Ang1982

*HUG* I think you need to phone your doctor and ask your questions as he can give you the best information. Perhaps he mistakenly gave you the wrong card? Or maybe your band is 4"something" but not 4cc which holds more than 4 ccs. I do know when they do a fill the withdraw all the saline in and then put the fill in - so if you had 1cc in and they are going to add 3cc's they withdraw the 1cc and put in 4cc's (this way they can make sure that you haven't lost any saline to leaks or anything of the sort). As for losing and gaining back the 11 lbs - has your fill given you any restriction? Are you eating smaller portions with solid Proteins first? Do you drink empty calories (think starbucks or high calories drinks) often? Are you exercising at all? I'm sorry you are so frustrated. I would first phone your doctor and ask your question about band/fill size for sure cuz I would be quite puzzled by that first. I know they say that the first month or two is for healing and to not panic if you lose and gain back some weight. Maybe you need to sit down and track / journel your food for a few days to see how you are eating (putting it on paper really puts it in perspective) use Fitday or Daily Plate if you don't know of a program to do that. You can do it!! Hang in there.

I've never used the Daily Plate but am now curious. I ended up going with Fitday just because it was the one I came across. I spent the $20 because I liked the idea of having the program and not needing to be on the internet to use it. However it would be neat to be able to still use the internet version and have it sync to the PC program - maybe it does that though and I haven't figured it out yet HAHA

I am inclined to agree with pretty much all of the posts stated above but well I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in as well... Yes, you are right there are some complainers, there are some whiners, there are some naturally bubbly and helpful people. Welcome to life. I'd rather read the good, the bad and the ugly to know what I am getting into rather than just read about sunshine and rainbows and have no idea what REALLY happens post bands or the fears that you can have post band to find out that it's a stage or fear that everyone can go through. Sure some threads and posts make me shake my head in "wtf'ness" but YOU choose which threads you want to read and which you want to respond to. If you want to know the in's and the out's of life before, during and with the band and how it effects your emotions, etc. then this is a great place to come. If you need support then we're your shoulder. This site can be one of your greatest resources and support networks. So stick around and see what LBT and it's members are all about because for every 1 whiny post there are at least 25 helpful ones.

Fantastic girl! What a great reminder of seeing your yard and "new kitchen" will be to you every day as well! Woohooo. I am not the world's best housekeeper, my house isnt messy but it can get untidy for sure and I hope that my energy with losing weight will change how I view housework as well! I hope this is true because my home and money.... haha erm. :wink:

I had my first fill two weeks ago and I too got pretty much no restriction from it (not completely none like before as I do have a bit but I will definitely need another fill) and cannot get in to see my doc for another 2 weeks (total of 4 weeks from date of fill) and I made that fill appointment on the date of my fill. Just hang in there it's a struggle we all have to deal with *big hug* it will be worth it!!

Fantastic thread.. I have so many "I wants" but I will stick with three... 1) I want to be comfortable in my clothes and my own skin and be able to shop at normal people stores. 2) I want to look astonishingly beautiful on my wedding day (may 2009) in my wedding dress that will look fantastic rather than just something that fits and turn the heads of all my family and friends and most importantly my DF. 3) I want to do so many activities and not feel tired and out of breath so early into them.

I had the end of a dissolving stitch (the fishing wire looking stitches that can show through your skin) poking through one of my incisions and it was no big deal after a few weeks post op and it hadn't gone away I went to my docs and they gave it a gentle tug and it came right out (I could have done it myself but didn't know how it really was so I wanted to leave it to them). If you have concerns about it I would call your docs office but I'm sure its just a piece of dissolving stitch.

Ugh, I think I really need to give up the sugar/sweets too because like diane I think that I get a taste and just need to have more and obsess about it. I know I need to have more restriction and can't wait for my fill on the 4th of April (fill #2) as I can currently eat whatever I want still - I do find that I get fuller faster but the only thing stopping me from eating more is me telling myself to stop. I have started back at Curves as of last week and got to go 3x (started on Tuesday and was out of town from Friday for the weekend). So back I will go today and try to go 4x a week. I hate it, I get there and I hate it and I count the time until I leave and then when I'm done I don't feel great cuz I went and exercised I just feel like I could have been doing something else for that 1/2 hr so I think that it will always be a struggle for me. I REALLY REALLY want to make this work so badly. Not just because I self paid $14000 for it and will be paying it off the next 5 years but because I want to finally be healthier and happier. I want to be 100+ lbs less when I get married in May 2009 and wear the dress of my dreams. Man this gets frustrating.

Down 46lbs!!! WAY TO GO!! Are you planning to go for another fill? Do you feel you need more restriction? The 46lbs and working out 5x a week is fantastic though girl, keep up the great work! Congrats to everyone on their successes! I'm so glad to be able to come here with all of you and read about your journey's. KC, is this your first fill? You have lost 53 lbs without a fill? Even with a fill.. FANTASTIC!! Let us know how your fill goes, when is it? All you guys and your 45+ lb loss is fantastic, makes me realize that I am definitely not making the best of my band at my 27 lbs gone :wub: Can anyone give me some tips or pointers?

Side note from reading the past few posts - our surgery is done in a standing type position? Really had no idea. I think the gas pain varies by person/surgeon and whatnot. I actually had relatively little gas pains and hardly walked around at all (on a scale of 1 to 10 in gas pain I was a 3-4 maybe a 6 at the very most)

Well! That was the longest 30 minutes of I've ever seen (the website down time). Here I am frantically refreshign for easily an hour+ for it to come back so I could get my LBT fill!! Yes, I have problems... :wink2:

Oh yike. I was forced to do actual work while at work (wtf) and read World of Warcraft forums instead. haha

*big hug* I'm sorry you are having such a hard time of this right now. It seems like you realize you are making mistakes in choices, etc. So why not take a moment and sit down and write out a list of why you want to lose weight and how losing this weight could affect your life. Then when you are done with that list why not take a moment to write out a list of things you dislike and are unhappy with about your life that you feel is related to being overweight. Review your lists, maybe post them somewhere on your fridge (if you are comfortable doing so) as a reminder. Then take a deep breath and remember that the band is only a tool and will only work as good as you want it to and work with it to. Recommitt yourself to living the bandster lifestyle. You can do this, you have already noted that you are making a mistake and not taking advantage of the fabulous tool you have inside you. "Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around". You can do it and we are here to help. Perhaps read and print out the following which could help you get back on track: Adjustments How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of "soft calorie syndrome" b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. fruit juice is just sugar Water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as "good" and "bad" e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (6) Peppermint a. Baking soda toothpaste (7) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (1) Tylenol is OK n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider 4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack. b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise. c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention. (Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.) e. If your pain is severe This was written by Jessie H. Ahroni, Ph.D., A.R.N.P., C.D.E., B.C.-A.D.M.

To me the spelling of "definitely" wrong is eh - whatever but the "mai" thing makes me crazy .. mainly because I assume the OP knows the correct spelling of "my" and chooses to use "mai" instead as "l33t speak" or whatever you would like to call it. The rest of her post is relatively well said. (Not knocking you nicolerose - wish you best of luck in your journey).

Fantastic! What a smile that must have brought to your face even with the kiddos being annoying. Very exciting :thumbup:

Yay! what a great NSV, congratulations :thumbup:

Thanks for all the support ladies! Hang in there we can do it. I've decided to start trying to track all my food as much as I can for the next little bit to see if that helps with things. I have given myself a calorie goal of not wanting to go past 1200 calories a day. Also, yesterday I made myself go back to Curves for the first time in... many many months. So I will make a point to go at least 4 times a week to Curves. I know I am definitely in need of another fill but at least I do feel a bit of restriction right now so I am looking forward to my fill appointment on April 4 (I booked it on my first fill appointment which was Mar 10, that was the soonest I could get in). Hehe, I know what you mean I feel the same way. How awesome would that be if it did work that way :biggrin: Thanks! We are all doing great and I do remind myself that I wouldn't have lost that 27lbs as easily and quickly as before and that this time I know it's not coming back and bringing revenge lbs with it!

Oh girlie how frustrating! Is your band a 10 cc band? so you are now 5cc in a 10cc? Hopefully this fill works great for you. Continue to work it the way you have been as you are doing great with working out, journaling and whatnot. *big hugs* hope this fill is a success for you. Hang in there!

Thankfully I have never yet had someone tell me that it was "the easy way out" (although I have heard the diet/exercise line once or twice). And as much as ALL of us know it is most certainly not "the easy way" I think if someone said that to me I would probably have to say to them that believe me it is not the easy way but if you feel that it is then I guess I'd take the "easy way" and lose weight and get my health back than struggle YET AGAIN with the "hard way" and remain fat and unhealthy. But really, it's your body, your Quest to better health if they don't like it they can take their opinion and shove it up their... :biggrin:

This is my puppers, Zak, he is 7 this year. He's a Papillon. And this is my lil trouble maker kitty, Skittles. He is just over a year old - he's a Bengal.

Best of luck in your decision. Personally when I had my band done I wasn't even considering RNY, not because I don't "believe" in it but that it was just not that for me. I know 4 people who have had the RNY and are all 4-5+ years post op. I thought I would share some information on how everyone's experiences are different and it is just a tool and it affects bodies differently: 1) My best friend - lost ALL her excess weight and has kept it off, she has done fantastically. She does have some Iron absorption issues that she is working through as well as the standard malabsorption of other vitamins/minerals. She to this day still gets the dumping affect from eating high sugar/fat foods. Has not had PS. 2) My best friends cousin - she too lost all her excess weight. She however, has VERY BAD iron issues. So bad to the point where even the injections, oral supplements, etc. she was taking were not absorbing enough that she had to a have a partial blood transfusion. She will likely struggle with this for the rest of her life. (By the way, those iron injections in Canada are $400 a shot, not covered by medical). Has the other vitamin/mineral malabsorption issues. Has not had PS. Still suffers from dumping. 3) Friend - lost all her excess weight, suffers from dumping slightly, has had a PS. Do not know about her other issues (She went bitch mode and haven't talked to her in a few years). 4) Friend #3's sister - lost some of her excess weight, found a way to eat around RNY and gained a lot (if not most) of it back. So as you can see everyone will have a different experience or result with either surgery. It's only a tool that you can work with. And yes there are the possible side effects of the band of erosion or slippage but the RNY has the side effects of dumping (and if you've ever seen someone dump oh my gosh it does not look fun), malabsorption, B12 shots, other possibilities (ie: friend who has to have mini-transfusions due to iron insufficiencies). Recovery time 1 week (band) vs 6 weeks (RNY) (and related to that, I lived with my best friend at the time of the RNY recovery and oh man it was not fun for her although if they do it lapriscopically now [?] then it may not be as bad but she had a big huge like 8" incision on her). Of course I'm more band partial just because what I have seen first hand from my RNY friends, can both be successful if you work with them? You bet, you just need to decide what's right for you.

1 lb from onderland! WOOHOOOOO very exciting :shades_smile: keep up the great work.

Woo hooo. Isn't he great, he's like a big ol teddy bear, it's hard not to like him hehe.

Woohoo, grats on the first fill going well. Sounds like you are well on your way and congrats on the few more lbs since Fri. My doc after my fill had me do Clear Liquids the remainder of that day - day two was full liquids (cream Soups, yogurt etc), day three mushies, day four resume eating but start with soft foods.

I'm sorry, how frustrating girlie. I hope everything goes well for you. Good luck!