bjlang68

My friend just had intake with Dr. Tran today. We really ARE gonna need to plan a big gathering here in SO MD! So far, I have found 6 of us! Woo hoo! Please keep me posted on your status, and let me know if you have any questions about Halmi/Tran. They have been good to me so far! BJ

I know of the 10cc band and the vg band. Are they both made by Inamed? Are those the only two bands made? Thanks!

Hey, everybody! I am 5 weeks post-op, and have had absolutely no problems since surgery, aside from doing so well, that I felt like I never had surgery! With that good comes the bad, though. I have had no restriction it seems, whatsoever. I won't bore you with that part any longer:notagree , but only mentioned it, as it might pertain to my first ever issue: Yesterday morning, I was enjoying mostly just the inside of a ham/egg/cheese Lean Pocket for breakfast. I did eat a little of the crust, but not much. About 20 minutes or so after eating. I began to feel queasy, broke out into a sweat and felt a little pressure. Then, it went away. Then, it came back. This went on all day. I never did vomit because it just never reeached that point. Then, later on yesterday, I began to feel very gassy. Tons of belly gas, intestinal gas, pretty noisy, too! Never any pain, though. I was able to get fluids down just fine, to stay hydrated, but I didn't dare eat anything else all day, for fear of doing any further damage. Last evening, I felt better, and a bit hungry. I ate 3 or 4 saltines, and had no problem. I continued to feel queasy, gassy, and some pressure (just a little) in my belly - but alway got relief as I heard the air move, and belched. I went to bed last night. I felt perfectly normal when I laid down. I slept fine all night. No problems. i woke up this morning feeling better. My cup and a half of half-caff went down just fine. I then ate most of a scrambled egg, and was fine until about 10 minutes after I ate it. Then, the same thing as yesterday. As I type this, I can feel gas pressure building, the noises in my belly and intestine, the pressure, etc. No pain, though. I am keeping on the fluids. I had two cups of decaf herbal tea - no problems. I am concerned if I have a blockage or slippage. Maybe I'm just paranoid, though!:violin: Then again, maybe this is just restriction after 5 weeks??? Can that happen? Any advice, or similar experiences out there would be helpful. Thanks!

I'm pretty much fully recovered now. I have felt a little better each day. I guess maybe it is scrambled eggs, as you suggested, Mykdsdad. I'll wait a week or so, and try them again, to be sure. Jack, You really think what I mentioned was too much food 5 weeks post op? Have you ever dug out the inside of a lean pocket? LOL Keeping in mind that I have felt no restriction, and saltines were given the thumbs up weeks ago, I don't feel like it's very much at all. Especially considering that I would have eaten half a sleeve pre-surgery! LOL I eat my meals REALLY slow, and I chew everything to mush. Thanks to both of you for your help!

Hey, Crystal......You COULD have opted for the cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake, so don't beat yourself up over the smoothie. It was probably one of the best choices you had at the time. We all fail to plan ahead sometimes - as long as we don't make a habit of it, right? It actually sounds like it was pretty healthy, all in all. BJ

I have seen paople on here who have gotten fills at 1 week, and some that have to wait 12 weeks. OMG. :omg:I'd have to rent a baby elephant to sit on my belly, so I wouldn't be gorging, if I had to wait 12 weeks. Thanks!

It only took a maximum of 3 days to get the Unjury every time I ordered it. You have to order it online. Also, it only has 80 calories per serving - 1 lonely carb and NO fat. It's 20 easy grams of protein in every serving! (No. I don't work for Unjury!)

Go to Unjury.com Trust me on this. You can order their samples for $1.75 each, to make sure you like before you spend any real money. Don't do what I did and buy $180 worth of those 42 gram "bullett" protein shots only to discover they make you gag every time you look at them!

I'm really curious, after just reading jmcambra's post. How many weeks is everyone being told they have to wait until their first fill? I was told 8 weeks - but heard that whining and losing no weight will possibly get me a fill at 6 weeks. Thanks for the info! BJ

Hya, Baby! Welcome back! I'm so happy that you got your fill and seem to feel some restriction. Hopefully, now, the real weight loss will begin for you. I have an appointment scheduled for this Friday, the 4th. It'll be the 6 week mark. I am gonna beg for a fill. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. If not, worst case scenario should be 8 weeks. I'm not sure if my doc does fills under flouro, or not. I hope so! I have been using the treadmill, and still no more weight coming off. (Bad word here!) I am doing okay with the slow eating, and with eating appropriate foods. It's the quantity and the frequency that I'm having issues with! Again, congrats!!! BJ :clap2:

You know, people never want to admit their own shortcomings, can look a fat person in the eye, and tell them they just need to try harder, to not be lazy, etc.......Then, they walk away to go smoke a cigarette, have their 5th, 6th or 7th drink for the day, smoke a joint, go home to their abusive and/or cheating significant other........everybody has stuff they are insecure about, or can't contol, or WON'T control. It's being human. I kept quiet for the most part, about my surgery, until I had it done 5 weeks ago. Now, I shout it from the roof tops. I have not had many people make negative comments. But, I simply state that it would be a nicer world if people would address their own issues instead of focusing on mine. Then, I thanked her for feeling I was important enough spend time thinking about. If that doesn't work, picture them in their underwear! I was back to work in 4 days. I had more energy than I knew what to do with, once the anesthesia hangover wore off. I had no hernia issues, etc., so I recovered quickly. The pain is VERY minimal. I swear. (At least it was for me) Ask your wife read some of there posts. There are so many inspirational people on here! Maybe she just needs to be reassured that the complications are minimal, and that most people never regret the decision to have the lapband. Good luck!

Not that I'm really sure what "normal" means! Yeah. I am feeling good again. The only remaining symptom seems to be TONS of gas and pressure. It's so loud at times that it's close to embarrassing. What's up with that? I have eaten even less since I started feeling a little poorly last week. Still, though, not another pound lost. Patience is a virtue, I guess. When does the weight start coming off? I (along with many other people on here) am eating sooooo much less than I did pre-band, even though I haven't been filled, yet. (Too paranoid that I might do damage to the band. It's not willpower. I f I had will power, I wouldn't be here, would I? :tired) Why aren't we losing weight? Hmmmm??? Riddle me THAT, Batman!

:clap2: Looks like the group is getting bigger! It's amazing how popular LapBand is with us Waldorf chicks!

Hi, everybody, especially BabyLovesToys! Pardon my absence. Work has been busy, and so has Spring cleaning, etc. I'm so glad to see all the new success stories on here! Sound like pretty much everyone is doing well. Baby, please DO let me know how you fill goes tomorrow! I have my appt on May 4th. I'm going to be 6 weeks post-op that day, and I'm gonna beg for a fill. I have felt like crap since I ate breakfast yesterday morning. A little nausea, coming and going in waves - tons of pressure, gas.........almost feels like restriction with painful gas! I am able to get fluids down fine. I ate a few saltines last night, and that was fine. I slept fine, but do have a low grade fever - 99.1. I got up this morning, had no problem drinking a cup of coffee. I later ate a scrambled egg very slowly. Then, five minutes later, I felt crappy again. Now, I'm feeling bloated, LOTS of belly noise, and a little bit of the queasy waves. I just drank a cup of herbal tea without a problem. I feel like I'd feel so much better if I could just get the gas to go away! yeah. I tried GasX. No help. Here's the kicker, though. I spoke with two other people who ate at a realtor open house with me on Tuesday. (I'm a Realtor) They are both having the same symptoms. The food theme was seafood. Hmmmm.... A small case of food poisoning, perhaps, or a LapBand issue? So, that's my quandry. If I call the Dr.'s office to be seen, they might not give me my fill next week. If I don't, I could be doing further damage if there is something wrong. There's a part of me that wishes I felt really horrible, so I wouldn't have a choice!!! Anyway, I guess I have decided that I will give it until tomorrow morning. If I am not all better by then, I'll call me doctor. Thanks for letting me rant! Up until yesterday, I have not been ill or thrown up a single time. I still haven't vomited. maybe I am just not used to the ups and downs, and this is just my first experience......hmmmmmm.....I'm just trying to not let my imagination run away with me. I am afraid of slippage and/or infection. I'm not the type to expect the worst, but this freaks me out a little. Has anyone else had anything similar? Thanks!

AMRDMR & BabyLovesToys - All of these posts from you guys have been wonderful! Like I said - I think I could have written them myself! I don't have the food allergies, and I have about 100 pounds to lose. I am gonna go stand in front of my surgeon's office with a picket sign, and sing off key at the top of my lungs at 6 weeks. He will either have to fill me, or have me taken away in a white strappy jacket. I had my surgery done in the US - in Virginia. Maybe I need to go to Mexico to have a fill??? I'm sure THEY'D be cooperative with a 6 week fill! Somebody needs to tell me what DH stands for. I'm lost on the lingo. I'm having a hard time being diligent about my vitamins and protein. I feel like I'm able to eat enough to get the nutrients the old fashioned way. But, I'm trying. I know our efforts aren't futile, but it sure feels that way sometimes. I JUST got an email from someone who was banded by the same doc as me. She just went in at 6 weeks, and whined about being hungry. They did give her a 2cc fill! So, there's hope for me, yet!! Yee haw! Again, please define DH for me! Thanks! BJ

Funny, but I remember my OTHER honeymoon being a lot more pleasant than this one. I know that it's only weeks (If we're unlucky and need extra fills, then maybe a couple of months) before we can feel satiated as opposed to starving all the time. But, I, personally, got myself so psyched up for this surgery, and sooo excited about having a fighting chance to win at least somewhat at the battle of my bulge, that it's a bitter pill to swallow - this Bandster Hell! It's admittedly good to hear that others are suffering, too. Sorry to admit it, but misery really does love company. Only because it means what I'm experiencing is normal - not cuz I'm an ass! I'm gonna continue to bug my surgeon for a 6 week fill instead of 8. I wouldn't, if I thought it was unsafe. But, SO MANY people seem to get their fills between 4 & 6 weeks, that I believe it to be safe. My doc seems to be on the conservative side. Has anyone had a fill at 6 weeks, and then had problems cuz they weren't healed?

I could have almost written this myself, except my surgery was on 3/23. I lost 11 pounds right away......and since then, not an ounce. I need to treadmill more, I know. But, considering how little I am (we are) eating, ESPECIALLY in comparison to what I was eating pre-surgery, I should be a size 6 by now! ha ha! Good luck to you. I guess most of us waited our whole lives to be thinner. What's a few more weeks or months, eh?

My surgeon put the steri strips on under the cloth material band-aids. Today is my 21st day post-op, and the last of my steri strips fell off yesterday. (Yes. I shower at least once daily!) My surgeon stressed that I should let them fall off themselves, so I never touched them. I let the band-aids work their way off, too. Maybe that's how I kept the steri strips on so long. The band-aids were on for awhile!

AMRDMR, You are a darling! Thanks for the kudos and support! Nice to know none of us are alone! Has anyone been successful with begging their doc for an early fill? If some will fill after a couple of weeks, should'nt we be able to convince our "8 week fill" docs to come up off a few weeks? Geez.

There are so many different experiences. It's amazing that we all had the same thing done! I despise this "Bandster Hell", but I'm happy for those who haven't gone through it. I wish I had been one of the lucky ones. Maybe if the rest of us force our docs for an early fill at gunpoint......haha! We can be the "LapBand Bandits"! (Should we ride horses?)

Hi, All! I just found this site today. Thank goodness for search engines! I was banded on 3/23/07. Everything went fine......except that I'm now really hungry :hungry:all the time, and don't feel any restriction. My doc won't do a first fill until 8 weeks post-op. If I had enough self control to behave for 2 months, I wouldn't have needed the band! Ha ha! Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading about others' experiences, and hopefully making some buddies here. Thanks, BJ

P.S. Aspirating on this stuff can actually lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, other chronic lung infections. I forgot to mention that in my post.

I'd say it's definitely reflux. I was banded on 3/23. I have not had any episodes like you described since being banded. But, before the surgery, although I was taking Nexium daily, I would have an episode like you describe at least once a week. You wake up out a semi-sound sleep and sit straight up because you feel like you're choking. It lasts for awhile, even after you get up. In reality, it's acid from your stomach that's worked it's way into your throat. You breathe in and aspirate on the stuff. I had it so bad a few times, I could not breathe in, and was afraid I was going to die on the spot. It's terrifying. I think I haven't had another episode since being banded because I'm not eating nearly as much. I'm also still taking an acid reducer daily. Some people have the problem after they get banded, but didn't before. DEFINITELY tell your doc about it and ask for an acid reducer Rx. I have the "Mattress Genie" on my bed. It's an inflatable wedge that goes under your mattress. It's fully adjustable. I still use it when we are in bed reading or watching tv, even though I don't use it for the reflux anymore. If it happens again before you get meds, try a couple of Tums or Rolaids. Take a couple before you go to bed tonight. I don't know what you're eating, but I agree with WasaBubbleButt above. Don't eat a few hours before bedtime. Avoid tomato based sauces, acidy juice, spicy foods, high fat stuff - especially late in the day. What you're going through is so scary........please let me know how you do!

Thanks for your comments and support, everybody! I really appreciate it!

I was banded on March 23rd! I lost 11 pounds the first week, on the liquid diet. For the last week, now that I'm on the pureed diet, I have not lost another single pound! My surgeon does not like to adjust any sooner than 8 weeks post-op! Damn. How is everyone else doing with no fill? Anyone else in Bandster Hell with me?