steph_co

There's a member here named FairyFacade (Laura) that had a flipped port. She said she'll be back to post on Thursday. You could try PMing her then.

My first fill took me to 4.5 cc and I can tell you that it helped me none whatsoever. I was starving pretty near all the time. My 2nd fill took me to 6.5 cc and it was a HUGE difference. I can last about 3.5-4 hours after eating before I feel hungry. And I can eat a whole lot less. Even with that, I STILL stalled on weight loss. So don't feel bad. It'll get better. This whole thing is a journey. As I've heard people say before, this isn't a race. You'll get better with more fill.

I felt normal around day 10. Still had port discomfort, though - that lasted several weeks. I couldn't lie on my side until about 3 weeks out and I did try a pillow under my tummy to help and it didn't at all. It'll get better - hang in there!

Around day 10 I felt normal...like I hadn't even had surgery. The only long-lasting effect was the port discomfort.

LOL...I took a 3-hour car trip home after having my surgery. And I take a 3-hour car trip home after each fill. When I was headed home from surgery, I had to stop every hour to get out and walk a bit. My surgeon and staff were well aware that I live 3 hours away. I think it's whatever you're comfortable with.

I'm a picky eater, too. I'd say it's most important to get your Protein, so as long as you are getting your doctor-recommended amount, I wouldn't worry too much. You can always use Protein shakes to supplement. As for people wondering why you're eating less...just say you're trying to make better choices. With you eating with other people a lot, I would make sure to practice the bandster eating techniques so that you don't feel pressured to eat at their pace and end up in pain - THAT might be obvious. You might want to start now whenever you are around them. Cut your food in small bites, chew-chew-chew 30 times, no liquids with meals. Hopefully if it becomes second nature by the time you get the band, you'll be able to get through the meal without trouble. Make sure to not load down your plate, either, or you'll feel the pressure to finish and that can also be painful (eating too much). There are many things you can say...trying to eat better, not really that hungry, going out for a big dinner with the family that night, etc. I mostly just eat around DH, but we go out to restaurants and it's not obvious that I'm banded. Just don't let the pressure to eat like other people get to you! That has kicked me in the rear more than once. As to the hungry question during liquid phase. Hmm. Thinking back, I don't really remember being terribly hungry. I think it was because of the swelling. And really, you can drink to your heart's content while on liquids, so if you feel hungry again, go get something else. Protein goes a long way towards satiating hunger, so make sure you get your protein shakes.

I got the Kelo-cote gel because of the inspiration from your scar stages pic, Banster. I had an allergic reaction, or something, and I'm not allergic to anything. It caused two of my scars to bubble up worse with yellow pus until they popped and then the scar was wider than when I started. I know reactions aren't common for everybody, but I would highly recommend trying this on one of your SMALL scars first. As soon as I stopped using it, my scars calmed down.

Age, height, gender, exercise, caloric intake, metabolism, genetics...they all have a hand in how fast you lose weight and EVERYBODY will be different. I was banded 11/15/07 and I've lost 45 lbs so far...only 3 of which was from the 3-day pre-op Clear liquids diet.

If you managed to read my post, you will see that I quoted exactly whom I was talking about. Two posters are referring to ONE CERTAIN DOCTOR. Guess I'm the only one paying attention. I am certainly up for good discussion and no, it doesn't have to be about Lap Band. OBVIOUSLY - based on my first post in this thread. What gets me is people thinking they are being sly or some garbage with the name-dropping. I just hope nobody is stupid enough to not see the advertisement for what it is. This thread sounds exactly like what Wasabubblebutt talked about in her thread about patient coordinators. It just makes me angry when people will abuse a message board like this for their own purposes. And no, I wasn't referring to you or I would have either used your name or quoted your post.

*snort* Gee...is this an advertising thread, or what? Considering this newest "supporting poster" has only posted about LASIK, either. Is advertising allowed on this board?

I go out to eat a couple times per week. No PB problems, no sliming...and I do have good restriction. Just eat slow and if necessary, STOP and let things pass. I eat out with my husband and while he DOES know I have the band, nobody else in the restaurant does. The server may just wonder if something was wrong with the food because I eat so little of these HUGE portions they bring out. :thumbup: I haven't had any alcohol since getting banded...I think I'm afraid of stalling my weight loss.

I do fine with capsules. I take a B complex, pomegranate, and grape seed extract. I do a chewable vitamin that tastes pretty good. The only thing I have issues with is the glucosamine. I break it in half and STILL feel like it's going to rip apart my insides. I have to fight to not PB it. But those are pretty big. A tiny pill like a BCP would not be a problem, at all. I also take Tylenol when necessary and can down 3 of those at a time and not even notice them.

That's who I used. Are you going to self pay? I LOVED the medical center where I had it done - the staff was incredibly responsive. They called me the day after and when I didn't answer, they left a message and called me the next day. And they sent me a card. LOL It kind of made me feel good that it felt like there were people out there wishing me well on the whole thing. I do like his office staff. I have a bit of a gripe with the receptionist - she can be a little short on the phone (I'm not the only one who thinks so), but she is okay in person, I guess. I LOVE the doctor and his NP is great (Allyson - she does the fills). I think the social worker that does the psych evals was wonderful - she seems to genuinely care about people and isn't just putting on a show. The nutritionist who puts on the nutrition class is a little argumentative, but the other nutritionist is great. Haha...I gave you the downlow on the staff. :thumbup: Just a heads' up, I guess. Being a self-pay, Allyson was aggressive with my fills and I surely appreciate it because my next scheduled fill is going to be out of pocket, but I may not need it if I stay at this level of restriction (6.5 in 10cc).

Nope. My gynecological medical history wasn't even asked about except when I mentioned unexplained infertility and then it was just the history of that - they never asked when was the last time I had had a pap.

*snort* Done in 5 mins. I wish. LOL I don't mean ALL the time, but sometimes when I'm in a hurry, it would be nice. I miss eating when I think of foods I'd like to stay away from (carbs...the bad ones), but once I start eating a meal, it's such a chore I wish it was over with. I'm a major food addict, so yes - I do miss using that addiction. It is a major adjustment. But with the restriction I have now, I have no choice if I don't want to be in pain.

I paid $10,850 in Denver, CO. But my surgeon is now charging $9,900.

What's the deal? WHY, when I say, "No thank you, nothing at all to drink," do they always think they're being helpful when they bring me Water and say, "Just in case!" I'm getting tired of it. I wasn't kidding when I said nothing to drink. I don't even like it on the table because I used to be a major meal drinker and it's a subconscious thing to reach for that glass in the middle of a bite. I haven't drank any, yet, but I keep wanting to reach for that dang glass. What can I say without saying, "I've had surgery, I can't HAVE anything to drink with my meal," that'll get them to BELIEVE me that I REALLY don't want anything to drink? I'm actually getting to the point where I think it's really rude when they ask what to drink and I say nothing and they say, "Not even water?" I say no, thank you and they STILL bring me that dang water. :wink: I know it's not a huge deal and it's not going to alter the course of the universe whether or not they put water in front of me, but it makes my struggle to follow my band and diet rules that much harder.

2...with a decent amount of restriction. I'm up to 6.5cc in a 10cc band.

:eek: That sucks, Lizzie. If it were me, I honestly think I'd have a complete unfill to let the tummy calm down and not worry about restriction right now. The tummy needs to heal. I'd be scared my band could slip or erode from the irritation. I hope you get it to a level that things can heal up. That doesn't sound fun at all.

I'm noticing water being vital to weight loss, too. Have had a really bad cold the past few days and haven't felt like putting anything in (to include water) and the scale has stopped since Thursday. I'm making myself get more tonight and hopefully I can get a ~whoosh~.

Yikes. That sounds awful. I'm really sorry to hear that - I'd be freaking out. Looks like it's nearly time for your nurse to be off work. I have no idea how your nurse does your fills, but you can find a good level of restriction by drinking some water and seeing if it goes through. For instance, on my first fill she tried to up me to 5 cc and water wouldn't go through, so she backed off .5 cc and I could drink water just fine. Make sure you drink some water before you leave and wait about 5 mins or more to make SURE. That's scary. Hope you're doing better this morning and that you're on your way to being able to drink water!

Pregnancy with the Lap-band (NEW!) - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support Lots of info regarding being pregnant and banded.

:eek: I didn't know that anybody SOLD used undergarments! Gross. I didn't even think that was legal. I'm shopping in my closet a bit, but I mostly just have stuck with one pair of jeans once I got heavy because I hated trying that stuff on. I'm saving $40 per pay period (equal to or even a bit less than what I used to spend on JUNK food) and putting it in savings....when I get down to goal, it's time to go on a shopping spree. :biggrin: In the meantime, I'll buy one size pair of jeans at a time and they are Walmart jeans. As for my work pants, I bought a new pair when I went from 42 to 36 and I'm going to try and hold off with these pants until I get to goal since I'm almost halfway there. They'll be pretty bulky once I get down to size. My uniform shirts are provided. My theory was basically that I didn't want to buy cute clothes when I got heavy because I didn't want yet one more excuse to stay big.

I guess it comes down to weighing the pros and cons. It can be a scary choice just because it's such a HUGE choice. But you know what's right for you and how to get there. I was a major sweet-eater before the band. I was also afraid I wouldn't be able to kick that habit. But once you are properly restricted and you make sure to eat your regular balanced meals (Protein first, veggies next, then fruit or multi-grains), there really isn't room for much else! And really, because I've made myself stay away from sweet stuff for the most part, I can't handle sweet stuff as well as I used to. It makes me ill if I eat too much. The NP at my Dr's office also mentioned to me that as you lose a bunch of weight, your taste buds can change which can include making sweets taste TOO sweet. It's an adjustment, but you can do this. And you will be AMAZED at what you are capable of doing when you have such a powerful ally on your side!

I am afraid people will treat me differently. There's a girl that I deal with at my work that used to be real talkative to me and since she heard from my DH that I was losing weight, when I've seen her in person, she'll barely look at me. :party: I don't get it. I was a buddy before and now I'm scum, or something. I act exactly the same, I say hi to her and she'll look right past me to my husband and say hello. I have noticed girls are a little colder to me now which is really strange because honestly, I didn't expect it. I have also noticed that guys are nicer, I wasn't expecting that, either. But I mean even the ones that know I'm married and there isn't any chance in hell of something happening between us...they want to sit and talk with me. WTH? It must be a societal thing. I lost a bunch of weight when I was in my senior year of HS, but I don't remember this kind of a change in people. Of course, I am a bit more outgoing now than I was then (I think I was scared that my own shadow would notice me), so maybe that's why. And no - I don't act any differently now than I did 45 lbs ago.