hajohnson1

Hi all, it's been a long time since I've been to this forum. I have been so frustrated for most of the last year that I just chose to stay away. Not that I'm not happy for everyone here and all your successes but it just made me feel worse. Why have I been so frustrated, you ask? I had a leak. It was first noticed about 10 months ago then dismissed. I lost only 50 pounds then regained 10. It was not until a week and a half ago when my surgeon was giving me another fill that he finally noticed that half the saline was out of my band. Couldn't dismiss it anymore. To give him some credit, it appears as though until recently it was a slow leak and easly written off. Anyhow, I had surgery this past thursday to repair it. My surgeon replaced my port and trimmed my tubing. I am hoping that this will do the trick and I can finally succeed in this weight loss journey. At least maybe now I can come back around here with my head held high and not feel like such a loser. So I ask, anyone else have this problem? I figure it's just my kind of luck and I am 1 in a million. :thumbup: Thanks for 'listening' to me vent.

Sorry to hear about your trouble Sades. To tell the truth, I was unaware of them as I had pretty much abanded this site after my own troubles began. It was hard seeing, seemingly, everyone else's weight continue to drop while mine stayed the same and even went up, so I ran away. I'm just now coming back and haven't really even gotten into any of the threads and topics yet. It is nice to know that I'm not alone though with having issues, even though that's kinda a sad thing to say too. I struggle with bad eating choices as well, so I certainly understand that part of your struggle. I hope you can manage to find your motivation. And I hope my determination and motivation stay in high gear for a long long time! Maybe we can help each other keep going strong.:rolleyes2:

I had my corrective surgery on May 7th, 2009 and I am happy to say it looks like a success. I am down more than 10 pounds already and I can finally feel restriction again. The only draw back is that I feel like I'm back at the beginning. I have to relearn what I can and cannot eat and how. But it's all good. This little bit of loss plus knowing the band is finally working right has me motivated all over again. This week I went back to my karate school, attended 3 classes already. I hadn't been there in almost a year! Plus I finally joined a gym and have had two work outs there this week as well, and one of them was even with a personal trainer. Things are looking up. I cant wait to catch up in weight loss to all of you, it will be a challenge but I can do it!

Great motivational tool!

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI QatarPhil...........55......................19%...............32.2 (39.6) Foofy...............43....................15.5%..................37.2 Sades...............35....................15.2%...............35.6 Shalee04...........66.....................26.6................30.3 Bandpal.............77.66..................27%................34.1(47) Skinny_Jill..........50.....................22.5%..............32.7 Stephanie..........60.....................26%.................27.1 Hollyberries........103.....................26%.................37.1 linda.................49.....................21.5..................30. 46 Abbisgood..........53.....................23%.................?? want2lose..........76.4...................26%................33.5 kandiceb............63.....................26%................27.6 Momto1plus1......67.2...................24.9%..............31.7 MollyBrown.........36.....................12.5%..............36.5 TxArcher............101...................25.25%.........52.8 to 39.4 Cindyg...............49.....................19%.................37 Close.................50.....................20%.................33.1 Tmusicmaker123..73.....................19%.................60.1 to 48.7 plump_princess....57.....................22%.................36 Mariegabrieleee....73.....................24%.................51.3 to 39.1 gabeekeeper.......101.....................30% ..................40.2 stranger138........40......................17.4%.................33.7 shortgal..............40......................18.5%..............33.8 Robin_Bird............85.....................27.8%................33.4 Staysee..............70.....................20%................48.4 Hajohnson1..........49.8....................18.2%..............39.8 lindseyann2u........63......................?%.................? Cherlita...............44.......................20%...............65 to 57.5 BandChick64..........90.....................30%.............33.9 tyman311..............61.....................31%...............41 to 28 (so far) BarbBee................69......................23%...............39.4 1949.6 pounds lost to date! My scale is probably lying to me this morning but I'm going to chose to believe it anyway!

3 pound gain? Awww ... don't sweat it! I see-saw back and fourth by about 3 pounds on a daily basis. Yesterday my scale said 226, today it said 228. There are so many variables that play into it from dehydration to even the weather, that I'm not going to worry (and neither should you) about such a small variation. Now that the home life is settling back down for you I'm sure those 3 pounds will evaporate right off anyway! Glad to hear the wife is doing well. Don't stress, it's all good. :biggrin:

Name..........Start........Current.........Goal........ To Go CindyG.........210...........205...........198...........7 TxArcher.......308...........299...........285...........14 Foofy..........235...........233...........225.......... 8 Skinny_Jill....173...........168...........163...........5 Hollyberries...257...........254...........247...........7 Stephanie......173...........173...........159...........14 gabeekeeper....246...........234...........236...........0 Sades..........197...........194...........185...........9 shortgal.......175...........175...........165...........10 Momto1plus1....210...........203...........198...........5.0 Shalee04.......187...........182...........177...........5 osangriared....248...........248...........228...........20 lindata........181.5.........178..........176.5..........3.5 kuchiegrl1.....262.5.........253.5.........252...........1.5 kandiceb.......175...........175...........165...........10 Hajohnson1.....234...........228.4.........219...........9.4 Hopping to it..295...........295...........280...........15 Eulete P.......219...........219...........209...........10 wnr2lose.......211.8.........205.7.........200...........5.7

Please pardon my ignorance, but what is the '5 Day Pouch Test'?

Congrat's!

Don't fret, you'll get there. If it makes you feel any better, I popped back up a pound or so in the last 24 hours. :wink2: Up and down, up and down, what am I, a big old dang see saw?! :thumbup:

Name..........Start........Current.........Goal........ To Go CindyG.........210...........207...........198...........9 TxArcher.......308...........302...........285...........17 Foofy..........235...........235...........225...........10 Skinny_Jill....173...........168...........163............5 Hollyberries...257...........255...........247............8 Stephanie......173...........173...........159...........14 gabeekeeper....246...........246...........236...........10 Sades..........197...........195.5.........185...........10.5 shortgal.......175...........175...........165...........10 Momto1plus1....210...........208...........198...........10 Shalee04.......187...........185...........177...........10 osangriared....248...........248...........228...........20 lindata........181.5.........181.5.........176.5..........5 kuchiegrl1.....262.5.........253.5.........252...........1.5 kandiceb.......175...........175...........165...........10 Hajohnson1.....234...........229.2.........219...........10.2 Hopping to it..295...........295...........280...........15 Eulete P.......219...........219...........209...........10 wnr2lose.......211.8.........208.8.........200...........8.8 __________________ Wahoo, I get to update!

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy...............37.5..................14%.................38 Sades...............33...................14.5%.................35.5 Shalee04...........61.....................24%................31.1 Bandpal.............77.66..................27%................34.1(47) Skinny_Jill..........50.....................22.5%..............32.7 Stephanie..........60.....................26%.................27.1 Hollyberries........99.....................27%.................37.7 linda.................42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood..........53.....................23%.................?? want2lose..........76.4...................26%................33.5 kandiceb............63.....................26%................27.6 Momto1plus1......61.2...................23%................32.6 MollyBrown.........36.....................12.5%..............36.5 TxArcher............98.....................24.5%.........52.8 to 39.8 Cindyg...............47.....................18.5%.................37 Close.................50.....................20%.................33.1 Tmusicmaker123..73.....................19%.................60.1 to 48.7 plump_princess....57.....................22%.................36 Mariegabrieleee....71.....................23%.................51.3 to 39.4 gabeekeeper.......97......................29% ..................40.9 stranger138........36......................15%.................35 shortgal..............40......................18.5%..............33.8 Robin_Bird............76.....................25%................? Staysee..............70.....................20%................48.4 Hajohnson1..........45....................16.4%..............40.6 lindseyann2u........63......................?%.................? BarbBee..............57.......................19%...............42.1 Cherlita...............44.......................20%...............65 to 57.5 BandChick64..........86.....................28.7%.............34.5 TOTAL.......1759.66 Wahoo! I finally get to update! I got a fill last week and have dropped 4 pounds since!

I have yet to lose anything on this challenge. If I were to be updating on the chart, I'd be adding and subtracting the same couple of pounds over and over. :thumbdown:Anyhow, I see my surgeon tomorrow and expect that I will be getting a fill which should mean that I will should actually be able to document a loss next week! I'm really looking forward to doing so!

My doc recommends 60 grams of Protein. I think your protein is fine but I'm wondering about your calorie intake. 600 sounds really low. Twice that, 1200, is what is usually recommended people on a 'diet' try to eat per day. Also, you just had surgery, your body is probably swollen and stuff. Give it time. That said, I'd still take a look at your total calorie intake, is 600 what your doc recommends? I know we all got the band to help us eat less and lose weight, but I also believe there is a minimum threshold, calorie wise, that even we need to meet so that our bodies don't go into starvation mode. But what do I know, with only 40 pounds lost in 5 1/2 months, I'm in the minimum amount of weight lost zone. :thumbup: Good luck!

I feel your pain, both of you. I've lost two of my babies in the two years. Sweetie, my kitty who was nearly 19 when she passed while I was away at my son's high school graduation ceremony and Buddy, my other sweet little kitty who just passed two months ago at the age of 15. Now all I do is worry about my dog, Cocoa, as she is quite old as well. I hope your kitty is okay Kuchie. Foofy, I have no doubt that your babies are now hanging out together waiting for you to show up.

Name..............Start...........Current..............Goal........ To Go CindyG..............210................210..................198....... ....12 TxArcher...........308................308...................285....... ....23 Foofy...............235.................235..................225...... .....10 Skinny_Jill..........173................173..................163...... .....10 Hollyberries.........257...............257..................247....... ....10 Stephanie...........173...............173.................159......... ...14 gabeekeeper........246..............246.................236.......... ...10 Sades................197...............197.................185..............12 shortgal..............175...............175.................165....... ......10 Momto1plus1........210..............210..................198.............12 Shalee04.............187...............187..................177.............10 osangriared..........248................248.................228..............20 lindata................181.5.............181.5...............176.5............5 kuchiegrl1............262.5.............262.5...............252...........10.5 kandiceb.............175................175..................165.............10 Hajohnson1..........234................234..................219.............15 I wanted to go for the gusto and say my goal was 199 but I realize that 35 pounds in less than 2 months is a bit unrealistic, so 15 - I think I can manage that.

Thanks. I lose like Hollyberries. Meaning that I will lose up to 8 pounds in the first couple of weeks after a fill then not lose anything for 3 or more weeks. I know my food cumsumption is not the best. More in the choices than the quantities. It is getting better but is still a work in progress. On the one hand, I am fine with fewer visits to the doctor, but on the other hand, I feel that had I been going monthly, I would not still be in this slump as he most likely would have given me a fill. I guess the main issue I have with my surgeon is that I feel a lack of support. When I'm there it's in and out. I had to phone repeatedly to get any info on classes and support groups (which I haven't managed to make it to yet). As for dietary guidelines - mine are simply 'eat Protein first'. Maybe it's me. I should probably be more assertive about my needs. Problem is, I don't always know what they are. I'm just feeling a bit lost in this, I don't know if expressing this to him would be helpful. It's not like he can hand me a map - it's a learning process, I get that, I ... oh, nevermind, I'm just babbeling now. Thanks for 'listening'!

Name............Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost.......BMI Foofy...............37.5..................14%.................38 Sades...............31.5..................14%.................36 Shalee04...........61.....................24%................31.1 Bandpal.............66.8..................24%................36 Skinny_Jill..........50.....................22.5%..............32.7 Stephanie..........60.....................26%.................27.1 Hollyberries........97.....................27%.................38 linda.................42.5..................19%.................31.6 Abbisgood..........53.....................23%.................?? want2lose..........76.4...................26%................33.5 kandiceb............63.....................26%................27.6 Momto1plus1......59.2...................22%................32.9 MollyBrown.........36.....................12.5%..............36.5 TxArcher............94.....................23%..............52.8 to 40.6 Cindyg...............42.....................17%.................38 Close.................50.....................20%.................33.1 Tmusicmaker123..73.....................19%.................60.1 to 48.7 plump_princess....57.....................22%.................36 Mariegabrieleee....71.....................23%.................51.3 to 39.4 gabeekeeper.......89......................27%....................?? stranger138........36......................15%.................35 shortgal..............40......................18.5%..............33.8 Robin_Bird............76.....................25%................? Staysee..............70.....................20%................48.4 Hajohnson1..........40.2..................14.6%..............41.5 TOTAL:::::::::::: 1472.1 LBS Wahoo for us, although ...color me green about the almost 100 pound losses - I'll get there, someday! <-- Feeling like the 'red headed step child' with my puny amount of loss. Does it count in my favor that I wasn't banded until almost December? (Nov. 27th)

Hello everyone, I haven't been on here in a while and even when I was I don't think that I posted more than a time or two. Sorry about that. Reading through this thread has been a great thing for me. To see that a lot of you are going or have gone through the same things that I am gives me hope. I went the entire month of April without losing so much as a pound, I actually even gained a couple. Now for the last week or so I have been wavering back and forth, up and down, by about 4 or 5 pounds. On average down about 2 from before April's marathon of not losing, but yet I've felt so very stagnant. Looking at your tickers and assuming that they are current has shown me that my overall loss is right in line with a lot of yours. That is really nice to see, even though I wish the loss were more (as I'm sure some of you wish too). I work out doing karate about 4 hours a week. I do occassional walks with a friend and am hoping to join a gym in the near future to start doing some weight training. I know I could be more active but this is more active than I was before, yet I'm not losing. I have 4.5cc's in a 10cc band. I have a visit scheduled with the surgeon in a couple of weeks and am hoping to get more of a fill. A concern I'm having is my surgeon. In the materials and information recieved prior to surgery I was told I would be required to have monthly visits for the first year. A friend of mine who had the surgery with a different surgeon reinforced this information. Yet when I last saw my surgeon in March he told me not to return for two months. Now aside from the fact that I'm not really losing at the moment, everything else seems to be okay. March marked my 4 month post op. Seems kind of quick to not be going in more often. Is this fairly common? Also, when he does my fills, he does not numb the area first. My friend has always been numbed for her's and I seem to recall others on here mentioning being numbed first. It's not that it's been overly painfull, I've been able to manage, it's just that it seems like my surgeon does everything the opposite of what I've been told to expect. Thoughts anyone. I will try to come by more often. You all seem like a pretty nice bunch of people. It's nice to be able to communicate with others who are going through similar experiences.

Hey all! Just prior to surgery (while being prep'd) when my surgeon came to speak with me, he told me that I was getting a New Improved version of the band. My surgery was just a week ago (Nov. 27). He told me that on the old band the adjustable part only went 320 degrees aroud the band but that on the new model that I was getting it went 360 degrees. Better and more even control with this one. Yeah me! Just curious if anyone else here was told they were getting the new model. Also, even though I felt I had researched it well, I didn't know that (about the degrees around) until he told me just before surgery. Just me on this? Not concerned, only curious if anyone else got the new model.

I have about 4.5 cc's (it holds about 10) in my band now and have lost 35 pounds. Not sure if it's the sweet spot but it is limiting me somwhat on my food choices and I am averaging 2.5 pounds lost per week. Not as fast as some people around here yet still good enough to be encouraging. You'll get there. If you are not losing at all just have your doc put more Fluid in. From what I understand, the 'new' bands sometimes just take a little more adjusting to hit it. Good Luck!

Thank goodness I found this thread. I know the pain you are speaking of. I have it too, and have had it since x-mas eve. Almost 2 weeks now and it only feels like it's getting worse. It's there all the time, whether I'm eating, drinking, or not. For me it feels very much like being on the verge of a heart attack. A tightness to the chest. Sometimes even breathing is affected. Sorry you are experiencing it, but the fact that you are does make me feel better, to know that I am not alone. I go in to see the sugeon on the 10th and I am hoping he will tell me that this is nothing critical and that it will go away in time. It's making me nervous and scared. I dont like not knowing whats wrong and how to fix it. And if this is permanent, I don't know what I'll do, I don't think I can go on living indefinately in this condition. Good luck to you. I hope this clears up for both of us.

CPAP is related to the lapband because it is a tool to treat a co-morbisity issue. I mean, a lot of fat people have sleep apnea. We just have too much flesh everywhere and on a lot of us that extra flesh can close up our windpipes as we try to sleep. Is it directly related to the lapband, no, but it is something that the lapband indirectly affects. The more weight we lose, the less relient on the CPAP we may become. How we gulp air may affect our CPAP usage at night, etc. And for those of us lucky ones, we may be able to discontinue use of our CPAP's after we've met our goal weight. Does any of this help?

I haven't had a fill yet but the burping is just becoming part of my daily life now.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

I realized this morning that my reply wasn't entirely accurate. I'm not having a gas problem like you, but I am waking up with the driest mouth I have ever experienced. This has been happening most morning since surgery. My cpap has a water reservoir that I keep filled, so I don't understand why I'm drying out. But, at least it's not gas and can be cured with a swig of water.