lisacaron

I'm dancing just thinking of the music...it could also be the Holiday music I have going at my desk I really enjoy the holiday, and Joe you are 100% right. Spend every day like it's your last. Love and Laugh and love some more. Get out there and live life to the fullest every moment of it. Hugs to you all my friends and Happy Happy Holidays!!!!

OK so I have to add my 2 cents in here and a story for you all as well. First let me tell you that I am me. Fat, skinny, pleasantly plump...that's me. I personally like my curves more than I liked being super skinny. As I lose weight I am not in a race with anyone or myself. It comes off gradually and thankfully I haven't not gained more than 5 pounds back and forth over the last few years. I have stayed down more than up and I am very happy with this given all that has gone on these last few years in my life, I don't "focus" on weight loss so when it happens and I am healthy I am more than happy. That said...about 3 weeks ago I went in for a surgical procedure. A "simple" carpal tunnel release. The Anesthesiologist came in to discuss his part in my procedure. He was the first Dr. in my room that day as the nurses were prepping me, setting up the IV and administering the prophylactic antibiotic. He was short and to the point which is fine with me, however...when he described the "twilight" sleep he would administer and then asked if I had questions, I said I sure do. I do not want to be awake in any sense while having this surgery. I don't want to see, hear or smell anyone or anything in that operating room. I want to go in and come out without knowing a thing. To which he responds that to have a general anesthetic would involve "more work" when I asked exactly what he meant by that, he responded that he doesn't wish to "get into it" with me. Excuse me? What does that mean? You don't want to "get into that" with me? He turns to me and says well you are BIG and he holds his arms out to his sides as far as they can go. Now let me tell you....slim he was not. So for my part I simply reminded him of that fact and the fact that in this instance he is here working for me, and he just lost his position. He looked dumbfounded....and I dismissed him by telling him he could leave my room. I think the nurses were about to have heart failure that I took such a stance with this Dr. who turned out to be one of the chief Anesthesiologists. Well when my surgeon and her assistant entered the room I explained that I would NOT have this person administer the anesthetic during my surgery, and they could cancel it and I would find another surgeon or she could replace him with someone else. She was not so shocked as impressed that I would not just be subject to ridicule by such a person. I will not tolerate such behavior from anyone, especailly a professional that is there to "care" for me. This showed complete lack of respect and care and I was probably the ONLY person to put him in his place. So it's not just women or nasty people, it's fat shaming and it must stop!

@@gowalking thanks Liz. Feeling 100% better today thank goodness!!! I plan to lay low through the end of the year and into the new year. Really taking the time to focus on changes that I need to make through out my life not just in eating, but in reducing stress and trying not to do everything that needs doing and making time to just do nothing relax and enjoy life. Even though this was right after surgery visiting my cousin in CT (probably where I got sick, with all the little ones running around literally noses and all.) I can still find my smile

@@Liability Give it a few weeks, and even though your not "feeling" the shakes you need to get that Protein in. There are some protein powders you can get that are not flavored and that might help. You want to keep up your nutrition even though your not hungry, or have a different taste. Sometimes anesthesia can do this, not necessarily the band. Keep to the schedule of nutrition that the Dr. prescribed for you. You don't want to let yourself get run down or weak from lack of protein. Your body does not store this in any capacity so you need to replenish it daily, and if you don't your body will begin to break down your muscles to get it, and you could suffer other issues like hair loss etc. If your still feeling off give your surgeon a call and have a detailed discussion with them, and discuss options for post op nutrition. Best of luck to you.

Thanks @@Debbie3sons it was a horrible experience I hope never to have to go through again. I am feeling so much better this afternoon thank goodness!! I'm sticking to liquids for another day or so and then I'll move back to soft and mush foods even though the Dr. said it was OK to eat, I am fearful of the pain that I had over the weekend, so I'd rather take it really slow and let things inside heal up before testing it again.

@@Paige Dukes you are 100% right about making good choices in food during the holidays. Those rich fatty foods are no longer on our program and our bodies rebel against them, which is probably the cause of your gastric upset since the food had already passed through the band your body was not able to digest and metabolize the food. It was trying to expel it and your right with the band that makes it VERY difficult to do. Sometimes we are lucky and it will open up the other end and expel it that way which is NOT any more fun...but it saves the pressure on the band. I have had this happen to me before, and learned my lesson when it comes to eating those awesome foods. I can take a taste but no more or pay the price. You are very luck you did not have an issue with your band from this episode. My advice is to go on liquids for a day or so to give the stoma and stomach a chance to heal from the ordeal. Just this weekend I myself had a band issue caused from flue and medication that my body did not like. Taking the antibiotic that the Dr. prescribed for a sinus infection caused my stoma to swell nearly shut where I could not even swallow my own saliva, causing horrible acid reflux day and not to the point of not being able to even swallow Water. Thank goodness just a simple unfill of some Fluid has been enough to help settle things down and I am on liquids for the rest of the day and will probably do the same tomorrow and then move to mushy and soft foods to give my insides a chance to heal and for the swelling to reduce. Knowing our bodies and our bands are the best way to help us navigate through this new way of life we are living and even when we think we know it all....there is something new to learn Hope you are feeling better today!!

For me it's a small hiccup, and sometimes if I push past that hiccup as I would get them all the time even before banding I get that pressure feeling on my diaphragm and I know I have eaten one bite too many. My hubby gets a stuffy nose, and it's funny when we are out together I always know when he's had enough because he will get all stuffed up For me you will hear this hiccup sneeze sound and you know we always end up telling each other...that we have reached that point. He will say I guess your done, when hears me and I'll often say to him "are you full?" when I see him sniffle. It's silly but it's how it works for us. We are all so very different, and it takes time to figure it out and sometimes it take someone else to point it out for you.

Awesome picture Liz!!! I have to tell you ladies I have felt the pain of the band bashers this weekend! As you know from my earlier rant I had some surgery and then got a horrible flu bug on top of that in-spite of my flu shot. I'm sure my immune system is more than taxed since I wasn't in the best health or frame of mind prior to surgery. OK so this weekend it got so bad that I can hardly swallow my own saliva let alone drink anything or god forbid eat solid food. Between the meds and the stress and the pain of recovery my stoma is so irritated it's practically shut. I was in tears this weekend just wanting to take the darn band OUT. I tried going on just liquids for days but nothing was working. I was having horrible acid re-flux all day and night. The Dr. told me last night when I finally was ready to just go to the ER (or in my own imagination stick my hand down my throat and rip the band out, as if that was gonna work) stop all eating and drinking. Duh, I hadn't been able to drink anything since the last time I tried a shake at 10 am that morning. I did what he said though and didn't even try to swallow Water. I went to bed early and prayed to get to the office this morning. Finally the PA got there around 1 this afternoon and took out 2+cc's of Fluid and the plug un plugged and I could breath again and I feel better. I was able to take some pain meds for the horrible headache I have and now around 2:30 I am feeling better. It is not easy to suffer through that feeling of seriously feeling choked from the inside out. I don't wish to ever feel like that again. I know it's not the bands fault, and thank goodness it's able to be adjusted and I was able to get some relief. I have since added this antibiotic to my allergy list. Levaquin is not for me it definitely irritates my stomach and caused the stoma to swell up to the point that it was closed shut. Even though I stopped taking it on Thursday and went on liquids for days nothing helped until having some fluid out today. I'm hoping that I won't need to go back to have the rest of the band drained and that I will be able to heal over the next few weeks. I am seriously feeling down...feeling sick for so long..it's been nearly a month since surgery and recovery is slow I know it's a major thing to heal muscles, but I am so frustrated I don't like not feeling well. I hope this is the first step in getting better once and for all so I can get back to those bright smiles!!!

Hi All...I have to say I have fallen off track...and got lost in the enchanted forest of I don't give a ....... It's been all about healing the last few weeks after carpal tunnel surgery. Let me tell you if you don't know...you don't know till you have it. What a pain...in so many more ways than just pain but there is that too and never ending soreness it seems. I've had the flu for the last 2 weeks just feeling better today actually not blowing my nose off or coughing up my lungs. My band has not shown me any love...it's a task master (which is a good thing I suppose) but my emotional self has been having a rough time of it. Even though I want those comfort foods and I want to eat and eat and eat that band just say's NOPE and if you do...I will make you even more miserable than you think you are already. So I had a few days of battle with the band. I ate the sugary yummy stuff and I was tired and well acid re flux in your sleep just sucks! Don't go to sleep right after you eat...yeah no eating 3 hours before bed time OK got it. I haven't gotten on the scale because I don't want to face it really...but maybe tomorrow morning just to see how bad things really are and try to get back on track again. Now that some structure is back in place I could possibly do this again though I don't see gym type happening any time soon. Everything is still such an effort I can't even imagine carrying a gym bag at this point...but I am going to keep focusing on healing and getting healthy all things in time.

You know when I had my surgery I came back to work way too fast and I wish I had stayed home longer. I am scheduled for Carpal Tunnel release surgery next week on my right hand. I have let my job know I am going for surgery filled out the FMLA paper work etc just like I did last time and I plan to take FULL advantage of taking time off. I know I am going to get calls and e-mails while I am at home since I am a project manager, but I really plan to take the time to recover and enjoy spending that time at home being able to actually rest and recover. I always run back worrying about my job and my "status" on the job and you know it's just not worth my health. It has taken me a good long while to be able to say that. I know it's sad to look forward to surgery but I am! I feel for you and worrying about the job and stability and all that but as another poster said. File for FMLA they can't fire you or replace you while your out. Bosses don't need to know why you are having surgery, the Dr.'s that answer the forms will send them directly to your HR and they are not allowed to disclose your personal medical information. To that end the Dr. could simply say abdominal surgery and not be specific most offices are equipped with the verbage to satisfy the law and the company without disclosing the patients private medical conditions. Wishing you the best!

Ah Liz my friend give it a few weeks before you feel the affects of the fill. Sometimes I don't feel mine until 2-3 weeks after. While your away assess how your eating/feeling between meals you might just find that the fill kicks in and your good..or you might find that you need a little more. Have a great time in Florida hugs to the family. I'm going to be spending my Thanksgiving recovering from Carpal Tunnel release surgery. I'm planning on having my boys cook for me and cater to me while I whine and watch TV and read for hours I just feel like after taking care of everyone's injuries and surgeries and lives Mamma needs some extra special TLC too

@@Tirnanog Congratulations on becoming a bandit! Many of us have had some similar thoughts after surgery you can be sure. The first few months after surgery can throw you for a loop both mentally and physically. Much of what @@WLSResources/ClothingExch said above about people with tight bands, not eating on plan, and/or just plain old scarfing food are all the reasons for having band issues. While it is true there are some who follow every single rule and can still have complications from the surgery, but that can be said for any WLS. Complications are part of the risk we take when we decided to embark on the journey. That said..I am a firm believer in NOT looking for trouble. If it's going to find you....let it have the hardest time possible don't go searching for it because chances are you will find it. As you move the through the stages of your band, learn the rules and make them part of your life. Portion out the food. Cut tiny bites, take tiny bites, chew chew chew. Don't stack your food. Eat a bite chew swallow allow it to pass the band before putting another bite in your mouth. The same goes for drinking and eating. If you have just swallowed your bite don't chase it with a beverage. Give it time to clear the band and then if you need a sip of beverage go ahead and take that sip and allow that to go down and clear the band before resuming your meal. If you start to "stack" food..then your going to feel that pressure and if you try to chase it with beverage chances are the beverage will slide around through and under the food and could force it back up, so don't do it Weight loss will come...give your body some time to heal and don't think your going to lose 100 pounds in a month. The band is not a mal- absorptive surgery and it will take time and habit changing to become best friends with your band and once you are...you will know what works for you both as you watch the numbers on the scale click away. Good luck to you and come back here often for support, motivation and inspiration. This can be a great site for that...it can also be a great place to find trouble...so don't look for it...just enjoy your new life.

Greetings my fellow bandsters! It's Monday...oh what a fun day!! Liz how did the fill go? This weekend I decided I needed a change, and though I would shake things up some. So I went to the salon and had my hair dyed red. It's not the first time...but it's been a while since I've had it red. This color...though is a new "trendy" color RED. It is very bright and vibrant. Needless to say it threw my hubs for a loop...and yes the first day it was reminding me a bit of a crayola crayon....but I'm growing to really love it. I didn't get my nose pierced although I keep threatening to do so...you never know...it could happen I like the way it looks....but not so sure how I would like it on myself. Hubs tells me it's not "professional"...but OK what is that today anyway....? Do you think the old standards, of buttoned up no tattoos and no visible piercing besides ears for ladies is still the "norm" in professionalism? What do you think....? Looks like hubs got over it.....

@@gowalking Come meet me and I'll give you a few slaps that will get you over it fast You are SOOO not a failure! Wish that I could have done as well as you have even with all my fills I still struggle with myself!! Wacko mind...hmmm maybe it's a NY thing...IDK. I still can't get my mind around my eating. Truth be told. I am working on it...as I am with so many other things. I have read on here so many times nothing tastes as good as skinny feels and all I can say is HA!!! For me...give me the dam pumpkin pie because who cares about the skinny jeans?! Maybe because I was thin as a kid...maybe because I don't hate myself the way I look...? I don't know what it is friends....but I am not so "motivated" to be skinny or to lose weight. Does that make me bad? I love me...the only reason I find to lose weight or be less FAT is because it's not healthy. For my heart, for my lungs, or my joints. OK all that said...I would still rather eat what the hell I want to eat and when. Do I make healthier choices of food...yes I try to. Do I hate myself for eating "badly"? Nope. For those of you that might drink...do you hate yourself for that one extra glass of what ever that gave you a headache the next day? Or did you have a great time? Do you regret buying shoes, pants, shirts, or what ever you love in more than one color? Is it all about losing weight....? Or is it about being the best "ME" I can be? No matter if that me is a size 2 or a size 14....? Come on group...help me out with my brain twisting thoughts...and maybe that will help with my stress levels which is really what's eating me most of the time

OK to add my 2 cents to the pot stirring here.... Is that person wasting her opportunity? Maybe...but who are we to judge? Even though we are deemed "ready" for a surgery how many of us are really ready for it? Were you ready for the surgery and all that entailed or might have if you had a complication? What about the post-op diet? Could you really say you were ready for that?! Were you ready to change your mindset and the way you viewed food all these years that lead to your obesity? If you were well good for you!!! Many of us weren't and still aren't. There are many on these boards and in the Dr.'s office still trying to work out their mental and emotional issues with food. It's really simple to tell an addict to stay away from people who are drinking and taking drugs...but do you have any idea how hard that really is? You can't watch TV today without seeing something about the next drug, beer flavor, vodka, hard cider, pumpkin flavored everything, KFC, McDonalds, Arby's Sonic...shall I go on....? Many patients don't have the support from psychologists and many fear seeking one out. The psych eval before surgery seems to be a simple evaluation to see if you have some obvious gross mental abnormality. They aren't checking to see if you are a food addict. They are checking to see if your a substance abuse addict or if you tend toward eating disorders....but they forget that obesity IS an eating disorder and yes the patients need treatment for such or would any of us be obese to begin with?? Not all of us can have our "tool" given to us and then know how we are supposed to use it because what works for Mary does not work for LIsa, What works for Ken does not work for Lisa. What works for Liz does not work for Ken and does not work for Lisa. Lisa and only Lisa can figure out what will work for her....because her issues are not yours and vs versa. It's hard to be mad or upset a person when you think about it...... Following the "rules" are kind of like common core math...not everyone can figure it out and understand it. Most teachers have a hard time teaching it and most students and parents simply choose to opt out. That's what this lady did... The point of contention here is that instead of blaming others we need to look at ourselves and put the questions we can't figure out and understand back to the medical industry and have them really look at us as the patients and tailor these tools to help serve us best. I might wear a size 14 regular but for it to fit right I still need a hem. I don't fit into the "off the rack" sizes the way they are meant to fit because I wasn't made in a factory. I am one of kind as are you. One size does not fit all...it may fit most but it never fits all....and some of us need a little extra tailoring.

Cheers to all you Veterans out there!! You are as relevant today as you ever were and ever will be!!! You have the perspective from all sides of the triangle. Pre-Op, Post Op, and maintenance and you live somewhere in the middle of it all where life happens! When we are new and still in our obesity suit we are vulnerable and scared. Surgery is surgery, no matter how you slice it. Not only have you gone through all the nerves and testing and pre-op diets, head stands and cartwheels you have lived to tell the tale and make those feats a little smoother for the next person thinking to themselves there is NO way I can do this.... You made it through the trauma of Post-Op, your surgical wounds healed and you started healing your mental and emotional wounds and set your feet on the path to a whole new way of living life. Many of you have reached that maintenance phase which is the last great hurdle, where you are able to live that new way of life the way you are able to breathe, without obsessing over calories vs calories out did you track it today, did you really eat that...yep you did and it was OK. You didn't turn into a unicorn you didn't sprout wings and fly. You didn't discover the magic rocket pill that made you lose 100 pounds over night and only works for you. NO you have worked your asses off literally! You worked hard for all your success and you have owned your failures. The stories and inspiration that you have to share with the boards, be they lap-band, sleeve, bypass etc. are more that worth their weight in gold because they are REAL. They are you, and they help the rest of us to strive to attain those goals our own lives. Yes there are some that need that slap upside the head for eating pizza 3 weeks post op. They come here and they vent and maybe they slap back but maybe they tell their surgeon what they did and they set them straight and they have less complications or no complications going forward..and maybe they are just butt heads and really who cares if they are anyway it's their lives they are ruining and we can choose to just block their content if they are obnoxious. When your a Veteran you get to speak your mind more than most because you have put your time in been around the block and through the woods and back again. You have seen and experienced more than the rest of us who have not been there yet. . People need to understand that the Veterans aren't obesity fairies with magic wands that can at the stroke of the keys type yes it's OK for you to eat insert item here and you won't gain weight because you have been sleeved; banded; bypassed..... They are people who once upon a time walked in the shoes of an obese person and kept walking till they reached their goals. Can they give some pixie dust and magically you are walking beside them at your goal....NO but they can inspire, motivate and empathize with where you are in your journey today and encourage you to keep on going no matter how long it takes no matter how much work you might have ahead....it's worth it. That is what makes the Veterans relevant.

@@needtorecover First let me commend you on coming on the site and asking these hard questions. Not just of us but of yourself as well. These are questions that I myself still struggle with, and I am sure there are many of us here that do. Being an emotional eater and using food to sooth ourselves is one of the reason we are here it's true. It is also true that this does not make us bad people, and the fact that we can recognize and admit our problem is the first step in helping ourselves to get free from it. When I was banded a few years ago, I went into the surgery NOT for myself but for my husband who desperately needed to lose weight to have a hip replacement operation. Like you I worried about another's health before my own, and my own was in great peril. I did not need a new hip, but my heart was failing my blood pressure was through the roof, my kidneys were not functioning as they should due to all the medication I was on....and of course I would NEVER think that my weight or my stress levels had ANYTHING to do that!!! So what if I ate that vat of ice cream that's not why I was tired and sick...right? OK...so I started off on the wrong foot, I put all my energy into making sure "he" was OK and doing what he was supposed to be doing and i was doing it just to lead by example. Well just like our children when they no longer need us to do things for them and they take off running...hubs is doing awesome and I am floundering balled up in my little stress world that I create for myself. Yup it's true...I do it to myself. I know how to say NO I know what's right and wrong and I help others to find their way and lead support groups and what's MY problem? That's just it "I" am my problem. It's taken me the last few months of disconnecting from all that I am doing for others...and focus that laser beam on myself for a bit. This is what it takes laser focus for me to really see what and why i am doing the things I do and until I am ready to be clear of them I am going to be stuck repeating them. So...to your question. How will the band help you...? The band itself won't help you through the emotional and stressful parts of life. You are going to have to do the emotional head healing work or you are going to fall into old habits of soothing with food. Yes the band will help you not to "binge" as you know it today...however there are ways to get around the band and pretty much all the surgical tools if you have a mind to and you will gain weight or stop losing. So when they say you have to have your head in the game...they are 100% on target. The band will reduce your appetite and help you to control portion sizes, but you have to be behind the controls. If you have eaten and go from full at 8:00 to comfortable at 9:00 and the stress meter just went into the red zone...that candy bar, or pudding or what ever your thing is will look pretty darn delicious and your not "stuffed" now and those foods slide right down along with the excess calories. These are the tough times for stress and emotional eaters. Finding that "outlet" away from the food to resolve the feelings. I have learned that there is no way out but through it. There are no short cuts, we have to deal with ourselves. I've done the deflecting and the blaming and I am the Queen of excuses!! As you go through your pre-op and post op get your game ready. Work with a therapist come here and chat with us...and together we will make the most of our surgical tools and lose the weight. Yes we can do it, for ourselves and our children and loved ones will benefit from it as well.

These are some pretty good questions I have been asking myself lately. The truth is that I don't and never have compensated for being me at any size. I am confidant in who I am and in what I am doing pretty much all the time. When I don't know something or how to do something I ask and I learn and I do and if I don't like it I don't do it anymore. As far as being thin...I almost feel like I have an aversion to being thin the way people have an aversion to being fat! I know that sounds strange right...who wouldn't want to be thin?! Me that's who. I like me, scratch that I love me! I love my face, my curves, and my body. Even when it's acting up....as it often is with some kind of inflammatory response or another. That is the only part for health reasons I would change. When I lose weight, I almost feel cranky about it. I don't like the feeling of floating in clothing and I hate to shop. I'm short and big busted so nothing ever fits right off the rack unless it's some kind of stretchy something and even then the pants drag and the sleeves never fit right. I would need to tailor everything and honestly who has that kind of time or money? I can think of many gem stones I would rather buy than that silk top or suit that needs to be tailored and dry cleaned and I would never wear because it's just too much freaking work! Yoga pants anyone? I have been the entire spectrum of sizes throughout my life. From super skinny in a size 0 to super obese in a size 30. I'm finding right around the 14-18 mark is where I like it. The tops fit my bust size and my arm size without needing to be taken in, I can find a size medium/large pants or size 14-16 jeans and they fit just right. When I think about it I ask you ladies, have you ever tried finding a size 5 top that fits a size 38 DD chest and doesn't look like your on a job interview at Hooters? I have...so maybe that's why I like the comfy non tailored clothes....I don't know. I'll ask you again Yoga pants anyone? I have been analyzing this about myself lately as I stagnate in my journey a bit not losing, not gaining, just being. Wondering...why isn't it OK to live a big fat fabulous life if your living healthy and happy.....?

This statement bothers me. "I always get that hard stare from the male TSA agents...and the comments from the female agents about how I look great now." You always looked great. Your weight big or small doesn't define who you are and you might look "better" now because you are healthy, pain free (mostly because lord knows living can give us a few pings and pangs now and then) and happy!! A smile always increases your face value as Dolly Parton said. Love ya my friend keep on smiling in all your photo's no matter what!

@@Victoria Mora don't worry!!! I promise the fill experience is not like getting blood drawn. The Dr. or PA will feel for your port and the initial "pinch" feels like just that a pinch. The needle only pierces the layer of your skin and goes right into the port. The Dr. will use a special kind of needle that is meant to permeate the port and not damage it or you. Once the Dr. access the port it felt a bit to me like a mechanic doing an oil change or something. The Fluid is then pushed into the port through the tubing and eventually to the band. Some doctors are aggressive with their fills and may do up to a 1 cc or more. Some doctors like mine are very conservative with their fills and would only give a .5cc fill each time. It can take up to a week to two weeks for the fill to fully settle into the band, so don't be shocked if you don't feel any changes right away. If that amount of time passes and you are still able to overeat, or you are eating sooner than 3 hours between meals then you will probably need another fill. there is no way to measure what fill level will work for each person. Everyone is different. There are some who just having the band is enough and they never need a fill and then there are some that are mostly filled to the highest level of the bands and find that to be their sweet spot. The average I feel of most people seems to be between 5-6 cc's in a 10 cc band. More than likely your Dr. will ask you to be on liquids for a day or more and then slowly move back to solid foods, this is to allow the stomach to ease into the fill and not be overly stressed out by the increased pressure in the band and the pressure of foods coming through. Let your Dr. know when you go in your a bit fearful of the needle so they have a little more patients with you, lean back and close your eyes and you will be done before you know it.

@@j294 Don't stress Congrats on baby number 4!!! Your band will do just fine, so long as you are doing fine. If you find that you are having trouble getting enough nutrition to support your pregnancy than I would suggest removing some not all of Fluid from your band. Let your OB/GYN know that you have a lap band and so long as the baby is developing well and your nutrition is adequate for your health your all set. Enjoy the pregnancy as much as possible and the impending birth of your new little one. It won't hurt to let your bariatric Dr. know you are pregnant as well, and that you will advise them as things move forward if you are having any issues with eating or drinking. Best of luck to you and your new little one!!

@@vwdriver95 Let me start by asking you if you have Fluid in your band currently, and if so what fill level you might be at in what size band? If you are not eating enough and you are going 4 hours or more between meals I can understand where the nurse is coming from in telling you a fill is not what is needed. Your body is adjusting to all of the changes you have made and are continuing to make. shake it up a bit. If your doing the same things and they are no longer working mix it up and give your body a shock and jump start it again. If your not getting in any exercise start a walking program. If your already walking try bike riding, or doing a little "sprint" for a few seconds/minutes and then walk again. If your eating the same diet shake it up. If your eating a consistent number of calories, change it up. Add a few more, give your body something to work with. Don't let it think your dying and there for need to hold onto every single thing you consume. Eventually your body will let go and start to burn that fat for fuel but a good way to get things moving is to shake it up. Our muscles have memory and after a while our bodies become complacent as we do and to keep it fresh we need to keep on our toes. This weight loss journey is not as easy or as pleasant as it was when we were gaining weight....it's darn hard work Don't give up....shake it up and make it work for you. So far your doing great!!! Slow and steady wins the race

All surgery is a risk. These complications could have resulted from any type surgery that involved anesthesia. I know several people who have had what was considered "minor" surgery and ended up in the hospital for months with blood clots, leading to pulmonary embolism having to be on blood thinners and lie flat for months. I have a friend who went in for ovarian surgery and ended up with a ruptured intestine that caused her to be septic and sick, ending up hospitalized for months while they cleared her system and had to put a colostomy bag in until they could repair the damage. These are the risks we encounter when we have surgery even when surgery is urgently needed to save your life. Yes many of us often will have "elective" surgery for different reasons but many of us here did not go into bariatric surgery to "be skinny" most of us had surgery because being obese was affecting our lives and putting them at risk. To the point that being overweight was as much of a risk to life and limb as it would be to have surgical intervention. The lapband like any other surgical tool out there has it's benefits and deficits. Yes many doctors have to remove the bands from patients that have problems, the band is a prosthetic and sometimes our body can reject it. Advocate for your self, but don't scare people who may need life saving bariatric procedure out of surgery. I'm sorry you have had to experience so many health issues, and I truly wish you health and happiness as you find your way through recovery.

@@Carmac Take it slow...during the first few weeks after surgery it's normal to gain a few pounds. Right now you are not at an optimal fill level and once you reach that you will start to see/feel things change. Give it time and don't give up, keep following the Dr.'s guidelines as far as eating and what you should be eating at this time and have faith you will get there.