crispy98a

Hi Patty. I went through the New Start program and I have only wonderful things to say about the whole experience. I was banded on 11-19-07 by Dr. Van Wagner at St. Alexius. Dr. Wagner is VERY good. He makes everything very comfortable and he and his office have been very accomodating and helpful, from filing with insurance to some of my post-op questions. There are also nutritionists and nurses that you can call anytime w/ the New Start program. Because the New Start program has attained the center of excellence status, filing with my insurance company was easier. I had an overnight stay @ the hospital, which was also a positive experience. Let me know if you have any specific questions. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about any part of the process through this program or Dr. Wagner and his office staff. Christi

I have had one fill of 4cc in the 10cc AP band. This sounds like what you have HB--some Dr's leave it filled w/ 3cc after surgery and then add 1cc for the first fill. Mine was unfilled after surgery and he put in 4cc for the first one. This is the new band...there's a very informative thread started on this if you search the site for "new ap band". I am feeling restriction, but I don't think I have quite enough yet. I still have to stop myself sometimes when I think I've eaten enough. Then, 20 minutes later I actually feel full. I'm following all the rules with eating slowly and chew chew chewing, but I don't always have the physical cues. I can also eat more @ Breakfast and lunch than w/ dinner...is anyone else experiencing this? I would have thought it would have been reversed and I'd be able to eat less in the mornings. I will have my next fill in a couple of weeks, and I'm looking forward to having more restriction. I also have not had any problems eating anything, so far. I just yesterday started adding back in bread, rice, Pasta and red meat, though, so we'll see.

OMG! I just ate 1/2 of a Lean Cuisine! I could have eaten 2 of them before this band. I am totally shocked. Also, just bought spandex shorts to wear under my bathing suit for my Water aerobics, and they're XL. I was looking for 2X, they didn't have any, so I risked the XL thinking I could take them back if they were just way too tight. THEY'RE LOOSE! OMG! (I guess I could technically have 3 NSV's since I'm starting water aerobics tonight. Wouldn't have done that before the band....). Let's keep going! This feels so good. I always thought the WW saying of "this ______ feels better than food tastes" was a little corny.....but......well, it's still corny, but it's feeling more true now!

I just moved from fitday.com to sparkpeople. I am liking it much better. Anyone with a sparkpeople account, send me your names so maybe i can have friends over there, too! I look kind of sad with just the SP guy as my only friend.

None of the pants in my closet are tight anymore. I don't want to go buy new ones, I gave all of my old, old smaller size jeans to Goodwill with the arrival of son #2. I am wearing saggy baggy clothes, and LOVING it. I guess I'll go buy new ones when I can't raise my arms over my head without them falling down. Also, I'm wearing my scrub tops that I haven't been able to wear in about 3 years. I always wear scrub pants and a t-shirt with scrub jacket (unbuttoned) to work b/c the tops were stretched too tight and showed too many belly bulges. Now I can wear the tops OVER a long-sleeved shirt, and even sit down w/o them getting tight! I LOVE this band!

Wow Lisa, you have me beat. I had surgery 11-19, first fill 1/2/08 and I am down 24 lbs. I did not gain over the holidays, which I am thrilled about. I am obviously one that needs the fills b/c even eating only 1/2 cup of the post-op diet regulated food and 800-1200 calories a day (and exercising) I haven't lost with that. I am already noticing a big difference with my first fill. Last night I was unable to eat 1/2 cup of Soup. I am anxious for the scale to start moving consistently. What I have lost has been from the clear liquid diet post-op and 2 days post-fill. Everyone is doing great! Let's keep it up!

I'm so glad I found this thread. I had my surgery done by Dr. Wagner at St. Alexius (New Start). I can't say enough good things about him or my experience w/ the hospital. My surgery was 11-19-07, and I just had my first fill 1-2-08. I am down 24 lbs, and ecstatic! I got to move on to full liquids today on the post-fill diet, and I was unable to eat 1/2 cup of Soup. I am thrilled. I was full and satisfied for more than 4 hours @ work, and I have a pretty physical job (x-ray tech). Can't wait to hear more of your experiences, and good luck to all of the future bandsters!

I just had my first fill, and the diet sheet my surgeon gave me to follow after the fill had a list of symptoms at the bottom, that if you were having them, to call the office. Everything you have mentioned is on his list. In his words, he says to call the office for a slight de-fill because any one of these symptoms is "unacceptable". We did this to be healthy, to have more energy, and to look and FEEL good. IMHO, you shouldn't feel sick , or regret this in any way. Good luck to you, and keep us updated.

I had my fill 2 days ago (1-2) and I don't know what to think yet. I was on Clear Liquids the first 2 days and full liquids today. Tomorrow I get to move to soft foods, and then on to the "modified regular" diet that I've been doing for the last 4 weeks (pretty much everything but bread, rice, red meat or pasta). The 2 days of clear liquids sucked. I hate to have to do this every time I get a fill. I am anxious to be able to really eat again to see how much restriction I have. My surgeon ended up having to do the fill under fluoro. It scared me when he couldn't get it in his office b/c of course, I thought the port had flipped. But, everything looked great and he actually just went in a little too low. He apologized over and over, saying that he must have been feeling extra scar tissue and not the port. I could feel and hear him hitting the port w/ the needle in his office, so it was a strange experience. Once he saw it under fluoro, it took about 1 minute to do the fill. I appreciate that he only stuck me twice in the office and wouldn't "dig around" for it. All in all, it was not too painful, and hopefully I will feel some restriction from it. If not, there's always the next fill! Sorry for the novella, but I love reading all of the different experiences!

I don't think I've posted on this thread before, but I had my surgery on Nov. 19, so right there with you guys. My holidays were great, I controlled myself really well, but I still haven't lost! Can't wait for my fill on Jan. 2! Congrats Marissa for losing 4 lbs. over Christmas! That is certainly an accomplishment. My youngest son turns 2 on New Year's Eve, so I made it through Christmas without feeling guilty, now I have to get through a big birthday party! I think it might be harder than Christmas. Of course, I see my Dr. 2 days after that, so that will be some inspiration not to overdo it! I think I'll just sit back and watch him cram cake into his face. He's much cuter doing that than I am!

I did really well through the Christmas holidays. Luckily, the holiday get-together we went to was last month when I was only 2 weeks out from surgery and on only liquids. It was easy not to stray then because I was TERRIFIED to. We only had very small holiday get-togethers over Christmas and they were with close friends and the few family members we have. I am lucky that they all know about the surgery, and had no problems with the food we had being "lap-band friendly", like reduced-fat cheese and cracker tray, or turkey pepperoni being added to the meat tray. Of course, that did invite some grazing on my part, but thankfully I didn't gain! My mom and I fixed only stuff I am allowed to eat for our Christmas dinner, and no one complained. My sons and I made break-n-bake Cookies for Santa, and you know what? Santa enjoyed those just as well as home-made, and Mom wasn't really tempted with them! I find myself getting really hungry, though. I have to stop myself from eating once I reach the 1/2 cup mark, and most of the time I'm still hungry. I then wait a couple of hours and have a Protein snack, and then I'm fine. I guess I'm getting used to it. I have not lost any weight since my 1st week post-op, and it makes me excited that I have the band and should lose once I get my fill (jan. 2), and it makes me a little bit nervous that I've eaten so little (under 1000 calories a day) and exercised faithfully, for 5 weeks and have not lost an ounce. I am so ready for the fill! Congratulations to everyone for making it through Christmas during "band-ster hell" time! It makes up a little bit for all of us that were on clear liquids during Thanksgiving!

this is my favorite: Morningstar vegetarian ground beef crumbles heated up in a skillet with taco sauce, then sprinkled with fat free cheddar cheese and a dollup of light sour cream. Pair this with some refried Beans and it makes a great, and filling, dinner.

I have pain in my right side (near where the port is) when I sit. If I am sitting in a recliner where I keep my abdomen perfectly straight, I'm fine, but if I sit in any other kind of chair, even sitting up straight, I have a good deal of pain. Has anyone else experienced this? It doesn't feel like the port pain after surgery. It radiates from my right side around to my back. I am 5 weeks out from surgery. I also have pain in my left side, but I can't tell if it's from the band, nerve, or maybe a muscle ache. I have not overeaten, and I have never PB'd or vomited, nor have I been nauseous. It usually starts a couple of hours after I eat. Is this pain from gas? I don't know if this is normal post-op or not. I am very active with a toddler, who I lift and carry a lot during the day, I have a physical job, and I have been exercising a lot more than I was 5 weeks ago. Not sure if this could be a nerve or muscle issue, or if I'm doing something wrong being newly banded.

I have questions about this as well, I have assumed the "mushies" were soft foods, but I have not had to blend anything up. My post-op diet has consisted of clear liquids first week, full liquids second weekto soft foods third week. I begin my 4th week tomorrow which is "modified regular food". I can now add in moist baked chicken, low-fat thin sliced deli-meat, vegetables and soft fruits. I have been able to eat fish, shrimp and scallops this week (3). I have made sure to never eat more than 1/2 cup of food and chew very well. Also, my dr. told me to forego the Protein Shakes, which I have done. I am now getting plenty of Protein grams in per day, and feel great. I am not able to have bread, rice, Pasta, or red meat for 2 months, and after that, it's as tolerated. I have not had any issues with eating, but I also feel no restriction (I will have my first fill Jan. 2). I love this forum, especially this monthly support group, b/c there is such a learning curve with this band. I am making sure I follow my surgeon's instructions, but I almost feel guilty eating when I know some of you are on liquids for longer than I am. Is anyone else _nervous_ (for lack of a better word)? In answer to the question about favorite soft foods: imitation crab mixed w/ ff miracle whip and a little bit of malt vinegar w/ crackers (ABSOLUTE FAVE) shrimp sauteed w/ butter flavor spray egg beaters mashed potatoes (frozen in 2 oz. portions after Thanksgiving since I was on clear liquids that week)

I'm Christi (in real life). I have been married to dh for 12 1/2 years and we have 2 fantastic little boys (age 7 1/2 and almost 2). My little one will be 2 on New Year's Eve. I am an X-ray tech and work part-time at a hospital here in St. Louis. So, I really dreaded the pre-op Upper GI and really really dreaded the post-op gastrografin swallow since I do such mean horrible things to other people! I am 32 now,and have been overweight since around the age of 8. I have tried every diet known, and finally took the plunge with the lap-band on Nov. 19. I was scared of the surgeries because I have seen some of the complications that can occur, so I really resisted the idea of this until a few months ago. I regret nothing. My in-shape husband and VERY active boys struggled a little bit today to keep up with me.....it's amazing how much energy losing 17lbs. will give you! They're going to have to watch out...I am enjoying the energy that I haven't had, that they have taken for granted! Looking forward to getting to know all of you better!

My pants are loose, although, I don't really think I've gone down a pants-size, YET. My shirts are a lot longer....if you're like me, you spend a lot of time pulling shirts down to cover everything up. I haven't been doing that at all lately. My wedding/engagement rings are no longer tight. My greatest NSV is my face is much thinner. I have a picture of me taken the day of my surgery, and took one 2 days of ago of me and my youngest son, and there is a marked difference. That makes me so happy. I have been so self-conscious about my face, chins and neck, and I love seeing the improvement so soon. Keep going....this is all so exciting! I love reading everyone else's NSV's!

I was banded Nov. 19. I am feeling so much better this week. I was able to start soft foods and it's so nice to be off of the liquid diet. My port site really doesn't hurt anymore, and my incisions have almost healed. I can't believe the difference a week makes. I was walking for the first 2 weeks post-op, but I have now been able to start exercising on my "gazelle", which is nice since it's very cold outside here! I haven't lost any weight since my first week post-op, but I can tell a real difference in the way my clothes feel. I am a little worried about the lack of weight loss since I eat less than 800 calories a day, but I guess that will come with time and the first fill.....

So far my experience has been positive. I have all of the worries about what this is "supposed" to feel like, and afraid I might be missing something because I'm not used to it yet. My main questions are: Is it normal to feel hungry? I am following my post-op diet 100% (I'm now on full-liquids this week), and I do feel hungry. I know I don't have a fill yet, but I was expecting to feel some restriction. How long does the pain around the port site last? Mine is feeling much better, but it's still sore. I think I'm just starting to get used to it. I would love to hear other people's experiences. I know everyone's "normal" is different, but it would be nice to "feel" normal and not worried!