Bandista

Hi there, congratulations on your success so far -- way to go! I am relatively new but those sound like classic symptoms of needing a fill. Make an appointment and they will go over everything with you. Don't forget how important followup and after-care is to this process. The more you lose the looser your band becomes and then you need a little more saline. You've lost quite a bit, yippee! But now get that appetite back in check so you're not fighting that. This is why we got bands, right?

This whole process is so fascinating! I hope this is the perfect fill for you and that you soar through these next few months. 2014 is going to be a big year for weight loss -- we are rocking our bands! Best wishes to you......

What a wonderful inspiring post -- thank you so much for sharing your success. I always love reading your pieces as they are so compassionate and balanced. You give me hope!

Oh dear, so sorry. Hope you feel better today. It's a reminder to us to take it easy, choose wisely and chew slowly. I don't eat bread as not only is it too gummy but I am also trying to do Protein first then veggies. I have had a slice of gluten-free toast with an egg on it -- the GF is not glutenous (well, duh) but also the egg soaked into the bread and made it softer. However, now that I've had another fill I doubt I would try this again. I just had a stuck episode recently (it was fish, cold and overcooked and I probably ate it too fast!). Even the day or two after I was still taking it very easy, doing liquids, smoothies, applesauce & yogurt, etc. Now I'm back to having a bit of chili, etc. "Real" food, which is my goal. Best part of this post is that you called it in and got advice from your surgeon's office. That's what they are there for! We are here to tell you we have done it as well and we sympathize! Best wishes!

So happy for you! You are going to be beautiful on your wedding day no matter what you lose so please don't put yourself under too much stress. Post-op the loss can go a little slowly until you get the right adjustment through fills. But the weight will come off and you'll be so happy. What a gift you are giving yourself. We will be thinking of you Thursday!

Scouts and work -- wow is right! Hope you have an easy Tuesday and no evening meetings. Take good care of yourself this week. Maybe some one can take the kids out for supper and you can put your feet up.

If you are feeling sick it may be that the Protein doesn't agree with you. Your doctor may have some alternatives in mind. I enjoyed potato leek Soup -- a dairy free and organic brand called Pacific that we found in the regular grocery store. And I liked the salty broth, too -- Tamari in chicken broth, etc. As your hunger appears see if there are other things coming up. This may be a way for you to identify some of your emotional eating triggers, the ways we have all used food inappropriately in the past. I was using food to quell anxiety so now when I experience hunger I try to ask myself what is really going on. Call the doctor up this morning -- that's what they are there for! Let them know how you're doing and ask for suggestions. Best wishes for a great day!

"But you carry your weight so well!" This one always drove me nuts -- I wanted to say, "well, you carry it!" And just for the record I didn't carry my weight well. There is photo documentation. I looked and felt like hell. I am almost thirty pounds down, seventy to go, but already I feel so much better. Oh, and I had to gain to meet the insurance requirements. Just wasn't fat enough for 'em! Good grief.

Sorry I thought this was a Lapband thread. I support all weight loss surgeries but of course I love my band. Please be careful of unsupported statements about one surgery vs, another.

Not a huge deal?! Are you kidding? You are doing beautifully. 31 pounds pre-op is amazing and you should pat yourself on the back. You are going to do so well with this kind of commitment and perseverance. Isn't it funny the way we can't really see ourselves in the mirror sometimes. A picture is worth a thousand word. Thanks for sharing! And good luck with your upcoming surgery. Exciting times....

A letter or email can be very effective. Do you know the Love Sandwich technique? Start off with how important she is to you and how much you love her. Then comes the meat -- what you need to lay out as far as what is not acceptable. Then you close with something positive or flattering (the other piece of bread). Unfortunately you have to be the grown up here, and I imagine this was so even when you were a small child. This has been the case with me -- my mother is now elderly and while she does not show up at our house she does tend to hysterical behavior. She does it because she needs attention and like a child she needs to know that acting out is not going to get her what she wants. Another technique is to acknowledge her feelings. "It sounds like you are very frustrated Mom, and I understand that, but you can't lash out at me like that. It makes everything worse." "I know you must feel lonely sometimes, Mom, and we do want to see you but you have to call first." Good luck as you get this figured out. It sounds like she is not well. Maybe suggest therapy? That always shuts my mother down pronto!

I filled a prescription for narcotic pain medication ahead of time but didn't end up needing it. I had a one night hospital stay with ibuprofen in my IV drip. At home the next morning I took some liquid ibuprofen and liquid Tylenol but only a dose or two as the discomfort, while certainly noticeable, was not hard to manage. To me it was so much better than I thought it would be -- nothing like dentistry pain, which it hate, or cramps, back out, etc. Maybe this is because the band is for something. It is a purposeful exciting time vs. being ill or an accident -- the kinds of things that usually take us to our doctors. There are some studies out about narcotic medication slowing the healing process. For me, I don't like the side effects -- the out of it feeling, nausea, constipation, etc. The incisional pain is sore at first but it's laporoscopic and looks worse than it is. I had pain around my port and even used ice packs on it one day. It is sewn to a muscle inside and can yowl a little. I'm have arthritis, etc. so my pain tolerance is pretty high. Know that you may feel low for a day or two but then you'll be better each day. There is a left shoulder pain that many people get. I did and it was painful -- did not arrive for me immediately. I worked it out, though, and a little tylenol definitely did the trick. Whatever you do, remember that walking is the best possible thing post-surgery. From the moment I woke up I walked every time I had to get up to pee -- donned a robe and flip-flops, grabbed the IV pole a d up and down the halls I went. Then back to bed for a bit and a repeat of same. By the time I was ready to be released I had covered a lot of ground. My body wanted this -- like a horse with colic. It helped work out the kinks, release any trapped gas and shrug off the anesthesia. At home I started in walking around our driving circle as soon as I got home. I had to force myself but I'm so glad I did it. Best wishes as you get everything figured out. I can't believe how quickly the two plus months since my surgery have flown by. I am very excited about my new banded life and so happy I made this decision for my health. Good luck to you!

Hi there and congratulations on this new chapter in your life. You are doing beautifully! I got my Lapband in November and this site before during and after has been so helpful. Glad you are here! The clinical trial sounds very interesting. Plication is not something I'm very familiar with though there are people here with bands and Plication. What is your aftercare like? Best wishes!

This sounds like a solid plan to me -- surgery Tuesday then recovery through the weekend -- hopefully the conference is low key and if you're tiring easily you can go rest between sessions if need be. My concern for you is the after care. Will you be traveling back to AZ to get fills? Some surgeons prime the band so you have a partial fill from the get-go. I just had a regular empty band and now I've had four fills since November 5. I think my surgeon has a fairly aggressive protocol for reaching the green zone. This is being satisfied on a small amount of food for 4-5 hours -- a dimmed appetite which allows the individual to pass up the food cravings that got us fat in the first place. Emotional eating can still occur so it's important to sort that out so you can override those old habits. Good luck with all!

Hi there, congratulations on your band! These first weeks can be hard as the band is installed but until you have the proper fill to get to the green zone the band is not really doing its job -- yet. This is temporary, though, and a great time to be listening to your body. Eat when you're hungry; if you're not really hungry, don't eat! The band is designed to dim your appetite. Listen for that. And listen for feelings of having had enough and stop eating. Practice slow eating, putting the utensil down between bites, and very small bites. This is a lifestyle change and so exciting -- I already have more energy and I've only been banded since 11/5. I keep thinking of what's ahead. Best wishes -- you are doing great!

Yippee!

Hi there, I was banded November 5 and I've had four fills. No fill in band at time of surgery and I don't know how many cc's are in my band. It's kind of irrelevant since what matters is how the individual is doing with portion sizes and time between meals. Since the last fill I'm feeling restriction for the first time and not like I'm dieting. More like I'm not really hungry and I'm satisfied on a small amount of food. Yippee! I don't last the 4-5 hours, though. Am scheduled for next week so I'll see then whether I will get one more small one and then let that settle in. I think I am very, very close. Good luck to you! These are exciting times........down two jean sizes and feeling all the hope and possibility.

So sweet! My first thought was how lucky they are to have you.

Way to go on the exercise! That's the ticket. And staying out of that break room. People are so weird about sugary treats. It's complex but let's keep it simple -- I DON'T EAT CRAP!

Sometimes I do feel like the band is on my brain because before my surgery I felt like once a craving set in, or the grazing, I could not override the impulse. The band allows me to do that (usually). I keep asking myself, "am I really hungry?" If the answer is "no" (as it usually is), I try to 1) not start, 2) stop if I did start, and 3) walk away. I like the FOR NOW part of the definition of satiety, that I have had enough food for now. This tells me that it's okay, if I'm hungry again later I can have some food. Later. Keeps the deprivation meter from getting set off.

You look GREAT! So happy for you -- what a thing to reclaim your health like that. You are gorgeous. Have fun!

Chili is such a versatile food -- I love turkey chili with black Beans, lots of fresh garlic, etc. There is "white" chili with cannellini and chicken, some people put cheese in that, cilantro if you like it, regular chili with kidney beans and beef or turkey, or veggie chili. Etc., etc. Beans are great. The other day I opened a can of garbanzo beans, put some spices and a little olive oil on them and ate them with a tiny spoon. Had a small bowl then later I had the rest. Lentils, too -- yum. Those I do on the stovetop with chicken stock. First I saute onions then add in spices -- we like turmeric and other curry-type spices in lentils -- let the onions pick up the flavor of the spices and then add the lentils (rinsed), cover with chicken or any other kind of stock and let simmer. Maybe 20 minutes? At the end I add some raisins. The sweetness of those with the curry and onion flavor is quite delicious. Every one raves about this when I serve it at a party.

Hi there, western medicine is all about drugs and surgery so it doesn't surprise me they would recommend a revision. It sounds like you know what you need to do and you're doing it now -- recommitting to your health following a horrific time of grief. You have tremendous determination -- I can hear it in your writing. A few days into whatever method you choose -- 5-day pouch test has always sounded interesting to me and many people do periodic liquids to reboot. You can do this and you're not alone. We are here for you. You'll be feeling so much better when you're eating clean and getting some exercise. That should help with the depression. Choose yourself and your health first, above all, and the rest will follow. Best wishes for this coming year!

My husband loves to give blood -- he feels great afterwards. I do it because we have used so many pints as a family. Every one please consider being a blood donor if you can!

Hi Wendy, congratulations on your upcoming date! I was glad I stepped up exercise prior to my surgery -- it gave me something to do with that nervous energy and also helped create a routine for me. Once banded I started walking in the hospital because I felt like a walker -- my body wanted that. I am sure it helped with the healing. So walk now if you can -- keep adding a little more -- pretend you're making time speed up the more you walk and pretty soon your big day will be here!