SashaWLS

Yes, definitely keep calling. And call GHI too. You may need to do some of the legwork but it will happen and you'll do great. For what it's worth I saw Schwack in the hall today. Nice guy!

Awesome! I'm with them too... Just give them a little time and keep calling. Their surgical consult is VERY slammed with new people, but the practice is awesome.

The surgeon is only one tiny part of getting the lap band. The biggest part is the after care. Nutrition support and advice, monitoring of fills once a month, tweaking and tinkering as you have issues, etc. The lap band is definitely not a set it and forget it WLS. I do think it's possible to change doctors after the operation, though it might be a little bit of a hassle. But if you're getting no support, I would say it's probably worth the hassle!! Here's the aftercare website for my medical center. Not saying you should go here (though it's amazing) but I thought it would be helpful to post for reference for what some places do: http://thinforlife.med.nyu.edu/surgical-weight-loss/after-surgery

A good litmus test for gas or acid is eating some Tums... You can eat a bunch of them without concern for overdoing it cause there's nothing really in there except calcium. If the pain responds to the tums, you've got yourself garden variety pain. If it doesn't respond, then get yourself to a doc ASAP!!

You're doing great!!!! We're on a very similar timeline and are down around the same amount. Just keep doing what you're doing and don't make yourself nuts.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! You will do great. Please please post updates.

Are you going with NYU Langone?

My back has been hurting a lot lately and I suspect it has something to do with the band, because if I overeat just a little even, it will also start hurting... Anyone ever have this happen? Is there a correlation?

Well, you were right on the money!! Doc said venus nerve, just like George Bush when he passed out at that dinner... :-) But the other part is that he did an endo and said my pouch is slightly dilated. Not a lot, only a few cm's beyond the width of the band, but enough to need a slight unfill. He said removed my last two fills (total of .2cc) and said to take it easy on my insides and really go back to basics. From what I read on here, I'm going to go back on liquids and try to reverse the damage. Next appointment is in 3 weeks, so I figure a week of liquids at a minimum, maybe 2, and then mushies. No solids until after the next endo... But I do feel sorta sad. Doc said this was NOT a big deal and that the unfill should reverse things and get me feeling better, but I still feel like a failure a bit...

Oh, and I almost forgot that I was REALLY dizzy this morning and last night. Like room spinning, almost fall down dizzy. The back pain is smack in the middle of my upper back, between my shoulder blades. THanks!1

You could get a VERY slight unfill, like .1cc or something. Sometimes that's enough!

Time for a fill again! If you're eating too much, you're too loose.

That was me until I got tight enough. Then wham, lost 10 in one month!!!

100ish and MUCH better than fit bit because you never take it off

Look, the reality is that a few goldfish will not ruin your weight-loss attempts. chips did not wound you. So don't worry at all, you're fine!!! This whole weight loss thing is a really really long journey. Some people are able to follow the rules right away, and their weight comes off quickly. Others are not able to follow as well and they have to get used to it and the weight comes off slower. For me, I'm a food addict and the mental side of having the band has really been the hardest part. It's not easy to have your fix taken away... In the beginning, I had major mood swings, was depressed, angry, and I fought against it as hard as I could about 25% of the time. The other 75% of the time I followed the rules. It took me about 8-10 months to stop panicking, and now, at 14 months post-op my weight-loss is in its highest gear yet!!!!! I've lost steadily since the beginning, a lot initially but slowly (like 2-3lbs a month since). But the last 2 months I've FINALLY hit the green zone and lost 10lbs each month!!! Being really tight scared me at first but now I love it!!!! I'm down around 80lbs, probably 90 at this point because my new clothes are starting to look dumpy, but I don't have a scale. Most of the time I follow the guidelines and the spirit of the guidelines. Sometimes I don't. Last night we had Thai food and i got a Pad Thai. A noodle dish??? The horrors!!! But I picked out and mostly ate the chicken first and ended up having only a few bites of the noodles. Couldn't eat more than about 2/3 of a cup. Didn't count or measure. The band told me when to stop because I started burping. Again! Some people on here would probably call that cheating. I call it a huge success. So my guidance to you is to just to cut yourself a break, and let the band do it's job. Follow the rules as best you can, but don't beat yourself up over your imperfections. You will be imperfect, this will be a long journey, but I KNOW you CAN be successful!!!!!

This.

Walking, a LOT of gasx mouth melt strips, and light pressure (using the flat of my hand) on my belly sort of guiding bubbles out and down. Not hard, just as you would stroke a child who has a belly ache. It breaks up the gas...

Unless you're getting the band trans-vaginally, you should be fine. LOL.

Yea!!!!!!

Maybe you're too tight? You could get .2cc taken out...

For what it's worth, I've lost almost 90 pounds and people are only now starting to notice! I was little pissed off in the beginning, when I lost 40 pounds, that nobody was saying anything. Based on their reactions now, I realize that they just simply didn't notice... I guess nobody is looking as closely at me as I am.

Go for crunchy lettuce like iceberg rather than soft and leafy. I find crunchy goes down much more easily.

I've only told a handful of people—not because I'm ashamed in any way, but because I don't want to talk about my weight, my eating habits, or my body with anyone. I really just want to lose weight and go about my business, and I'm not interested in making this the focus of my social life... That said, no one has really commented on my eating changes. Every once in a while I'll get someone who asks if that's all I'm eating, or I'll have a very tight day where I really can't eat anything easily and I'll make something up. Like sometimes I say I have a stomach ache, or heartburn, or that I had a late lunch. But mostly no one asks... Your situation would make me angry though. I mean really, how rude! After the second comment I'd probably say something like "Hey, lay off." Or, "What are you, the food police? Stop watching me or I'm going to stop having lunch with you."