Danielle2649

Hi Guys! I don't know if I experienced the same pain, but a couple of weeks out from my surgery, even past the 1 month mark, I had a pain on my left side from time to time. It felt like a muscle pain or cramp. I asked my doctor and he said that it was from the surgery. He said that they have to put the scope in on that side and up under your ribs and that takes a long time to heal up internally. I would use a heating pad sometimes and try not to bend too much on that side. It doesn't bother me anymore, 4 months out. Always ask your doctor if its exterme pain, but I would bet its probably from the scope they use during the surgery. Hope this helps!

Yeah, like Tonks said, I don't really know how many bites or oz. I eat at a time. When I was really restricted this last time I could only eat about 1/2 of a chicken breast and then it would start "coming back up!" Then I could only eat about 1/2 of a microwave meal and it would do the same thing. Now that I had a little taken out I can eat a whole microwave meal, like a lean cuisine and be full. So, I am eating a little more per meal, but I feel much better! The best advice is to eat slowly and chew really well. Sometimes I chew so much my jaw hurts! I always wait a minute or so after my first bite so the food can move down slowly and doesn't get stuck or anything... You'll really just lean by experience, its so different for everyone! I am still learning what works and what doesn't.

Hi Mrs! When I first started eating "normal" foods after my post-op stages, I had a really hard time making my husband understand what I could and couldn't have anymore. We still have a hard time planning our dinners out because 1. I can't eat as much as I used too, so don't make the WHOLE box of pasta or whatever, and 2. I can't eat a lot of breads, its amazing how much we ate bread before! My husband slips up too, but I don't think its sabotage... Its probably not what your husbands trying to do either. Its just hard to change our habits. Keep pounding it in his brain! Refuse to eat what he eats if its not good for you! I hope he will understand and be more aware of how his actions are affecting you!

:nervoussorry, I noticed that you have already had some fills... here I am preaching about healing... But, you probably know it takes some time for you to find the right fill. I have had 3 fills and 2 slight un-fills, the last one I had about a week ago. I was having trouble eating ENOUGH and trouble sliming and etc. Anywho, just wanted to let you know I re-read your post and felt silly that I jumped to conclusions that you were just post-op!

Hi Kim! We've all been there before! Don't be too hard on yourself, you didn't get fat overnight, so your not going to loose it overnight either! The one thing I realised was that it took me 27 years to develop the bad eating habits I had, so I am not going to beat them overnight either! Most importantly is that you heal properly so your ready for your fills. Thats where the restriction will happen, and when its right, its like night and day! Make sure your getting your Vitamins and enough nutrients so your body stays strong, and Water is very important too! I had a hard time getting all my water in too, it just started happening over time... I don't mean to go too easy on you, some people around here need tough love, but I just know how you feel and it gets better every single day!

Hows this for another fast reply! I am on my lunch break and decided to do some "chatting." I don't really reply a lot on these boards, but I am having a really good day and I thought I could show some support to my fellow bandsters! I have lost a total of 55lbs since May. I weighed 248lbs (still can't believe that!) and I am now in what we call around here "onederland!" I am under that horrible 200lbs! I am now 193, last I checked. I have had a pretty good recovery since my surgery in June. I went back to work after a week, which was very easy. I lost 15lbs on my pre-op diet and have lost 1-2lbs on average since my surgery. I had my 1st fill, then had a littlen take out cause I was too tight. Then had another small fill a couple weeks after that, then another small one and I think I was up to 6cc in a 10cc band. But the last six weeks since that fill I had trouble eating very much and had trouble with PBing and Sliming (PB= productive burp, where you "burp" or spit up something that you didn't chew up good enough. Sliming= is when your mouth produces lots of spit to try and get food down) (I can tell you more about that later if you need more info! Its REALLY not as scarey as it sounds!) ANYWAY... I had 1/2cc taken out and it has been HEAVEN this past week! I still feel restriction, but I can actually eat a meal, not just two bites and spit it back up... So, here I am 55lbs later! I would still like to loose another 45-50lbs or so, but right now I am really enjoying being at this mid point! I have to keep focused so I don't start slowly gaining. With the holidays coming I know that junk food will be abound and that goes right through the band and just adds to your calories! Oh, and exercising is really important, I am sure you have heard. But, to me totally honest, I don't really do a whole lot... I try and walk around my work parking lot at lunch when I can and get on the treadmill at home when I have time. I am sure that my weight would be coming off even faster if I kicked it up a notch, but I have done this good so far! But, like I said, since I had that un-fill I know I am going to need to pay better attention to what I eat and get more exercise! I am sorry I wrote a small novel here... Like I said I am having a great band day and wanted to let everyone know! Hope my info helps! Let's keep in touch!

Hi Lillysmom! Best of luck with your insurance approval! I am just over 4 months out from my surgery and I am really happy with my choice! I have lost 55 lbs since I was in your shoes and I couldn't believe back then it was possible! My best advice while waiting for that approval is to do lots of research. Do you have a doctor already? Is he/she going to be the same one that gives you fills? I would make lots of lists (Im a list person!) of questions you have for your doctor and lists of things to get for your recovery period. Also, take some pictures of yourself before you have to do any pre-op diets. (That is one thing I wish I had was a true starting point picture, I lost 15lbs on my pre-op diet so I don't have that comparison from when I was at my heighest weight.) Best of luck and keep in touch!

Congratulations Sunshine! I have been banded for just over 4 months and it is really the best thing I have ever done! I know everyone says that, but it truely is! Best of luck and keep the boards updated on your progress!

Hi Cherry! Welcome to Lapband Land! Congrats on the surgery! I had mine just a little over 4 months ago and I thought I would write you to calm your nerves a bit, we've all been right where you are now! I, personally, have never head of anyone not waking up from anethesia, but I am almost positive it is a very rare occurance! I was scared too, but just don't think about it too much and before you know it your on the table and they put that mask on you and then *boom* your awake in recovery! I didn't even have to count backwards while the administered it or anything! So, don't worry a bit about that, just get yourself prepared for recovery and that will take your mind off it! As for feeling the band, I wondered the same thing!!! I though for SURE I would feel it around my stomach, but I can't one bit! Well, I take that back, when I drink something cold first thing in the morning I can feel it tighten up down in my chest, not a bad feeling at all, kinda cool! And the best time you can feel the band is when its doing its job and you have good restriction and it tells you your full! As far as the sexual intercourse goes, the band hasn't affected mine what so ever! (Of course, this is after you are properly healed!) In fact, I think the band is the best thing for my sex life! I feel so much better about myself with my clothes off and my husband is pretty happy too! So, good luck! Best wishes for a speedy recovery! I hope I put your mind at ease! -Danielle

:girl_hug:Aww, no one has replied to you yet? I am a reader, but I don't reply much. But after I saw you posted this earlier and no one had written you back, I felt like I should speak up! I hope your port is feeling better! I know that when I first got filled I had pain issues too, but nothing that I had to take meds for, it was just a muscle ache feeling. I wouldn't worry, its probably just your sore there. I think you would only really need to worry if it was like a sharp, burning,makes you double over in agony pain, or if there is external bleeding or anything. But, the best thing to do is call your doctor or nurse and ask. Its so much better to be safe than sorry! Best wishes!

Thats a great site! I enjoy seeing stuff like that, it makes you think! Another great site you can check daily (and look at past postings) is FOUND Magazine | Find of the Day. They post a new thing every day that was found somewhere, like pictures, notes, etc. Its neat to see what treasures people find and it makes you take a closer look at stuff you might come across. They also have books available too, my friend has one and its so interesting to look at.

Glad Im not alone Mrs. Husker! I guess it will change over time and as more pounds fall off...

I mentioned on another thread that I have the exact opposite of this problem! I have never really felt like a fat person and when I look in the mirror I don't think I look that heavy (and now that I have lost 50lbs I think I am a hottie!), but when I see pictures of myself I look like a big heffalump!

Good for you Amy! I know exactly how you feel, wait till you get to 50lbs! I almost can't believe it when I look at the scales! I am half way to my goal, I would like to loose another 50lbs. Its such a great feeling! It makes any of the difficulty that comes with being banded totally worth it!

You know, I am finding something to be different than what you all are mentioning... When I look at myself in a mirror I think I look really good! And when I put on clothes I can definitly tell I have lost. But when I see pictures of myself I think I look the same, maybe thinner in the face, but still like a big ol' heffer! Does the camera really add pounds???

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in about Old Navy. I loved shopping there when I was a size 12-16, but once I hit the 18's and 20's it was over for me and ON... I ordered a bathing suit online earlier this year, but when I tried it on the bottoms fit (tankini) but the top was huge! (Thats another pet peeve of mine about plus size clothing, they always assume you have giant breast too!!!) So, anyway, I had to take the suit back and I wrote an email to ON telling them how dissapointed I have been in their selection of plus sized clothes. They wrote back telling me they were no longer going to have plus size clothes in their stores, only online. Are you kidding me? How many plus sized ladies buy clothes without trying them on first. It really disappointed me and I decided I wasn't going to shop there anymore, even now that I can fit into their "regular" sizes. I think its overall disappointing in whats available for plus sized ladies! If I knew anything about fashion I would start my own clothing line for us!

Thats great! I have been having quite a few NSV lately too! I was creaping into a size 20 pants before my surgery and just went shopping. I took a pair of 16 and 18 (just in case) and the 16 fit perfect! I did a happy dance in the dressing room, now how often does that happen!?!?! Another NSV that I have is crossing my legs and pulling my legs up on my chair, I haven't been able to do that in a long time! What other NSV are you all celebrating!:whoo:

YOU CAN DO IT! Its so hard those first couple of weeks, months even, but after that fill that hits the "sweet spot" you will be amazed at how things change and those horrible weeks will seem like a distant memory! I think they call this time "bandster hell" for a reason! Keep working hard!

Sorry, in all my babling, I forgot to mention that I don't count calories either! That makes it feel too much like a diet, not a lifestyle change. I just eat WAY smaller portions and am learning what I can't really eat very well. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU! I wish you the best in your search in deciding if this is the best option for you!

It is true that the band is a tool we have to work at to use properly. But, its an amazing tool! The best statistic that I heard while researching for the band was that with traditional dieting methods you have a 98% chance of gaining that weight back (yo-yo dieting), but with the band you have a 2% chance of ever gaining your lost weight back! The odds are in our corner! I have been banded for about 4 months now and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that I did this. I Celebrate non-scale victories almost everyday, as well as the pounds I am shedding! But don't be fooled! Its not always as easy as it may sound like its going to be. There are a lot of mental hurdles that you will have to go through and daily challenges that could sabotage your success, but the band truely does help you through those. I have been struggling the last couple weeks with making sure I eat slow and small bites. I have been PBing and sliming alot, and even had a bad vomit episode last night. But, I am trying to change the eating habits I have had for 27 years, its not going to happen over night! And when you do slip up and eat too fast or eat too much, your band lets you know that was a bad idea! Sorry, I seem to have written a lot! My main point is that your chances to loose the weight and keep it off are MUCH better with the band. It DOES help me know when to stop eating, it DOES keep me full till my next meal, and it IS helping me to loose weight and KEEP it off! Now, if they only made a band for your brain to help with that mental hunger, and maybe a brain band that makes you exercise too...

:notagreeJust after my surgery, a few days or so, I could lay on my side, more of like a 45 degree angle. I would prop a pillow up under my back and have a pillow on my front side. Its not as comfy as truely being on your side, but I remember it felt so much better getting up off my back. Then progressivly I was able to get rid of the front pillow and then the back one. I am 4 months out now and have no troubles sleeping on my belly now! Good luck, you'll discover what helps you feel most comfortable! Plus, the first couple of nights I took the pain meds and was out like a light no matter which position I was in!:notagree

I will be totally honest with ya, (not that I think others are not) but it can be hard at times! (I am almost 4 months out, lost about 45lbs.) There are moments when I hate that I did this to myself, but then I breathe and think about what "band-rule" I just broke to cause the pain I am feeling at that moment, or what mental hurdle I am actually facing. And there are also times where I would just kill to have a big fat juicy hamburger and a tall bubbly cherry coke with a side of salty fries! Then I put on my pair of size 14 jeans (used to be a size 20) and think, "OH, this is way better than a dumb hamburger!" Or, I hear someone notice that I am loosing weight and it makes it so worth it! (Not to mention the way I feel about myself and they way I am looking these days!) So, honestly, it can be really easy for some, really hard for others, and you will never know what its going to be like for you until you do it! Its a total learning experience! Like everyone else has concluded, the band has really saved some of our lives and let us do things we never thought we could do again (scale and non-scale victories!) Best of luck to you on your decision!

I found this thread after I searched for "burping." Pheww... I am feeling a little better about my situation. I am almost 4 months out and have had great restriction for the last month. Anyways, I am burping like a crazy fool! It never hurts, actually feels better, but I burp so much. I was afraid that it was doing damage to my band, but from what I have read, it doesn't seem that way. Has anyone else had hiccups a lot too? Somedays I will get them like 3 or 4 times a day and they hurt! I try to hold my breath to get rid of them, but sometimes I just have to wait them out! So, the consensis (sp?) is that burping is not bad, right? I know its common after the surgery, but I am 4 months out, so its still "normal" to burp this much now too? Thanks for the help!

Hi All. Well, come Friday morning I was having pain with even swallowing liquids so I called the doc and went in to get some fill taken out. I had lost 6lbs in 3 days, so it was obvious that I was too restricted. Since then I kept on liquids and soft foods. Today I am eating a chicken ceaser wrap and its going down fine, but I have definitly noticed the restriction I have now as opposed to before my fill. I hope you other ladies are doing well! I was shocked at the 6lbs in 3 day loss, but I wouldn't want to be that way all the time. I would rather be less restriced, loose slowly, than be super tight and not being able to eat anything. Thats just not healthy! Take Care!

PS I don't know what the heck happened to my faces! I didn't type the smiley and the "hanvan!!!" Ha ha ha ha!