suzannm

Hi everyone, I've been banded since Feb 2007. I've lost 81lbs to date. My surgeon was Dr. Carter, in Texas. I've done ok with my VG band and two fills so far, but always seek to know more and share if I can. Nice to meet all of you!

I'm in Irving. Dr. Carter did my band back in February. I've lost 81lbs so far!! Don't worry, you'll do great!!

Wow, I bet you feel better. My doc didn't fill me for 4 months after surgery. By then, I was really needing a fill..!!! The good thing is that I had allot of swelling so I wasn't too ravenously hungry the first couple of months. Geez, I hope this gets easier for you from here on out. Nothing worse than feeling overfilled...OWWWW.

OMG. Breakfast: Chick Fila - 1 meal, + 2 breakfast sandwiches or Grandy's all you can eat breakfast where I'd put away at least 2lbs of bacon. I'd have 4 large glasses of sweet tea to drink. Lunch: McDonalds double quarter pounder with cheese, value sized fries and coke. A parfait, a salad with dressing. Dinner: KFC (4-5 pieces), mashed potatoes, potato wedges, gravy, buscuits with butter and jam or honey, large coke. THEN....when everyone would go to sleep....I'd get up and eat MORE of the KFC that was left over. I'd never get sick. I could eat until I was just tired of taking bites. There was no 'off' switch in my stomach to say I was full. I could eat and eat until I could no longer chew. I'd eat like this nearly every day. HUGE, HUGE meals. Incredible amounts of calories. Why did I do this???? I had no sensation of being full. I could literally eat until I couldn't chew anymore and never feel full. With my band, I can stop because I get a sensation of feeling FULL. I don't go past it. It's got to be something physical related to where the band. Pressure on the vagus nerve perhaps? I don't know.

I'm new to this forum but have been banded for several months now. I started at 275 and I'm down 81lbs..... the band is a great tool. Keep doing your research and hang in there. You can do this.

I woke up and the nurse said 'welcome to the first day of your banded life sweetie!'. (she'd had a band by my surgeon a year before so she was cool). I was quite awake and nothing was odd except my stomach. I felt my port and went ....ugggghh...this hurts. She said, see this shot? If you get up and drink this barium we'll check your band and then I can give you this shot to knock you back out. I stood up, drank the barium, threw it up, drank some more, the surgeon came in, took the xray and said the band looked great and then she gave me the shot. I was OUT for 2 hours. I woke back up in recovery and my DH was standing there. The drive home was horrendous. I was so sick I had to put a sweater over my head because of motion sickness. I should have taken the anti-nausea suppository BEFORE leaving the hospital. Otherwise, everything was great. It is nice to have nurses who have been banded. They think of everything.

Been banded since February 2007. I've lost 81lbs. It's been interesting. After 1st fill I wasn't restricted, but boy after that second one....restriction kicked in and it's a whole lot different than post-op swelling. Sometimes I get a bit burpy and sick if I don't chew well, if I don't take small bites or if I eat too fast. As far as complications...NONE. Things are going pretty well. Love my band.

Hi, I'm new to this site, but was banded back in Feb 2007. No, the last lbs I put on were not the first I saw come off. The first that came off were my cheeks, shoulders, neck and chest. As I started to walk and do more, my legs started to slim down and now they look pretty neat. The slowest thing to come off.....??? My gut and around the back of my hips. It is coming off though. I started a size 26 (tight) and am now in a 16. Those first few days of feeling bloated and swollen are tough but before you know it, the weight will start coming off. You'll start to see it and you'll feel like getting a smaller mirror.... cheer up hon, you'll be great.