JustWatchMe

Pro tip: don't eat the pit. You're welcome.

Oh, pish posh. Vacation is just that. It's over and now you're back to the daily routine. You're entitled to a vacation. Just get back on plan today and it will even out. I went to Italy and came back four pounds heavier but lost it in days. If you need a kick start, pretend you had a band fill and have to go on liquids for 48 hours. Be kind to yourself. And guess what. Vacation after WLS can still be enjoyable without the guilt. Our tool lets us get right back to basics without sliding into despair like we did before. You're going to be fine. You know how I know? Because you're here posting about it. Congratulations on your continued success!

You're embarking on a process that is so life changing that you will need all your energies on it from now going forward. It has to be for you and what you want and what you are committed to do. Now is the time to set boundaries about it with family. They cannot decide for you what you should or shouldn't do. I had the dubious advantage in that my husband was not supportive, so I didn't even seek his approval or advice. My kids were supportive but again, this is my process and I knew the eating rules were different from what they were familiar with. I laid out what I had to do and even if they made suggestions I still did what my surgical team told me. Here's what I think. Your post sounds like their interference is already irritating you. That's a sign to nip it in the bud. Figure out what your bariatric team's pre op eating protocol is and start it. If you feel the need to explain it to your family go ahead. But you don't have to. This is YOUR life, your body, your surgery, your decision. If they want to diet while you do your thing, God bless em. But keep the peanut gallery under control and out of your brain. Keep coming here for support. You can do this!

Please share! Today I took a bike ride. How long I've neglected my body and pretended it didn't exist. I hid it and was ashamed of it. I put it behind closed doors and fed it garbage and didn't move it. I pumped it full of pharmaceuticals and acted like it wasn't part of me. My spirit was dying and I didn't care. I didn't understand that my body and my spirit are connected. Until I began to care for my body and heal it, I had no interest in healing my spirit. I only cared about how I felt at any given moment. If I felt nervous, I had to fix my nervousness. If I felt happy, I had to pump up my happiness so it wouldn't end. I didn't understand that these reactive impulses were not benefiting me. They were survival techniques but I didn't know I was merely surviving from one feeling to another. Today I look at and care for and watch and pamper and plan for and decorate and embrace my body. I find myself wanting to do the same for my spirit. I'm understanding that they go together. It's not a task on a check off list. It's a change in perception and awareness. How many times have I said that nothing will change unless everything changes? I know it in my head. Now I feel it in my body, and I sense it in my spirit. How do you feed your soul?

"I've hit a new low" is something to celebrate!

I just came from a gastric band/sleeve support group over an hour from my home. I try to attend this meeting every month because of the unbelievable success stories in that room and being able to listen to WLS patients who are 10 and 15 years out. I don't talk because it's not for LapBand (they have their own meeting but I can't get there on time) but I don't have to talk. I just sit there and soak up the success. You will be amazed at the changes in your life only a few short weeks after surgery. Once the pounds start coming off, everything improves. I think that the nervousness shows that you really have thought this through and are going in with realistic expectations. You will be fine. We do grieve our former life and coping mechanisms even though we desperately want to give them up. No matter what hiccups or bumps in the road we each encounter, the big picture is what is important. My LapBand saved my life. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I'm a new person and I'm just starting to discover what I can do. Be nervous but do it anyway! It's all good!

You get a lap band adjustment and are grateful for two days of liquids because it will move the scale down.

@@RedStorm, "Personal goal for September~ embrace turning 40!" Happy birthday!

Ouch! I have excellent insurance coverage. Paid minimal out of pocket for banding in March and pay small amounts after insurance for each fill. I came home yesterday to find I owe $764 dollars from a routine 6 month blood panel ordered by my PCP in June. I was sure it was a mistake. The gross amount charged was $870. Nope. I called the number and they said my insurance benefits have maxed out for the year. Yikes! I have a fill scheduled with my LapBand office Tuesday and was planning a mammogram in November. I need to call the insurance office Tuesday to see what will and what won't be covered for the rest of 2014 but I did not need this bill right now. I was so happy that WLS was covered so well (major medical had my max out of pocket as $2500) but I never thought to check the other coverage. It might just be maxed out in certain categories like blood tests. I had a lot of that this year due to WLS. Trying not to worry.

I spoke to BCBS today and it was only the "routine" category (exams, blood panels) that I maxed out until December 31. I can live with that. My mammogram is due in February which is a new year anyway and my LapBand visits are billed differently than routine so I'm good. Whew! Going for a fill today. Thanks everybody!

Banded in March. Hair loss started in June and still going. Trying not to worry. There are several threads here about it. Good luck.

@@serenity55, I like the term reprogramming. Our habits are not only physical but mental. Change the brain and the body will follow. You mentioned arthritis and walking. I rode a bike today. Just a few months ago it hurt way too much to ride. Back in the spring the up bend on my right knee brought me to tears. I was talking to my best friend today and wondering aloud why the knee didn't hurt as much today. The weight loss from a few months ago to now is of course a nice thing, but the pain in my knee was not from bearing weight. It was from bending it up. She mentioned all the walking I do now. I walk every single day. Sometimes just a little but most days a moderate amount. She reminded me of what my rheumatologist told me years ago but what I chose to ignore. Exercising my leg muscles helps relieve stress in the arthritic joint. The more work the surrounding strong muscles can do, the less work the joint itself has to bear. I was so happy to make this connection today. It only took me ten years to follow his advice. I'm hoping that I can live without my cortisone injections now. We will see. Thanks for your post!

@@Bandista, my dad had dementia too. I remember the feeling of being in the moment with him. As heartbreaking as it was, there was something utterly pure about our relationship near the end.

I didn't have a puréed stage per se. I had six weeks of full liquids followed by solids. But on liquids I could put anything into a blender that I wanted and liquefy it.

Zero at surgery. 4.5 first fill. My band is 14cc. I later had another 3.0 and then a third one of either 0.25 or 0.5. Can't remember. I have another tomorrow. Honing in on my green zone.

I would be independently wealthy and travel the world and be a motivational speaker. Hey, you asked!

Omg this made me laugh out loud. Here's my variation. I'm one of those embarrassing moms who carries her phone in her bra, on the side. Why? Because I only wear stretch pants that have no pockets. I know I've had WLS because I can't fit my phone in my bra anymore without it being visible. Smaller bra. Not as much room. Phone sticks out. Yesterday I panicked after leaving a restaurant. I couldn't find my phone. I searched my bra. I searched my purse. I searched my car. My daughter dialed it and my butt rang. Mom, you seriously didn't check your pocket first? I forgot I had pockets in my new shorts. Life is good.

My surgeon's office lets me drink liquids up to my first bite of my meal and then no drinking for 20 -30 minutes afterwards. If you don't drink before your meal, what is the reason? I actually try to drink a glass of Water before I start eating so I'm not thirsty during my meal as well as to "fill up" a little. Is it counterproductive? Just wondering what the reason is for no liquid before. Thanks!

Hi Bandsters! I just took a bike ride. My knees are p!$$3d off but the rest of me is ecstatic. Being able to chug up a hill without panting is priceless. Being able to coast down a hill is exhilarating. My personal goal for September is to feed my soul. I'm going to start a thread on the general forum for this. By the way, this Banders #6 thread definitely feeds my soul.

I chose my band because I was fearful of stomach rerouting and cutting. My mother had stomach issues at my age due to arthritis meds and I took arthritis meds for decades too. I was fearful of messing with what might already be a compromised digestive tract. That said, I realize banding messes with it too, but less drastically. The flip side of getting the band is that there is a lot more medical aftercare and continual adjustments. I don't think the habits we learn are all that different than those needed by sleeve or RNY patients. We just have the added factor that we can have a band slip or medical emergency from crappy band cheating habits. So vigilance is key. I won't speak to vigilance on the other surgeries because I'm not knowledgeable about them, but I suspect you can really mess up your body by cheating around those tools as well. I have come to realize on this forum that my band may not last forever and may have complications down the road and may even require surgical correction or replacement. I suppose I wasn't understanding that back when I chose it. But if I had to choose again I'd still choose the band. For me, it's been wonderful so far and if I have issues I will address them as they arise. Meanwhile I'm going to treat my band with respect and follow the rules. If I have medical complications I will hopefully recognize them and handle them promptly.

Do they know how and why it leaked? How long did you have it before the trouble started? Did you have weight gain or other symptoms? Sorry you're going through this.

Do research all your options and talk to your surgeon. Go to an orientation at a Center of Excellence. Go to some open support group in-person group meetings and listen to people talk about real experiences. You're already on your way. Be happy that you are investing in yourself. Good luck and stay connected here! The right surgery is different for each person. They all have pros and cons. The more you learn the clearer it will become.

Name, real or screen~ JustWatchMe Goal weight for September 30th~ 205 Weight on September 1st~ 213.6 Age~ 53 City/State~ Chicagoland Dietary goal for September~ fewer carbs Exercise goal for September~ bicycling and walking Personal goal for September~ feeding my soul Date banded~ March 13, 2014 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 88 Favorite Fall Activity~ shuffling through crunchy leaves

213.6 09/01/2014

Hey everyone! Living life today and happy. What a gift!