abeaher

I have been banded for almost 6 weeks. I never considered myself dependant on food but I am realizing how much I used to eat for reasons other than being hungry. I guess I was an emotional eater afterall. I am just trying to find other things to occupy my time. Good luck, we all feel you.

I know your frustration. My doc will only fill 1cc at a time and ONLY every 8weeks!! He says that the slower people go the more successful they are with the weight loss. Hope this is encouraging. Hang in there.

My doc said NO caffeine AT ALL. He says it dilates the esophagus......who know....I have not heard that philosophy from anyone else though. I stayed away from it for about 3 weeks and gave in. Some mornings I just need it!!

This is frustrating. I am terrified of eating around my band so I try to consume only protein and veggies and majorly limit carbs. However, meats and veggies are SOOOOO hard to get down. They get stuck and it hurts! I can't live on cottage cheese. Help!!

Allykat, I am the same way. My doc gave me pretty much the same instructions. I too am finding that most anything will do down with the exception of chicken and some veggies which is crap because that is what I need to be eating. I am tired of living on cottage cheese and eggs and many other things that fill me up ar carbs. I had my first fill last week and it helped for a couple of days and now nothing. I just keep telling myself that it ahs only been four weeks and I am expecting too much. Hopefully it will get better with every fill.

Attention anyone banded in Feb. What is your total loss so far? Amber banded 2-22 lost 4lbs so far.

Great suggestions....Turkery meatloaf...yummm. I do need to get a little more creative with meals, it is just hard (busy working mother of 3 young kids). Thanks!!

I had .75 ccs put in 6 days ago. The doctors said I can eat anything, just to go slow. I tried protein shakes but they don;t fill me up. :biggrin:

First Entry. I am embarking on 2 hugely significant journies! First, I was approved Jan 17th for lap band surgery and scheduled for Feb. 22. SO EXCITED!!! Second I am on my second day of sobriety. I am going to start working the steps again either today or tomorrow. I really hope to be successful this time. I need to be clean for my kids. I am EXTREAMLY tired today and can't wait to go home and rest. We are having financial issues too and I don't know how we will make it, but I have faith in God and I know he will provide.

I had my first fill yesterday, he put in 1cc and ouch when I took a sip of water. So I am at .75 ccs and was full after 3/4 of an egg with some cheese. but now an hour later I am hungry.....AHHHH so frustrating.

Thanks to all who responded. I took Jachuts advice and told DH and I quote "I'm a big girl, I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions regarding my dietary intake. I have had 600 calories today(by 8pm) and if I want to use 200 more to have a glass of wine then that is MY choice. I know you are trying to help but you are crossing the line". He has not said anything since. Just wanted to update you.

Ok, technically I am 28 but I started having kids at 20 so I have always been ahead of my peers so I feel more comfortable talking to 30 somethings about LBlife than 20somethings about partying and dating. (Although I miss those days). Anyways, so I went out with girlfriends last Friday and had some drinks. My hubby (supportive but more like weight loss police) says to my neighbor..."She better not be out drinking" and my neighbor later told me she was thinking "what do you think she is doing...she has three little kids and she is out of the house"...lol. So point.....I LOVE a glass of wine with dinner one or two nights a week and I know it is empty calories and Would have to be included in my caloric intake for the day.....but since my hubby is watching me like a hawk I feel like I am 16 sneaking a smoke from my parents! I love my band so far and am doing well, but MAN DO I MISS MY WINE!! He means well and just doesn;t want to see me disappoint myself AGAIN ANYONE ELSE WHO LIVES WITH THE LAPBAND POLICE!!!!LOL

I am going in today. I will be three weeks post tomorrow. I am SO hungry and am eating SO much more so the nurse said it is probably time for a fill. I am reading and it seems this is REALLY early compared to most. I was satisfied on 1000 calories up until this week and I have been eating 1200-1500 calories a day since. Just so you know, I am eating quality calories. this is what I had yesterday 2 peices of light toast and a tbsp of Peanut Butter 140cal granola bar 180 cal 8 saltine crackers and 1/2 container of creamy tomato Soup approx 225 cals 2 peices of light bread 1 tbsp of PB and jelly 220 cals lean pork chop and broccoli 200 cals bowl of bran flakes with ff milk 300 cal about 1300 calories total. I ONLY ate when I was TRULY hungry. What is the deal??? Will a fill help me??

I took Milk of Magnesia. Yes, I was on the toilet for a day but felt 100% better. However, I don;t normally have a problem in that area so this was just a one time deal for me. If you need more than a one time fix to get things moving consider dietary measures, prune juice, pickle juice etc. Good Luck

I am three weeks post op and I get the same sensation. Tightness in the chest. It seems to be exacerbated (sp?) when my stomach is empty, when I am totally starving.

morbid obesity is defined as a BMI over 40 or more than 100lbs overweight. You can find a BMI calculator online, just google BMI calculator. According to the calculator I used your BMI is 36 ish. So according to that number you are obses but not morbidly obese, HOWEVER some insurances will aprove a BMI between 35 and 40 if you have comorbidities (high BP, diabetes, sleep apnea,etc). Every Insurance is different and getting approved can be quite the task but your surgeons office should be able to tell you what you need to submit for approval. YOu do not have to be with an ins company a certain amount of time for them to cover you. I picked up my ins in Jan 08 and was approved the first week of Feb. If you are concerend that they will say it is pre-existing all you need is a letter of credible coverage from your previous carrier. Hope this helps.

I was banded 2-22-08 and 1 week out I have a couple of bites of cheese pizza.....I know I know. I felt AWFUL like such a failure. I think many people have weak moments "testing the water". We all know that this paractice can be very dangerous and lead to "eating around" the band. But don;t beat yourself up, I just had to tell myself "ok Amber, now you know that you can get it down so you will just have to exercise some willpower when it comes to certain foods". You can;t do anything about the past, but you can control the future!! Good lLuck!

I was a bit mortified at the thought of "Productive Burping" and "Sliming" pre band. I am not an expert (banded 2-22-08) but I did PB ONCE and it was because I ate lumpy mashed pot and was WAY to hungry so I ate them WAY to fast. So I would say that it can be caused from both quantity and food type.

The burning and redness are part of your body's immune response to the incision. I know with my c-sections I was told to expect a burning sensation as it is a sign of healing. HOWEVER, while redness can be normal, HEAT and WARMTH to the touch IS NOT that can be a sign of infection. I think your doc needs to take a look at it. Good Luck!!

I thought I might chime in with a personal experience about the sweet tooth band candidate. I was told the same thing about sweets (and people who consume high caloric liquids). Sweets do go down fairly easily (ice cream, shakes, cakes, cookies etc) so if you are weak when it comes to these types of foods you will have to use your own willpower to get past them, the band might prevent you from eating the entire cake but it won;t prevent you from putting down a 1200 calorie piece of Italian Creme Cake. I have never been a big sweet person, however a few days ago I had a run in with some chocolate chip cookies........I put down about 5 of them in a matter of minutes. I was DEVASTATED.....I could not believe they went down so easily! Nothing I can do about it now, it is done. But I did learn from the experience that I would have to implement some willpower against the baked goods. Granted I have not had my first fill yet so this happened with an empty band, but upon talking to other bandsters I learned that couple of little debbie snack cakes will usually go right through. I know better now. Hope my screw up will help you in your band journey. Good Luck!

I am almost 3 weeks out and I called the doctors office to see if it was time to schedule a fill. The girl said " If you are not filling restriction anymore then it is time, but if you are still eating less then you need to wait". Ok, so I have been able to stay on 1000 cals more or less a day for three weeks. I was starving the first week and a half and have since adjusted to the limited food intake. I am not satisfied by any means but my stomach is not having intense hunger pangs. I notice in the last few days I am more hungry and able to eat more before i am full so I think I need a fill. Question: If my tummy is not ready yet will the fill cause harm?

1. Less than pre-op 2. If there is still swelling then it seems to me that filling the band might interfere with the healing process.

Broken rib!!!! There is NO reason you should have a broken rib! That is some serious force.

Great!! I'll be there. Here is my email, shoot me a reminder email on Friday if you don;t mind. I tend to forget about weekend obligation..I get so wrapped up in my kids activities. abeaher@kleinisd.net

Are we still on???? I am not the original poster, I have not heard from her and her email is undeliverable. If you guys would still like to meet this Saturday at 9:30am at the Starbucks at Panther Creek I'm game.