giveyouthemoon

....wow, okay, so I'm just over a month banded. In what seemed like overnight this week I went from being well in control to able to eat everything in sight and not holding back. Wow. These food issues are here again. I'm pretty sure Aunt Flo is supposed to show up anyday now, all the signs are there so I'll attribute this to that. But wowowowow, the ol' "hey let's eat everything in the house" mentality came rushing back at me. I knew the band wouldn't fix that, but I thought I'd go longer than a month before it cropped up. In the pre-band days, I'd just admit I failed another diet and I'd go back to eating the old ways and gaining more and more. Can't do that now. I have that band still intact, still inside of me. I have to wait until Aug. 17th until I can have my first fill. Sigh. August is going to be one long scary month. Just posting here mainly because I need support. Good words, help, whatever. Can I do this? Why am I sabotageing myself? How can I succeed? Will I? What if I fail the band (I know it won't fail me, I'll fail it). :sob: Is anyone out there?

Yoooou asked for it! Here's several:

Wow, that's solid stuff. And in a moment of lucidity when I put down the ever so delicious and advertised as lo card ice cream decadent treat, I realized..."okay, I blew it BAD this weekend....but the band is still there....and I have to deal with that......blowing it now doesn't mean blowing off eating right." This is a huge lesson for me. Delarla, your story is one that fascinates me. How someone who has been through SO much with the ports and the hole and all the really scary stuff....how you are so strong and you haven't given up. Your story is honestly REALLY inspiring to me. After all you've been through you still are happy about the band. That rocks, sistah!

LOL! Actually, I saw on another thread that you called the band your silicon fist, so it was with that in mind that I set out to name my band. I liked the austere nature of "the fist" so I thought about a Russian name.....thus my band was christened "Katrinka". She's like a petulant Russian ballet dancer. Somedays beautiful, some days tough to take. Even my dear friend has taken to calling it that. Like "how are you and Katrinka doing today?"

I'm a little surprised too, I'd figure that solids would have to come first before a fill. Interesting how different docs follow different timetables. Meanwhile...you were banded a week AFTER me and have lost more weight. DAYUM! Good work!!! I'm also on solids tho, so that's seriously slowed down any loss. I don't get my first fill until Aug 17th. Siiigh.

Well this band is the damndest thing I've ever known. So today I decide to get OFF the wild demon and stand firm. Protein shake for Breakfast. Good. I made my lunch, some tuna salad. I'll be damned if I could only eat half. Suddenly I got restriction again? WTF? Maybe the demons have access to my band?? How can THAT be???? All weekend I'm eating EVERYTHING (including Proteins like ground beef and eggs) in massive quantities and today I can only manage half a cup of tuna salad? This band is one weird, fickle creature. Anyhow, Viva le Restriction! By the by.....has anyone named their band? I gave mine a name almost right away. Am I the only weird one?

Yeah Jack, you are right....gotta ride that damn Dragon that came to life inside of me. It was sleeping but roared to life. What a strange trip it was this weekend. Am bruised, battered, but I'm still standing. And yes, I know what to do. Soldier on. Thanks! (thanks also NJChick, I'll re-read that thread)

I seem to be wasting a LOT of food lately, which is fine, just....I can't seem to shake the habit of taking big portions. I will feel ALL kinds of hungry and get a big portion (since I don't have a fill I can eat pretty well) so I get a big portion and end up letting a lot go to waste. I had a waiter roll his eyes at me the other night because I'd ordered two appetizers but only ate one. I didn't want to take the other home and he was offended about it. Sheesh! Question is this.....how long before my eyes learn a better sense of the right size portion to take?

Wow, ya'll got a fill at 3 weeks? My dr won't even hear of a fill until six weeks out. At my four week check up my dr whole heartedly agreed that I need a fill but shrugged and said "sorry, not for another two weeks". I couldn't get in that week so I have to actually wait until week SEVEN to get my first fill. Also, Cyndel, are you trying to eat more "hard" Proteins. I mean, mushies will always go down easily but harder proteins won't. Maybe that will help???

go here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8033&page=2&pp=15 About 3/4 of the way down the page. Links posted by Bobalooey.

Hmmm, are you going to talk to your doc about this because I don't think you should have a fill if you are having problems. Just IMHO. Good luck and let us know how it all works out!!

I'm guessing the cold caused it to tighten up pretty good. I still have troubles with cold, cold drinks and I don't even have a fill yet. I will TOTALLY keep this in mind because I adore Slurpees on a hot day.

MAN! I've read all the threads here and heard ya'll say that your band gets tighter around "that time of the month". Not me, I actually feel like I have LESS restriction and I want to eat EVERYTHING. UGH! My first period post band was the week right after surgery so I was on liquids and I don't think that was a good test. I'm now five weeks post op, it's that time again and I can cram A LOT down my throat. I know, I know, just because I *can* doesn't mean I should. Sheesh, my PMS cravings are BAD today. Plus I'm retaining so much Water I could be an aquafer. SHEESH! :grumpy: Anyone else get loose with PMS? What tricks do you use to get through it?

I didn't have sticky stuff on my belly, they glued my incisions, but I had MAJOR sticky stuff on my left hand from the tape holding the IV in. I was going to let it go, but it got all dirty and my hand looked GROSS. My sister gently suggested I should do something about it.

Yeah, I get my first fill on Aug 17th. I was open but still had some restriction just yesterday. Today I can eat a LOT. This stuff can change in one day? Wow. Thanks.

Oh my god that is the cutest baby!!! What a little beauty!!!

A cottonball and some rubbing alcohol worked for me. Also a little baby oil or if you don't have that, a squirt of non stick cooking oil will also fix you right up...but then you are all oily. edit: Forgot to add, HEY!!! You are a couple days out! CONGRATS on your surgery! How do you feel???

:raises hand: Yeah, that would be me. My super skinny go get 'em surgeons say "don't eat in front of the tv!" Yeah whatever, sparky. I agree tho, what'll I do when my table is gone? Grin, I imagine!!! LOL!!

I had terrible lightheadedness and sometimes still do. I'm not sure what it's about. I had PLENTY of calories and PLENTY of protein too. I attribute it to many things, one this is a massive change for the ol' body and that can be a cause. Two....well, even tho your bp isn't high, it can still get lower. I do have high bp but it's really gotten low already. I think sometimes I get a bp dip. And three....now that your are eating better and more healthfully, I think the ol' blood sugar has to work itself out on how much insulin to release and when. Just takes a while for the system to get back in synch. Just my .02

I tried Corti-slim and it did nothing, nada, zilch for me. The "magic ingredient" is b Vitamins (forget which one, I think b6, but the b vit that you can get over the counter to help calm ya down). The b vitamins are what are helping you sleep. They are a common ingredient in over the counter natual sleep aids. Good luck with it tho......

Um.....what using vacation time? I took sick leave! I took a week and a half, tho it's widely known I'm a weenie. I was feeling great at about a week after surgery if that helps.

So I got some of that Benefiber and it's good stuff. No flavor so it can be used lots of ways. I got the tablets too but they have sugar in them so I probably won't use them much. I finally have gotten some "movement" in my situation. It was like once it started up I couldn't stop. I went and went and went. Ew, I know, but I'm just saying..... Will keep the Benefiber around, it seems to be the right stuff!!

I'll just say this....your fears and doubts are totally NORMAL. I mean, I was walking into the operating room telling myself "you don't have to do this....you don't have to do this...." Having these kinds of doubts and questions are normal. When I scheduled my surgery, I asked the person "so what is the time when I can cancel?" She said "I don't think anyone has ever asked me that". I am glad you've given yourself a month before the surgery. I did the same thing, scheduled my June date in April. I took the month of May to decide.....and I went through a whole RANGE of emotions in that month. But by the end of the month I was ready to go. So spend the next month researching. Go on the web and go to everyone's personal site you can find, read every article, read this board and all the others (there are a few). Hear what people are saying. Spend hours deep in thought about how YOU visualize it will be. And always remember you don't have to do this....you can ALWAYS back out, even in the moments leading up to the actual surgery. You remain in control of this process.

I was told to get in 70 grams of Protein a day and to eat protein first, veggies second and then if there's any room left to try some starches. My doctors say no sugar and low carbs. Others may have different opinions, that's just what my docs say.

Ah Aunt Flo...that Water carrying, salt craving, munchies providing B*TCH!! (sympathies....mine is due in a week.....)