lisacaron

These long dreary days are not doing much for my get up and go. I find myself bored to tears. Yawning my head off to the point that my eyes are watering. I'd love to be able to have the time to take off and just recuperate from the level of stress my life always seems to be under. The problem I encounter is when I have a down moment, and things are not moving at the speed of light and sound I don't know what to do with myself! I am so used to the high impact crash that usually happens when my battery stalls from all the overwhelming stress. The ones that take me down to the ground, and keep me there only until all the wounds scab over. I'm not used to pulling over and letting things pass me and avoiding those high speed crashes, but I am learning and I have been making different life choices these days and it's not just about food. Last year was a very rough year. It started at its usual break neck speed of things, and the intensity only increased throughout the year. I could write down all the grisly details, but sometimes sharing it all makes me tired and a bit sad. The events were extreme and it's a story that leaves most people staring at us with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. From January to April of last year our lives were zooming along on a roller coaster ride out of control. New Year's Eve this year we looked at each other, and vowed that this would be the year we worry about us. The year we focus on our health and wellbeing. A few weeks into the new year, my husband found out he would need a total hip replacement. The pain in his leg and his hip was getting worse by the second so we contacted the Hospital for Special surgery and met with the doctor, and the doctor didn't sugar coat it he told him flat out you need the surgery and that he would not touch him at his weight. He told him point blank go for some kind of weight loss surgery because you can't undergo this operation without it. He was devastated as I was to hear that. NO one wants to hear they are fat or that they are going to continue to suffer because of it if they don't do something about it, but I had a plan and I had the perfect place for us to go! I called the surgeon I had met 2 years prior that very same day and he accommodated us, so we drove there that very same day and started our Lapband journey! We jumped over the hurdles and through the testing hoops. We swam in the sea of the liquid diet, and we had our surgery, and in me…something was changing. I was learning so much more about myself. Not only about the foods I was eating, but why I was eating, and when and how and as I started to look at those things…I had to look at myself. I mean REALLY look at myself deep down inside in those dark and scary corners that no one wants to venture not even me! Yes my body had changed I had all these new little lines all around my tummy. I had lost some weight and I could see that in the mirror. My clothes were fitting better, but more importantly my attitude was changing. For me the stress never stops coming, not everything is as exceptional as the last year and Thank God for that! Something's are positive stressors like my youngest son's High School Graduation, College registrations 70th Birthday parties and 50 year anniversaries, but being part of the sandwich generation can really take its toll. My husband and I are caught between our sick and ailing parents who end up in the hospital every other week with life and death issues, from life support to blood clots to life saving surgeries decisions to be made on a dime, and our Peter Pan children who are pushing into their late 20's that seem to not want to grow up and take on the mantel of adulthood responsibility. We are always under one stress or another, working full time long hours far from home is sometimes a good thing, but most days it just adds to the level of stress. As I am learning what powers my body, and what it needs and doesn't need what it can and will tolerate or not, I am also learning about myself. The undue stress I endure when I run and jump and speed race for others, when I take on too many projects and take on other peoples responsibilities it adds to my already heavy burden. I have learned that just because I am capable, and can carry it doesn't mean that I have to. I am learning to pick and choose the things I engage in, as much as I pick and choose how, what and when I eat. I love to be able to help people it makes me feel good to share the knowledge and understanding I have, or to give physical aid where it's needed, but it can no longer be at the expense of my health. It hasn't been so easy for me to understand that I have to come first. I have to put my health and my wellbeing above the rest. I'm learning to take deep breaths and to try and keep the stress at bay. It's not always possible and it's never easy but I'm learning to cope to work with and around things that I should not be stressing over. In three almost four months the band has really helped me to make some major changes in my life and my lifestyle in positive ways. I don't think any weight loss would have been possible for me to keep off if I did not make some of these alterations, and I hope that I am able to continue to learn and implement new coping skills and see even more weight loss as I move forward toward my goals. Taking the time to think about and write all this today, as boring and dreary a day as it is here, has been an awesome non scale victory for me!

Your looking Marvelous darling! Keep up the good work! I'm losing it slowly but surely and I'm feeling great about it!! I hope you are too

My doctor's office always asks me if I plan to be away in the couple of weeks after a fill before they administer it. I would let them know you are going to be away and then go and enjoy your vacation. Don't stress about weight gain etc. Try your best to make good choices and just enjoy! That's what vacations are for. You can always get a fill when you come back. Have a great time and a safe trip!

My doctor did not recommend a fill for 6-8 weeks after surgery to ensure that everything internally had healed. The band is placed and usually the stomach tissue is stitched around it to keep it in place. They like the band to settle into its new home before putting Fluid in which could shift it out of place and pull on the sutures. Giving your body a chance to fully heal is not a bad thing and it will bring you over all long term success and that is what we want. Even though right now we want that instant gratification. That is not really the way the band works. Try not to compare yourself with others, this is YOUR journey and they are on theirs. Best of luck to you.

You can try some liquid Motrin or Tylenol that might taste a bit better. A nice ice pack on the belly near the port site will help with the hurting and soreness. Get your rest, and when you can walk walk walk. It will help move the extra gas and bloating out of your system as well as any lingering effects of that anesthesia and soon you will be feeling better. I also found that warm tea helped move things for me, and ice pops were a life saver. Hope you are both feeling much better very soon.

Hi Joly and welcome. This is a good place to ask lots of questions, as there are members here who are banded for a long time as well as those of us who are pretty new. I was sore for a couple of weeks after banding. I had some pain in the left side when I would take a deep breath, the swelling around the stomach and the bloating from the gas impact the diaphragm a bit. If the pain does not subside in a few days I would give the surgeon a call and just let them know. I found that an ice pack was super helpful in that area, and internally some ice pops help with getting your Fluid in and soothing some of the swelling as well. Alternately I also found that some warm mild decaffeinated tea helped me to get the gassy feeling to move out of that area. Also walk walk walk my friend. That really helps things move, and standing straight helps the internal organs to expand and give the diaphragm more space so you can take those deep breaths and cough up any reaming effects from the anesthesia. Hope your feeling better soon!

I’m not 24, I’m 42, so to give you some advice, I'd like to say DO NOT feel rushed into surgery. If you feel that way take a step back. For many of us here this was the best choice we have ever made for ourselves, however please take the time to do your research. Look at all your options, research all the different types of weight loss surgery out there, check with your doctor, research surgeons and facilities in your area to be sure they have a good support system and not just perform surgery and send you out into the world with no follow up. Be sure their practice has a full follow up support system it's very important for success. When you have taken the time to do all that, then really sit with yourself and make sure that you are ready to commit to this surgery for the rest of your life. Being banded is like taking marriage vows, you get a ring and its permanent for the rest of your life. Think of it as till death do you part. Yes there is divorce and you can have it removed, but the price is usually pretty high, in that it would mean another surgery, more trauma to your organs and possible re-routing of your anatomy. For me this was the best thing I could have done, I am very happy that I made the commitment and I am ready to live with it for the rest of my life and work with it. It took me 2 and half years to make the commitment I wasn't sure at first and I needed to be 100% sure before jumping into surgery. Give yourself that love and respect and make sure, once you are sure you will never regret it. I wish you all the best in whatever you choose.

Now that was cool to look at, but didn't really answer the question Catfish….I am curious as well how many CC's it takes to feel in the zone, but I have the feeling that answer is going to be different for everyone. I don't think there is a "set" amount that gets you there. I think we need to keep filling and sometimes unfilling until we reach that point where we are eating that right amount of food, not feeling hungry between meals and losing at a steady pace for our body.

Hi Marlene it's nice to meet you. Don't be shy, if you have some questions this is the place to find some answers. There are some really great people on the site that have a lot of helpful information as well as have endured some major health and other life issues. They are a great source of inspiration and encouragement. Know that you are not alone. Wishing you all the best as you begin your journey.

I just love your photo! I hope you keep on feeling better ever day!

Glad to hear that you are feeling better! Every day gets a bit better, try to keep your protein up and you will feel stronger every day. High levels of protein help you heal inside and out.

How did the tubing pop out of your skin the first time? That sounds extreme. I'm sorry you are having so many issues with your port. When they placed the new port did they put it in the same place? I have heard that they should move the location of the port when they replace it so that the muscle tissue they latch it to is not compromised from possible previous injury. Please do let us know how you are doing and I hope you are feeling better soon!

I hope your doing well and you get to hear the results that you want to hear!

Attain Bars chocolate Caramel As Snacks or part of sensible meals, these bars naturally address the root causes of hunger cravings and helps control them at the source to support healthy weight loss.

I wish you both all the best and ask you to keep us all up to date on your progress and recovery as this is something that could affect all of us, and so we can be a support to you as well. Chris perhaps you might check with this new doctor to see if he has a nutritionist and/or behavioral person in his practice that might be able to help guide you through the recovery process so you don't gain back any weight. Sometimes having someone to guide us can be a big help.

I know when I am stressed or rushing around to get a lot done I am not eating very carefully and sometimes rushing to eat a meal, and/or not getting enough hydration. Try to get some deep breathing in now and again. I hear it's beautiful in Ireland! Try to enjoy that aspect of being there as well. Best of luck to you! Be well.

Yeah I would say just reading that was mildly disturbing to say the least. No need to watch it.

It's good to see people here who have been banded for a long time and to get all the insights and feedback from all of you. We are all helping each other learn and grow every day and I am grateful for that. This is one of the best groups I have ever been a part of, and it inspires me to post what I learn and what I experience to help not only myself but others. I have not run across very many people who are out there trying to condemn each other and I hope to never have to meet them or read their self-righteous posts. Everyone has struggles and that is how we learn and grow and we can pass that knowledge on by sharing it with others, and that becomes hard to do when we start to feel judged by our peers. So thank you all for posting and sharing your journey, good bad and ugly. Gains and losses I’m taking it all in and under advisement as I navigate my own journey I have been reading a pretty good book on emotional eating titled "Breaking Free from Emotional Eating" by Geneen Roth. I found the link either from a book or an article I was reading from a link someone here posted. Anyway the Kindle book version is not expensive and the book is a good read for anyone who has emotional issues with food and eating. Best wishes to you all!

Lots of good advice here. I wonder if there is something that you might be able to substitute for those candy bars? Maybe a Protein shake that has that flavor? Even if you have to add something to it to get the texture and flavor of that chocolate as it melts in your mouth. Something that doesn’t make you feel bad about having it. I have been able to do that with chocolate, I'll have a dark chocolate shake or a chocolate caramel and nut flavored Protein Bar and then the craving is gone.

What wonderful posts to help lift the spirit! Your story is a touching one, there are too many of us I fear that have walked a similar path. It sounds like you have a loving family, and people that truly care for you. Now it is time for you to care about you. You have already started your journey by reaching out to all of the amazing and supportive people on this board, but you must keep being brave and take that next step and start to carve out time for YOU my friend. We are so busy sometimes caring for and about others that we forget to take a moment to care about ourselves. Take a deep breath, and get in touch with yourself and your band again. Take it back to the beginning. Feel the port under your skin and know that you have the tool you need to jump start your road to health. Give your doctor's office a call and schedule a visit. Don't worry about being judged for having gained weight, don't worry about explaining yourself. If they ask you when you are in the office simply tell them you made it through a tragedy and you are now ready to start using this tool again to make your life better. Wish you all the best, and reach out again as you need to.

Yougurt is a slider food even though it's good for you it passes right through the band without much effort. There is nothing to chew. The best thing to do is add something to yogurt like fruit berries or some high protien Cereal. Like to add Kashi go lean crunch to it. This way your getting all the benefits of the yougurt and Protein and not letting it slide right through where you are hungry again too soon. Best of luck to you!

Tea was a big help when I first was banded. I would make decaf tea mostly because the caffeinated ones gave me the shakes right after surgery. The warm beverages really helped to settle my tummy and sooth as well. If you love some coffee go for it! I love the idea of the Protein powder in it. I bet that would be yummy I will have to give it a try!