PrettyThick1

Bummer! My surgeon had me to make the appointment for exactly 3 weeks after surgery. You're doing a great job without it!!! Do you know if you were filled during surgery? As long as you can go 4 hours after eating and you're losing weight, you don't really need one. I've been getting hungry in my 3rd week after a fill, so once a month is perfect timing for me. I was banded with 3cc's - maybe you were, too. Did you ask??

Get ready for a brand new you lovie!!! Within the next 6-12 months, you're going to look for reasons to flaunt your new body! I am so happy I did this, I only wish I had done it a hell of a lot sooner. I hit the green zone this weekend and my energy, confidence and all things joy have gone through the roof! Can't wait to hear your success story!!!

Fills will help tremendously. You should schedule one for next week, your at the stage I was when I started feeling hunger. My first fill was three weeks after my surgery and it was right on time.

Congrats Vanessa! The time will fly by...in the meantime you have lots of time to get in your favorite foods! You'll still be able to eat just about anything you want, just not as much. So hit a big ol' buffet or two or three and enjoy getting your money's worth now.

POST OF THE DAY!!!! This is excellent - valuable advice and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing!!!

BAM! Thanks for your research and this post. Bravo!

Thank goodness you were able to recover, but your posts headline is misleading. It wasn't the lap band that caused your near-death experience, but the lacerated liver caused by your surgeon. Please note that there are many people that search this site for useful information regarding this procedure and subject lines such as this are not only misleading but cause for alarm. Again, I'm glad you recovered but your incident had nothing to do with the lapband.

I hate to tell you this, but if you have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea you should get the CPAP. I didn't believe I had it either until my surgeon ordered it before surgery. I was shocked, but I accepted it nonetheless. Why do you have to get the full mask? I have the tiny one that just goes over my nostrils and the tube doesn't keep me from sleeping on my stomach at all. Let's face it, once you get your band, you won't be able to sleep on your stomach for a couple of weeks anyway. Are you going to decline the band because you have to sleep on your back? Furthermore, do you know what you are putting your body through by not using the machine? CPAP's actually help to elevate metabolism and I haven't waken up so refreshed since I was a kid. Yeah, I was just like you..."my boyfriend can't see me sleep with this on my face..." but honey, my snoring IS WAYYYYY more embarrasing than that mask. You sleep on your stomach anyway, cover the straps with your hair and your back to him and he won't even notice because the machine is silent. I think you need to reassess your priorities. Your heart is seriously suffering right now and the machine is not forever! Just until you lose the weight, maybe even sooner. I know someone who no longer needed it after about 18 months of using the machine. This is more than vanity dear, this is your life. If you stop breathing, you're not getting adequate oxygen and there are a lot of other health implications to that.

Oh dear, you are eating: 1) too fast 2) the wrong thing too soon. You shouldn't go anywhere near solid foods right now. If you just have to have it, then chew it and spit it back out without swallowing it. I'm afraid you are going to do some damage if you don't correct these behaviors right away. Which do you want the most: the food that go you where you are now or a healthy weight and beautiful baby? The choice is yours. It would be ashame for you to go through this whole process and not do your part. We are here to support you, but we will also get on your case when you need it and right now - you need someone to get on your case. Snap out of it, do what you have to do to follow doctor's orders and think about the big prize at the end of all of this - having a beautiful, healthy baby who will be proud to look up to you some day. How bad do you want solid foods now? I hope not at all!

Call and request a tiny bit more, that will do the trick. I had to do that and my doctor didn't have a problem with doing it a week after my first fill.

You don't have to wait until your next scheduled fill...call them and let them know you need a bit more. My doctor had no problem giving me an additional .5cc's to top off what I had gotten and it did the trick!

Just tough it out, you don't have long to go. Once you are banded, most if not all of that is going to go away. I was obsessed with food before I was banded, now it's the last thing on my mind. Most of the time I only eat because I know I have to, not because I want to. Infact there are times when the sight and smell of food are overwhelming so I avoid eating because it's a sure sign that I'll feel sick and PB whatever I do try to eat. Being a former food addict, during my preop diet I would chew whatever I wanted to eat and spit it back out until I got tired of doing it. Then I would fill up on Water and a Protein shake - please keep in mind that these are tactics used by people with bulimia and other eating disorders - but you have one anyway in that you love food. This will at least get you over the hump and you won't need to do it again once you get the band.

WHAT AN EFFIN JERK! You are losing weight at the rate YOUR body is allowing you to. FInd another PCP! This could be his twisted way of motivating you, but it's the wrong way and his bedside manner SUCKS! Do not be discouraged, stay on this road and keep in mind that as long as the scale is going down you are headed in the right direction. See, you're nicer than I am because I'm one of those people who LOVES to write letters - either to compliment or condemn and I would have a letter in the mail to the medical review board and my insurance company so fast his head would spin. What you can do in the interim is find out which doctor's referral services he is subscribed to and I'd write a review warning others of his horrible way of talking to you. Hugs.

Thanks for you input everyone! I decided against drinking a soda last night and I don't think I'll even try it for at least another couple of years, I'm fine with tea and will continue to drink that. I tried drinking alcohol, but have completely lost the taste for it - I only had a couple of sips of one two weeks ago and wasted my money, not a bad thing...I wasn't much of a drinker anyway, but when I was I was the life of the party and people miss that. So do I, but it's okay...I'm still good company, just not the happy drunk everybody grew to know, love and look forward to. LOL

You have had one heck of a run before hitting your first plateau...I can't advise you, but many others here can. I'm only posting because I wanted to say BRAVO!!!

Agree. I don't know what it is, but every body is different. I'm averaging about 6lbs a week, which is great. I wonder what I'd lose if I didn't cheat...

Well, I'm happy about my progress and I have gotten to the point that I can't put off shopping for new clothes anymore. I look like a little girl playing dress up in her mommy's clothes and I don't like it - very sloppy and unkempt, not me! It sucks that this came about during back-to-school and I have to invest so much in my daughter's clothing and supplies. Sigh. Can this be considered a down-side to down-sizing? LOL At least now I'll get to find out what size I really wear now! I wish there were thrift stores close to work...

Your face looks great Missy...your body will match it soon!!!

I have BCBS TX, not sure what differences there may be but BCBS is about the best you can have for bariatric coverage. Call your weight loss center and give them your information, they can tell you for sure. You can also go to the insurance section of this forum, there is a good chance someone has that company and might be able to give you valuable information on how they performed in the process.

Not to be a bad influence, but when I felt like giving in I would just chew whatever I wanted to eat and spit it out without swallowing. Do that and follow it up with a protein shake and water and you'll be fine.

Lisa - I know what you mean about your friends faces! I know someone who has gotten the sleeve and she lost the weight, but her face has aged 15 years over the last 12 months because of the wrinkly skin!!! I am so happy my face isn't doing that, I'm just the opposite - I've rolled back the clock at least 5 years so far. I love it!

There is no exact science to this, every band and every body is different - keep that in mind and try not to be discouraged. It seems you've hit a plateau before you really got off the ground and I'd hate to think you deprived yourself by going on the preop diet before you really needed to. Don't try to overdo it, your weight will start to come off soon. Remember less is more, so walking is very good for you now. Don't be discouraged, it's going to happen - you are not out of control by any means.

I just wanted to say that it is awesome to be a part of this forum. I've never witnessed a collection of so many people giving sound advice and offering positive support to one another as I have since joining LBT. Yes, I've seen negative comments from one or two people before but that is such an insignificant number when compared to the kindness I've seen shared here. Way to go good LBT community, I am so happy to be among so many friendly folks. The world needs more of you in it.

I am a friendly person who often greets and gets greeted with hugs rather than handshakes. I noticed lately that peoples arms wrap all the way around me and back to the hugger. I feel so tiny when that happens.

I am curious - I don't expect a lot of excess skin, but many of you are having skin removal and contouring surgeries and I wondered which if any insurers cover this after WLS. I know mine covers tummy tucks, but I might need an arm lift and a bit of skin removed from my back as well. Thanks for your input!