months ago, but if you're still looking for a good doc, West Medical, Dr. Salimitari & Dr. Shabatian....well I can't say enough good things about them! We banders do work hard to change our lives & habits & literally exercise our butts off BUT I notice the patients that are followed closer by their docs have more success vs patients that have a hard time getting in to see their docs & can't ever get ahold of anyone at the office to talk to when they have questions or problems. I have NEVER had a problem getting ahold of one of my doctors or a nurse & have NEVER had a great delay in making an appointment to see them when needed. Good luck with your journey!

Whee are you at in So Cal? I'm in So Cal & my docs are FABULOUS...THE BEST! They are at West Medical & have several locations in So Cal.

LeeB1946 is right, insurance companies do not pay for tummy tucks but will pay for a panniculectomy (skin removal only) IF medically necessary. If you have any rashes under the skin fold, see your doctor, take photos; that's your best bet for it being medically necessary. Also make sure your weight loss has been documented by your doctor, as your insurance company might want to see documentation of your weight loss & that your are serious about keeping the weight off; my insurance required this documentation. My insurance paid for the panniculectomy & I paid the difference for the full tummy tuck. With a tummy tuck more of the skin is removed (a lot more in my case) and your muscles are repairs (tightened back to normal, as they were stretched with your weight gain too, just as your skin was stretched). I had so much extra skin I immediately went down 2 pant sizes after surgery & after all swelling went down ultimately went down 4 pant sizes after the tummy tuck!! Scars...yes there are scars. I have a scar from hip to hip...literally!! HOWEVER, placement of the scar is key. Doctors differ on their technique & this is an art, so make sure you research your doctor & see before & after photos from your doctors other patients. I was able to wear a bikini (YES A BIKINI!!!!!) for the first time in 20 years last weekend & my scar was completely covered. My doctor did an AWESOME job placing the scar low with a perfect curve! I will also add this surgery is NO JOKE!! It was the worse surgery recovery I have ever had & I've had my share of surgeries. I was down for a month & SLOWLY got back to normal thereafter. It is painful & takes everything out of you to heal...leaves you with NO ENERGY!! Even knowing how awful the recovery was, I would do it again knowing the results I have! The Lapband changed my life & the my TT changed my life to a place I never dreamed! Without that roll of skin I am able to property exercise, I can wear pants that actually fit me, I can be completely proud of my hard work & weight loss AND did I mention I was in a bikini for the first time since I was a teenager! TOTALLY worth every minute of the recovery. Just do your research on the doctor you choose. Good luck with your journey!

You will find through your journey, especially being on here & other support sites, everyone's doctor is different about almost EVERYTHING! What to eat & not eat; carbonated drinks ok with some docs & not others; procedures for fills & follow ups are different...just do whatever YOUR doc says! If your doc says solids are ok, go for it & listen to your body!!! My doc was a bit more relaxed than some docs I read about on here as far as post-op restrictions. I think I was eating solids within a week or two. I don't remember when I initially stopped being bothered by my port, but when I got close to my goal weight, after losing about 75 pounds, I had to have my port changed to a low profile port because it stuck out & was hurting me when I'd do sit ups or lay on my stomach. I've had the low profile port for a year & a half & work abs several days a week & sleep any way I want & it doesn't bother me at all! You might want to ask which port you have so you know if switching later is an option for you if you're bothered by it later. I'm sure the discomfort will go away as you heal....that area is ultra sensitive right now & will get better as it heals & your mind won't be so preoccupied with it too. Good luck on your journey!

I'm @C21AGENTAMY I'd love to follow some fellow bandsters!

I am 2 yrs 7 months post-banding. I hit my goal over a year ago, losing 100 pounds. in the past couple months i have had A LOT of stress & have been struggling with stress eating and eating when I'm depressed. I have gained about 20 pounds back. I know I have adequate restriction, as I have not had an unfill & if I don't chew good enough or eat on occasion fast I get stuck…so I know the retraction is there. However, I eat more than I should & my cravings are out of control. I've heard it's possible to stretch the pouch & I think I have done this. How do I shrink it back? Do I start over with the basics of 1 week liquids, then mushies, so forth?

B52...I have never had pain when I eat. Over time my portion sizes have increased to a point I am able to overeat too large of portions. Because I did have adequate restriction to control my portion sizes prior to my overeating, I'm sure that my pouch is stretched out & just needs to be "reset". After 2 years of doing this, I know what adequate restriction feels like & I have not had a fill or unfill in over a year. I am good at taking small bites & chewing so I don't ever have a problem with being stuck. From time to time when I overeat I feel uncomfortable...like I ate too much...but no pain. I did not exactly do the above pouch test, but This last week I did 3 days liquids & 2 days soft foods & that seems to have done what needed to be done. My portions are under control & I am feeling full faster, with the smaller portions. It worked great & I'm back on track!!

What happens pre-op is usually determined by what your insurance requires. Mine did not require any pre-op counseling, just one psychological evaluation, and most require pre-op diet program, mine did not. Pain w/surgery...The surgery was not painful for me, just uncomfortable, 3 small incisions. Mine was outpatient & I was walking around fine the next day, just groggy & tired from the surgery. The pain in my shoulders from the gas they pump into your stomach during surgery was the most painful part & lasted about a week. Use Gas-X and heat to relieve that pain. Feeling the band/port...I did not feel my port unless I was pushing around feeling for it on my stomach. Mine is located a few inches below right ribs, about an inch off midline. As I lost weight I could feel it more and as I approached my goal weight it started to stick out a bit, but nothing gross looking. The problem I had with the port was that mine was not originally a low-profile port so it was a bit bulkier & began to hurt when I'd do abdominal exercises. Contracting my abs pushed on the port & would feel bruised. I had my port changed to a low-profile port and I've had NO problems since! I have never felt any other portion of the LapBand, other than what I just explained. Fills…I did have a couple experiences of the doc having a hard time finding my port, but I was numb so I didn't feel any discomfort or pain. EVERY poke I ever received was SO worth it! I am 2-1/2 yrs postop & have obtained my goal weight, so don't be discouraged by reading you might only lose 40-50% of the weight you need to lose. I lost 100% of mine & have kept it off for a year so far. With 100 pounds to lose, I too still would have been obese. I had lost the same 30-40 pounds over & over again…it was the NEXT 70 pounds I needed help with! And THAT'S what the LapBand helped me achieve! I think if you truly use the band as the tool it is suppose to be used for & make the lifestyle changes needed, which the band assists you with, you will have no problem continuing your weight loss journey and sustaining for the rest of your life! On the upside with the band vs other bariatric surgeries, if you fall back into old habits someday, you can always go back to be re-adusted and get a fill to get you under control again. The other surgeries are NOT adjustable later in life should you slide back into old habits! YAY for the LapBand! If you are willing to make the effort and just need help, this tool is for you! It does NOT do any of the work for you. It assists you in making lifestyle changes…eating healthier, healthier smaller portions, and feeling fuller faster. You still will need to exercise and although you can eat pretty much what you want, the band helps you with portion control…eating 1-2 Cookies instead of half the bag! Good luck with your journey & feel free to message me with any other questions you have! Weight loss and fitness is now my passion & I love to help people obtain a healthy future life!

YES!! The LapBand changed my life when I literally worked my butt off!! I have lost almost 100 pounds and I am MUCH happier in EVERY area of my life..as a wife, a mother, being active & having active hobbies (being able to have active hobbies) and in my career as a Realtor. @@lisacaron , size DID dictate my happiness…or should I say my UNhappiness, in fact I was depressed because of my size. I was unhappy and depressed when I had to look at myself in the mirror every time I got out of the shower, unhappy & depressed when I saw myself in pictures (on the rare occasion I didn't avoid the camera), unhappy & depressed that because of my size I could not join my family in activities like working out at the gym, surfing, skateboarding, playing volleyball, just to name a few, but most of all, I was unhappy to walk hand in hand with my husband in pubic. He is good looking with an athletic body. Anytime he would grab my hand or show me any affection in public, I couldn't enjoy it. All I could think about was what others must be thinking…"Why is HE with HER"? I know now that no one was looking at us or thinking that, but BECAUSE OF MY SIZE, I was so preoccupied with what others were (not) thinking, I couldn't even enjoy my husband's affection. My size did dictate my happiness. @@lisacaron…why was I not happy??? Because OF MY SIZE I COULDN'T enjoy activities with my family. I was robbed of so many years of making memories, being in all those pictures, being happy and not depressed because I hated the way I looked…ALL because of my size. What does true happiness mean to me? MY FAMILY…enjoying my family. You are blessed to be a happy person at any size and that your size did not keep you from doing things or being happy. But to some people, SIZE DOES MATTER…A LOT! It nearly ruined my life! Not because I had health issues, I didn't (yet). I had a minor degree of sleep apnea, but nothing serious. MY SIZE nearly ruined my life because I hated the way I looked, which affected me being a happy wife and a happy mom. For some people, size DOES dictate happiness or unhappiness, even depression. I am proud to say that now, because of my NEW SMALLER SIZE, every time my husband & I share affection, no matter where we are, I enjoy IT ALL…I enjoy his hand in mine, I enjoy his arm around me, I enjoy his kiss. Because of my new smaller size I enjoy working out with my family, surfing, skateboarding and pretty much any activity they want to do!! The LapBand changed my life by being a tool to help me be a smaller size!! Size IS​ dictating my happiness, because if I wasn't this size, I wouldn't be enjoying my family the way I can today…SMALLER. I am SO happy now that I can truly enjoy life being a SMALLER SIZE! YES!! I AM HAPPIER NOW THAT I AM THINNER!

Like @@JustWatchMe , my husband was my biggest obstacle. He was absolutely against it. I was desperate for a lifestyle change & success at weight loss & the LapBand was my last hope. My 2 daughters were supportive, but we avoided conversation about it pre-op & anytime it was brought up, he was very oppositional. He didn't even drive to surgery, my (then) 16-year-old daughter drove me. Part of his opposition was the risk, he was scared because of everything bad he had read and heard about the LapBand. The rest of his opposition was embarrassment. He truly did not see me as being obese at 250 pounds. He did not believe I needed something as drastic as the LapBand & if people knew I had a LapBand….well how embarrassing would that be??? For at least the first 6 months, he did not want anyone to know that we mutually knew & I told people he knew as time went by, only when it was absolutely necessary. I don't drink 30 minutes prior to or after eating, so this was another uncomfortable situation in restaurants when waiters/waitresses would comment about my lack of drinking. ​Thirdly, he was skeptical. He wasn't convinced it was going to work & kept saying "what if this doesn't work for you either & then you have a foreign object in you & will need another surgery to have it removed"? ​Well, I am ecstatic to report that I DID SUCCEED and he is so proud of me and my band!! If people ask him how I lost 100 pounds, he tells them! When I say at restaurants I don't want a drink, he tells them I have a LapBand & don't drink with my meals. He has watched me work HARD to lose 100 pounds & has seen it wasn't just the easy way out & I had to actually work for it, which gained his respect for the band…and ME! The first couple months he was still pretty unsupportive until he saw my hard work and he took the time to understand the band is a tool to HELP me, not magic, doing it for me or the "easy way out". I even did a commercial for my doctors with his full approval! It has been airing for 5 months now & he gets questioned at least once a week about his wife being in a commercial for bariatric surgery…and he confidently tells them I have a LapBand and have lost 100 pounds! When we look back on before photos his mouth drops open and he just stares, barely able to mutter out "I can't believe you were that big. I never saw you that way." I am truly blessed to have a husband that loved me even when I was obese, but at the same time, it was a curse…he loved me, so as I gained and gained and gained, it comfortable to keep gaining, because he still told me I was beautiful and he still loved me, even at 250 pounds! Now, he is happy I got the band & he is thrilled with my new body and he's happy I'm healthy! For the first time since we were teenagers, this weekend I felt as if he wanted to "show me off" at his company picnic. He wanted me to wear a slinky sundress I wouldn't have been able to wear since I was a teenager!! YAY for LapBand and for my desperation for change….so desperate I went against my husband's wishes and did what was best for ME and conquered my biggest obstacle.

There is an app for the iPhone called Mindful Bite. It was very helpful for me to help me slow down. I am always in a rush and eat a lot on the run, so this was very helpful to me. YOU WILL KNOW if you get stuck! I have only been stuck a few times, ALL totally my fault, usually taking too big of a bite when I'm super hungry from waiting too long to eat & then NOT CHEWING. I've never been stuck like some people on this site. I've never thrown up & have never had excruciating pain. When I have been stuck, it is uncomfortable. I drank hot Water or hot tea, little sips & that fixed it for me. I eat with a cocktail fork or a baby spoon/fork to force me to take smaller bites. Also, keep a cup of something warm to drink (even just hot water) next to you while you eat the first month or so until you learn to eat slower & chew.

I am 2-1/2 years post-banding and I drink carbonated drinks almost daily. I have felt what you are feeling before If I gulp to big. When drinking carbonated drinks I always try to consciously take smaller sips. Also, remember your band will act differently on different days due to different reasons…being sick, change in weather or altitudes, stress, etc. all will make me feel more restriction & therefore my body reacts differently at those times than it may have to the exact same food or drink even earlier in the same day! Listen to your body. If you are going to drink carbonated drinks, be conscience about what you are feeling & make changes accordingly. Pay attention to when these changes happen, so you can make changes in the future If we are going to drink carbonated drinks or eat things others can't eat (I eat everything, no restrictions) than we have to be more in touch with listening to our bodies reactions & pay more attention. Carbonated drinks can be dangerous for bandsters, because of all the extra air. I have heard of people's bands twisting or slipping (I think that's what happened) due to drinking carbonated drinks. Be careful!

Hi Tyger'sMom…I am 2-1/2 yrs post-banding. I too DID NOT want 1/2 my stomach gone or anything "bypassed"; I didn't want anything permanently reconstructed inside me. I too failed so many times and lost the same 30-40 pounds countless times & was at a point that I was so desperate to not fail again. I was a psychological mess from failing so many times & just needed help! I was willing to put in the work, but the "work" just wasn't enough; it just wasn't working. I opted for the band after a lot of research of all 3 surgeries. I realized that the band was a tool to help me change my way of life…the way I eat, proportions. I too was a diet expert in that I tried and succeeded many times at many different diets, but could never stay on the "diet" forever. I needed a lifestyle change & I needed help with that. I needed to still be able to have a cookie or cupcake or a bite or two of whatever I was craving. Depriving myself just made me not want to stay on whatever diet I was on forever; I needed to learn to be able to have 1-2 oreos instead of half the bag, or 4-8 ounces of food at a time instead of 4 cups of food at a time. I have lost 100 pounds and did so with the HELP of the band, using it as a tool as it was designed. The band is to help you feel full faster and longer, therefore eating less at every meal (and snack). Overeating is where most Americans get into their overweight problems; most Americans overeat (as you know). Eating slowly & chewing…yes, we have to eat slower than usual and chew more. When I was losing weight (I am now sustaining my weight loss), I used a cocktail fork or baby spoon or fork to take smaller bites & I chew, chew, chew 'til mush. I also do not drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after eating. Other than that, I have no other restrictions. I am able to eat anything I want & did not have the stuck episodes you will read about on this site. I have only been stuck a few times, but none of them caused throwing up, nor were they painful as described by some other people on this site. If your band is appropriately adjusted & you do what you are instructed to do by your doctor...take smaller bites, eat slower & chew chew chew...you won't have any problems. I would rather take the time to make these small adjustments in my life than permanently reconstruct my insides. I will also add, my family eats out a lot & although I was nervous about this in the beginning, I learned I do take longer than everyone else to eat, but I'm not eating as much so it's not like everyone sits around waiting for me to finish. I was always ok with putting in the effort, the "dieting" and exercising, but I just could not sustain that particular diet and deprivation forever. The band has helped me change my eating lifestyle to moderation, smaller portions. I only eat til I'm NOT HUNGRY ANYMORE, not until I'm FULL! I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the doc you had your informational meeting with, & I agree with everyone else…FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR. Don't let one dr discourage you from changing your life. I too started with another facility, but was not happy, I switched groups & ended up with the MOST fabulous doctors! I have learned by being in contact with a lot of other banisters that the RIGHT doctor makes a HUGE difference as to whether you will succeed or not. Yes, I have put in all the hard work, but I would not have succeeded without the incredible support of my doctors & their commitment to me to follow up with me regularly every few weeks for the first year, being responsible with EVERY fill they gave me, treating me as an individual and giving me adjustments according to what I needed, not what was the norm for whatever # of fill I was on. After care is HUGE in LapBand success. PLEASE find a good doctor who truly cares for you & what is best for you. I hope I addressed all your concerns. The LapBand truly changed my life & I believe in it…I believe if you are a person who is willing to put in the effort, the LapBand can change your life too! I see you are in California? Are you in Southern California?

Chris_tina83....my docs are Dr. Hooman & Dr. Salimitari. Their office staff, nurses, everyone is fabulous!!!!

The purpose of your band is an appetite suppressant, "portion controller" to satisfy you with less food. You should never eat til you're full, just til you're satisfied-not hungry any more. My docs have recommended 4 oz of food at a time, if I'm still hungry after that I can have 2 oz more, if I'm STILL hungry....I need a fill. If I am still hungry after the 4-6 oz, sometimes I just think I'm still hungry bcuz it tastes so goooooooood!!! I will make myself wait 30 minutes & drink some water before eating more to make sure I really am physically hungry & not head hungry or oh that tasted good hungry. This has worked for me, I've lost 90 pounds in 17 months. If you haven't lost anything in a month, have you been exercising? This is important too!!

^^^^^^^^EVERYTHING LovetheNewMe said!!! Plus....I had a plateau for about 4 months when I was working 70 hours a week & didn't have time to exercise. That was the only thing that I had changed; still was watching what I ate, but no exercise. After work slowed down, I got back into the gym & started losing again. You HAVE TO MOVE, you have to work out, walk, any exercise to burn those calories & strengthen your body!! AND water water water!!! 15 pounds is definitely do-able....20 might be pushing it though! Do it healthy so it stays off and you can continue on your journey! Good luck!!!

First of all, congratulations on your weight loss!!! That is truly AMAZING!!! Mis 73 has a lot of good questions that I'm curious about too.... I'm not sure if my docs do removal or not....if they put 'em in, can't they take 'em out??? My docs are in Tarzana, off the 101, just west of the 405, not too far from you. I drove to them from the high desert (Apple Valley area) and they are the best!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! I was banded 17 months ago & feel very thankful & blessed to have them for my docs!! (BTW, there are 2 docs there, both WONDERFUL) If you're interested, I'm pretty sure their info is in my profile if you click on my picture. Otherwise, feel free to email me.... accox4@verizon.net