hammer1

As I said, I have very little "support" from the folks who performed my procedure, unless I am interested in the proper way to apply makeup, and I doubt my wife would ever look at me the same if I was interested in that. So I will try some of you good people. When I eat, is my food supposed to stop and sit on top of the band until it digests enough to work it's way through (30 min or so) or is it suppose to go through pretty quickly......considering? How much should I be able to eat if my band was filled properly? I have a 10cc band and it is half full. Hammer

Hello all, I was banded in May of 07 and have lost 80 lb from a starting weight of 511 lb. I have been gaining and losing the same 10 lbs for about 6 months now, anyone else having this kind of trouble? I am getting prety depressed. Hammer

I have been banded for 9 months and never had a reflux problem until after my last fill 3 weeks ago. Hammer

Listen, You will be fine, your journey has just begun. There will be many peaks and valleys. Being a "bandster" is a way of life and it takes time to create new habits while ridding yourself of old ones. I have been banded for about 8 months now and know what you are talking about. This is a marathon not a sprint......take it easy. :smile: Hammer :thumbup:

Hi folks, I had my procedure back in May of 07 and am down about 65 or 70 lbs. That may sound good to some of you, but I started at over 500 lbs and should be doing much better. I need to ask a "stupid" question or two. 1. How much food should I be eating per meal ( 1 cup, 1/2 cup or what?) and should that be making me feel full? 2. I seem to PB a lot, is that normal? 3. I have a 10 cc band and have had 5 cc's worth of fills and get "stuck" a lot now, should I get more fills and just eat soft foods that won't get stuck? To be totally honest, I'm not happy with the band at all, it's not what I thought it was going to be. If I have to eat like I'm going to Weight Watchers, I should have just done that and saved myself $16,000.00! We have almost no "support" in the group I'm involved with, our meetings mainly consist of "beauty tips" for women and crap like that. I wish I could find a group of people in southeast Texas that knew what I was going through and could help me with it. Hammer

Please give me an idea of what you eat in an average day. Thanks, Hammer

I agree with you on that. My concern in this was not whether the guy was a "jerk" or not, but rather how the person who was hurt could maybe keep that from happening to her again! Hammer

enterpriseo1 said- Ah, I see. She made him act a like a jerk because she was an honest woman who liked a guy and wanted to have sex with him and didn't act like haughty bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else. If that's how you want to look at it, all I can say is, see what happened to "an honest woman who liked a guy and wanted to have sex with him and didn't act like a haughty bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else"? She got hurt! What I was trying to say is that we have much more control over the things that happen to us than we think. We just need to exercise that control. If a man acts like a jerk, then he is a jerk and it has nothing to do with the woman. There are plenty of users out there, and shame on you for blaming the woman for this man's poor behavior. It has everything to do with her because unless there was a rape involved, no sex would have taken place if she didn't want it to and everything we are discussing took place after the sex!......Right or wrong? It's not her fault that he's a jerk, she can't control that, but she can control how and if she let's that jerk affect her life! We must accept responsibility for our actions and stop blaming everyone else or we will repeat these mistakes over and over. Hammer

You are 100% correct, but isn't that all the more reason not to give of yourself so quickly and easily. He hung around long enough to get what he was after and then took off. If that's what both parties want out of the deal, then no one gets hurt, but as you see, that is very rarely the case. It's been the same way since time began. When will we ever learn? Hammer

Isn't it strange that he hung around for a month to get what he wanted. Then after a couple of weeks of having you "service him", it was time for him to go? He's a jerk for sure, but you allowed him to be one. When are you women going to learn that men will endure any hardship, and say anything and everything you want to hear, in order to get into your pants. If you don't consider yourself special (and act like it), then they won't either. You must realize that you are so much more than a "roll in the hay" and make others realize it too. I know that everyone just wants to "hookup" nowdays and committed reationships are things to laugh at, but what happened to you is a byproduct of that kind of thinking. I have been married for 23 years to a woman that I love and desire as much today (if not more) than I did the day we married and part of the reason I do is that she always knew that as a child of God she had a self worth that was more than just as a sex object for another person's enjoyment. Our union is wonderful in "every" aspect and it is all because she is a woman who understands and acts as if she's more than just a walking vagina. Pleas don't misunderstand what I'm saying here, I'm not critisizing you for anything, I'm just asking you to go look into the mirror and see one of God's creations, realize your worth and never settle for a jerk like that last guy again! You obviously are trying to better yourself or you wouldn't have been banded, so continue with your complete "overhaul" and be more selective about the next man you allow into your life. I have a 13 year old daughter and want the same for her when the time comes. Hammer :scared:

Dr. Speigel performed my procedure this past May. Both he and the University General Hospital performed at the highest of standards. I am not doing well with my weight loss, but that has nothing to do with the Doctor. I was a self-pay and consider Dr. Speigel to be "top-notch". Hammer

I'm from this area and was banded 5/18/07 by Dr. Spiegel. Anyone else from the Beaumont area? Hammer

Do any of you use a Fiber supplement and if so, what kind? Ever since I had my 2nd fill, I have had problems with loose bowels (sorry). I have a history of IBS, so I'm not sure if that is part of the problem or not. Any suggestions? Hammer

Hi all, I had a 10 cc band installed in May, had a 4cc fill in july and am not doing well at all. I don't feel as if the band is helping any. I'm getting all the "negatives" (PB's and blockages) but none of the "benefits" (early satisfaction and consequent weight loss). It's very depressing. I'm a self pay and it seems as if I've thrown money down the drain....once again. Hammer:help:

I'm not doing very good Lu. I have gained about 5 lbs since my first / last fill and am very concerned. I feel as if the band is doing nothing for me, but making me PB and choke from time to time. I hope you are doing well. Hammer (MCF)

Dr. Spiegel performed my procedure at University General Hospital in Houston, TX. Hammer

Hello all, One week prior to being banded I weighed 511 lbs. On the day of my procedure (5/18/07) after 1 week on nothing but liquids, I weighed 494 lbs. I was banded by Dr. Felix Spiegel (10cc VG Band) in the University General Hospital in Houston, Texas. My stay in that hospital was by far the finest experience in my life (as far as hospitals go). The facility itself and the people, were unbelievable and catered to my and my family's every need. I just can't say enough about it. When I went for my 1 week post-op Dr's appointment, I weighed 483 lbs (a total loss of 28 lbs) and was doing fine. One month later I went for my first fill from Dr. Spiegel. I had gained back 3 lbs (486), so he gave me a 4cc fill (wow!). It took me 30 minutes to drink a 17oz bottle of water afterwords. It's been two weeks since that fill and as of day before yesterday, I had lost another 13 lbs (38 total). So far I am very pleased with my banding experience although I've had a few PB episodes and am learning by doing which foods I can and can't eat. I know I haven't been banded near as long as most of you folks, and I'm just a rookie with miles and miles to go, but like I said, I'm happy with my decision to be banded and with the results so far. Glad you folks are here to talk to from time to time. Have a good one. Hammer

I'm from southeast Texas. Hammer

Hi all, Just wanted to tell you folks that I just got back from having my first fill. I have a VG band (I didn't know that until today) and the Dr. gave me a 4cc fill. Afterword I had to sit in his waiting room and drink a 17oz. bottle of Water to make sure everything was okay. Everything was okay, but man, it took me about 30 minutes to get all that water down. I realized then that I had absolutely no restriction until today. I am on liquids for the next three days and then I am suppose to start on "mushies" again. Anyway, I just wanted to tell someone about my "fill" experience. Talk to you later. Hammer

Hi all, I have been banded since 5/18/07 and the first couple of weeks I was ok and didn't have much of an appetite, but now I'm beginning to be just as hungry as I was before the procedure, I'm quite sure I can't eat as much, but I am as hungry as before (I also have no trouble eating any kind of food). I haven't been in for my first fill yet and I hope that's what will make the difference. Has anyone else felt this way after their procedure? Hammer

Hello All, I will celebrate my 2nd week post-op tomorrow. As of last Friday May 25th, I had lost a total of 28 lbs (17 lbs 1 week pre-op and 11 lbs 1 week post-op). I doubt that I have lost much at all during this past week because since the swelling has gone down, I don't feel like I have much of a restriction at all and I know I've been eating more than I should. I'm not due for my first fill for at least another 3 to 4 weeks. Anyway I just wanted to introduce myself because I would imagine I will be hanging around here a lot in order to benefit from the veteran's experiences. Have a good one, Hammer

Hello RB07, I was just banded on Friday the 18th of May. My experience with Dr. Spiegel as a surgeon was great, but I have had problems with his office staff. They don't seem to know what they are doing and cost me quite a bit of money in the run-up to my procedure (I'm a self-pay). After reading some of the comments from others who have been dealing with him since their procedure, I'm a tad nervous about the follow ups. Hammer