lapbandliz

Please take tornado warnings seriously. I was in one before and it is the most scary thing I've ever experienced! I grew up in Florida so I was used to hurricanes and severe weather, but this happened in East Tennessee! The car my husband (then fiance) was in, was totalled around him with glass and bricks and debris everywhere. And the brick building I was in fell down around me with those concrete tables and umbrellas blowing around like paper. I was told that someone had to pull me down because I was starting to lift off the ground. All I remember is one minute I was looking at the sky grow black and thing starting to blow toward the plate glass window and the next thing I know, I'm about 10 feet away on the ground with 3 other people and the building is gone! I'm very thankful that nobody was hurt or killed. We didn't have a scratch on us, but had bits of debris and glass embeded all the way through our clothes. I tell you all this to encourage you to heed the safety warnings. This happened to me 28 years ago and I still get very uneasy where there is severe weather around.

I know it's April 4, but I want to be on it, too--water and exercise. Maybe if I concentrate on those 2 things more, I'll begin to see the scale move.

What am I doing wrong? I'm getting so frustrated! I'm eating less than 1200 calories a day. I'm staying fairly active. I have not lost any weight in over a month! It seems like the only weight I lost was the 8 pounds before the lap band and then the 17 in the first 3 weeks after surgery. Now I have just stopped since about March 12. What can I do? I'm so upset!!!! I wanted this to work so badly. Why isn't the weight coming off?:think

Hi everybody! My husband had surgery today and has had a really hard time. I wondered if any of you have had similar things happen and how you recovered. I had my surgery 1 month ago today and it was very different from what my husband is experiencing. It began with the dr. coming out after surgery and telling me that he had a really hard time. Most of my husbands weight is in his belly, so I guess that is what made the surgery more difficult. But anyway, the dr. told me that he wanted to do the gastric x ray before he would even give him ice chips or Water. They took the xrays 3 times before it finally passed through his stomach. His stomach is hugely distended and he's been in a lot of pain since he woke up. He has not been able to pass any of the gas in either direction and is really nauseaus. Now he has developed a slight fever. I'm really getting very concerned. He says he can feel his sips of water go all the way down and it hurts all the way down. Have any of you had an experience like this? What should we be expecting? Is he going to be able to come home tomorrow? Is all this normal? Please give us some advice. And for those of you who pray, your prayers would really be appreciated! Thanks.

Thanks for all the encouraging words and advice. My husband is doing much better today. The Dr. released him from the hospital this afternoon so we're back home now. His fever is gone and he's getting around pretty well, but still in a lot of pain. Now we are working on trying to get all the protein in, with limited 2 oz. of liquid at a time. The gas is still in there, but he's trying to move and walk, so hopefully that will disappear soon. Thanks again!

My husband is also a pastor. I had my surgery on 2/19/07 and his is scheduled for this Monday, 3/19/07. I hope we will both be as successful as you both have been. It will certainly be much easier since we will be going through this together and eating the same foods. How has your church family handled all this? Congratulations to both of you! I'm so happy for you!

I thought they only did the gastric bypass in Hershey. That's why I went to Harrisburg to the Weight Loss Clinic and Community General Hospital. It was a small hospital, but they've been great. Just a thought....

I was banded on 2/19 also and have lost 21 pounds. I'm so hungry!!!!! I've also been fighting the tiredness and fatigue. I'm trying hard to get in my 60 gr of protien a day. My doc told me to eat the 3 meals (1/2 cup soft food) and supplement with 1 protein shake a day. That amount of food is not even beginning to be the least bit satisfying and on top of that the scales just aren't moving. Its been over a week since I've seen any change at all and I haven't had more than 1100 calories a day on average. If we don't have any restriction at this point, why do we have to limit our food intake so drastically? I keep hearing that when the band is filled, that's when we'll start seeing results and won't be hungry anymore. Is that right? Please tell me it is, or what is the point of going through all this?

Is your doctor with the group in Dalton -- Dr. Ponce, etc. or Dr. Walter Rose. I've heard nothing but good about Dr. Ponce. If you can't find help in Chatt, go to Nashville or Atlanta.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I just started mushies on Thursday last week and did great until yesterday. I don't know what happened to me. I ate my whole meal last night. Granted it was grilled catfish, mashe potatoes and cooked apples. I only ate about half at the restaurant, but when I got home...I just devoured the rest of it, along with a whole biscuit. Then tonight, I ate half a carton of ice cream! WHY DID I DO THAT---I was doing so well. It's like I'm drawn to it and just can't stop myself. My husband is getting banded on Monday and after seeing me eat a whole meal last night, he's wondering if this is going to work for either of us. Hopefully, he won't find out about the ice cream. The last thing I want to do is discourage him, and also since we are self paying, I don't want to waste the 24,000 we're spending! Any advice to help get me back on track? I don't think my doctor will give me a fill until April 13. :cry

I thought for sure I would have lost weight 3 days after surgery and I got on the scale and was 10 pounds heavier! I was so upset! Anyway, it came off and then the weight started coming off. I asked my doctor about it last week at my post-op appt and he said they purposely put lots of fluids in because heavier people tend to be very dry. He said that is what is supposed to happen to keep us hydrated for a few days. Don't worry--just do what you're supposed to and you'll see a change soon.

Please don't steal the seat belt extenders. You can easily buy one very inexpensively. I bought a seatbelt extender on ebay. It was not expensive and now I don't have to worry. When I lose my weight, I'll sell it.

Is this normal? My surgery was on the 19th. I was supposed to have 3 days of Clear Liquids, followed by 14 days of any liquids, then 2 weeks of mushies? I'm hungry ALL the time on liquids. I've even cheated some and Soup that I didn't puree. I chew it very well though. What can I do? I see my doctor tomorrow for my first follow up. Please tell me it gets better on the mushie stage -- or do I have to wait for a fill before I'm not hungry all the time? And on top of all that, I've only lost like 6 or 7 pounds since the surgery on the 19th! A lot of you look like you lose alot faster than that. Why am I not losing more?

I lived in Chattanooga for 15 years and just moved away a little over a year ago. I went to Dr. Ponce's seminar and even did the Physician Supervised Weight Loss Program through Memorial Hospital. At the time, there was no way for me to afford the Lap Band. Then, we moved to Pennsylvania and our circumstances changed. My family really pushed for me to go back to Chattanooga and have Dr. Ponce do the surgery because he is so well-respected in the field. After a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to stay closer to home. The price was going to be about the same for self-pay (hospital here and surgery center in Dalton). I was finally banded on 2/19/07 and have been doing great. The Weight Loss Center in Harrisburg and the Community General Hospital were great. My husband is about to be banded in just a few weeks. My thought is, if you feel comfortable with Dr. Ponce and Memorial and you already have the money, go for it and don't give it a second thought- just be thankful God provided a way. If money is a big issue, talk to your family and research where you might want to go to save a few thousand. My total cost was $12,500. Even that is a lot of money, but the way I look at it is that over the course of a year the savings in prescriptions and food will about cover it. And, you either pay that money now, or in the future have some serious health problems that will cost you a lot more. I hope you can come to a point where you feel comfortable about your decision and can get excited about all the new possibilities. It has only been 2 weeks for me since I was banded and already 3 people at church yesterday told me they could really tell I've lost some weight! It felt so good to hear that!!!! Whoever you decide to use, just do it -- I don't think you'll regret it.

This is a very scary account. I'm so glad you sought help as soon as you did and are going to be okay. This is a very good reminder to all of us to follow the eating instructions exactly and be very vigilant when we see something happening that just doesn't seem right. Thank you for sharing this. I've only been banded 2 weeks, but have already had a few things to eat that I shouldn't have--this definitely makes me think twice before I do that again. I know that even though you were doing everything right you still had this problem. I just don't want to do something wrong and then have a problem. So, what I'm trying to say, is that, I think you've helped me to understand the seriousness of the complications that could occur. I want to do everything I can to avoid those possible complications. Thanks so much for the reminder! I hope you will be feeling better soon.

I don't know what to do. I just had the surgery and only told a few people. My husband is having it probably next month. The problem is that he is a pastor and everybody in the congregation wants to know everything about us. I feel like this is something I want to keep private, but how do I handle some very nosy people? Already some negative things have been said about me because I wasn't at a meeting on Tuesday night (the day after my surgery while I was still in the hospital). HELP, please!

I totally agree with you. I was just banded on Monday and still on liquids. I just can't believe what an effect these things are having on me. It seems like every other commercial has something to do with food! No wonder half the country is obese -- it is so hard to overcome. The one that is getting to me now is the cinnamon pancakes at IHOP. I want one so bad!!!!!

What in the world??? I haven't had a thing to eat since Sunday and I'm 10 pounds heavier than I was when I weighed in at the hospital. Has this happened to anybody else? Is it just all the IV fluids and gas they gave me in the hospital? My day after surgery was really rough. There was no way I could go home. Everytime I sat up or tried to stand, I almost passed out and/or threw up. Apparantly, my sleep apnea is worse than I knew and my oxygen levels kept dropping -- even when I was awake. So, I had to stay in the hospital an extra day. I came home yesterday after being banded on Monday afternoon. I, too, have had the gas pains. It was so bad last night that you could actually see my stomach move as the gas rolled around. This clear liquid stage is getting old. At least I get to start on milk and protein shakes tomorrow. I'm feeling better everyday, but I hope I can figure out soon what I'm feeling - whether it is gas, hunger, restriction, whatever.

Okay, dtrmt07 and Ouachita, today's our day! I wish you both the best and will look forward to comparing stories later this week. I plan on trying to think of all the positive outcomes I expect from this and try to put all the scary, nervous things out of my head. Get ready, here we go......

Well, when I wake up in the morning, I'll be getting ready to go to the hospital. My surgery is set for 1:00. I've been so nervous all day! I've just read new posts about how painful this is. I just hope I'm ready for it and don't chicken out at the last minute. I know this is the right thing to do and I've waited so long to do it. Thoughts and prayers would really be appreciated. I guess this will be my last post until I get on the other side of this. Thanks so much to everyone for your honesty in your posts and for the encouragement I've received in response to my posts. I hope everyone who has a 2/19 band date has a really easy time and no complications. I'll try to let you know how it went when I get home from the hospital on Tuesday.

My band day is one week from today. I'm starting to get really nervous and scared and wondering if I'm really doing the right thing. For the last few days I've been eating uncontrollably --worse than ever. I haven't been like that in the past. It's almost like I'm trying to eat everything I can because I know I won't be able to after next week. Anybody else do that? I know getting the band is the only thing that is going to help me, but after reading all the posts about the gas pains and surgical pains, I'm really getting aprehensive. Please tell me how you got through the last few days before your surgeries.:confused:

Hey, Beach Bum, you have the same zip code as I did when I lived there. Did you go to High School there? I graduated from Woodham in '75.

Hi, I was born and raised in Pensacola, but not there now. It's a great place and will always be home to me. It is much too cold where I live now!

I've finally gotten a surgery date. I'll be banded on February 19. I have all different kinds of emotions--excited, scared, hopeful, apprehensive, etc. I've tried to lose weight for so long....I KNOW this is the right thing to do. I'll be very thankful for all the support y'all can give! It looks like there are a lot of us February banders--I hope we can all help each other!

I MAY have an autoimmune problem - I've been to lots of doctors over the years because of weird symptoms. Now, my allergy doc yesterday told me he believes I do have an autoimmune problem. I'm about to be banded in a week or so. Why would an autoimmune disease be a problem if you have the band?