SarahRN482

You took this question right out of my head! Since being banded in September of last year, I can not tolerate grains at all. Rice I can tolerate on occasion, and only in the former of a rice cake/chip, but as far as anything wheat based, no way. I tried to eat one pita cracker with my lunch and was writhing in pain in a matter of seconds as soon as I swallowed. I haven't talked to my doctor about this yet, but I definitely have the confidence to discuss this with the dietician at work (I'm a nurse), and I'm curious to hear her take on this! Just know that you aren't alone!

It does vary from day to day, but on average, about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup is about the max I can eat at a time.

I have this issue too. I've been in the green zone for almost 2 months and I still have to fight with my brain that it's OK to not eat all the food. Some days are better than others; sometimes I can only eat 2 or 3 bites of my meal and I'm done. I've finally accepted the fact that having lap band is always going to have a learning curve, and that as my body changes, my needs with the lap band will change too.

Wow, I am fashionably late to this party I see! I haven't been around much the past couple months, but hopefully my life is becoming less hectic now (fingers crossed!). I was banded 9/24/13 and have lost 69 pounds as of today. I still can't believe it. I went shopping in a mall yesterday for the first time in a VERY long time, and was actually able to buy clothes off a rack. I'm down 5 jeans sizes (from a snug plus size 32 to a 24)! It was so exciting to keep trying on clothes and they were TOO big. I honestly had no idea I had lost that many inches in my waist! I've had only 2 fills and I'm in my green zone. Don't throw eggs at me!! lol Both of my fills had to be performed under fluro as my doc had a horrible time trying to access my port in his office and it really freaking hurt with him in there digging around with a 5" needle! He said my port is slightly tilted, which I'm sure is what's making it harder for him to hit it in the office. My last fill was in early December and at this point I'm happy with my results and not in need of another fill. With the second fill, the restriction was MUCH more noticeable and I really had to retrain my brain and mouth with all the rules I learned preop from the dietician and my surgeon's office. I literally eat 2-3 bites of food and I'm good. I try to make those bites count, always go for my proteins first, and try not to drink with my meals. The drinking with meals has been the hardest habit for me to break, and I still struggle with it, I won't lie. I have been doing better lately though. I've been going to the gym sporadically, I really need to step up my physical activity, but I also took on a second job in November, so I feel like I am NEVER home or have any free time. But I know I need to just make time and quit making excuses. I hope all of you are doing well, and I look forward to reading all of your updates!!

I'm 6 weeks post op and I'm down two jeans sizes! Today I put on a pair of jeans that were so tight 3 months ago that I could barely breathe with them on, and they were so loose all over that I could get them off easily without unbuttoning them! Tonight I had hubby take measurements since I hadn't done any for almost 6 months. From June until now I've lost 2" in each calf, 2" in my hips, and almost 7" in my waist! It's unbelievable. Here's a picture comparing July and now. [ATTACH]37046[/ATTACH]

Girl I'm right there with you! Right down to the PCOS! I think I've eaten about a pound of candy in the last week!

I need help to get these cravings under control! A couple days ago I couldn't make myself eat, and now I feel like I could shove anything and everything in my mouth! I'm also craving soda, which makes no sense because I haven't drank soda in almost two months. I've had to consciously tell myself to quit browsing the cabinets and fridge every time I walk through the kitchen. Grrr!

That's a very good way to look at it!

I had my first fill two weeks ago, and up until a couple days ago, I could still pretty much eat whatever I wanted with little restriction. Then, out of nowhere, I noticed that I have a ton of restriction. I can barely eat 1/3 of what I was eating before and then I'm satisfied. I've even caught myself overeating a few times because I was not prepared to be "finished" eating that quickly. Is this normal? I know that our band/restriction can fluctuate at different times of the month depending on hormones and other factors, but I had no idea it would be this noticeable!

Holy cow, what an ordeal! I'm glad that you're home and able to rest in your own space. I how that the rest of your recovery goes a lot smoother than the immediate post op phase! Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

I have the body media core band. I guys a deal on it through blue Cross, otherwise I don't use have purchased it. It is a nice tool to have to keep track of the calories you burn. However, I find the band terribly uncomfortable and I honestly, I hardly wear it.

Good luck today! We're all here cheering you on!

Congrats! This is awesome!

Oh, I was so relieved today once it was over. After the unsuccessful attempt on Monday in the office, we finally had luck today with fluoro. My port was nowhere NEAR where I thought it was. But the IR doc had no issue finding it/accessing it, and then my surgeon did my fill. The whole process was really just kinda weird feeling. He put so much in the band and then had me drinking water. I definitely got to experience what being stuck feels like, because that water would NOT budge. He slowly started taking saline out, until I felt better and could feel the water passing through. I ended up with 2cc in my 10cc band today. I feel pretty good tonight! I have to go back in a month for my next fill!

I went in today to see my surgeon for my first fill. I'm 4 weeks post op, and have done pretty well since my surgery. He expressed to me concerns at my first post op visit (3 weeks ago) that he was afraid he would have issues hitting my port this first time because my stomach is/was quite large. I've lost a significant amount of weight in my belly and I can feel my port, but we had no luck today trying to access it. He definitely tried (and I think he felt defeated, he said he's only not been able to access a port a couple times in the past), but after four pokes with that GIANT 4-5" needle, I had to have him stop. I was in tears (again, he said he'd never made a patient cry before from accessing their port. I think he felt pretty bad). They scheduled me to go back Wednesday and have it done under fluoroscopy at the hospital. Hopefully I'll continue to lose like I have been and my stomach will shrink up between now and next month when I go back for my next fill! I'm having some muscle-ache type pain in my stomach in the area about 3 inches above where my port actually is. It doesn't really hurt, just feels achy, like when you pull a muscle, or do 100 stomach crunches. He did have me try to do a crunch while he was trying to access the port, so I wonder if it's from holding that crunch position for so long? I'll have to keep an eye on it and let him know if it gets worse.

I hope this is it for you!!

Cheryl, that's a lot of stuff to deal with in such a short amount of time! I know for me, when I get stressed or have a lot going on in my life, I tend to hang on to weight and not lose anything. I know that you're happier in your personal life now, but I think it can take our bodies (and psyches!) to figure out "Hey, it's ok, things are good now." Are you eating enough Protein? Drinking enough Water? I would scale it back down to the basic stuff we're all told in the beginning of this journey and start there. Totally overhaul your diet/activity routines and see if it makes a difference. Good luck!! I'm so glad that things are going so much better in your life now.

I also had a successful first fill today! I ended up with 2cc in my band. I can't believe how much quicker I get full now! Doing soft foods today and tomorrow, so we'll see!

This!! Yes, 100x this! And I know it's only going to get better, which makes me (and my hubby!) very happy!

This is so awesome, congratulations!!

This was one the biggest reasons that I wanted to have my band surgery done and be all healed up by the holidays. I want to know my limits and not potentially harm myself by eating things I shouldn't or by overeating during the holidays. I know it's definitely going to be a challenge for me, but I know I can stick with it!

I honestly never even thought to ask him to numb the area up prior. I had no idea going in that the needle they use is SO long. I mean 20 gauge is no biggie, but when I saw how long that sucker was I got a little nervous. lol I did ok the first 3 pokes, but on that fourth poke he was digging around. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I started crying, it really hurt! My poor hubby, I thought he was going to punch my surgeon in the face because I was in pain. I really do like my surgeon, I work with him at the hospital I work at and I know he's a very talented surgeon, and I do at least respect that he tried to access it in his office even though he knew he would likely have difficulty. He told me he's been worrying about accessing my port since he saw me 3 weeks ago in his office at my post op visit. lol So, in the grand scheme of things, this is just a little hiccup along the way. I'll go in Wednesday to IR and have this sucker accessed and filled and hopefully, like I said, the next time it won't be as hard! Now I just need my work day tomorrow to go by reallllllllly fast!