Jobstud

I had my surgery in July 2007. I lost 70 lbs. I had one fill in December 2007. All was going very well. Then in April 2008 we learned my MIL who lived with us had terminal lung cancer. She decided not to have any treatments and insisted she wanted to live her last months at home which meant my wife and I had to put aside our lives to care for her with the help of Hospice. Finally the long painful struggle ended when she passed on July 4, 2008 just shy of my one year band anniversary. By that time I had not been to see the Dr in several months and had totally not paid attention to my diet. About a month later we learned my Mom had breast cancer. At least her prognosis was better and she initially was responding to treatment but later went out of remission and had to have chemo. She moved in with us and once again we focused on her care. She is once again doing very well and her Dr is pleased with her progress. She is beating the cancer and we are finally breathing a sigh of relief. So here I am having gained back what I lost and feeling bad about it. I feel myself making even more excuses for not seeing the Dr and starting over with new fills. Anyone gone off track and restarted? Advice and encouragement is welcomed

Had my first fill under x-ray this morning. Surgery was 7/11/07. Was doing OK but slowed down to 1/2 lb per week. Tried to do in office but could not feel port. He said that since he could see it fill he put in more than he would normally in the office. His advice was to stay on liquids for a day or 2 then mushies then solids

I eat much healthier than before. I focus way more on good Protein. For example, instead of a sandwich, chips and soda for lunch, its 4 oz or plain tuna in Water (no mayo) and about 10 lowfat triscuits. When I said anything I want I meant nothing seems to be a no no as long as I chew it and its moist. If not I have gotten stuck a few time.

Personally I think I am a proper fill level right now without ever having a fill. I argued a bit with the Dr at yesterday's check up that even though a 1/2 pound a week on average for 6 weeks is not a lot its still a continuing downward trend. Am I wrong or should I be losing much faster? I feel good. I can eat virtually anything in much smaller quantities than pre-band so I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. Anyway he couldn't find the port and wants to do it in the hospital under x-ray. He says only 2 cc at first. What can I expect 2cc fill to feel like?

I had surgery on 7/11/07 and just went for first fill yesterday. I had been losing weight fast so he put it off. Yesterday I had lost 3 lbs in 6 weeks (according to my scale I lost 6 but oh well). Mine did not go well BUT he stopped right away (after 2 pokes of the needle) and is setting me up to do it in the hospital under x-ray. The nurse who set up the stuff for the fill said people always say how gentle he is. I was OK with the pain. Just that familiar "pinch". Only problem is he hit a vessel and I bled onto my shirt and pants (He just had me unbutton rather than take it off). He was so apologetic thinking it ruined my clothes, but it came right out that night in the wash. I was afraid for him since he had a waiting room full of people and seeing someone walking out with a blood stained white dress shirt might have made them flee for their lives. He said not to worry but I beat it out of there fast with my hand covering it best I could. He was laughing about it but I could tell he appreciated it too.

I used to love cheese. Its a good source of Protein that is especially important to us banders. On my list from the nutritionist is skim mozzarella string cheese. To me it would seem too chewy and not easy to breakdown to the mushy stage needed so it doesn't get stuck so I am a little afraid to try it. Any advice? :hungry:

My surgeon needed clearances for pulmonary including a sleep apnea study, cardiac which included a 2 part chemical stress test, ekg, echo, etc. In addition 14 vials of blood for what seemed every test known to man, urine, chest x-rays, etc. I didn't have a regular PCP at the time so I had to get one just so she could give me overall clearance. She ordered no tests and just reviewed the reports of all the specialists. OH and got paid a tidy sum for the 3 office visits she made me have before finally giving clearance.

My wife suspected I was looking at a porn site ever since joining this forum. Then she peeked over my shoulder and saw the posts about creaming panties, thongs, etc and is now convinced of it. LMAO! I guess bikes and panties help keep our minds off our old food habits. I just wonder if a thong is good to wear when riding a bike? Does it wick away the moisture? LOL LOL LOL Keep the posts coming. Their great!

Giant panties! OMG. LMAO here! Hey come to think about it I am gettin excited. LOL

OH Juli suggested I join this thread after reading the thread I started asking for help in finding a bike that would hold up under my big (although diminishing since joining the band-aid gang) frame. This thread got me thinking about taking up bicycling again (I haven't ridden a bike since I stopped delivering newspapers at age 16). I am looking for a good low impact FUN way to exercise and this seems to fit the bill. Plus my skinny wife has said she would love to get a bike too so we can ride together. Anyway back to my question. Where can I find an affordable bike that will hold 400 lbs? I have had some suggestions, but was wondering if a Schwinn Heavy Duti might be a good choice? Any help is appreciated.

I read several posts within another thread on bicycling and it has me interested in taking it up as an exercise regime especially when we go camping on weekends. I know most skinny tired racing bikes would not hold up to 400 lbs and the ones I have seen on the internet for "Big People" are way out of my price range. Would a Schwinn Heavy Duty handle this kind of weight? Any other affordable bikes out there? :help:

I was scheduled for 8 weeks post op so have about another 3 weeks to go before my first fill. I asked the surgeon if it was an "automatic" fill and he said in about 75% of cases yes. I have lost about another 12 lbs since my 2 week post op checkup (54 lbs pre and post op!!) so I am wondering if I might fall into that 25% that does not get a fill. I am very careful about eating now and don't push my luck with the band by testing the limits. I chew small bites thoroughly and don't drink for 20-30 minutes afterward. I think that as long as I am losing weight that I can live just like this. If I stop losing then fill r up. I like the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach. I hope the Dr. does too. Anyone have a similar experience or agree with me?

I also went to the movies with my wife and son last Friday (the first time since my surgery on 7/11). I ate my dinner before we left and brought a bottle of water and a Crystal Light packet with me. They did not eat dinner (he was at the gym and Mom had to go pick him up so there was not time) and ate at the theater's snack bar (hot dogs and cheese fries). I sat there and watched the show and amazed myself how content I felt sipping my lemonaide and basically could care less that they were eating. I think that had it been a couple of weeks earlier when I was on total liquids, I might have felt frustrated but having the pleasure of being to eat real food again sure helped. :hungry:

This is one of the harder adjustments to make for me as I am transitioning back to food. I always drank a lot of Water when I ate in my pre band life. I am finding that this is especially true at Breakfast when I just have to get my morning coffee (usually half a cup if I am lucky now) plus eat breakfast. For now I have decided on a liquid breakfast (coffee and a Protein shake) since I have such limited time in the morning and don't have the 20 - 30 minutes before and after eating to delay drinking. It gets easier as the day goes on. When I get to work I get myself a 16 oz cup of water and sip regularly. This keeps me satisfied until around 10 am or so when I have something small to eat like a small container of mixed fruit in light syrup. Then for lunch I force myself to eat slowly taking at least 30 minutes to eat lunch. Then once the hour is over I can resume the water again and try to get in at least 32 oz at work. Then after work I try to relax with some more water or V-8 before dinner then take my time eating (like lunch) and "forcing" myself to wait at least 20 - 30 minutes to drink again. Its tough and I have to admit that if my mouth is dry I do take a tiny sip within the time frame. So far I am not feeling hungry that much at all. In fact I have to remind myself (with wife's help) to get in my 80 grams of protein daily. This is usually topped off by a high protein snack about an hour before bed. I found South Beach Cereal Bars while shopping the other day. Only 140 calories and 10 grams of protein. Delicious and satisfying way to get added protein.

My nutritionist warned that lack of protein might cause loss of hair. I think you need to speak to Dr. and / or nutritionist about boosting your protein intake. I am finding that there are lots of high protein shakes and additives as well as foods out there that is making it easier for me.

Mine was egg salad. I never really went crazy for it before (like my wife did), but when I was going over the list of mushies I could have 4 weeks post op and saw it on there I began to crave it. I had it for dinner a week ago and was so into it that my wife insisted I make enough for her too. Nice to share dinner again! I made mine very smooth in my chopper with some low fat mayo. Having read so much about tasty stuff like refried Beans or chili with beans all mashed up, I am going to try that this weekend. In the words of Rachael Ray, "YUMMO!"

When my surgeon gave my wife a prescription for pain meds while I was in post op recovery, she asked him about my ability to swallow pills knowing that I had to get chewable Multivitamins for my after band life. He responded that I was not that restricted yet and that it would be about 2 months before my first fill that would really make things tight. As for long term meds, I am guessing that your Dr. would have to prescribe the liquid form. By the way Jim, you mentioned Ibuprofen. This is known as a NSAID (non steroidal anti inflamatory drug) which I was told by my PCP and surgeon to avoid along with aspirin since these drugs cause stomach irritation and bleeding. Remember things dissolve slowly and so this would cause damage to the pouch. I was told to use tylenol for pain instead. You may want to check on that to make sure to avoid any complications later.

Thanks all. I am gonna try some this weekend. Hey gotta get that protein somehow. Might as well taste good too!!

:help: Today is my 25th Wedding Anniversary and my 1 month post op anniversary. :clap2: To tell the truth I almost forgot and so didn't make plans. We always go to dinner to Celebrate. I know my wife is NOT expecting to go out because of the new me, but I would love to surprise her with dinner out in addition to the flowers I ordered. Should I try dining out? Just order some Soup or maybe go somewhere and order a diet plate with tuna salad or something? I already tried some mushies (egg salad, tuna salad) at home this weekend and did fine. Any advice is appreciated.

My solution is not to set a goal. This sounds contrary to the conventional wisdom but for someone who has been overweight from babyhood to adulthood I don't care about some arbitrary number. Rather I want to find a maintainable range where I am healthy and happy and can do what I want to do without weight holding me back. When I was on the Fen-Phen diet my doctor at the time had me tested for my true body mass. Based on it he estimated about the lightest I could be if I were a marathon runner would be about 270 or so. That means my skin, bones and muscle weighs more that the charts show I should be which is about 200 lbs. IMPOSSIBLE! Everyone is different. I am not a doctor and don't play one on TV (only at home LOL) but my advice is don't be obsessed about 20 lbs if your body is telling that you aren't going to lose any more. THATS IT! Why risk getting discouraged and saying the heck with it all and slipping backward. Stay vigilent and maintain. Just my humble opinion. Hope it helps!

Isn't this surgery amazing. Totally way easier than I ever expected. Surgery is surgery I guess but I thought I would be in excruciating pain for days afterward. In reality I think I took maybe 4 pain pills from the prescription the Dr. gave me. Thats it! Even the gas pain was tolerable. Thank God we have such technological breakthroughs that can help so many of us in the weight battle. Good luck to you!

I can totally related to your impatience. I am a very organized person so when I went to the seminar in April I set myself out a timeline. First was the surgical consult. From that I was given stuff to do (lose weight before surgery, lab work, cardiology, pulmonary, nutritionist, psych, etc.) so I called and set up all my appointments trying to limit as much time off from work as possible so I had sick days left for surgery and recovery. That perfect schedule lasted about a day. I got calls to reschedule appointments. Then appointments led to other lab work and testing. From that I had to go to other specialists to clear me. It seemed endless. Finally after 3 months the day finally came and looking back I appreciated that I had such a complete physical (and mental?) evaluation for my own safety during surgery. In some ways it puts my mind at ease to know that about the only medical problem I had besides obesity is moderately high blood pressure which is being controlled with meds. No diabetes, no heart blockages, etc. and that hopefully with my band I can keep it that way and eventually have no medical problems at all. Its all worth it IMHO!

:clap2: GOOD ANSWER! I know its just out of love but I just want to be treated normally. I am healed now and not sick :sick so don't treat me so delicately. I always say, "Believe me if I was having a problem I would let you know right away." I do understand the adjustment for them. After all my wife, who has known me for 30+ years and my son all my life as someone who ate most meals without letting the fork leave my hand.

THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE! My son (age 17) conspired on the surprise dinner. He loves to do that stuff plus he loves to EAT! Anyway we settled on RED LOBSTER. I picked up my wife at her job (we commute together) as usual and as we drove in the driveway I honked for my son to come out. She knew something was up but wasn't sure until I turned into the RL Parking lot. She was very pleased and surprised. I had looked at their online menu and decided in advance what to have that I figured I could eat without problems. My wife and son had Clam Chowder which I knew was very thick and chunky so I went with Lobster Bisque. I passed on salad, but they had theirs. Then while the wife had shrimp alfredo and my son had steak and lobster, I had broiled flounder and mashed potatoes. Needless to say after the soup I was just about full. I ate a few bites of the flounder and chewed very well like I am supposed to. I had a tiny bit of mashed potatoes and a couple of pinches of those cheddar garlic biscuits in the time they had their plates clean. Dessert? NO WAY! I was satisfied and knew I could have some sugar free pudding later at home. Oh and when we got home, the florist had left the flowers and big silver HAPPY ANNIVERSARY balloon I had ordered. It was very nice and I was proud that I could once again go out to dinner and feel "normal" again. I was also proud that I resisted temptation to over indulge and stopped when my band reminded me with that full sensation before getting sick and ruining a nice time. I know now that I can live a normal existance and enjoy sharing dining out with the family. :hungry: Now I have to get the family to relax a little. The wife and son watched me carefully and every time I put down the fork they asked if I was OK. It will take some training on their part as it will with me.

Isn't amazing what a void we have in our lives without food? Not that we are obsessed but that it is a major part of life. If we lived in a jungle, it would be the same thing except we would have to hunt instead of heading to the supermarket. I was talking about this with my wife the other day. For example, she still has a habit of calling around the same time each day from work wondering what to have for dinner; something we have done back and forth for years. Then she will catch herself and apologize and we both get a laugh out of it. Eventually I hope to get to a point where I can eat what the family eats again but in much smaller portions. This will return us to that sense of normalcy we always enjoyed at mealtime.:clap2: