TulipStar

It's different for everyone, but I will share my personal experience with this. The "PB" does not cause me any pain. The pain for me comes with the pressure in my chest when I realize that something is stuck. The only way to relieve the pain/pressure is to PB or wait it out, hoping it will go down. PB is easy for me to do if I have to. Basically, I just bend over from the waist and it just comes up. I don't have to force it...it's ready. For me the PB usually happens within 30 minutes of eating, but I have had 1 rare occurrence of it happening 1 hour after eating.

I always craved carbs -- like bread/pasta/potatoes and I NEVER craved sweets. Now I think that I crave both equally. The craving for bread/pasta/potatoes is defintely less. I only crave sweets every once in a while.

I have used mederma, but not for these scars. I am using cocoa butter w/ vitamin e. My scars are barely visible except for the port scar.

Hi all, I was just banded on Monday and I keep thinking about this guy at work who was banded in April. He has lost 110lbs in just 6 months and he told me that he eats ice cream every night. He said that he eats ice cream every night even immediately post-op and I think about the ice cream in my freezer. He also recently told me that every day on his way in to work, he stops at Mcdonalds and orders a scrambled egg and sausage patty. this is his Breakfast every day. However, he still continues to lose weight at a rapid rate. What is you opinion of eating ice cream? What about McDonalds? I don't really like McDonalds, but I thought it was strange that he thought this was ok.

It's funny that this post has come to life again because just last week I was talking to this same co-worker. He was telling me what I should be eating because when he was 7 months post-op like me he had already lost 140lbs. I have only lost a little over half that. I reminded him that I am a woman...and that I am different than he is. It's working for me, but just at a different rate. He tried to tell me it's becauese I am exercising too much and my body doesn't want to lose weight. Then he told me that I should stop at McD's every morning, just like him and eat sausage,egg & coffee on the way to work. I tried to explain to him that I can't eat in the morning and I absolutely cannot tolerate eggs anymore. He looks at me like I am crazy...just bc he isn't experiencing it, I must not be either. He then told me that if I had went to his dr, then I wouldn't have those problems. WTF????

I saw an E! true hollywood story about her a couple years ago and she was talking about her lapband. She said she was going to have it removed because she needed to try psychotherapy to deal with the reasons she overate in the first place.

I think it depends on the individual and if they are mature and truly understand the ramifications of the new lifestyle. For me, those years of growing up obese can never be regained. I will never know what it would be like to be a "normal" weight in school and in my early 20's. So, would have loved to have the opportunity to have this and I probably would have, if it were available.

Fanny, if you drink with meals, it does wash the food through meaning that you can eat more of the meal. So, if you usually can only eat a small portion without drinking, when you take sips or drinks it flushes out the pouch so you can eat a much bigger portion (full size). A banded co-worker does this and he can eat a full dinner size plus dessert by this method.

I just got off a plane an hour ago and it did not make me tighter. It was a 3 hour flight and I was in first class and ate the meal with no problem. However, when I am on long international flights (7 + hours), it defnitely makes me tighter...for days afterwards, it seems.

It was a pretty easy surgery. I didn't stay at the hospital for my original surgery nor did I stay for the revision surgery. I was admitted at 7:30am and then released around 11am. It went well. It was a much easier recovery than the original surgery and I could have gone back to work within 2 days, but I took 1 week of for a full recovery.

I totally understand where you are coming from. My worst fear is not knowing who I am when I reach my goal weight. In fact I am scared to death to weigh under 200lbs... as I have not been under 200 lbs since I was 9 years old. The only consistent identity I have is being the "fat girl" and yes, I used my personality to make up for it by being funny and personable. As I have started to get in the lower 200's (reached 220's this week), I suddenly feel like I might be starting to self-sabotage myself?? I took 3 days off the gym this past week...I usually only take 1. I thought about it and its because this is happening too fast..I don't know if I am ready for the new identity. I have been going through therapy for the first time which has helped tremendously. I have post-its around my house with phrases which describe me (other than fat) to remind me... "I am generous", "I am pretty", "I am a good boss", "I am a good wife, mom, friend". So all these things are part of my identity and make me ME... being fat is not one of them. This is the emotional side that I will really have to work on. I also relate to missing fat. I lost a 100 lbs 4 years ago and then had ps to remove excess stomach skin. I missed the stomach fat...still do every once in a while since it didn't come back the same when I gained weight.. It's weird!! Good luck BBK. Try writing out what you like about you..what makes you YOU. Take the time to read it out loud a few times a day. It has helped me and maybe it would help you too?

I know a few people who were banded by Benavides and they all say he was great and has the most experience which lessens the rate of complications. The only downside is that he doesn't do after care. So, after your surgery, all you care is from AIGB for fills and support. My dr is partners with Benavides and has the same after care, which is fine for me.

I don't really check my blood sugar regularly bc it has never been a problem. I don't have diabetes, but my entire family does, so I am at high risk. When I do check it in the morning it is between 75-95.

There is not one specific test, but a combination of things can help you dr to diagnose. Tell your dr of your symptoms and you can even tell him that you think you might have it. They can do a blood test which will reveal if your fasting insulin is too high (insulin resistance) and test your LH/FSH levels. He also might do an ultrasound which would show cysts on your ovaries.

Mine started after I just lost about 40lbs about 260 for me. which is strange since I have weighed that before I gained it and I didn't have normal cycles even when I weighed 200. I think it is also a combo of not eating bad things or high GI carbs.

For the first time in my life I have regular periods!! It is weird and I have to admit that I don't think I like it.... but I guess its part of being a woman! For some reason my acne has really flared up since I started to lose weight. Does anyone else have this problem?

I just stopped taking them. My insulin resistance has dissapeared and according to my dr I don't need the metforming anymore.

It took about 3 weeks for the bloating to pass for me.

I was obese as a kid (200 lbs by 10 years old) and I didn't start until I was 13.

Hi clover, This will work for you if you make it work for you. Just like you, I had that black and white/all or nothing mentality before the surgery which stemmed from my perfectionism personality. Since I have been banded, this has eased up and part of this is bc of the band. I can't binge anymore, and the results give me motivation to keep up. PB'ing or regurgitation is not really like vomiting, it is very different. You will just have to learn to listen to your body, eat slowly and take small bites. Good luck!!

I use a spreadsheet too and use a run chart to show the progress. I posted a copy of the chart to my latest blog yesterday.

You can definitely get there! It's the small ones that add up over time! Soon your lbs lost will be bigger than your lbs to lose

Wow, if I knew then what I know now. My band is really finicky...you can never tell what it might be. Sometimes if a Soup is too creamy...it comes back up. Even stranger is that whipped cream is a problem for me. No eggs whatsoever...and I used to eat eggs every day. I think the biggest tip is that I have to eat really really slow. Take time in between bites and really listen to my body. Sometimes this gets me in troublem bc if I am out to dinner with someone who doesn't know about my lb, they will ask me "what are you thinking right now" and I can't tell them "I am wondering if this is going to go down or back up..."

mine wasn't so dramatic or quite as quick. I decided after trying to lose weight for a year to be able to start fertility treatments. I realized my clock was ticking and my weight wasn't moving down fast enough (barely at all).

I disagree...I think it is a combination of both. If I only diet..I don't see results. If I exercise with my heart in a fat-burning rate of about 150bpm, then I start to lose weight. I don't know if its beacuse my metabolism is slower or what...all I can say is from my experience, I lose weight by a combination of diet and exercise.