DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

If your hunger is well controlled, then you likely don't need a fill. The band is doing it's job. The band isn't meant to physically stop you from eating anything. You should be able to eat as long as you chew well. The band will tell you when you've had enough because you'll no longer be hungry but not eating too big a portion is your job, not the band's job. Best wishes.

Yes actually! I thought it was just me! I was told I have a "severely tilted uterus" back when I was a teenager. I was also told I would have a hard time getting pregnant because of it (they lied, I get pregnant if a guy looks at me cross-eyed without a condom, I swear LOL!) But I noticed the same thing. It doesn't hurt at all now. I think it's because there's not a bunch of fat in the way so they don't have to cram the thing into you. Plus, there isn't all the leg fat blocking the speculum entrance.

Congratulations! I'm glad it went well... and smart lady to walk around!!

Congrats and feel better soon!

Congratulations!

It could be any number of things. Call your doctor.

No, it won't hurt you or your band. It's just nasty and unpleasant lol. But, if you're sliming a lot and regularly? You may want to concentrate on smaller bites and chewing more. Hang in there

Once again, I made the mistake of drinking coffee while reading your blog and almost nerfed it out my nose laughing. Thank you

It's a test to examine your esophagus, stomach, and beginning of small intestines. Some surgeons require it but not all. My personal opinion is ALL should require one before surgery. This way if someone has an undiagnosed condition effecting their esophagus or stomach that would make the band a bad choice, they'll find out before the surgery. It would save people a lot of time and headaches later. You can read about it in detail here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003888.htm

If Care Credit won't finance you, you may want to try a personal loan at your bank or credit union. If you have a home, you could take out a loan against it too. If no one will give you credit, you'd have to either borrow the money from someone or wait and save it up yourself.

You really need to make an appointment with your surgeon ASAP. It could be a slip or it could be some other change (hormones, stress, too much salt, etc) that made your band suddenly too tight. Or, you could have a dilated pouch. Regardless of the cause- you need to be seen by your surgeon.

Hahaha I wondered if you were her husband!! I didn't say anything out of respect for both of your privacy, but as I read her story I was going in the back of my mind "hmmm, I bet this is Jim's wife!" @Kelli, we're thrilled to have you with us!

That's a great link, thank you so much for sharing it!

Hunger is the body's natural response to needing fuel. Hunger will never totally go away but once you're past the post op diet and have adequate fluid in your band, it will be very well controlled and you'll be able to go long periods of time on little food. The post op diet is rough. The symptoms you're describing are pretty common especially on the liquid phase of it. It will get easier as you progress back to normal food but right now it's crucial you heal properly so you have to tough out the post op diet. Just remember, it's a temporary and brief bump in the road and will soon be behind you.

Plateaus are normal and aren't a sign you need a fill. It's the body's natural response to weight loss and it happens a lot more the lower you go on the scale. I've been bouncing up and down 2 pounds for 3 weeks. It happens and is normal. Keep doing what you've been doing to lose weight and eventually the plateau will break and the weight will start coming off again.

Honestly, I think you'll be just fine. Drinking Water and cutting down on the sodium will flush it out pretty quickly. Green Tea is good for water retention, too. Good luck with your surgery!

Our stories are very similar! Like you, I have been "the fat girl" my entire life. I can remember being as young as 5th grade and obsessed with how huge my thighs were. I remember being teased for being big all through junior high. I remember going shopping with my girlfriends in high school and being so ashamed because I couldn't wear anything at the "normal sized" shops they went to. I did date as a teen but my self esteem was always awful. When I hit college, like you I decided to own being a fat girl. I had more self confidence and I decided I didn't give a rip if someone did like me for me- fat and all. ...but then I had my first child at 21 years old...and got bigger and bigger. Over the years I ballooned up to over 400 pounds. Any self esteem I ever had was long gone and my health was seriously tanking fast. My best advice is to let go of that "fat girl" mentality. Too often we wear it like a suit of armor not a badge of courage. We're teased and tormented so severely we try to muster up all this false bravado to shield ourselves from being hurt yet again. It is simply wonderful you're doing this for your health- but you have to be ok with the fact there's nothing wrong with doing this to look good, too. You're not letting society or anyone else "win" by getting the Lap Band and losing weight. YOU are winning for taking control of your health so you can live a long, happy, healthy life with your husband. Best wishes to you

Yes, the leg crossing is HUGE! I was so excited when I realized I could cross my legs! Because I started off as a 46W, being able to wear blue jeans at all was a huge milestone for me. I got my first pair when I got down to a 26W. That was the first pair of jeans I'd worn in literally 20 years. Ok here's a funny one: It used to be if I dropped something while driving, I had to get out of the car and get it from the floor. My stomach was so big it actually touched the steering wheel even when the seat was all the way back. Heck I couldn't even fit into some cars at all. But now, I can very easily just bend over and get whatever I dropped off the floor while still strapped into my seat.

Ugh you poor thing! Yeah I'd call your doctor too. I've vomited a couple times since getting my band. Once when I had a strangulated hernia and once from a gallbladder gone bad. Both times I literally panicked because I was so afraid I'd caused a slip. The doctor who did my band also did my gallbladder removal, and I was so afraid of a slip I was getting wheeled into the operating room going "oh my gosh, you have to check my band! What if I made it slip?" He actually laughed at me going "hon we'll get this surgery out of the way then I'll check it". I've had no symptoms of a slip since then, but I won't lie, in the back of my mind I still get paranoid I did damage. I vomited REALLY hard both times, it couldn't have been good for my band and it'll haunt me forever. The other thing I found out is that I can't actually vomit. food apparently can't come back up through my band because no matter how hard I retched, only slime came back up. Which honestly, I think made it worse because my body kept trying to toss the food up because of it. It would've been better if the actually food could come up and out so I'd stop retching. Chances are slim you caused any damage but I totally understand your fear. Hopefully talking to your doctor will reassure you. I hope you feel better!

There isn't anything I can't eat as long as I take small bites and chew thoroughly.

If I were you, I'd start tracking your calories all the time. It's the only way you can be sure you're not going over your daily calorie allowance. If your doctor says you're tight enough, I'd take a step back and try to evaluate how you're feeling. For instance, are you truly hungry or is it head hunger? How long can you go without physical hunger? Also keep food can't go through the band too fast. It passes through in about a minute and should never be sitting above it digesting. If it doesn't pass through in a minute or less, you run a risk of pouch dilation and erosion. Remember, the band isn't supposed to physically stop you from eating and if you're eating until you're full you're likely eating too much. The band is there to keep you satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. Here's a link I think may help too: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

When was your surgery? Do you count calories?

Yes, in fact I have a really cheap one from Walmart and I put about everything into it lol. I know of people who even put stuff like spaghetti and sauce into the blender, or chicken blended with broth.

It's not easy. Having adequate Fluid in the band helps, though. When you're not always hungry you're not preoccupied with food. If I'm struggling with a lot of head hunger I try to distract myself. I often take long walks or a long hot bath.

If you feel full, you've likely over eaten. If you eat more than a cup of food, you've likely over eaten. Vomiting isn't a "normal" sign of over eating. Vomiting is very dangerous with the band and should be avoided at all costs. If you are vomiting from over eating, talk to your doctor for help.