Wenjea

I'm back to obeying the rules to see if the weight will start dropping again. Wish me luck! I have been on this plateau long enough! Something has gotta work. I walked about two miles today and just drank water and protein shakes for the last two days. I so badly want a fill . . . . .don't know if I can wait till the 25th.

Is this for anyone living in the Northwest or is it for those from NWWLS? Just making sure if it is for anyone in the area with a band regardless of where you got it.

Yes! I feel like my friends and family have turned into the food Police! This last week and a half I haven't lost anything and am just sitting at the same weight. I know it's pretty normal before your first fill but I'm frustrated and all those bad habits of eating the wrong choices are starting to haunt me big time. I don't get my first fill until the 25th and it can't come soon enough. I told a few people who felt they needed to tell the world so now even strangers come up and ask me about it. It's uncomfortable now that Im not losing right now. Anyone else? My port pain is much better but by the end of the day I feel it. The swelling is starting to go down a little but I can't feel where the port is. There is still a pocket of liquid around it. Things are getting better though. I still have those days where I am exhausted by 7pm and want to go to bed. My kids are out of school on Friday so I can sleep in after that. Yea!!!

Morning! Just checking in with you all. Still stuck on my plateau and it's really hard not to just eat everything in sight. I know why they call this banster hell . . . . .eveything goes down soooo easy . . . . .no restriction . . . . . . and if I had discipline in my eating then I wouldn't need this in the first place! I totally get why people gain weight during this and I guess I'm feeling good about holding it even considering. Anyone else here, three weeks out and waiting for a the first fill?

Mer - I don't get a fill until the 25th. I could of got one on the 18th but since I was leaving town they didn't want to do it till I got back soooo I am waiting an extra week. I started doing some pureed foods this week. I went to the support group with Sue and the nutritionists said we should be having at least 800 calories. I think part of my problem was just not getting enough and my body going into starvation mode. We'll see. Sue and I are going to try and walk around 1pm if you want to come. Pinenut - missed you tonight at the support group. You are going to have to come so we can meet!

Hey bandmates - seems like we are all in the same place. Waiting for our first fill and getting hungry. I don't like this place because I am testing my limits. I feel great, with the exception of a swollen port area, and am doing everything I was before surgery. My doc is very conservative on the exercise and only allows walking for the first two months. My weight is still stalled which is crazy but the loss of inches made me feel better. I am looking forward to the scale moving this week, walking everyday, and thanking those who are noticing the weight loss. My goal is to get through each day with a great attitude and eat only what is allowed. i am eating pureed now and don't get mushies for another week and a half. i am grateful for the pureed food and it feels limitless in what I can put in my bullet. It won't be long before we are all sharing our first fill stories!

hi Mer - I have been with Missy at her dance recital all weekend. Tomorrow I am planning on cleaning out the boat in the sun. Hope there is some. My cell phone died and they were able to transfer my number to my old phone but not my contact numbers. We will call you next time we walk. Sue said she has your number but I don't until my phone is fixed.

Hello . . . . I'm the plateau queen! One full week and not a pound different. It was at about 1 1/2 weeks post op. I did measure this morning and lo and behold the inches were still coming off. I have lost a total of 16 3/8 inches totally over my body. Eight of them in the last two weeks. So I guess it was taking a break and rearranging the fat. Hopefully the scale will move this week down again. I did start on pureed the last two days because I didn't think I was getting enough calories. My appetite is definately increasing and I don't seem to have much constriction anymore from swelling. I think I need a fill soon.

Hey April Banders - I need some advice and I thought since you guys are farther down the road, you would know the answers. I am two weeks post op and my port site is still very swollen. It looks like a small football cut in half and laid under my skin. Do you all think it will go down with time or is there something in there that should be drained. How long should I wait for the swelling to go down? I have seemed to hit a plateau big time! Not one ounce in a week and all I'm having is Three protein shakes plus 64oz of water. I might get a glass of SF drink and a popsicle in there. What could be causing the stall out? I know some of you might have had these issues so I would really love to hear from you. Thanks

I started wearing my bra at about day 6 and am fine but it is by 'body by victoria' and really stays put against my body, doesn't ride up or down. I tried a sport bra but that was worse. My issue is wearing my pants up on my waist. The more weight I lose the higher up they come and I just can't stand anything above my belly button. Still no movement on the scale . . . . . . .frustrating!!!

Sue - Give me a call when you are done at the Doc's.

Mer and Sue - Up for walking tomorrow? Maybe on Sues lunch break? Mer you should bring Rachel. Anyone else for a walk along Grandview in UP?

Plateaus stink!!! My weight is stuck and I feel like it will never move again. Things are going down so easy that I keep nibbling on things I shouldn't. Tonight while I was waiting for my daughter to get back from her fast pitch game on the bus, I ate a ritz cracker. The first one went down just fine, so did the 2nd one, but the third one stuck pretty good for a couple of hours! I hate that I'm even trying it. I just can't imagine two more weeks of shakes and clear liquids before my first fill. If I had this much willpower then I wuoldn't of needed a band! Now for the thing I did right today . . . . I walked for two miles. I'm desperately trying to get the scale to move again. Maybe if all of you could pray for me that would help. Thanks for being here.

I thought Dr. Oh said at the seminar that he would remove it at the same time he did the lap band but the hospital wouldn't pick any of it up. However, I do know some people have gotten some of their hospital bill picked up even if they were self-pay so probably depends on your insurance. There are other people on some of the threads who had to have gall bladder surgery two weeks before their band surgery. Guess it comes down to the Doctor.

hi there - just checking in with everyone. feeling good and wanting to eat everything in sight! Liquid is just not cutting it. Hit a plateau the last 5 days and getting discouraged. I think I need a fill sooner then later. Mer and Sue - we need to walk tomorrow! I miss it and am not making it a priority. I need my walking partners!

Hey everyone! Looks like us a-May-zing bandsters are on the mend and looking forward to our first fills! I can't wait because I have really hit a huge plateau. The scale hasn't moved in 5 days! I think the swelling is down in my pouch because I don't feel any restriction when I drink anymore. I can take big gulps and it doesn't hurt. I'm feeling like this is really a dangerous time for me because i can eat without any pain and I'm not supposed to. I'm wondering if I can get a fill early. Everything bad for me looks so good. i'm being very good about getting in my protein and water but I'm still wanting more. help!! My port area is still swollen but not so sore. I feel it when I bend and reach or if I sit and lean forward. My steri strips are off of three of them and I am religous about putting Vit E on them to promote healing. They look great. I still have two more weeks of Protein and clear liquids to go which really stinks, especially since you guys are talking about mushies and making my mouth drool.

Ljuht115 - He saw it last Friday and didn't seem too concerned. He told me it could take 3-4 weeks for the swelling to go down but my right side looks fine. If it was going down at all I would feel fine about it but It looks the same and it seems there is fluid down lower. It is very fluid looking, not normal. I will give it another week and then call them for an appt. if it looks the same. I feel really good today. I have been busy, in and out of the house, so I haven't thought a lot about eating. That's a good thing! I need to work harder at getting my walking in.

melissa - I totally hit a plateau and haven't moved at all in the last four days. What is up with that? I didn't get all my water in yesterday and I haven't been walking like I was so I am going to work harder on that and see if things get moving again.

It took me a while to read the five pages of posts since the last time I was on but I'm all caught up now so here is some thoughts of mine. ball in the throat - For those of you who are experiencing this it lasts for about five days and then starts to get less and less noticable over the next couple of days. At one week my throat finally felt normal again. I really think it is from the breathing tube during surgery. Flavor change - I had several people tell me before hand that you would tolerate sweets less. I wonder if it has something to do with the type of food we are having, whey protein and SF liquids. Does your taste buds go back to normal after you start back on normal food again? BM's - It seems there are two extremes, hard or liquid. Mine have a very yellow tinge to them. I don't know if that is from the vitamins or is it stomach bile? Protein - my doc says your body can absorb up to 30 gr. per drink and we are required to have three per/day. He only wants us to eat an ounce of food at a time when we can have mushies, after the protein drink. We can only have 4-5 meals a day. Does that mean I'm on protein the rest of my life? I don't think I could take it. Kacee- sounds like you had what they call a 'productive burp' or PB. I still have port swelling, like a small half of football size. How long does that last?

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It won't be soon and everyone of the a-MAY-zing banders will have their bands! A couple questions to those earlier banders . . . . . Is your port area still swollen? Mine looks like a bubble around it, also looks like fluid is collecting in my lower abdomen. has anyone ever had to have that drained? Also . . . . my weight loss has totally stalled out at 10 days post op. Whats up with that? I don't mind if it slows down but this is tooooo slow. Also . . . . does anyone have really yellow BM's. Not sure if its color from the vitamins or from my stomach bile. I am only supposed to be having protein shakes, water, clear liquids, and vitamens right now. I dropped weight very fast before surgery on this same diet. Can't figure out why it's all stopped for now.

LJUHT115 - When I got light headed from starving, my doc said it was probably from low sugar levels so he suggested I have some regular apple juice undiluted. It helped bet the thing that helped the most was when I started back on my protein drinks. It's not about hunger now, just wanting it. I was a kind of 'if it there I eat it' person. That is how I got to this size. i think it will take awhile to retrain the brain. I got so desperate that tonight while my family was eating pizza, I grabbed a garlic bread and did the chew and spit thing. My kids said there was an eating disorder like that. It did taste really good! I figured I was pretty safe as long as I spit it back out. However, I am sure that I absorbed some unneccessary calories.

Sue - ready to walk yet? Just tell me when and I will take you. I'm fighting the mental hungrys, especially on this long weekend of getting together and eating. I gotta stay strong! Had some ff sf pudding and felt like I had cheated enough. Back to the straight and narrow. Hey! i wore a straight skirt that has been hanging in my closet for a couple of years now because it was to small. My weight loss has slowed down a bit but it still moving in a downward direction so that is good.

just stopped by to check everyones progress. Seems like everyone is doing great! I'm starting to fight the head hunger now, everything everyone else is eating looks so good. My stomach isn't hungry it's all in my head, the memory of how good food tastes. it's a battle on these long weekends. Anybody dealing with some pretty smelly farts? Whew!

my steri strips have just fallen off one incision but some of the tape has lifted off of the corners and my skin is very red and rashy from the adhesive on the steri strip. I started putting vitamin E on the parts I could reach and they look better.

metalband - it was day five before I was glad I did this because of the pain. I am 10 days post op and it still hurts on my port side to sit straight up for very long. My port side is still swollen some and the doc said about three weeks for it to go all the way down. I want all the pain gone now!!! jsrico - your doc and mine must be best friends cuz our diets are identical. Today will be the first day that I will be able to get 3 protein shakes, 30 gr. each down. Plus I am on my third 16oz of water out of the 4 that he requires. Does everything seem a lot sweeter to you? I'm hoping I will have the time and the room to eat jello and broth after the protein and H2O. I am very envious of those who are on mushies one week after surgery. My doc said it will increase the risk of slipping if I do it. So I get to start mushies on 6/18 and real food on 7/2. That feels like forever right now.