sassybee

Was banded on March 20th. My pre-surgery weight was 265 and I now weigh 225. Not many people have noticed that I have lost weight. I think it will be really noticeable in about 20 more pounds. I think I have finally reached the green zone with 6.5 cc in a 10 cc band. Before my last .5 cc fill, I could eat a lot at dinner time. Now, I am unable to eat more than 2 cups of food at the most. In the morning, I can only tolerate a yogurt. I have to eat one spoonful every 5 minutes or I will throw it up. For lunch, soup is pretty much the only thing that I can eat. I don't have a lot of time to eat lunch because I am a school librarian. I am sure I could eat more if I could eat more slowly. For dinner, I very rarely eat more than 1 1/2 cups of food. Before my last fill, I could eat tortillas and some bread products (crescent roll), but now I cannot eat them or I will throw up. I am still learning what foods I can and cannot eat and the amounts. Sometimes, I am hungry but no more food will go down. Although I am happy that I recently got a kickstart to losing weight, I do not like to eat anymore. It is a pain in the butt and a huge chore to find stuff that I can tolerate. Anyone else hate eating now?

Just got a bill from the hospital for $11,000. YIKES! This surgery keeps getting more and more expensive. I was NOT told that I would be paying even MORE money out of pocket. I am very annoyed.

How do they fix a flipped port? Did it hurt? How are you doing?

Right now I have 6.5 cc in a 10 cc band I am just NOW really feeling restriction. This last fill (my third one) has made a load of a difference. It's been almost two weeks since my third fill and I am still having issues with pb-ing and throwing up. I think it is because I am so used to eating fast. Before this last fill, I didn't have to worry about eating slowly because I had zero restriction. Italy was great! We were all over the place. We went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and The Amalfi Coast. People in Italy are all thin. There are hardly any fat people. I was the fattest person there, I swear! It is probably from all the walking they do.

Back from my two week trip to Italy! I had a blast. I lost 10 pounds while I was there! Not sure how that happened since I ate gelato, drank wine, and ate pasta. I guess it was due to all the walking we did. I got fill #3 and am really noticing a difference. I can now no longer eat fast or eat whatever I want without getting food stuck. I can really only eat less than 1 cup of food at a time. I guess the third fill was really a charm!

When I first start a new exercise regimen, I get very hungry. It is very normal. Your body will adjust when it isn't in so much shock from the new exercise routine you are on. Plus, you are probably burning 500-600 calories or more when you do Jazzercise. I burn off around 700 when I do Zumba.

Sounds like you are on the right track. You will love Jazzercise! It is such a good workout and fun, too! I am also on the right track again. It feels great to be losing again. I eat about half of what I used to eat before I was banded. I would like to eat less, but I think I will need about one more fill to get to that point. I am leaving for Italy on Monday. I hope I do well there and lose some more. Even if I eat more than usual, I usually do not gain weight on vacation due to all of the walking we do. However, I think my wine consumption will be up.

I am down five pounds since I got fill #2 ten days ago. I am not really sure if it is due to the band or temporary side effects from medication. All I know is that I am not hungry during the day. Whatever the cause, I am happy!

I got my second fill last week and now have 5 cc in my band. I am finally feeling a little restriction! Since I gained 3 pounds last month, I am glad to finally feeling some restriction. I go in for another fill next month. I have a feeling that my third fill is going to do the trick. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Still no restriction. Was supposed to go in for my second fill on May 31st, but rescheduled it for a week sooner. I am going to Italy and I wanted to make sure that I had a two week window before going out of the country. I figured that it would suck if I had complications due to fill #2 and was stuck in Italy without medical care. I am praying that fill #2 offers some restriction. I was hoping to be at least 15 pounds lighter for my trip, but I don't think THAT is going to happen. Oh, well. I am still hanging in there.

What a bummer! I am so sorry you are going through this. Please keep us posted. Good luck!

Also banded by Dr. Ganta on March 20th. I am going in for my second fill next Thursday. I have ZERO restriction at this point

Got my first fill last Thursday and I still do not have any restriction. I am also hungry a lot. Trying not to get discouraged, however.

I also thought mine was hurting because I had my pants hiked up with a belt. I haven't worn a belt in FOREVER, but I had to because they were falling down!!! It kind of felt like a bunch of bees stinging me. So what did you try? I am dying to know because I start soft food tomorrow!

I am really surprised that you are already eating bread. Most of us had liquids for the first two weeks and then mushies for the next week. Maybe your stomach isn't ready for bread yet. A lot of people struggle with eating bread, even many weeks post-op. When you see your doctor, don't forget to tell her about the bread issue. Let us know how your first fill goes. Good luck!

I have no secrets and am very open about my surgery. I am a teacher and I even told my middle school students. They are about to see some rapid weight loss and I want them to know that I didn't starve myself or become bulimic. I don't want my girls to get the wrong message. I explained to them that this was for medical reasons. I have been talking about this surgery for a long time and it took over a year to get approved. Most people have gotten used to the discussion and have been very supportive. They have seen me struggle and work hard to lose weight with very little success.

First day back at work! It actually was easier because it kept my mind off of food. Only eating clear fluids didn't seem so annoying. And my students were so sweet to me. They missed me even though they had the "HOT" substitute for four days. LOL. I am exhausted though.

I like your attitude! You are right, it DOES show that the stomach is healing. I am excited to be losing weight, for once! Kind of makes it worth it, doesn't it?

What are your symptoms? My doctor told me that depression post-op was a normal side-effect. It should disappear by 4 weeks post-op. I can't remember the reason for it, though. Just know that it WILL get better, my dear. Make sure to come on this thread often so that we can cheer you up! I am sorry you aren't feeling well. Hang in there, Wendy Lu!

I feel the same way! I have come too far and I am afraid to mess it up. However, I am HUNGRY. I swear, my stomach sounds like a damn symphony at times. I am about ready to enter my own HUNGER GAMES competition. LOL!!! I find it quite ironic that my hunger started back up when the movie premiered. I have to laugh about it or I will cry! I choose laughter!

Pre-op, I already had many food intolerances. Mainly to milk, almonds, and eggs. I am only 6 days post op, so I am still on clear liquids. Even being on clear liquids, I am having interesting digestive issues. I have diarrhea several times a day. My stomach is like a symphony at times. The milk intolerance is severe. Even if I can have the milk substitutes, they make me gag. I cannot hold them down. I start back to work tomorrow and thank God I am next to a bathroom.

Got banded on March 20th and feeling "normal" for the first time. Drinking chicken broth and Proasis mixed with water for two weeks. Then it is pureed foods for another two weeks. I had horrible stomach cramps, gas, and diarrhea on Day 2 and Day 3. I discovered that it was being caused by the Isopure protein liquid, which contains sucralose. My body is very sensitive to sucralose and cannot tolerate it. Once I stopped the sucralose, my life improved tenfold. Going back to work on Monday!

Austin, Texas---banded on March 20th and full of gas still!!! Other than that, it's all good!

I was banded on the 20th and had horrible gas pains, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. The second day was the worst. I figured out what was causing all my extra gas and stomach pains---it was the sucralose in the Isopure protein drink. My body cannot tolerate sucralose. As soon as I stopped taking the Isopure, I felt 100% better. Now I am just trying to walk around more to alleviate the gas pains. I am feeling great today, how about you?