giveyouthemoon

By the way, people who have gastric bypass often have to have resurgeries as well because after about a year's time, the stomach pouch relaxes and thus they can eat more, and the intestines make more cilia which absorb food so after one year weight loss becomes tough. Many RNY patients have "revisions" later on to tighten up the stomach again. With a band...."later on" you just get another fill. No procedure is 100% foolproof. I LOVE my band and wouldn't trade it for anything.

alatina...honey. The time has come in your life to JUST let one rip. It will forever liberate you. Part of having a band means some air is gonna get in there and burps are actually *essential*. I mean, when something feels sort of stuck, being able to burp often breaks it loose and I avoid a PB. Also, gas is normal. No, you don't need to stand in the middle of the living room and let 'er rip, but girl, you GOT TO LET THAT OUT! I'm worried. You see, they fill you up with air to do the surgery and that air HAS TO GET OUT. Otherwise there could be some very painful consequences. (edited to say I just read you were banded back in April...but still.....let the gas out! Embrace your body. Embrace your bodily functions. It's okay, really!

It often takes a fill a while to "set in" so my guess is boop, you've got restriction. This happened to me as well. Got a fill. No problem. A week later...first PB. Go REALLY slowly and chew REALLY well. Even more than you are already. TINY bites. Welcome to restriction!!

I'm doing this under *extreme* duress. Damn, I don' wanna, but I did so here it is. THERE! Damn I can let go of my good ol' fashioned guilt now.

Awright, this is what I get for actually WORKING today and not, as usual, frittering the day on REAL things like LBT. Delarla, I bow before you for speaking your piece. That balls out "here is who I am and that's that" is AMAZING! Your confidence knocks me over. There is one part in your first post that has really stuck with me....all the way home on the train today I thought about this. It was the part about people telling you to act like a lady. What? In whose definition!?!?!?! For how long have women been told to be quiet, be subserviant, to be what someone else told them to be? I don't believe my suffragette sisters worked so gall durn hard so that in 2005 I could be told what acting like a lady means. To be FORCED to conform to someone else's idea of being a lady...by ANOTHER WOMAN no less. All I can do is shake my head. DeLarla, girl, speaking your mind, being honest and open and helping women, esp overweight women to feel good about themselves is in MY definition acting like a lady. De, you are ONE HELL of a lady. Keep acting like a lady....you're doing one hell of a job.

Well congrats! It's a big milestone. Be thankful it was in a solid state. Mine first was not....I had the PF....productive fa-- well you know. My first and every one after that for several weeks was nothing but liquid. Egads that was awful. I'll never view breaking wind with the same non-chalance ever again. I mastered a two step ass clench shuffle to the restroom. It ain't always pretty being a bandster!!!

Recovery. It's a pain in the patootie. I remember being SOOOO hungry and so I got a bottle of Protein drink and without thinking chugged a big drink. Ow. Oh ow. Oh holy mother of OW. So beee careful. It will take a good couple weeks for the swelling to go down. Just sip little sips and sip them a lot. Also, it helps to drink room temperatre or warm because cold will make you feel even MORE tight. Ow.

Life is too short to feel bad about one bad choice..and a choice of food at that! Hon, you are one week out from surgery. I'd be more worried about that. This time isn't about weight loss, it's about healing! Take it slooooow please!!!

Wow, the media sure has done a numbers job on Atkins. Balancing protein and carbs and veggies is EXACTLY what Atkins is about. Unfortunately people can't seem to get past the first chapters of the book where it says to eat very low carb to kick off ketosis. I always ignored that anyway. Eating moderate carbs (GOOD carbs like from veggies and milk) along with protein and staying away from refined sugars, flour, corn, and potatoes is exactly what Atkins is all about.

Ah, okay, I hear you on this. Yeah, very deep ketosis isn't a great place to be (and stay). So I'm not sure how you got so deeply there. I know during my liquid stage I was drinking Ensure and Boost Protein drinks which offer a lot of carbs. Also in the third week creamy Soups with extra milk. Lots o' carbs there. Also, fruit juices were a staple of my post surgery....much natural sugar and carbs. I hope that you and your nutritionist can find a right balance for you!

Oh fer chrissakes! Again I say....a mild state of ketosis is NOT unhealthy!!!! Sheesh! A mild state of ketosis is a great fat burning place to be. And no, ketosis isn't required when having a band but eating Protein first then veggies is going to probably put you in a mild state of ketosis. And AGAIN any diet plan that causes you to burn fat from your body will likely put you in and out of ketosis....even a low fat high carb diet.

Ketosis is when your body changes from using glycogen as fuel. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and its source is carbohydrates. The body instead uses fat for fuel and when fat breaks down it releases ketones into the body which are released in urine. If someone were on a low fat/high carb diet, as the fat in the body breaks down you still release ketones into the body (and the urine). Ketosis is a dangerous state for someone who is diabetic since diabetes is already hard on the kidneys and ketosis is also rough on the ol' kidneys. However, for a healthy person with healthy kidneys, a mild state of ketosis is optimal for burning fat. Being in severe ketosis can be hard on even a healthy set of kidneys and can cause kidney stones. However, staying very hydrated is the main key here. Also, it is important to be in a mild state of ketosis where you benefit from burning fat for fuel and stay hydrated. It's important to explore at what level of carbs this works for you. I eat a mostly Protein and veggie diet but my carbs come in around 55-75 grams per day and I still remain in ketosis, tho it's very very light pink on the ketostick (a testing device that diabetics use to measure if the are secreting ketones). Again, if someone is losing weight very rapidly (as in say, post surgery all liquid diet) then they will see ketones if they check the pee stick because their body is burning fat very fast. But that should all level out as the person progresses to regular food.

??? Staying in a state of mild ketosis isn't unhealthy. I'm confused? Large ketosis is hard on the kidneys and that's why it's important to find the appropriate level of carbs to allow you to still lose weight and be only in mild ketosis. Drink lots of Water. Lots of Fiber and it is the most healthy place to be.

When I went to get my band, Kaiser did not cover it, only RNY. I understand that in some locations Kaiser is starting to cover it. I wasn't willing to wait. I did self pay. I don't know the answer about who you need to appeal to. I'd start talking to your dr's office and to your insurance reps and to your HR reps to find what path you need to take. Luck! Strength! And don't compromise. If you want a band don't settle for a RNY.

I just recently lost my father (who had also been very sick for a while) and so I can really feel your loss. I'm so very sorry. It was the right thing to postpone your surgery because right now you need all your strength. This is a tough time. Your mom will be with you when the right time comes again to have your surgery. I send you much love, much strength, many hugs.

Hey! Being scared is normal! You are doing something huge and wonderful for yourself!! It's going to be okay. It's widely acknowledged that I am the BIGGEST weenie when it comes to pain and any sort of doctor stuff. And you know what? I did this ALL on my own. Went to the hospital myself. Had no visitors. My sister flew down the next afternoon and drove me home (hospitals won't let you drive home alone since you will likely be on morphine which is a narcotic and plus still have anesthesia in your veins...but hey, you *could* take a cab home if you needed to!). My sis stayed for a couple days but had NO sympathy for me. And she left out quick and left me alone again. And you know what, I felt terrible sorry for myself. And I wallowed in it for a couple days. I WALLOWED. Then I picked myself up by my bootstraps and I rented a funny movie and laughed so hard my port hurt...and I got better. And I am happy!! And you know what? That one hour surgery? It was nuthin'....I mean NUTHIN'!! It goes SO easy and yeah, you know what, there is some pain on the other side of the surgery. And you take meds. And it gets better. And about a week after surgery you say to yourself...you know what? I feel pretty good! And you realize you are stronger and braver and have more courage than you ever thought possible. And you begin to feel strong. And you regain energy while you lose weight. And it's good. And you are happy. And you realize you can take on the world. And you smile at your pre-surgery self who was so scared. *hugs* We're here for you.

Hey! How did the fill go? Okay, now that it's over it can be said my first fill was a *terrible* experience, BUT (and this is important) the restriction I have from the fill is SO SO SO worth it!!!!!! Hope all went well. Check back in and tell us!!!!

Man do I ever agree with that. The difference in restriction when it's that time of the month and not is HUGE. I'm one of those who is WIDE OPEN while Auntie Flo is in town. But literally, overnight, Flo ended and today I can barely eat. Yesterday I ate everything I could lay hands on. Weird thing this little band.

Margo, yes it's normal. You are still healing and it takes a LONG time for the muscles around your port to heal. jachut, it's VERY important not to lift anything after surgery. This is true of ANY surgery done on the stomach area. My sis had laparoscopic work done on her tubes and was told the same thing. What she learned to do was sit on the couch then slide one of her twin boys up on the couch then onto her lap. Or she knelt down and let them climb on her. You don't want to blow out healing muscles in your trunk area. They take a LONG time to heal since they are used so much.

:does the happy dance for you!!!: (good thing happy dancing burns calories!!) Congrats!

Becky! You are amazing and beautiful and perfect just as you are right now! We embrace you heartily! Congrats on your AMAZING progress and keep up the good fight!!!!! That little band of yours is one amazing device! Love that little thing as much as I love mine!!!

Yup, mine took exactly one hour. Before you even know it, you're done! Yay you and good luck. If you get a chance to post please do let us know how you are doing!!!

I've no doubt that Wilson will treat you FAR better than that darn ol' fairweather friend Food ever did! Good on ya for "getting it"! You earn a bandster gold star by your name!!!

muffinbirdie also here on this site lost all of her weight. I believe she had a band slip and gained a skosh back but got either a fix or a new band and is right back on track. Personally, she's a HUGE inspiration to me!!

Ditto on the McD's fries. It was AWFUL! They just STUCK to my esophagus. I didn't do a full PB because thankfully I stopped eating, but OH MY DEAR GOD. It was awful. I also tried a cheeseburger and it also was horrifically painful. I've had nary a craving for anything McD's since. Ew, ew, ew.