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I was banded on Jan. 6 and have lost 87 pounds since then. So, I'm doing really well! It's actually helped improved my quality of life a lot. It has even helped some of my MS symptoms. My ability to walk longer distances has improved drastically because losing weight takes so much extra stress off my legs. I still have a lot of weight to lose but even now, I feel better than I have in years. I hope your quality of life improves drastically too. Best wishes to you

Do you go on liquids after a fill? If not, you should, so your stomach and have to time to adjust and stop swelling. It's normal to be tighter than usual after a fill, for me it usually takes about 5 days for things to settle and me to be able to eat normal again.

I would simply go month by month and decide as you go. Some questions to ask yourself though: -Can you go 4-5 hours between meals without hunger? -Are you satisfied/not hungry after eating a cup of food or less? -Are you losing weight? If you answer 'yes' to all these, then you probably don't need a fill. If you answer 'no' to one or more, you may want to consider a fill. At the very least discuss it with your surgeon and see his opinion. Good luck!

To those talking about drinking diet soda or any other carbonated beverages after being banded, my advice is to stop and stop immediately. There is good reason we're not supposed to have carbonation after being banded. It can cause both slippage and erosion. When I had my Lap Band surgery, my roommate in the hospital was in there for a band replacement. Why? Because she was regularly drinking soda and the carbonation resulted in her stomach prolapsing through her band. I used to be a big time diet soda addict, but I'd much rather be healthy without soda than risk a slip or erosion from drinking soda. It's just not worth it.

My biggest reason I got the band was for my health. Aside from being morbidly obese, I also have Multiple Sclerosis. I figured I can't make the MS go away but I can make my body a heck of a lot healthier despite it. By losing weight I can also help assure I don't become diabetic, either. Really, as scary as it sounds, I don't want to die before my time. I was afraid if I continued with an incurable disease and a BMI over 70, I wouldn't live to see my 50th birthday. I want to live to be old enough be a grandma someday.

I agree with stephyanders, you can be eating small portions but still high calorie food. Do you know approximately how many calories you consume a day? Have you spoken to a nutrionist recently to get their input? Your surgeon?

I did similar, my divorce was final in November 2011 and I had Lap-Band surgery in January 2012. I've never been happier. You'll do great!!!! Best wishes to you

Just for fun, you should enter your info into the Lose It! Website. It's supposed to work along with the app for your smart phone (which I love btw), but if you tell it your info, your goal weight, and how fast you want to lose it'll calculate a calorie number for you and tell you when you'll reach goal weight. http://www.loseit.com/

That's a tricky question, because I can almost guarantee everyone will tell you something different because every surgeon and nutrionist is different. I can tell you what I eat- I eat 1100-1200 calories a days. I eat a minimum of 60g of Protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% total fat intake for the day. I started on 1000 calories a day and my weight loss slowed so I upped my calories a little bit and it worked to kick my metabolism into working again. Everyone's body is different and works differently, including losing weight. Some say no carbs at all, whereas I can eat carbs and still lose weight without problem. The trick on this journey is to find out what works for you specifically. That (unfortunately) means considerable trial and error until you find it. I also use an app called Lose It! I love it, it's on my phone as well as on the PC and both sync. It not only counts calories but can even tell me the break down of grocery store and restaurant foods. It does also give you a calorie intake recommendation based on your weight and how much you want to lose and will adjust your allotted calories as your weight decreases. Good luck to you

There was another thread like this a month or two ago. What is your rash like? I have a dry, itchy red rash across my tummy. Another man on here had similar. Really little bumps. We wondered if it wasn't eczema.

I agree with SageTracey. It's probably just a muscle cramp, but it's ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry, especially after surgery. I would contact your surgeon ASAP just to be sure it's not a clot.

My surgeon said I must see him every month for the first year, just to make sure I'm doing ok and don't have any issues, regardless of whether or not I need a fill. From what I understand, this is common for most doctors. I'm shocked yours just left you on your own so soon. Are you comfortable with it?

how long ago was surgery?

It's not any more common with Lap Band surgery than it is any other surgery, though obese people do have a higher risk. Smoking increases that risk even more. Blood clots normally form in the legs. Many times they cause a deep, almost bruised pain at the location. The problems arise when the clot breaks loose in the blood stream and travels to the lungs, potentionally causing a pulmonary embolism. When I was in the hospital, they put my legs in these compression mechasim. They wrap your calves and rhythmically squeeze, the squeezing to keep the blood flowing in your legs and avoid a blood clot. Some use compression socks as well. This is also a big reason why they want you up and walking ASAP after surgery and to continue to walk as much as possible, to keep the blood flow moving.

Thank you! So far, I absolutely love my band. I firmly believed it's saved my life, I know it's definitely improving my quality of life daily. And yes, I'm very aware of it, however I make a conscious effort to listen to it, too. I found restriction very early on (for which I'm thankful), so there's no guessing when I'm full or had enough. My band tells me immediately. I'm definitely a happy bandster

Best wishes to you on your journey!

Congratulations on the huge weight loss and thank you for sharing

I take multiple pills daily, including multivitamins and ibuprofen, and have never had a problem swallowing them.

Yes, you can burst blood vessels from vomiting really hard, resulting in bruising around the face or even black eyes,

Welcome!! Good luck to you on your journey and be sure to keep us updated on how you're doing!

Actually it's relative to your stomach size. You can be a huge person but your stomach itself isn't, or vice versa. I have a 10cc band and I started off very, very big physically. But, my stomach wasn't.

I'm very similar. In the mornings I only have a Protein shake for breakfast because my band is so tight it's all I can handle. By lunch I can eat but it has to be a rather light meal, nothing heavy like breads. But by dinner, I can eat what I want, and if I wanted to could probably graze throughout the night without issue. When I get like that at night and get the urge to eat, I ask myself "am I physically hungry or do I just want to eat?" 99% of the time I am still satisfied from dinner and not physically hungry, so I grab a big glass of Water or iced diet green tea and drink like crazy until the urge passes. Even though my band is tons looser at night, if I listen to my body I realize that while even though I could eat more I don't need it and my body is still satisfied.

Yes, I am on Medicare and they cover my fills.

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but something is truly baffling me: How in the world do people over-eat if they have good restriction? When you don't have enough fills, or eating nothing but slider foods, I get it. But I seriously don't understand how people that do have good restriction can over-eat. Good example (and what made me think of this) my son has been begging me to go to Golden Coral. Not my favorite place but I went for him. I had a very small bit of mashed potatoes, some chicken, and a small salad with fat free dressing. I ate the chicken and the salad, and half way through the mashed potatoes I was suddenly so full it was uncomfortable. There was no way in the world I could've ate another bite. I don't want to over-eat, mind you. I'm grateful that it's not an option for me. I guess I am trying to understand how others, who claim to have good restriction, can over-eat. Doesn't it make you sick? Feel bloated and horrible? I used to be a major gorge eater, but now there's zero pleasure in over-eating (I can't even fathom gorging) because it's so incredibly uncomfortable. Just curious and trying to understand others around me.

You have a good point, I didn't think about grazing or taking too long to eat. That makes sense because even my nutrionist says if you don't finish your meal within 30 minutes, you're done regardless if you still have food on your plate or still want to eat more.