bev712

Hi All, On this day, my 68th birthday, I want to share with you my success story. My significant other and I both had lap band surgery in January 2012. Since then, I've lost 70 pounds and he's lost 85. I'm at 148, which is only 8 pounds above what I weighed in high school and college. Even my shoe size is down from an 8 to a 7, and I can wear flat sandals and wedge heels again. I can walk for hours (shopping for clothes and shoes, and also walking the dog) and swim for a half-hour. My backaches, knee aches and hip aches are gone. I love looking in the mirror now, in my tight jeans and clingy tank tops. I can attest that the lap band works beautifully, even for seniors who'd just about given up. It's worth all the effort of changing eating and exercise habits. I'm just delighted. Bev

If you nag him when he doesn't yet have the filled band as a tool, you'll just add to the stress that may be contributing to his overeating. Just back off and give him time to adjust to the whole experience. My S.O. and I both overate when we didn't have enough fills. Perfectly normal. Without enough fill it's like not having had the surgery. It can be very anxiety-provoking if you don't understand what's going on. I agree, he'll learn.

We eat brown rice pasta, just not too much at a time. The reason regular pasta could be a problem is that wheat contains gluten, which is the sticky stuff that holds it together. The gluten can cause it to form a ball in your stomach that won't go down, so whole wheat pasta can be more of a problem that regular pasta. I would stick with the brown rice pasta.

The same thing has happened to both my S.O. and me. Not enough fill yet, not enough restriction, and we started overeating again. We all overeat because there's no signal from the brain that you're full. The nerves that signal fullness are at the top of the stomach above the band. When the band isn't tight enough, food goes through to the lower part of the stomach, and you just keep eating. The purpose of the band is to keep the food at the top of the stomach so the "full" signal is triggered. When there's not enough fluid in the band, we often just go right back to our old eating habits. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!! We had surgery the end of January and had one fill in February. I'd lost 25 pounds and he'd lost 35. He began overeating a few weeks ago. We went to the doctor 2 weeks ago, I didn't get a fill by my request, and he got a second fill. I started overeating not long after the appointment and went back yesterday for my second fill. He's going back next week for another fill, because what he got didn't help. I'm eating less now, but I know I still need more fills. I didn't get discouraged even tho I gained back 4 pounds because I knew it was very common. He did get depressed because he didn't expect it. So please don't get discouraged and don't blame yourself. The reason you had the surgery was because you overate. The surgical process simply isn't finished yet. After you get one fill you may feel a change, or you may need more fills until you get enough restriction to get that "full" signal after a very small meal.

I'll keep this short because my laptop died and this is from my Kindle. I think this discussion is a waste of time and that the original post was highly inappropriate. This is a SUPPORT GROUP for people who are already banded or who are seriously considering lap band surgery. It is not for just anyone to post whatever they think about the band including incorrect and unscientific information. I hope the original poster will please refrain from further replies. The depth of emotion that you evoked tells me your negative posts are not welcome here.

I've decided to get out every day and do something wonderful. I go to the pool and do exercises, I go to the art museum, or to the Japanese gardens, or I go shopping for new clothes. I've changed my hair style, letting it grow longer and experimenting with new, more youthful ways to wear it. I wear darker nail polish. I've completely changed my wardrobe, now wearing bright colors, clingy clothes and cute shoes. We still go out for meals but now enjoy eating half of it and taking the other half home. I'm also always looking for something we can do together, like musical performances and interesting exhibits. With all this new energy, I'm enjoying my life and my retirement more than ever. Thank you Lap Band!

My apologies for my outburst. I was just concerned for your health. To vomit constantly in order to lose weight sounded so wrong to me. And it is wrong, and you had it taken care of. I'm glad you're doing better.

I think it's important to tell someone who has eaten inappropriately that it's normal to screw up and even to deliberately decide to do something wrong if it keeps them from going completely crazy. So, for example, you drink with meals sometimes and overeat. It's not a big deal if small abberations keep you generally on the program. For some people, the adjustment is easy, but for others it's not, and we try to be understanding of those who are having a hard time. I haven't seen what you're seeing, but that's because I don't look at the responses to most of the posts. I just delete the e-mail and leave the thread to others who may have more informed or positive comments. You can spend your precious time wallowing in other people's troubles when you could be spending doing something nice for yourself!

Here's some motivation: I am 5'2" and weighed 208 before surgery. Only two months later I've lost 24 pounds and my Type II diabetes if GONE. Do it.

Now THAT'S the spirit!! Look how far you've come in less than a day! Better to borrow a little more and not deplete your savings completely. The anxiety of having no financial backup isn't worth it.

I can eat just about anything in small portions, but I have to be careful of the gluten (wheat) foods that tend to get stuck more easily. If you need to snack between meals, you aren't in the Green Zone yet, but once you get there, everything becomes easy. You enjoy your small portions immensely and then don't think about food IF you're busy with something you enjoy. If you start obsessing about those cookies in the kitchen, they don't belong in your house. As for restaurants, I either get an appetizer for my meal or eat half and box up the rest for another meal. You can probably eat a whole pancake, but your choice for healthy foods should be eggs (I love cheese omelets), and by the time you've eaten a half cup or so, you won't have room for the pancake and won't want it. As for birthday cake, try to think about a yummy mouthful instead of a slice. After a healthy meal you probably won't want more than that. It truly is a whole new experience when you get to that Green Zone.

It IS caffeine! You're just getting more of it in a concentrated dose. Caffeine is a diuretic, which is why it's not recommended - to prevent dehydration, but I couldn't live without my coffee, so it's just a choice between slow-and-steady or all-at-once.

Their financing may be very costly and more than you can afford to pay monthly. With interest payments so low these days, you could look for a non-profit credit union that would give you a lower-interest loan and a much longer time to pay it off than the surgeon and the hospital. Don't give up yet!

I also disagree that this is normal. It sounds to me that you're very depressed and need professional help. If your doctor has a psychologist on staff, call for an appointment. If not, call the office for a referral to a psychologist who understands baratric surgery patients. Do it now, before you feel worse.

My plan is 2-4 oz Protein, 1/2 cup of veggies and 1/2 serving of carbs. Most veggies are mostly Water, and if you need a full cup to fill you up, it won't harm you. You can also have a salad with lo-cal dressing before you eat to fill you up, and then have the cooked veggies with the meal. My surgeon decides how much of a fill you need by how you feel, too. He always asks if I've had any vomiting or PBs, and whether I feel as if there's enough restriction. I didn't want to get all hung up with the amount of the fill, either, but he told me what he was going to give me and thengave me a printed sheet with the amount filled in. It's just interesting to me how everyone's needs are different. My nurse educator and nutritionist say I can call them any time with any questions. If you have such a resource, use it! And 15 pounds in one month is GREAT!! You seem to be worrying too much. The cure for that is information, and if you can get it here, fine, but if we can't help you, call the doctor's office and ask. They love that. It makes them feel more involved in your care.

It's highly unlikely that you've stretched your pouch. It's most likely that you simply have no restriction. Everyone's different. I've had one fill of 5 cc in a 14 cc band and am already in the green zone. My guy has had one fill of 4 cc and has some restriction but definitely can - and does - eat far too much. He obviously needs another fill, and you probably do, too. For now, try to do portion control until you can get another fill. You only need to wait a month between fills, and if your next appointment is further away than that, call for a sooner appointment.

I was told no straws because when you sip through them you tend to take more liquid than just the recommended sip.

Hey, take it easy on yourself! It's tremendously hard to change a lifetime of bad eating habits. Of course you're going to slip back into them! I see my guy doing the same thing. He too needs more restriction, and so far tonight after dinner he's been eating constantly - potato sticks, salad with lots of dressing, processed chicken breast, and now a banana with milk. Before this week he'd been just eating an Italian ice as a snack. He knows he has to get back to making better choices and stop bringing home peanuts and cashews, ice cream and chips, but habits of a lifetime are hard to break. You can do it. You've already made the hard choice of going through surgery. No one ever said this process would be easy. Keep those goals in mind, and start telling yourself you deserve to be healthy and happy.

And my doctor doesn't require any kind of diet, either liquids or even reduced intake, before surgery because he discovered that no one does it. My post-surgery is also the same as Otters'.

It's not exactly jealousy - it's fear, fear that now that you're becoming more attractive in the sexual sense you'll choose to be with someone who wouldn't have looked twice at you before. The solution is to reassure him that you're still very much attracted to him and that you'd never want anyone else. You can feel confident in your new body but still remember to remind him all the time that you married HIM!

I hope you get your insurance worked out. As for the first night after surgery, if you don't have anyone to stay with you, you probably should stay overnight in the hospital. You'll be woozy from the anesthesia and will probably need IV pain medication and IV fluids to keep you hydrated, since you won't be able to drink more than a sip at a time. They also have to make sure you can urinate before you go home. I don't blame insurance companies for insisting on one night in the hospital. It's far too risky both for you and for them if you go home the same day as abdominal surgery.

I use a pillow, too. Maybe as you get down to your ideal weight there's less cushioning around the port.

Many bariatric surgical centers have ongoing support groups that are open to anyone who has had weight loss surgery, and at no cost if you have no insurance for a psychologist. They are run by the staff of the center - nurse, nutritionist and/or psychologist. Check the surgical centers near you to see what's available.

Good for you! You can get an inexpensive digital scale in Walmart or Target. It's important to get that feedback.

Your message provides the clue. Take smaller bites.