homew6kids

Just curious, I got my first fill, and my doc didn't really go by a certain amount, he went by feel. He says he fills until the pressure feels just right, and that is where he stops. My fill was awesome for all of 3 or 4 days, but it's gone now. It'll be 2 weeks on Wednesday, and I'm thinking I should hightail it back in. I think it got about 6.5 in my 10 cc band last time. Any reason to wait longer?? Is there really any need to worry how much is in the band, or is it better to just go by feel and results?

"That is EXACTLY what is happening. The fat around your internal organs is the most dangerous fat to you, and your body is dropping weight there." But then wouldn't that weight be reflected on the scale as well? Not much budging happening there.

Yeah. I hate going back in so quickly and not having lost much weight since the last fill. That guilt thing runs deep, doesn't it? It has occurred to me that I need to get over feeling like I'm losing weight for the doctor, and that I'm doing this for ME. MY money, MY band, MY fills. MY weight loss. Frustrating.

My doctor has me on 4 weeks of liquids after surgery, and I noticed that not everyone goes that long. I assume the longer period is to try to prevent slippage. I also saw that the older bands do not go completely around the stomach and there is a greater chance of slip if you don't let it scar over completly before adding in solid food. I'm curious if this is true for the new AP bands that completely encircle the stomach. Anyone know if there's any data about this? I guess I'm wondering if the new bands will be less prone to slipping in general. I have a 10cc AP band and want to get to know it better

>>The sutures the surgeon places to hold the band in place are temporary. << The Inamed stuff I've read says the sutures are non-dissolving. I believe they stay in there permanently. That makes sense actually - like a back-up system to prevent slip. Hopefully, going to a doctor who puts the band in properly will help prevent a slip. It does make sense that the more people are banded, the greater the stats for slippage. Not all doctors should be placing bands, and maybe not all patients should be getting them. Thanks for your input.

:cry I have accidentally hit the "mark all forums read" button, and it did just that. Sheesh... Now I can't tell where I've been. Is there any way to undo that?? Thanks!

Well, can I just say that I loathe soup? And boullion, and anything hot really, at this time of year... I don't think I'm all that fond of soup even when it's cold out! So I am surviving... maybe a bit grudgingly :tired I am anxious to get a fill in a couple of weeks and really start losing. My poor metabolism is so confused. I've been on the protein shake diet for a month now and I'm down all of 13 pounds. Seems... paltry for the effort. I'm hoping when I hurt less I'll move more, and that will speed things up. I've been walking mostly, and I'd like to get to the gym to do more. The kids are back in school in a couple of weeks so I can really put some effort into it then.

I can relate! When I did my liquid diet a year ago, I had to get blood work done every 2 weeks. I was always extremely low on sodium. The doctor had me drink bouillion every day to up my salt intake. When I got banded, I forgot about that, and got really nauseaus. I was throwing up for a couple of days until I remembered the salt. Now I drink boullion every night, and it's really helped with the salt cravings. I feel a lot better too.

So, I have a good friend who is in my night school group. This group meets every Tuesday night for 22 months as we work toward a psychology degree. I REALLY did not want to let everyone in the group know about my band. I had my band done on 8/6, and went to class on 8/7 to sit for 4 hours - hopped up on pain meds, and dragging my pillow to clutch to my poor tummy, and my mother to drive me home. Well, when I talked to this one friend (whom I did tell - after the fact) about the band, she said, "Well, I told a few of the others. I hope you don't mind." What the heck was I supposed to say? "Yeah! I sure as heck DO mind!" I wasn't mad exactly, because she's the sweetest person, and it just didn't occur to her that it was a "secret". I'm not even sure - IS it a secret? :kiss I'm just confused and a bit irritated and a lot hungry and sore and pissed that I mind so much that people know. :phanvan Guess I'm just venting... Thanks for listening!:nervous

I wasn't really so upset about it, but I would like to be able to discuss it in my own time. I don't plan to keep it entirely to myself, but there are certainly those I DO NOT need to tell. People who do not really care about me do not need to know about the things that matter deeply to me. You know? Not all people are really all that nice. That's just my experience.

Redgirl, It sounds as if you are lactose intolerant. Lots of milk will KILL you with gas and stomach cramps if you are drinking too much. Even if you don't usually have symptoms, when you are eating nothing else, it becomes really noticeable. Either switch to the lactose-free Slim Fast, or just make your own Protein shakes with the stuff you get from GNC or other nutrition place. Hope that helps. You can do it. (It'll just bite doing it )

My port is right in the middle, and I have to admit it's bugging me a bit. When I sit down, my fat tummy pushes up, and I can feel the port. It's right under my bra - in between my boobs. Plus, it still kind of hurts. I can see that it will be MUCH less intrusive as I lose weight and lose the beer belly In any case - it's totally worth it!

Cam, I was having trouble with the nausea as well. It finally occurred to me that I was low on salt, and that is what was making be throw up. I try to get at least some boullion in every day now, and no nausea ~ Hope that helps!

So, I got banded on 8/6. I'm down about 12 pounds already. The thing is, I can't seem to generate that excited "Yay! I'm losing!" feeling. I've had it about a million times before - every other time I tried to lose weight - but then the weight always came back. Sometimes with astonishing speed. I regained 45 pounds in 6 weeks after my shake diet last year. :phanvan So what's the deal? How come THIS time - the time that is most likely to be permanent - I feel so blah? What about that "Today is the first day of the rest of my life!" feeling I was looking forward too?

Hello fellow Ates I was banded on 8/7, and I'm at the hungry, cranky stage. Very cranky. I've done the liquid diet thing before - 15 weeks worth of shakes only, but I can't wait to get to real food. My doctor wants me to stick to liquid Protein shakes for 4 weeks to "maximize weight loss" before my first fill. Grrrrr... :angry I'm hungry!!

I think too that I am not looking forward to people seeing me lose *again*. You walk around and hear people say, "Oh, you look great! What are you doing to lose weight?" Is the "this time" implied, or is that just me?? And while I don't want to tell the world, "This time it's for real! It's forever! I've got my band!", it saddens me to think that most people will walk off thinking, "She's just going to gain it back." I KNOW I need to not give a damn what others think, but it's so hard to ignore. The truly important people in my life - my kids and husband - know about the band and are so proud of me for making this choice. They're the ones I don't want to disappoint - again.

Just curious - How do they replace the port?

I am so glad to hear I'm not crazy!!! Seriously, it's so nice just to know that others have the same weird letdown.

Hi Sweet, I had my surgery on 8/6. I felt that way too. However, I discovered one night as I leaned over my twins to kiss them in bed, that the angle I was at was VERY conducive to burping! I was kind of stretched out across them, and all of a sudden it just all bubbled up. I felt ever so much better. So, I've been stretching out across a bed a few times a day, just leaning in over a bed that's at knee level or so. I was also able to cough up some of the junk in my chest that way. Hope that helps a bit. I'm 5 days out now and starting to feel a bit better.

And last but not least.. Home with 6 kids -- God bless you first of all... I have a hard time handling two.. lol. I want to wish you the best of luck on the 6th.. make sure you let us know how things are going.. you'll do great!!!!:clap2: BlueEyed, Silly girl! It doesn't matter how many you have - they gang up on you anyway! I think ANY number of kids is hard work. Maybe harder when you only have 2. Mine play with each other and bug me less. :biggrin1: Thanks for your post... I am thinking I can do this. I'll remember to stick to little bits of anything to see how it goes. Kind of nervous and a lot excited. I went out and got whey Protein powder today. I didn't know what kind to get, so I got the standard GNC vanilla stuff. Maybe I'll branch out later when I get the hang of this. I did the HMR shake diet for 15 weeks, and I really liked those, but my surgeon said they actually have a lot of carbs per serving and the whey powder is better. I'm assuming he knows what he's talking about. I think I'll be sticking to that and Better Than Boullion for a while. I'm a bit chicken about feeling sick if I don't have to! Thanks again!

Hi all, I'm getting banded on Aug. 6, and I've noticed that people have different post-op diets. Is there any real advantage to sticking to Clear liquids after, or does it really matter? Some people seem to be on to full liquids immediately with no problems. I am so worried about doing this *right*, you know? I just want to heal as quickly and properly as possible so I can feel better. Thanks for any input, Cat

I'm feeling really nervous too. I've been looking into the lap band 8 months now, and here my surgery is scheduled for Aug. 6. Once I decided to actually do it, it all happened so fast. I haven't had time to absorb that I'm not just THINKING about it any more - I'm DOING it. Hard to wrap my head around it, you know? If it wasn't for a totally supportive husband, I don't know if I'd be doing it. My mom doesn't want me to do it, one of my closest friends looked at me disapprovingly and said, "Well, I'm doing Weight Watchers and going to the gym!" I wanted to smack her... sheesh... Why the heck didn't I think of that!!! Maybe I should try that first... Oh wait - I HAVE tried that, and EVERY OTHER diet and exercise plan in the world as well. I am sooo looking forward to having my stomach in MY corner for a change - working FOR me and not against me.

Is it coincidence that so many of the August bandsters have beach themed tickers? Great minds must think alike

Hello all! I'm Catherine, and I'm getting banded in Mexico on August 6 by Dr. Owens.