MemphisFan

Wow bigenuff, you posted exactly what I was about to. I think almost 1/3 of the people on this forum have PCOS if you look at all the threads discussing it.

I honestly don't believe even one person thought a whole cheeseburger fell out of a stomach since nobody could inhale an entire burger. Even fat people take bites. But we are also all intelligent to know that food leaves the stomach 3 to 5 hours after eating, so that story you were told was a fabrication, and an elaborate attempt to scare the people in the group. Nobody was calling you names or poking fun at you. On a side note, how do people know that their surgeon is 'top rated'?? I've looked everywhere for bariatric surgeon ratings and there was none available.

So I got banded over two months ago, on June 5th. I got my first fill Aug 2nd, and since then I have been stuck around 10 times. I'm trying to figure out if its the food I'm eating, the size of the bites I'm taking, or if its something else. Let me work backwards... and I know I have made mistakes, I have chastized myself enough, so y'all don't need to point my errors out, I feel bad enough! I am a high school teacher, with no breaks from 6:45 until 12 (lunch). Yesterday I was selling Krispy Kreme donuts and there was one left. I haven't had a donut in about 4 months and around 10:30 I could NOT stop myself, even though I tried. I ate half the donut, started to feel tight and nauceous, and I barely made it to the bathroom before the donut came up. Wednesday I was having tuna on crackers for lunch, and after two crackers I had to take a ten minute break before I could eat again, and I was in a lot of pain. I didn't throw up thankfully, but I was close. Tuesday our electricity went out (98 degrees at 8 pm) so my husband and I went to eat Mexican. I didn't eat any chips (go me!) but I had refried Beans and one enchilada. I took a bite of the enchilada, forgot who I was and drank some Water. I felt like death, and had to run to the toilet. Monday for Breakfast I had turkey bacon, three pieces and some oatmeal. I couldnt eat but half the cup of oatmeal but after the second piece of bacon I was throwing up what little I did eat. This goes on an on, most of the time I'm only feeling like this once a day, but sometimes it will happen at breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner. I am losing weight, four pounds since the fill, so I'm willing to continue to get stuck, or throw up if I can keep losing, but I dont want to hurt my band or make long term problems for myself.

Jean, you were right about my surgeon! He told me I wasted 10k on my surgery because I obviously wasn't taking it seriously as I only lost 20 lbs by my first fill. I have lost 6 pounds since then, so I feel successful, yet gross due to my constant throwing up. I know the donut was wrong, but my doctor actually told me to eat crackers in small amounts. In fact it was in the 6 week plan I recieved. (I did get menu options for weeks 1 through 6, but after the 6th week I was pretty much on my own and only told to stick to 30 grams of fat a day, I didn't even know not to eat 4 hours before a fill or 24 hours after!) I am going to try Dr. Weaver for my next fill, I just wonder if she has to call G.W. for my records and if he will willingly send them to her.

PattyGirl, A few things to clear up... I dont have any small breaks. I am on the clock, with students in front of me from 6:45 until 11:50ish. I have 5 minutes in between classes but teachers are to be in the hallways during this time, so its not a break. I am going to talk to my principal about my surgery (As of right now only one other teacher knows) and see if she will give me a free pass to eat a snack around 9. My lunch is always prepared from home, as I only have 22 minutes to eat every day. Even if I wanted to, I would not have enough time to go pick something up or even walk to the cafeteria and get the oh so wonderful school lunch. I do not pack Snacks in my lunch since I can't eat them anyway. My surgeon is the top ranked surgeon in the southeast. His awards are all over his wall, plus he has offices in multiple states, and give seminars to other doctors on how to perform the surgery. I am looking for a new doctor who gives fills more freely, but not until my three months is up since I get three months of free doctor visits and fills. Oh and the only true direction my doctor gave me was 30 grams of fat a day. Not all doctors give their patients guidelines 'to follow to a tee.'

I have no idea how much fill I get, my doctor does not believe it is important for the patient to know such things. (To see how AWESOME my doctor is, read my last two threads) My doctor threw a fit about giving me my first fill because I had only lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks, and his words I was not taking this 10,000 dollar surgery seriously. I basically had to beg him to give me any sort of fill, so I REALLY don't want to call him and ask him to take some out. One of the biggest issues I have is my new work schedule. I leave for work at 5:45, but lunch isn't until almost noon. Our school has a STRICT no food policy in the classroom, for teachers and students, and I try to be a role model for my kids, so Im making a huge effort not to eat anything in front of them, although I do drink Water. Our lunch break is only 22 minutes, so I know I am stuffing my face with my lunch as fast as I can. Im going to have to make a huge effort to take my time in between bites and savor my food.

So I was banded June 5th and have had no sliming or anything getting stuck. But that is probably because I don't even feel like I had the surgery at all since I have no restriction, and haven't for last four weeks. On July 11th I went to my dr for a scheduled fill, but I mentioned to the nurse I was going to Florida July 14th for a week. You would have thought I admitted to kicking a child, they were so aghast! I was told no dr in their right mind would give a fill so close to vacation and I'd have to wait till I come back. Thankfully I only gained 1.5 pounds in Florida, so I wasn't too upset. I went back for a fill the 23rd of July to find that the good doctor was on vacation until august 1st, so I had to wait until today to get a fill. I've only lost 20 lbs in 8 weeks, and almost all that was the first 3 weeks, so I'm ready for a change. Out of all this what really chaps my hide is that I'm self pay, so any fills I get 3 mths after surgery are free. I was hoping to have at least 2 fills in that time, but my doctor like to wait 4-5 weeks between fills so my next one might not fall in the 3 month window.

Ugh I am so jealous that you can't feel your port. Mine is always pooching out and I graze it with my arm while I am walking. One of my teacher friends noticed that I put my left hand over it when I am tired or hungry, like a worry stone!

It is Woodman, and although he is a great surgeon, he is an awful man. I will be going to Vanessa Weaver when my three months is up because I don't want to give him one more penny. I just couldn't believe that he made me fight to get a fill when everybody on here was saying they had an appointment for a fill. When I called to make an appointment for a fill, I was told they couldn't do that, it just had to be a 'general checkup' Such a bunch of BS. What really got me was that he said he trains all the doctors around here on how to do the surgery and what to expect afterwards, so he told me not to believe anything anybody from the Southeast said on this forum because it had to be a lie. I don't believe his head could get any bigger.

I had a bottle of wine last week and I'm less than 2 months out. I was told just nothing with bubbles or any types of beer.

It would have been GREAT for my doctor to have told me that yesterday.

I got my first fill yesterday and I wasn't able to keep any of my dinner down last night, even though I only took six bites. Today I couldn't eat breakfast because I felt full (weird) and it took me three hours to eat a 6 inch Subway sandwich because after 4 or 5 bites I felt entirely full. I finished the sandwich about two hours ago and I still feel full. I hope I can stay this restricted for the rest of my life.

I paid out of pocket for this... but after 3 months I have to pay for fills and visits, so after 3 months (Sept 5th) I am going to find somebody else. The problem is he is the leading doctor for Lap Band and Gastric Bypass in the South. He was the key note speaker at the last Bariatric DR conference. People fly from all over for him to do their surgery... but maybe that is all he is good for, the surgery. Because I think I have had it.

My surgeon told me that he doesn't give fills until 6 weeks after surgery, and only then if you are losing as much weight as he thinks you should. If you are not losing an acceptable amount of weight, more than 3 lbs a week, then he is not wasting his time giving you a feel because you are not taking the surgery seriously enough. OH and he wont tell you how many CC's he is putting in, because any patient who worries about the CC's is not doing the proper work needed to lose weight.

I know. I am going to have to. I am still in shock. I feel totally worthless and like a failure.

I knew most people on here would be all positive and encouraging, and I love that, but I knew in reality what I had accomplished was so unsuccessful. Here is what just happened at my appointment today to prove this. I got weighed immediately, and I weighed the EXACT same that I did during my July 13th appt. (20 lbs less) I've lost 13% of my access weight, and my acid reflux is gone. So I'm feeling pretty good, right? The Doctor walks into the room and has the most disgusted look on his face. His first words are, 'well what is going wrong?' I told him that my first six weeks I counted calories, stuck to one thousand a day, and was feeling good. But I went to Florida, took a break from counting stuff and only gained 1.5 lbs. I admit that I should have started counting as soon as I got back last Saturday, but I didn't because it was hard to get back on the wagon (excuse excuse, I understand). The doctor straight up called me a liar. He said that nobody who eats only a thousand calories a day is as fat as I am, and I am 120 pounds over weight so he knows I couldn't only be eating 1k a day. Then he said that I shouldn't be counting calories, only fat because that is the only thing that matters with weight loss. Then he told me that he didn't want to give me a fill, because I was obviously lying, and he didn't want to give somebody who didn't take the lap band seriously, a fill. I told him that I stopped counting calories July 14th, but I wasn't eating more than a cup a meal, and I wasn't eating fast food. Nope, he stopped me, said he didn't believe me, and he felt I wasted ten thousand dollars on my surgery. I told him that I wanted a fill, as I think it would put me back on track and I could get serious again about counting my intake. He said that people who ask for fills are using it as a crutch, and aren't doing the things they were instructed to before surgery...so why should he waste his time? He finally (10 minutes of belittling later) agreed to give me a fill. I hopped on the table and asked him how much he was putting in. He stopped filling the needle and said that 'people who ask how much liquid they are getting are 100% guaranteed to never succeed' *eye roll* It took him 2 minutes to find my port, even though you can feel it and see it, but he did assure me he put something in my band. My three months is up Sept 5th, so I have to get another free fill before then, but he told me not to come back unless I lose around ten pounds between now and then. I LOVE MY DOCTOR!!

so I'm going to Florida for 9 days with some female friends. None of them know I've been banded (June 5th) and I'd like to keep it that way. All of them are skinny but they eat and drink like crazy. We are driving to Florida, which is about 8 hrs away. Needless to say, I'm nervous. I know they are going to want to stop for fast food twice on the way down there, I know they will wan to go out and I know the drinks will be aflowin'. I need a valid excuse/reason to give them for why I can't eat carbs or more than a saucer of food at a time and an alternate choice besides fast food!

Ok so day 4, it's rainy. I woke up early, made eggs, bacon, biscuits. I made my plate immediately and ate. I only made enough eggs for myself cuz who likes cold eggs ? Of course the other girls wake up, wonder where their eggs are, grumble that I didn't make them any, and finish off the bacon and biscuits but I'm fine, I ate mine already and they are big girls. lunch is seafood out, but the place we go is alllll fried. Even the oysters are fried, it's outrageous. I get the fried shrimp, have two after pulling the skin off, and try a fried oyster. All I can say is yuck, I felt gross! But actually the other women said nothin, I was surprised. dinner is going to be sandwiches or a fend for yourself so I'm sure I'll be fine tonight. To address some earlier posts. There are six of us here, two 50+ yr olds, two 28 (myself) and two 25 year olds, all of us teachers. I don't know if any of you know teachers, but we are some of the most gossipy, judgmental women... Probably from spending all those years around teens. and if m being honest with myself only two of the women here I'd consider a real friend. If the others found out about my surgery, and the fact I'm still 250 lbs, I seriously doubt they'd just shrug it off and go about their business. So I'm choosing to keep it to myself. And I'm a very strong willed (called bull headed before) woman, the only reason I'm choosing to not fight this battle is because I'm in a three bedroom condo for 8 days with them. I dont want to make waves any more than I have to, but I am very thankful I have this forum to vent on!

Thanks for understanding most of you guys. I am now on day 3 of vacation, and a few things have happened of interest. There are six of us and we went grocery shopping night one. The consensus was we'd throw all the food we'd eat in the cart and split the cost six ways. They start throwing the worst food in the basket, white bread, mayo, brownies, soda, BBQ wings, and soooo many chips, etc. Stuff I can't eat. I grab tuna, (yuck, we hate that smell) yogurt, egg whites (somebody switched it for real eggs when I wasn't looking) and food like that. We go to check out and the total is over $450... Mostly food I can't have, but I still paid my share to avoid argument. Second night we had Mexican food, a huge spread, and I have a tiny plate because it had sour cream and chips and peppers(I do not do those). Of course this was the topi of discussion or hours... You don't like the food? It's not good enough? Want me to make you something else? Nothing I said pacified them. Third day, make myself bacon and eggs for Breakfast (first one up) the smell wakes two of the other girls up and they ate my bacon! Argh! I was told, don't worry about the bacon, I'm about to make eveyone cinnamon rolls. Like that makes me feel better. dinner was lasagna ith garlic bread at 6 p.m. And it smelled so good. I had a little and it was amazing, it was hard to stop eating, and of course that slightly offended the woman who made the Mexican food since I didn't eat much of hers. A few hours later three girls went out to shop and they came back with mcdonalds!! I told them I wad feeling sick and now I'm hiding out in my room. This is going o be a long week.

You can delete them I believe

B-52 - when you are at a condo and one of the women with me is a sous chef who has detailed plans to cook a few times it might hurt her feelings to look her in the eye and tell her I can't eat her food because I am trying to eat right and take care of myself. But as a man, I understand how you wouldn't get it, because my husband doesn't either. at my husband's birthday party two weeks ago (4 weeks post op) I told my my family and friends I couldn't eat the cake his mom spent hours baking, nor could I eat the food everybody brought, and instead I ate some baked Beans they had. You would have thought I spit in their faces the way they acted! In the south, or maybe just Memphis, its a huge insult not to eat what people make, and you better have a good excuse or they will take it personal. I was more concerned with the traveling down there and back, stopping at fast food places along the way, but honk was very helpful with that. And I will probably tell then that I am just not hungry, or I might stay out in the sun a lot the first day and get a little burnt. I'm a redhead so I get red easily.... and I generally am not hungry when I get sunburned. I do like the irritable bowl syndrome or the gluten deficiency.... sometimes i wish i was allergic to glutten so I wouldn't be tempted to eat some things!

I can't be on a diet cuz it's vacation and who diets on vacation?? These women have probably never dieted either, so they would only scoff at that. And my in laws are very unsupportive in whatever I do, and one of the ladies going to Florida with me is good friends of the family, so if she knows the whole clan will know. About three years ago a family friend got gastric and she lost 50 lbs and gained most back within the year....I heard so much gossip and negative things about her being lazy and taking the easy way out, I'd rather keep my business to myself!

5 days post op I was eating jello pudding, chicken broth, lots of popcicles. Day 7 I had mashed potatoes and it was amazing, days 8-14 was creamy soups. I hate that your dr told you you still have to be on jello and water two weeks out.... I havent heard that from anyone else. You can do it, push through this part...it'll be worth it

I never had protein shakes post op because they were all disgusting to me. I get 60-70 grams a day without it by eating high protein food, like beans, eggs whites and chicken. Don't put something in your body you don't feel comfortable with, when there are so many other options out there

My doctor is a tad on the Nazi side, which is both good and bad.... and he makes his patients promise before they have surgery that they will no longer get any coffee drinks from Starbucks or any fast food place. He said the only good coffee is the kind you make at home, with fat free sweetener. Take that for what its worth.