lauren_frances

Hello my name is Lauren I had my lap band surgery on August 2nd 2013 and I started out at 212 pounds, I am now 163 I have lost 49 pounds and I have no fluid in my band. Why you ask? Well it's a personal choice based on the motto if it's not broken don't fix it. I have been consistently losing weight every week since my surgery and have found no real need to get any fluid. I have been to my check ups regularly and my doctor says I'm doing amazing. Yes I still have restriction and no I cannot eat whatever I want. I do not eat any bread or pasta if I do its SMALL amounts and it's either toasted bread or angel hair spaghetti cut really really small. I eat small portion sizes and I eat slow. I used to base my entire day around food and would eat what ever I wanted when ever I wanted it. I now eat to survive. I eat what my body needs for fuel, I no longer eat for fun. I used to live for being able to go out to eat I loved everything about it. I still love it but for different reasons, now I get excited about getting dressed up and feeling amazing, I challenge myself to leave the restaurant feeling good and not stuffed and I ALWAYS get to go boxes. I HAVE to exercise, it makes everything better. Depression runs in my family and I have to keep motivated. Doing just 20 minutes of weight lifting or cardio changes my entire mood. I am a nursing student so I am highly stressed out so it helps with that as well. I am 18 pounds away from my first goal and I'm feeling great. Lap band has changed my life in ways I never could have imagined, from big things like not having to worry about someone asking if I'm pregnant to small things like wearing a white t-shirt it's just amazing. Maybe one day I will get to a point where I need/ want a fill but for right now I like everything just the way it is. If you have any questions or wanna talk about anything feel free to message me im a very open person!

Thank you all! I'm very happy with the way things are and am very thankful for the way things have turned out. It is possible to make the lapband work with out the fluid. I think everyone should do what works best for them.

Thank you all! I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I had glue, I had my surgery on Aug 2nd and my glue is still there, I'm not touching it though I want it to heal as much as possible before the glue comes off.

Hello pre-banders!! I'm Lauren I am 21 years old, I was banded on Aug 2nd I weighed 210 pounds, this also was my first surgery EVER and I was really nervous too so I asked for some anxiety meds and after that I was fine! Haha but the surgery goes so fast it will be over before you know it! The only pain I had was on my left lower rib where my tube that goes from the band to the port is laying, my port is up around my armpit and I didn't have to much pain with it. The hardest thing for me has been craving food, I was used to eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted so I had a hard time mentally with the liquid stages, it's gotten better now that I'm on the mushies but I promise you will get through it and it will be worth it!! I did go through the completely NORMAL regretful stage where I would ask myself "is this really worth it?" But everything starts to fall into place and you start to loose weight and your like "hell yeah it was!" I have lost 24 pounds! So if any of you have any questions I would love to answer them!

I'm looking for a buddy/mentor, I was banded on Aug 2nd and I just want someone to be able to talk to and share experiences.

On my pre-op appointment I'm self pay so mine went really fast, I had my pre-op appointment on July 22 and I was banded on Aug 2nd.

Dr. Bagnato did my surgery! And no I didn't meet with a nutritionalist I've just been calling up to the office when I have questions, are you getting one?

Umm like I said I'm not sure if it was actually stuck but all of a sudden I had this panic feeling come over me and kinda like this burning sensation come up me and I just felt like I had to stand up and walk and when I did that I started to feel better, so then I burped like 3 times which helped lol but I still felt weird like something was in my throat so from there on out I just walked and drank water and eventually it went away, all I was eating was some potato and broth soup so I don't think it was necessarily stuck I just think I was eating to fast.

Well I was used to eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted so the cravings for me have been pretty bad especially in the first liquid stages now that I'm on mushies it's getting better, but I'm still pretty hungry but the I take a couple bites and I'm done, I get satisfied really fast, I'm 12 days post-op and I've lost 16 pounds so its definitely worth it, I don't regret it at all but it does take some time to get used to, I did go through the completely NORMAL regretful phase where I asked myself "was this really worth it" but you get through that and it gets better and everything starts falling into place, I did have my first semi-stuck episode today which was scary but I got though it!

That's true! Didn't think about that but I stayed far away from the sausage, but the spices and stuff could have irritated it.

So I am on mishies and i just went to lunch at Olive Garden and had the Zuppa soup which is a broth soup with potatoes in it, I took out the potatoes and put them on a small plate cut them into tiny bites and then would sip on the broth, well all of a sudden I got this weird panic feeling and I rushed to the bathroom walked around and started to feel better then I took a sip of tea an got the same feeling so we left and now I'm home and I still feel kinda weird like something won't go down but it's not necessarily stuck, then I let out a couple burps which kinda helped lol but now my stomach is growling?? I don't know just thought I'd see if any of you had experienced anything like that. Maybe I just ate to fast ???³

I think I know what I did, I used a straw!! I completely forgot about it and my doctor has told me not to use then because I swallow extra air. Do you think that could have attributed to it?

What did everyone eat during this stage? I need new ideas I'm starting to get sick of the same things

I did some soupy grits this morning and they were sooooo good

Yes I was banded on the 2nd and I'm now on the full liquid diet stage.

I was banded on Friday the 2nd, surgery went great didn't have any problems, but I was in pretty bad pain after surgery. The pain has gotten somewhat better now, I think the gas is starting to move around more, I've been walking and trying to get as much fluid in as possible but it's hard when you have a ton of gas pain. I'm also having this weird pain that starts at the top of my stomach and rolls up my esophagus then goes away, I keep thinking its gas but nothing ever comes out. Has anyone else experienced this?

I didn't have a hernia repair and I'm experiencing the same thing, I just think its out esophagus trying to get used to that band, my dad says its an esophageal spasm.

Every day will get a little easier, I was also having a hard time getting in all my fluids and I still am not getting all of them but it does get better just hang in there.

I'm having the same weird pain, I'm 5 days post-op, it's like this rolling sensation that starts at the upper part of my stomach and goes all the way up to my throat, I'm hoping it goes away as I begin to get more normal foods in me.

I was terrified of moving from clear liquids to full liquids as well but I called and got the ok from the doctor and this morning I had some sugar free pudding and it was AMAZING! I'm looking forward to some creamy soup for lunch!

Yes he allows shakes but I'm having trouble with them I tried to drink a little last night and got really nauseas from it.

That's great to hear!! I hope I'm doing as good as you on my 5th day! I'm just so weak and hungry at this point.

I feel a little better today, under my arm still hurts because of the port and my left rib has a bad burning pain at the bottom of it. Something else that happened this morning is I was leaning overt counter brushing my teeth when I felt this sharp pain so I looked and there was another incision I had no clue I had, so I think my stomach is starting to wake up its not so numb anymore